The Graceland Experience
A visit to Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee has been on both our radars for years, and it finally happened. Even after having had plenty of time to process it, I’m still not sure …
Category: Books
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel
On top of the recent Civil Rights stops in Alabama and Mississippi, there was a little sense of dread about visiting another museum devoted to the dark side of America’s history so soon. However, the …
Scenes Around Mississippi
We detoured to Magnolia to visit the Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial, which is near the site of the infamous plane crash. Doug deemed it a key moment in the history of rock-n-roll, and therefore worthy of …
William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak
I think if you look in the dictionary for “conflicted,” you will find an example of asking Doug if he wants to visit the historic home of an author, but it’s an author he doesn’t …
Sites in Jackson, Mississippi
Willie Morris (1934-1999) was a writer born in Jackson, Mississippi. Though he was just six months old when his family moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, that’s still enough of a claim to have a library …
Eudora Welty House & Garden
Eudora Welty (1909-2001) is yet another author I’ve never heard of, yet found myself touring her house and gardens in Jackson, Mississippi. Welty won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973, so Doug had read The Optimist’s …
Amusements / Architecture / Authors / Books / Music
Sights Around New Orleans
Hello new state (in the van) Louisiana! We had just a day to spend in the French Quarter, much of which was taken up with the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 and food tours we …
Amusements / Architecture / Art / Birds / Books / History / Movies
Scenes from Montgomery, Alabama
The original portion of the Alabama State Capitol Building was completed in 1851, though subsequent additions have been made. In 1861 the Confederate States of America (CSA) were created in the Senate Chamber, and CSA …
The 59th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama
Seeing that the Selma Interpretive Center (run by the National Park Service) was closed for renovations, I did not have a stop in Selma, Alabama, on our list for our current travels through the American …
Books / Civil Rights / Movies
Montgomery, Alabama Civil Rights Sites
When we set out on this trip, one of the things we’ve most been looking forward to is getting to see some of the famous sites related to the fight for Civil Rights in the …