Jeannie's Travel Addiction

BUTCHART GARDENS is INCREDIBLE!! Located in BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

13 May 2024 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Butchart Gardens, flowers, tulips

May 13, 2024

Butchart Gardens is one of the top 10 gardens in the world. It is located 30 minutes outside Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. The Gardens originated when Jennie Butchart decided she wanted to beautify the worked out limestone quarry that had supplied her husband’s cement plant. Jennie took 55 acres and years of collecting plants , trees, bushes, statues, fountains and flowers from their travels and turned it into the most incredible garden I have ever seen. Jennie’s gardens evolved into seven different categories: the Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Star Pond, Italian Garden , Piazza and Mediterranean Garden. By the 1920’s more than 50,000 visited every year. Today it is still owned and operated by the original family. Butchart Gardens celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2004. It is visited by almost one million people every year. Since I was visiting the Gardens in April, the most abundant flowers blooming were tulips – millions and millions of tulips along with many other kinds of flowers. It was absolutely spectacular !!

“Surely the flowers of a hundred spring are simply the souls of beautiful things!” – L.M. Montgomery, “The Watchman and Other Poems”

Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for reading!!!

WE WERE ROBBED!!!!!

02 May 2024 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Jackson missouri train ridess, Jesse James Gang, robbed by Jesse James Gang, St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, train robbery

May 2, 2024

One day last summer, my family and friends all drove to Jackson, Missouri for a nice afternoon train ride. The passenger cars were all made in 1926 and it was like stepping back into time. We were all enjoying the scenery as the train rambled down the tracks through an old forgotten town. Then, all of a sudden, we heard an argument outside of the train. The ruckus was between the Sheriff and the Jesse James Gang. The sheriff, unfortunately, was unable to stop the Jesse James Gang from robbing all of the passengers on the train!!!! Jesse himself refused to be photographed but I managed to take some other photos of the train and the town:

Now in all seriousness, this entertaining and fun filled train ride and robbery is all run by volunteers. Everyone is there to have fun! After the heist, we had some free time to get off the train, meet the sheriff and the bandits, investigate the old town and even enjoy some freshly made smores!! Then we were all safely returned to the train station. If you are interested in an afternoon of fun and outlaws, you should contact St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway in Jackson, Missouri. Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for reading!!

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.” – Dr. Seuss

FUN in BRANSON, MISSOURI, SUMMER 2023 Seeing: WONDERS of WILDLIFE MUSEUM and AQUARIUM, SILVER DOLLAR CITY, DOLLY PARTON’S STAMPEDE and TOP of the ROCK

02 May 2024 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Branson, Dolly Parton's Stampede, silver dollar city, Top of the Rock, Wonders of wildlife museum and aquarium

May 1, 2024

Last summer my family and I took a long weekend to partake in the activities in Branson, Missouri. There is SO MUCH to do in Branson, you really have to prioritize and plan your time well. We successfully squeezed in as much as we possibly could, starting with Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, MO. On our way, we passed through Springfield so it just made sense to stop and see the Aquarium first. There is a lot to see here! The following photos are just a sneak peak.

Obviously the fish were my favorite at the aquarium. : ) Our next full day of entertainment was spent at Silver Dollar City. Silver Dollar City is , and has been, a delightful vacation park for people of all ages for 64 years . It is set in an 1880’s atmosphere and is filled with entertainment, rides, food and shopping. There are also many seasonal festivals. It is located in the Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri and is open 10 months out of the year. Here is just a brief peak of the activities…

We were a little tired after Silver Dollar City, but not too tired to see the Dolly Parton’s Stampede dinner show. It a huge hit with everyone!!!! We had lots of great food while watching a spell binding evening of entertainment!!!! I highly recommend It!!! Our last day’s adventure was the Top of The Rock. Top of the Rock is an fun attraction on The Big Cedar Lodge property. Your transportation mode is a golf cart to venture out on paved paths and enjoy a nature trail, the area’s table rock formations, waterfalls, drive through a cave and over a bridge. Stop along the way anytime for photos. Once you reach the top, there is a museum, dining choices and a general store. A very unique experience and a great way to connect with the great outdoors! I took lots of photos, but these were my favorites:

At the end of the trail we choose to eat at the Mexican restaurant (the food was superb !!) which is in Arnold Palmers old barn. The barn was moved from Pennsylvania to the Big Cedar Lodge property and reassembled by the Amish. I might add – Arnie’s “old barn” was the nicest old barn I have ever seen!!! What a great getaway!!!! : ) Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for reading!!!

“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” – Lovelle Drachman

Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis 2024

01 May 2024 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: miniature museum, dollhouse

April 15, 2024

The Miniature Museum in St. Louis is amazing !!! It has 2 floors and 6200 square feet of space packed full of doll houses, room boxes, and many other items of “miniature” interests. As I understand it, most of the dollhouses were projects of families through the years and then later donated to the Museum. Anyone who has been a kid, or if you have children or grandchildren – it is a must see !! You will not be disappointed !!! The following photos are just a snippet of what the Museum has to wow you!!

This is a “dollhouse” replica of St. Louis’ historical Bevo Mill.

This was my favorite. A lady bought this serving cart at a garage sale and once she got it home, she decided to turn it into a miniature restaurant with a second hand shop above it. Later she donated it to the museum.

Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for reading!!

SPRINGTIME at MISSOURI BOTANICALS GARDENS 2024

29 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Missouri Botanicals Gardens, Spring Flowers

April 7, 2024 It is always enjoyable to walk the Gardens – but spring is the best!!!!

This is the biggest Poinsettia I have ever seen!!!

Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for reading!!

“Earth Laughs in Flowers” : ) Ralph Waldo Emerson

ORCHID SHOW at the Missouri Botanicals Gardens 2024

12 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

March 12, 2024 – Every year I love to see the Orchid Show and I am never disappointed!! Not only are the orchids beautiful and some very intriguing, but the aroma of all the flowers is awe inspiring in a therapeutic way. There are 27,000 species of orchids – and I want to see them all!!! Just a reminder you can click on any photo for an enlargement. Enjoy!!!

The bottom 2 photos are off the internet, the Bumblebee Orchid and the White Egret Orchid. Since there were 27,000 species, I decided to see if I could find a couple that stood out as being the most unique and/or spectacularly beautiful. : )

“Take time to smell the flowers. Take time to hug a tree. Take time to hear each bird sing. Take time to simply Be!! ” ( Author unknown)

Thanks for reading!!

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE, Dayton, Ohio

12 Mar 2024 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Dayton, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

This incredible museum was the last stop in my Ohio adventure this past summer. This museum sits on the Wright Patterson Air Force Base and is the oldest (100 years old in 2023!) and the largest of its kind in the world. It has over 360 aircraft and missiles and covers 20 indoor acres. And it’s FREE!!! The following is just a sampling of what there is to see!!

1931 Autogiro, the predecessor to the helicopter.

Hoped you enjoyed the photos. A most interesting Museum, but sadly, it all has to do with war. My heart and soul ached as I walked through the hangers. The million dollar question being – as civilized as we believe we are – will there ever be a world without war ?

“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” George Santayana

Thanks for reading!

Topiary Park in Columbus, OH is Incredible!

08 Sep 2023 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Topiary Park Columbus Ohio

On my recent trip to the Columbus, Ohio, Topiary Park was another sight I did not want to miss. The Topiary Garden is located on the original site of The Ohio School for the Deaf. The school burned down in 1981 at which point the grounds of the school became unkept and unsightly. James Mason was the idea man behind recreating the famous 1887 French post impressionist painting by George Seuart, A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte, using topiaries. Mason referred to it as ” nature mimicking art. ” This famous painting shows people leisurely enjoying the park on an island by the River Seine, in Paris, France. The original painting , which is 7 feet by 10 feet in size, now hangs in The Art Institute in Chicago. The reinterpretation of the painting into topiaries, was sculpted in 1989. It has since been featured in magazines, newspapers, a BBC film and has won several awards.

To see this unbelievable unique exhibit in person was mind-blowing and left me in awe of its beauty, of James Mason, who had the idea, and all the planning and work that went to making it come true!! Simply put, the topiary figures are comprised of yews, the figure’s frames are made of 5/8 inch bronze and set in 18 inches of concrete. Hills and a small pond were also added for the display. Plus, the topiaries, as well as the park’s flowers and gardens , have been well maintained since 1989 by volunteers !!!! Here come the photos…..

Plant Smiles, Grow Laughter, Harvest Love ( author unknown)

Thanks for reading,

Hope you enjoyed!!!

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, OH was the Place to be for Topiaries and Chihuly in Summer 2023 !

07 Sep 2023 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Franklin Conservatory, topiaries

The need for a short 4 day vacation found me in the great state of Ohio. There is so much to see and do in Ohio, that I could probably spend a month or more there, but on limited time, I tried to stuff in as much sightseeing as I could . One of my stops was the Franklin Conservatory and their special summer 2023 exhibit Garden Sarfari. What was Garden Safari ???? Thirty topiaries that sit amongst the beautiful flowers and gardens !!!!! How great is that??? Because where, other than maybe a plant nursery, can you find topiaries??? Plus Franklin’s topiaries were top notch!!! Sadly the exhibit ended Sept. 10, 2023. But hopefully other Gardens in USA cities will follow Franklin’s lead and also have topiary exhibits. Besides the topiaries, Franklin also boasts having a large Chihuly collection to see. Chihuly is the creator of beautiful, colorful glass works of art and to see Chihuly creations is to love them! Enough said – on to the photos!!!

Love this plant but it gives me the creeps at the same time!

“Surround yourself with beautiful things and positive people.” (author unknown)

Thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed!

American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH, is the greatest!!!

07 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: American Sign Museum, Tod Swornstedt

On a recent trip to Ohio, I made a stop in Cincinnati to see the American Sign Museum and enjoyed it immensely!!! It is a combination of creativity, history, art, retro, lights, colors, vintage, memories, awe and smiles ! It was easy to find ( address :1330 Monmouth Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45225), has its own parking lot , a reasonable entrance fee and the staff is super friendly. It is the largest sign museum in the USA. Tod Swornstedt is the brains and founder of the museum. Tod first opened the National Signs of the Times Museum in 1999. Then in May 2005, the Museum was renamed and re-opened as the American Sign Museum. Needing more space, the Museum eventually moved to its current location in June 2012. I highly recommend visiting the American Sign Museum and the great state of Ohio where there is lots to do and see! Following are some samplings of what you will see.