Anyway, before he and my mom dated, he used to do something called "Going for coffee." Sounds normal, right? Well, my dad and a bunch of his friends would decide to "go for coffee" and they would just head out on the open road. They would drive until they decided to stop. Sometimes, it was a city or two away. Sometimes, it was a state or two away. They would stop, get a cup of coffee (and a meal, I'm sure) and then head home.
When my brother and I were young, we would often do the same. It seemed that we were always on an adventure with my dad! Sometimes it was just around Akron (like digging up antique bottles around abandoned factories or picking up aluminum cans to turn in for money - my brother and I used to make a fortune!) or sometimes to places like a small diner in Sharon, Pennsylvania or a museum in Columbus, Ohio, or even the beach at Myrtle Beach.
One of the things that I regret about leaving Michigan is that we didn't explore our adopted state much. Sure, we did a lot around Detroit, but the only reason we went to places like Traverse City or Grand Rapids was for Odyssey of the Mind. Heck - we lived in Michigan for 7 years before we ever went to the UP, a place that people come from all over the country to visit.
Image by jimmywayne22 via FlickrSo all of this to say - we have decided that we are going to branch out a little bit. We have been exploring the Meridian area bit, but dang! We are within 4 hours of just about every major Southern city!Tomorrow, we are heading to Jackson. We are planning to go to the Manship House Museum, the Mississippi Governor's Mansion and the Pocahontas Indian Mounds.
We are packing a lunch and will probably find a greasy spoon diner for dinner. I can't wait!
2 comments:
You may want to also try Bellingrath Gradens in Alabama. When my BIL was Bilioxi we drove there in about an hour if I remember correctly-anyway it was not very long. It was awesome because it's beautiful! And because it was great to see more tropical plants than we are used to (up north!) arranged so artfully. They have a beautiful home to tour.
Also in Alabama is gulf shores which was also pretty close and a great day trip. Beautiful shore and beach.
Also, in Bilioxi you can go to Robert E Lee's presidential library and we ate at Mary Mahoney's which is a famous restaurant and is even in a few John Grishom books (if I recall, lunch wasn't so bad!)
Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun! I know the *regret* of not taking advantage of what was right in front of us when it was there. But like you, we are exploring our new surroundings and loving it! I hope you had a great trip!
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