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Travels with
Mr. History (our top ten)
By Susan Olling
Even though we live in a place people look forward to visiting, we like
to get away from here when we can. With Mr. History’s input, I
came up with a list of some of the best places we’ve visited over the
years. There’s nothing scientific about the list of ten. We
did consider historic interest, gardening interest, and food (and
shopping). We’ve visited some of these places multiple times,
others only once or twice. For your consideration, here are
numbers ten through six:
10. Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia, PA. This event, held
in the beginning of March each year, is a treat if you’re tired of
winter. Reading Terminal Market is close by when it’s time to
eat. Besides the flower show, there’s Independence National
Historical Park, Christ Church (founded in 1695) and Christ Church
Burial Ground (Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the
Declaration of Independence are buried here). Great food at City
Tavern, one of the most important taverns in colonial America.
Mr. History’s happy, because we take Amtrak. Per Mr. History: if
it blooms, it’s a flower. If it doesn’t, it’s a plant.
9. St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick, Canada. This
little town was the third settlement founded by loyalists after the
American Revolution. Some of the houses were built by those
loyalists (they pulled their houses down before they left the United
States and used the boards and nails to rebuild). The Anglican
church has one of the few remaining seals of King William and Queen
Mary. It was removed from an Anglican church in Connecticut by
the church rector and taken north. One of the shops sells
all kinds of hand-knitted goodies (not being a knitter myself, I was in
heaven). I didn’t break the vacation budget. Mr.
History sat on a bench and watched people. A few miles away is
St. Stephen, home of Ganong Chocolates. The tour was quite
tasty.
8. Fort Frederick State Park, Big Pool, MD. This fort was
built during the Seven Years War to protect the western frontier.
When the fighting moved north, the fort fell into disuse. Until
the American Revolution when it housed captured British soldiers.
During the Civil War, the acreage was farmland, and stone from walls
was removed for other uses. In 1922, the fort became Maryland’s
first state park; and the Civilian Conservation Corps began
restoring the walls in the 1930s. Four Frederick is also a nature
park (the C&O Canal runs through it). A few miles west on
I-70 is the Blue Goose Bakery and Fruit Market in Hancock. The
pies are wonderful, and the cinnamon rolls are sinful.
7. Harley-Davidson factory tour, York, PA. Mr. History was
thrilled when we stopped and found that the next tour would be in
twenty minutes. Plenty of time to check out the “samples”.
Each bike had its specs listed. Had to admit, the red trike was
quite striking. The tour was pretty interesting, truth to
tell. Lots of robot technology. And no, we didn’t come home
with a hog. However, Mr. History would definitely be the envy of
the neighborhood with a Harley.
6. Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA. Pierre S. du Pont
wanted a place to entertain friends. Well, this 1,000 acre garden
would certainly have been a place to entertain. The four-acre
conservatory includes the Longwood Organ, the largest (at over 10,000
pipes) Aeolian organ not in a concert venue. It’s a treat
to listen to. A Mandevilla cultivar and a daylily cultivar are
named for Alice B. du Pont, who was an avid gardener and took the lead
in obtaining plants for their collection. Mr. History gets a bit
overwhelmed by the size of this garden, but he likes the cacti in the
conservatory’s Silver Room. Mrs. Robinson’s Tea Shop is in
downtown Kennett Square. Great tea blends, and you can order
online. Kennett Square is known as the Mushroom Capital of
the World, if you’re a fan of that fungus.
Next time, the top five.
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