ez history   travel, hotels, restaurants

 NEW ORLEANS

Jackson Square with a statue of the hero of New Orleans.

The French Quarter is mostly ok. Any story about the whole city coming back is incorrect.

When I drove in on elevated roadway US-10, the devastation was visible and when I turned off and drove under US 10, the homeless and tents were very visible.

The French quarter is still stunning with music everywhere and great food.

Many of the street cafes have large doorways that lead back to a courtyard like the one below. They have a fire and water fountain surrounded by more bars.

 Carriage rides are still a great way to see the old district.

Bourbon Street was not whaat I expected. I had the family in tow and was invited by many of the ladies in the doorways to join them for a good time. Be fore-warned and know off of Bourbon, the quarter is family friendly.

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

 EATS:

HOTELS:

 West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisianna, Arkansas.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Above is the rail fence on Bolivar Heights at Harpers ferry.

Below is the building that John Brown used to try and start his rebellion to end slavery in 1859. He failed, but stunned the nation into re-examing the slavery issue.

Harpers ferry was the site of one of the national arsenals. Lewis and Clark outfitted their expedition here with rifles, axes, knives and the iron ribbed boat.

Harpers Ferry today is mostly a sleepy backwater. The town is mostly a National Park with a dozen buildings set up as museums. All are interesting to differing tastes.

Leaving Harpers ferry and driving west on WV 50, we stopped at Cathedral forrest for a great stretch of the legs. The trees are some of the largest on the east coast with diameters of 18-21 feet.

Recent storms did alot of damage.

Chalestown is the capitol of West Virginia.

 The capitol building is beautiful with a dome higher than that of the national capitol in D.C.

 Road trips often lead to surprises. these visitors don't go anywhere with out their trunks.

 Boonesboro, Kentucky. A fantastic recreation of Fort Boonesboro settled by Daniel Boone in 1777. The re-enactors are wonderful. Their enthusiasm and interaction with the kids was wonderful.

The forts walls are lined with small huts to care for the settlers arriving.

 BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY. The National Corvette Museum is thousands of square feet of prime automobiles. Too bad they don't give free samples.

 1953

 Experimental models.

They just go on and on...

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. The capitol building.

 Andrew Jackson statue at the capitol.

In Nashville is a recreation of the Parthenon from Athens Greece. It is stunning to come across this!

 HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

Birmingham, ALABAMA

Dr. King on the Freedom Walk.

Statue of Dogs.

Statue of Children Looking at Jail Bars.

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

State Capitol with a monument to soldiers lost to the Confederacy(below).

Below is the first White House of the Confederacy until it was moved to Richmond.

Above and below, houses of old Montgomery.

 The front of the National Civil rights Museum.

Mobile, Alabama. These beautiful homes are clustered in a garden district in downtown Mobile.

 Biloxi, Mississippi.

VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI.

ARKANSAS

President Clinton's boyhood home in Hope .

Crater of Diamonds State Park.

 For the family, it is both ard work and fun!

Below, a diamond in the rough.

Toltec Mounds, just southeast of little Rock.

The staff at this state park were excellent. The visitor center though small, was well laid out and gave you an insight to a lost people.