2018 – THE TRAVELING SENIORS

November 25, 2019

SLOT CANYONS AND HORSESHOE BEND: THE BEST GUIDE TO PAGE, ARIZONA

updated 11/19 Only an hour and a half from both The Grand Canyon and Zion National Park is Page, Arizona. Yet, most people bypass Page and some of the most incredible national wonders in America! SPECIAL UPDATE December 24, 2019 According to azcental.com, traffic jams have led slot canyon tour operators to discontinue the popular photography-only tours of the slot canyon on the Navajo Reservation near Page in northern Arizona as of Dec. 20, 2019. You can still take photos with your phone or camera on regular tours, but no tripods will be allowed. As the number of visitors increased, tour operators found it increasingly difficult to carve…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Arizona, Blog

November 18, 2019

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE ALAMO IN San Antonio, TEXAS

updated 10/19 WHY WE WANTED TO GO Neither Stu nor I had been to The Alamo for decades. It is easy to overlook how significant a role The Alamo plays in America’s history. Our generation grew up with Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and Jim Travis. These men were our heroes. We were excited to see The Alamo! We looked forward to the moral lessons and action-packed episodes from those television shows coming back to us as we arrived. Instead, as adults, the sacrifice and bravery of the men who fought at the Alamo made us reverent and reflective. We have put together the history of the…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Texas

November 4, 2019

TOP THINGS TO DO IN VICTORIAN EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS

Updated 11/19 A Victorian enclave in the midst of the Ozarks? YES! And it is a visual stunner! The entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places! The history of this charming town began with tribes who spoke of a “Great Healing Spring” in the vicinity.* Indeed, in the middle of town, you’ll still find Basin Springs Park. By the 1870s, people were coming to the springs to heal various ailments.The power of the healing waters became famous and Eureka Springs was born in 1879. HISTORY According to Eurekasprings.com, a white man by the name of Alvah Jackson found the Basin Spring in 1856. When the…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Arkansas, Blog

October 7, 2019

COLLEGIATE PEAKS SCENIC BYWAY IN COLORADO

Updated 9/19 Soar high among 14,000 foot peaks and breathe in the crisp air on the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Drive in Colorado! THE ROUTE OF THE COLLEGIATE PEAKS SCENIC BYWAY The Collegiate Peaks Scenic Drive is an old stagecoach route through canyons carved by the Arkansas River in Colorado. The American Gold Rush, dancing waters, white cliffs and ghost towns are awaiting you! The paved scenic route is 57 miles long and took us hours to drive since we stopped to admire vistas and take photographs. If you drive straight through, you can travel the portion in Chalk Creek Canyon in only 2-3…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Colorado, Road Trips

September 2, 2019

CAJUN ANYONE? THE ZYDECO-CAJUN PRAIRIE SCENIC BYWAY, LOUISIANA

Updated September 2019 Find the heart of Cajun country deep in Louisiana. The Cajun culture is so exotic and mystical! Take a backroads trip to Louisiana on Highway 90 and the Zydeco-Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway in Louisiana and explore one of America’s backroad jewels. Louisiana epitomizes one of the ultimate melting pots of early America. Since neither Stu nor I have spent much time in Louisiana, the blend of the French, Cajun, and Creole influences with fishing, rice fields and music sort of slapped us in the face and said, “Gorge on the Richness.” The 283-mile long Zydeco-Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway hides rural and cultural treasures. One of our favorite stops…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Louisiana, Road Trips, Video

January 28, 2019

6 PLACES TO SEE IN ONE OF FLORIDA’S OLDEST TOWNS: MILTON, FLORIDA

Tiny towns are not for everyone. Stu and I love them. Many times, they are a window into the lifestyles of yesteryear both architecturally and culturally. They just FEEL different! The vibe is laid-back and personal. Such towns have survived much longer than we, as visitors have and seem to boast a happy contentment that they will survive long after we are gone. Milton, Florida is nothing special and yet, it is! Milton is “old-time” Florida and has blocks of historic homes and storefronts that lead to the Blackwater River waterfront. This is a sleepy town on the water where life is secure and peaceful. Milton can trace its history back to…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Florida

January 1, 2019

2018 TRAVELS WITH STU & BARB

Remembering 2018. What a year it was traveling the country. And what fun it was. From Gulf Breeze, Florida to the Grand Canyon and many places in between. So check out this video and share our experiences. Be sure to watch for all of our adventures coming in 2019. Happy New Years to all. Be safe. Cheers!

written by Stuart - Posted in 2018, Blog, Texas

December 6, 2018

FLORA-BAMA

Flora-bama! Is it a state, a tv show or a town? It is none of the above! Flora-Bama is a one-building lounge located in Perdido Key, Florida on the state line of Alabama and Florida! Known as a honky-tonk and roadhouse, Flora-Bama is on Alabama State Route 182 and was built in 1964. When it was established in Escambia County, Florida, the county was “wet” while across the state line, Baldwin County, Alabama, was “dry”. When you go, ask for the “Bushwacker” drink. Before Hurricane Ivan, Flora-Bama had in the range of 20 bars on site and up to 4 live bands playing at once. Right on the Gulf…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Alabama, Blog, Florida, Travel

November 22, 2018

ST. GENEVIEVE, MISSOURI: THE BEST IN THE HEMISPHERE

Shhhh…we hesitate to blog about St. Genevieve, Missouri-what some call the best example of French Colonial architecture in the hemisphere! You see, the whole town is slated to become a National Historic Park and crowds haven’t discovered it yet! We debated about whether it is fair to keep this charmingly romantic and historic town to ourselves. An hour south of St. Louis, St. Genevieve is the oldest town in Missouri and was founded by French Canadian fur trappers between 1722 and 1749. Officially, St, Genevieve became a town in 1735 and was the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi in Missouri. Jacques-Nicholas Bellin’s map of 1755 showed the Kaskaskia native…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri

October 22, 2018

Kansas City’s COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA

I couldn’t wait to show Stu the Country Club Plaza! Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza was the first shopping center in the world designed for shoppers coming by automobile in 1922. The “Plaza” was also one of the first shopping centers in the country to be designed with a unifying theme and architecture. The Country Club Plaza was named for the nearby Kansas City Country Club (now Loose Park). Developer J.C. Nichols began purchasing the land for the “Plaza” in 1907. The development project was the butt of local jokes since no development of its kind had ever been undertaken. The site was marshy and was next to a…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri, Travel