Tag: history tour

Posted in: Exploring New York, Museums & Tours, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site (Buffalo, New York)

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site (Buffalo, New York)

Hey guys, this is another blog post with Will! I am here today to talk about something I love…HISTORY! Today we are going to be talking about the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, where President Roosevelt was sworn in as president. You have to make a reservation for the site because of Covid, but if you are fine with that I would recommend going. The front of the building is much like it was except with the addition of a modern stairway so that guests don’t ruin the old stairway of the house. The house originally belonged to Roosevelt’s friend who was living in Buffalo at the time. The entrance to the building is where the National Park Service set up their office and reception area.

To start off the tour they play a little introduction with an actor playing Theodore Roosevelt. After that you are allowed to enter the room to the left which is an exhibit for the “Rainbow City”. This is an exhibit on the Pan-American Exposition featuring Edison’s light bulbs, the finished monograph and other wonders of the modern world. See how Americans have welcomed immigrants into the workforce, and how we have tamed the natives of these lands. See our power over nature, and visit the moon in our exhibit: Visit the Moon! Sadly when President Mckinley visited our great city it would be for the last time. While talking to the crowds of onlookers an anarchist shot our fair president. Vice-President Roosevelt has left the city after being told that the President would live bringing his family into the wilds to explore. Sadly I bring news that our president has died. Roosevelt is hurrying back to Buffalo to mourn with the rest of the city over the president’s death, but he is still somewhere in the wild back roads of America.

This is the spiel of the guide as he walks us through the exhibits and shows us several pictures and videos that have been gathered by the park service. Next we walk through a narrow corridor to the right of the entrance to the room, and come into the main part of the house. To the left is the dining room where Roosevelt dined with his friend’s family, and up ahead is the front door. To the left of the front door is a room that our guide brings us to, but first we must go to the room on the right. This room features the problems that Roosevelt faced as the new president, such as what to do with the military, how to face racism, and the problems of the working class. Then we watch a short video on president Roosevelt’s inauguration, or swearing in, as president. Then we get to walk in to the room on the left which is where all of the action really happened. This is the recreation of the room that Roosevelt was sworn in as president. There are even some original pieces such as the book shelf in the right hand corner of the room which was originally going to be thrown in the garbage, but was saved by the neighbors. They also have books from before the 1900’s that might have been featured in this room. Sadly, there are no photographs of the inauguration as Roosevelt wanted the attention to be more on McKinley’s death rather than the new president.

Next the guide led us up the steps and through a barren room with a fireplace, and through another room decorated as a parlor. Next we are led briefly through another corridor filled with signs, which I wish we could read, but our guide had other ideas. Lastly, we enter an interactive room where we can pretend to be president and make decisions and see what Roosevelt did instead. We also got our pictures taken in the president’s chair, and got it sent to our emails.

After the tour we got our National Park passport stamps, and left. Thank you guys for reading my blog and make sure to check out our YouTube videos where we have a lot of good content. See you guys next time!

DETAILS:*

  • TICKETS: $12/adults, $7/child. Included in the America the Beautiful pass. COVID Restrictions: masks required, prepay/timed entrance (does require a $1 fee if you are an America the Beautiful pass holder)
  • HOURS: W-F (10:30am-3:30pm, tour every hour), S-U (11:30am-3:30pm, tour every hour)
  • PARKING: Yes
  • BATHROOM: Yes
  • TIME RECOMMENDED: 1 hour
  • *Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.
Posted in: Exploring South Carolina, Museums & Tours, School, Sightseeing

Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon (Charleston, South Carolina)

Written by tepetravels 5 Comments on Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon (Charleston, South Carolina)

            Hey guys! It’s Will here with another blog! Today we’re visiting the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon. It costs $10 per person with reduced rates for seniors and students. The Dungeon is set below the Old Exchange where they traded everything from cotton to slaves. Auctions were rarely held in the dungeon (basement) however, but held just outside the Exchange. This might have been helpful so that once you bought something you could go pay your taxes on it. Two birds with one stone.

                On the main floor you enter on, there is a lot of information and it is easy to get overwhelmed. In the back is the history of some South Carolina’s cash crops and some plaques on special people who brought or invented them in the State. In the room to the left of the entrance there are some cool pieces they have received such as a case of old weapons such as flintlocks and muskets. They also have an old desk that was used by plantation owners back in the day. To the right of the door is a historic room where they made it look like it would have. It also serves as the meeting spot where the Daughter’s of American Revolution, I think that is the right name, meet. On the top floor are some more plaques that are made to tell you about the life of an enslaved person and of a women’s role and life in pre-Civil War period. George Washington also visited Charleston, so there is information about his visit here too.

            Now let’s get to the part you all want to actually read about…Provost Dungeon! The dungeon itself needs a tour guide as they have rigged the rooms with only mannequins so if you don’t go with one of the offered tours you will have no idea what you are doing. During the Revolutionary War is where we will focus in for now. Charleston had it’s own Tea Party and stored the tea in the Old Exchange. They later sold it to pay for weapons to fight the British. Eventually, the British captured Charleston and they needed somewhere to keep their prisoners. The actual prison was full and so they made due with what they had…The Old Exchange. They turned the basement into a jail and used the top parts as living quarters. When the city knew the British would win, they hid their gunpowder behind a fake wall in the Old Exchange. The British never found it! I thought the museum did a good job explaining everything and the history of the Exchange and if you want to learn a lot of new things be sure to make a visit The Old Exchange.

DETAILS:*

  • TICKETS: $10/adults, $5/child (ages 7-12), discount available for military, teachers, students, seniors. COVID Restrictions: masks required
  • HOURS: Daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Years Day), Tours are every 1/2 hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
  • PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots
  • BATHROOM: Yes
  • TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-3 hours
  • *Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.
Posted in: Exploring Georgia, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

Savannah River Street & Old Savannah Tours

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Savannah River Street & Old Savannah Tours

After walking River Street, and eating a hearty breakfast, we decided to check out one of the sightseeing/history tours. There were three bus/trolley tours available as we walked around. We went with the Old Savannah Tours and the “hop on and hop off option”. Although we chose the on/off option, we didn’t end up using it as we just stayed on for the whole 90 minute tour instead. We found a $5 off adult tickets coupon at breakfast, which was nice.

We walked a few blocks and picked up the tour at their Visitor Center. It was already pretty full, but we did manage to catch the next bus. It was all open air/open window as well, but we still kept our masks on. (Georgia just recommends masks, although they are required indoors at many places, so we kept ours on the entire time we were out.)

We saw lots of neat architecture, learned about local attractions and soaked in some great Savannah history.

We drove by the Mercer House (Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil), Forsyth Park, Lucas Theater (first public building to have air conditioning in Savannah), the Owens-Thomas house (first indoor plumbing in the US, even before the White House!), the Sorrel Weed house (where the feather drifts from the roof in Forrest Gump), the Mickve Israel (only gothic synagogue in North America), the Scottish Rite building (corner building with really neat detail near the roof), and the first Girl Scout headquarters. We also learned that the stone streets were made from using ships’ ballasts, thus the bumpy ride.

We learned about Haint paint (aint blue, aint green, per our tour guide) and how it was used to ward off evil spirits. I looked it up later, and it was believed that evil spirits (haints/haunts) could not cross water. People painted their porch roofs (interior) a blue shade to make the spirits think that it was water and therefore were unable to come into the house.

Old Savannah Tours also had a couple of stops where a historic figure (actor) would come on board to say a few things. This could have been cool, but it was my least favorite part as they were not wearing masks. Luckily, we were not in the front row. We have also found that the tour guide makes a huge difference in your experience. It was a nice way to see the city and learn some its history.

After we got off of the tour, we walked around the River Street area some more. We stopped by the Plant Riverside District, based on the tour guide’s recommendation. This is part of the JW Marriott, and contains the skeleton of an ice bear, several huge geodes, mammoth tusks, and a chrome replica of the largest dinosaur ever found. It is an amazing space.

We traveled down the river walk, grabbed some cookies at Byrd’s, a coffee at Starbucks, and watched some ships coming in. We found where X marks the spot to hear your echo at Rousakis Plaza. We had walked by it earlier and didn’t even notice, but our tour guide pointed it out. We had to stop back and try it. You can hear your echo if you are in the right spot, although it is faint due to all the background noise of the city. You can also find some great views of the River, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, and the cargo ships here.

It was a great day exploring and learning about Savannah. If you have been to the Savannah area, what were your favorite activities? Send us a comment and we will be sure to check it out.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Florida, Food, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

Key West: Beaches, Food, Conch Train

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Key West: Beaches, Food, Conch Train

Once we made it into Key West, we checked into our hotel (the Best Western Hibiscus). We had two queen beds and I swear we had more room than in the RV! We were only a few blocks from the iconic Southernmost Point Buoy, so we headed down there first and got our picture.

We wanted to experience as much as we could in the short time we would be there, so we took a tour on the Conch Train. We got to see all kinds of fun sites (Truman’s Little White House, Hemingway’s House), interesting architecture, and fun bits of history of the island. For example, there used to be a Coca-Cola factory on Key West. There was no fresh water there, so the plant used to collect rainwater in order to make their product. We also drove past a 3 story bar. The top floor was clothing optional! Video: Conch Train Tour

The boys on the train, Hemingway’s house, original Pan Am office, 3 story bar, different gingerbread, Truman’s Little White House

After the tour, we walked around and saw chickens and a few small lizards. We grabbed lunch at Caroline’s Cafe where we tried conch fritters. We also grabbed a huge cookie at Mattheessen’s.

While exploring the town, we found ourselves down near the piers. We saw some cool boats, jellyfish, and a few different types of fish.

Fish we saw along the docks/piers. Jellyfish and I think a puffer fish and tarpons

Key West also had a historic audio tour you could take from your phone. There were markers around the city with a phone number, location number, and some historical information about the site. You could call the number, input the location, and learn about the spot. It was pretty neat. (See the second collage with buoy. There was an audio tour marker regarding the Cable Hut, location #27 on the tour.)

Painted crosswalks, old theater now turned into a Walgreens
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