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Today was one of those pleasant days where the hours wended their way through with hardly a snafu at all ... very pleasant, easy and very fun. I wish there were more of those! It started out with a beautiful weather forecast which lived up to its promise ... sunny and in the upper 60sF. After 3 weeks of below freezing temps, this was impossible to ignore and begged a day outside. A friend from where I used to work came out to spend the day and have lunch in town then we drove a little ways to Willis Mountain which is just a small mountain but the first you come to as you near the Blue Ridge coming from the Piedmont. Actually as mountains go it's pretty tiny but as it's the first, it has a merit of its own! I didn't take any photos because everything is so gray & brown outside now that it wouldn't have done it justice but I did find this online ~~~~~> Panoramio - Photo of Willis Mountain from Plank Rd

When I've had friends visit from out of state or from out of the country, the Blue Ridge are always a great place to take them for an excursion.

My question is, if someone were to visit you for a day or two only, where would you like to take them locally to spend a day? One place all day? Two quick visits? An area of natural beauty? Or do you have a local museum you'd like to show off?

And yes, I know it would depend on the person who was visiting but my question is really just a kick off to get you talking about what you like about the area you live in ... surely there's something!

tabby;1418254 wrote: Today was one of those pleasant days where the hours wended their way through with hardly a snafu at all ... very pleasant, easy and very fun. I wish there were more of those! It started out with a beautiful weather forecast which lived up to its promise ... sunny and in the upper 60sF. After 3 weeks of below freezing temps, this was impossible to ignore and begged a day outside. A friend from where I used to work came out to spend the day and have lunch in town then we drove a little ways to Willis Mountain which is just a small mountain but the first you come to as you near the Blue Ridge coming from the Piedmont. Actually as mountains go it's pretty tiny but as it's the first, it has a merit of its own! I didn't take any photos because everything is so gray & brown outside now that it wouldn't have done it justice but I did find this online ~~~~~> Panoramio - Photo of Willis Mountain from Plank Rd

When I've had friends visit from out of state or from out of the country, the Blue Ridge are always a great place to take them for an excursion.

My question is, if someone were to visit you for a day or two only, where would you like to take them locally to spend a day? One place all day? Two quick visits? An area of natural beauty? Or do you have a local museum you'd like to show off?

And yes, I know it would depend on the person who was visiting but my question is really just a kick off to get you talking about what you like about the area you live in ... surely there's something!


Interesting question.

The first reaction is a walk out to Bradgate Park to climb Old John :-

Bradgate Park - Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood Country Park

which would be a pleasant day out in an area of natural beauty.

Had we a little longer it would have to be down to the boat for a trip on the river - trouble is we'd never get them to go home

Things to do in Savannah: Check out 107 Savannah Attractions - TripAdvisor

Things To Do in Georgia

Obviously, this would be for more than a "one day" visit.

My flat almost turned into a hostel a few years back, with people visiting all the time, and I found that most people enjoy spending a nice relaxed day somewhere, seeing or doing one thing, without rushing it, with a bit of time for a nice meal, and good coffee, and a few drinks, rather than running around trying to see all the sites.

Go to the mall?

Seriously, I laugh when I see bus loads of people, mostly senior citizens, transported from surrounding states and counties in order to shop and eat here.

Bryn Mawr;1418262 wrote: Interesting question.

The first reaction is a walk out to Bradgate Park to climb Old John :-

Bradgate Park - Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood Country Park

which would be a pleasant day out in an area of natural beauty.

Had we a little longer it would have to be down to the boat for a trip on the river - trouble is we'd never get them to go home


Beautiful!! That park would be hard for me to leave at closing time. A warm & sunny day to tramp around at leisure ... perfect! My sweet tooth would mandate a visit to the tearoom. The photo of the various cakes displayed got me ...

along-for-the-ride;1418278 wrote:

Things to do in Savannah: Check out 107 Savannah Attractions - TripAdvisor

Things To Do in Georgia

Obviously, this would be for more than a "one day" visit.


AFTR, is the Bonaventure Cemetery the one in the book & movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"?

Fiend;1418286 wrote: My flat almost turned into a hostel a few years back, with people visiting all the time, and I found that most people enjoy spending a nice relaxed day somewhere, seeing or doing one thing, without rushing it, with a bit of time for a nice meal, and good coffee, and a few drinks, rather than running around trying to see all the sites.


I agree, trying to fit too much into one day can be exhausting!

Ahso!;1418288 wrote: Go to the mall?

Seriously, I laugh when I see bus loads of people, mostly senior citizens, transported from surrounding states and counties in order to shop and eat here.


I'm not much of a shopper, Ahso so I know where you're coming from! Say the word "outlet" and you've got a busload of people in no time! I'm not even sure it matters what it's an outlet for ... I guess the word alone implies fun & bargains to the devoted.

Ahso!;1418288 wrote: Go to the mall?

Seriously, I laugh when I see bus loads of people, mostly senior citizens, transported from surrounding states and counties in order to shop and eat here.


I used to visit your area a lot, but have not been there in many years. I guess it gets very crowded now.

tabby;1418422 wrote: Beautiful!! That park would be hard for me to leave at closing time. A warm & sunny day to tramp around at leisure ... perfect! My sweet tooth would mandate a visit to the tearoom. The photo of the various cakes displayed got me ...


We often go and almost always include a visit to the tearooms.

Old John, the monument on top of the hill that can be seen from across the county, was built after the windmill that stood there burnt down, killing the miller. It is said that it happend after a night's drinking with the son of the household and it's in the form of an upside down tankard.

Another tale of the park is that, after the execution of Lady Jane Gray (the nine day Queen whose family owned the estate) they pollarded all of the oaks in the park so that they suffered the same fate as their mistress. Even now you can see that the trees were beheaded at the nine to ten foot level and have regrown from the stumps.

tabby;1418254 wrote:

My question is, if someone were to visit you for a day or two only, where would you like to take them locally to spend a day? One place all day? Two quick visits? An area of natural beauty? Or do you have a local museum you'd like to show off?


I'm pretty lucky, I live in the wilderness between the Rocky Mountains and the High Desert. I have Monument Valley to the south and west and the San Juan mountains to the north. My area is littered with ancient Anasazi ruins including the spectacular Mesa Verde ruins, as well as being next to the largest Native American reservation in America. Close by sits the Old West trading town of Durango, Colorado with the narrow gauge railway to Silverton. Add in Navajo reservoir, and the Four Corners national Monument, and Purgatory Ski resort, and there's lot's to do around here!

Saint_;1418461 wrote: I'm pretty lucky, I live in the wilderness between the Rocky Mountains and the High Desert. I have Monument Valley to the south and west and the San Juan mountains to the north. My area is littered with ancient Anasazi ruins including the spectacular Mesa Verde ruins, as well as being next to the largest Native American reservation in America. Close by sits the Old West trading town of Durango, Colorado with the narrow gauge railway to Silverton. Add in Navajo reservoir, and the Four Corners national Monument, and Purgatory Ski resort, and there's lot's to do around here!








Now that would be worth a trip from here to see - magnificent!

Wow, I think I just got an idea for me and my wifes next vacation.

I'd love that train ride around the mountain. I think we should all descend upon Saint's home this year and let him be our tour guide!! :driving:

The Durango / Silverton railway is really spectacular and it's a nice one day trip with a turn around at ...



Silverton which is an old mining town that's a hang out for big hollywood stars now. Lots of history there.



You can actually go into restored kivas at the Cliff palace, but there's lots of ruins that are just as good like the Spruce Tree House and the Balcony house. (My Navajo friends and I know of some ruins that are still "undiscovered" inside a cave near my house. We found it in the '70s while crawling into a cave after a party to get out of the rain. The entrance is very small, about one meter, but it quickly expands inside to a good twenty meters high. We call it "The Cave of the Hand" after a hand imprint in sandstone near the entrance and the petroglyphs inside)



Stay at the Strater Hotel in Durango, it's immaculate, dirt cheap, full of history (the rooms are all furnished with antiques) and ...it's totally haunted. Seriously.



Oh, and it has a great bar too.



Navajo lake is a massive reservoir just to the north of my home. It has hundreds of miles of shoreline because it snakes up the many arroyos and small canyons. In the summer the water is very warm and clear, completely pristine. (I snorkel with almost perfect visibility down to 25 feet.) There's also a submerged city on the bottom, but that's almost 300 feet down at the deepest part.

Journey to the bottom of Navajo Lake — High Country News



This is pretty much what it looks like out my front door, although I'm a little further away. It's very high altitude here, my house sits at 5,500 ft. (1 mile high) and some of the San Juans go up to 13,000 ft. Durango's about 6,000 ft. and Silverton is at 9,000!



If you're a little adventurous (if you're not hang out at the Navajo casinos, haha!) and don't mind driving down a dirt road, you can go to the truly awesome Chaco Canyon ruins. (They still let people crawl all over them.)



About an eight hour's drive away are Carlsbad Caverns. (Made famous in the "Journey to the Center of the Earth" movie)



The same distance in the other direction is the Grand Canyon...



They got this crazy transparent horseshoe bridge over it now, but the Natives way overcharge for it, just drive up to the rim and look for free!

Absolutely beautiful ... I feel like I just took a vacation without even leaving the house! I can't believe you crawled into an unfamiliar small cave ... what if it had rattlesnakes in it?? :yh_ooooo

tabby;1418423 wrote: AFTR, is the Bonaventure Cemetery the one in the book & movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"?


Yes., it is.

tabby;1418687 wrote: Absolutely beautiful ... I feel like I just took a vacation without even leaving the house! I can't believe you crawled into an unfamiliar small cave ... what if it had rattlesnakes in it?? :yh_ooooo


Rattlesnakes will let you know when you are too close to them. I've only had one close encounter here in New Mexico, although I've been bitten twice when I was younger in Montana. We had a real plague of them one summer.

But as to caves, I've clambered and crawled through all sorts of them around here and had no problems.

Tabby Im in Virginia also. People who come here want to go to Monticello... Charlottesville. Im so spoiled by being surrounded by beauty, that I want them to be happy to sit on the front porch. Stonewall Jackson is buried in the cemetery across the street from me, and my town is historical. Virginia Military Institute is walkable. So they wander around enjoying the quaintness.. wondering how I can stand to be here full time!!! hahahaha But they always do think it is beautiful.

Oh weeder, you're so lucky to live in that area! Monticello is worth a visit for sure and as well as VMI. I've visited the cemetery ... what a small world! True story ... when my husband's grandfather was having his school photo taken, he told the photographer his name was Stonewall Jackson. The photographer decided to call his bluff and logged it down as such and it ended up being printed in the school yearbook with his photo and his name as Stonewall Jackson. From that time forward, his nickname was Jack and that's what my husband goes by as well ... a hand-me-down nickname.

Have you ever been to the Green Valley Book Fair in Mt. Crawford? The lure of a combination of inexpensive books and beautiful scenery is too much for me to bear! It's held a few times each year and I usually end up going in August although I didn't make it this past year.

I used to go to Green Valley every year. I lived in a tiny rural town right near there. Now, I havent been there in years. I have

enough books!! How far are you from me? When I joined FG in 2004 I was down in Georgia. I am originally from New York. I came to Va in 1996.

I'm a big Civil War fan, I's love to see Lee's house and the Lexington battlefield. You're right, very beautiful area.

Saint_, you live in a truly awesome part of the state. I love going to Mesa Verde, and many of the other sites down your way.

LarsMac;1419090 wrote: Saint_, you live in a truly awesome part of the state. I love going to Mesa Verde, and many of the other sites down your way.


Beautiful scenery = awesome.

backwards inhabitants = not so much.

Personally, I'd love to see the East Coast. I've been to every one of the states west of the Mississippi, but I've never been to the east. New York, especially, would be cool.

We could do a house swap...........

weeder;1419085 wrote: I used to go to Green Valley every year. I lived in a tiny rural town right near there. Now, I havent been there in years. I have

enough books!! How far are you from me? When I joined FG in 2004 I was down in Georgia. I am originally from New York. I came to Va in 1996.


It's about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive north from here to get to Mount Crawford. I'm south of you in central/south Va about an hour from the Carolina border. I never knew there was such a thing as enough books ... ha ha!!

That is enough books to own... not enough books to read. No more collecting for me, I am a minimalist.

So your about 2 hours south of me. Takes about an hour north to get to Mt. Crawford.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"?