The current home of the Kansas City Automotive Museum is a little bit hidden away in Olathe, Kansas. This 10,000 square-foot museum is PACKED with all sorts of cars and information. Much more than I anticipated. Founded and opened in 2014, the Automotive Museum houses many cars and other objects that are on loan from their owners, where they are safe but also provide a place for others to share in the joy of their uniqueness.
There are race cars, turquoise-colored cars from the 1950s, an original Model T, 1912 Ford Model T, Packard Roadster, Studebacker, Bentley, Jaguar, Chevrolet Sport Phaeton, a bubble car, children’s go-carts, and so much more. I am not a car enthusiast, but I definitely enjoyed this experience.
We went with friends in October and were delighted to have a docent go through the entire museum with us. He was fantastic in explaining the different cars and what made them special; the special exhibits; the history of cars in Kansas City, and answered all of our questions, even the naïve ones.
Along the walls was information about the Kansas City automotive industry. I knew we have factories here, but I had no idea how long cars have been made in the area. I also did not realize that in the early years there were many small car companies that made perhaps dozens of cars before they closed. But that makes sense as all cars were originally made by hand. It wasn’t until Ford came up with the assembly line that car making became quicker and cheaper.
I was also amazed about how streets were developed. There was not always all the pavedc roads everywhere. They had to be built. One fun fact I learned was the origins of the term Jaywalking. It was a term for people who crossed the street in front of cars, making them seem not very smart.. Unlike now when motorists is blamed if they go too quickly and hurt someone, then they turned it around and blamed the pedestrian if they went in front of a car or were hit by a car!!!!
The Homer B. Roberts Gallery is in honor of the first African American car salesman in the Kansas City area. In the early 1900s he had an office at 14th and Vine where he sold cars to the African American community. I had not thought of that before, white salespeople did not sell to African Americans, but in order to make more money they needed a salesperson. Enter Homer B. Roberts and Roberts Motor Mart.
There is so much information in the permanent displays of the museum, a car enthusiast could spend hours looking at cars and listening to the stories. But there is also an exhibit room for special displays. When we went there were motor homes/campers from the early 1970s. Some were all in one, others were ones that were pulled by a car. I enjoyed seeing those as well.
The Kansas City Automotive Museum is building a new home in Kansas City, Missouri, on the north side of 31 street between Broadway Boulevard and Southwest Trafficway. It will be much bigger, 40,000 square feet, and able to display many more of the community’s antique and special cars.
This is a fun and informative museum, a hidden history gem, in Olathe. But when it moves to Kansas City, Missouri, set to open in 2027, I believe it will be even more impressive. I look forward to visiting the new museum then. For more information go to the website, https://kansascityautomuseum.com/
My week in Yellowstone made me aware of the importance of signs. Especially the cautionary ones along the paths, in front of some of the park’s wonders and when entering certain area of the Park. People really need to pay attention to what is around them. (See blog below.)
Every year people get injured, and many times it is because they do not pay attention to the signs. Bison injuries are usually the fault of the visitor. Close encounters with wild animals is often a bad decision. Getting a selfie with a bison is not a good idea. Stay away from the bison. They do not want you wandering in their way. A head nudge from a bison could send you flying, if not worse.
Often when we saw wild animals close to the road or nearby, there would be a park ranger also there directing traffic or blocking off the area close to the animals. At Mammoth Falls Terraces, a bull elk and his harem were hanging out on the terraces. So the walkway was closed for our safety and the animals. It might have been great to get better photos, which people with better cameras could. But in reality, we need to stay away from them and respect their space.
Hot Springs are very hot and the land around them is very fragile. Do not walk on areas that specifically say, “do not walk here.” But every so often someone does. And unfortunately, they pay the price. Geysers erupt, which is why they are surrounded by fences or barricades. Don’t climb over.
The warning signs are everywhere, and some are very specific!
Be careful when you bring young children and dogs into the park, especially around Old Faithful. The sign above tells it all. In 1970, a 9-year-old boy died after he fell into Crested Pool. Horrifying. Now there is a permanent sign warning people of the danger. Another sign warns guests specifically not to bring dogs into the basin. If they get off their leash and run into the off-limits area, they could be killed. But since the sign is there, I think we can assume that some people just do not believe it. And their pet pays the price.
I am posting some of the many signs that we saw along our travels in Yellowstone so people realize that what they are seeing and enjoying must also be respected. I am happy to say that no one in our group took any risks or defied the signs and warnings. Yellowstone is a beautiful, exciting and awe-inspiring adventure. Seeing the sights and the animals and birds is exciting. But like any adventure, you have to pay attention to your surroundings and respect the animals and the warnings.
Eight years ago, my husband and I visited Yellowstone National Park for one day. We, along with eight others, toured the park for about 12 hours. It was exhausting. But after that experienced I vowed to go back and spend at least two nights in the park. (See blog below.). I exceeded my desires, as we spent four nights and five days exploring Yellowstone National Park on a Road Scholar educational adventure. Along with 21 others we learned so much more about the Park and its wonderous sights, sounds, smells, wildlife and natural beauty.
Everyone talks about the geysers of Yellowstone. The one most people see exploding upwards is Old Faithful, one of dozens of geysers that are part of the Geyser Basins, along with fumaroles (steam vents) and very hot springs and other hydrothermal features. The first time I saw this area we only had time to see Old Faithful expel its heated waters and steam and eat lunch at the Old Faithful Inn, an experience in itself. We could see other geysers in the distance erupting water and steam. But we did not have the time to walk around and explore. This trip we had more than enough time.
We spent two nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, one of three hotels that are in the geyser basin area. The Snow Lodge is the only one that is open throughout the winter, as it has heat and is built for the cold weather. The Old Faithful Inn and the Old Faithful Lodge, two historic buildings from the early days of the Park, are only open until late October. The Visitor’s Center and the Tribal Culture Lodge, as well as the General Store were open when we visited.
Map of the geyser basins
Since we had lots of time to explore while at Old Faithful, I visited the Visitor Center and spent time reading the information and watching the two movies. I also checked out the beautiful historic hotels, Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Lodge. At the Tribal Culture Center I watched two native American artists work, one carving an arrowhead, while the other worked on beading. There was lots of opportunity to shop in the general store, the Visitor Center and the Tribal Culture Center. We enjoyed that as well. It was a wonderful day of sightseeing, learning and relaxing.
Old Faithful erupting.Bacteria growing.It flushes the water down.Heart Spring
Over our 40 hours in the Old Faithful area, I saw Old Faithful explode about 8 times, from all different directions. Each time its steam and water shot up in slightly different ways. It really is an amazing sight. But what is also amazing was our guided walk around the lower basin and seeing all the other geysers and their eruptions. In some places there are three geysers right next to each other, like the Lionesses. When one goes off it can either trigger another one to erupt, or actually draw water away from one that is already erupting. The Anemone Geyser doesn’t really erupt at all, instead it slowly fills a basin with hot steamy water then suddenly all the water flushes downward like a whirlpool or a flushing toilet.
There are lovely hot springs to look at, like the Heart Spring, that looks just like a heart. But the temperature in these springs often rise to over 160 degrees, enough to cook anything that falls in.
The land around these features is often brittle and baked. You see the silicon deposits around them and the bacteria growing in the warm moisture. The geyser basins are just one of the impressive sights of Yellowstone.
Mountain of obsidian volcanic glass.Holding obsidian.Lunch at this lovely creek.
Once we left the geyser basins, there were so much more to see. We visited a mountain entirely composed of obsidian, the black glass made from an ancient volcanic eruption. This mountain is sacred to the native tribes that once inhabited the park. They used it to make arrowheads and knives. You are not allowed to take any obsidian out of the park. But you can hold this cold, sharp glass.
Every day we ate a sack lunch in the park. The day we went to the hill of obsidian, we ate lunch at this lovely creek and picnic area. I did not want to leave!
Roaring MountainA geyser along the lake.
Roaring Mountain, is unusual smoking mountain, where fumarole vents have killed off the trees and caused the mountain to look like something out of a Lord of the Rings movie.
The West Thumb part of Yellowstone Lake, where geysers can be seen right on the edge of the lake and also bubbling up in the lake. And I cannot forget the bubbling mudpots where hots springs and bacteria cause the mud to actually boil. Talking of mudpots, we also visited Fountain Paint Pots where you can see hot springs, geysers, mudpots and fumaroles all within a short circular walk. While there we saw many small geysers erupt. It was a good introduction to our later experience at the two geyser basins near Old Faithful.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River with its canyon walls of many colors and its tremendous waterfalls, the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls, are thunderous and stunning. But also along the walls of the canyon you can see the steam from the vents rising as the heat bakes the canyon walls and helps to destroy them.
What surprised me is that the bison, elk and other animals will walk along the heated ground, and sometimes even lie down on it for warmth. We saw this at Mammoth Falls where a bull elk and his harem decided to hang out on the day we were there.
Just mentioning Mammoth Falls Hot Springs brings back the vision of the water cascading down these travertine terraces that look manmade, but they are not. Photos cannot capture the sparkling essence of these terraces.
Bison getting ready to cross the road.A pronghorn running away from us.The park ranger closed this path because the elk are resting on mammoth falls.
Of course I have not mentioned the wildlife. Black bears, grizzly bears, Wolf packs, Trumpeter swans, Clark nutcrackers, elk, moose, mountain goats, pronghorn (which are not deer!), bison – lots of bison, and so much more to see and experience from a distance. In fact the bison are not buffalo, but people still refer to them that way. And pronghorns are not antelope, but people still refer to them that way. As our guide, Shauna, commented, it is impossible to change the song from “Where the buffalos roam, and the deer and the antelope play; to where the bison roam, and the deer and the pronghorn play.”
Every spot we visited in Yellowstone is amazing. When you think that you are walking in the middle of a giant volcanic caldera, it really changes your view of the world.. These objects that nature has created here is inspiring. You realize that we, humans, are just tiny specks in the world, because in reality, nature is in control. I understand how the First Peoples of the Northern Hemisphere and the early explorers who walked these lands were stunned. This was sacred land to the First People and should be sacred lands to us.
I am so glad that in 1872 President Ulysess S. Grant declared it the first National Park. Yellowstone is not only a national treasure. It is a world treasure.
I think everyone should come here to visit and learn. Having a guide lead us on this journey made it so much more meaningful. I have to thank Shauna, our guide; Bryan, our fearless bus driver; and Louis, our director of all (food, keys, directions, etc.); and Road Scholar. We will never forget this experience.
On our way to Yellowstone, we spent two nights in Bozeman, Montana, home to the Montana State University and the wonderful Museum of the Rockies. We never got to visit the campus of the University, but we did spend a couple of hours examining the exhibits at the museum.
The Museum basically has three parts: Dinosaurs, Yellowstone Park, and an outdoor farmstead. We did not tour the outside area because it was closed for the season, and it was cold and raining. But we definitely enjoyed our visit to the inside exhibits, even though two were closed as they were preparing new exhibits for the fall.
The Dinosaur Exhibit hall is spectacular. The museum has a relationship with the paleontology department of Montana State University. I believe that many of their dinosaur skeletons and the research and work on them are done by faculty and students from the university. And you can tell as you walk through the exhibits that they are meant to be interactive and educational. You do not just look at the dinosaur bones, you participate in activities that explain what you are seeing.
See the inner teeth?T-RexUnderwater dinosaursBaby dinosaurs.
However, what you are seeing is so wonderful that sometimes you just have to look up in awe, especially at the Montana T-Rex that stares at you as you enter one of the rooms. The entire time I was there, I was thinking that I wished I had come here with my son when he was a child. He loved dinosaurs. The only books he wanted to read were about reptiles and dinosaurs. He would have just loved this museum.
Two of my favorite displays were the clutches of unopened dinosaur eggs and the sad display of a group of young diplodocus that got stuck in mud eons ago and died. A section of their tomb is now on display at the museum.
I loved how they displayed the underwater dinosaurs. The carpet color changed to blue as did the walls. It made me feel that I was underwater. My new bit of knowledge there, was that one water dinosaur, Plioplatecarpus peckensis had teeth on the roof of its mouth to clamp down on prey. Ouch. The outer teeth were scary enough, without the inner line of teeth ready to dig in.
Unfortunately, we got there just a week after the giant T-Rex, Sue, left. It had been on loan from the Field Museum in Chicago. But not to worry. I had visited several times with my family. However, I did feel sad that we just missed seeing it again.
The next section of the museum also interested us because we were on our way to spend six days in Yellowstone National Park. Reading the displays in the museum and seeing the items from the Park’s early days was a wonderful introduction to what we would be experiencing. I enjoyed seeing an original park ranger uniform and the touring coach that transported people throughout the park during the early 1900s, before there were paved roads and cars.
Tar paper houseWooden home/gas station! I love the old pump.
And because I love seeing old houses, seeing both a tar paper house and a small wooden house inside the museum, made me more aware of how difficult life was for early settlers in Montana. It is cold there. I cannot imagine living in these houses without insulation and the modern conveniences. But the other interesting point was that gasoline stations were also the homes of the settlers. It was important for the new automobiles to be able to refuel. It would have been quite a lonely life, but instead they met people traveling to Yellowstone!
This was a great way to start our week-long trip to Montana and Wyoming and the wonderfully weird Yellowstone National Park!
An adventure to Crown Center in Kansas City brought my friends and me to the Museum of BBQ, which opened just this April. I learned more about barbecue then I realized I needed to know! First, I learned about the history of BBQ, or should I say ‘barbacoa” and how this style of cooking was brought to Europe from explorers who went to Africa and the Americas.
Barbecue: You can make it spicy, or sweet, or very tart. It can be made with dry rubs or wet rubs. People in different states like it in different ways. And if you live in North Carolina, the state is divided about how you should eat it. The east side wants it heavy on the vinegar; the west side wants mustard. (Personally, I do not want either!! Sorry) There is also debates which is better, BBQ pork or BBQ beef. They don’t even mention chicken!!
At the museum there are activities like playing in a pool of baked bean-colored balls. Or wearing a belt that indicates you are a BBQ master. You can try to hang a ring from the horns of a steer! My friend’s husband actually succeeded in this challenge. The rest of us failed!!
You can find out all about BBQ and baked beans, because what is BBQ without beans! And you need to learn about the history of Bush’s Baked Beans. The last set of displays focuses on Kansas City and the American Royal BBQ competition. Also, how KC BBQ went global when KC Masterpiece’s sauce was purchased and distributed nationwide.
For me the best part was learning about the different types of BBQ sauces and realizing why I love Kansas City Barbecue. I now know why. I love the sweet molasses or brown sugar concoctions that Kansas City Barbeque offers the palate. For me KC BBQ brisket or chicken is the best. To taste some of these other sauces, just check out the gift shop, which has BBQ sauces from all the country!
I also learned that fat, or marbling makes BBQ more delicious. And for some the most delicious of all are the fatty burnt ends of a brisket. My husband loves burnt ends, a delicacy.
To make our day complete, we had lunch at the Burnt Ends BBQ restaurant in Crown Center. The husbands had burnt ends. My friend and I had BBQ brisket. It was deliciously cooked in the KC BBQ manner.
Kansas City has many wonderful BBQ restaurants. And everyone in the Kansas City metro has their favorite. My favorites are Jack Stack and Brobecks. I never argue with those who like other restaurants because it is a no lose situation. Every restaurant is great including, Joe’s KC BBQ, Gates Bar-B-Q, Q39, Burnt Ends, Taste of KC, and Arthur Bryants.
If you visit Kansas City be ready to try BBQ, it is a must. If you want to learn more about BBQ, check out the Museum of BBQ.
Our cruise in July started in Iceland. We arrived while the volcano was erupting. We could see it from the road as we traveled from the airport to Reykjavik. It was exciting for us because years earlier we were in Hawaii when the volcano was erupting, but the day that our cruise ship was going to be able to see the lava flow, it stopped. A great disappointment. Seeing the eruption in Iceland fulfilled a desire to see an erupting volcano.
Sveinsson’s home and museumArt inside the home.Woman WIth A Churn
We visited two off the beaten path places in Reykjavik that were in walking distance to our hotel. The first was the Asmundur Sveinsson home and sculpture garden/museum at the Reykjavik Art Museum.. Honestly, I had never heard of him before, however one of his statures I had seen, “The Woman with A Churn”. Some of his large sculptures did not appeal to me. I think I like figures that I understand a bit more. Before we read the description in the guide we used, my husband and I tried to figure out what some of the sculptures represented. I think we needed to understand more about Iceland mythology culture to really appreciate the figures. But I am glad we went.
The water feature sculptureA small garden hut at the gardens. Lowlying rock gardensLoved this water at the gardens
From the museum we walked to the Reykjavik Botanic Garden, “Grasagardur Reykjavikur.” I love botanical gardens, and this one was lovely, especially since the flora of Iceland is much different than those I had visited before! Much of it is low to the ground and nestled into rocks and crevices. I liked how there were paths through the rock gardens so we could get up close to these plants. It was a quiet place to walk and enjoy, as well as to see all the families there enjoying the paths as well. I am sure it is a great place for families because it is also free and open to the public.
There is a wonderful sculpture in the park of two towers and between them is a water feature that ebbs and flows. It stands right in front of one of the rock gardens. I enjoyed seeing its water display with the plants below. The botanical garden does have a café, where many of the families were eating. We chose to leave the park to walk a bit through the town and ate at a lovely little restaurant called, Ginger. It was excellent.
My other favorite spot in Iceland was our at first stop on the cruise at Vestmannaeyjar on Heimaey Island. Before our tour, we took a quick walk around town and decided to visit the Beluga Whale Sanctuary at Sealife Trust. I have been singing the Beluga Whale song, “Baba Beluga.” by Raffi for years. First to my children and now to my granddaughters. So I absolutely had to visit this sanctuary and donate to support the whales. Their two whales were rescued from show and now live peacefully. They Sealife Trust is preparing a bay at Heimaey Island to eventually releases the beluga whales to live in. I am glad we made this stop before meeting up with our tour.
The volcano to the left is Eldfell. You can see how high up we are. This area was once as low as the area to the right.This was the salt water tank for the town’s pool. The pool is under lave.Lava used to build walls.This house’ backyard is lava!In this area, this is how high the lava and ask got before it was removed.
I chose our tour because of my fascination with volcanos. Years ago my husband and I visited Pompeii, the most famous of the once lava and ash covered ancient cities. Well Vestmannaeyjar, has a similar history. In 1973, the Eldfell volcano erupted for six months. It covered most of the city in ash and lava. Over the years, the people have dug out some of the town. But a large area is still covered by the lava. We joined a group that took a lava walk along the top of this lava flow above the now covered town. Luckily even though this eruption happened in the early morning, almost all the residents were able to escape to mainland Iceland. Just one person perished.
Our tour guide for the trip was a local resident, whose grandparents and mother lived through the eruption. They were fortunate as their home was on the far side of town, and so not destroyed. But like all the other residents, they had to evacuate. She also told us how the town saved their bay from the lava flow thus making it possible to the town to survive after the eruption. They took salt water from the ocean and continuously sprayed it on the lava, which helped stop it just a short distance from the bay,
The lava increased the size of the island by two miles, also the town was able to use the heat generated by the still warm lava for decades to heat the homes and businesses! I also noticed that a lot of fences and walls are made from lava in the city.
We could see what was left of Eldfell now, but noticed there is another older volcano, Helgafell, nearby that still has the typical volcano shape.
I really did enjoy our lava walk and tour. But honestly, I also wish part of it was to visit the Eldheimar Volcano Museum. It was a great disappointment. But by the time I realized we would not be visiting it, we had to head back to the ship. I guess I will have to go back one day.
When I discovered that the Unicorn was the official animal of Scotland, everything I ever knew about Scotland made sense. The murder mysteries that included fairies and scared trees. The love stories that included love that spanned centuries and traveled between times. The stories of the highlands and the low roads leading to a romantic castle on the shore of a Loch where magic lights appear and spirits bring lovers together. It all had to be true if Unicorns were the official animal of Scotland.
Just to be clear, the people I met in Scotland assured me that they knew unicorns were mythical creatures, and that I would not see any unicorns roaming the streets or fields of Scotland. But they said that in the same breath that they told me about the many sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, known affectionately as Nessie.
However they might deny it, I must admit that during my visits to both the Castle in Edinburgh and the ruins of the Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness in Inverness, I was waiting for the fairies to peek out and smile at me. And there were times I thought they just might be around, hiding in a darkened alley or behind a piece of furniture. Such is the magic of Scotland, with a unicorn as its official animal, one believes that anything could happen!
The view from the Visitor’s CenterWatching Loch Ness waiting for Nessie Watching people approach the castle.The stairs on the other side of the water gate.Main entrance to the castle..The water gate to go down to the Loch.Some of the sights of Urquhart Castle.
Urquhart Castle was destroyed by the clan that lived there to keep the fortification from being used by the Jacobites. Since they felt they could no longer keep it secure, they determined blowing it up would be the wise choice. Then the ruins were left to rot on the side of Loch Ness for centuries. It was only in modern times that the Scots determined that this would be a great spot for tourists to visit the romance of a castle and at the same time sit near the coast of Loch Ness and search the waters for Nessie. I know that my husband and I enjoyed doing both.
Ruined castles have now unhidden staircases, towers standing solo reaching towards the sun. The buildings around them slumped in ruin but still given the site a romantic air, because that is what castle are all about in our day. A romantic place for people to fall in love. But really this castle was the scene of many bloody battles. After reading its history I understand why they blew it up.
But still, for many a tourist it was a place of wonder to explore and take many photos, while imagining the place when it was intact. I loved our visit to Inverness and Urquhart Castle. In fact, my husband and I want to go back to spend a week there one day.
The Urquhart castle was taken over by the government in 1913 and developed over the years to the attraction seen today. There is a lovely visitor center on the hill above the castle. I must warn people with mobility issues, that this visit includes much walking from the parking lot to the visitor center and then more walking down to the castle. Also within the castle there are many steps and uneven walkways. It is the ruins of a castle from the 1600s. Just be aware.
The next Castle was Edinburgh Castle, the home of the kings and queens of Scotland as well as the current home of the Royal Jewels. Edinburgh Castle is differently not a ruin.
Staring up at from the Royal Mile, you start to realize the size and majesty as you get closer and closer. But then when you are about to enter the Portcullis Gate of Edinburgh Castle, it looks small again, until you past through the gate.
The long line to get in.Waiting for the Crown Jewels.St. Margaret’s ChapelThe Great HallInside St. Margaret’s ChapelWindow in St. Margaret’s ChapelPerhaps a Fairy GardenVictory Street or Diagon Alley?The Royal Mile
It took a while get through the gate, as we were not the only tourists there who wanted to enter this magical world. You must book your time and date in advance in order to get in to experience the many wonderful places to see. I personally loved just walking around and around the cobblestone road upward to the top. We enter the Great Hall, the Memorial for Fallen Soldiers and paid our respects to those that died for Scotland. We went through a small museum about the Scottish Military. We looked at the long line to see the Crown Jewels and decided we did not want to stand in a line, so we continued our walk. I enjoyed seeing St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building at the castle. Then at one o’clock, our attention changed as we heard the explosion and resounding blast of the one o’clock cannon. Everything stopped for a moment in silence before we all continued our visit.
While I was waiting for the cannon bast, I believe I found the place where the fairies hang out at Edinburgh Castle. While looking over the stone walls I saw a little garden area. Supposedly this is the cemetery for the soldiers’ dogs. And yes, I did see tombstones. But I did not see any way to enter this garden. And to me it looked like the perfect spot for a fairy tea party. Okay, I might just be imagining it, but since my time at the Castle, I have had several dreams about this garden and there are always fairies in it.
The Edinburgh Castle is well worth the wait to go through and the crowds that enter. As you walk closer to the top, the numbers of people thin out, and you get that feeling that you could go back in time and see the medieval residents of the castle. But seeing from the outside and imagining is the best, because, in reality, I would probably would have been a serf and not welcome there.
After we left the castle, we returned to the Royal Mile and found the most important place for my husband, an Ice Cream Store. With ice creas in hand, we walked along the Royal Mile happily eating ice cream, seeing the sites, including Victory Street, which is supposedly the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter stories. Fairies, wizards, muggles, dementors: of course, Harry Potter was from Scotland. There is no where else to create these characters then a bit of magic from Scotland and castle.
I am a dedicated Disney enthusiast. I have been to both Disneyland and Disney World multiple times. When the Disney 100 Anniversary Exhibition visited Kansas City, I made sure that my husband and I had tickets to go through the exhibit. I loved it!
I have passed by the Laugh O Gram building in Kansas City many times. I am still hoping that one day KC will have its own little piece of Disney. Now I can add a new Disney experience. I finally got to visit the Disney hometown of Marceline, Missouri.
It was worth the over two-hour drive from our home. Was it everything I thought it would be, not exactly. But despite that, even my husband said that the museum was very interesting. And it was.
Original ticket booth.
The Disney Hometown Museum is housed in the original Marceline Sante Fe train depot. A perfect spot for a Disney museum because Walt Disney loved trains. Parts of the train station are still obvious. The original ticket office still exists with some train memorabilia. Also the train comes by every so often, so you get to hear the sounds and whistle.
Davy CrockettOriginal Map
Most of the collection was from the estate of Walt and Roy’s sister, Ruth. Even though she was not employed by the Disney company, she received many Disney artifacts and letters throughout her lifetime. Many of the items on display were hers.
Also included are many Disney family items. Photographs and letters line display boxes. Information about the Disney parents and siblings is an important part of the museum. I loved learning about how Walt and Roy took care of their family throughout their lives, giving them Disney stock and other items. In fact, the one Disney sibling who never married, left millions of dollars the Shriners’ Children Hospital. What a great place for the profits of the Disney company to end up!
Teacup RideIt’s a Small World
I really enjoyed the displays on the second floor of the original Disneyland models. Seeing the view of the It’s a Small World Ride and the teacups in miniature, as well as the castle and other rides was really a thrill. This is what they were trying to create in full size, and they succeeded!
As an aside, the Teacups were my favorite ride when I was younger. But as I aged I realized I did not like to be spinning around. For my sister and daughter “It’s a Small World” was the best ride ever.
I loved seeing the items like the model dressed in the Davy Crockett regalia and the giant Mickey Mouse. There were dozens of items to enjoy. Some of which I remember from my children hood. My brother was a big Davy Crockett fan!
I have to also comment on the kindness of the people who worked there. They made the experience so warm and friendly. But then they knew we were true enthusiasts as I was wearing one of my Disney shirts. In fact ,you could tell in each family who was there who the Disney fan was…that was the person who people wearing Disney clothes!
Vuew of the ride as we walked toward it.Entrance to ride area.One of the cars in the museum.
After the Museum we walked over to Ripley Park, where the Midget Autopia ride was installed after it was taken out of service at Disneyland. The only ride ever to be given away after it left the park!! I am sure it is a shorter car trail than what was used on Disneyland. You can still see where it was, as it is still set up to be used. But currently the cars are no longer there. Although there is one car on display in the museum.
In the park you can also see both a diesel locomotive and a steam locomotive. They are quite huge.
For lunch we ate at Ma Vic’s Corner Café. It was crowded with locals and with the people who had been to the museum. I saw two other restaurants in town, but I am not sure they are open for lunch.
We also walked past the Uptown Theater where Disney premiered two of his movies and where he saw movies as a child. It is closed now. But it does resemble the movie theatre on Main Street USA at the Disney parks.
Main Street USA was a disappointment. We walked up and down Main Street USA, which Walt Disney used as the guiding force of the Main Street in Disneyland/Magic Kingdom. But it was somewhat sad. Most of the store fronts were empty. There were a few things in the windows, but many had no businesses. A few shops were open, when we were there, while some that opened only in the afternoon. I guess I was hoping for more Disney spirit in downtown.
When we went back to the museum, before we left, I asked about the Main Street stores. We were told that someone had purchased the buildings to keep the look of the town intact, but really there was not a lot of business.
Honestly, although there is a small shop in the museum, I think that they should use one or two of the store fronts to open a Disney store in Marceline. I think it would be busy with those of us who would love to purchase more in Disney’s hometown. Look at Hamilton. It was a dying town, but with all the fabric stores, it is now a quilting mecca. I think something more can be done with Marceline. But don’t worry, I did help the economy by buying myself a t-shirt, two magnets and presents at the museum.
We did not visit the Disney farm or school. I am not sure the school would be open to visitors, but at the museum we saw that Disney artists had painted murals throughout the school. However, with our two-hour drive home and the heat of the day, we ended our visit to Marceline.
The Disney Hometown Museum is definitely worth the drive for Disney enthusiasts. My husband and I truly enjoyed our time there viewing all the artifacts, reading the letters and materials and talking with some other Disney fans and the museum staff.
On a recent trip to Florida to visit family, my cousin insisted that we couldn’t just sit at her home and visit. We had to go somewhere and see something new. That was great because leading up to the trip, I had read about the Morikami Japanese Gardens. It was a place I wanted to see. It turned out to be an excellent adventure.
The lakeone of the bonsai treesa peaceful waterfallWatching a photo shoot
We walked the loop around the lake that had once been owned by a Japanese farmer. George Sukeji Morikami, who had come to Florida in the early 1900s with a group of other Japanese immigrants to start a farming community. When he passed away, he donated 200 acres of his land to the community. On this lovely piece of land, a Japanese Garden was built. The Roji-en Garden of the Drops of Dew.
We walked the loop around the lake visiting all of the 25 marked attractions. We were lucky to have wonderful weather to walk in and out of the shade trees, the quaking bamboo that wavered and clicked together in the wind. We saw the statures, visited the bonsai collection on Yamato Island, sat quietly at the two rock gardens, the Contemplation Pavilions and the Nelson Family Memorial Garden. The peaceful areas also included waterfalls. Watching the water make its way down a small hillside through the rocks was relaxing after walking for a while.
We were not the only ones enjoying the lovely weather and the beauty of the park. There was a teen girl gettin her quinceanera photos. I could see the park as a wonderful site for weddings!
After our walk we had a delicious lunch at the café sitting outside and enjoying the view of the gardens. Unfortunately, on the day we went, the museum was closed as they were getting new displays ready. But we did visit the tea room and of course donated to the garden and museum by our purchases at the gift shop. I honestly cannot believe that I have been to Florida dozens of times, and never went to these gardens.
The next day my cousin had another place to visit not far from her home. The Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Bird Sanctuary. This was another looped walk but instead of in a garden around a lake, we were walking on a high wooden path through marshland and trees see the roosting Storks, Cranes, Purple Marlins, Egrets, Herons in the trees, as well as a few iguanas; and the alligators down in the water.
The wetlands were opened o the public in 1996 and is a 50-acre site of previous wastewater utility property. Now free and open to the public, the wetlands is the nesting place of many different birds. What a great way to use this land for the community and for the wildlife. It is just wonderful place to spend an hour or so.
It was amazing how close we could get to the birds. I do not think I have the words to describe the scene, so you will have to see my photos. But I will say this was not a quiet and peaceful walk, as the squealing of the young birds calling out to their parents for food was quite loud.
I was walking around taking photos with my phone. But there were many people with professional size cameras and massive telescope lenses to get much better photos. In fact, throughout our walk, I kept thinking about a former student of mine who takes the most amazing bird and wildlife photos. I wished he was there to enjoy the sights. Below is the website for the Wetlands which includes a live web stream!! Enjoy!
My recommendation to everyone who goes to Palm Beach County is to see both of these wonderful outdoor adventures. I am so glad my cousin insisted that we visit them.
Every Year on the Fourth of July, we watch the movie version of the play 1776. We love the music; we love the acting; we love the retelling of the founding of our country. But for me the scene that always hurts my soul is when Edward Rutledge sings “Molasses to Rum to Slaves.’ That moment in the movie is so strong and so emotional. When John Adams says, “For God’s Sake Mr. Rutledge,” I can feel the pain.
When we were in Charleston, South Carolina, we knew that part of our visit there was to learn more about the slave trade: to see where it happened. We visited St. Philip’s Church and walked through the historic cemetery where some of those involved in the American Revolution are buried, including the infamous Edward Rutledge. We saw the area where the slave market was held and walked down the cobblestone streets. The historic district of Charleston is unique and extremely interesting.
I learned interesting information about the history of slavery while in Charleston. This new- found information started with our visit to the Magnolia Plantation, which is just outside Charleston. I never knew that Carolina Gold referred to golden rice. Actually, I never knew that rice was grown in the south. I always just think of tobacco and cotton. My eyes have been opened. What I learned created a burn in my heart.
Rbuilt slave quartersA rice paddie areaAshley River
While at the Magnolia Plantation where saw the area where the slaves lived. Four families to a building. There are only a few rebuilt slave buildings now. Most were destroyed in previous hurricanes. At one time there were 11 or more ‘homes’. Almost 250 slaves lived on the Magnolia Plantation. Their main job was growing and harvesting rice.
We saw where the rice paddies once were located. Some of them still have water. It is from the tides that wash over the banks of the Ashley River and fill up areas that have been dug out down three feet and contained by low levees, so the water doesn’t all recede. A perfect spot for growing rice and also good homes for alligators and water moccasins. Two creatures that are adept at killing humans.
We found out that once a child was tall enough, he or she went into the rice paddies to work. The average length of time that someone survived the rice paddies was six to eight years!!! Someone who was 20 years old and still alive after being exposed to deadly snakes, alligators and disease, was considered old. That was something I did not know. And that makes me a bit sick to my stomach. How could they use children this way? Really disgusting! No one there are people who are adamant to keeping the real story out of our schools.
Going the next day to the International African American Museum cleared up a puzzle for me. How did these slaves know how to grow rice? It seems when the white men came to Africa to purchase captured slaves, they were going with a list of who they wanted. And what they wanted were farmers who knew how to grow rice and indigo. They were enslaving people who had the knowledge that would make the plantation owners rich, while the slaves would not only be enslaved but most likely die young. It seems so unreal. But it is true. I always knew the slave owners became rich due to slavery, but I never knew the stave traders went to Africa with a shopping list of which Africans they wanted to enslave. A definite eye-opening experience.
We enjoyed learning at the museum. The first section discusses the African American community in South Carolina and how the Middle Passage from African often ended up in Charleston, which was the most active port in the slave trade. Many people died on the way over and those who survived that horrible journey had more horrors ahead.
I also learned more about the Low Country Gullah Geechee population and their unique culture, which is so interesting. The descendants of slaves, the Gullah Geechee people were able to hold on to their African heritage because they were isolated on island and costal plantations.
The second section of the museum was filled with facts and information decade by decade of the African American experience. To be honest, this is not a museum to take young children, there is just too much reading and too much standing. I wish they had some benches along the winding hallways to take a break both physically and mentally. There is so much to absorb. It was difficult for me. And after a bit I was exhausted from the stories, the reading and the standing.
A few years ago, we visited the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan. The permanent exhibit, “And Still We Rise,” was so immersive and left a permanent mark in my memory about how horrible the Middle Passage was for the enslaved and captured Africans. It does a much better job, visually, explaining the slave trade and having the visitors feel the impact, while its special exhibits focus on more cultural experiences.
The museum in South Carolina, however, does a much better job about explaining and detailing the history of the African American community over the centuries by highlighting important events, dates and people. But trying to see it all in one day is too much.
There were two little exhibits that stuck out to me as I walked through this museum. They had a display of the Green Book that told African Americans where they could stay as they traveled around the USA. I turned to pages to Kansas, where I currently live, to see where people could spend the night. There are not many places, which is disturbing. But in a way, being Jewish, I understand this pain, as Jewish people were also discriminated against and not allowed to stay in many places.
I did enjoyed seeing two of David Drake’s pottery pieces. I had seen his work several times on the Antique Roadshow, so was excited to see them in person. We saw another one at the Gibbes Museum in downtown Charleston. It was interesting to note the fact that he could write and sign his name was a quiet protest against slavery since slaves were not allowed to learn to read or write. This knowledge could have cost him his life.
Charleston was a lovely city to visit. There is so many places to immerse yourself into the history of our country. But while learning about things we can be proud of, we cannot forget the darkest, bitter moments of our country’s past due to its support of slavery.
zicharonot 