About Jeff & Crystal

We are Jeff and Crystal, a Baby Boomer couple who love exploring this big blue marble we all call home. After spending the first portion of our lives together raising a family, the empty-nest syndrome finally caught up with us. This has given us the opportunity to spend more time traveling, and seeking out new destinations. We developed this travel blog with the goal of showing how we “Visit Like A Local”. Our itineraries are designed to get us off the interstates, and into the heart of the places we visit. We believe this will allow our readers to choose a cultural experience, and eventually head home with a real flavor of the places they visit. We hope you are enjoying our website and will consider sharing it with your friends. Please come back often, as we post new articles three times per week.
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Missouri Town 1855 – Welcoming Fall

As Autumn descends on the Midwest, people will find an abundance of harvest-themed festivals. Welcoming Fall brings a change in the air, that signals the shortening of daylight hours. We find ourselves trying to savor every moment. Scanning the Kansas City calendar of events, we noticed the annual Fall Festival at Missouri Town 1855. Since we had never visited this particular outdoor venue, this seemed like the perfect destination for our first 2021 autumn excursion. Frozen in Time Missouri Town 1855 has a fairly self-explanatory name. The idea was to create a crossroads town that would be common around the start of the [...]

By |2021-10-06T03:43:05-06:00October 15th, 2021|Kansas City, KC Dining|0 Comments
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Refined Country Cuisine – The Hive

Growing up, I spent a number of summers staying in the country with my grandparents. That means I have enjoyed plenty of delectable homecooked meals. These days, we find ourselves frequenting more restaurants, which means fewer of those family-style dinners. During our visit to Bentonville, we found ourselves dining at one of the downtown hotels. When The Hive was added to our itinerary, our hope was that we would experience some refined country cuisine. Stepping into their uncommon décor, we found ourselves in a beehive of dining bliss. We want to thank Visit Bentonville and The Hive for hosting our visit. Rest assured [...]

By |2021-10-12T06:25:03-06:00October 12th, 2021|Arkansas, Bentonville, Southeast|2 Comments
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Realities Of Enslaved Life – Destrehan Plantation

Exploring the Louisiana River Parishes offers visitors a glance inside the history of plantation life. Each plantation tour offers a different angle into the realities of enslaved life. Back in 1787, the lower Mississippi River Valley was prime acreage for the establishment of large farms. One of the first to be established was the Destrehan Plantation, located in St. Charles Parish. This would rise up to be home to one of the most successful sugar producers and serve as an important backdrop for the 1811 Slave Revolt.  We want to thank Louisiana River Parishes and Destrehan Plantation for hosting our visit. Rest assured [...]

By |2021-10-08T08:42:17-06:00October 8th, 2021|Louisiana, River Parishes, Southeast|4 Comments
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Something To Taco Bout – Roosters

Exploring a new destination can really work up an appetite. Okay, let's be honest about it. Sometimes there are just so many great foodie spots that we have to find a way to squeeze in a few. That was definitely the case during our downtown excursion in Mobile, Alabama. Even though we weren't really starving, the delectable aromas wafting out of Roosters were drawing us in. What the heck, we are always ready for a snacking moment and this place looked to give us something to taco bout. I Found My Thrill As we stood on the threshold of the entrance, we noticed [...]

By |2021-10-05T06:14:09-06:00October 5th, 2021|Alabama, Mobile, Southeast|2 Comments
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Sidestreet Discovery – Rancho Deluxe

It is said that "Art imitates Life", which we have found to often be the case. Of course, then you happen upon a place like Rancho Deluxe, which leaves you in awe of the imaginative powers of the human mind. During our exploration of Mason City, we did a lot of walking. The city is ripe for pedestrian traffic, as the topography is relatively flat. Our art excursion was providing us with tons of sights and when we learned of this sidestreet discovery, we just had to make the short detour.  We want to thank Visit Mason City for hosting our visit. Rest [...]

By |2021-10-01T05:51:46-06:00October 1st, 2021|Iowa, Mason City, Midwest|2 Comments
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Cultural Chow Down – 8th Street Market

Bentonville has embarked on a plan to link its downtown with other entertainment districts around town. As we explored more of the city, we found ourselves becoming jealous of how successful they have become at integrating culture and community. A short distance from downtown, we discovered the 8th Street Market district. Designed as a community-focused food hub, this urban destination brings visitors together for food and fun. With our appetites raging, we were ready for a cultural chow down. We want to thank Visit Bentonville and the 8th Street Market businesses for hosting our visit. Rest assured all opinions are our own.  Welcoming [...]

By |2021-09-28T06:16:44-06:00September 28th, 2021|Arkansas, Bentonville, Southeast|4 Comments
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Artistic Cuisine – Truck Farm Tavern

They say that we first dine with our eyes. It's true that an appealing presentation makes a difference, but we feel it can go beyond the plate. Our visit to Truck Farm Tavern included an abundance of eye candy that decorates a large portion of the wall space. When you add that to the artistic cuisine delivered to our table, we found this visit to be wonderful. It made for an interesting departure from the local fare we had been enjoying at the regional Cajun restaurants that draw in tons of visitors each year. We want to thank Louisiana River Parishes and Truck [...]

By |2021-09-13T07:20:18-06:00September 24th, 2021|Louisiana, River Parishes, Southeast|0 Comments
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Moving A City Forward – History Museum of Mobile

The stories behind each city we visit, help us to draw an image of how it achieved its current shape. Most places have a linear history that usually springs from just a few influences. Then, every once in a while, we will discover a history as broad as that in Mobile, Alabama. Having been influenced by France, Britain, and Spain means that there is a broad tapestry of cultures to be found in and around the city. Moving a city forward takes deliberate planning and we were interested in learning how the founders of Mobile had pulled it off. A visit to the [...]

By |2021-09-21T06:25:32-06:00September 21st, 2021|Alabama, Mobile, Southeast|6 Comments
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End Of An Era – Surf Ballroom

Each decade seems to bring its own musical trend. The 1940s were all about the Big Band sound that inspired a generation of crooners. When the 1950s rolled in, the sounds of Rock 'n Roll vied with the previous decade's hits for airtime. Much like other passing trends, the popularity of this new sound created the end of an era for Swing music. New faces were becoming stars and they were eager to get in front of their fans. For years, the Surf Ballroom was an important step in the progress to gain national fame. Stars from all music genres scheduled shows at [...]

By |2021-09-17T05:57:20-06:00September 17th, 2021|Clear Lake, Iowa, Midwest|8 Comments
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Facing The Past – M.O.N.A.H.

These days it is too easy to forget about the earliest residents in the lands we call home. So much of our lives revolve around the daily activities that we have disconnected ourselves from our history. That is what makes visits to places like the Museum Of Native American History so important. Finding a cultural center that focuses on the various cultures that inhabited the Americas is a welcome treat. We cleared our schedule to allow for time to investigate this FREE museum and we soon found ourselves facing the past in Bentonville, Arkansas. We want to thank Visit Bentonville and M.O.N.A.H. for [...]

By |2021-09-14T03:56:34-06:00September 14th, 2021|Arkansas, Bentonville, Southeast|2 Comments
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