Soldier's Field and Field Museum- Chicago

"Two of Chicago's imposing structures are located facing each other on the beautiful Lake Front- The Field Museum and Soldiers Field. The Museum, a gift of Marshall Field, cost about seven and one-half millions and is the best of its kind in the world. Soldiers' Field is dedicated as a War Memorial and is the scene of many thrilling spectacles."

Grant Park- Chicago

Sent in 1950, the back of this card says, "Gorgeous Buckingham Fountain with its exquisite surrounding gardens is the center of attraction in Chicago's beautiful Grant Park. 50,000 acres of parks and forest preserves offer recreational advantages that add to the enjoyment of living in Chicago and Northern Illinois."

Cumberland Falls, KY

Merchandise Mart Bldg. Chicago, IL.

This postcard was sent in the 1930s!

The back of the card talks about how this building will be an "address of prestige".

Chattanooga Visitor Center, TN.

http://www.chattanoogafun.com/visitorscenter/

I wanted to get a quick hat tip in for the great Visitor Center in Chattanooga!

They have a nice selection of regional books, shirts, and postcards in the gift shop.

The Chattanooga Visitor Center also has several shelves of pamphlets on attractions in the area.

I always love finding a good selection of information on things to do in the area.  I will pick up several brochures myself, even if it is on an attraction I don't plan to see on a current trip.  I might read about it in the promotional material and decided to visit it next time I am in town!

The other thing that I loved about this visitor center is the staff!  We popped our heads in about 3 different times on our last visit to Chattanooga, and they always had 3-4 staff people around offering to help with suggestions or directions.  These guys were great and they made some suggestions that were very helpful for us on this trip!

Chicago's Civic Opera House

"The home of the Chicago Civic Opera, this forty-two story building occupies the entire block between Madison and Washington Streets.  The Opera House is in the center of the building."

Art O Mat

OK, I think I have mentioned before that I love the penny smashing machines at most tourist stops.  You know, you put 51 cents in and the machine presses your penny with a design relating to the tourist attraction.  I don't get everyone one I can, but I do try to get one from every stop we make.

I also love Mold-A-Rama.  Mold-A-Rama is not too common though.  Some tourist stops still have them.  Usually for a couple of bucks, you get a one piece plastic toy relating to a tourist attraction.  The vending machine actual molds your item as you watch!

Well, I think I might have a new favorite vending machine!

I found this vending machine at Rock City!

It looks like the "Art o mat" people have taken those cool old cigarette machines and retooled them to sell original art!

For $5, you can buy a small, original artwork!  I picked a 2 inch by 2 inch painting of the sun by Sarah Whittington (see photo).

I thought $5 for such a cool little piece of art was a bargain!  I regret not buying a few more.  In fact, I am planning another trip to Rock City, and I plan on saving up some fivers JUST to spend on Art-o-mat.

I love the fact that they are using old cigarette vending machines for this project too!  They are retro, they are a bit taboo, AND I just feel so darn cool using one.  Pulling the nob on the old smoke machines feels rebellious.  I feel like I am doing something I am not supposed to do.

The Art o mat people obviously are doing this as a labor of love.  At $5 a pop, they can't be making a huge profit.  I think the Art o mat people must just love getting nice, original artwork out there for anyone to appreciate!  I hope we see more Art o mat vending machines in more places!

http://www.artomat.org/

http://www.sarahwhittingtonstudio.com/

The Terminal Brewhouse, Chattanooga, TN.

http://terminalbrewhouse.com/






We stopped by the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel area and wanted to find a nice place to eat.  EVERYONE told us to go by the Terminal Brewhouse.

The place had a very cool vibe (with the open space and the stairs I felt a bit like I was in a piece of Escher artwork).  It wasn't too loud (they weren't blasting trendy music throughout the place) and the tables were nicely spaced apart, so even though there was a good crowd there, it didn't feel crowded.  AND you could talk to the person at your table without yelling.

We ordered a club sandwich and a burger.  Sweet fries were on the side.

I know that sounds like an unexciting meal but it was perfect!  In fact, we can't say enough about the burger.  You know how a bar burger can be hit or miss.  Well, this one was a hit.  So was the club.

Everything tasted perfect.  The flavor was good and you could tell these guys care about making your food up fresh.

I swear I was going to take a picture of what we had, but when it came out, we dug in and I forgot.  Seriously.

Our waiter was great, giving us some recommendations of things to do around town and making sure we had refills often.

We aren't beer people (though again, locals recommended their beer) but I bet their beer is good.  They care a lot about the quality of the food they serve, but their signature item is beer.  I have no doubt that they are just as concerned about the beer they sell too.

Again, I don't know much about beer, but I know a lot about bar food.  The Terminal Brewhouse obviously knows a lot about bar food too.  I feel very comfortable saying that this is our favorite place to eat in Chattanooga. 

Chattanooga Choo Choo- TN.

Mayfield Dairy- Athens, TN.

http://www.mayfielddairy.com/




Check out Mayfield Dairy!  We stopped by on our way to Chattanooga (its between Knoxville and Chattanooga).  It is easily worth a stop on your Tennessee road trip!

Mayfield Dairy has a GREAT visitor center, and they do a tour on the hour.

The tour included a short film on the history of the company, and then they take you around to see the bottling process of their milk.  You actually got to see the yellow jugs being molded, milk going in to the bottles, labels added, etc.

Our tour guide said that they do take people to see the ice cream production area, but they can't at the moment.  They plan to take people to that area on the tour again soon.

They do not allow photography in the bottling area.  I hope they change that sometime because the bottling process is very interesting and its a fun thing to photograph!  See my photos from the Ale-8 factory.  Still, it is very cool of Mayfield Dairy to allow people to go through the plant for FREE!

AND, they do have some other great photo op areas.  There is a small museum area showing various bottles and packaging they have used over the years.  There is a life sized cow you can milk too!

They have an area in the gift shop where you can buy some of their ice cream after the tour!  Don't fool yourself, you will want some!

I have to mention their gift shop too.  Shirts, toys and other cool items were very reasonably priced, and they looked great!  A nice t-shirt (not a thin cheap one) could be purchased for just $13!  Who wouldn't love a Mayfield Dairy cow logo t-shirt?  Don't tell my dad, but I got one for him!

They had postcards and a penny smashing machine too (I love those).  I think a "Mold-A-Rama" machine would be GREAT here!  Think about it- you get to watch bottles being molded on the tour- taking home a molded Mold-A-Rama mini bottle or mini Mayfield Dairy cow would be perfect!  Yellow would be the only needed color.  Think about it Mayfield Dairy!

Then again, Mayfield Dairy is a pretty straight forward, "here's what we do" kind of place.  They do their work, make a good product and give tours.  Being too touristy might take the charm away from the place.
The company has been around since the 1920s!  Taking the tour, you could tell that they care about the quality of the product (some machines are taken apart and cleaned daily).  Plus, the fact that they let anyone come in and see how they do things says a lot about the company!  You see that the workers are observant, you see that the floor and machines are clean, you see how their quality control works.  You feel very comfortable eating and drinking their product after the tour!

Mill Near Forbidden Caverns- Tennessee

Forbidden Caverns in Tennessee

We stopped by Forbidden Caverns near Sevierville Tennessee recently.  It is only a few miles from the Bush's Beans visitor center which was nice!

The tour was nice.  Lots of lights and lots of formations that look like people, animals, etc.

I know a few people who refuse to visit caves on their road trips (saying that they are all pretty much the same after awhile).  I understand the logic, but I still think visiting every one I can is great.  They are all unique in some way and I like the fact that someone is running the cave, giving tours, and keeping the gift shop open.  Someone thinks each cave is significant enough to keep it going.

It breaks my heart when I read about old show caves no longer open.  I really hate hearing about caves blocked up with no access (St. Louis did that to some of their caves decades ago).

So, go down to Tennessee, gets some Bush's Beans and visit Forbidden Caverns!

http://www.forbiddencavern.com/

Chicago at Night

"In the foreground is the famed Water Tower at which point the great Chicago Fire of 1871 was stopped. In the background is the Palmolive Building."

Hidden Valley Ranch- Clay City, KY

This place looks cozy!

Union Stock Yards, Chicago

Postmarked 1945, the back caption reads:

The Union Stock Yards are located on the South Side, extending from 39th to 43rd Streets, West of Halsted and cover a total area of about 400 acres. An average of over 1,000 cars of live stock from 22 states of the Union is received daily. Nearly $2,000,000 worth of livestock is sold and delivered here every day in the year for spot cash.