Seniors Come To Enjoy Presque Isle

Presque Isle (The Star City) is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine with a population of about 9,400. If you are one of the thousands of tourists who visit Presque Isle every year, senior visitors will be pleased to learn that Presque Isle’s hospitality includes “small-town” friendliness with the amenities of a “big-city” without urban sprawl and congestion.

Originally known as Fairbanks for its founder Dennis Fairbanks, Presque Isle was settled in 1828, in the far northeast corner of Maine. Presque Isle was named an All American City once upon a time, and that tag is always significant, at least for this Editor.

Senior visitors will find the University of Maine Presque Isle campus is well worth a visit. Today you will find, along with the throng of annual visitors, plenty of things to see and do.  Be sure to put the Aroostook State Park in your agenda as it rates high with plentiful supply of moose.

 Senior Visitors Find Vibrant, Dynamic Community

Presque Isle’s vision of the future and ability to adapt to change have created a vibrant, dynamic community. Never far from their rich historic past, Presque Isle citizens have a deep respect for the tradition that brought people to this community more than 150 years ago.

The first industry to form in Presque Isle (the French term for Peninsula) was the lumber industry. By the 1880s, industry included two lumber mills, a gristmill, a wool carding mill, a furniture factory, a carriage factory and a tinware factory.

During the last 30 years of the 19th century, agriculture became important, and the entire county became noted for its production of potatoes. Presque Isle became an agricultural as well as an industrial center.

The New Brunswick Railroad and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad opened the area for further development. Presque Isle became a busy war center during World War II. It became a vital air transport installation when the federal government established an air base from the local airport for planes going to and from Great Britain.

 Snowmobiles, Beauty, Color and Northern Lights

Know anything about a biathlon? A couple of years back (2014) Presque Isle hosted the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships Biathlon. You can fly directly from Boston to Presque Isle in a little over an hour. Cars are available at the airport and senior visitors are on your way to the getaway of a lifetime.

All of Central Aroostook County offers beauty and interesting vistas every season. As the leaves change color and start to drop, folks prepare for the incredible snowmobile season, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, biathlons, skating, and star gazing.

They say that there is nothing that compares with star gazing and the Northern Lights in Aroostook County. Seniors, set your GPS for Presque Isle and enjoy the comfort of down-home hospitality all four seasons.  -jeb

Seniors Check Out Tarzana

 Senior travelers learn that Tarzana, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, is a mostly residential community on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It carries the same name as Burroughs’ storybook jungle character hero, Tarzan.

In February 1919, Edgar Rice Burroughs arrived in California with his family, relocating from Oak Park, Illinois. He and his family had wintered in southern California twice before, and he found the climate ideal. Burroughs purchased Otis’s tract and established Tarzana Ranch.

Burroughs sold his first “Tarzan” story to a magazine in 1912 but continued to move around as his book-length Tarzan efforts were turned down by all the publishers he contacted.

Burroughs and his wife spent the winter of 1913 in San Diego, then returned to the Chicago suburb of Oak Park before the A.C. McClurg Co. published Burroughs’ first book, Tarzan of the Apes, in 1914. The response was phenomenal, and Burroughs went on to pen twenty-three Tarzan novels in all.

 Seniors Find One Of Oldest Communities In The Valley

Historically, the area now known as Tarzana was occupied in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries who established the San Fernando Mission. Tarzana is one of the oldest communities in the Valley. Burroughs subdivided and sold the land for residential development with neighboring small farms following suit. Today the population runs right at 30,000.

Get the story of Tarzana straight from the “horses mouth”… Burroughs himself.  Snopes.com notes that Burroughs dubbed his land “Tarzana Ranch,” after the sleepy little community in which it was situated, and his creation of a character named “Tarzan” two years later can hardly be considered a coincidence.

Because Tarzana did not become an “official” community with its own post office until 1930 the legend has arisen that the town was named after Burroughs’ ape man, but actually the reverse is true.

Had Burroughs lived a few miles to the west, in the Topanga Canyon, we would undoubtedly know his immortal creation as “Topang, the ape man” instead. So how about that?

Senior golfers, toss in your golf clubs, as I counted four quality courses in Tarzana including a US Open and a Masters Course.

You will not run out of things to do in and around Tarzana  It is one exciting place for visitors to spend some quality time. So set your GPS for Tarzana and enjoy the experience. -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Osceola

Senior travelers will find Osceola, Arkansas located along the Mississippi River within the Arkansas delta. The settlement was founded in 1837, incorporated in 1853, and today, with a population of 7,800, is one of the two county seats of Mississippi County.

If seniors are looking for a city with an interesting, varied, fascinating history, then look no further than Osceola. The city incorporates everything that is interesting to history buffs, but also caters to the latest in agriculture and technology.

Osceola is named for Chief Osceola of the Seminole tribe, who visited the area in 1832. In 1837, the settlement became known as Plum Point and was a popular stop for those traveling on the Mississippi River.

Originally swamps, trees, and Indian tribes, the area began to draw scouts, hunters and even outlaws. Traveling the Mississippi River in steamboats, farmers, loggers and settlers began to see the advantages of this area that became Osceola. The community was the only county seat of Mississippi County until 1901, when Osceola and Blytheville were named dual county seats.

 Seniors Enjoy Southern Hospitality, Food and Music

Osceola and South Mississippi County practice a tradition of fine, southern hospitality and for you senior gourmands, great southern food.

Just south of Osceola, Sans Souci Park is arguably the best Mississippi River outlook in Arkansas. It boasts an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission ramp for boat fishing access and several picnic pavilions with panoramic view of the Mighty Mississippi.

The Mississippi River still defines Osceola, even though the city of today sits a few miles west of the river due to the relocation of downtown buildings from “Old Town” to “New Town” and the meanderings of the river.

Osceola and the surrounding area has a wealth of attractions, from the restored art deco Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Blytheville to Sans Souci Park on the Mississippi River in Osceola, or the quaint Tudor-style square in Wilson to Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Manila. The legendary Blues Highway 61 runs like a vein through Mississippi County, making music heritage the biggest influence of the area, second only to agriculture.

 Seniors Enjoy The Historical Places

Throughout the county are over 30 buildings and sites on the National Register of Historic Places. I would not want to miss the Mississippi County Museum in Osceola. Anchoring the town square is the 1912 neoclassical Mississippi County Courthouse, with a copper roofed dome.

The courthouse is bordered by the Hale Avenue Historic District and other structures on the National Historic Register of Historic Places. Senior visitors will also find the Mississippi County Historical Center located in a 1904 building that once housed a dry goods store.

So, Welcome Home to Osceola: a friendly community with a rich heritage and promising future, a great place for a friendly visit. Senior visitors will find that the doors are open for you in Osceola. Set your GPS for Osceola and enjoy all the amenities. -jeb

Seniors Discover Great Coastal City

Rockport, seniors learn, is one of the smallest places on the list of Best Small Towns in Texas by Cities Journal. The Aransas County seat has a population of under 9,000, which means that it is one small town especially by Texan standards. Its history also didn’t promise much as it was founded in 1870 to be a port where cattle would be slaughtered, packaged and shipped to other parts of the state and the country.

Named for the rock ledge that runs along its shore, Rockport runs adjacent to the town of Fulton, and many refer to the combined communities as “Rockport-Fulton.”

Located along the Texas Tropical Trail as it is called, and a significant stop along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, these twin communities are nestled among the wind-swept oaks of the Live Oak Peninsula.

Aransas County is one of the smallest counties in Texas. Senior travelers will find it on the western side of the Gulf of Mexico,  separated from the Gulf by barrier islands that form the intracoastal canal.

Rockport is perhaps most famous for its town beach, which is also the most visited attraction in the city. The local government and chamber of commerce do everything in their power to make the beach a truly great place to visit.

 Seniors Find Mecca for Bird Watching

Rockport features the Maritime Museum, the Fulton Mansion and several art galleries and shops all housed in historic buildings in the town center. In addition, Rockport hosts annual Seafair, Wine Festival and Oysterfest.

The town and its surroundings are a mecca for ornithologists and bird watchers. Senior birders, Whooping cranes winter in the large Aransas National Wildlife Refuge located nearby.

Local organizations such as the Aransas Bird and Nature Club have helped preserve unique birdwatching reserves such as the Connie Hagar sanctuary and Aransas Woods that are easily accessible.

 Seniors Find A Choice Town

Gulfscapes Magazine’s “2011 Readers Choice Best Gulf Coast Towns” listed Rockport number four in the top ten.  In 2011, Rockport was highlighted as a coastal dream town by Coastal Living magazine.

Better Homes and Gardens in its April 2007 issue listed Rockport-Fulton the number five destination as a “long weekend hotspot” for spring migration bird watching. Caught your attention yet? More to come. Today in America featured Rockport with Terry Bradshaw.

My wife and I would look up The Hoopes-Smith House, located at 417 N. Broadway that is currently a B&B. We have always preferred a good B&B over local hotels. The Queen Anne style house was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1989 and was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Seniors,  fill out your itinerary with 51 things to See and Do in Rockport-Fulton. Enjoy the plethora of activities for folks of all ages.  -jeb

Seniors Discover “The Peanut Capital of the World”

Dothan is a city in the southeastern corner of Alabama. Senior travelers will find Dothan approximately 20 miles west of the Georgia state line and 16 miles north of Florida. The population runs right at 67,000.

After the boll weevil brought about the local death of “King Cotton,” Dothan-Houston County found a new crop: peanuts. Since approximately one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop is produced nearby, with much of it being processed in the city, Dothan is sometimes referred to as “The Peanut Capital of the World”. Dothan hosts the annual National Peanut Festival at the dedicated “Peanut Festival Fairgrounds”.

Enjoying the amenities of much larger cities, Dothan also retains the charm and friendliness of the South. The seat of Houston County, Dothan, Alabama derives it name from Genesis 37:17: “let us go to Dothan.” The area that is now Dothan was inhabited for thousands of years by successive cultures of indigenous peoples.

Seniors Enjoy The Festivals and Museums

There are several fine schools in the area including Houston Academy. Over the years Dothan was home to several minor league baseball teams with names like the Boll Weevils, Browns, Rebels, Cardinals and Phillies. This senior likes the Boll Weevils.

Festivals, Museums and Monuments abound in Dothan. An active art and theater scene attracts senior visitors as the Southeast Alabama Community Theater offers live entertainment and theatrical productions for the Dothan community all year long.

Being a Master Gardener, I’d want to make the Dothan Botanical Gardens a must visit. A tranquil, paved nature trail meanders through a beautiful rose garden, through herbs, day-lilies, camellias, azaleas, around a peaceful pond, a Victorian gazebo and a demonstration garden.

 Seniors Visit Landmark Park

In Dothan, TripAdvisor suggests seniors start  with Landmark Park where they will discover the natural and cultural heritage of what is known as the Wiregrass Area. This 130-acre park is known for its wildlife exhibits, an 1890s farmstead, Interpretive Center, planetarium, picnic area and nature trails.

The Army Aviation Museum is big draw of servicemen featuring a collection of planes, helicopters and an attractive gift shop. The D.C. Carver Museum relates the history of his role as a catalyst for southern agronomy. There is a monument in downtown Dothan dedicated to Dr. Carver.

For you senior gourmands, Dothan is ranked as the #1 city in the nation for the most available restaurants in a city of its size. Bring along a healthy appetite and enjoy some fine southern cooking.

This “Flip Through Guide”  focuses on 2016 Dothan. It is fun to look over and offers a real feel for the city. So put Dothan into your GPS and enjoy the variety of amenities the city has to offer. -jeb

Seniors Discover La Celle, France

Pour yourself some coffee and come with me to a quiet, peaceful French village in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. The principle reason I came across this neat little town is due to a well known Hostellerie called the Abbaye de la Celle. It is big time and rates four stars.

If you are searching for a quite little village for a peaceful visit, this is it. Senior travelers will find La Celle France  just southeast of the city of Brignoles. It’s backed by high forested hills to the southwest, and a rocky peak that is called “La Lube”.

Most of the houses of the old village are stretched out in a line along a low ridge. The center of the village is pretty much dominated by the ancient Abbaye de la Celle. This senior would want to have a Pastis (an anise-flavored spirit) or two with my wife at the Café du Midi on the square. Le Midi is what the French call southern France.

 Seniors Enjoy Provençal

Over the years La Celle has managed to keep its typical Provençal feeling with its shaded village square, the old village wash house, the bubbling fountains, the game of French bowling called pétanque, and the ancient streets and houses. The river Caramy crosses straight through the village giving a pleasant atmosphere of freshness and greenery.

La Celle is agricultural, and in particular, a viticultural community. The red wines and the rosés (Var) are very fruity and well appreciated. Try them all. These wines, along with the Couvent Royal, a 12th century Benedictine Abby mentioned above, are the pride of the people from La Celle.

Be sure to take in the romanesque church at the abby, the Chapelle Necropole de la Gayolle. Senior visitors can enjoy evening concerts in the chapel of the abby in the summer months. Senior bikers can also enjoy seeing this part of the country on their bikes.

Additional neighboring villages include Camps la Source (10 km), Forcalqueiret (10 km) and Tourves (10 km).

The Abbaye de La Celle is the major draw here. Spend a few days just soaking up the sun in La Provence and enjoy the many amenities the village and the area has to offer. -jeb

Seniors Seek Out Tellico Plains

This senior went online once again to search out some beautiful cities, small ones if possible. So I searched in Tennessee and up came The 10 Most Beautiful Towns in Tennessee.

Tellico Plains ranked right up there with the most famous large cities. I had never heard of this city of about 1,000, so it was time to check it out. The locals like to call it “The Little Town with the Big Back Yard.”

The town was named for Great Tellico, a Cherokee town at the site of present-day Tellico Plains, where the Tellico River emerges from the Appalachian Mountains. Great Tellico was one of the largest Cherokee towns in the region, and had a sister town nearby named Chatuga.

Seniors Enjoy Premiere Trout Stream

The Tellico River is nationally recognized as a premiere trout stream, renowned for brook, brown, and rainbow trout. Senior fishermen, care to try your luck here? Located in outheastern Tennessee, Tellico Plaines is the gateway to the Cherokee National Forest.

A charming, antiquated mountain town in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Tellico Plains’ beautiful mountainous scenery, rolling countryside, quaint farmlands and scenic pathways make it a perfect getaway for senior travelers seeking a simpler way of life and breathtaking views.

Tellico Plains offers a multitude of outdoor activities within the nearly 700,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest, and is a fantastic location for nature-watching.

 Cherokee National Forest Draws Visitors

The town is also home to Bald River Falls, a magnificent waterfall flowing over 100 feet and a popular area landmark. The nearby proximity of the Cherokee National Forest to Tellico Plains opens the doors to hiking, backpacking, camping, sightseeing, wildlife viewing, hunting, touring, horseback riding, bicycling, and even gold panning.

Pack a sandwich and find a picnic table at one of the overlooks, perch on a riverside boulder, or spread your blanket in a mountain meadow. Small as it is, Tellico Plains’ economy is fueled by the Cherohala Skyway and the Cherokee National Forest.

Tellico Plains offers many hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails of varying levels of difficulty. Backpackers can discover secluded unspoiled wilderness. Plains is proud to be a Trail Town, as designated by the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition (SEFTC) and the Benton MacKaye Trail Association (BMTA) in 2014.

Seniors will find everything you need in this vintage mountain town, including lodging, camping, cabin rentals, restaurants, cozy ice cream shop, friendly bakery, cafe and motorcycle shops.

Lots of amenities for its small size so plug Tellico Plains into your GPS and have fun exploring. -jeb

Seniors Get Hooked on Garrison

This senior discovered another “find” in North Dakota called Garrison. I found it searching for The 10 Most Beautiful Towns in North Dakota. This town in McLean County, with a population of around 1,500, is a scenic small town nestled on the edges of Lake Sakakawea, one of the nation’s largest manmade lakes.

Garrison’s lakeside location and abundant fishing opportunities has earned it the nickname of ‘Walleye Capital of the World’ with avid anglers flocking to town in hopes of catching record-breaking walleye, northern pike and small mouth bass.

Garrison was laid out in 1905 when the railroad was extended to that point in the state. The town took its name from Garrison Creek. A post office has been in operation at Garrison since 1903.

A major attraction for senior visitors is the Fort Stevenson State Park Arboretum which contains over 50 native and non-native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses.

Seniors Enjoy The Dickens Village Festival

At Fort Stevenson State Park, senior visitors will find a partial reconstruction of Fort Stevenson, the 19th-century Missouri River fort from which the park takes its name. Beyond fishing, Garrison is home to the Heritage Park and Museum – an open-air museum dedicated to town life in the early 20th century – and events like the annual Dickens Village Festival. The event turns the community of 1,500 into a quaint Victorian town from the era of Charles Dickens.

Beginning Thanksgiving week, the Dickens Village Festival runs three consecutive Fridays and Saturdays and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. As the official Christmas Capitol of North Dakota, Garrison and its Dickens Village Festival are a must for anyone who wants to turn the holiday season into a special experience.

Events fill up Garrison’s Calendars 12- Months out of the year. Other events range from Cook-off Challenges and 4th of July Events to Frontier Military Days and other festivals.

 Seniors Enjoy Fishing, Biking and Kiting

The Garrison Convention & Visitors’ Bureau is home to the ND Firefighter’s Museum, Dickens Village Festival, and CANDISC (Cycling Around North Dakota in Sakakawea Country), a bicycle loop tour around some of the greatest frontier of North America.

Bring along a bathing suit and take in a Beach Party ending summer with a bang by enjoying a party by the water.

The North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame is located in Garrison. The annual North Dakota Governor’s Walleye Cup Tournament has grown from its humble beginnings with less than 100 teams in 1976 to a 252- team field.

Seniors can join the kids at Sky Fest Over Fort Stevenson, an annual kite festival for all ages. Fly your own kite, build your own kite, and see kites of all shapes and sizes being flown including many award winning art kites.

Take a spin around town and get a feel for Garrison.  -jeb

Tualatin Rates High With Seniors

I search for what are called Outstanding Communities and recently I came across a contest seeking such.  Millions of dollars are at stake as a panel of judges seek out the best economic revitalization projects in the country. It’s called “America’s Best Communities.” Low and behold, up came Tualatin, Oregon. Ever heard of Tualatin, seniors?

Pronounced TU-A-LA-TIN, this is a dynamic, vibrant community of 27,000, conveniently located 12 miles south of Portland and 30 miles north of Salem, the state capital. The name of the city is taken from the Tualatin River, which flows along most of the city’s northern boundary.

Tualatin is often referred to as the community of “Rocks, Bones, Water and Wonders.” This senior was curious about those bones and discovered that the town has loads of Ice Age History. Geological historians agree that a series of Ice Age floods, bursting down from the Montana and Canadian border, over 15,000 years ago, define Tualatin’s geography and left lasting clues about prehistoric life.

 Adventurous Seniors Enjoy Tualatin

Tualatin is a short distance to adventure: skiing, snowboarding, and sledding on majestic Mt. Hood in the Cascade Mountain Range, family-friendly summer water activities on the central Oregon Coast, national-level wind-surfing or parasailing on the Columbia River, while enjoying the natural beauty of Multnomah Falls in Columbia Gorge National Recreation Area. Senior travelers, let that perk up your ears and draw your attention to a great place for a visit.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley, features year-round fun, from exciting festivals and outdoor recreation to distinctive shopping, to experiencing the Ice Age history of this unique region. Ever eat a crawfish/crayfish/crawdad or mud puppy? All the same. I have down in Louisiana where folks feast on them regularly.

 Seniors Take in Crawfish Festival

Tualatin has an annual Crawfish Festival and along with that a Cork & Kegs Festival. The 2016 event will be held on August 5th- 7th. In 1951 the First Annual Tualatin Crawfish Festival took place. It was during this year that crawfish had inhabited the Tualatin River to excess. Thus, the idea of Crawfish Festival was born. Through the years, this hugely successful festival has grown to an average number of 12,000 attendees annually.

So Tualatin is distinctive for many reasons, including a host of unrivaled community events all year long that favor folks of all ages. I’d love to watch the annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta. It is a zany series of races in boats made out of…get this… giant pumpkins. This family-friendly event gets bigger and better every year.

Seniors, set your GPS for Tualatin and enjoy all that the town has to offer. It looks like a great place to live and to visit! -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Chipping Norton, England

So where would this senior come up with a name like Chipping Norton? Let’s try Condé Nast Travel Magazine, one of about a dozen that I subscribe to.

The May 2016 edition focused on some of  the finest hotels and resorts in the world. Up came Chipping Norton and upscale Soho Farmhouse in their May 2016 edition. It is totally cool.

The town has been voted one of the UK’s top ten Country Towns by the 200,000 readers of Period Living and Traditional Homes. Chipping Norton is one of the least explored and most scenic corners of the Cotswolds. The town has its share of historic buildings and invites seniors to stroll through.

The town’s name means ‘market north town’, with “Chipping” (from Old English cēping) meaning ‘market’. Chipping Norton began as a small settlement at the foot of a hill on which stands the motte-and-bailey Chipping Norton Castle.

Very little of the original structures remain apart from earthworks.  Just 74 miles from London, Chipping Norton is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds.

Seniors Find A Wool And Tweed Town

The 2011 Census recorded the parish’s population as 6,500. In mediaeval times, when the Cotswolds were one of the wealthiest parts of England due to the production of wool, Chipping Norton grew in importance and many of the mediaeval buildings  remain in the town center where  buildings date from the 18th century.

Until not too long ago ‘Chippy’’ (love that sobriquet), apart from being a small market town, had a real industrial base in wool and tweed production. Just outside the town stands Bliss Tweed Mill that looks like a cross between a mansion and a folly, rather than a late 19th century factory.

It has an unusual domed based chimney which is a landmark for Chipping Norton from miles about. Tweed of high quality was made here for many years. The owner William Bliss was instrumental in bringing the railway to supply coal for his mill’s steam engines. The Mill finally closed in 1980 and has now been converted to luxury apartments. The town’s railway and it’s station closed in the 1960s.

Seniors Visit The Rollright Stones

TripAdvisor suggests senior travelers not miss the The Rollright Stones, a major tourist attraction that is a complex of three Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments, The Kings Men stone circle, the King Stone, and another called the Whispering Knights.

Chippy (as it is affectionally known by its residents) has seen its fair share of history, and is an essential place for seniors to visit while in the Cotswolds, as well as an idyllic and peaceful place to stay.

It is said that Chippy is a fantastic place for a visit, boasting an enviable number of independent shops and boutiques, an award-winning theater with an extraordinarily diverse program including its famous annual pantomime; The Lido, one of the UK’s few remaining outdoor heated swimming pools,  a museum of local history and a leisure center.

Enjoy Chippy. -jeb