That is a cool place. Problem is, there are easily thousands of oddities to see across the USA. It is hard to pick which ones to stop for.
CD
America - Where have you been and what do you think?
- Thread starter SandwichShortOfAPicnic
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That is a cool place. Problem is, there are easily thousands of oddities to see across the USA. It is hard to pick which ones to stop for.
CD
grumpyoldman
Active Member
i agree there are plenty of odd things to see and do in this country , but it was just an idea
Cool - we have one of those “strange men and their castles” here:
Cincinnati Enquirer
Built pretty much by one man, he used milk cartons as forms for the brick, and it’s full of fun stuff like heavy stone doors so perfectly balanced they can be opened with the push of a finger.
kaneohegirlinaz
Wannabe TV Chef
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DH & I were out and about today and were discussing this topic; he had more useful ideas:
Have y'all thought about renting bikes and save on some costs? (I thought that maybe you'd already looked into that and found that shipping yours over more economical
)
I said, they might want to seek out the "better" markets for heat 'n eat meals for the times you don't feel like sitting in a restaurant or want more than cold food... most hotel/motels in the US have both a `fridge and micro in the rooms. I really like Wegman's (love love love), Publix (love), Trader Joe's (love love-cheap wine aka Charles Shaw), Harris Teeter, Whole Foods (aka Whole Pay Check), Sprouts Farmers Market, and Aldi.
In addition to that thought, local Farmer's Markets offer some lovely reginal goods that you can whip up into a very nice, healthful meal in you hotel room.
Again, along this vein, maybe bring or buy some instant coffee. Coffee provided in hotel/motel rooms to us anyways, is horrid!
And speaking of coffee ... we so love Love's Truck Stops for a quick to-go cup while on the road. AND if you are wild camping, just about all Truck Stops, no matter the brand, have showers for hire! The most infamous Truck Stop is Buc-ees. I have yet to get DH to stop at one, but we'll get there some day.
Have y'all thought about renting bikes and save on some costs? (I thought that maybe you'd already looked into that and found that shipping yours over more economical
)I said, they might want to seek out the "better" markets for heat 'n eat meals for the times you don't feel like sitting in a restaurant or want more than cold food... most hotel/motels in the US have both a `fridge and micro in the rooms. I really like Wegman's (love love love), Publix (love), Trader Joe's (love love-cheap wine aka Charles Shaw), Harris Teeter, Whole Foods (aka Whole Pay Check), Sprouts Farmers Market, and Aldi.
In addition to that thought, local Farmer's Markets offer some lovely reginal goods that you can whip up into a very nice, healthful meal in you hotel room.
Again, along this vein, maybe bring or buy some instant coffee. Coffee provided in hotel/motel rooms to us anyways, is horrid!
And speaking of coffee ... we so love Love's Truck Stops for a quick to-go cup while on the road. AND if you are wild camping, just about all Truck Stops, no matter the brand, have showers for hire! The most infamous Truck Stop is Buc-ees. I have yet to get DH to stop at one, but we'll get there some day.
The mostinfamousTruck Stop is Buc-ees. I have yet to get DH to stop at one, but we'll get there some day.
Buc-ee's is NOT a truck stop. In fact, they don't even allow big trucks in all the ones I've seen. They are known most for their large CLEAN restrooms. Good food, too... and they pay their workers better than competing businesses.
In comparison, I only stop at Love's if I absolutely have to, and don't eat any food from there.
Up until a few years ago, they were only in Texas, but now they are also in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee, with new locations planned for North Carolina, Colorado, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin and Louisiana.
Definitely worth a "pit stop" along the road.
CD
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Über Member
Some post worthy stuff there, I‘ll come back to this thread in a bit because I‘m a bit preoccupied at the mo and would rather take the time to enjoy it.
medtran49
Forum GOD!
Definitely not a destination reason, but interesting nonetheless is Coral Castle, which is located south of Miami.
Coral Castle Museum
He was jilted by his love and supposedly built this in hopes of her coming back to him.
We've been a few times. The first out of curiosity, the others to take people visiting us that were interested.
Coral Castle Museum
He was jilted by his love and supposedly built this in hopes of her coming back to him.
We've been a few times. The first out of curiosity, the others to take people visiting us that were interested.
medtran49
Forum GOD!
There's also the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina, if you are in that area. They make some pretty good wines and the restaurants have some good food. The home is lovely if you are into that.
Biltmore
In Florida, there is also Vizcaya. It's a gorgeous home and the gardens are beautiful.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Miami FL
Not far from Vizcaya is Fairchild Botanical Garden. It's world renowned.
Fairchild Home
Biltmore
In Florida, there is also Vizcaya. It's a gorgeous home and the gardens are beautiful.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Miami FL
Not far from Vizcaya is Fairchild Botanical Garden. It's world renowned.
Fairchild Home
I've stayed at the hotel at the Biltmore in Asheville. That is a nice place. The hotel is first class, the food is good, and the winery is good, too. The house tour is great. There are good riding roads around there, too.
I spent three days there, courtesy of Land Rover. They have an off-road driving school at the estate. I did an article about it.
That would be a good place to stop for a day off from the road traveling up the East coast. You could take a short off-road course in a Land Rover while there. Land Rover®
CD
karadekoolaid
Legendary Member
Is that the same group that owns the Biltmore in Miami?
I once had a conference there (Coral Gables). It was supposedly from Wednesday to Friday, but I managed to persuade my boss that I'd leave on Saturday. Al Capone stayed there. Just a phenomenal experience. Orchids all over the place. Live music Friday night and a Cuban bloke hand-rolling cigars. Single malts. Wow - won't forget that night in a hurry!
I don't know about that. I've been there, too, but don't know if they are under the same ownership. There is a Biltmore in Arizona, too. I also art directed and article about that one for a magazine.
CD
medtran49
Forum GOD!
The Biltmore Estate in Ashville was built by George Vanderbilt and was home to that family for a long time. It was a self sustaining estate with a working farm when I first visited around 40 years ago. The winery, the creamery, and just 1 restaurant that used products from the farm were the only things open then, besides the house tours.
The Biltmore in Coral Gables was built as a hotel by George Merrick as part of his plan for Coral Gables as a destination city.
My mother and I lived in Coral Gables when we first moved to Miami. In fact, I finished high school at Coral Gables High. We would go to The Biltmore for Sunday brunch fairly often and dinner once in a while. Even back then, shopping and dining were experiences in Coral Gables.
I have no idea if the Biltmores are all owned by the same company now, but they certainly didn't start that way.
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Über Member
According to a dodgy resource (Wikipedia) the hotels are a chain.
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels - Wikipedia
Well, the first one was such a success, they went ahead and, ahem, built more!
medtran49
Forum GOD!
The way I understood the article was that The Biltmore Estate is still privately owned and the chain basically used the name Biltmore to imply luxury, richness, etc.
I'm pretty sure The Biltmore in Coral Gables is still independently owned as well.