Vacations Blog

USS Arizona Memorial

Pearl Harbor is the #1 most popular tourist attraction on the island of Oahu, but that is not why I visited.  I’m not a history buff, or interested in war trivia, or necessarily drawn to hallowed ground, so that’s not why I went either.  I went because I know and love many men and women who have served in the Armed Forces.  I have dated them, sprung from their loins, even considered becoming one myself.  (That’s for a different website.)  And so when I had some time in my schedule on Oahu, I looked into visiting this national monument.

When I asked locals what I should know about going to visit Pearl Harbor, I was told without variation that I should “go early, to avoid the lines.”  The monument’s website is very clear about the process for your visit – pick up a timed ticket, wait in line, no bags or backpacks or even diaper bags allowed.  I succeeded in packing light, but not at arriving early.  I made it out to the visitor’s center at about 11:00 AM on a Friday in September.  There was no line.  I got a ticket for the tour starting in five minutes, so there was little wait.  And the center wasn’t very crowded, so the whole experience was…pleasant.

It is odd to say that this visit was pleasant because essentially you are visiting an underwater tomb. Read More »

I’ve mentioned before, more than once, that Boston Massachusetts is one of my favorite cities. It’s hard to beat the combination of fresh seafood, architecture, and history of the place. Handily, there is one ideal location that combines all three, to provide you with an unforgettable experience on your next trip to Boston – The Freedom Trail.

The Freedom Trail is a three-mile walking tour along the heart of historic Boston, marked by a red line or red brick along the sidewalks. It begins in Boston Common (America’s oldest public park), and ends in Charlestown at the Bunker Hill Monument. Area maps can be purchased at the Information Booth near Park Street Station, and are also available at most area hotels.

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October is the time my kids and I turn our attention to ghosts, ghouls, and goblins.

Especially ghosts.

In a few weeks various haunted houses set up by local community groups will begin to open up, with the promise that they’ll scare the bejeebers out of us in return for a charitable donation.

And they do a good job, too.  But their ghosts leave something to be desired.

A Ghostly Town

Because I know where the real ghosts are.

Ghost towns.

Some of the best are in Western Montana, where the discovery of gold in the 1800’s led to mining camps popping up all over the place.  Many of these camps turned into thriving towns over time, but once the gold ran out, few of them could survive as the residents picked up and moved on to the next lucky strike.

Over the past century, these ghost towns were left to fall apart and fade away.  You could drive all over the western part of the state looking for the remains of hundreds of old settlements, but you’d need a lot of time, a very sturdy vehicle, and an extremely patient family.

Luckily, several locations have been well preserved by the State of Montana, so you don’t have to go hunting high and low.

Masonic Lodge at Bannack

You’ll have the best experience at Bannack, the sight of one of the first major gold discoveries in the area.  During its 1860’s heyday, Bannack had a population of  over 3,000, and it soon became the first territorial capital of Montana.  The town didn’t thrive for long, and by the 1880’s the population had dwindled to just a few hundred.  By the 1940’s the last resident had died or moved on, and Bannack became a ghost town.

By 1954, the state turned the town into a State Park in order to preserve it.  And that’s one of the keys to the place.  They preserve the buildings, rather than restore them. This isn’t some glorified amusement park recreation of history.  This is the real thing.

As you and your kids stroll the walkways, it’s easy to imagine what the rough and rowdy town might have looked like filled with prospectors, settlers, and thieves.  Special guided tours allow you inside some of the buildings, and even into otherwise restricted sites.

There’s really no better way to experience a little bit of the Old West.

Oh, and ghosts?  Yeah, they have them.  According to some people, Bannack has ghosts a plenty.

And at the end of this month, the ghosts will be walking the streets with you during the Bannack Ghost Walks.  These special performances are based on actual historical events, including gunfights, hangings, and other ghastly misdeeds.  Call (406) 834-3413 for more information about the Ghost Walks.

Bannack State Park is open all the rest of the year, with other special events during the summer that are fun for the entire family.  Entry fee is only $5 for your entire vehicle.  The park is easy to access, located just 24 miles southwest of Dillon, Montana, about 20 miles off I-15.

Visit the Bannack State Park website for more details.

If you’re a camping family, they have two different campgrounds in the park.  But if you like something a little nicer, I highly recommend Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.   It’s about an hour north of Bannack, just outside of Butte.  We’ve used it as a base of operations for exploring Western Montana, and it’s always a joy to end a tiring day by taking a dip in the hot pools.  While you’re there, you can also take a side trip to the Lewis and Clark Caverns, Montana’s first state park, and one of the largest limestone caverns in the Northwest.

Bannack State Park is also not too far off the regular routes to Yellowstone National Park.

Carriage rides at Bannack State Park

Photos courtesy of VisitMT, the official Montana Travel Website.

I’m a pretty big fan of Dan Brown, so of course I purchased a copy of The Lost Symbol the week that the book came out. I read it in a day and really enjoyed it (though “Angels and Demons” remains my favorite of the “Robert Langdon” books). More than any other reaction I garnered from the book, I was left with an increased desire to visit some of the historical landmarks of Washington D.C., which is where the book took place.

I’ve always wanted to go, but now I really want to go. Without giving away any of the plot lines of the books, here are four of the landmarks featured in “The Lost Symbol”:

The Library of Congress, along with being the largest library in the world, is “the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress.” The Thomas Jefferson building, which hosts the Library of Congress Experience, is located on 1st Street S.E., between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street, on Capitol Hill. It is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There is no charge to visit, though entrance wait times sometimes exist, and vary from 15 to 45 minutes. Tours occur daily, and various concerts, exhibitions, and other events occur throughout the year.

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It’s called the Eternal City. But you got to do that first visit. So what do you do on your first visit? Cat Lincoln has been to Rome a few times and explains what a first time visitor needs to do. She explains about the sense of the city too – what to do after museums and what to watch out for. Like sitting on a piazza in the afternoon; don’t get swayed by the beautiful people and go shopping. Better to just soak in more of the city’s amazing history all around you.

Play

One great thing about living in Los Angeles is that no matter how long you’re here, you’re always a tourist. There are undiscovered wonders around every corner, if you can ever get around those corners, that is. Traffic, you know.

One of those wondrous, magical places is Lake Hollywood. Built in 1924, Lake Hollywood is a reservoir that provides Los Angeles with much of its drinking water.  As such, the perimeter is mostly fenced off and dogs are not allowed on the 3.2 mile path that circles it.

Right now the north gate to the path is closed, which means you enter at the south gate, walk across the dam to the other closed gate, then turn around and head back to where you started.  You don’t mind that you’re not going in a circle, because you are surrounded by this:

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The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, features “five museums under one roof”.

The Whitney Gallery of Western Art is a large gallery featuring paintings and artwork of historic and modern western scenes, landscapes, and wildlife. It’s currently featuring Thomas Moran’s massive “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone” (8 feet high and 14 feet long), on loan from the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum.

The Cody Firearms Museum houses “the most comprehensive assemblage of American firearms in the world”. It is a vast collection of firearms ranging from the onset of ancient weaponry through to modern times. There are currently more than six thousand weapons on display, and another five thousand items related to weaponry.

The Plains Indian Museum is resplendent with displays, artifacts, and demonstrations related to the history and culture of the Plains Indians. The majority of the collection features items from 1880-1930, and tells a vivid tale of the transition from plains to reservation life.

The Draper Museum of Natural History describes the natural history of Yellowstone County and surrounding areas. It features local wildlife displays, biological and geological studies of Yellowstone National Park, and combines exhibits and educational programming to enrich the experience for visiting youngsters.

Finally, the Buffalo Bill Museum offers a fascinating look into the life and times of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. This legendary fixture in American history and Wild West culture comes to life in a vast collection of photos, maps, personal items, clothing, and recreated scenes. Visitors gain an invaluable insight into what it was like to live in the Western US in the 1800’s, when settlers arrived in droves to discover the west and participate in the gold rush.

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is located at 720 Sheridan Avenue in Cody, Wyoming. Entrance fees are $15 for adults (bring your AAA card and save!), $13 for students (aged 13-17, or 18+ with college ID), $10 for youths, children under five are free, and a Family Rate (1 or 2 adults w/children 17 & under living in the same household) is $45. The single entrance fee gives you access into all five museums. Refreshments are available at the on-site Mustang Grill and Pony Express-o. Hours vary by season, so be sure to check the schedule.

Photo Credits (all): Laura Charon.

Visiting a concentration camp is one of the most important things someone can do. Be you black, white, Jewish or Irish, doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter if your people were the ones afflicting or the afflicted. 8 years ago, I walked down the train tracks and into Auschwitz and it did something. Not immediately, but it did something. What it was, I couldn’t tell you – but it was there. Be it a deeper understanding of how far some have went, or simply piecing together the scenes in Schindler’s List… Read More »