A young George Washington Carver ponders the natural world at the George Washington Carver National Monument; image courtesy NPS. In Search of the Immortals by Ria Nicholas I have to admit, I’ve always been a bit nerdy when it comes to science – not that I’m an expert, mind you. I’ve just always admired thoseContinue reading “Museums and Monuments to African American Science”
Category Archives: Tourism
10 Wildly Offbeat (And Romantic) Places to Spend the Night Across Texas
Image courtesy Basecamp Terlingua And the Things You Can Do While You’re Awake By Ria Nicholas When planning a romantic escape, Texas may not be the first state to come to mind. But, while Texas doesn’t have the reputation of Paris or Venice when it comes to l’amour, the state does lay claim to everythingContinue reading “10 Wildly Offbeat (And Romantic) Places to Spend the Night Across Texas”
Just Hangin’ With the Hatfields and McCoys
Hatfields and McCoys Dinner Feud (dinner theater) in Pigeon Forge, TN; image courtesy MyPigeonForge.com Historic Hostility In Pikeville Leads To Homespun Hilarity In Pigeon Forge By Ria Nicholas For most of us, the names Hatfield and McCoy call up caricatures of hatin’ hillbillies and backwoods bickering – feuding families who just couldn’t get along. InContinue reading “Just Hangin’ With the Hatfields and McCoys”
Tour the French Quarter With NOLA’s Original Bad Boy!
Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans; image courtesy Lars Plougmann “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” with Pirate Jean Lafitte By Ria Nicholas The city of New Orleans has seen a lot of history since its founding in 1718. But it is, perhaps, the nefarious pirate Jean Lafitte who has left the mostContinue reading “Tour the French Quarter With NOLA’s Original Bad Boy!”
Sun, Fun, and the Battle We Won At Put-In-Bay, Ohio!
Jim and I rented bicycles to get around the island, but you can also rent golf carts. Head Over Heals With Historical Lake Erie By Ria Nicholas South Bass Island is the southernmost member of a small archipelago in the shallow waters of Lake Erie’s western end. There the charming community of Put-In-Bay makes theContinue reading “Sun, Fun, and the Battle We Won At Put-In-Bay, Ohio!”
Saving America’s Epic Lighthouses
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse; image courtesy Chandra Hari Please Keep the Nightlights On! By Ria Nicholas Lighthouses have guided sailors away from danger and toward safe harbors since before Homer’s mythical monsters Scylla and Charybdis terrorized the seas of classical Greece. Today, however, it is the lighthouses themselves that are endangered. Made obsolete by modernContinue reading “Saving America’s Epic Lighthouses”
Silverton, CO: A Place Where the West Still Runs Wild
Silverton, Colorado is a place where the West still runs wild. This, the heart of the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado offers endless entertainment to outdoor adventurers and history buffs alike!
No Passport? No Problem!
The above image of River Street in Savannah, Georgia is reminiscent of Paris, France. Image courtesy Savannah.com Tour the World With an American History Road Trip! By Ria Nicholas As we go stir crazy due to COVID-19, we’re eager to pack our bags and get our travel on. But journeying abroad may still lie outsideContinue reading “No Passport? No Problem!”
Bright Lights And Cool Nights At Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier
Image courtesy the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau Make That Historic AND Epic! By Ria Nicholas There’s something especially exhilarating about the Pleasure Pier at night. Thousands of colorful, twinkling lights elevate the experience into the realm of the surreal. A study in contrasts, the buzz and laughter of the crowd all but drownContinue reading “Bright Lights And Cool Nights At Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier”
Cool Vibes At the Texas Broadcast Museum In Kilgore
Please welcome guest writer, Jim Zura. He has spent 30-plus years in broadcasting, beginning as radio personality ‘Jimmy Z’ with M105 Classic Rock in Cleveland, Ohio. After moving to Houston, Texas in 1983, he worked on the air at KILT-FM radio, before his segue into video production. Zura has worked with countless celebrities and hasContinue reading “Cool Vibes At the Texas Broadcast Museum In Kilgore”
Tuskegee Institute: A Roll-Call of Self-Made Men
Please allow me to welcome guest writer Nathan Richardson. Mr. Richardson is a poet, author, and Frederick Douglass historian based out of Suffolk, Virginia. Among his many other accomplishments, Richardson is in his 7th year with the Frederick Douglass Speaking Tour, in which he delivers a compelling portrayal of the former slave, writer, orator andContinue reading “Tuskegee Institute: A Roll-Call of Self-Made Men”
One Thousand Years at Taos Pueblo
How Po’Pay Saved His People by Ria Nicholas When Jim and I visited Taos Pueblo a couple of years ago, we were immediately struck by the beauty of its natural setting, by the warmth of its people, and by its indefinable sense of timelessness. The Pueblo has presided over the mountains of New Mexico sinceContinue reading “One Thousand Years at Taos Pueblo”
Mud, Mayhem, and the Making of Millionaires
Dirty Dealings On Display at the East Texas Oil Museum In Kilgore By Ria Nicholas Most folks outside of Texas have never heard of the little town of Kilgore. But, in fact, it lies at the epicenter of a series of discoveries and deals that rocked our history and culture – almost to the core,Continue reading “Mud, Mayhem, and the Making of Millionaires”
Were Smoky Mountain Grist Mills a Tech Thing?
Making the Most of the Daily Grind by Ria Nicholas In the late 1800s, scattered Appalachian [apple-AT-ch’n] farm communities consisted of independent, resourceful, God-fearing people, scrappy enough to wrest a living from the hardscrabble soil under their feet. If the Church acted as the spiritual head of the community, and the family epitomized its heart,Continue reading “Were Smoky Mountain Grist Mills a Tech Thing?”
Houston’s Puttin’ On the Ritz!
The Majestic Metro Theater Is the Bee’s Knees! By Ria Nicholas Just a few days ago I went with Jim Zura to help video a musical performance (without audience) at Houston’s Majestic Metro Theater at 911 Preston Street. I’d never heard of the place before, let alone been there. What an unexpected surprise! It wasContinue reading “Houston’s Puttin’ On the Ritz!”
American History Road Trip 