Walnut Grove Plantation in Roebuck, SC

Walnut Grove Plantation tells the stories of the free and enslaved people who settled the South Carolina Backcountry and the rest of Britain's American colonies, who fought for independence, and who, in the end, built a new nation.  Charles and Mary Moore established the plantation on a 550-acre land grant.  The Scots-Irish family Moores raised ten children, including Revolutionary War heroine "Kate" Barry, in the house they built about 1765 and lived in for the next 40 years.  In late 1781, Loyalist William "Bloody Bill" Cunningham killed three Patriot soldiers at the plantation and sparked a small skirmish with local militia, which is reenacted each year in early October.

Charles Moore immigrated to Pennsylvania from Ulster (today's Northern Ireland) in the 1750s. He and his family traveled down the Shenandoah Valley's Great Wagon Road into North Carolina and ultimately to the 550-acres of land given them by King George III's government for settling on South Carolina's tough western frontier.  Mr. Moore expanded the plantation to 3,000-acres through additional grants and purchases.  Like many aspiring Backcountry planters around him, he probably worked as a commercial farmer growing mainly corn, wheat, and tobacco for market in Charles Town.  He, his family, and about a dozen enslaved African Americans (named in Mr. Moore's will as Robert, Dinna, Phillis, Nelly, and children Prince, Simon, Fanney, Bob, Tom, Toney, and Dove) did the necessary labor--working the fields, tending the livestock, blacksmithing, cooking, cleaning, and textile making--to make the plantation a success.

In 1961, Thomas Moore Craig, Sr. and his wife Lena Jones Craig, descendants of the Moore family, donated Walnut Grove Plantation with eight acres of land to the Spartanburg County Foundation in a special trust fund.  The Association is the sponsor for the trust.  On October 15, 1967, the restoration was dedicated and opened to the public.

We had lunch in Greenville, SC at a little place called "Word of Mouth"

beautiful cookies and pastries

Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park

We had beautiful weather for our day in the mountains. We drove about 65 miles of the 100 mile drive. You could keep going as Skyline Drive becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway eventually.

 Shenandoah National Park is 105 miles long stretching from Front Royal, Virginia to the Waynesboro-Charlottesville area. Skyline Drive is the scenic roadway that takes you through the park. There are four entrances (and exits) to the park.

 In Lexington, VA, we found Halloween decorations at a Garden Center

Lee's Chapel and Museum on the campus of Washington & Lee University

 Natural Bridge is one of the oldest tourist destinations in the United States. The Natural Bridge of Virginia is located in the community of Natural Bridge, which is located in Rockbridge County. 

The Bridge has been included in several "Seven Natural Wonders of the World" lists, mostly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark, a Virginia Historic Landmark, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

Natural Bridge and Niagara Falls were the two wonders of the new world that Europeans visited during the 18th and 19th centuries. Of the two sights, Natural Bridge, without clear explanation of its formation, was the more mysterious. 

Next stop Natural Bridge, VA

Spectacular!

Nature is amazing

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Coming into Scranton off the highway we were looking for a place to stay and saw this hotel. I had read about it in the AAA best places to visit. So we stayed the night in this historic building.

website photo

Discover our Historic Scranton Hotel's Elegance and Comfort

Welcome to the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel Scranton, a six-story, historic landmark that once served as a passenger train station. Housed in a unique architectural structure, our hotel in Scranton, PA has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation to honor the past while giving this glorious hotel an inviting, timeless appeal. Considered one of the most beautiful terminals in the East, this neoclassical structure is listed with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

my photo

Breakfast in the lobby

Steamtown National Historic Site

Steamtown National Historic Site will be 25 years on October 30! The park was created to preserve the history of steam railroading in America - the history of the machines and the history of the people. We look forward to your visit during 25th year as one of America's 395 National Parks!