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.

George Bush (41) Presidental Library

On a rainy Fort Worth Saturday we decided to take a jaunt down to College Station, TX to visit the George Bush Presidential Library & Museum. We inherited our love of presidential museums from my parents when they came out to California to hit the Regan and Nixon libraries in a long weekend. There are currently 13 presidential libraries in 11 states. Visiting the presidential libraries is a great way not only to learn about the President and the Presidency but it is also a time capsule of America. The psychology student in me loves analyzing what each man has decided to include and how they frame their presidency.

Fourty-One's museum is one of my favorites. (I suspect some of my love of this particular museum stems from personal memories of the events.) My favorite part was learning about Bush's life before becoming president. The museum has lots of family photographs and interactive video. Jeff loved the exhibits on Bush's experience in the Navy (and the full airplane hung from the ceiling) and I loved reading about his romance with Barbara and their early life together. The museum focuses on the whole Bush family - providing the added benefit of getting to watch George Bush (43) grow up. The exhibits focusing on the Presidency itself was a bit sparse compared to other museums. There is fun little computer activity at the end where you ask either George or Barbara a question and you get a personalized printed letter with the answer. Other things of note: the worlds largest poinsettia, a piece of the Berlin Wall, the future burial site of the Bush's and (my favorite) President Bush's sky diving video.

The George Bush Library is on the Texas, A&M campus, so if the weather is nice take a walk around. (We spent a rainy Saturday here and decided to enjoy the campus by vehicle instead.) At some point you will need a bite to eat so head down to campus and visit the original Freebirds. Jeff proclaimed it to be the "best burrito he has ever eaten" and encourages anyone who goes here to try the BBQ sauce on your burrito. I stuck to the taco combo and I have to admit it was delicious.

We also made a quick stop at Messina Hoff Winery for their tour and tasting. The cardboard cutouts of the owner placed around the tasting room in his trademark red bray should have been a sign that we were in for something special. The tour is mostly of the B&B across the parking lot which has a strange collection of European antiques including a really old door that is still in use. Then you head over to the wine bar for a few sips. You will be treated like you have never seen wine before - so be ready for that. I did not particularly enjoy the wine, but everyone's tastes are different and I am certainly no wine expert. On a high note you do get to take your glasses with you. The restaurant on property is well renowned - so if you can plan ahead to have a meal there I've heard its quite good.

We had originally thought of making this trip an overnight but shortened it to a day trip because I had been on work travel the week before and wanted to be at home. It was perfectly doable as a day trip - its amazing how much ground you can cover when it doesn't take 45 min just to leave Edwards!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Although Jeff and I try to avoid holiday travel, this year we hit the road to see both families for Christmas. Along with your typical holiday activities we also spent a bit of time exploring our hometowns.

Our first stop was the Newcamp house in Erie, PA. Lake Erie had quite a bit of snow earlier in the season so we were treated to beautiful views the shoreline blanketed in snow. With the whole family in town we headed to Peakn’Peak for some night time tubing – a Newcamp family tradition. On weeknights early in the season they do BOGO tickets – making it the perfect holiday activity for the whole family. Dressed in all the weather gear we had packed we headed out to the slopes. Peakn’Peak has 6 runs for tubing all equipped with scream inspiring moguls. The boys raced, the girls teamed up to try to bump each other on the way down and to end our night the whole family went down in one long chain. The best part – you don’t have to walk up the hill – they have a system to drag you and the tube to the top of the hill so you can sled all night without getting tired. We also had plans to visit the _ house to see the Christmas Decorations but they never picked up the phone to confirm the hours so we bagged the visit in favor or more family hanging out time.

A winter weather storm almost prevented us from getting to Atlanta but eventually we got there just in time to see the city (but not the roads) get covered with a thin blanket of white snow which lasted till we left the day before New Year’s Eve. This year we headed over to see the Carter Center and Presidential Library. My parents are presidential library aficionados and this is one of their least favorites. I, however, enjoyed it more than the Regan or Nixon libraries, which we all visited together in November. The library focuses mostly on Carters work toward peace and the work the Carter center is doing now. You also have a chance to see Carter’s Nobel Peace Prize, Grammy and Courage awards. There is also a large traveling exhibit space which featured an exhibit on “The Working White House” chronicling the many generations that have worked at the white house. After the tour we went over to Six Feet Under, one of our favorite casual restaurants in the city – My mom, dad and I all had the fish tacos, Jeff had the vegetable plate with soup and my sister ordered her traditional po-boy. If you ever get the chance this is a great place to stop and grab a bite.

Presidential Libraries

Here are a couple of ideas to keep you busy on a weekend. Just 110 miles from Edwards, you'll find the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. It's in Simi Valley (take the 14 to the Reagan Fwy). They've got an old presidential airplane (Air Force Once, if you must), a motorcade and memorabilia from Reagan's Hollywood days.

While you're in LA (or at Disneyland for SETP, etc), try the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. It's in Yorba Linda, 126 miles from Edwards (although, you'd ideally take the 395 to I-15 to get to Yorba Linda). Nixon's library is larger and more impressive than Reagan's but it also tends to ignore Watergate and Vietnam. It also claims a large role in the 1969 Apollo moon landing. The National Archives just took over as curator for the museum and is making some changes.

Because these two libraries are entirely across town, it's better to visit them on separate weekends. Or, consider staying in the middle in Pasadena. Pasadena is one of our favorite towns for its excellent downtown area, top-notch restaurants and lodging availability.

On this particular trip, we also visited the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena. It's $20 on weekends (cheaper weekdays, and it has 1 free day per month), but has an entire days' worth of learning and exploration. The Japanese garden and rare cacti (some 100+ varieties, some quite bizarre) were highlights. Consider taking a weekend trip to Pasadena just for the Huntington and a nice dinner out.