Some say the town of Mayberry, N.C., existed only on a television lot in Hollywood. Others insist it is a state of mind more than a physical location. But Mayberry does exist — in Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, … Continue reading →
Imagine a place so pristine and idyllic its signal character of perfection is also its most prominent target for criticism. Welcome to the “too good to be true” master-planned community of Celebration, Fla., population 7,427. “Town” is not exactly the … Continue reading →
Some of the notable denizens of Virginia, Minn., are larger than life. Literally larger than life. They are emblazoned up to 20 feet tall on the city’s colorful and impressive murals, concentrated within a five-by-five block area downtown. The eight … Continue reading →
Nestled serenely among the picturesque Smoky Mountains lies Gatlinburg, Tenn., its 4,200 residents and the largest collection of salt and pepper shakers in the world. The collection started about three decades ago with a single pepper mill. “We did not … Continue reading →
Blackville, S.C., boasts perhaps the world’s only parcel of land owned by God. God’s Acre Healing Springs is a small parcel of damp sod 3 1/2 miles north of downtown. The attraction sports about a dozen taps a couple feet … Continue reading →
His nickname was Tıny. Hıs influence was gigantic. William “Tiny” Zehnder (1919-2006) grew up in the restaurant business. When he was 8 years old, his parents traded in their family farm to purchase a hotel in nearby Frankenmuth, Mich. They … Continue reading →
What makes for a successful globally acclaimed museum? In the case of the National Mustard Museum in Middletown, Wis., the ingredients included a heartbreaking World Series loss, an all-night supermarket and a mysterious disembodied voice. During the wee hours of … Continue reading →
It takes a hero to wade soul-deep into a miasma of death and laboriously rescue victims teetering on the abyss. Dr. John Jay Terrell was that kind of a hero. The good doctor volunteered to staff the first of 39 … Continue reading →
Two millennia of Native American culture and customs are always front and center in and around Chillicothe, Ohio. The city of 21,725 is bounded north and south by the largest concentration of American Indian burial mounds in the nation. The … Continue reading →
On March 22, 1980, next to a cow pasture north of Elberton, Ga., a mysterious white-haired gentlemen, who pseudonymically dubbed himself Robert C. Christian, unveiled perhaps the most enigmatic monuments ever erected in America. The granite multi-stone monolith’s origin is … Continue reading →
One could understandably assert it is not an everyday occurrence to climb over a pile of radioactive waste and live to tell about it, none the worse for wear. One would be wrong. The Weldon Spring, Mo., Nuclear Waste Adventure … Continue reading →
