60th Bday Vacation Album at:
October 11–26, 2013
Overview
Our 60th Birthday Trip (50th was to Hawaii) was inspired by our January stop in Memphis, on our Christmas X-Country Trip. We took two weeks to visit Civil War Sites across Tennessee and in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with a little time saved for Memphis & Nashville.
We mostly visited Tennessee and Mississippi, but also spent time in Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana (1st visits to MS, AL, LA), as we:
- flew into Nashville Friday night, and took off Saturday morning
- stopped in Lynchburg en-route to Chattanooga (where we actually stayed on Lookout Mountain in Georgia)
- stopped in Tuscaloosa, Alabama en-route to Vicksburg (where we crossed the Mississippi River to visit a site in Louisiana)
- drove up the Mississippi Delta, off the highway, to Memphis
- diverted SE to Tupelo before driving NE to Savannah
- made it back to Nashville for a 2-day visit before flying out
Unfortunately (or maybe not), the 2013 Government Shutdown, October 1-17, kept us from visiting 2 planned National Parks, between Nashville & Chattanooga. But there were plenty of alternative sites (e.g. Jack Daniels, instead of Stones River Battlefield). Just really glad the National Parks were re-opened by the time we got to Vicksburg.
Highlights
OH MY!!! This was definitely a touristy vacation!!!
SO MANY Highlights!!!
…which…included eating LOTS of great BBQ & Catfish, and a particularly delicious Coconut Cream Pie in Vicksburg!
Lynchburg
- Jack Daniels Distillery
Chattanooga
- Ruby Falls
- Rock City – Roctoberfest
- Chattanooga Incline Railway
- Durham Mines & Coke Oven
- The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum
- Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Tuscaloosa
- University of Alabama
- Site of the Stand in the School House Door
Vicksburg
- Cedar Grove Mansion
- Vicksburg Riverfront Murals
- Coco Cola Museum
Memphis
- Beale Street
- Moho Music Tour
- Sun Studio Tour
- Mud Island
- Historical Walking Tour
- Peabody Duck Walk
- Mississippi Paddle Boat Tour
- Rock-n-Soul Museum
Baldwyn, MS
- Mississippi Last Stands Interpretive Center
Nashville
- Opy Country Classics @ The Ryman
- Ryman Tour
- Music City Trolley Hop
- Marathon Motors (of Antique Archaeology fame)
- John Pine @ The Ryman
- Country Music Hall of Fame
Rivers we spent time on: Tennessee River, Mississippi River, and Cumberland River…and stopped at the TVA Pickwick Dam over the Tennessee.
Fascinating Fact Learned: most of Vicksburg is now on the Yazoo River Bypass, not the Mississippi
We visited 5 National Park Sites,
And took a peak at 2 closed parks (of 7 Civil War Sites) and visited a spot on a National Historic Trail:
Civil War Parks-Western Theater (for 4 Sites)- Vicksburg National Military Park (#31)
- Tupelo National Battlefield (#32)
- Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site (#33)
- Shiloh National Military Park (#34)
Natchez Trace Parkway (#35)- Stones River National Battlefield (Closed)
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park (Closed)
- Peaked at Lookout Point & drove Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga
- Drove through Chickamauga
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
0 Comments