Fort Boonesborough Kentucky May 2021

 We stopped by one of my favorite spots in the state of Kentucky recently, Fort Boonesborough!  We talked to a lot of the pioneers there, and had a great time!

Common Grounds Coffee Lexington KY May 23 2021- the day it closed.

 On May 23rd, the downtown Common Grounds Coffee in Lexington closed, after nearly 30 years!

Salem Indiana March 2021

 AND, just a quick video driving through Salem Indiana.  VERY cute little town!  We stopped by a great coffee/donut place with a train layout!

New Pekin Indiana March 2021

 We drove through New Pekin Indiana recently!

Hamburg Indiana March 2021

 I posted a brief video of a drive we made through Hamburg Indiana!

Borden Indiana March 2021

Chincoteague Ponies Postcard

This spectacular postcard, showing Wild Ponies of Chincoteague is undated and unused.  It says- The famous Chincoteague Ponies swim from Assateague to Chincoteague Island annually where they are auctioned on the last Thursday in July.  The remaining ponies swim to freedom for another year by returning to Assateague Island.  This is the only Wild Pony Round-up and Swim on the East Coast and is witnessed by thousands of visitors each year.

Concert Memories: Toad the Wet Sprocket, Evansville IN- sometime in the early 90s.

I remember hearing commercials for Toad the Wet Sprocket coming to Evansville at a smaller venue.  This sounded kind of cool, because most of the bigger name acts at that time played Roberts Stadium, and most of the shows were arena type bands.  This was not the usual show for the area back then.

Also, The Wallflowers were the opening act.  Going to see Bob Dylan's son was a major reason to go to this show.

This was simply not a good show for me.  I remember not being impressed with the Wallflowers.  It seemed that half of their set was covers, which is OK, but it seemed to me like they sounded sloppy.  I think Toad played their two big hits at the time early in the set, and we were also not impressed with them live that night either.  Maybe it was the acoustics at the venue, maybe it was a bad night, maybe it was me...  but, I left the show feeling unimpressed.

Starlight Coffee Co in Floyds Knobs Indiana

I am pretty good at scouting out great little independent coffee shops when I travel.  Somehow, I have missed the great Starlight Coffee Co in southern Indiana....  Just a a little over an hours drive from where I live!

On a recent road trip, we pulled over for a driver switch and saw this place!  Well, I had to go in for a drink!

I had a very nice beverage and the friendly young staff was happy to help with suggestions!

I just checked their website, and they have locations in New Albany and Charlestown, in addition to this one in Floyds Knobs.

 

Spring Mill Village Mitchell Indiana March 2021

 In March of 2021, we walked through the pioneer village at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell Indiana.

Spring Mill State Park Indiana March 2021

 And here is another video from our trip to Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell Indiana.  This one is just us exploring the park.

Spring Mill Inn Mitchell Indiana March 2021

 In March, 2021, we spent some time in the historic Spring Mill Inn in Mitchell Indiana!

Mitchell Indiana March 2021

 Here is a video from March 2021 of us driving through Mitchell Indiana!

Gus Grissom Museum Spring Mill Indiana March 2021

 In March of 2021 we visited the wonderful Gus Grissom Museum in the Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell Indiana!

Stones River National Battlefield Visitor Center March 2021

After our recent battlefield tour of Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro Tennessee, we took a tour of the National Park visitor center on the grounds!

Fainting Goat Coffee in Spring Hill, TN

I did mention this place in my video about Spring Hill Tennessee, but I wanted to put a few pics up.  We LOVED Fainting Goat Coffee, it is just a perfect little coffee shop in a perfect little area.  Spring Hill is a small town that packs a wallop, and it is very lucky to have such history, AND such a great coffee shop!

The coffee was good, and they have a good logo.  They have exploited the heck out of their name too....  Any road tripped should be embarrassed if they leave Spring Hill without getting a coffee here AND a shirt...... and maybe some other merch.

If you are visiting the many Civil War spots in this area, make sure you stop by here for some coffee.....  

 

Spring Hill Battlefield Tennessee March 2021

 We drove through Spring Hill Tennessee recently ANOTHER great little town in this great state that is packed with history!  

We did a driving tour through town and stopped for some great coffee at the Fainting Goat Coffee House!

Rippavilla Plantation, Spring Hill, Tennessee March 2021

As of this moment, Rippavilla Plantation in Spring Hill Tennessee is closed, but we were able to visit it before that happened.  This is a great Civil War site, and I hope it is open for tours again in the near future!

Fortress Rosecrans Stones River Tennessee March 2021

In March of this year, 2021, we were able to visit the preserved parts of the Civil War Fort in Murfreesboro Tennessee!  Fortess Rosecrans is a very nice place to take a nice walk, and think about history!

Battle of Hartsville Tennessee March 2021

Fort Granger- Franklin Tennessee March 2021

While we were in Franklin Tennessee, we did some walking around the Civil War Fort, Fort Granger!

Stones River Tennessee January 2021

 AND, here is a video I made while driving around the Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro Tennessee!

Franklin Tennessee January 2021

 One of our favorite getaway town ever is Franklin Tennessee!  It has total Tennessee charm, AND a TON of Civil War history!  They have really reclaimed their Civil War history too, and there are several houses and other sites to tour relating to that era.  Here is a video I made from a recent trip!

Columbia Tennessee January 2021

 Here is a short video I posted covering a short visit to the cute little town of Columbia Tennessee!  

Returning to Florence Kentucky

You know, there was a time that it seemed like I was going to Florence all of the time.  I like that area.  I was going up there a lot to catch the Frontier League Baseball team the Florence Freedom.  Nice ballpark.  Nice atmosphere.

I've been doing other stuff lately though, and just haven't gone up there much lately.  I am not as in to baseball as I used to be....  

But, my friend Rick talked me in to going up there for a day trip recently and it hit me that I really love this area, and I have missed it!

We stopped by the great little coffee shop Velocity Bean and Bike which is great!  We also went to World of Golf for several hours.  I am not really a golf person, but my buddy Rick is and he finally talked me in to playing some.  We had a great time at World of Gold....  more on both of those places later.....

We drove about 10 miles out of Florence, to Fort Wright, and we visited the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum.  This place was great.  AND, they do not charge admission!  They are a bit odd about their photography policy though- asking that we not take photos of specific pieces of the collection.....  so I can't post much about them.  Still, they were very nice, and very much into history.  They also have a nice little bookstore in the basement of the museum with some good deals.  I like what they are doing, and for the price of FREE, you definitely should check them out.

We stopped by Quaker Steak and Lube for lunch.  I can't pass up good wings.  Yeah, I know, its a chain and all, but I really like them.

AND, we made it to the legendary Florence Mall.  It is still alive and kicking, but, like every mall anywhere, it has seen better days.  There are still some interesting shops there, and I was glad to make it back there after some time.