The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (23 page)

 
The Parthenon
. This full-size reproduction of the 1,500-year-old temple in Athens, Greece, was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Originally wooden, it was rebuilt in masonry in 1925.
The Parthenon, Centennial Park, 2600 West End Ave., 615-862-8431,
www.nashville.gov/Parthenon
, $6.

 
Ryman Auditorium
. Built in 1892, the Ryman hosted Sarah Bernhardt, Charlie Chaplin, and W. C. Fields before becoming the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. A restoration in 1994 made it one of the world’s best performance venues again; concert prices vary.
Ryman Auditorium, 116 5th Ave. N, 615-889-3060,
www.ryman.com
, tours $13.

For the best of what’s to come, head to the snug
Bluebird Café
(4104 Hillsboro Pike, 615-383-1461,
www.bluebirdcafe.com
) in the city’s Green Hills neighborhood. Every night this unimposing little storefront hosts two shows where songwriters, both new and quite accomplished, try out their works in progress and where future stars often get their start. The food is simple (chicken fingers, barbecue), the place is always packed, and reservations are highly recommended. Wear your jeans; everyone else will. Most nights there’s no cover charge for the early show, but you’ll need to pay $7–$12 for late shows. All shows have a $7 minimum food/drink charge. A word of advice: This is a place to listen to music, not talk with your pals.

HOW NASHVILLE BECAME MUSIC CITY

Nashville has always been musically inclined; by the early 1800s, religious music publishing was a thriving business, and the famed Ryman Auditorium opened in 1892, soon hosting performances by Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, conductor John Philip Sousa, and the Vienna Orchestra. But it was the 1925 launch of radio station WSM and its broadcast called the Grand Ole Opry that drew the music publishers, recording studios, and entertainment offices of today’s Music Row. The many artists who have recorded in Nashville include Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and even Bob Dylan. The tradition continues today with stars such as Billy Ray Cyrus and Shania Twain.

For a fix of Mozart, head to the new 123-million-dollar
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
(1 Symphony Pl., 615-687-6500,
www.nashvillesymphony.org
; temporarily closed due to large-scale flooding of Nashville in May 2010), home to the Nashville Symphony.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau,
800-657-6910,
www.visitmusiccity.com
.

take in prairie culture

COTTONWOOD FALLS & COUNCIL GROVE, KANSAS

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

—
AUTHOR LAURA INGALLS WILDER (1917)

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The word “prairie” brings to mind the waving, golden wheat of the song “America the Beautiful,” the adventure of crossing wide spaces in a covered wagon, the hardships of farming a stubborn land, and living miles from your nearest neighbor. And who can’t help but think of prairie dogs, those sandy-colored sentries poised to alert their fellows to the slightest danger?

The grasslands that once stretched across the North American continent’s midsection from the north to Texas have, in many places, given way to cities and highways and farm fields. But a few places offer a glimpse into the prairie in its pioneer state—including the landscape surrounding Council Grove, Kansas.

A drive through the rolling farm fields south of Council Grove—be mindful of speed traps, where the limit drops to 10 miles an hour when you least expect it—brings you to
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
(2480 Hwy. 177, W of Strong City, 620-273-8494,
www.nps.gov/tapr
), a fitting place to start your prairie exploration.

The grass isn’t nearly as tall as many visitors expect, park rangers acknowledge, though in the right conditions it can grow to 6 or 8 feet. But it’s not the height of the grasses on these 11,000 rolling acres but the ecosystem here that gives the preserve its name. The land here is too dry for forest, too wet for desert, supporting instead the grasses where elk, deer, and bison once grazed. In recent months a small herd of bison has been reintroduced to this preserve for the first time in more than 140 years.

$PLURGE

ABOVE IT ALL

Plan ahead to join one of the monthly overnight wagon train trips that take place on specified weekends in summer. The trips are something of a splurge—$190 per adult, less for those under 21—and include the trail ride, overnight camping, and meals. Alternatively, you can get a taste of the trail experience by joining up just for dinner, entertainment, and a 15-minute wagon ride for $40.
Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train, 316-321-6300,
www.wagontrainkansas.com
.

The ranch turned park was the 1880s homestead of Stephen Jones, built at a time when the land switched from open public access to private ownership. The government paid 40 cents for every 16 feet of wall a rancher put in—about 80 percent of the cost. Jones’s barn and home are still standing; the one-room schoolhouse he built stands a short stroll away.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s (1867–1957) much loved Little House series of books about life on the prairie still inspires legions of fans, enticing them to visit the various sites featured in the books.

Laura was born in Pepin, Wisconsin, where a reproduction of the Little House in the Big Woods stands today. The
Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Museum
(306 3rd St., 715-442-2142, mid-May–mid-Oct.) hosts the annual
Laura Ingalls Wilder Days
(800-442-3011,
www.pepinwisconsin.com
) in September.

When Laura was a toddler, the Ingalls family lived for several months near Independence, Kansas. Their
log cabin
(off U.S. 75, 620-289-4238,
www.littlehouseontheprairie.com
, donation) has been reconstructed at the original site, some 13 miles southwest of Independence.

Walnut Grove, Minnesota, is home to Plum Creek and Laura’s childhood home. The
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum
(330 8th St., 800-528-7280,
www.walnutgrove.org
, closed winter, $4) details her family history. The town hosts a series of
Wilder Pageant
(888-859-3102, $12) performances each July.

After the grasshopper plagues hit Plum Creek in the 1870s, Laura’s family moved to Burr Oak, Iowa. The
Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum
(3603 236th Ave., 563-735-5916,
www.lauraingallswilder.us
, $7) commemorates this early part of Laura’s life.

By 1880, the family had moved again, this time to De Smet, South Dakota, where Pa Ingalls claimed the
Ingalls Homestead
(20812 Homestead Rd., 800-776-3594,
www.ingallshomestead.com
, closed winter, $10), where Laura grew to young adulthood. Today it offers wagon rides, camping, and prairie exhibits.

Laura’s home in Mansfield, Missouri, where she wrote her Little House books, is home to the
Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum
(3068 Hwy. A, 417-924-3626,
www.lauraingallswilderhome.com
, $8).

The preserve is open year-round, but the best time to come is May through October, when free ranger-led bus tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (call for reservations). Spring is prime time for the 150 bird species that live or migrate through here, among them cattle egret, red-tailed hawk, prairie-chicken, and ruby-throated hummingbird.

Though easy hiking trails cross the land, there’s no camping or lodging at the preserve; for that you’ll need to drive about 5 miles to
Cottonwood Falls,
where the city office (220 Broadway St., 620-273-6666,
www.cottonwoodfallskansas.com
) can direct you to local campgrounds, mom-and-pop motels, and bed-and-breakfasts.

While in Cottonwood Falls, don’t miss the surprisingly elegant 1873
French Renaissance–style county hall
(318 Broadway, 620-273-8469, free weekdays, $3 for weekend tours) at the head of Broadway. You should also check out the collection of American Indian artifacts at the
Roniger Museum
(Courthouse Sq., 620-273-6310, closed Mon. & Thurs., donation); galleries such as
The Fiber Factory
(209 Broadway, 620-273-8686), filled with shawls and scarves made on turn-of-the-20th-century looms; and
Humble Clay Studio
(325 Broadway, 620-366-1840), where artist Larry Matson spins masterful clay works. The studio is open in summers but Matson meet you other times of the year at his shop by appointment.

Historic
Council Grove,
an 1860s way station along the Santa Fe Trail, lies about a half-hour drive north of Cottonwood Falls. You can easily spend a half day or more checking out the town’s historic sites—the 270-year-old trunk of an oak that served as a post office and message board for travelers; the
“Last Chance Store”
(W. Main St.), which dates from the mid-19th century and doubled as a polling place; the 1860s
Terwilliger Home
(803 W. Main St., 620-767-7986), the last house in town wagons passed as they headed west (now a bakery and restaurant). The
Hayes House
(112 W. Main St., 620-767-5911) serves much of the same fare today as when it opened in 1857—brisket, crispy chicken, and peach pie—making it the oldest continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi.

But one of the best reasons to hang out in Council Grove is that it’s a sweet and friendly place where people will say hello to you on the street, ask how your day has gone, and point you in a good direction. If you’ve gotten hit with one of those speed-trap tickets, the friendliness is an especially comforting salve.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Council Grove Chamber of Commerce,
207 W. Main St., Council Grove, KS 66846, 800-732-9211 or 620-767-5413,
www.councilgrove.com
.

Flint Hills Tourism Coalition,
866-660-2622,
http://kansasflinthills.travel
.

discover kentucky bourbon

BARDSTOWN, KENTUCKY

What’s a good bourbon? You look for balance and you look for cleanliness, and you look for something that’s enjoyable.

—
BILL SAMUELS, JR., PRESIDENT OF MAKER’S MARK DISTILLERY SINCE
1975

25 |
Ireland has whisky, Mexico, tequila. The United States’ claim to high-proof fame is a smooth, smoky, slightly sweet drink with roots in rural Kentucky.

“We don’t have many products that we completely call our own, but we have a rich history with bourbon,” says Zane Lamprey, host of the television show
Three Sheets
on the Fine Living network. “It’s a taste of America.”