Searching for Proper Barbecue - Colorado to Georgia

Quite literally in the middle of Kansas, 600 feet below the surface of Hutchinson, a Strataca Salt Mine tour guide asked me if I enjoyed Roy's BBQ for lunch. Bemused, I learned that Roys has such a distinct smell and the salt mine is devoid of smells, so tour guides quickly learn this approach with tourists. Strataca and Roys, or odd sites and barbecue were the treats on this road trip but the underlying purpose was for a move.

Michael at the Strataca Salt Mine.

My father-in-law (Michael) and I were in Kansas because our calling was to relocate one of our cars from Monument, Colorado to Atlanta, Georgia. The four-day journey was punctuated with a handful of museums and a superb selection of barbecue joints.

We set out from the Denver airport in the late afternoon and drove four hours to our first waypoint in Colby, Kansas. En route, we enjoyed a picnic dinner at the surprisingly well appointed Limon Railroad Park (by donation).

Day two's first stop was the Fort Hays State Historic Park. The buildings and exhibits are very well done. For young visitors, there is a 'bison herd' across the street (with bison numbering just a few). Plan 1-2 hours at this attraction. From Fort Hays, we drove to Hutchinson, Kansas for the Strataca Salt Mine. This was a major waypoint during the trip planning: where else can you descend 600 feet into the crust of the Earth to view an active salt mine? It turns out that the salt vein stretches into New Mexico, but this is the best way to get up-close to the operation.

An industrial elevator carries both workers and tourists down under. The tourist portion of the mine is sectioned off for safety. Tourists get to see dioramas containing mining equipment and the blasting techniques used to excavate salt from the mine - the salt is used mainly for ice removal. The underground gift shop has free wifi and there are a couple of add-ons for your visit. Tourists can ride the mine train in a loop that shows more of the mine or you can book a seat on the tram tour, which also shows more of the mine.

BBQ is an American treasure.

The Strataca Salt Mine was such a great stop that Michael and I decided to check out the other local Hutchinson attraction: the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. We expected a couple of planes and some cheap displays but we were instead treated to a plethora of rare air and space artifacts. The museum's motto, "Out of this World. Right in the Heart of Kansas" is an appropriate saying. Aside from the Smithsonian collection, the Kansas Cosmosphere impressed me more than any air and space museum I have seen (including the National Museum of the USAF, Seattle's Museum of Flight and many others). To quantify my claim, know that the museum collection contains a spacecraft from Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 10 and Apollo 13).

Ending a big second day of the trip in Wichita gave us the opportunity to ride the free downtown tram to Old Town where we enjoyed excellent pizza and local brews at Public.

Day three was a 450 mile push from Wichita to Little Rock but we found time for a few diversions. The first was Fort Smith National Historic Site where Michael was able to purchase his National Park System Senior Pass. Ten bucks gets you free access to all National Park properties for the rest of your life (seniors include those 62 and over). The Fort Smith prison, gallows and courtroom are all available for viewing. Kids love romping around the grounds to see the out-buildings and the neighboring Arkansas River. Tip: Pick up lunch at the Garrison Pointe Market, which is walking distance from Fort Smith (it is in a gas station, but those who know of the Whoa Nellie Deli know the deal). In Little Rock, we tried Sims BBQ but were thoroughly disappointed. 

Elvis's Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Day four's drive was from Little Rock to Atlanta. The main diversion was Elvis's Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi. Most fans visit Graceland but I found ticket prices there to be obscenely expensive. The Tupelo museum and home were small enough to visit in 1-2 hours and were right on our route to Atlanta. In Tupelo, we tried and liked BBQ by Jim. This joint was a meat and two sides type of place with excellent sauce and a family-focused orientation.

TripTips:

1. Stock the car with cold beverages and healthy snacks.

2. Plan activities in cities between your lodging locations. Most attractions do not open until 9am or 10am, so you will lose lots of drive time if you stick around in a city to do something there.

3. Picnic when you can to save costs.

4. A newspaper or magazines in the car give you something to chat about with your trip partner(s).

Hot Springs National Park

There are hot springs all over the United States but none will take you back in time the way Hot Springs National Park will. Pulling onto bath house row you will be transported back to the 1920's - when these Arkansas hot springs were believed to cure whatever ailed you. Today, we know that the water isn't magic, but there is still something about this place. Its not uncommon to find people filling up jugs from the public springs - both hot and cold - to bring this water back home. My dad tells me that my great-great grandfather used to frequent the springs, so it was fun to step back in time and imagine Hot Springs as it once was.

Start your visit at the National Park Visitors Center, located in the restored Fordyce Bathhouse. There is a short film on the history of Hot Springs National Park and the prominence of the bathhouse. Then catch the ranger lead tour of the Fordyce Bathhouse, the only fully restored bathhouse in Hot Springs. The tour takes you to see the best rooms in the place - plus you can ask questions about the strange gadgets in every room that were thought to help enhance the healing properties of the water. Most of the stained glass is original and really gives you a flavor for the place. My favorite room was the fully restored gym complete with hanging rings and medicine balls.


If the tour has you wishing you could take a soak two of the bathhouses are open for bathing. Jeff and I stopped next door at the Quapaw Baths for a quick soak. Quapaw has several heated pools and provides you with robes and a chilled spring water to drink while your in the pools. These pools are communal and bathing suits are required. We basically had the place to ourselves when we were there, although it apparently gets crazier in the summer.

Next, take a stroll down bathhouse row and back up the promenade. Interpretive signs have been placed in front of each of the bathhouses while the National Park Service works on restoring a few more of the houses. Several fountains on bathhouse row spew out boiling water - if your visiting on a chilly day steam fills the air. At the end of bath house row stairs lead up the hill behind the houses to the promenade, a brick walking paths used by bathhouse visitors for a bit of fresh air. We found lots of visitors taking a stroll and viewing the bath houses from behind. The promenade also provides views of all the hot springs on the hill. The springs have all been covered to prevent contamination but the steam rises from the green boxes and each springs name is prominently displayed. The promenade dead ends into a park with an open spring running down a hillside and into a fountain. Here you can see the large historic hotels that once housed all the bathhouse visitors.

There are plenty of little places to grab a bite to eat - we didn't really find any that stood out but there were plenty of options even on a Sunday. There are some longer walking paths you can take if time permits, we however had to head back to Fort Worth. You could certainly spend a whole weekend relaxing here, although its probably better suited for a day trip.

Little Rock, AR

It's a five hour jaunt up I-30 from Fort Worth to Little Rock, but it is a weekend trip that will not disappoint.

Three hours into our drive, just before we crossed the border we made a dinner stop in Texarkana. When we were there in January 2011, most of the roads in Texarkana were under construction making getting around very difficult. Despite the traffic problem a stop at the IronWood Grill is well worth it. They don't take reservations, but on busy nights they do call ahead seating - which you'll need since the wait can be over an hour otherwise. I had some delicious fish tacos (my favorite!) but they have something for everyone on the menu.

You'll start to notice the landscape change once you leave Texarkana and cross into Arkansas - for this Georgia girl it started to look a bit more like home. We stayed in a downtown hotel giving us lots of flexibility to walk to most attractions.

Saturday morning we walked around downtown Little Rock looking for breakfast. The Little Rock River Market has lots of little breakfast options if you are looking for a pastry and coffee to go. I was in the mood for a full sit down breakfast so we headed over to the Capital Hotel for an amazing breakfast that got the morning off to a great start. Even if you don't grab some food here make sure to stop by just to see this grand old hotel.

The Clinton Presidential Library & Museum is located at the end of E Markham St. so a few minutes walk through downtown or down the river takes you right to the museum. The museum will take you a few hours and covers Clinton's years in the presidency. The Clinton Library will make you feel great about being American - maybe its the piped in music that is reminiscent of "The West Wing." The sections on the Clinton Presidency are very well done covering everything from the Economy to Impeachment. The Library does not address anything prior to the Campaign and is smaller then some of the other libraries. (The picture above shows the entirety of the permanent gallery.) The building itself is LEED certified - ask any of the docents and they are happy to tell you about the bamboo and recycled tire flooring. Out of the five presidential libraries we have been to, this is the only one that lets you take a picture in front of the oval office with your personal camera. (The George Bush Sr. Library takes your picture and sells it to you, the rest have had a strict no picture policy.)

After the library, head just across the complex, past the Clinton School of Public Service to Heifer International's Heifer Village. The Village has a lovely visitors center with 30min worth of interactive exhibits and information on sustainable living. There is a small cafe, although on the Saturday we were there it was not running full service lunch. Stop by the desk in front and ask about their LEED Building tour which will take you into their LEED certified platinum headquarters building (don't worry it was built with separate building funds - not through typical donations.) The building is worth seeing as it takes into account its home on a former wetlands and reincorporates that into its design. The tours are free - call or ask at the front desk for times.

After the building tour we walked back into downtown, although you can also ride the shuttle from the Clinton Library to the Clinton Museum Gift Shop if your legs are getting tired, to grab some lunch at the River Market.

After lunch we hopped into our car to see some of what Little Rock has to offer outside of the downtown area. Little Rock Central High School is only 5min (by car) from downtown. The National Historic Cite Visitors Center (across the street from the school) has a comprehensive exhibit on the events surrounding The Little Rock Nine as well as an overview of the Civil Rights Movement. Like me, you've probably studied the events of September 23, 1957 and Brown v. Board of Education, but there is something about standing outside the school, on the same street, that really brings it home. In case you are wondering, Little Rock Central High School is still an active high school, so you can not wonder around inside.

Next, we made our way to the Big Dam Bridge - a pedestrian bridge that connects river trails on both sides of the Arkansas River. Our visit was marked by beautiful weather, so the bridge was packed with runners, bikers and visitors of all ages admiring the bridge. We were in a hurry and didn't make it all the way across, but walked up high enough to get a view of the locks that allow boats to bypass the dam. (We were in a hurry, because we were on our way to mass at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew.)On our next visit we want to rent bikes and bike to the bridge from downtown.

There are plenty of night time activities in downtown Little Rock. We headed off the main drag (just a block or two) for dinner at the Copper Grill. My soup came in this cute little pot and poured out table side, which I really enjoyed. Although dinner was great, we bypassed desert at the restaurant in favor of a little bakery (The Brown Sugar Bakeshop) that we had passed on our way to dinner. Unfortunatly, we found the lights out and the doors locked - but the sign said they were open till 8pm. A woman came to the door holding a piece of cake and told us they had completely sold out, except for this last piece of cake - which she then gave to us along with two forks! We gratefully took the cake, but vowed next time we are in town to grab desert first. As an evening activity we took advantage of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's discounted military tickets and had a chance to see Philip Mann conduct from the fifth row! It was the perfect end to our Little Rock adventure.