Showing posts with label museum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label museum. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Day trips to Pulaski, Lynnville, TN., Corinth, MS., & Danville, Hartsell, AL., with Ava July 9, 22, 24

2024 July 9, 2024 Tuesdays Day Trip to Pulaski and Lynnville, TN

 Today, we rode to Pulaski to the Giles County Memorial Interpretive Center Trail of Tears Museum.

Ava and Trail of Tears Statue

Many of the park marks and benches were in much need of repairs. 

We saw a golden raintree, a Statue, and several Markers. 

We were getting ready to leave when we saw pictures of the Trail of Tears in the tunnel under the highway.

Ava and I decided to walk through the tunnel. 

The Bench Project, Wilma Pearl Mankiller, The Children the Oxen, and the Trail of Tears, and several paintings were done by students. 

It was a treasure of local artists about the Trail of Tears. 


Ava and the  1927 Baldwin Steam Locomotive

We next rode to the Town of Lynnville, TN. 

We visited the Train Depot Museum where we saw a miniature train engine, signal lights, several signs about the train, a train conductor, and a ticket counter.  

Outside, we walked inside the 1927 Baldwin Steam Locomotive, the 1920s Passenger Coach 2587. The red caboose was locked so we did not go inside. 

Along the hallway were signs about the Milky Way Farm and a picture of Frank C. Mars, the owner and maker of Mars candy. 

We took several pictures outside one alongside the LRR Lynnville Railroad Museum sign and the Giles County Turkey. 


Ava at Soda Pop Junction

We walked across the road to Soda Pop Junction.

Outside was an orange and white truck with a sign that read “ Soda Pop Junction Good Ol ‘ Soda Pop”.

We were greeted when we walked inside. 

I ordered a Chili’s dog, and Ava ordered a hamburger and fries. She ate her fries but not her hamburger. Hubby ate her hamburger and most of my chili dog.  

Ava ordered an orange crushed soda in a bottle. 

I told our waitress that Ave loves to visit museums and she told AVA I have something to show you. 

She took a quarter out of the register and we walked to the back of the restaurant. 

She placed a quarter in the slot, and a piano began to play; also, a hand-held organ began to play.  

We thanked her and began our journey to Lawrenceburg. 

We had to return to Krogers to pick up my salmon and cantaloupe that I had left at the store the day before. 

It began to rain as we started our journey home.


2024 July 22, Monday Microwave Dave 


Today we went to Florence Library to see Microwave Dave and to make musical instruments out of trash.

Ava made a guitar out of a shoe box.

And a water bottle with seeds.

The kids as well as adults had a good time.


Ava put her finger in the alligator's mouth. 

Ava wanted ice cream and we were going to Tuscumbia I remembered The Palace had good ice cream. 

Ava ordered Smokey Mountain Fudge.

Ava enjoying her Smokey Mountain Fudge Ice cream in a cone. 

I ordered pecan praline. 

Then we went to Helen Keller Library to listen to Book It with Jazz the Jazz Allstars.

Afterward, we went to Champy’s for lunch. 

Hubby ordered a salad, and we shared a catfish meal.

Ava ordered a chicken fingers meal.

We had leftovers.

Microwave Dave went through the cycle of Blues Music From the days of slavery. 

The people make music with a rhythm to help pass the hard time. 

Then the clicking and clacking of the railroad era the sounds of the wheels on the train as it went down the tracks. 

The free slaves moved to the city with a different rhythm. 

The time the people were paid to play music. 

He asked if any of the kids knew about fractions. 

Then he began telling us how the beats were fractions. 

The kids blew their paper horns, and they beat on their coffee cans for drums. 

They picked the rubber band strings on their shoebox guitar. 

And shook their water bottles filled with bird seeds

In rhythm with Microwave Dave’s music.

On Tuesday we rode to Rogersville Library to see Microwave Dave.

Ava made a drum out of an oatmeal box, a paper horn, and a shaker out of a Mt Dew bottle. 

We did a sing-along and played our handmade instruments with Microwave Dave.

We learned about the history of jazz. 

Everyone had a good time. 


July 24, Wednesday Day Trip to Corinth, MS


Today we rode to Corinth, MS.

We stopped at the Visitor Center and were given information about sites to see in Corinth, MS.

We walked to the Corinth Train Depot and Crossroads Museum but it was closed. 

I  too pictures of the 1924 American LaFrance Fire Truck and a sign, of Caboose # 2994, a Civil War Corinth, big guns, and the Miniature Hurlbut Amusement Equipment Co. locomotive No 1009. 


We stopped at the New Coca-Cola Museum. Outside was a carved giant wooden Coca-Cola bottle.

There was a buzzer on the door which when pressed released a locked door that let you inside a one-room museum. 

The museum featured over 1,000 Coca-Cola artifacts: a truck, soda fountain, coke boxes, bottles, signs, toys, etc.


Ava at the Coca-Cola Museum 

In the front of the museum sat a Coca-Cola drink machine with small glass bottles filled with Coke products you could purchase. 

That took me back to the days when a Coke cost 6 to 10 cents, not a dollar or more.  


We stopped at the 15,00 square feet  Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center Museum, which features interactive exhibits and a memorial Garden for the 1862 battles of Shiloh and Corinth.


Ava at the Interpretive Center 

We stopped at the Corinth’s Highway Hospitality Building and I said the Crossroads Museum was closed. 

The curator tried to call the museum but no answer. She said it should be open so we rode back to the museum.

It was open the curator said her dog was sick and she had taken him to the vet. 

We paid the admission fee and walked through the museum.

We enjoyed the miniature running train display. 

It was now lunch time and everyone was ready for lunch Borroum’s Drugs Store Diner was just a few blocks away from the Crossroads Museum.


The diner was very busy we finally found a table where people had just finished eating lunch with their dishes still on the table. 

Our waitress finally cleaned the table and took our order. 

 I ordered a hamburger with chips. Ava ordered chicken nuggets and fries. Hubby ordered a double cheeseburger with onion rings. 

This was our last stop before starting for home. 

It rained a little on us but not much and it was clear by the time we left. It was still pretty wet when we got home but it soon cleared off.

We had a great time the area was not overcrowded with people which is so much better than fighting a crowd.

Ava had to get her picture made with a slug at the Park near the Visitor Center. 


Ava and the Slugg

Last week was their slug Festival and there were slugs all around town.


Monday, July 29, Day trip to Danville, and Hartselle, Al


Today we went to town to pay our Utilities and to get our B-12 shots.

Ava and the Jesse Owens statue


Ava and Jesse Owens 26 feet Long Jump 

Then we rode to Danville by way of US 72 East towards Cullman.

We stopped at the Jesse Owen’s Museum. 

There we watched the 1936 Olympics and how Jesse Owen won the gold medal right before World War Two. 

Before Hitler killed all the Jewish people. 

It was a very moving story and it helped me understand more about the Olympics then. 

We walked outside, where we saw Jesse Owens’s Statue, a replica of his birth home, and a replica of the long jump Jesse set a world record at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. 


Ava and Sequoya statue 

We stopped at the Oakville Indian Museum.

We saw arrowheads and other artifacts from the Mississippian, Archaic, Paleo, and Woodland Periods American Indians. 

We saw a wooden carving of Sequoyah a mixed-blood Cherokee who developed an alphabet or syllabary. 

Ava was not impressed for she rushed through it.

In the gift shop, we bought her a bag of colorful rocks and a mood ring. 

Ava and the Blues Brothers

We stopped for lunch at Oh’Bryan’s in Hartselle. 

Ava and I ordered the special for eight dollars everything was included. 

Ava ordered fried chicken fingers with fries and a doctor’s pepper.

I ordered grilled chicken fingers and a sweet potato with iced tea 

Hubby ordered a salad, steak potato toast, and iced tea. 

We filled up with gas at Murphy.

And we stopped at Krogers for sodas.

We were home by 3:30.



Sunday, April 28, 2024

2024 April 20, Courtland Walking Hayride Tour

While waiting for the rain to stop, everyone met at the Courtland Heritage Museum established in 2009.

Courtland Heritage Museum 

Inside we learned about the History of One of the South's first railroads. This railroad ran southward through Courland and linked the Tennessee Valley to Tuscaloosa and lower Alabama. 

There were court records of the early marriages in Lawrence County on display.

We learned about how the Red Rovers were organized at Courtland in 1835 to aid Texas in its struggle for independence. 

We learned that several cotton gins once operated in and around Courtland. 

Once the rain stopped we loaded onto a hay bail wagon  that was pulled by a truck 

Our guide stood at the back of the wagon informing us about Courtland's historic homes and sites. 

We stopped in front of several historic homes. 

Tweedy-Northon-Morris-Thompson House

One of our stops was the Tweedy-Northon-Morris-Thompson House.

Richard Thompson owner of the home, stood on his porch and gave us the history of his fully restored home.

Richard joined our group throughout the tour. 

One of our stops was the Courtland Presbyterian Church built in 1821. Both our guide and Mr Thompson worship there. 

The first church burned in the 1850s. 

Construction of the new church began in 1859 but was not completed unit the end of the Civil War in 1868.

The church represents the mingling of classical and Italian influences.

The town square contains many empty buildings of the Federal Style architecture. A park with several historic markers,  a fountain,  and a gazebo. 

Another home we stopped at was the Harris Simpson House, a good example of the early American "I" house. For its tall, narrow side profile.  This house occupants trace back to the famous James Jackson of the Forks of Cypress Florence, Al. 

Harris-Simpson House 

So much history for such a small town. They had a tiny theater that is now a residence. I said it sure was small. Everyone laughed and our tour guide said it was big enough for their small town. I grew up in the Shoals area with several theaters in Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Florence. I remember going to most of them including the drive-in.

On our way home we stopped at Lash's Seafood for lunch where hubby and I split a shrimp boil meal that consisted of Shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausages.

It was delicious.

Lash's Seafood shrimp  boil 


Sunday, January 7, 2024

2024 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge

 What a beautiful day for traveling. We rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, where we saw many Sandhill Cranes and several different kinds of ducks at the Visitor's overlook buildings.

The newly remodeled Museum was opened. There we saw Sandhills, & Whooping Cranes, Belted kingfishers, Snakes, Alligators, Geese, ducks, hawks, butterflies, otters, Northern Flickers, and many other animals.

Several empty displays are waiting to be added. We saw several friendly people. I guess they were happy to be outside after this last cold spell. 

Sandhill & Whooping Cranes at the Museum 

Belted Kingfisher at the Museum

We stopped at Logan's Roadhouse for lunch. Hubby ordered a salad, steak, and baked potato. I ordered a chicken salad with Roadhouse dressing.

Steak and baked potato at Logans Roadhouse 

On our way home we saw a Bald Eagle on a Paul Bunyan Power Line near the demolished Paper Mill in Town Creek. 

The eagle made a squawking sound when it saw me. It was letting me know to leave. 

We saw several terns perched on the light poles as we crossed Wheeler Dam. 

Our last stop was Wheeler Dam where we saw a few White Pelicans, terns, and many cormorants.

Oct 10-18, 2024 NCL Gem Canada and East Coast Cruise and Excursions

  I had a wonderful time on my NCL Cruise. We stayed at the Westin in Montreal for one night. Then, we took a 3 1/2-hour ride from Montreal ...