Tag Archives: Americana
An Ode to the Home of Vidalia Onions
To paraphrase Shakespeare, would an onion by any other name taste as sweet?We think not, since most onions are hardly sweet at all. So what’s in a name? Vidalia, Vidalia, wherefore art thou Vidalia?
The only way to know for sure was to go directly to the… CONTINUE READING >>
Mermaids Are Real (we have proof)!
In the crystal clear waters of Weeki Wachee Springs there reside mermaids, seriously. We wouldn’t make up something like this.As a matter of FACT, the Florida State Park Service is a leader in the preservation of these exotic rare creatures.
We were lucky enough to have the chance to observe their graceful antics in a natural habitat and… CONTINUE READING >>
The Mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs
Fish, turtles and even a manantee join the spectacular spectacle of the… CONTINUE READING >>
12 Things You Don’t Know About Amtrak
Breakfast in bed? Wine and cheese tastings? A cafe car with a huge selection of snack and drinks? Meals served on REAL dishes? And that’s just the food.
Did you know there are really nice passenger lounges in large cities, comfy coach seating, showers and National Park guides aboard many routes?
AND your GypsyNesters show you around the… CONTINUE READING >>
David Shows off Amtrak Coach Seating
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6’2″ David shows off the situation in coach on Amtrak. We bought a… CONTINUE READING >>
Zany Park Signs
What’s Your Ology? Dislocated shoulders? God as security guard?
Our National Parks have a sense of humor too! Or do they mean to be this funny? Either way–we sure appreciate the effort!
A Tale of Two Cities… Uh, Counties… No, States
Check this out: we’re on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. We find a community that is split down the middle with a blue line painted through the town.It gets weirder (YAY!) — the blue line goes straight through buildings. Shops, a church, even a bar.
But wait, it gets weirder yet. The bar is also in two counties. And one of them is dry… CONTINUE READING >>
Sled Dogs & Snow Ghosts – Whitefish, Montana in the Winter
Whitefish, Montana! A quirky, friendly little town with a great sense of humor, a fabulous microbrewery, and some of the most incredible scenery in the world!Join us as we head into Glacier National Park in the snow and dog sled (!!!) through the breathtaking Stillwater State Forest with goofy grins pasted on our faces… CONTINUE READING >>
The GypsyNesters Go Dog Sledding!
We glided through Stillwater State Forest with goofy grins pasted on our faces. It was impossible not to smile while… CONTINUE READING >>
GypsyNesting in Your Own Backyard
As much as we love our GypsyNester lifestyle, we understand that chucking it all and hitting the highway is not something everybody can do. Many of us have ties that can make it difficult — if not impossible — to pull that off. With that in mind, we like to periodically point out that there are plenty of great GypsyNesting opportunities right in your own backyard.A plethora of possibilities are playing out nearby no matter where you call home. You just have to know where to look… CONTINUE READING >>
A Winter Wonderland Aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder
Join your GypsyNesters aboard Amtrak’s iconic Empire Builder as we head through a winter wonderland in luxury!See Glacier National Park out the huge windows of the Sightseer Lounge, celebrate Veronica’s visit to her 48th state over crab cakes (for breakfast!) in the dining car, share a fun-filled wine and cheese tasting, and enjoy tours of our sleeper car and all the fabulous amenities that you never knew Amtrak provided! … CONTINUE READING >>
Amtrak Sleeper Car Tour
Your GypsyNesters show you around their sleeper car on Amtrak’s Empire Builder – with their new friend, Isaac… CONTINUE READING >>
12 Must-See Festivals in the US
We LOVE a festival! Tag the word “fest” on the end of anything and we’re there!Here are 12 of the wildest, wackiest, over-the-top or just plain fabulous celebrations that we’ve seen! CONTINUE READING >>
Man o’ Manatees
January is manatee mania month in Florida. There is no better time of year to see – and swim with (yes!) – these gentle giants in The Sunshine State, and Floridians go all out to show off the endangered sea cows, including throwing a festival or two.
Did someone say festival? No way we would miss that!
During the winter the… CONTINUE READING >>
Swimming with Manatees!
Unbelievable – we’re still pinching ourselves! These gentle giants… CONTINUE READING >>
If It Can Kill Me, It MUST Be Good
I like to flip through the channels when watching the evening news. The other night while practicing my thumb aerobics, I noticed that the exact same commercial was on two of the networks at the exact same time. That surprised me a bit.
What didn’t shock me was that it was an ad for a prescription drug.
So I decided to start paying attention. It seemed that at least half of the advertisements were for pharmaceuticals.
I also noticed that I must have at least half a dozen things seriously wrong with me and should be… CONTINUE READING >>
The Weight of Six Million Paper Clips
In a small town in Tennessee there is a monument so moving, so touching and so unlikely that the story behind it is almost unbelievable.Here is a tale of a group of school children who found out that even the smallest idea can spark a world wide movement. And how compassion can change the world… CONTINUE READING >>
Food for Thought: How Food Enhances Travel
An old adage says that you don’t really know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. We believe it is just as true that you don’t really know a place until you eat a plate of its food.There is so much more to visiting a destination than seeing the sights. We try to immerse… CONTINUE READING >>
A Great Deal on the Brooklyn Bridge
New Year’s Eve in The Big Apple and your GypsyNesters were seriously contemplating a Times Square, ball-dropping extravaganza. After a bit of research and chatting up of locals, we felt that wading into a crowd of a million people, getting frisked and herded into little fenced-in safety areas, then standing for hours with no restrooms, food or libation is no way to ring in a new year.
Even an article entitled “Fear Conquering & Ball Dropping,” as hilarious as that would be, could not entice us to spend that much time needing to pee.
So, what to do?… CONTINUE READING >>
New Year’s Eve on Brooklyn Bridge!
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Forget Times Square! Fireworks for days! Countdown with the Watchtower Clock! Sights and sounds and parties on the… CONTINUE READING >>
Spice Up Your Holidays with a Tamale Party
Do you need some spice in your life? Here’s a festive holiday idea!Whether it’s a tamale party or your own special holiday tradition, please be sure to get together with family and friends this year.
Enjoy each other… CONTINUE READING >>
Finding Germany in the Mountains of Georgia
The unexpected surprises that lurk around the next corner are one of the things that can make travel so interesting.Boy, did we get one of those in the mountains of northern Georgia when we came upon the old fashioned Bavarian village of Helen. Tucked into a valley on the banks of The Chattahoochee River, we suddenly found ourselves driving through an anachronism of epic proportions. Every building, down to the gas station… CONTINUE READING >>
Little Rock / Big Gem
Join us on a rip-roarin’ tour of Little Rock, Arkansas!We visited the Clinton Presidential Library, hit the Big Dam Bridge, witnessed history at the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site and ate avocado popcycles at the River Market!
Then, we mounted Segways and … CONTINUE READING >>
Segway-ing Through Little Rock
We were pretty fired up at the prospect of mounting a Segway since jealously watching people riding them in Prague – we had wanted to give them a try. So… CONTINUE READING >>
Talkin’ Turkey: What Travel Taught Us About the First Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is upon us. Cue the pictures of cheery Pilgrims supping with the friendly natives and images of The Mayflower triumphantly landing at Plymouth Rock. Ah yes, all of that happy history we were taught as baby boomer children… and none of it is true.We were not on a quest for truth when we made our pilgrimage to Plymouth, Massachusetts, just taking in a little history, but once… CONTINUE READING >>
A Bloodcurdling Buffet – 12 Frightful Foods of the World
How about a terrifying tour of the globe just in time for Halloween?
We’ve consumed these dozen frightening foods from around the world… so you don’t have to… CONTINUE READING >>
