Dred Scott. George Washington Carver. Scott Joplin. Buck O’Neil. You might be famil­iar with the names, but have you been to the cour­t­house where Scott, a slave, sat after he suc­cess­fully sued to earn his free­dom? Have you walked the grounds where Carver devel­oped his love for agri­cul­ture? Can you hear the music play as you imag­ine Joplin sit­ting at his piano and com­pos­ing “The Entertainer” or pic­ture what O’Neil’s accom­mo­da­tions might have been like for road games? If you answered “no” to these ques­tions, it’s time for a visit to Missouri, a state rich in African-American cul­ture and a great loca­tion to learn about the peo­ple who strug­gled to gain free­dom, fought to make con­tri­bu­tions to soci­ety, put their own stamp on a gen­er­a­tion and sim­ply wanted to get in the game. The Old Courthouse in St. Louis, www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/och.htm plays an impor­tant role in the his­tory of African-Americans in Missouri and in American history.

Dred Scott. George Washington Carver. Scott Joplin. Buck O’Neil. You might be famil­iar with the names, but have you been to the cour­t­house where Scott, a slave, sat after he suc­cess­fully sued to earn his free­dom? Have you walked the grounds where Carver devel­oped his love for agri­cul­ture? Can you hear the music play as you imag­ine Joplin sit­ting at his piano and com­pos­ing “The Entertainer” or pic­ture what O’Neil’s accom­mo­da­tions might have been like for road games? If you answered “no” to these ques­tions, it’s time for a visit to Missouri, a state rich in African-American cul­ture and a great loca­tion to learn about the peo­ple who strug­gled to gain free­dom, fought to make con­tri­bu­tions to soci­ety, put their own stamp on a gen­er­a­tion and sim­ply wanted to get in the game. The Old Courthouse in St. Louis, www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/och.htm plays an impor­tant role in the his­tory of African-Americans in Missouri and in American history.

Living so close to the Great Lakes (Lake Michigan to be exact), I often take them for granted. Then along comes some­thing new that I hadn’t heard of before. Case in point: The Great Lakes Seaway Trail.

“Great Lakes what?” Exactly. If you’ve never heard of it before, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail is a driving/boating byway that par­al­lels the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes in New York and Pennsylvania. The trail is a National Scenic Byway that includes includes Niagara Falls; 1000 Islands; 29 light­houses; War of 1812 farm and nature sites; lots of har­bors, world-class sport­fish­ing, bridges and fer­ries to and from Canada, and the Seaway Trail Discovery Center.

Steam rises around you. A giant turntable revolves. Excitement sim­mers in your chest.

It might sound like you’re danc­ing the night away at a trendy club, but the turntable before you (used for posi­tion­ing loco­mo­tives) isn’t manned by a DJ, and here, steam cre­ates power not ambiance.

The Virginia “Go Green on the Blue Ridge Parkway Sweepstakes” is the chance to win the ulti­mate fam­ily road trip. Visitors to www.Virginia.org/BRP can enter to win a seven-day, six-night vaca­tion for four, com­plete with air­fare, a hybrid rental car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and overnight stays at Virginia Green hotels, resorts and cab­ins. The sweep­stakes is open to U.S. res­i­dents 21 and older and runs through November 1, 2010.

As one of the first and arguably most pop­u­lar national parks in the coun­try, Yellowstone National Park can be a bit over­whelm­ing for first-time vis­i­tors. Togwotee Mountain Lodge, located right out­side the park near Jackson, Wyoming, offers guided trips that show­case the best of Yellowstone. With var­i­ous tours to choose from, guests can rely on […]