USA Travel Guide

Maybe it’s the romantic idealist in me, but I always like to imagine Mark Twain lounging on a rickety steamboat somewhere along the Mississippi. Peppery white hair frizzing every which way. Pipe hung low from his lips. Scrawling out the last few lines of Huck Finn.

Truth is, Twain was a thousand miles away from the Mississippi when he wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, not to mention Tom Sawyer, The Gilded Age, The Prince and the Pauper and even Life on the Mississippi. He was, in fact, at his home in Hartford, Connecticut.

While the scenery may never live up to my ideal, it’s nevertheless fascinating to learn about the real life and times of the Great American Author at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut.

He only spent 16 years of his long life in Hartford, but during that time author and humorist Mark Twain wrote some of his most important, controversial and ultimately beloved works. A visit to the Mark Twain House is your chance to see where a lifetime of adventure became words.

Not surprisingly, the main house tour is the likely highlight of your visit. Knowledgeable docents guide you on an hour-long tour of the home, somehow quaint, huge and whimsical all at once. The architecture is known for its embellished wood features and striking outer façade. As you explore room after room, your guide gives you an idea of the day-to-day Twain: where he wrote, how he spent his days, how he entertained guests (which he loved to do).

In 2003, the Mark Twain House became the Mark Twain House and Museum. The attached museum can hardly do justice to the original mansion, but is a looker enough in itself and manages not to spoil the authenticity of the site. In the museum wing you can view a video biography by documentarian Ken Burns and photographs, artifacts, clothing and rare manuscripts written by Twain himself. The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibits as well.

All-in-all, it’s a high-concentration booster shot of Mark Twain in the span of about two hours. An absolute must for Twain superfans and history buffs.

The Mark Twain House and Museum is open daily through much of the year, with tours starting about every half hour. On the weekends, these tours do fill up quickly and whole days can sell out early, so be sure to call ahead if visiting on a weekend. Adult admission is $15. Learn more about the Mark Twain House.

Unbelievable, the Mark Twain House is located just off downtown, and that’s where we like to stay. For hotels in downtown Hartford, CT, look to the Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown. The hotel offers free Internet, free area shuttle and free weekend parking, which is hard to find in Hartford.

Have fun!

I’ve never lived in New England, and I’ve never lived near the ocean. I’ve never, in fact, lived near much water of any kind. So I can hardly say why I find the sight of a wintry New England harbor so alluring. The ghostly silhouette of docked sailing ships in the fog, the peacefulness of an evening snowfall, the faint radiance of a lantern bouncing along the water’s edge.

Okay, so maybe that owes more to Tim Burton than reality, but the point is that historic imagery and seafaring spirit can be found today at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. Transport yourself one-hundred-and-fifty years into the past, all for about twenty-four bucks a person, with a trip to one of the top museums in Connecticut.

Actually, Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea, is probably one of the top museums in the country. As America’s largest maritime museum, Mystic Seaport invites you to explore a meticulous recreation of a 19^th-century New England seaport. I don’t know if the folks at Mystic Seaport would agree, but think Colonial Williamsburg with boats.

First you’ll stroll a lovingly refurnished 19^th-century village, which has … oh, who am I kidding? I know you want to hit up the boats first.

Mystic Seaport owns over 500 tall ships and other vessels, several of which are open for on-board tours. The prestigious, to say nothing of exhaustive, collection even includes four National Historic Landmarks as designated by the federal government.

• Charles W. Morgan – what the Seaport calls their “crown jewel”, the Morgan is a truly stunning 1841-built wooden whaling ship, America’s last surviving example.
• S. S. Sabino – one of the oldest coal-fired steamboats in operation, the Seaport offers daily cruises aboard Sabino during the summer season.
• L.A. Dunton – one of the nation’s few remaining Gloucester Fisherman, this iconic schooner has be restored by the museum back to its earliest glory.
• Emma C. Berry – though not as visually striking, the Berry holds a special place in the heart of the region, as it first embarked in 1866 just two miles up the river.

Learn more about the tall ships at Mystic Seaport.

Now, about that village. Mystic Seaport’s 19^th-Century Village never existed as you see it today, but it’s not inauthentic either. Actual buildings, which at one time served these actual purposes, have been transported from all over the east coast to the museum where they have been fully-restored and brought to life. Visit more than 30 genuine shops and trade buildings, including a rigging loft, a hoop maker, a chapel, general store, lighthouse, bank, shipping office and plenty more.

Because this is a living history museum, the 19^th-Century Village is also brought to life by costumed actors, which they call “roleplayers”, who strive to represent the people of the 1800s as well as they do the architecture.

There’s plenty more – a live preservation shipyard, lantern tours, carriage rides, holiday events, a planetarium, rowboating, shopping – but I’m already running long.

Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut is open throughout the year, though the daily schedule does vary by season, so plan ahead. General admission is $24. Learn more.

Mystic, Connecticut is located about an hour out of Hartford (or 40 minutes, if you drive like I do), so we usually stay up there and make a daytrip down to the Seaport. For hotels in Hartford, CT, we again recommend the Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown. Free Internet, weekend parking, shuttle, and the affordably upscale Crowne Plaza rooms we like so much.

Have fun!

We’re taking a quick break from the Halloween season. Around the office people are salivating for something new. And by something new, I mean something old.

For me, antiquing conjures up long, dreadful hours spent baking in the fiery sun during summer camping trips. You see, back when I was young my family and a group of our friends from Pampa, Texas made a habit of yearly camping excursions to some hot, woody place in middle of Texas (usually). Swimming in the river, playing cards in the motorless camper, drinking unlimited supplies of canned orange juice – it was all well and good.

But at least one day on every trip, “the women”, as the men called them, would go shopping. And in middle-of-nowhere joints like this, “shopping” really meant “antiquing”. If I was lucky, I’d have something to do that day (or could manage to dream one up on the fly), but in the unfortunate instance I was too slow on my game, I’d doubtless be dragged along for what my 8 year-old self knew was the most boring thing ever.

I carry the scars to this day. So understand it is with a great deal of courage and emotional turmoil that I satisfy a few of my fellow staffers and plug the brand new Autumn Hartford Antiques Show.

To start, this is the 1^st Annual Autumn Hartford Antiques Show, and it hasn’t happened yet, so we have no past experience of the event to build from. This is a plug only. That being said, we know our way around an antiques show, and developer Barn Star Productions has a sterling rep for top quality antiques shows in New England.

Expect variety, and expect the best. The vendor list has already topped one hundred, with unique pieces and friendly personalities coming in from all over the country. Find something for buyers and traders of any level, and talk one on one with large antique sellers and private collectors.

What are you looking for? Find silver, clocks, fine linen, signs, old books, tapestry, weavings, glass and, of course, hand-crafted furniture from two centuries back. Barn Star promises an eclectic mix of American and English antiques and collectibles, ranging widely in period and style.

One of the cool things about the Autumn Hartford Antiques Show is that it’s cheap, and there’s a whole lot of free to go with. Admission is only $10 at the door, and this includes parking, magazines, trade papers and unlimited re-admittance. Additional amenities include on-site café and concessions as well as shipping packages for those of you who score that lucky find.

The Autumn Hartford Antiques Show will be held at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford, Connecticut on October 31 and November 1, 2009. Parking is free to show guests. Learn a little bit more about it here.

They list a couple recommended hotels, and they’re fine choices, but for a comparable price we prefer the Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown. It’s located just half a mile from the expo center and offers an elevated level of stay for the price. I think they call that more for less (or at least more for the same).

Whew! Got through it! Have fun!

First we promoted the health of the planet, and now we’re talking about exercising? About running a frakkin’ marathon? Man, whatever happened to the USA Travel Guide that supported eating immoral quantities of cheese?

Those were good times (and it was an awesome event).

But not today. Today we’re headed to the Hartford Marathon and Half-Marathon up in the Insurance Capital of the World, Hartford, Connecticut. We’ve written about marathons before, so I reckon you know how this thing works. You show up dressed like one of the jocks from Big Brother, you run, you hydrate, you hurt, you run some more.

A few things set the Hartford Marathon apart. For one, it’s a Boston Marathon qualifier, though you have to sign up special so be careful when you register. For another, the city puts on mile-to-mile entertainment, everything from drum corps to cover bands to dueling harmonicas.

And finally, the marathon takes place in Hartford, easily one of the east coast’s most beautiful destinations. The fiery colors of autumn will be in full bloom as runners follow a gorgeous course through historic downtown Hartford and along the tranquil Connecticut River. Sure, halfway through a 26-mile run you might say that you don’t care about some stupid trees, but deep-down you’ll be glad they’re there.

The Hartford Marathon is a fairly limited engagement, with only 9,000 total spots open across the marathon, half-marathon and 5k relay. But, I’ve been told registration is still available, so act soon. The Marathon will be run on October 10, 2009, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at Bushnell Park. Race time has been capped at 6 hours for the marathon. Learn more.

Don’t be a self-serving lout. Run for a cause.

Just half a mile from Bushnell Park, we like the Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown. Not only are they offering the cheapest rates of all the sponsored hotels, they back it up with complimentary parking and Internet.

Have … well, not fun exactly, but have a good time.

Welcome to another edition of The Cultured Commentator.

Here we eat foie gras and chili cheese fries. We read Pynchon and Brown. We play Go and Guitar Hero. And we watch A&E and American Idol.

Heck, we’ll even watch American Idol live!

That’s right, the American Idol Live Tour 2009 has less than a month left, but chances are tickets are still available for a show in your area, provided your area is the Northeast. So go ahead, give in to guilty temptation, get some use out of that “Adam Lambert 4 Life” tattoo, and get your tickets to American Idol Live.

As always, the tour cast includes the previous season’s top 10 contestants. That means this is your chance to hear the smoky tones of Allison Iraheta, the prog-rock wail of Adam Lambert, the surprising soul of Anoop Desai, the humble adequacy of Danny Gokey, the bring-more-originality-ness of Lil Rounds, the arm-flapping birdsong of Megan Joy and all the others.

Then of course there’s Scott MacIntyre, who I can only hope delivers another of his trademark dance numbers. (High Five! … Up top! … Don’t leave me hangin’!…)

Between now and the final show on September 15, American Idol Live will be hitting the North and Northeast pretty hard. They’ve got stops in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Bridgeport, Providence, Manchester and others.

You can view the schedule, read fan reviews and get your tickets here.

I thought I’d dip into our past hotel recommendations and pair them with some upcoming shows, just to beef up the post.

On September 1, the show comes to the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the Twin Cities, we like the Crowne Plaza St. Paul. It’s an affordable, comfortable, well-rounded kind of stay.

On September 10, the show comes to the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Nearby we’re big fans of the Holiday Inn Express Shelton, CT Hotel. If you time it right, the hotel offers a free shuttle to the Arena, and the rooms are always clean and inviting in our experience.

Have fun!

Here’s a weird one for you, and it’s not often I can say that and proceed to talk about a state history museum. Indeed, the Old State House in Hartford, Connecticut is everything you’d expect, but then again, it’s something else entirely.

More or less two museums in one, the Old State House is firstly a Connecticut history museum. Situated in a gorgeous Federal style mansion completed in 1796, the State house served as the state capital from the time of its completion until 1873. The state has been good to the old girl (one of the oldest left in the nation, I might add), and due to consistent restoration and preservation efforts the house is as beautiful today as it likely was over two hundred years ago.

The first museum explores the history of Connecticut with a strong focus on the Hartford area. Everything from early-iteration fire engines to the actual spelling books of dictionary magnate and Hartford native Noah Webster are on display. It’s a wide collection. From this museum, our favorite attraction is actually the building itself. The chambers, including the city council and state senate room, are carefully-preserved and remarkably scenic. Don’t skip it.

Both guided and self-guided tours are available.

Now here comes the weird part. Visitors of the Old State House are also welcome to explore the Joseph Steward Museum of Curiosities, located on the third floor. This unusual attraction recreates a museum of art and curiosities run by prominent American artist Joseph Steward in the state house from 1797 to 1808 before outgrowing the space.

Curiosities is a vague term, and I imagine that’s just how Steward liked it. Items on display include a stuffed two-headed cow, a preserved two-headed fetal pig, a hand-sized crustacean claw, wax likenesses, African furniture, a massive oyster shell and something that is supposedly the rib a whale. Plus many, many more.

It’s a fascinating, unusual end to your average history tour, and something that we’ve never seen another state history museum come close to. We like both museums, but no doubt it’s the museum of curiosities that really makes the day.

It’d be nice if they could do it free, but at $6 for adults and $3 for younger children, the tour is fairly inexpensive and worth the cost of admission.

The Old State House is located is downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Hours and operating days change seasonally. Currently the museums are open Tuesday-Saturday; 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Learn more.

For downtown Hartford hotels, we’re big fans of the Crowne Plaza Hartford. The location is choice for visiting the Old State House, and they offer a complimentary area shuttle, free weekend parking and even a tasty restaurant.

Have fun!

As my wife would say, it’s time to chillax. Dig out your tie die, throw a couple braids in your hair and prepare for a music festival that’s all about community spirit and old-school charm: Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Gathering of the Vibes comes from a very specific place, but the appeal of good tunes, good friends and social responsibility is universal. Vibes is essentially a Grateful Dead festival without the Grateful Dead. Formed in 1996 as a memorial to the recently-passed and wholly-irreplaceable Jerry Garcia, the festival allowed lifelong Deadheads to come together in celebration of both Garcia and the iconic band.

The show has grown year after year, as has the audience, but the spirit is the same as it ever was.

Join the “Vibe Tribe” and attend Gathering of the Vibes 2009 at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Now a two-stage, four-day weekend festival, Vibes ‘09 will run from July 23 – 26 with shows starting around 11:00 a.m. and concluding late. (Like three in the morning late!)

Don’t be thinking this is nothing but Grateful Dead tunes. Rather, Vibes welcomes styles and performers from all over the musical map: funk, jazz, folk, blues, gospel, rock, even a little country now and again. More than 40 bands are heading up to Bridgeport next week, including headliners Crosby, Stills and Nash, Buddy Guy, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, the Harlem Gospel Choir, Bob Weir & Ratdog, the Levon Helm Band, George Clinton & P-Funk, moe., Dark Star Orchestra, State Radio and what must be the best-named band ever, The McLovins.

There’s plenty more going on. You’ve got your typical Shakedown Street lined with art, hand-made goods and plenty of band merch. Then you’ve got the “Non-Profit Village”. Over a dozen non-profits and charities will be on hand to spread their message in a no-pressure, community-minded environment. Learn more or sign up for a cause. Vibes is also initiating major “green” practices, so love to see that.

Tickets are available now, but they’re a little complicated. For most, the standard Weekend Pass at $200 is the way to go. This includes all shows Friday-Sunday and provides camping privileges. To see the Thursday shows, you’ll need to purchase a VIP Pass at $240 or pay $20 at the gate.

Again, Gathering of the Vibes 2009 will be held July 23-26 in Bridgeport, Connecticut at Seaside Park. Learn more about this summer music festival here.

A past recommendation of ours happens to be a featured hotel, so today it was a no-brainer. We like the Holiday Inn Express Shelton – Trumbull Hotel. The hotel is offering complimentary shuttle service to the festival grounds as well as discounted rates to festival-goers. Use booking code GV1.

Have fun!

It’s Friday, it’s like 110 degrees outside, let’s keep it short and sweet. And by sweet, I mean sweet, delicious fresh-picked strawberries.

Summer means a lot of things to a lot of different people, whether that’s beach-bound getaways, camping trips, or warm nostalgia for a time when summer days lasted forever. For some people I know, the favorite summer tradition is and always will be picking fresh fruit. Here in Dallas, the peaches are choice (and rolling in daily from as far out as Canton), but today were actually headed to New England for that ruby red favorite, the strawberry.

Reader Donna K requested a shout-out for the Jones Family Farms in Shelton, Connecticut, and who are we to argue? A local landmark with history dating all the way back to 1848, the Jones Family Farms provide the Shelton and New Haven areas with delicious, natural-grown produce, that is if you’re willing to work for it.

No pre-picked berries here, at Jones Family Farms you put on your comfortable shoes, take your crate in hand, and get to picking the old-fashioned way. Beautiful, abundant and sold by the pound, Donna assures us they’re the best you’ve ever had. And if you need inspiration, the Web site has a few dozen recipes, although I don’t think there’s anything you can do to a strawberry to make it any better than Mother Nature already did.

Alas, the season is short, only about a month long, and it started back on the 10^th, so time is running out. Fortunately, the blueberry season rolls around in mid-July, and I hear the crop is absolutely delicious. If you’re in the Shelton-New Haven-Trumbull area (or anywhere in Connecticut really), it’s worth the drive.

The Jones Family would like to remind visitors that however glamorous it may seem in the movies, berry-picking is work, so bring water, wear sunscreen and come dressed appropriately. This is not a fun kid’s activity, and the farmers don’t put up with small children running around messing up the crop.

If you’re looking for some pre or post-harvest entertainment, head over to the Jones Family Winery, located on-site and open for tasting most weekends. The wines a locally made and sourced, using primary Jones Family grapes with additions from other Connecticut farms.

This is really a local attraction, for locals, but since it’s kind of our MO, we recommend the following area hotel:

The Holiday Inn Express Shelton-Trumbull Hotel is located about five miles to the Jones Family Farms and is one of the more affordable options in the area that still offers a quality experience. We like it.

Have fun (working)!

Still working our way towards the big Top Ten feature, we’ve got another awesome theme park with historical cred. Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut is, in fact, the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, with a history dating back to 1846 by some reckonings. (Personally, I think that the more appropriate date is 1911, when they installed the first true “ride”, a hard-carved carousel that still operates to this day).

But whether it’s 163 years old or only 98, what Lake Compounce is for sure is a fantastic family amusement park that belongs on any theme park-enthusiast’s or history buff’s bucket list.

Like many older parks, Lake Compounce is an amalgam of attractions and concepts that could only develop over time (and over several management changes). There are three main sections: the traditional park, the water park and the lake. That’s actually one of the cooler features of this place: for the regular admission price you get access to two connected parks and a beach on the actual Lake Compounce. There are not too many other places you can combine a day of coasters and a day at the beach so easily.

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We’ve championed a fair few restaurants here on USA Travel Guide, from the very old to the charmingly unique, so it was only a matter of time before we held up the torch for the most American food of them all: the hamburger.*

Of course, a dish of this magnitude can’t have the leisure of a single origin. There are more than a dozen claims spanning the continental 48, many of which have, or seem to have, some real merit behind them. Even the U.S. government has a stance on the issue, and it’s with them that we’ve chosen to side. According to the Library of Congress, the first hamburger served in the United State was served in 1895 by Louis Lassen at Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut.

They’re still serving that very same recipe today.

Louis’ Lunch is a culinary Mecca. It is a place that all disciples of the burger should travel in order to praise the original and, some say, still best burger in the world. Do not be off-put, however, by the lack of pomp and circumstance. Despite the immense legacy, Louis’ Lunch maintains its grab-and-go neighborhood feel to this day, built on the back of a burger that has kept the shop on top for 114 years.

This isn’t to say they don’t do things a little different. Here’s your Louis’ Lunch primer:

All burgers are cooked to medium rare in an antique vertical cast iron stove from 1898 that is able to cook the meat on both sides simultaneously. Burgers are served on toasted white bread with cheese, tomato and onion only. No ketchup, no mustard, no mayonnaise. If you plan to add your own, better wait to do it off-property, lest you be accosted by staff and other customers.

Louis’ Lunch would like all customers to know that they are not Burger King, and as such they do not take pride it doing it “your way”. Their way has been popular for over 100 years; your way is surely inferior.

Depending on your timing, you may also enjoy a hot dog or steak sandwich, but honestly if you’re traveling in, to order anything but the burger would be crime. See the menu.

Louis’ Lunch is located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut just one block from Yale University. They’re closed on Mondays and open late Thursday through Saturday. Be warned, they close up shop entirely a few times throughout the year: second week in January, the week of Good Friday, and the entire month of August for Spoon Inventory. Learn more about the restaurant here.

For hotels near Yale University, we like the Holiday Inn Express Shelton Hotel – Trumbull. It won’t get you the closest to the university, but it’s an easy drive and the rewarding accommodations always make the trip an afterthought.

*Sorry, apple lobby. Unpatriotic as it may be, I just don’t like your pie.