History Archives - Travel Frances

Tucson, AZ: Things to Do

Tucson

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Tombstone – Museums, Attractions & Tours

Lexington, KY: Things to Do

Museums & Tours

Distillery Tastings/Tours

- Barrel House Distilling
- Bluegrass Distillers
- James Pepper Distillery
- Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.
- Lexington Distillery District
- RD1 Spirits
- Wild Turkey (Lawrenceburg)
- Woodford Reserve (Lawrenceburg)

Yelp Collection Map Link

Louisville, KY: Things to Do

Louisville Sights:

- Belle of Louisville
- Bowman Field
- Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby 1st weekend in May)
- Colonel Sanders’ Grave
- Eastern Cemetery (abandoned)
- Gallop to Glory (Jockey Walk of Fame)
- Golden Statue of David
- Kentucky Derby Museum
- Louisville Slugger Museum
- Muhammad Ali Gravesite
- Muhammad Ali Museum
- Thomas Edison House
- Waverly Hills Sanatorium
- Zachary Taylor House

Louisville Touring:

Louisville Distillery Tastings/Tours:

- Angel’s Envy
- Copper & Kings
- Evan Williams
- Kentucky Peerless
- Kentucky Artisan
- Jim Beam
- Michters
- Moonshine University
- Old Forester
- Prohibition Craft Spirits
- Rabbit Hole
- Stitzel Weller
- Bulleit (Shelbyville)
- Jeptha Creed (Shelbyville)
- Buffalo Trace (Frankfort)
- Three Boys (Frankfort)

Bardstown Sights:

Bardstown Touring:

Bardstown Distillery Tastings/Tours:

Tampa, FL: Things to Do

Museums

- Henry B. Plant Museum – Tampa
- Tampa Baseball Museum – Tampa
- Ybor City State Museum – Ybor City

Sights

- Busch Gardens – Tampa
- Dysfunctional Grace Art Company – Ybor City
- Florida Aquarium – Tampa
- Italian Club – Ybor City
- Italian Club Cemetery – Ybor city
- St. Pete Saturday Market – St. Pete
- Ybor City Saturday Market – Ybor City
- ZooTampa at Lowry Park – Tampa

Tours

- 82 West Rum Tour – Tampa
- City Mafia Tour – Ybor City
- Florida Cane Distillery Tour – Ybor City
- J.C. Newman Cigar Tour – Ybor City
- Jungle Prada Site History Tour – St. Pete
- Pirate Tiki Water Tours – Tampa
- Tabanero Cigar Tour – Ybor City
- Tampa Bay Rum Distillery Tour – Ybor City
- Tampa Water Taxi Harbor & History Tour – Tampa
- Ybor City Historic Walking Tours – Ybor City

Miami, FL: Things to Do

- Art Deco Tours, Miami Beach
- Colony Theater (live productions), Miami Beach
- Hialeah Park Race Track & Casino, Hialeah
- Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach
- Jewish Museum of Florida, Miami Beach
- Liquor Lounge (Disco & Adult Beverages), Miami Beach
- Miami Design Preserv. League’s Official Art Deco Tour, Miami Beach
- Venetian Pool, Coral Gables
- Yesterday and Today Records, Miami

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Washington DC: Things to Do

When I visited Washington DC as an adult, it had a profound effect on me. I didn’t get to tour all of the places below, but I was able to visit over half. I will experience the rest on my next visit. My absolutely favorite place was the Newseum, which closed at the end of 2019. I have high hopes that it will open again.

- Arlington National Cemetery
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- Decatur House on Lafayette Square
- FDR Memorial
- FBI (Tickets needed in advance)
- International Spy Museum
- Jefferson Memorial
- Library of Congress
- Lincoln Memorial
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
- National Geographic Museum
- National WWII Memorial
- Newseum (now closed)
- Pentagon (Special request)
- President Lincoln’s Cottage
- Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Smithsonian National Postal Museum
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Capitol
- United States Holocaust Memorial & Museum
- United States Mint
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Washington Monument
- White House (Special request)

There are many walking (and other) tours to take in DC, but I had one of the best walking tours in my life with DC Design Tours. They offer historical tours with a focus on architecture, urban planning and design.

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San Diego, CA: Things to Do

Museums, Music and Animals!

- Belmont Park (Historic Oceanfront Amusement Park)
- The Casbah (Music Venue)
- Coronado Bridge (“Suicide” bridge)
- Coronado Island (Founded in the 1880’s)
- Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum (Marines!)
- Haunted Hotel (Scaring patrons for 27 years!)
- Junipero Serra Museum (1st settlement in California)
- Maritime Museum of San Diego (San Diego Port)
- Old Town San Diego (Established 1769)
- San Diego Air & Space Museum (Aviation in Historic Building)
- San Diego Zoo (3500 animals; 650 species)
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Choose your safari!)
- SeaWorld San Diego (Oceanarium, aquarium & marine mammal park)
- USS Midway Museum (San Diego Port)

Walking, Water & Other Tours!

- Another Side of San Diego (personalized walking tours)
- Flagship Cruises (Harbor cruises, some with food)
- Hornblower Cruises (Harbor cruises, some with food)
- Old Town Trolley Tours (Hop on/Hop off anytime!)
- Viator (good source for many tour options)

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Philadelphia, PA: Things to Do

The rich history in this city includes intriguing museums and deeply important walking tours:

Museums (Indoor/Outdoor):

- Battleship New Jersey
- Betsy Ross House
- Carpenter’s Hall
- Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
- Fort Mifflin
- Franklin Institute (for science nerds)
- Benjamin Franklin Museum
- Independence Hall
- Liberty Bell Center
- Museum of the American Revolution
- Mutter Museum (for medical nerds)
- National Constitution Center
- National Liberty Museum
- Penn’s Landing
- Penn Museum (Archaeology)
- Philadelphia 9th St. Italian Market
- Reading Terminal Market
- Shofuso (Japanese Garden)
- United States Mint

Walking Tours – Many to choose from:

- Constitution Walking Tour (local)
- Context Travel (worldwide)
- Franklin’s Footsteps Colonial Walking Tour (local)
- Philadelphia Trolly Works (local)
- Viator (worldwide)

Events – The Philadelphia Folk Festival in August has been happening for almost 60 years! Worth the experience!

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Palm Springs, CA: Things to Do

For such a “quiet” community, there is plenty of history to see in Palm Springs and the surrounding areas:

Concert Venues/Live Music

- Agua Caliente Casino (Several locations)
- Castelli’s (Palm Desert Piano Bar)
- Fantasy Springs Resort Casino (Indio)
- Melvyn’s (Palm Springs Piano Bar)
- Morongo Casino Resort (Cabazon)
- The Nest (Indian Wells Live Entertainment)
- Pechanga Resort Casino (Temecula)
- Purple Room (@ Club Trinidad, Palm Springs)
- Retro Room Lounge (Palm Springs)
- Spotlight 29 Casino (Coachella)
- Toucans Tiki Lounge (Palm Springs Drag Shows)
- Vicky’s of Sante Fe (Indian Wells Live Entertainment)

Museums

- Agua Caliente Cultural Museum (Palm Springs)
- Echo Furnishings Store (Palm Springs)
- La Quinta Museum (La Quinta)
- Palm Springs Air Museum (Palm Springs)
- Ruddy’s General Store (Palm Springs)

Tours

- Desert Memorial Park (Sinatra & friends are here)
- Elvis Presley Estate (call 760-322-3211 for tours)
- Living Desert Zoo Gardens
- Modern Tour
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
- PS Architecture Tours
- Palm Springs Celebrity Tours
- Palm Springs Historical Society Walking Tours
- Palm Springs Mod Squad (architecture tour)
- Sunnylands Center & Gardens

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Key West, FL: Things to do

Things to do year-round – Yes, it’s an island, but it’s full of life and history… lots of history:

- Dry Tortugas National Park (day trip by water)
- Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum
- Graffitti Menswear (Pan Am Memorabilia)
- Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum
- Hemingway Rum Company
- Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory
- Key West First Legal Rum Distillery
- Key West Historical Memorial Sculpture Garden
- Key West Lighthouse & Keepers Quarters Museum
- Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum
- Key West Theater (Live performances year round)
- Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
- Old Town Fitness (Old school neighborhood gym to stay fit)
- Robert the Doll Experience
- Sebago Watersports (Sailing water tours!)
- USCGC Ingham Memorial Museum

Things to do seasonally – Two amazing music festivals each year, celebrating singer/songwriters are an excellent reason to visit:

- Key West Songwriters Festival (May)
- Trop Rock’N Duval (November)

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