"Midwest Living" editors share their off-the-beaten path discoveries. Full-color photos and maps that locate featured towns at a glance illustrate this guidebook. Spiral binding, handy glove-box size, and sturdy pages make this the perfect take-along guide. Travel Guide sections put trip planning information at reader's fingertips, including lodgings, restaurants, attractions, and local information contacts. 112 color photos and 20 illustrations.
Do you like small towns, places off the beaten path, trips down memory lane? Ever wonder if old-fashioned values are still alive in America? Then kick back, unwind, and hop onboard with travel writer Bill Graves as he takes you On the Back Roads. Graves has a knack for finding the quirky, the offbeat in some of the most obscure, yet fascinating, small towns on the map. Among the places and faces he discovers: a town where it's against the law not to own a gun, a town famous for its split pea soup, the wise 83-year-old Emmy who camps alone in the dessert, and a man who hunts live ants for a living. The list goes on! Retired and free to roam in his motorhome, the &“RV Author,&” Bill Graves, logs 40,000 miles through the western states of California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.
Small Town is a fictional story of a familys generational navigation through the Jim Crow South. The book is a collection of fictional stories woven together to describe the lives, times, and struggles of a black family living in the Deep South in a climate of racial animus. Three generations of family members experiences are depicted in a plethora of colorful characters. The only thing that helped this family through precarious and challenging times was their faith, family, and friends. Ultimately, the book Small Town shows us that no matter what we encounter or embark on in life, we can achieve and be successful under even the most distressful circumstances. This familys accomplishments were typical of a generation of people who were persistent and who instilled perseverance in their children, passed down from generation to generation. The Southern town where the setting of the book is depicted is a typical southern small town as they existed after the Civil War Reconstruction. Small Town refers not only to the population of the Southern town but also its mentality. Small towns were microcosms of the racist and white-supremacist attitudes that were pervasive below the Mason-Dixon line before and after landmark civil rights legislations. Rumors and rumors of rumors were a constant in this environment. Everyone knew your comings and goings in this small American town, and similarly, just like the major cities, only a few prominent families dictated who would be the haves and the have-nots. The fictional family in this book displayed the balance and flexibility to walk the tightrope of race and bigotry to maintain a social status that was rare and unique for black families in the Deep South. Religion and education were the foundations for this family and were their main weapons against any adversity that they encountered.
A revealing examination of small-town life More than thirty million Americans live in small, out-of-the-way places. Many of them could have joined the vast majority of Americans who live in cities and suburbs. They could live closer to more lucrative careers and convenient shopping, a wider range of educational opportunities, and more robust health care. But they have opted to live differently. In Small-Town America, we meet factory workers, shop owners, retirees, teachers, clergy, and mayors—residents who show neighborliness in small ways, but who also worry about everything from school closings and their children's futures to the ups and downs of the local economy. Drawing on more than seven hundred in-depth interviews in hundreds of towns across America and three decades of census data, Robert Wuthnow shows the fragility of community in small towns. He covers a host of topics, including the symbols and rituals of small-town life, the roles of formal and informal leaders, the social role of religious congregations, the perception of moral and economic decline, and the myriad ways residents in small towns make sense of their own lives. Wuthnow also tackles difficult issues such as class and race, abortion, homosexuality, and substance abuse. Small-Town America paints a rich panorama of individuals who reside in small communities, finding that, for many people, living in a small town is an important part of self-identity.
NAMED A "BEST BOOK" BY TRAVEL & LEISURE Like its predecessor, Weekend Getaways in Louisiana and Mississippi, Mary Fonseca's new, updated version presents the same wide choices for excursions that are designed for a two-to-three day stay. Covering cities large and small from Houma to Ruston, from Natchitoches to Lake Charles and in between, it includes Cajun music festivals, historic state capitals, antebellum plantations, swamp tours, outdoor adventures, and much more. Specific entries for lodgings, restaurants, and attractions list addresses, phone numbers, shopping, guide services, major annual events, and traveling instructions. Selected maps also help guide the way to overnight and three-day vacations in one of the Deep South's most interesting states. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Fonseca is a freelance writer who frequently speaks to various clubs, organizations, and travel groups. She has written several cover stories for Louisiana Life, including seven pieces of a series entitled "Say 'Yes' to Louisiana," which won first-place honors from the Press Club of New Orleans. Additionally, her writing and features have appeared in Americana, Nation's Business, Traveler, Vista USA, Mississippi, and other leading publications.
A Small Town's Legacies takes the reader on an historical journey that begins in the 1700s with early settlers building homesteads in the swampy wilderness of Northwest Pennsylvania. Their experiences of hardships, ingenuity, and bravery enabled these stalwart people to survive and create a thriving community first known as Coniot. The early residents of Espyville and the generations that followed adopted resourcefulness that allowed them to implement ideas new to the American way of life. A century and a half before Pymatuning Lake put Espyville on the map, the inhabitants had already established their imprint on America. This is the story of the people who chose to live in a small town in America and the legacies they entrusted to future generations.
"Hidden Gems: Discovering the Best Small Towns in America" is a comprehensive guidebook that takes readers on a journey to some of the most charming and picturesque small towns across the United States. The book showcases a carefully curated selection of towns that offer visitors a unique blend of natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant culture, yet are often overlooked by travelers in favor of larger, more well-known destinations. Through captivating descriptions and stunning photography, readers will be transported to each town, getting a feel for its character, atmosphere, and must-see attractions.In addition to exploring the towns themselves, "Hidden Gems" also provides practical information for travelers, including highly recommended dining and lodging options, as well as tips on local events and activities. Whether readers are planning a weekend getaway or a longer road trip, this guidebook will inspire them to seek out these hidden gems and discover the best small towns that America has to offer.
Monday can wait! Take a break from the chaos with a perfectly planned upstate getaway The Hudson Valley and Catskills are destinations New Yorkers can’t get enough of. Unlike typical travel guides, Easy Weekend Getaways in the Hudson Valley & Catskills ditches the well-worn antiquing, golfing, and family-friendly activities for a focus on what’s really drawing creative and trend-forward travelers up north—experimental art, incredible agriculture, action-packed outdoor adventures, artisanal producers and makers, bizarre and fascinating historical attractions, rustic-chic bed and breakfasts, holistic retreats, and more, all hidden within a stunning landscape that delights year-round. While these regions continue to gain popularity with city-dwellers, trying to make a break for it has always been a complicated DIY process. This guide takes the work out of piecing together an itinerary so that overworked travel-obsessives can get the most out of their precious time off with these curated upstate getaways.
Perfectly planned year-round getaways from the nation’s capital Washington, DC, is within striking distance of all types of adventures. You can read by the ocean one weekend and hike mountains in Shenandoah National Park or visit a Civil War battlefield the next. Add a booming local wine and beer scene and there are now more reasons to get out town than ever before. This book is an idea generator for exciting ways to spend a weekend outside the city. It’s a curated menu of trips, from wine tasting escapes to stress- bashing hikes to lake house trips with your crew. You can use this guide as a checklist of cool DC-adjacent getaways to tick off, or play weekend roulette— just close your eyes, flip the pages, and pick an adventure, including: • Beach and Bay Escapes • Outdoorsy Fun • Wine and Beer Trails • Small Town Vibes • Living History • Destination Stays
THE RAINBOW'S END MATCHMAKERS WERE PLACING THEIR BETS! Twenty years ago Maggie Callahan was crazy in love with handsome Zachary Tate. Still, too young to tie herself down, she'd fled her small Texas town for glamorous Manhattan, secretly bereft that her beloved hadn't begged her to stay. Now, though, Maggie was back for a spell. And confronting thoroughly masculine Zach, a sweet-talkin' single dad and upright, downright desirable sheriff, made her hometown—and her hopes—sparkle anew. But would Zach propose this time—and finally make her a happy, small-town wife and mom? Or would Maggie once again leave her heart at Rainbow's End?
