Travel

Birmingham, the largest city in the state of Alabama was developed on land in Jones Valley that formerly belonged to the Creek Nation. The first colonists in 1815 were men who had fought the Creeks under Andrew Jackson. They took over the existing Creek farms. In the 1830s, the settlement…

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The Montgomery region was a natural crossroads and a Native American trade route crossed the area for many years prior to European incursion. In the 19th-century, trade continued and Montgomery became an important shipping port and center of the lucrative cotton and slave trades.

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Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to enter the region that is now Alabama in the early 16th century and the French followed eighty years later. They established Fort Louis de la Mobile in 1702 and a second fort, Toulouse, in 1717.

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No state has had greater impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the rural Black Belt than Alabama. The Black Belt was so deemed, not because of its population, but because of the dark, rich soil that was extremely conducive to growing cotton.

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Langston Hughes writes in Mother to Son that “Life was not a crystal stair.” Had he lived today that could all change aboard a cruise on the 11th ship in the family-owned MSC fleet, the Divina. In a ship filled with elegant spaces, both private and public…

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None of the sons of Tennessee had a greater impact on American history than Andrew Johnson. Although Johnson was born in a log cabin in Raleigh, North Carolina on December 29, 1808 he spent the better part of his life and political career in Tennessee.

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ABOVE PHOTO: Franlin Square “A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world!”  –Scrooge, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Philadelphia is filled with “tidings of comfort and joy” this holiday season along with a host of attractions, festivities and participatory activities. There are, in fact, so many that I am going…

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The area that is now Kingsport’s Long Island of the Holston in Tennessee was once a place where the Native Americans held their councils. The 4.5-mile long island was considered a sacred place and both the Great Warrior’ Path and the Great Trading Path crossed the land.

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Tennessee’s tri-colored flag has a blue emblem in the center of a field of red with three white stars. Each star represents one of three geographic regions, the western lowlands, central highlands and the mountainous east. Each region has a distinctive history and culture and each has a unique story to tell.

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Significant sites and attractions are not confined to Galveston’s downtown Historic District. Unique restaurants, museums, lodgings, outdoor venues and historic locations are spread throughout the island as well as beaches and nature and birding trails.  

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