Finding Treasure in Tuscaloosa

I recently made my first trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that southern city with the funny sounding name. Seems it derives from the Choctaw Indian chief Tuskaloosa and from two Choctaw words, “Tushka”, meaning warrior, and the “Lusa”, meaning black.  Well, now I also know where Tuscaloosa’s river, the Black Warrior, got its name. Much to my surprise, the city, which is home to the University of Alabama,  brims with fantastic museums. But who knew?

The Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art lies in the hilly woodlands off Lake Tuscaloosa. I found masterpieces displayed in a home-like setting: a living and dining room, library and even a tavern room with a bar. Why the ladies restroom is hung with 11 Mary Cassatt’s. The priceless objects range from a Paul Revere engraving to current artists and include sculpture, china and furniture. The poignant collection, amassed by Jack Warner, recalls our nation’s struggles and growth. Jack is both a passionate historian and patriot.

I was surprised to find that he often gives tours, even at age 92. I was lucky enough to meet both Jack and his wife, Susan, and saw firsthand the excitement and fulfillment they get from sharing their treasures. Give yourself a full morning or afternoon to see the famous works you likely thought were elsewhere.

Moundville Archeological Park, owned by the University of Alabama, is an unpretentious 326- acre preserve. Moundville was the center for 10,000 Mississippian Indians over 800 years ago. Her people built  flat-topped mounds as ceremonial structures and homes for their nobles. A stockade once surrounded the settlement, but is long gone. However, twenty-eight hills remain and you can climb them. The tallest, at 58 feet, was used by the chief. I took the steps up to the top and tried to imagine this lost civilization. I could see the symmetrical layout and fortunately I’d toured the museum first, so my visualizations of daily life ran quite colorful.

The museum underwent a ten year, $5-million renovation and officially reopens on May 15th. I managed a sneak peek. First, I was greeted by symbols of Native American culture like hawks and eagles, which are mounted on wooden heraldic (totem) poles. Then, I entered and found life-size characters dressed for a wedding. Further on, I bumped into a medicine man hiding in a cave or as the curators call it, an earthlodge. He steals the thunder performing a 3-D hologram-like show about a journey into the afterlife. The Disney-type encounter grabs the attention of  kids and adults alike.  Don’t overlook the significant archeological artifacts contained within the interactive display cases throughout the building. To make the park even more family friendly, camping is an option.

I couldn’t go to Tuscaloosa and miss the University campus. Last year the Crimson Tide once again won the National Football Championship and the Waterford trophy proudly resides within the Bear Bryant Museum. I found some of the art, like the collage in the photo, were painstaking works of devotion. The museum houses memorabilia covering the history of college football and features the famous hound’s-tooth hat wearing coach. Sports fans could spend many hours in this place.

The luxury German auto manufacturer Mercedes Benz maintains their only US production facility in Tuscaloosa, which greatly benefits the local economy. Car enthusiasts are attracted by factory tours.  Anyone 12 and older can tour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but by reservation only. You’ll get an up-close look at assembly lines and cars being built by the combined efforts of mechanical robot and human hands. My detailed account of this tour can be found at www.automotivetraveler.com.

I also stopped by the Tourism Bureau and picked up a free audio tour of the downtown. The city boasts some unusual architecture and an array of elegant to down-home restaurants. Dreamland BBQ is known far and wide for their oven pit barbequed ribs. My restaurant reviews can be found on my food blog.

Indeed, I found Tuscaloosa a real treat. Her museums bring unexpected delights.

If you go:  Tuscaloosa is in West Alabama, about a two and a half hour drive from Atlanta, Georgia or one hour from Birmingham, Alabama.   www.visittuscaloosa.com

The Drive Down US1 to Key West

Travel Journal- January 2010

January 2010 turned unseasonably cold, even in my corner of northeast Florida. The winter chill in Jacksonville felt like Buffalo, forcing Floridians to dream of warmth. Yes, the Keys were calling: sunsets and sand, flip-flops and shorts, Key Lime pie. “Come, drive down the Road to Paradise,” I heard.

The Florida Keys Overseas Highway, from north of Key Largo to Key West, was recently crowned with the title All-American Road., the only such road in Florida. And that’s the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways program established by the Congress. Only 30 other roadways in the nation have earned the prestigious designation and my husband, Jay, and I were about to find out why.

The Overseas Highway follows a trail originally blazed in 1912. Standard Oil millionaire Henry Flagler completed the immense logistical task–more nightmare, really–of extending his Florida East Coast Railroad the 150 miles from Miami to Key West. Just imagine Gibson Girl-esque young women in their swan-bill corsets and pompadours boarding the train in New York and–a mere 30 hours later–stepping out at the southernmost point in the United States. What a boom for Florida.

Then, in 1935, catastrophe struck this paradise. A hurricane collapsed the rail line, and the economic conditions of the Depression left the destruction lying in disarray. The Keys were accessible only by water.

The government decided a highway was needed and could incorporate the foundation of some of the original railway spans, as well as 42 bridges over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The road, completed in 1938, included the Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, which stretched 6.79 miles across open water and referred to as “the eighth wonder of the world.”

I remember my first road trip to Key West in 1960, a family vacation in our brand new Chevy Corvair. My Dad did all the driving and my two brothers and I sat seatbelt-less in the backseat. We Virginians were thrilled by southern tourist attractions and the changing landscape: Spanish moss, palm trees and alligators. But, when we got to the Keys highway, my Mother nearly succumb from white knuckled fear. Trucks passing in the opposite direction took more than their half of the road.

Fortunately, in 1982, most of the original bridges including the Seven Mile Bridge were replaced with wider spans. Many of the remaining structures can still be seen running alongside the newer ones and are frequently used as fishing piers.

Today, a road trip from Florida City, below Miami and known as the “Gateway to the Keys,” takes approximately four to five hours, depending on traffic. The speed limit is 55 mph most of the way, 45mph in more populous intersections.  The pavement is good and its width, or lack of it, is no longer scary.

The first Key you encounter along US 1 is Largo, the largest at 30 miles from end to end. Most people recognize the name from the 1948 movie Key Largo starring Boogie and Bacall or perhaps the song, Sailing Away to Key Largo.  You really wouldn’t know you’re driving on an island as you don’t see water– just shops, hotels and flat scrubby ground.  This area is now famous for diving including an  underwater park, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary.

Islamorada Key comes next, a fisherman’s dream. Boaters arise early for deep-sea fishing or back water excursions. The wide selection of catch includes Amberjack, Blackfin Tuna, Blue Marlin, Bonefish, Cobia, Dolphin, Grouper, King Mackerel, Redfish, Snook, Tarpon, Wahoo and Yellowtail Snapper.  Water sports of all types are available for non-fisher folk.  (More about this area on my return trip.)

Marathon Key follows, originally named Vaca (cow) by Spanish settlers for the many manatee or sea cows found offshore.  It was renamed Marathon by the men building the railroad which required the lengthy bridge.  Marathon boasts lots of development and a small airport, but no regular commercial flights. However, the surrounding water shimmers a beautiful blue-green and the many bridge crossing give the area a tropical feel.

Crossing Big Pine Key called for slowing to 45 mph or 35 mph at night.  Key Deer, small endangered white-tailed deer, live here and large fences (erected at a few million dollars of taxpayer’s expense) help protect the animals and cars.  I didn’t see any.

Finally, the end of the road arrives at Key West, also known as the Conch Republic.  “Conchs” are the natives, many of whom trace their ancestry to the Bahamas. “Freshwater Conchs” are those who migrated from somewhere else years ago. Additionally, many Cuban immigrants help make up the resident population of 25,000.

Jay and I dropped our luggage at our B& B, the historic Cypress House. Built by shipbuilders in in 1888, this Grand Conch mansion has been called one of the purest examples of Bahamian architecture in Key West. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic  Places and its exterior (weathered cypress) and interior oozes with island charm. I loved our room on the second floor with an outdoor patio.  I felt I was sleeping like a baby, among the  palm treetops.

We walked to Conch Republic Seafood for a late lunch and to meet Carol Shaughnessy, a local resident for the past 30 years. Carol tells us about the infamous Conch Republic rebellion, “The US Border Patrol decided to set up a roadblock at Florida City, which caused a seventeen mile back-up on the only road in and out of the Keys. Outraged by being treated as foreigners, we, the residents, formed the Conch Republic and declared war.”

She continued,”We intended to use stale Cuban bread as ammunition. But, a half an hour later we surrendered and demanded a billion dollars in foreign aid. We’re still waiting.”

Soon, the embarrassed Border Patrol dismantled their roadblock and thus the motto of the Conch Republic,”We seceded where others failed.”

Conch “officials” state, “We consider ourselves a fifth world nation with a sovereign state of mind that promotes the mitigation of world tension through the exercise of humor.”Gotta love that attitude and attitude is what Key West does best – laid back and easy going.

Later we strolled the streets finding the official end of the road, mile marker zero. We meandered down to Mallory Square for the nightly Sunset Celebration which included street performers and vendors selling their handmade wares and cocktails. Dogs jumped through hoops, cats performed tricks and one man juggled fire torches while riding a 12- foot high unicycle.

As the sun dropped, boats zigged and zagged across the horizon, giving photographers a lovely photo op. The day’s sunset was not terribly spectacular with color but romantic; how nice to be standing on the dock with your partner, gazing into the sea.

Jay and I dined at a Cuban restaurant on Ropa Vieja which means dirty clothes.The brisket was slowly cooked and then pulled, giving the meat a dingy look but tasting tender and succulent. We strolled back hand in hand to the lovely and conveniently located Cypress House B&B looking forward to exploring Old Town the next day.

France ~ Chateau de Chambord, a da Vinci Design

Part III- Day-Trip to the Loire Valley

Excitement grew as our bus approached the last stop of the day–the famous Chateau de Chambord. To me, even the name sounded majestic. This grand dame, a UNESCO World Heritage site, remains closely linked with Leonardo da Vinci and his imaginative designs.

The sheer size of the chateau tips the scale. Chambord rests within a 13,500-acre national forest, surrounded by a twenty-mile-long wall. The fortress contains an awesome 426 rooms, 77 staircases and 282 fireplaces. But, the guide told us, “King Francois I, who ordered construction of what he called a hunting lodge, spent only 72 days there.”

At first glimpse, the immense symmetrical wonder (almost as long as two football fields) flaunts a fantastic array of towers, windows, dormers and hundreds of decorative chimney stacks. The roofline resembles an Old World town whose buildings hint of Seusical whim. Certainly an ideal place for a game of hide and seek.

The architecture consists of a central square, called a keep, with rounded corner towers, two wings and courtyard. A medieval curtain wall encircles the building and beyond that, a partial moat. I’d say a cross between a fortified, ancient castle and the timely, delicate flourishes of Italian Renaissance.

Begun in 1519, the massive construction project was interrupted by the King’s Spanish imprisonment (1524-1526). After his return, plans were scaled back, truly hard to imagine, since it took twenty minutes just to walk to the entrance.

Francois died in 1547, leaving the royal residence unfinished. His son, Henry II, ordered work to continue, which it did until his death in 1559. One hundred years later, King Louis XIV, who loved hunting, made a few changes but used Chambord just nine times. The French government bought the decaying estate in 1930, and it remains under renovation.

Researchers credit Leonardo da Vinci (whom Francois brought to France) with conceiving the general design and famous double spiral staircase. The structure comprises, “two concentric spiral flights of stairs that wind independently around a hollow central column, so if two people each take one flight, they can each see the other through the opening in the center, but never meet.” Like most visitors, we tried this for ourselves-fun!

Needless to say, our tour visited only a small portion of the rooms, but highlights included the ornate carvings on the vaulted ceilings, the grand staircase, king’s chamber, lantern and the chimney stacks. Laura liked the winding stairs and rooftop best. I enjoyed looking out at seemingly endless vistas from the terrace, originally planned as a vantage point for hunt spectators.

 

As with the other stops on our day-trip, we didn’t have nearly enough time to absorb Chambord. I understand the mansion and park dazzle with lights, lasers and fireworks on summer nights. How I would enjoy that! If planning a tour of France, I suggest a stay in the Loire Valley to include the grand illumination of Chambord.

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