Khecheopari Lake: a Sacred Place

The lake is scared for Hindus and Muslims. From the entrance, it’s another 200 meters to the lake. There are small paths on one side of the lake with several small buildings, temple and many unmissable, colorful prayer flags everywhere.

At the end of the hiking path, there is a prayer point close to the water of the lake. All in all, you walk about 500 meters along the lake. The place has its very own, very spiritual atmosphere. You can fell the sacredness of the lake.

Khecheopari Monastery: colorful magnificence of Buddhism

The monastery is on a hill, a bit off the lake. It’s a bit of a walk up the hill. This seems to be too much for many visitors, almost no one went up to the main building. The main building is an extremely colorful, shining and sparkling building where the monks still live.
After hesitating for a while, we came closer to the building. Because the monks just had a meeting, we did not want to enter or look inside. But the monks were signaling us several times to come and even offered us cookies. That is how we got the pics from the inside. We would not have done any of that without them telling us to enter.

The inside of the building is an extremely colorful collection of art and crafts. No matter where you look, there is always a new painting, a new colorful piece of cloth or a painted wall. Absolutely breathtaking and unique! Totally different from everything I have seen so far.

The main buildings’ outside is magnificent. There are artful sculptures everywhere, all of them in many colors and very well-kept. I could have spent hours just looking at things. A unique architecture.

Monks in Khecheopari

All the monks were very curious and friendly. They were standing around me in a group of 6, watched my pics on the camera and took pics of themselves. That is how the monk pics were made, we did not do it, they did it themselves. We also got an orange and a very warm welcome, even though there is not even a language we both share. How great having this experience!

The monastery was one of the Sikkim highlights. I would definitely recommend coming here.

see Sikkim Tour ###Link###
see Pelling ###Link###

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Natchez – Where It Is and How to Reach

Natchez is located between Vicksburg and New Orleans. Natchez is 120 km from Vicksburg on highway 61. Driving along that highway made me, once more, aware of the fact of how huge this country is and how vast the areas are. Highway 61 is not 100% straight but it definitely feels like driving 120 km just straight and totally remote, simply in the middle of nowhere. There is basically nothing on this route, not even traffic. Every now and then you meet another vehicle or drive through a little village.

After Natchez the route leads to Baton Rouge or New Orleans. To Baton Rouge it’s another 150 straight on highway 61. It takes 1 ¾ hours. How it feel to drive there, does not generally change. You are still on a rather empty road and just drive straight. Every now and then you see a little village or a gas station. The highway is sometimes closer and sometimes a little more distant to the Mississippi River. Occasionally, you are in the Mississippi Delta and see all the fields and huge lands, the largeness and extensiveness of Mississippi and Louisiana.

In Baton Rouge, it is possible to drive faster again. You can take interstate 10 and go directly to New Orleans.

Antebellum Era

Many antebellum buildings in Natchez are in downtown. You can park parallel to the river at Broadway Street. From there, you can easily walk or take a bicycle. Natchez has little golden markers on the ground, these markers show the best ways. There are five trails that lead through town. Two of them start at Broadway Street and go through Natchez downtown. On these two routes you will definitely see more antebellum mansions than anywhere else.

There is also car tour through the city. All these routes can be found on the website of the Natchez Visitor Center or you just follow the golden marks on the ground.
Twelve buildings in Natchez are open to public. The most famous one are: Longwood, Rosalie Mansion and Stanton Hall. Natchez advertisement says they have more than 600 antebellum houses in town. I did not count but after a walk in the magnificent Natchez downtown, I have to say: they definitely have many, many beautiful buildings.

We could not visit any of these building because we were there on a Sunday morning and everything was closed. If you want to see a building from the inside, check its opening hours before. Not all buildings are open daily.

In the suburbs of Natchez, there is Melrose Plantation. A report about that plantation can be found here.

Is Natchez Worth a Visit?

To see Natchez, you need to take a long detour. The fastest route from Vicksburg to New Orleans is on interstate 55 (330 km, 3 ¼ hours). But you will only see an interstate and nothing else.

On the highway route mentioned above, you can see Natchez and Baton Rouge. It takes one more hour to do that (400 km, 4 ½ hours). But you can stop several times on the route, also in Natchez. Once you decide to do Natchez, it does not make sense to go back to interstate 55 because 55 is further east than highway 61 and Natchez. You need to decide in advance if you want to reach New Orleans as fast as possible or take a more scenic route that offers more attractions but takes longer.

Once you choose the highway route, I definitely recommend spending some time in Natchez. It’s a very nice town, many old houses, beautiful architecture, everything in walking distance and very few people everywhere. I would always take the scenic route and stop in Natchez, even though you need to drive longer.

Information about how to combine that route can be found here.

Information about Plantations in Vacherie and the Melrose Plantation can be found here.

Information about New Orleans can be found here.

Information about Vicksburg can be found here.

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Renting a Car in a Travel Agency

That is how we usually book our rental cars. Tour operators sell rooms, entire tours and also rental cars. The most important reason to book a car like this is that it has a good insurance. In Germany, these insurances are called “Vollkasko” which is a fully comprehensive cover. That means your insurance pays even if you cause the accident and also covers our own damage (you need to pay something like 200 to 500 Euro from your own money usually, but that is it). There are always some exceptions that are not covered: flat tire, broken windshield, a lost key. But all major damages are covered. It’s best to ask in the travel agency about that but usually booking from Germany gives you a much better insurance.

We booked our car with “TUI Cars” (the tour was also a TUI tour). In Atlanta, we had to go to one of the big rental car counters (Hertz, Avis, etc.) You get your papers and find the rental car company on these papers. The only difference is that insurances, prices and everything else are organized by TUI cars. In this case, the fully comprehensive cover.
If you had booked your car online, you probably would not have had that kind of insurance (it is not impossible but rather unlikely). What you definitely have is more responsibility to find out how things work and more work to make sure you get the right thing. Online, this can be quite confusing. The travel agency always says, in the US there is no such thing as travel law.

The price was the same, it wasn’t cheaper online.

Rental Car Categories

Rental cars are categorized in different categories. Lists always tell you how many people can be in one car and how many pieces of luggage fit into the trunk. You book a category and get a car from that category. Getting a certain model usually requires extra charge. You never know exactly which car you will get. If it has the same number of passengers and luggage, it is the same category. If one of these two varies, it is a different category.
In general rental car companies count very generously, we had a Dodge Grand Caravan. That car was supposed to be for four people and four larger pieces of luggage. We had more than enough space. We could leave the three seats in the back entirely empty (later we filled it with sodas and snacks). Our suitcases fit in the trunk easily, and we had all the room in the passenger cabin left. Even the two in the back could sit comfortably.

Additional Insurances at the Rental Car Center

Our travel agency says that people always have problems renting a car. The go to the rental car center and the agent offers them additional insurances. The rental car agent tells stories of what can go wrong if you don’t take that insurance. In particular Germans seem to fall for that. Our travel agency gave us many warnings about that. They recommended again and again to not pay for any additional insurance because that is unnecessary and expensive (up to 25 Dollars per day). They also say: some people did not even get their car when they refused to pay extra money for insurances. They were telling us to be super-careful here.

I don’t know if we were always that lucky, but that did not happen to us. In Florida, the lady offered an upgrade for additional charge but we declined nicely and that was it. After that she gave us the paper and the car we had booked.

How to Get You Car

At the airport just follow the signs “rental car center”. At the counter you give them your booking reference, the agent asks for your driving license and a credit card and gives you a key. The most important thing is your credit card, without it you do not get a car. After that, follow the signs to the parking area (usually the name of the company is on the sign). At some airports, you can just walk there; others have a shuttle (train or bus) that takes you there. It’s not difficult, signs are usually everywhere.

In Miami, someone was working at the parking area. The brought the cars to their customers. You could not choose which car.

In Atlanta, things were totally different. Cars with keys were everywhere. You could just take any car (in this case they did not give us the key at the counter). We were a bit confused because we were not sure which cars belong to our car category. They had signs at the rearview mirror with information about the car. I don’t know what happens if you take the wrong car. I guess if you take a smaller car, the rental car company doesn’t care because you have basically paid too much. If it’s a more expensive car, you probably need to pay extra. This will most likely come up on your credit card. Maybe, they do all of that to confuse everyone a bit.

Exiting the Airport

When you leave the airport area, there is a cashier at the exit. The person there will double check everything. Every car has a barcode at its window. The cashier scans this barcode and asks again for your license.

Returning your Rental Car

Returning your rental car is easy. Signs lead the way to the return place. You just go here and someone will come right away to check the car’s condition. Indeed, they only kind of glimpse at the car. You give them the key and walk to the airport (see above bus train or walk).

Tank Full – Half Full – Empty

The rental car company can make additional money by using the leftover gas in the tank. The tank can be full, empty or half empty. You are supposed to return the car exactly the way they gave it to you. In the US, you mostly get a full tank and return a full tank. That is usually the best and easiest way. Everything else is a bit stupid. You never know exactly when your tank is empty or half empty. That means leftovers are always there.

There is always a service offer in which the rental car company refills the tank for you. You get a full tank and return the car the way it is when you get back. That is good service if you are in a rush but unnecessary if you have time because gas is much more expensive that way.

Driver and a Second Driver

It’s important that everyone who is supposed to drive the car is registered. You need to show everyone’s driving license for that. The packages from the tour operators usually include additional drivers (usually up to 4). But sometimes, you need to pay an additional second/third driver fee.

Why Do People Have so Many Problems Renting their Cars?

I think people don’t know exactly what kind of insurance they have for their car. That is why they become insecure at the counter. I recommend to plan in advance which kind of insurances are important to you (fully comprehensive cover or not) and how you get these (online, travel agency). Make sure you have all of that organized and planned in advance. At home, you have enough time to do these kind of things, you can ask about things you don’t know for sure and you can communicate in your first language. At the airport, you need to speak English, are tired because of the long flight and maybe a bit under pressure or insecure. No matter what they offer at the airport, when you know for sure you don’t need it or don’t want it (decided to not have it when you were at home), it is easy to decline the offer and just say no.

I would never have an upgrade at the airport. I recommend doing some thinking at home what kind of car you want and rent exactly that. Like that, you know how much you have to pay and will not have a bad surprise on our credit card later. At the airport, you don’t have that kind of information.

I think it’s helpful to learn some English words about the issue (fully comprehensive cover, insurance, everything covered, no upgrade necessary). I write some suggestions in the dictionary of this blog.

Final Remarks

So far, we were always lucky when it comes to rental cars. It’s a good thing that travel agencies give all these warnings. You can prepare for possible problems like that. With a bit of planning in advance (which insurance do I need) and a few contextual English words, things have always worked for us. Don’t get too nervous about everything, things are not that difficult, it is manageable.

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Vicksburg: Where to Find It and How to Reach It

Vicksburg is located right between Memphis and New Orleans. It’s a 640 km drive from Memphis to New Orleans (via Interstate 55), according to google maps, this drive takes 5 ½ hours. Doable in a day, if you don’t stop anywhere and don’t visit anything. As soon as you leave the interstate and take the more scenic highway route, the required time double or triples.

Vicksburg and Memphis are connected by the Interstate 55 (exit in Jackson). Like this, it’s a 410 km (3 ½ hours) drive. Driving on highway 278 and 61 (via Indianola) is more beautiful, even a bit shorter (370 km) but takes 45 minutes longer.

Where the South lost the Civil War: Vicksburg National Military Park

The National Military Park is at the Northern end of Vicksburg. Several cheap hotels can be found close to the park entrance (opposite side of the street). We stayed in the Quality Inn Hotel.

There is no bus shuttle (like in the big national parks); you need to drive in your own car. It’s not recommendable to walk because the distances are quite long. Going on a bicycle would be possible. The park is not flat but rather uneven with loads of hills and elevations. It’s not a flat steamrolled city park, but has mostly been left in its natural, uneven state.

There are several numbered stops on the route. An brochure provides information about what happened at every single stop and why it happened. The brochure is available in the tourist center at the entrance. There is also an audio guide on CD, an app or a telephone number you can call at every stop. I did the old-school thing and read the brochure. To me, that was sufficient. Altogether, there are 15 stops. Reading all information about these 15 stop keeps you busy for a while.

Eye-Catchers on the tour: Illinois State Memorial, USS Cairo 5, Vicksburg National Cemetery

Illinois State Memorial

The Illinois State Memorial is a large marvel building on an overlooking spot right at the beginning of the tour. Of all the state memorials, it’s the most striking, even a bit flamboyant: statues, buildings, obelisks and art serve as a reminder of all the states that were involved in the Civil War (14 from the South, 18 from the North).

USS Cairo 5

The USS Cairo 5 sunk in the Yazoo River. It was rebuilt in Vicksburg; some original parts that were still found could be used. You can visit the war ship and walk around in it. Right next to the ship, there is a museum about the history of the ship.

Vicksburg National Cemetary – Cemetary of the Civil War

The cemetery is right next to the Cairo 5 and reminds of about 17,000 soldiers who died in the war. The cemetery looks different from cemeteries in Germany; it’s a green meadow with many gravestones on it.

Vicksburg was important to both sides from a strategic point of view. Between December 1862 and July 1863 several battles and maneuvers took place, both in the water and on land. These info boards have information about many familiar names: Grant, Pemberton, Sherman etc. Soldiers from both sides are presented as statues; boards explain what happened when and where.

Nature

Off its main street, the park is known for its vast number of protected species and its intact nature. We met several Boy Scout groups, who were walking somewhere between main road and hiking path on their way back home. For Vicksburg residents, the park seems to be a focal point to hike and take a field trip. Due to its uneven structure, the park is perfect for this.

Resume

Even though I wasn’t expecting much, I can only recommend the park to everyone. I thought I already knew a lot about the Civil War but I was mistaking. I learned a lot here and did get quite some new information about the civil war. Driving along the main route including its 15 stops was really interesting and took about 2 hours.

The park is beautiful because of its historical significance, its nature and its beautiful viewpoints over the river. If possible, you should go here. 15 Dollars per car is a definitely a reasonable price.

More Stops in Vicksburg

After visiting the park, we had an evening to kill in Vicksburg. There are several more museums in Vicksburg but we did not do any of them. We went to a smaller shopping mall and spent the evening there. We were almost the only clients there. Due to its size, the shopping mall cannot be compared to the larger shopping malls. The good thing about it was, it was almost empty and prices were low. The shopping mall is close to Clay Street (on Clay Street there are several larger hotels like Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Comfort Suites, Courtyards, etc.). From Clay Street, the National Military Park is only 5 minutes away.

We accidentally stumbled over an Asian buffet right next to the Holiday Inn Hotel: until today, the best buffet ever! The food was outstanding and it wasn’t expensive at all. I don’t recall exactly how much, but it was something about 10 Dollars. I would highly recommend this buffet place.

If you fell like it, you can visit some more historical buildings in Vicksburg or the casino. We didn’t do both of it but left early the next morning.
I recommend spending an afternoon in Vicksburg. In the morning, you can leave in Memphis and reach in Vicksburg sometime between midday and afternoon. You only need to consider that for visiting the park, you need daylight.

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Arizona/Nevada border and a clock change

Because the dam is located exactly on the Arizona/Nevada border this is where the clock changes. The eastern front of the dam (Arizona) and the western front (Nevada) differ in an hour.

The Hoover Dam is 50 km (about 40 minutes) from Las Vegas (Via I 515 and highway 93/Boulder City). The dam is close to a recovery area called Lake Mead. Hoover Dam is a good stop on the way from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon, no detour is needed on that route.

Hoover Dam – How to Drive

Hoover Dam basically targets tourist, all through traffic is lead to a different route over a bridge in close distance to the dam. Security concerns came up after September 11th and an alternative route including a newly built bridge was established (highway 93 and Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge). In the near future interstate 11 is supposed to connect this bridge to the interstate system. So far, interstate 11 has not been built yet.
The new bridge can be seen from Hoover Dam (see pics).

Parking is available right next to Hoover Dam; the parking garage is build into already existing rock formation and looks very stylish. Parking costs 10 Dollar, the parking garage can be reached from the Nevada side of the dam. Until that point, vehicles have access to the area.

Parking Garage: 81 Hoover Dam Access Rd, Boulder City, AZ 89005, USA

Hoover Dam has some security restrictions. When you cross Hoover Dam in your vehicle, security checks might come. Hoover Dam is not open to all kinds of vehicles; there are certain restrictions for larger vehicles. Information about this is available on the website.
Pedestrians are not allowed to cross Hoover Dam after darkness. That means you need to come here in the middle of the day. Don’t come too late in the afternoon. Always consider when it gets dark and how much time you need to reach and to spend there.

https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/index.html

What will I See?

You walk along Hoover Dam, get to see the river, get to see restrained water and can look down along the huge dam. I got dizzy from it. The Colorado River has too little water; you can see it on the pillars of the dam. Some marks have come up over the years. Like this, all these news and reports about water shortage in California become clearer and more alive. It clarifies what water shortage really means.

Tours inside the dam can be booked. We did not do that, we just visited the dam from on top.

Visitors and Traffic

Because Hoover dam can be reached conveniently from Las Vegas and is also located on the main route to Grand Canyon, there are always many visitors around. Even in November, very much in off-season, many pedestrians were walking along the bridge. Traffic was quite messy and slow. The Hoover Dam website writes in summer, long waiting times and traffic jams occur. I’m sure they do. In summer I would definitely recommend coming early in the morning.

I found it quite funny to be standing at the dam and seeing that a new time zone starts just a couple of steps away.

Lake Mead Overlook

Right before the dam, and there is an overlook point to Lake Meat. This spot can be reached by highway 192. Again, you will be able to see that Lake Mead has very little water. The next larger town is Boulder City.

Is Hoover Dam worth a trip?

Yes, it is. It’s a huge building in the middle of the desert. It’s very old, when it was built it was an architectural masterpiece, work of the century. On the plus side: Hoover Dam can be reached easily from Las Vegas and is on the way to the Grand Canyon. A negative thing could be the fact the dam is always busy and full of people. I would plan about one hour of time here, if you want to do the dam tour, a bit more.

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Right after Savannah, the state of Georgia ends. One of the most famous South Carolina Island’s is Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head is about an hour from Tybee Island. It’s a rather touristic place. Tourism on the island prospers. There are many resort hotels, the compulsory golf course, beaches and many activities – basically anything you can think of. Also bars, clubs, nightlife, sport events, many offers for tourists. Right before Hilton Head Island, there is a nature protection area: Pinckney National Wildlife Refuge. You can go hiking, walk on the beach, do all kinds of ocean-related activities (kayaking, dolphin watching, fishing, jet ski, sailing, etc.). There are two big shopping malls. But it’s rather one shopping mall split into two parts. There are also many old buildings, plantations etc. Apart from that, Hilton Head has a very busy art life including theater, ballet, sculpturing, and painting. All in all it is probably the most diverse and biggest of all the islands.

Insiders’ Tip at the South Carolina Coast: Hunting Island and Kiawah Island

North of Hilton Head Island are some more islands like Prichards Island, Hunting Island and Folly Island. I only want to mention Hunting Island and Kiawah Island. Hunting Island is a nature protection area, reachable from the mainland on highway 21 (via I-95) and is located right between Savannah and Charleston. It’s not a national park but a South Carolina State Park. Many locals like to visit here. The island has camping and lodges but no big hotels. Again, you get to see mainly flora and fauna. For film lovers: the Forest Gump Vietnam Scenes were shot here.

http://southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/introduction.aspx

Kiawah Island State Park is another interesting place. If you know this blog, you know that I like to point out beaches that won awards from Dr. Beach. Usually, that means these beaches are in their natural state, calm and have very few touristic equipment and buildings around. Also no huge hotels close to the beach. All of this is the case in Kiawah Island. It’s a one-hour-drive from Charleston (south on highway 700). It’s better to reach than Hunting Island. Both islands are calm and secluded without any big hotels.

About the South Carolina Islands

I have not seen all of the South Carolina Islands. The very popular Myrtle Beach is one of the things I don’t know so far. I anyways want to tell you how I see things. My travel agency only offers hotels on Hilton Head Island. They did not have anything for all the other islands and could not say anything about these places. As mentioned above, Hilton Head Island is very successful. Anything you need – you will get it here. The beaches are beautiful; there is a big variety of hotels, restaurants and activities. Nevertheless, I cannot fully recommend Hilton Head Island. To me, everything seemed a bit too fancy, a bit too crowded a bit too touristic. Just one example: I found an ad somewhere that you can explore a swamp area on stilts, without getting your feet wet (???). How does that work? I don’t know. Having a show like this is not my kind of thing. If I want to explore nature, I get dirty. I don’t need a soft version of that.

The United States are far away from Germany. It’s not cheap to even reach there. I want to see nature that I don’t have at home, experience things that are “typical USA”. Hilton Head Island is a perfect spot for a family holiday, an entire summer holiday or something like that. But I can have that kind of holiday at many places in Europe, for much less money, short flights and all in all less effort to reach. Hilton Head is not a winter destination. To me, this island does not have anything that I cannot get easier anywhere else. I don’t need to travel to the US for something like that. I prefer the other island with their nature protection programs. I really liked these.

This article is Part 2.

Part 1 can be found here:

Little Known Islands in Georgia and South Carolina Part 1: The Golden Isles of Georgia

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From Jacksonville to Savannah to Charleston: Islands along the East coast

This routes start at the northeastern end of Florida: Jacksonville and leads along the coast to Charleston. I describe all the islands in this order: from South to North. You drive through two different states on this route: Georgia and South Carolina. This is how I group the island. Georgia markets its islands with a nice slogan: “the Golden Isles of Georgia”. The South Carolina description includes anything till Charleston and excludes anything north of Charleston. Famous beaches like Wilmington and Myrtle Beach are not on the list.

The Golden Isles of Georgia: Jekyll Island and Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island – a protected area than can only be reached on a boat – is at the very South of Georgia. It’s the largest of the so-called “Golden Isles” and has restrictions concerning visitors. Part of the national park Cumberland Island National Seashore is open to public, entrance is 7 dollars.

https://www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm

North of Cumberland Island is a smaller island called Jekyll Island. It’s not far to both islands in the north and south but Jekyll Island anyways has its own road to the main land (I 95 and hgw 17). Jekyll Island is quite exactly in the middle between Jacksonville and Savannah (120 km to Jacksonville, 150 km to Savannah). Jekyll Island also has many nature protection programs: the beach is a state park and totally left in its natural state. In the 19th and 20th century, many wealthy American had their holiday homes here. You can still visit their grand homes. Georgia State has owned the island since mid 20th century in order to maintain its status quo. Also guided tours are available. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center – an animal rescue and protection program – needs to be mentioned in particular. It’s a state program to protect and help wounded turtles. Some more mammals, reptiles and birds are living on the island. If you are lucky, you get to see some of them. There are also some middle class hotels, camping areas and many kilometers of pure beach.

The Golden Isles of Georgia: St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons Island, Sea Island

Further north, a group of three islands can be found. The main island and starting point to the two others is St. Simons Island – a larger island with gulf, tennis, and en entire touristic infrastructure (shopping, restaurants, nightlife, etc.). St. Simons has a bridge to the main land and is easy to reach. Much more laid back is Little St. Simons Island, only reachable by boat from St. Simons Island. It’s a privately owned island and its first priority is to protect the nature. It has only offers a restricted the number of overnight stays. Many rare animals live on this island, for example water turtles come here to breed. The island is very famous for its diversity of birds. Here you find a piece of pure nature on an island that has won several awards for its protection programs.

The second island than can be reached from the main island St. Simons is Sea Island. This time a boat is not necessary, both islands are connected by a bridge. Sea Island has many upscale resort hotels and weekend houses and is only open to guest with hotel bookings or house owners. The island has many golf clubs and is in general a fancy, sophisticated island for the up-market. George Bush hosted a G8 meeting here in 2004.

Savannah’s City Beach: Tybee Island

Tybee Island is Savannah’s city beach. It’s only 30 minutes from Savannah to Tybee. City Beach sounds a bit negative and does not describe this island properly. It’s a small, nice island with many restaurants, small roads and loads of beach. Its atmosphere is cozy and laid-back; it’s not too fancy (like Sea Island) and not too far away. Only the northern part of the island has streets. There are many beach cottages for rent but also motels and very few luxury places. All in all a colorful mix and definitely worth a trip. Wormsloe Plantation is very close (see Plantations of the American South). Doing both makes a good combination.

http://visittybee.com/

Which Georgia Island is the Right One for Me?

All Georgia Island have a very different character. All islands without a road to the main land (Cumberland Island and Little St. Simons Island) are very deserted and usually protected. You get to see beautiful nature, rare animals and plants and all kinds of protection programs. You need some advance planning to stay here and you need to bring enough time. Both islands have limited access. Find out if you need to be an overnight guest to be allowed to enter the island at all.

Tybee Island, Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island are easy to reach. I would not recommend Sea Island, I found it a bit too fancy, too exclusive and too sophisticated. I have great sympathies for Tybee Island. German travel agencies did not offer any hotels on Tybee Island at all. Same for St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. I really don’t understand why. All these islands are attractive holiday destinations, and Americans like to spend their summer holidays there. Here in Germany these places are totally unknown. I can strongly recommend going there if you are interested in these kinds of places. It’s very beautiful; all these islands deserve a visit. Most likely, you need to book online my travel agency could not find anything except Hilton Head Island.

Geographically you are moving farther north (see Northern Florida). A winter is much warmer than anything here in Germany but not warm enough for a beach holiday. Moreover, winter days are short. These islands are not an all-year-round summer destination. December, January and February are definitely too cold for a beach holiday. From Mai till September, it’s warm. The “between months” March, April, October and November are convenient but not warm enough to swim. We were there in November, it was T-shirt weather. Basically our spring. The beaches were wonderful but we could not swim or sunbathe. You always need to consider that it’s dark at five. That means, visiting in off-season only is the right thing for enthusiasts.

This article continues in:

Little Known Islands in Georgia and South Carolina Part 2: Hilton Head Island, Hunting Island and Kiawah Island

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Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant, Charleston, South Carolina

The Boone Hall Plantation is a little outside Charleston (18 km) and is one of the largest plantations on the list. The plantation appeared prominently on the TV show “North against South”. Of all the plantations we saw, this one had the largest crowd of visitors.
Many signs point to the plantation, from Charleston, Boone Hall is easy to find. The cashier is right in front of the Oak Alley. After buying a ticket, visitors proceed right through the Oak Alley in their cars. The street is an unpaved dirt road (a paved road would destroy the atmosphere) but the road is even, stable and dry. Driving on it works well, even larger vehicles like RVs could drive there without any problems. Traffic was heavy on the Oak Alley, the parking lot follows right after the Oak Alley.

Main attraction is the mansion with its regular tours. There are many chairs in front of the mansion, also canopies that offer shade if you need to wait and the sun is too strong. The plantation dates back till 1681; anyways the mansion is a replica from the 1930s. Originally, Boone Hall was a cotton plantation. Nowadays, farming focuses on strawberries and tomatoes.

The mansion tour mostly has stories about the original farm owners (in this case a Boone family), when the plantation was sold, what these new owners did about the plantation and how the plantation finally became accessible to public. Because of the many visitors, the tour is a bit of a run through all the rooms, tour guides figuratively push their groups to the next room. Once you leave a room, the next group walks right in. You get to see many different rooms of the plantation. Photography inside the mansion is not allowed. That is why I cannot show you any pics. Just in case you want to know how it looks inside the mansion: exactly like in “North against South”. It feels like being on the movie set.

In front of the mansion, there are several smaller red-brick buildings, where some of the slaves lived. It was an exception to build these cabins in front of the mansion; usually they were hidden behind the mansion. There is also a tour through these cabins; anyways it’s much less visited than the mansion tour. I would definitely recommend to do the slave cabin tour. The slaves’ history needs to be told and heard, it’s definitely as interesting as the mansion itself. A common problem here is that there is no written record about their history. Reconstructing their history and life story was only possible for a few single people, for example, the story of a female cook who spent her entire life at Boone Hall.

The third part of the plantation is its huge garden that can be seen on a walking tour. It has the typical face of a southern garden: many old trees, Spanish Moss everywhere and swamp areas nearby. You should definitely take that walking tour in order to feel the atmosphere of the plantation properly.

On plantations website it says they also have a bus tour through the entire land of the plantation, almost 300 hectares of land. When we were there, the busses were not. That is why we could not do that tour but we did everything else. The café was closed as well.

Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana

The Oak Alley Plantation is in a little town called Vacherie, 60 km from New Orleans. (see New Orleans). The Plantation dates back to the early 19th century, its famous Oak Alley is considerably older. Its oaks are from the early 18th century and were probably the reason why the plantation itself was built at exactly that spot. In its early years, the plantation was a sugar cane farm. Two female residents have mainly influenced the plantation and its appearance. Celina, wife of the first owner Jacques Roman was actually the reason why he built the farm in the first place: he needed to make a nice home for his New-Orleans-born fiancée. Jacques died at a young age and Celina took over: she managed the plantation the following years. In the next generations, the family fell into financial problems and had to sell the plantation. The plantation started to decay. In 1925, Andrew Steward bought the house for his wife Josephine. She was the one who put the plantation back in good shape. Josephine had the house fixed and modernized and brought the farm back to its original purpose: making sugar cane. She stayed until her death and gave the farm to a foundation. Thanks to that, the farm is now open to public.

A guided tour in the mansion is very different from the one in Boone Hall. Photography is allowed, as long as no flash is used. All tour guides wear original, traditional clothing and show both floors to their visitors. We did get a lot of information what was done to fight the heat in the building. Small architectural secrets are supposed to help create a bit of ventilation in the rooms.

Big highlight of the tour is the huge balcony on the second floor: the balcony is located right at the center of the Oak Alley and offers a spectacular view. In this plantation, the Oak Alley is behind the mansion, not in front of it. Looking from that balcony to the oak alley is absolutely stunning; it’s worth visiting the plantation only for this. But even her, the tour guides are in a rush and the group has to hurry. We barely had enough time to take pics from the balcony. You can only walk along the oak alley, driving is not possible, there is no street and no other way to reach the alley, only a walking path. The alley is a ¾ mile long (1.2 km). Walking until its very end is worth it, even though very few visitors do that. This is a very nice spot to take pictures; you should definitely take time to do that. The plantation ends at the very end of that alley, a public street is right behind. You can go there to see the oak alley and take pics without having to buy an day pass for the plantation. Anyways, you only see the alley. From this spot the mansion is far in the background and barely visible.

In the opposite direction (from the mansion) there is a restaurant. Right next to it an exhibit and rebuild of the slaves’ homes tells their story. Again, it’s difficult to trace their stories back, only a few written records are available. A gardener who developed a new way to plant pecan nuts is mentioned in particular. At the end of the so called slave-alley are several overnight cottages. Cottages sounds like a simple, basic place to stay. Anyway, these cottages are the complete opposite. If you have always wanted to spend the night at a Southern plantation, this is an opportunity to do so.

A couple of smaller attractions can be found on the plantation as well: a theater that tells the story of planting sugar cane, an exhibit about how blacksmith work was done in the past and a smaller garden that Josephine, the last owner, started.

The Oak Alley Plantation appeared in several movies, the most important one is “Interview with a Vampire”. Also Beyoncé’s video “Déjà Vu” was shot here.

Vacherie has more plantations right next to Oak Alley: Laura Plantation, St. Joseph Plantation and San Francisco Plantation.

Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville, Tennessee

The Belle Meade Plantation is 10 km outside of Nashville. The farm was built by the Harding family in the early 19th century. From the beginning, the plantation operated on several levels: blacksmith work, lumber mill but also cattle breeding and making gin. Over the years, horse breeding became more and more important. Even after the civil war, the family tried to keep the farm running, but after a while this was no longer profitable. The plantation had two owner families: a Harding family and a Jackson family. There is quite some information available about the slaves of the plantation. Some of them had gone through a kind of apprenticeship and were professionals in their jobs: as blacksmith, as a jockey or in horse breeding. They were highly qualified and could even continue to work in these jobs after the Civil War. This is not supposed to euphemize slavery, it’s only a story that shows how different these plantation were and how they did business in different fields of work.

This plantation does not have an oak alley. Its mansion and the guided tour is the main attraction. A cottage, a replica of a slave home was reconstructed. There are some more, smaller buildings: a horse stable, a stable of carriages, a garden and a vinery. The tour includes a free wine tasting at the end. We had lunch at the plantation’s restaurant, the food was surprisingly good, prices were reasonable.

There was a little play at the lawn in front of the mansion: some guys, dressed as soldiers were busy working on old cannons. In the end, they indeed fired a cannonball. Our tour had already started; we were inside the mansion and only heard the detonation.

The plantation also sells several special culinary tours.

Compared to the two larger plantations Boone Hall and Oak Alley, Belle Meade is a bit smaller but in no ways boring. This plantation has an entirely different story and history than the other two.

Wormsloe Plantation, Savannah, Georgia

The Wormsloe Plantation is a 20 minutes-drive outside Savannah. The plantation is basically no longer a plantation. All the buildings are destroyed, only their ruins are left. The Wormsloe Plantation is very old, from the early 18h century. The building from these days does not exist anymore. A newer building from the 19th century is privately owned and cannot be visited.

But there is a beautiful old oak alley and several smaller walking paths in the forest and along a swamp. Basically, you take a nice walk in the area. At the entrance, there is an exhibit about the history of the plantation and its owner families.

Some ruins and traces from the early settlement of the US are still there. Over the years and centuries, several forms of agriculture were done here (fruits, vegetables, grain, etc.). It is remarkable that the Wormsloe Plantation has been owned by the same family since the 1730s. The area is a bit older and wilder than all the other plantations, mainly for two reasons. The old buildings are no longer there, only its ruins, and the plantation is in the middle of a forest and a swamp that borders the forest. The panorama her is nice and offers a nice view.

The plantation charges only 10 Dollars, less the half of what the others charge. Anyways, you need to be aware of the fact that you only see gardens, a forest, ruins and the oak alley. On the plus side: the plantation is not as crowded as the other ones.

Melrose Site, Natchez, Mississippi

Of all the plantations, this is the least known. It is in Natchez, Mississippi, at little town 120 km south of Vicksburg. You can go to Natchez on the way from Memphis to New Orleans or from Vicksburg to Baton Rouge. Natchez is anyways worth a stop. You can also do this little unknown plantation with its very few visitors.

The Melrose Plantation is smaller than the other ones on this list. You reach it by driving through a park. Originally, the plantation was built a little bit outside of Natchez, but now it is in the middle of the suburbs. Several signs lead to the plantation; it’s easy to find the park (reachable via highway 61 and Melrose Avenue). The plantation is from the mid 19th century.

The original owner family McMurran sold the farm as an entire unit: including furniture and dishes. Even during subsequent sales, the plantation’s interior remained the same. Because Natchez was not hit hard by the destruction of the Civil War, many original items survived and can still be seen today.

The plantation consists of a mansion and several smaller houses in the garden. The guided tour shows the entire house, also the second floor and the view from the balcony. The tour was not crowded at all, we were the only ones. The tour guide was called only for us. This was our first private tour, the only farm where we were not pushed from one room to the other in a larger group. Stables, carriages and all the small buildings are not part of the tour but can only be seen in a self-guided tour.

The garden is quite nice too and can be seen in a walking tour. The typical southern Spanish moss is everywhere; we also saw several air roots or trees that grow close to the water.

Important: Do Not Only Visit the Mansion

All plantations usually offer tours in the slave homes or replica of the slave houses. The history of their slaves is told as thoroughly as possible. Boone Hall had tours in the mansion every 15 minutes; about 20 – 30 people were guided through the house. Only about 10 people did the slave alley tour, even though the tour takes place much less frequently. That is such a pity! You should definitely listen to that part as well. Also do the walking tour in all the gardens and oak alleys, these are important parts of the plantation and define their image. You get to see many plants that do not exist in Germany. In Oak Alley Plantation, the oak alley is more than one km long. You should really walk until its very end, the view worth it.

Which plantation is the best, which should I visit?

All plantations are interesting and have their own history. The two larger plantations Oak Alley and Boone Hall are absolutely stunning, spectacular and a real highlight. Many people have found that out, both plantations have many visitors, in the main season they are probably too crowded. All tour guides are nice and provide loads of information. They talk about history and the plantations and their owner families. That is very interesting. But, you feel a bit pushed, sometimes it feels like they are trying to get rid of the group as soon as possible because the next one is already waiting. For example, tour guides leave their story unfinished because the next group is already close and it is time to leave the room. It is a rigid system that guides you from one room to the next one. One more negative thing: these plantations are expensive. They charge more than 20 bucks usually. But that is an individual decision if you want to pay these 20 plus dollars or not. In Vacherie we decided to not do the other two plantations because of that. I think it’s best to compromise here. You cannot see all plantation but a few are worth paying all that money.

All oak alleys are a highlight, in particular Oak Alley Plantation because you get to see the oak alley from the second floor. The oak alley in Wormsloe is beautiful as well, even though a mansion is missing. I think, if you have seen the Oak Alley Plantation (or another plantation with an oak alley) you can omit Wormsloe. Except you are very interested to see leftovers of the very early settlement, than you should do Wormsloe.
Some plantations do not show all their rooms or don’t let the tour groups go to the first floor. They have various reasons: sometimes it is because of safety issues, sometimes because the owner family still uses the plantation as a holiday home. That’s a pity, but nothing to do about that.

Photography rules are different everywhere: Boone Hall does not allow any photography inside the house, Oak Alley allows photography but without flash.

The two smaller plantations Wormsloe and Melrose place have a huge plus: very few people are there and you have more silence and less chaos and hectic there. The larger plantations are more impressive, but I would still recommend doing at least one smaller one. Plus, these small plantations cost much less.

Whoever plans to stay overnight in a plantation, you can do that in Belle Meade or Oak Alley.

It is difficult to recommend something in general. I suggest doing at least more than one plantation. An oak alley should be part of one of the plantations. The best thing is to plan accordingly to the rest of your tour. If I ever come back to New Orleans, I want to see some of the other plantations in Vacherie.

Der Beitrag Southern Beauties: Plantations in the American South and Their History erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona

You can reach the Horseshoe Bend from Page in Arizona. Page is a place to stop on the way to Lake Powell (right next to it), to Monument Valley (about 2 hours) or can be combined with the Grand Canyon or Zion Nationalpark.

Horseshoe Bend is only a few kilometers southwest of Page. Parking is available right in front of it. Anyways, you cannot drive directly to the river and the rocks. It’s a 3/4-mile-walk (1.5 km) from the parking spot to the viewpoint. That’s not far but you walk on uneven ground down a hill. That means comfortable shoes are necessary.

You can stand on several huge rocks at the viewpoint and see how the river turns. That is where the name horseshoe comes from. The viewpoint is about 300 meters above the river. All the different colors are absolutely stunning: the river shines in various blues shades whereas the rocks red color strongly contrasts these blues.

The viewpoint is not a single spot but several 100 meters long (several hundred yards). Nobody dared to stand close to the abyss. You look down, a long way down, and then see the Colorado River.

Due to its sheer size, it’s a bit challenging to take one picture of the entire horseshoe.
Visiting horseshoe bend is a nice, short trip that can best be done in the morning or evening. You should definitely come here when you are around.

Horseshoe Bend can be reached from Page in Highway 89 (south), signs lead to the parking area.

See also:

Monument Valley

Thanksgiving at Bryce Canyon

Grand Canyon in Winter

Der Beitrag A River in (Almost) Circles: Colorado River’s Horseshoe Bend erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.