A Lucky 13: Ghost Trails, Storytelling and Haunted Sites of Alabama

My ancestors arrived in America after the Revolution, landing in Georgia and making their way west as lands opened up after the Creek Wars. They settled in the South Alabama posts of Monroeville and St. Stephens, places that if you visit you will sense have lingering spirits of those tenacious Native Americans and early pioneers. Like most states across the South, Alabama has its share of ghosts and legends. The following is a list of 13 events compiled by the Alabama Tourism Department, which includes a tour of Old St. Stephens and the surrounding Black Belt region. If you see someone named Taylor lingering, tell him his descendants from Louisiana say “Hey.”

If you're looking for a good book of ghost stories, there are plenty. Jessica Penot relates tales in "Haunted North Alabama," while Elizabeth Parker describes the dead who walk Mobile in "Haunted Mobile: Apparitions of the Azalea City," both published by The History Press.

Athens

7th Annual “Historic Haunts Walk” — Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Held each Tuesday night in October, the walks begin at the Athens Visitors Center and includes tales of paranormal activity at 13 local structures. Hear about the college student who fell to her death and is said to still wander the halls at Athens University Founders Hall. Each walk is approximately 90 minutes. Contact Athens-Limestone County Tourism 256.232.5411 or Jeanette@visitathensal.com.

Beatrice

Ghost Stories at Rikard’s Mill— Oct. 12-13

Enjoy a pumpkin toss, pumpkin painting and relay race before gathering around a bonfire to listen to spine-chilling ghost stories at the historical Rikard’s Mill. The Haunted Swamp Trail will be open for those brave enough to wander its scary path from 6:30 – 10 p.m. each evening. Contact the Monroe County Heritage Museum at 251.575.7433 for more information.

Black Belt Ghost Trail– Self guided, year-round

Visit Alabama’s Black Belt Region to tour the popular ghost trail. The self-guided tour will take you to dozens of sites in three counties (Dallas, Perry, Wilcox) and includes restaurants, hotels, cemeteries and homes. A brochure provides a map and the haunted history of each stop on the tour. The trail also includes a site for visitors to view videos detailing the ghost stories. www.youtube.com/user/AlabamasGhostTrail. For brochures and more information: www.alabamasfrontporches.com 334.636.5506 or 334.636.0120.

Demopolis

Tombigbee Haints and Haunts— Oct. 26 & 27

Participants will hear ghost stories, the coffin maker’s tale and more on this tour to the darker side of Demopolis. Local story tellers will share folklore and facts about the Tombigbee River and early inhabitants of the area. 334.289.9644.

Florence

10th Annual Haunted History of the Shoals Ghost Walk— Oct. 19-31

Participants will stroll the downtown Florence historic district with a local tour guide and author Debra Johnston Glass to be entertained with stories steeped in legend, folklore and truth. Contact Debra Glass, 256.757.7506, www.discovertheshoals.com.

Huntsville

Ghost Walking Tour – Fridays/Saturdays in October

Visitors have three tours to choose from and they run simultaneous. Call 256.509.3940 or visit www.huntsvilleghostwalk.com for more information.

 Cemetery Stroll— Oct. 14

The annual Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll will take place on Sunday, Oct. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. This event, which is free to the public, features over 70 locals dressed in period costume to tell the story of people buried at Maple Hill Cemetery. Call (256) 533-5723 for more information.

Mobile

Ghost Tours, Mon.-Fri., year-round

Reservations are required: 1.800.338.5597, www.baycityconventions.com.

Montgomery
Haunted Hearse Tours — Oct. 1-31. The tour visits Hank Williams’ grave in the Oakwood Cemetery Annex as well as by numerous other sites in Montgomery with “haunted” histories. Reservations, 334.514.4457. 

Selma

34th Annual Alabama Tale Tellin’ Festival— Oct. 12-13

http://artsrevive.com/.

“Haunted History Tours” — Fri., Oct. 19 & Sat., Oct. 20

Friday’s event at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park features a rare moonlit, guided tour to the town’s most haunted locations. Paranormal investigators will also demonstrate the art of ghost hunting. 334.875.7241 or 1.800.45.SELMA. www.selmaalabama.com. Saturday features an investigation of spirits at Kenan’s Mill. Call 334.875.7241 or 1.800.45.SELMA. www.selmaalabama.com.

St. Stephens

Old St. Stephens Historical Park, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27

Take a tour of Old St. Stephens and the cemetery as you hear tales and ghost stories of the town that was Alabama’s first territorial capital. The town is now a historical park and archaeological site in Washington County. Call 251.247.2622.

Tuscumbia

History and Haunts Trolley Tour, Oct. 27. Contact Colbert County Tourism, 256-383-0783 or colberttourism@comcast.net

It's cherry picking time in Wisconsin

            I always thought cherries came in cute little glass jars, swimming in thick syrup so you can easily add them to ice cream and cocktails. 

             Then I visited Door County, Wisconsin, the largest cherry producing region in the state, and sampled tart red cherry juice at a tour at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market in Fish Creek. The orchard is run by the family’s fourth generation and visitors can tour the orchards every season, including winter, sample their fruits and fruit products, and enjoy tastings from their winery and cider mill. 

            My favorite was the tart cherry juice, a surprisingly delicious drink that’s packed full of antioxidants. In fact, the owners showed me a chart comparing all fruits with cherries at No. 1. The next best fruit — blueberries — had been left far behind in the cherry’s dust.

            The 2012 cherry harvest season is now wrapping up, but the press release in my email this morning said fresh cherries are still available at local roadside markets and orchards. The harvest was lower than usual this year because of “unfavorable spring weather conditions,” but local cherry growers are predicting a harvest of more than 700,000 pounds of cherries, according to Terry Sorenson, president of the Wisconsin Cherry Growers, Inc. 

            Can you taste those cherry pies now?

            I recommend visiting soon to sample those scrumptious cherries — at Lautenach’s for instance, fresh cherries are available in season only. Or wait a month or two, sample that incredibly healthy cherry juice or cider while enjoying a hay ride through the orchards in autumn or visit during the Fall Harvest Festival Sept. 22, 2012. They offer sleigh rides too! Whenever you visit, you’re in for a treat. For information, visit http://www.orchardcountry.com/.
          For a good book, try "Cherries Galore" cookbook by Jean Hill and Jody Littler of Fruitful Enterprises. The mother-daughter team grew up in the orchard business in Sister Bay and their cookbook offers cherry recipes that go beyond dessert.

It's about blooming time!

As I write this, the azaleas bushes right outside my window are about ready to burst forth. It’s that awesome time of year, when colors explode in shades of pink, crimson and fushia all over the Deep South. Nothing quite matches the first blooms of spring, when the azaleas announce winter is over.

            Here are a few places in Louisiana to visit where displays of azaleas are magnificent:

            Avery Island

Most people recognize Avery Island as the tourist destination for Tabasco pepper products. Tourists can tour the Tabasco factory, but the companion 250-acre Jungle Gardens offers brilliant displays of azaleas as well. In addition, there are centuries-old oak trees laced in Spanish moss, thousands of snowy egrets in the “Bird City” rookery and a shrine with a Buddha as its centerpiece. The driving tour usually results in many gators sunning themselves along the pond and bayou banks so bring a camera. To enter Avery Island costs a dollar toll, and there’s a charge to tour Jungle Gardens.

Jefferson Island Rip Van Winkle Gardens

The Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island is a dramy escape from reality, acres of beautiful azaleas as well as centuries-old oak trees draped in Spanish moss and the tranquil Lake Peigneur. Actor Joseph Jefferson, known for his role as Rip Van Winkle, built his home here in 1870 with a dramatic view of the lake. A successor developed the surrounding gardens, naming them “Rip Van Winkle Gardens” in honor of Jefferson. In addition to the gardens and historic home, visitors can enjoy lunch at Café Jefferson.

            Hodges Gardens State Park

            More than 700 acres of gardens, both wild and cultivated, await visitors at this spot near Toledo Bend, south of Many. The gardens are a product of oilman A.J. Hodges Sr. who opened them to the public in 1956 and were later donated to the state as a park. They contain a variety of flowers, including azaleas, and a lake created from an abandoned quarry that pipes water through waterfalls and fountains throughout the property. In addition to the 5-mile walking trail, there are rental cabins, campsites and boats for use on the lake. For more information, call (800) 354-3523 or visit crt.state.la.us/parks/ihodges.aspx.

            Shreveport

            Heading to Shreveport to visit the impressive collections of the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, including the artworks of the American West, is reason enough. But the free gallery sits on 40 lovely wooded acres that includes extensive varieties of azaleas. These hundreds of native flowers bloom in a rainbow of colors as well, including red, yellow, orange, pink, purple, white and a mixture of many, and visitors can view them all via a walking path that includes a pond, a bridge over a stream and waterfall, benches and outdoor sculptures. If you visit Shreveport, be sure and stay overnight at one of its charming bed and breakfasts such as Fairfield Place, one of many historical properties in the city’s Fairfield-Highland district. You can even take a walk through the neighborhood and witness more azaleas — and other flowers — blooming, then enjoy a fabulous meal at one of the city’s landmark restaurants, Ristorante Giuseppi.

Centennial within a bicentennial

            This year marks the bicentennial of Louisiana statehood, honoring our state’s entrance into the Union on April 30, 1812.

            This year, in March, also marks the centennial of M.S. Rau Antiques, one of the most impressive antique dealerships in the United States, located within the French Quarter of New Orleans. Rau’s 25,000-square-foot store is the largest antique seller in North America by sales. Products include famous paintings, European furniture, classic jewelry and silver such as Paul Revere armorial coffee pots, among so much, much more.

            This year the antique dealership will launch the Rau for Art Foundation, a non-for-profit program and art contest for New Orleans high school art students in the 10th to 12th grades. Prizes and scholarship money totaling $17,000 will be awarded to the winners and their high school art departments. Winners’ artwork will be exhibited at M.S. Rau Antiques and Fine Arts in March. For information, visit www.rauantiques.com.

Of Crafts, Coke and Cotton: Monroe joins the Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights

            For years Shreveport-Bossier City and Natchitoches have teamed up with three east Texas towns for the annual Holiday Trail of Lights. This year, it’s all about the Bayou State, with Texas leaving the trail and Monroe, Minden and Alexandria joining the fun.

            The 2011 trail makes a nice loop through the state with Natchitoches and its 85-year-old popular Christmas festival at the core. On its left flank will be Monroe, which offers a unique holiday experience.

            Christmas on the River will be a month-long holiday celebration that includes both Monroe and West Monroe, each facing the sleepy Ouachita River. Here will be dancing lights along Antique Alley (a great place to find unique items at great prices), a downtown gallery crawl, the fourth annual Bawcomville Redneck Christmas Parade along with a parade sponsored by the Kiwanis Club and a pet parade, chili cook-off, theatrical performances, fireworks and much more.

            The Children’s Museum will transform into a Santa’s Christmas Village with photos with Santa and snow falling, letters to Santa at the Peppermint Post Office, a place for children to create ornaments and a store to purchase gifts for family. In addition, there’s ice skating outside. Admission is only $5, $10 for ice skating.

            The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens has built by Joseph Biedenham, the first bottler of Coca-Cola. His daughter Emy-Lou, a European opera singer, lived in the home for years, creating a beautiful garden and conservatory out back. Today, the house and garden is open for tours, along with the Bible Museum next door (Emy-Lou collected Bibles and the museum exhibits both hers and traveling displays) and the Coca-Cola Museum on the corner with its Model T delivery truck, memorabilia and machines that sell the beverage for 5 cents.

            Christmas at the Biedenharn will include unique decorations of each room throughout the month of December. There will be a Chamber Arts Brass Christmas Concert on Dec. 6 in the fountain room and an open house Dec. 8-10. The Coca-Cola Museum also has a gift shop with wonderful unique gift items, not to mention a fabulous artistic nativity.

            I mentioned shopping on Antique Alley — there are numerous antique shops in the Cotton Port Historic District of West Monroe, and they vary from collectibles and Americana to 18^th and 19^th century furniture. Since I like to include a book to enjoy in travels, I recommend Memory Lane Antiques with its extensive collection of old books, many Victorian with gilded covers and unique illustrations. I found an old copy of Longfellow’s “Evangeline” with photos of Nova Scotia and the original Cajun homesteads, plus a Golden Book of “Rudolph” — remember that one?

            As for a great place to eat, don’t miss Cotton, formerly known as Coda Bar & Grill, run by Chef Cory Bahr, a recent Louisiana Cookin’ Chef to Watch and winner of the Louisiana Seafood competition. The restaurant, with its menu of exquisite boudin balls, red bean hummus, creamy shrimp and grits, tender pork loin and so much more, is housed in the second oldest building in Monroe.

            For more information on the holiday festivities, visit www.christmastontheriver.org or call (318) 387-5691.

A golden weekend in Dahlonega

             The first thing I needed to do upon visiting Dahlonega, a quaint town north of Atlanta in Georgia’s sleepy Appalachian mountains, is learn how to pronounce the name. Da-lon-a-ga was named for the Cherokee word Talonega meaning “golden.”

            The second thing I learned was that Dahlonega was the site of the first major U.S. gold rush, in 1828, hence the name.

            Celebrating this discovery of gold in them golden Georgia hills is the 54th annual Jaycees Gold Rush Days Festival Oct. 15-16, 2011. The two-day event will feature live musical performances by Lonesome Road Bluegrass Band, Kayla Armstrong and Heather Faraday; more than 300 arts and crafts exhibits; children’s activities; food and a 3 p.m. Saturday parade through downtown.   

            According to the Jaycees press release, festivities kick off around 9 a.m. each day and will include a number of special performances, such as Scotsmen playing tradition bagpipes on the square on Saturday. Festivities include a fashion show, treasure hunt, hog calling contest and a clogging contest where at 2 p.m. Saturday the clogging king and queen will be crowned. 

            If you can’t make the festival, be sure and visit the Dahlonega Gold Museum located in the courthouse in the center of town. Visitors will find a comprehensive film that explains the gold rush days and the formation of the town, plus exhibits on the history of Dahlonega.

            Visitors can also pan for gold at the The Crisson Gold Mine, which dates back to 1847. It’s open every day but Christmas.

            Outside of its golden heritage, Dahlonega is home to luxurious day spas, wineries, places to enjoy horseback riding and canoeing, accommodations that range from the Smith House Hotel with a gold mine in its basement and the elegant suites of the Park Place Hotel (shown below) to hidden cabins and retreats in the mountains. Dahlonega is also close to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail and a great place for hiking and backpacking.

            The perfect book for a trip to Dahlonega, especially during the haunting days of October, is “Dahlonega Haunts” by Amy Blackmarr. The book lists homes and businesses where folks refuse to leave with Blackmarr explaining the stories and psychic R. Brian Keith giving his take on the spirits. It’s an entertaining read and a great way to learn about the area.

For information about Gold Rush Days, visit www.dahlonegajaycees.com. For information on the Golden City, visit www.Dahlonega.org or www.facebook.com/DestinationDahlonega. 

Come home to Museum of Appalachia

John Rice Irwin would travel the Tennessee countryside spying historic buildings, machinery and other objects that told the history of the Volunteer State. He would stop and offer the owners money for their possessions, eventually collecting more than 250,000 pioneer relics.

Today, these historic objects and 30 log structures make up the Museum of Appalachia on 65 acres outside Oak Ridge, Tenn. Not only does this awe-inspiring museum complex offer the public and visiting schoolchildren an authentic peek into Appalachian life, it sets the stage for one of the country’s best fall festivals.

The Museum of Appalachia’s 32nd annual Tennessee Fall Homecoming will be Oct. 7-9, 2011, with five stages featuring some 400 musicians playing traditional tunes from “Wildwood Flower” to “Wabash Cannonball.” New to this year’s Homecoming is the Carter Family III (shown above right), playing old Carter tunes as well as new songs. The band, which rarely tours, includes John Carter Cash (Johnny & June Carter Cash’s son), his wife Laura Cash and Dale Jett (Janette Carter’s son). Also making their Homecoming debut are the Steep Canyon Rangers, the 2006 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year, and the Roys.

Returning to the stage are the John Hartford String Band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Blue Moon Rising, Dixie Gray, Southern Raised, Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad, the Cluster Pluckers, Lilies of the West, and the Quebe Sisters Band which features three sisters playing triple fiddles.

Authors appearing include Bill Landry with “Appalachian Tales & Heartland Adventures,” John Carter Cash with his new book “House of Cash,” Randy Rudder with “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Country Music: The Inspirational Stories behind 101 of Your Favorite Country Songs” and Jill Peterson, who founded the magazine, A Simple Life, will present her new cookbook, “Simple Cooking for a Simple Life.”

Advance Homecoming tickets can be purchased through Sept. 21 at a discounted rate; call 865-494-7680 or visit museumofappalachia.org. The Museum is located on I-75 at exit 122, then one mile east.

About Oak Ridge, Tennessee

When the U.S. government realized Germany was developing an atom bomb during World War II, they turned the 59,000 acres of sleepy farmland in middle Tennessee into the city of Oak Ridge where 75,000 civilians and military would enrich uranium, the element needed to fuel a bomb of our own. This “City Behind a Fence” secretly operated for three years as part of the Manhattan Project before the bomb was dropped on Japan. Many of its residents didn’t know what they were creating until the news followed after Hiroshima.

            The incredible legacy of Oak Ridge remains today, with the government facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. And although technological breakthroughs continue with the new Spallation Neutron Source at the laboratory, the community of Oak Ridge extends far beyond its atomic inception.

           Places to visit in Oak Ridge include:

American Museum of Science & Energy (shown left) — naturally a science museum in a city full of physicists and scientists would be well-funded and highly creative, a perfect jumping off spot to learn about Oak Ridge’s scientific history, plus the museum offers tram tours to take visitors inside the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is located within an old elementary school building and every corner provides an imaginative experience.

Secret City Scenic Excursion Train takes visitors inside the original Oak Ridge atomic laboratory in a fun, relaxing train ride.

Green McAdoo Cultural Center (shown right) honors 12 African American high school students who were the first to attend a desegregated state-supported high school in the South.

Norris Dam was the first dam built in the Tennessee Valley Authority system and its location was one of the reasons why Oak Ridge was chosen for the Manhattan Project.

For information on Oak Ridge, Tenn., visit the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://oakridgevisitor.com/.

Take 5 Houston - Spots to Cool Off for Free

1. Along the MetroRail in downtown Houston there are places where water is spritzed into the air, falling along the rail tracks in graceful arcs. We don’t encourage people to get anywhere near the MetroRail tracks (PLEASE DON'T!) but pedestrians and bikers in the area will experience a nice wet breeze walking by at the Main Street Square stop, in addition to other water features along the MetroRail's route.

2. Discovery Green downtown includes a massive splash fountain that’s usually full of kids running through but don’t let your age stop you from enjoying this incredible fountain that makes cooling off so much fun. The water emerges in spurts, but in syncopated times, leaving you guessing which is part of its fun.

3. The Williams Waterwall near the Galleria rises above the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park as a multi-story horseshoe-shaped fountain. It’s both cooling and dramatic (we’re talking TALL) and makes for a great day trip. Visitors can enjoy a picnic in the park, then cool off by the waterfall. Be sure and bring a towel, you will get wet enough. 

4. The Buddy Carruth Playground for All Children is a massive playground within Hermann Park that offers a handicap accessible playground with interactive water play area that’s fabulous. This is a must for young children, but that didn’t stop us adults from jumping in with our kids.

5. We probably shouldn’t mention Tranquility Park downtown because more than likely jumping in this collection of fountains is frowned upon, but on the many visits we’ve had to Houston, particularly in the summer when heat indexes soar, we’ve seen lots of people cooling off in this oasis amid the concrete. Just to be on the safe side, we’ll not post a photo. But here’s another hint, there are fountains all over Houston and if you’re brave enough to “fountain jump,” you can start with Tranquility Park and spend all day visiting others.