Seniors Drop By Westport

Westport, a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, was so named because it was the westernmost port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Senior travelers learn that it was first settled in 1670 as part of the town of Dartmouth by members of the Sisson family but became independent in 1787. Westport’s  population is close to 16,000.

Westport is on the western port of what is known as Buzzards Bay. The town suffered damages during King Philip’s War. Like many areas in the region, Westport was affected by invading Wampanoag Indians during King Philip’s War. The British named the harbor “The Devil’s Pocket Hole” as they were unable to navigate the entrance in the War of 1812.

Facebook can help senior visitors find their way around and suggests places to stay, to eat, a museum to visit or an attractive park in which to take a stroll.

Seniors Drive 52 Miles South Of Boston

Westport is located 52 miles South of Boston. For you gourmet folks, Westport has four 5-star restaurants and a 4-star Village Pizza.

Horseneck Beach and Westport River, are both popular destinations for recreation. Senior birders, Barrier beach is spread over 600 acres and is ideal for long walks as well as bird watching.

In the distance, the Elizabeth Islands are visible from the beach. TripAdvisor has over a dozen sites you will not want to overlook, starting with the Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery. Close behind they mention Buzzards Bay Brewing.

The Westport Historical Society excels in engaging the public in the exploration of the town’s rich history and culture.

Seniors Enjoy Historic Farm

Senior visitors do not want to miss Westport Town Farm. This 40-acre open space preserve and historic farm complex includes hiking trails, working farmland, salt marsh frontage, an antique farmhouse, dairy barn, corn crib, and stone walls dating back to Colonial times. History personified.

Seniors, set your GPS for Westport and enjoy the amenities the city offers. Check out VRBO. Their vacation rentals are available all year long. Your stay in Westport will prove to be a memorable one . -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Time In Idyllwild

Idyllwild, Pine Cove, and Fern Valley (neat names huh?) are three adjacent unincorporated communities, of which Idyllwild is the largest. Seniors can find Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains. Small as the town be, it overflows with things to see and do and scenic beauty in all directions.

Idyllwild has earned the designation as one of the 100 Best Small Art Towns in America. Idyllwild was also voted L.A.’s Best Mountain Getaway. The arts thrive in Idyllwild in the form of art, music, and theatre and they all draw in visitors from across the country and across the ages. Idyllwild is loaded with amenities and scenic beauty.

Senior visitors can enjoy the Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness and the Idyllwild Nature Center . Trails and picnic areas surround this museum focusing on local ecology and Cahuilla Native culture. The Cahuilla are a California tribe, located in the center of Southern California. Most Cahuilla people still live in this area today.

Seniors Find Palms to Pines Scenic Byway

The summer concert series and the annual 5K and 10K race are highly popular. The International Festival of Cinema is another big draw. “Mile-high Idyllwild” is a popular southern California mountain resort about one mile (1.6 km) in altitude.

Idyllwild is flanked by two large rocks, Tahquitz Peak (with nearby Lily Rock) and Suicide Rock, which are famous in Southern California rock climbing circles.

One of Idyllwild’s attractions is that it offers all four seasons, yet in winter is only an hour’s drive down to the desert on the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. This 67-mile route will take you from Palm Desert past snow-peaked mountains to Banning Pass.

Palms to Pines Scenic Byway offers a full variety of ecosystems in the Lower Sonoran region. From clusters of desert palms to high country conifer forests and snow-capped mountains, senior travelers can experience a contrast of ecosystems within a short distance. The hill” has been minimally developed over the years and remains a center for hiking, mountain and rock climbing, and horseback riding.

Seniors Find A Hiking Trail

There are numerous hiking trails seniors can enjoy, with the Devils Slide Trail being one of the most popular. The trail has previously been called “the backdoor to Idyllwild.”

Devil’s Slide Coast contains miles of trail varying from breezy boardwalk strolls and paved pathways to steep and challenging hikes. Hook up your bike and roll along dramatic cliffside trails catching great views. There are opportunities for all levels of cycling.

Idyllwild sits amid tall trees, welcomes artists of all genres and motorcyclists of all ages. The town monument is a wood carving of animals native to the area. Sounds neat doesn’t it! Yes, seniors, set your GPS for Idyllwild, California’s Natural Treasure. -jeb

Seniors Visit West Babylon

Senior travelers in the New York City area will find West Babylon 32 miles east of New York City. The town is part of the Nassau- Suffolk metropolitan statistical area. About 44,000 people live in West Babylon.

The region was once called South Huntington. Nathaniel Conklin moved his family to the area around 1803, eventually calling it “New Babylon”, naming it after the ancient town of Babylon. The town was officially formed in 1872 by a partition of the Town of Huntington.

West Babylon, which is a part of the Town of Babylon, is a census-designated place. Located on Long Island, the town population was 214,191 as of the 2014 census. Parts of Jones Beach Island, Captree Island and Fire Island are in the southernmost part of the town. It borders  the Atlantic Ocean to the South. There is also a village of Babylon located within the town.

Senior Visitors See a Historic Town Hall

The Babylon Library is on the National Register of Historic Places as is the Town Hall and the Nathanial Conklin House that was built in 1803. Babylon Town Hall, also known as Town of Babylon Old Town Hall, is a historic town hall. It was built in 1917 and is a  2 1⁄2-story Classical Revival style building with a low hipped roof.

It housed town offices until 1958, and housed district courts until 1979, when it was sold. Old Town Hall was purchased back by the town in June 2004.

The Belmont Lake State Park offers senior visitors a place to fish and boat, bike and hike and even try horseback riding. And the Bethpage State Park has golf courses, tennis courts, playing fields, bridle paths, picnic areas and hiking and biking trails.

Seniors can view war airplanes built during World War II displayed in hangars at the American Airpower Museum. The Old Bethpage Village Restoration is an open-air museum which depicts the history of Long Island.

Facebook can sometimes be helpful to senior visitors. The city offers amenities and scenic beauty , as well. So set your GPS for West Babylon when you are in the New York City area and enjoy . -jeb

Seniors Stop By Hampton, Virginia

Senior travelers will find Hampton on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula. It is bounded on the north and east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the south by the Hampton Roads Harbor.

Wth a population right around 138,000, Hampton is one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.

Hampton traces its history to the city’s Old Point Comfort, the home of Fort Monroe for almost 400 years, which was named by the 1607 voyagers, led by Captain Christopher Newport, who first established Jamestown as an English colonial settlement. Hampton was named for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, an important leader of the Virginia Company of London.

Seniors Must See Historic Fort Monroe

TripAdvisor has listed 27 things to catch your eye and to enjoy on your visit to Hampton . Senior visitors will not want to miss the Casement Museum of Fort Monroe that chronicles Hampton’s colonial roots and its military role from the 19th century onward.

Widely considered to be one of the nation’s earliest settlements, Hampton dates its origins back to the early 1600s. Mainly a quiet trading port before the Civil War, Hampton found itself in the middle of the conflict when the Confederate army, in an attempt to stop Union troops from taking over the town, burned it to the ground in 1861.

From the ruins left behind, former slaves who were under a degree of Union protection built the Grand Contraband Camp, the first self-contained African American community in the United States.

Seniors Enjoy Historical, Cultural and Recreational Attractions

Senior visitors can enjoy a wide variety of historical, cultural and recreational attractions in Hampton. The Hampton University Museum is located on the grounds of one of the oldest African-American universities in the country. The University originated as the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, whose mission was to educate freed black men and women after the Civil War and teach them trades and skills.

Also located at the site is the Emancipation Oak, the place where Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was read. Another Hampton landmark is the Virginia Air & Space Center, the official visitor center for NASA’s Langley Research Center.

Senior visitors can see the Apollo 12 Command Capsule that journeyed to the moon, experience a state-of-the-art virtual-reality video on the pioneers of flying, and much more. The Air and Space Museum has an IMAX theater and during the winter months there’s even an outdoor skating rink.

The Hampton History Museum, located in historic downtown, tells the storied history of Hampton. Seniors, plan a stop in Hampton when you’re in Virginia and enjoy this exciting city. -jeb

Seniors Stop In Sunny Ormond Beach

Senior travelers find that Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park. They say that the Birthplace of Speed comes from Ormond Beach.

In 1903, the smooth, hard-packed sands of Ormond Beach became a proving ground for automobile inventors and drivers. These first speed tournaments in the US earned Ormond the title “Birthplace of Speed”.

The city is named for James Ormond I, an Anglo-Irish-Scottish sea captain commissioned by King Ferdinand VII of Spain to bring Franciscan settlers to this part of Florida.

For Seniors Who Like Water

Bordered by the Tomoka River on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and home to numerous rivers, lakes and springs, Ormond Beach is an ideal location for a myriad of water activities. Senior visitors can also enjoy a variety of cultural and recreational events offered throughout the year – and the pleasures of its historic downtown Main Street.

The local Chamber of Commerce called Ormond Beach… “Our Version Of Paradise.” They further note that Ormond Beach is near everything in Central Florida.

It is a community bisected by major arteries going everywhere, I-95 runs north to Maine & south to Miami. I-4 takes you west where you will travel through Orlando, the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, and on to Tampa.

The community is separated by the Halifax River, which is the Intracoastal Waterway traveling the East Coast of the United States. The city claims the highest standard of living in Volusia County and was originally established as a tourist haven for the rich and famous at the turn of the century, like J.D. Rockefeller.

Seniors Drive The Florida Scenic Highway

Several notable people called Ormond Beach home including Rockefeller and Shirley Chisholm, a member of the U.S. Congress. The area abounds in historic places: Anderson-Price Memorial Library Building, The Casements, Dix House, Bulow Creek State Park, Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens, Halifax Plantation, North Peninsula State Park and the Tomoka State Park.

And my oh my, senior visitors, you will keep busy with the help of TripAdvisor that lists almost one hundred things to see and do. You will discover that the Ormond Loop and Scenic Trail is part of the Florida Scenic Highway and national Scenic Byway program. With a near-ideal  climate in Ormond Beach, residents and visitors alike take the opportunity to enjoy an assortment of outdoor activities all year long.

VirtualTourist kicks in with 21 additional suggestions that includes The Casements, a 19th century mansion. John D. Rockefeller bought this mansion in 1918.

Today the Casements is a cultural center, open for tours and is listed on the national register of historic places.

Seniors, enjoy your stay in Ormond Beach exploring, taking in the sun, the beach and fine dining. -jeb

Seniors Anchor Into DeSoto

This senior was recently reading about an outstanding basketball prospect who hails from DeSoto, Texas a suburb of Dallas with a population of around 50,000. Being a former basketball coach myself, I just had to find out more about this town that produced an athlete who excels.

The area was first settled in 1847, making it one of the oldest communities in North Texas. A post office was established in 1881, and the settlement was named DeSoto in honor of Thomas Hernando DeSoto Stewart, a doctor dedicated to the community.

He must have had a lot of influence on the town. In 2006, DeSoto was granted the honor of being named an “All American City”.

Seniors Impressed with The Manderley

The DeSoto city logo, adopted on August 26, 1976, is a large “D”, with the head of an eagle in the middle. It is the school district’s mascot as well as featured prominently on the city flag, water towers, and municipal government documents.

Read the specs on DeSoto and learn about the people, the economy,  and businesses. Seniors will discover an affluent african american community in Desoto. Now let’s take a look at the brand new event center in Desoto called The Manderley . In one word…awesome! I’d want to take in a performance or two there.

TripAdvisor wants senior visitors to know about Texas Helicopter Experience. Have you ever taken a helicopter ride?

The local Chamber of Commerce would like you to stop by.  “Live, work and play in DeSoto,” they note… “a progressive community with a small-town feeling, rich in diversity and the cultural arts. Located in the ‘Best Southwest’ – the southwest corner of Dallas County.”

Senior Hikers Find Great Trail

I’d want to take in the Windmill Nature Preserve with 75 acres of land, set aside by the City of DeSoto and Dallas County as a nature preserve. Nestled in woods, it provides shade in the summer and a great hiking trail with gentle slopes and a few steep hills.

The hiking trail in the Preserve was named the Best Urban Hiking Trail by the Dallas Observer a few years back. The five-mile loop trail also provides for mountain biking and is accessible year-round. Hike along its foot trails, viewing the well-preserved flowers and fauna of the region, and soon you’re lost in another world.

DeSoto offers fine housing, friendly neighborhoods, a great school system, updated parks, restaurants and shopping.” Seniors, set your GPS for DeSoto and anchor in for some great Texas chow in a great community. -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Inland City

Senior travelers find their way to Fresno, California. Seat of Fresno County and the fifth-largest city in California, Fresno is the largest inland city in the state.

The name Fresno means “ash tree” in Spanish, and an ash leaf is featured on the city’s flag. Fresno was born with the establishment of the then Central Pacific Railroad Depot in 1872.

In 1889 Southern Pacific Railroad, which had acquired Central Pacific, constructed a new depot on the original depot site. The brick Queen Anne style depot, a jewel for the city, was open for business for 99 years and is currently one of Fresno’s oldest standing buildings.

Seniors Head For The Tower District

Fresno’s history dates back to 1885 when the railroad community attracted immigrants from all walks of life. You can learn a little bit about Fresno’s history at places like Kearney Mansion Museum.

This senior would first head for the Tower District, a popular neighborhood District that is centered around the historic Tower Theatre, which is included on the National List of Historic Places. The theater, built in 1939, is the heart of the Tower District.

The District has become a hub for community events such as Jamaica My Weekend, Mardi Gras in February, Car Shows, A Taste of The Tower, Halloween in the Tower, and the Farmer’s Market on the North-West Corner of Olive and Van Ness.

The neighborhood features restaurants, live theater and nightclubs, as well as several independent shops and bookstores, currently operating on or near Olive Avenue, and all within a few hundred feet of each other. Since renewal, the Tower District has become an attractive area for restaurant and other local businesses.

Seniors Find City Of Many Nationalities

Fresno (“Raisin Capital”) , centrally located, is the financial, industrial, trade, and commercial capital in the Central San Joaquin Valley. This dynamic city is the hub of a region rich in heritage, resources, and people.

Being a former language teacher for over 30 years, I found it of interest that Fresno is a unique mixture of more than 80 different nationalities. “The various cultures that make up the community of Fresno are much like mosaic pieces that together make a beautiful picture.”

California State University calls Fresno home. TripAdvisor suggests that senior visitors check out the Forestiere Underground Gardens, a series of underground catacombs specially designed to house exotic plants, shrubs and vines.

After that, the Shinzen Japanese Garden since I love flowers. Seniors, set your GPS on the Valley and plan to stop by Fresno. You’ll love your stop -jeb

Seniors settle into Morgantown

Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia and senior travelers will find it situated along the banks of the Monongahela River. Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University.

Morgantown has a  population around 30,000, with West Virginia University adding several thousand seasonal residents to the city and surrounding area from September through May. Fans of Division I collegiate sports can catch games played by the athletic teams of West Virginia University’s Mountaineers.

Morgantown was closely tied to the Anglo-French struggle for this territory. Until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, what is now known as Morgantown was greatly contested by settlers and Native Americans, and by the British and the French. The treaty decided the issue in favor of the British, but Indian fighting continued almost to the beginning of the American Revolution.

Seniors Like Foodie Towns

Zackquill Morgan and his brother David entered the area of Virginia that would become Morgantown in about 1767. So now you know the derivation of the name of the city. I liked that name “Zackquill”…not to many of those left today.

For seniors with demanding palates, Morgantown was voted “Best Town For Foodies” 2016 . Morgantown, A City of Distinction , offers “mountains of opportunity” and is one of the major growth areas in the State. Morgantown shows continued population growth for the last 20 years, and is located in one of the  fastest growing counties in WV.

For senior oenophiles, the Forks of Cheat Winery produces a wide range of grape and fruit wines. From the historic downtown area to the region’s many recreational sites, there’s always something  for visitors to do. Main Street Morgantown is a must experience site.

Seniors Hike Another Rail Trail

Bring along your hiking boots and hit the Caperton River Trail, a rail trail. The trail runs through an urban area with access to parks, restaurants and shops. The Caperton Trail offers over 5 miles of paved surface perfect for roller-blading, strolling, and biking.

Senior sports fans, major league professional sports action can be found within a 90-minute drive to the city of Pittsburgh. You can watch Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers, and the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

TripAdvisor suggests senior visitors not miss Mountaineer Field and West Virginia University. Being a Master Gardener, I’d put the West Virginia Botanic Garden at the top of my list.

Join other senior travelers and head for Morgantown. -jeb

Seniors Explore Biddeford

Senior travelers find that Biddeford , the principal commercial center of York County, whose population runs just over 20,000, is located 15 miles southwest of Portland.

Twin city of Saco, Biddeford includes the resort community of Biddeford Pool, Fortunes Rocks and Granite Point.

Seniors can enjoy the annual La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival that celebrates the town’s heritage. A Kermesse is a local, annual outdoor fair or festival. First visited by Europeans in 1616, this is the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the United States.

Historically, Abenaki Indians, whose main village was upriver at Pequawket (now Fryeburg), hunted and fished in the area. The first European to settle at Biddeford was physician Richard Vines in the winter of 1616-17 at Winter Harbor, as he called Biddeford Pool. The town came to be known as Biddeford in 1718 and was incorporated as a city in 1855.

Senior Visitors Enjoy Biddeford

The locals as well senior visitors can enjoy The Five Points Shopping Center and the Biddeford Shopping Center. Parks like the Clifford Park and the Saint Louis Field come with various recreational facilities. One can also plan a day trip to the Saco Museum.

Freddy Beach, Fortunes Rocks Beach and the Hills Beach are popular destinations.  The University of New England-University Campus is located in Biddeford. Other institutes offering higher educational facilities include Northern Essex Community College, the University of Southern Maine, the University of New Hampshire-Main Campus and Saint Joseph’s College.

Seniors will enjoy a visit to the Biddeford City Theater, a historic, restored Victorian opera house that is a non-profit community theater. In 1996 the theater celebrated its 100th year anniversary and was awarded a gift of new seats from the city of Biddeford.

Seniors Visit Biddeford Mills Museum

TripAdvisor wants you not to miss Fortunes Rocks Beach, Mulligans Restaurant and Marden’s Surplus and Salvage. I’d head there first myself since I enjoy looking over old salvage. Ask my wife…I have collected a ton of salvage over my lifetime. A stop at a some of the local town breweries would come in a short second.

Another worthwhile stop would be at the Biddeford Mills Museum. At one time, the textile mills in Biddeford were considered the heart of the York County region. Situated on the banks of the Saco River, the extensive mill district hummed with activity.

The Saco River became the focus of industry from the earliest European settlements along its Biddeford banks. The earlier industries were lumber harvesting, grist mills and ship-building, with Biddeford emerging as a culturally vibrant textile hub.

So set your GPS toward the beautiful state of Maine and and enjoy Biddeford . -jeb

Seniors Visit Scenic Walterboro

Seniors learn that Walterboro “The Front Porch of the Low Country,” was founded in 1783 as a summer retreat for local planters looking to escape their malaria-ridden, Lowcountry plantations. This seat of Colleton County has a population around 5,300.

The original settlement was located on a hilly area, covered with pine and hickory trees and named “Hickory Valley”. Two of the earliest settlers were Paul and Jacob Walter, thus the name of the town.

Do we grow rice here in the US? The Collation County Rice Festival celebrates the county’s history with the rice crop, the staple crop until the Civil War. After that it still impacted the county.

Seniors, if you enjoy dogs, the Festival Dog Show is a major draw. Bring your bike along and tour the Low Country on a 32 mile ride.

Seniors Discover The Great Swamp Sanctuary

The Great Swamp Sanctuary comprises 800 acres of braided-creek hardwood flats and bottomland swamp. It has boardwalks, walking trails, bicycle paths, a canoe/kayak trail, observation areas, and a 10,000-square-foot Discovery Center is planned.

When it is completely finished the sanctuary will be the most significant nature-based facility in the lower part of South Carolina. The sanctuary is great for viewing natural lowcountry wildlife and birds. Spanish moss drips from Cypress trees and wildflowers abound as you pass a beaver pond, duck pond and butterfly garden.

Colleton State Park offers senior visitors choices to enjoy the outdoors that include fishing, boating, hiking, bird watching, geocaching, biking and of course, picnicking.

Seniors Find Intriguing Small Town In Walterboro

Seniors can visit The Slave Relic Museum that houses many of the relics slaves made and used from 1750-1860s and the South Carolina Artisan Center that represents over 300 of the State’s finest juried artists and craftsmen, demonstrations and exhibits.

The Walterboro Army Airfield served as a training ground for  World War II Army airmen including a group of the Tuskegee Airmen. In May, 1997, a monument honoring their bravery was placed at the site. This was also the site of a POW camp and base hospital. The Tuskegee Airmen Memorial highlights this history.

Ever see dogwoods in full bloom? An awesome sight. The Colleton County Courthouse was constructed in 1822 and is a classic. The self-guided historic walking tour takes you through Walterboro’s intriguing past.

Walterboro has two historic districts: Historic Hickory Valley, a largely residential area with homes dating between 1814 and 1929 and the Walterboro Historic District, which covers the historic businesses. Both districts having listings in the National Register of Historic Places.

Enjoy your visit. -jeb