Key West has always attracted characters. From early settlers who salvaged goods off sunken vessels to present day drifters who exist on tips from their nightly acrobatic and juggling performances at the Sunset Celebration, this tiny island seems to welcome all manner of souls. While this wealth of local color ensures Key West will always be a popular tourist destination (where else can you see a half naked man riding down the main drag on a motorcycle, with a cat sitting on his head?) it has another effect: Key West has attracted some of the world’s greatest writers.

With no slight intended to Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, Gloria Swanson, or Sally Rand – all famous authors who lived or spent time in Key West – Ernest Hemingway was undoubtedly the island’s most famous resident writer. Hemingway ended up in Key West by accident. During a trip between Cuba and the U.S., he stopped in Key West to pick up a new Ford Roadster that his wife’s wealthy uncle had purchased for them. The car had not yet arrived and the Ford dealership insisted the couple stay in the apartment above the showroom while waiting for it. By the time the Roadster arrived, Key West had charmed Ernest.

Ernest Hemingway historic house and museum, Key West

The Hemingways purchased a home and settled into island life. Ernest spent mornings writing and afternoons at Sloppy Joe’s Saloon, chumming it up with the locals. Evenings, he retired to his private studio above the old coach house to record the stories he’d heard while perched on his favorite bar stool. From from wealthy merchants to down-on-their-luck fishermen and wreckers, Hemingways books are filled with Key West characters. His contentment was so great in Key West that more than half of his published novels were written during the ten years he resided on the island.

Hemingway's master suite is furnished in the heavy Spanish mediterranean furniture he so loved

Today the historic residence has been converted into the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. The house and grounds provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of the author – visitors are allowed to wander through rooms filled with his collection of hand-carved Spanish furniture, peer into the studio where he wrote “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” and roam perfectly manicured yards in search of one of the six-toed cats descended from a single six-toed feline gifted to Hemingway by a local sea captain.

Hemingway's studio, where he wrote more than half of his published novels

Hemingway’s House is located at 907 Whitehead Street, in the center of Old Town Key West. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children (under six free).

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

Article by Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut Travels

by Linda (minnemom) of Travels with Children

End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum. Photo used with permission of End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.

What began as a 4-H project to preserve an old railroad turntable in the 1970′s has become a full-fledged park and museum.

The End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum in tiny Currie, Minnesota, offers both train history and local history.  Guided tours of the railroad area include climbing into a caboose, observing a model train layout in action, seeing a wide collection of railroad equipment and memorabilia, stepping into a railroad ticket office, and or course checking out the turntable.

End-O-Line Turntable. Photo used with permission of End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.

In the park area, visitors can see an old schoolhouse, general store, and section house that have been moved onto the site.

Picnic grounds and a bike trail to nearby Lake Shetek State Park round out the experience.

One the day we visited, it happened to be pouring rain, so we didn’t get to do all of the outdoor activities, but the museum staff were took it in stride and were willing to give us the tour even though we all got drenched dodging from building to building.

End-o-Line Caboose. Photo used with permission of End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.

Modern restrooms and a gift shop are also available at the park.

A stop at End-O-Line Railroad Park & Museum is perfect for railroad enthusiasts, families with little train lovers, those interested in local history, or anyone looking for a nice time in southwestern Minnesota.

Bunker Hill Monument - Charlestown, MA

By Molly G. @ The Bumbles Blog

Boston is a great walking city.  In fact, you can see some of the most historic sites just by walking along the Freedom Trail.  If walking the Freedom Trail isn’t enough exercise for you, one of the stops along the way provides a good old fashioned stair master workout.

The Bunker Hill Monument is one of two sites along the Freedom Trail that is actually located in Charlestown, just across the Charles River.  The hill that it resides on provides a perfect spot for a picnic, or to rest your weary feet.  It also marks the site of one of the first major battles against the British forces in the American Revolution which let the British know that these Minutemen meant business.

This early battle made famous that familiar phrase not to fire until seeing “the whites of their eyes.”  An inexperienced and diverse militia made up of everyone from farmers to prominent society members from across New England snuck into Charlestown one night and surprised the rival British by digging in on Breed’s Hill.  The British didn’t take too kindly to being surrounded so they came on over and wreaked havoc.  It took them 3 attempts but the British finally took the hill and won the battle.  But in the process they lost almost half their soldiers in the fight and faced the harsh reality that they had underestimated their foe.

View of Boston from the top

But where is Bunker Hill in all of this story?  It was passed over on the way to Breed’s Hill and the majority involved didn’t realize the difference.  The monument itself stands over 200’ high on Breed‘s Hill.  There isn’t an elevator so you have to climb almost 300 steps to get to the top.  But there is no charge for this pleasure and on a clear day the views of Boston and the rewarding breeze are worthwhile.  And you can look down at the site where over 1,500 men from both sides became casualties, yet the courage and confidence of a Revolution gained steam.

QUICK HITS:

• COST = Free.
• DURATION = Depends how easily you tire of stairs.  No big lines.
• HOURS = Daily, 9AM – 5PM (the stairs close at 4:30, the museum is open until 5:00)
• ENVIRONMENT = Family friendly.  Not handicap accessible.
• ACCESSIBILITY = By foot and is near public transportation. Limited parking options.
• WEBSITE = http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhm.htm
• FUN FACTS = It took a bake sale by the women in the community to get the monument completed – typical.  The Washington Monument of similar design is more than double the height and was completed about 40 years later – copy cats.

Recently, I toured the Nature Coast in Florida (the region on the Gulf where the peninsula meets the panhandle). This stunningly beautiful part of the state is still in its natural state, unaffected by overblown tourism and rampant development. While there, I checked an activity off my “bucket list,” – I swam with the manatees. In the town of Crystal River, site of the largest concentration of wild manatees in the world, I hired a retired captain to take me to Three Sisters Springs.

Donning mask, snorkel and fins, I slipped into the 78 degree waters and glided toward the source of the spring. The clarity of the water; deep marine blueness; and curious, gentle manatees astounded me. Unfortunately, this lovely spring is in danger from development; the Southwest Florida Water Management District has already approved the withdrawal of up to 100,000 gallons per day from the aquifer.

Although I previously wrote an article about and featured photos of the springs on my blog, regular photographs cannot adequately convey the beauty of Three Sisters Spring. Fortunately my captain/guide was a professional videographer; he was kind enough to shoot underwater footage, from which I created a YouTube video that better captures the essence of this amazing place. I hope you can spare a few minutes to view the video and experience for yourself the magical wonderland of the springs:

And if you haven’t yet seen my blog post about the experience of swimming with the manatees, you can read it here: Swimming with the Manatees

Article by Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut Travels