Deliciousness: Visiting Bush's Baked Beans

It's no secret that we enjoy visiting places that are a bit unusual, places that connect us to different components of our lives and the special things that are right before us. To that end, I (K) had always wanted to visit the Bush's Baked Beans Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee.  Yes, I enjoy the beans; more importantly, we enjoy the fun of learning about items made in our region.  We like to celebrate with those who celebrate -- even if it is baked beans we are celebrating.  Why not?

Your visit begins with an informative movie, and then, you move on to exhibits.  The first space is about how beans become Bush's Baked Beans.  Pictured above: J walking through a giant bean can; pictured below: E finding his weight in beans. 

Then, there's an expansive history of the company -- a great way to consider not only the history of their work but also the history of America. 

The staff here was so very friendly -- and they have a free photo op as you leave the exhibit area.  All of this not to mention the awesome places to pose outside.

Things to Know

• Entrance is free!  There is ample parking and a restaurant.
• The gift shop sells T-shirts, other souvenirs, and some harder-to-find Bush's products.  We left with delicious bean dips.
• You are across the street from the actual factory when visiting -- this is not a factory tour (even though I tagged it that way) but more of a factory experience like you would find at, say, Hershey's Chocolate World.  
• This destination is 14 miles from Sevierville, Tennessee, and 25 miles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee -- easy to find on the way to or from this section of the Smoky Mountains.

For Further Exploration

• Very interested in factory tours and company visitor centers?  You can find a nice starter list here with still more listed here.  They are lists compiled for kids, but they look fun for everyone.
• We've learned it pays to seek out regional businesses, flagship company stores, and similar when travelling.  Ask around at most destinations, and you'll find something regionally specific and wonderful.

Travelling and Pausing: Edward Hopper and the American Hotel

Travel is such a gift to me.  I'd rather travel than do or have most anything, and I make my best memories with others when I am "out and about," typically.  Business travel focuses me; solo travel begets adventure; kid/couple/friend travel makes the best memories.  Travel removes distraction, creating bursts of both activity and rest.  I do better with both the extremes and the balance it ironically creates.

Will I take the opportunity to travel to see an exhibit that explores American travel and transience?  Of course.  Enter Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond, Virginia) and its current special exhibit Edward Hopper and the American Hotel, open until February 23, 2020.  The exhibit, curated by VMFA staff and at its only East Coast venue, is worth a look for anyone interested in twentieth-century American culture, hospitality, and/or art.  Western Motel and Hotel Lobby are both included, as are some artifacts of Hopper's connection to Richmond and the VMFA.

Wonderfully curated, the exhibit gives attention to Hopper's art, of course, including paintings and sketch studies.  It incorporates information from the Hopper road trip diaries, mainly completed by Jo Hopper, as well as period postcards and hospitality trade periodicals.  It juxtaposes similar works of art for your reflection, including several three-dimensional pieces by others.  Recreations of two areas of Hopper hotels, including a room you can book a stay in and a reconstructed lobby, add both realism and fun.  (Did you catch that in the image of Western Motel above and the images of Hotel Lobby below?)  The interpretive signs are equal parts art analysis and American culture.

You'll have time and space to think about travel, escape, Durkheim's anomie, and cultural change.  It's a great exhibit to take in alone or with a good conversational partner.

Things to Know

• VMFA is always free to enter.  Parking is $6, unless you are a member.  Roanoke area friends, if you are a member at the Taubman Museum of Art, your membership is reciprocal here.  You are actually in the VMFA database as a family membership, and you park free!  Watch for periods during which the Taubman sells annual memberships at a bit of a discount -- we caught a sale in April 2019.  The helpful staff was even willing to look up my membership for me -- although traveling with a card would have been easier.  
• Special exhibits at VMFA have timed tickets.  I was able to walk up and access a time slot, but this is not always true, so consider planning ahead.  Virginia educators are free with ID as are VMFA members (including Taubman members as mentioned).  
• You are very close to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and it's a good idea to plan to take a break on the VMFA grounds.  It's a good spot for a picnic and includes a collection of sculpture.  VMFA is large enough for a day trip easily depending on your personal museum preferences.  I easily spent about two hours in the Hopper exhibit.
• It's worth knowing the VMFA special exhibit calendar.  I'm looking forward to Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities in 2021, and we very much enjoyed Terracotta Warriors and Napoleon.  

For Further Exploration

• An exhibit book, available for about $40, provides a good exploration of content of the exhibit.  Additionally, you can take an audio tour of this exhibit and several others -- bring your device and earbuds!  
• There are some interesting works by others included -- my favorite was the Robert Cottingham photo-realistic oil painting below.

• And in the category of "just so nifty," this exhibit is one of Fifty Reasons to Travel This Fall from Forbes Travel Guide.

Ramsdell House: On the Amazing Things We Find When We Ask

There's nothing like small-town tourism -- the civic pride of community leaders, the friendly folks who like showing the way.  Always push through the "there's nothing here" and you will get to the interesting.

We recently visited the Kenova Pumpkin House, four hours away from home base.  We stayed overnight and explored the region the next day.  Someone told us about the Ramsdell House, that it was an Underground Railroad stop open infrequently but that we could drive around and spot its historic cellar.  A little GPS work and we pulled up in front of it, finding it open.

Turns out Ramsdell is a wonderful historic home, recently restored and typically open four days a week as well as by appointment.  It's got an amazing story of protection and preservation, having been a rental property and a community center and in disrepair, all in recent history.  

Most significantly, it started the town of Ceredo, begun as an abolitionist colony steps from both Confederate and Union Civil War forts.  It was an Underground Railroad stop just at the Ohio River -- freedom on the other side.  During the time since, much of the house's contents have been miraculously preserved, just locked in the attic.  There are everyday objects, papers from McKinley before his Presidency, shoe-making tools, religious leaflets from the Christian tradition,  newspapers ... all sorts of too-close-to-forgotten history now saved. And the found toys -- they are nothing short of delightful. The building was probably a house church as well as a civic center, and those in town promoted a vision of economic change and development. 

Director Deborah Wolfe, the individual responsible for coordinating much of the restoration, gave us a personal tour.  We discussed directions for future interpretation, including the link to the Native Burial Mound on which the site is situated. We have every confidence that this site is becoming a place of memory and reconciliation -- and we know its staff, including its volunteers, are willing to become your fast friends. Just read the story of the dedication.

Excitingly, traditionally African-American churches across the river are capturing the oral histories of the descendants of the formerly enslaved that made it to freedom.  There are now connections to this wonderful site -- and how powerful to know its success in such a real way. 

Things to Know

• These folks seriously want to show you treasures.  Contact them, and they will try to welcome you when it is convenient for you.  They have a Facebook page called Ramsdell House.  Do reach out -- they are still updating their web presence, and you don't want to miss out because you didn't reach out.

• Free admission, always a gift. 

• There are opportunities to purchase a small souvenir or book from their shelves reserved for such. 

For Further Exploration 

• We were inspired to find Criel Mound, another Native Burial Mound, on our West Virginia Turnpike trip back to Virginia.  It is in South Charleston, both easy to find and large by comparison. It's also in town, allowing one to reflect on its preservation. 

• If you also like to explore mound builder sites, there are others within the broader region.  We've also visited Town Creek Indian Burial Mound in North Carolina; it's interpretation gives more context from cultural geography.

• Oh, and there are Ramsdell House ghost stories.  Of course.

Halloween Bucket List: Kenova Pumpkin House

It's been featured on The Travel Channel and on Ellen. It's just overnight-trip distance away from us (four hours).  We bought an EZPass in January 2019 that allows us to travel the WV Turnpike cheaply.  It seems unwise not to visit the Kenova Pumpkin House, right?

A great tradition sparked by a family that honored each of their kids with carved pumpkins has grown into this event, free to the public.  

The pumpkins are carved differently every year.  We were especially impressed by the Judeo-Christian pumpkins and the Presidential pumpkins. 

Designs change with the times and the gourds. There is a musical display as well -- and it's about two stories tall. 

Allow time for photo ops and conversations.  Volunteers are likely to be working away in the garages behind the house, drilling the designs and soaking the pumpkins in protective bleach water.

The atmosphere is festive and there are food trucks -- hence, our ice cream for dinner from Austin's Homemade Ice Cream.

Things to Know

• It's free!  Parking is surprisingly easy, probably thanks in no small part to the elementary school very nearby.  You will need to park and walk a short distance -- you cannot simply drive around the house when it's in its full glory. 

• Speaking of full glory, you want to visit bear Halloween and preferably during C-K Autumn Fest, a community event sponsored by the tiny towns of Kenova and Ceredo.  The pumpkin display takes time, and you want to show up when it is finished or nearly there.  This video from SpotlightWV will help you get a sense of the ambiance.  

• We stayed overnight in nearby Huntington, WV.  Book at least a bit early -- our hotel was sold out on the night of our stay.  There are other seasonal events in the area, including at the older amusement park Camden Park and Dreamland pool.  

• The owners of the pumpkin house are owners of the local pharmacy and old-fashioned soda fountain, Griffith and Feil.  It's a piece of local history and full of friendly local folks.  Plus, it was the highlight of the trip for 10-year-old E -- yummy hand-mixed Coca Cola.  

For Further Exploration 

• We're amazed by the beauty and fun of West Virginia.  These tiny towns had treasures, including the Ramsdell House.  We highly recommend stopping by this gem.  From the soda fountain, you are also close to Virginia Point Park, a space that will give you a feel of the geography of the area.
• The Midland Trail, a driving path running reasonably close to the WV Turnpike, is honestly interesting to explore and perfect for planning your road trip.
• The C-K Autumn Fest makes the list for the top small town Halloween destinations in America -- here are the others.

A Little More of Tucson: Tucson Nights

One of my few complaints about Tucson is that it seems to go to bed early, complicating the wanderings of a business traveler busy doing, well, business by day.  A young person I met explained this phenomenon as associated with the service-oriented nature of the town -- many people are working multiple jobs and perhaps the employees of tourist-focused attractions are headed off to jobs in restaurants.  And Tucson does have the restaurants to boast about.  These two activities, however, made my evenings because of their availability.

First, I discovered that Tucson Botanical Gardens was open late til 8 PM on Thursdays and Fridays. Smaller than some botanical gardens, Tucson's is full of surprises and fun to wander nonetheless.  My favorite was the locally-themed Barrio Garden, truly making one feel at home. 

As always, it's spectacularly relaxing to visit gardens when the day ends and the gentle lights come on.  The staff?  Sincerely friendly.  The gift shop?  Fun to browse.

Then, I ventured out to Tumamoc Hill for a popular hike (actually as suggested by that friendly staff at the gardens).  Yes, it is steep, and yes, parking, while free, is limited.  In fact, parking was a bit anxiety-provoking near sunset, but I found a great place near some bike racks across from the hospital. As many a TripAdvisor reviewer has warned, do not park at the hospital.  Get past that, and you have a hike that is a paved, gorgeous, challenging ( = uphill) walk that is well-populated by locals, fitness enthusiasts, and tourists.  Did I go all the way to the top?  No, but just because I ran out of time.  It was still joyous exercise.  Gorgeous cacti, gorgeous city view.

While learning more about the Sonoran Desert, I heard some people there have historically found cacti a beautiful way to remember the dead, noting that the saguaro actually resemble people.  Hiking this hill as the day ends, I get it.

Things to Know

• For other area botanical gardens that are much larger, try Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ -- it's not that far between Phoenix and Tucson if you have access to a car.
• I was travelling without workout clothes and shoes -- and staying at the Westin La Paloma, I took advantage of the Westin workout gear lending program. And by the way, this hotel is gorgeous -- and quite inexpensive in the off season.  If you stay, check out the sunrise from the end of the I (like iguana) building.  

See, I told you so.

For Further Exploration

• Tumamoc Hill is actually a laboratory for the University of Arizona, just like Biosphere 2.  A little reading about both sites, and you'll be prompted to think about how science and culture intersect.

Unexpected and Incredible: Mission San Xavier del Bac

It's always a delight to find something beautiful.  Mission San Xavier del Bac is beyond words.  Tucson is home to this gorgeous mission -- the longest continuously operating Spanish mission in the United States.

The plasterwork, the paintings, the statues -- they are all simply something to behold.  There is active art conservation, and I'm pretty sure the same conservators featured in the mission's video orientation are also featured in the 2019 Visit Tucson travel guide.

Take time to simply walk around -- I found small statues and almost missed a wonderful array of bas relief Stations of the Cross.

You will also want to visit the museum, a labor of love from the volunteers. It orients the visitor to some elements of Catholicism as needed.  And, just to make me very happy, it honors purple as the liturgical color of Advent.

We live in a time of lost geography -- GPS sometimes actually keeps us from knowing what we are near, what is on the way.  Google may be able to tell us exactly where we are on the planet, but we often have trouble contextualizing that.  San Xavier is absolutely a place I would have missed if not for asking a local for advice on other places that might be "interesting."  With that vague inquiry, something incredible emerged.

Things to Know

• This is a working church.  That's part of what makes it special.  Plan ahead if you are trying to attend/avoid service times.  
• There is plenty of onsite parking in a rutted lot.  Drive carefully.
• Two good places to start your visit: 1) Admiring the sanctuary and 2) Watching the overview video inside the museum.
• There's a gift shop with reasonable prices and a good selection of local and religious items.  There's also a small marketplace nearby (across the parking lot) with a few local artisans.

For Further Exploration

• The intersection of peoples and their religions is always fascinating.  Here's a starting point for the intersection of this native people group and the Catholic faith.
• I found out about this site while visiting Casa Grande.  One of the mission's first priests helped give Casa Grande its modern name.

Pumpkin Patch: Jeter Farm

It's tradition to go to a "pumpkin patch" at least once a year for us.  While this might only hold while the kids are relatively young, perhaps it shouldn't.  It's good to be outside; it's good to be local; it's good to support local businesses; it's good to hang out.  The proliferation of fall farm site agritourism in Virginia is evidence. 

As soon as the weather became a bit crisp (late this year), we visited Jeter Farm, approximately at the intersection of 460 and 220 in Bonsack, Virginia.  Their fall festival is economical ($10 entry/person includes almost all activities) and is close to home.  There's a hayride, a corn maze that is just big enough to get lost in without being overwhelming, a corn crib to play in, and fun slides.  Don't forget the free pie pumpkins (one a person), too. 

I wish more of the sites endured into November; I wish there were season passes for locals; I wish a lot of things.  But nonetheless, a trip to the pumpkin patch is worth it.

Things to Know

• Jeter Farm is one of the most economical options in the Roanoke area and is wonderful for small kids because it is not overwhelming in size.  Your other options include Layman's Family Farm in Montvale, Virginia, where you should check their social media and special events page for deals.  You can see a now-older trip to Layman's from us -- including a pretty tiny E -- and a more contemporary one on this blog as well.  Your options expand with Sinkland Farms (they have live music) and White Fall Farm (we are intrigued by their hay castle concept).
• There are some concessions available and a sheltered picnic area.
• We've made two trips in one day before, visiting with a church group in the morning, leaving our wrist bands on, and returning same day for a little more.  This year, we tagged a Michael's Make Break on for G, where she was delighted to paint a craft pumpkin.  The Make Breaks are great deals -- for about $4, G painted a pumpkin with their supplies and cleanup.  

For Further Exploration

• Virginia is really exploring the agritourism space.  There's plenty to explore.  
• So, this year's trip hit a Hokie Bug Fest trip for E.  Therefore, he missed this one, but he commends Bug Fest to you.