That all-important confluence of time and money that makes for long trips to faraway locales doesn’t always happen for us. Sometimes we need to stick a little closer to home and take a little less time visiting our destination.
It soon will be springtime, which means car trips and train rides to regional attractions will be nearly as scenic as the places at which we arrive. That can add immensely to the time invested.
“We’re seeing a trend of people interested in shorter trips,” observes Edie Smith, travel coordinator at Mill Race Center.
She’s brimming with suggestions.
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One is the Holland, Michigan, Tulip Time Festival. The city’s founders were Dutch, and it continues to celebrate that heritage. The main Eighth Street stretch, the Windmill Island Gardens and the curbs of historic homes are festooned with tulips of every color. Dutch dance performances and food events are part of the proceedings. This year’s festival, observing its 90th anniversary, takes place May 4 to 12.
Smith says that the “biggest surprise” she’s encountered in her research on shorter trips is Wheeling, West Virginia. “Their motto should be ‘Who knew?’” she says. “You come across things that make you say, ‘How did I not know this was here?”
Situated in the northernmost wedge of West Virginia, between Ohio and Pennsylvania, Wheeling is surrounded by Appalachian foothills.
“It was a place we stopped through on a trip last December to New York City,” she says. “Later, several people said it was their favorite part of the trip. They’re booking trips there for this year with their families.”
Attractions she cites include historic mansions for touring, an arts and crafts center, and Oglebay Park, which offers a planetarium, golf course, petting zoo and hiking trails. Smith notes that spring is the ideal time to visit, as the area’s azaleas are in bloom.
Boomers have made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland a hot destination. The building itself, designed by I.M. Pei (whose work is familiar to Columbus residents), is situated on Lake Erie, offering a panoramic view of the city’s skyline. Exhibits offer glimpses into the formative years of rock’s greatest legends.
“A lot of the music’s early giants are now passing, and I think that has spurred interest,” says Smith.
Memphis likewise offers a bounty of attractions for music heritage fans. Sun Studio, where many historic blues and rockabilly records were cut, Stax Studio, which churned out soul music treasures throughout the 1960s, and Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home for the last 20 years of his life, are all available for touring.
Louisville’s steamboats, the Belle of Louisville and the Mary M. Miller, make for a memorable excursion to that city, says Smith. They go up and down the Ohio River, offering ragtime music and sumptuous buffets.
“That makes a great trip in conjunction with Museum Row and the nightlife scene on Fourth Street in Louisville,” she says.
Smith mentions Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which may seem a bit obvious. However, she notes that it sports about as many show venues as Branson, Missouri.
Jeanne Ford, who has gone with a Mill Race group to Myrtle Beach, speaks approvingly of a particular show, “The Legends,” which features tributes to various stars.
Ford also has ideas for trips within Indiana.
She says Evansville is worth one’s while for Bosse Field, the third-oldest baseball park still in use in the nation; the Riverwalk; and a World War II landing boat.
She also mentions the Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum in Madison, which supplied saddle frames to the world throughout the 19th century. That visit greatly appealed to her history-buff husband.
Karen Zody, who also takes Mill Race trips and enjoys travel generally, recommends Shipshewana, a northern Indiana community steeped in Amish and Mennonite heritage.
“The scenery is beautiful, and you can take excursions to farms and horse stables. There are lots of gift shops,” she says.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg automobile museum and Pokagon State Park are both nearby.
The big trips are great, but with a wealth of regional possibilities, there is no reason to deprive oneself of a change of scenery. Lots of nature, history, good food and music are within reach, and within budget.
