The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Assembling the playlist was so much fun because our theme for this trip was Civil Rights and American Music. I felt this trip was a golden opportunity to introduce my kids to Elvis Presley and learn about the roots of Rock and Roll which by the way is rooted in Gospel and Country music. I had no idea until we hit Stax Records in Memphis where we also learned about Rhythm and Blues and it's evolution into Soul music. … [Read more...]
Every time we take a factory tour we feel it- enormous pride watching hard working Americans doing their best to make a quality product who are proud of what they were doing and eager to share it. This is the spirit that makes America great! Inspiration, innovation, and dedication. My kids and I LOVE factory tours, they are what we most look forward to on any road trip. It all started with a show I … [Read more...]
Here's one funny story I want to share with you about the importance of inspecting your room and checking the condition of your mattress (especially since you need to check for bed bugs-which I hadn't yet learned to do). While visiting Memphis we stayed at the Days Inn right across from Graceland. It was a pretty awesome Elvis themed hotel, had a great location, a pool shaped like a guitar, and all for a reasonable … [Read more...]
The Rosa Parks Library and Museum is worth a visit but be forewarned it was very pricey and lacked the rich and wonderful content of others places we'd been like the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis or the Little Rock High School Visitor Center. We weren't allowed to take any photos so sadly I have nothing to remember and nothing to share with you here. Probably the most interesting exhibit is a model of … [Read more...]
Sadly, we missed the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute but even so I thought it was important to cover here because it was on our itinerary. On our trip #10 Civil Rights and American Music we'd been to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the Little Rock High School National Historic Site and Visitor Center, the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, the Rosa Parks bus stop and the Rosa Parks Library and Museum in … [Read more...]
As we toured Tennessee I was struck by several competing visions. I was amazed by the big city cosmopolitan feel of big cities like Nashville and Memphis but in looking a little deeper their small town roots became readily apparent, each city is quite famous for it's music scene, Nashville being the center for country music, and Memphis being the home of blues and soul and what would later become rock and roll. In a … [Read more...]
Wow, I can’t believe we are already up to trip #10. This trip entailed exploring the deep South with all its charms and eccentricities. I did not expect how lush and beautiful Tennessee would be (and I can see why it has inspired so many country songs). Simply gorgeous! In fact, all of these states were uniquely beautiful and offered important lessons to be learned. Civil rights played a very important theme, from … [Read more...]
