| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| cowgirlandboys |
Posted - Apr 05 2009 : 9:06:16 PM
I would love for MJs next book to include some great farmgirl places to visit (besides the farm of course). Here in Missouri you can't get any more farmgirl than Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Mansfield Mo. It is a four hour drive from St. Louis, 3 hours from Kansas City, and well worth the trip. Not only do you get to tour her house (kitchen is absolutely fascinating) of her main house, but that of the rock house (built for her and her husband by their daughter for their "old age). The museum features many of Laura's possessions like her sewing(she was quite good with a needle) and other things, like her cookbook put together with leftover pages of her husband's business books. There are several family items from her mother and in-laws. There are also many items belonging to Rose Wilder Lane who is an absolute farmgirl in her own right (she would not accept a ration book during WWII because she believe every good American should be able to grow most of their own food-- and she did! She was retirement age during the war). The gift shop has lots of neat items, such as kits for putting together rag dolls and other children's toys, and copies of writings by both Laura (besides the Little House books, she also wrote a column for the local paper from a farmwife point of view) and her daughter Rose. Neatest thing I found were little glueable book owner slips with Laura's picture and signature. Very cool place, cheap to get in, and lots of opportunity to get some exercise (Missouri hills!)
This is only one of the many very cool farmgirl places that is fun to visit and maybe being featured in MJ books would give them the much needed press they need to stay open during these times of economic strain felt by non profits like this little Little House reservation.
Happy Trails!
Rachael
Farmgirl Sister #535 |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lovelady |
Posted - Sep 02 2009 : 04:00:21 AM
Bonnie! I must find that magazine! I am actually at my parents house a bit north of Bonaparte right now. The Dutchmen's Store has got to be one of my favorite places to shop. How cool that it used to be in your family! The Villages of Van Buren are definitely a Farmgirl kind of place. There is a big antique store next to the Retreat that has delicious fudge, too! |
| Bonnie Ellis |
Posted - Sep 01 2009 : 8:50:50 PM
/thus /sept.-October issue of Midwest Living magazine there is an article about SE Iowa and the cities of Bentonsport, Bonapart and Cantril, Iowa. It is a very picturesque place, very little traffic, along the Des Moines River. At Cantril is a Mennonite store called the Dutchman's Store. They sell organic food, plants, work boots, clothes, quilt fabric, games, books, etc. This building used to belong to my Grandfather who had a furniture store at the turn of the century in the building. The store is well worth going to. Fun for farmgirls because of the scenery, great restaurant in Bonaparte called Bonaparte's Retreat, antiquing and farm scenery.
Bonnie Ellis
grandmother and orphan farmgirl |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 10 2009 : 6:14:07 PM
Here's a photo from the ball at Sturdivant Hall 
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 10 2009 : 5:12:53 PM
If farmgirls like Civil War Reenactments then seeing the Battle of Selma would be a good farmgirl outing. Here's the link
http://www.battleofselma.com/ We went to this a couple of years ago. They have a dance at a gorgeous antebellum home and everyone is dressed in hoop skirts and military uniforms. I wanted to be dressed up too. I think all you have to do to get in is buy tickets and of course, be properly attired.
I've seen several reenactments and I thought that this one was the best. They had quite a few cannons and it was fixed so that when they shot them there would be corresponding destruction where the cannonball would have landed. Dirt clods were flying up everywhere, trees were being toppled, even an old shack was set on fire. There was much commotion. It was festive with the cavalry riding through and messages being sent and retrieved. But in the end one of the little drummer boys gets shot and you realize that it wasn't fun and games and "playing" war. It was a bitter reminder of what horrors were perpetrated against brother, friend and countrymen during the Civil War. I wish that it hadn't happened, but I hope that people learn more about this part of our history when they view a reenactment.
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 10 2009 : 4:48:37 PM
Here's another neat place that a revolutionary farmgirl might like to visit http://americanvillage.org/ This is a link to the American Village. I have never been there, but I would like to go. Apparently, they do living history reenactments of the events that led up to the Revolutionary War and teach kids about how America won its freedom.
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 10 2009 : 4:33:24 PM
Oh, Karin! I have always wanted to go to PEI and see Green Gables. The movies filmed by Kevin Sullivan on location there make me long to see those winding red roads and blue ocean views for myself! I am a huge L.M. Montgomery fan, but of course, Anne is my favorite character of hers.
I read a book by Laura Ingalls Wilder that she wrote near the end of her life and it was just as inspiring as her "Little House" books. It may have been called "These Happy Golden Years" but it wasn't like a kids book. It was more like an autobiography or maybe a series of articles about how they were living. Anyway, it was very good and informative and made me like Laura even more. She still lived simply even though she was famous and hopefully, made a lot of money from her books.
All of the suggestions on this thread have been so good. I hope that someone is cataloging them!
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| electricdunce |
Posted - Apr 10 2009 : 3:32:07 PM
Laura Ingalls Wilder's home sounds like a great place to visit. I still reread her books every few years even though I am an old lady now...she was an amazing person and such a wonderful inspiration. It has been years since I have had a cross country road trip, that is what happens when you have a family and a garden, etc.
I visited the anne of Green Gables home in Prince Edward Island. My daughter and I loved it. She was around eight years old when we went there. My husband took our four year old son for a walk in the woods since he wasn't old enough to appreciate it, and not really civilized enough. What a treat it was to see the house, I think it belonged to L.M.Montgomery's aunt and she spent a great deal of time there as a child.
I always like the little tiny museums in some far flung places. We went to the potato museum in O'Leary ,P.E.I. the same visit, it was pretty funny. There was a barn full of farm equipment and pictures of potatoes, but just in case you found that too boring, the gift shop had a strange little exhibit of artifacts, among them a wonderful dollhouse and an iron lung. My daughter got a real kick out of that, and thank goodness, there was a swing set outside for my son while Susannah and I got to run out eyes over the merchandise...
Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
http://moodranch.blogspot.com
http://domesticnonsense.etsy.com |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Apr 10 2009 : 1:26:44 PM
No! i never did go to Rock City. Its sounds really cool. Nikki....lol....Sturgis. Never been there, but heard the stories! My ears are still ringing!! I'd love to see Hannibal (Mark Twain stuff). I'd love to have been able to see New Orleans before the flood. I just reread a book about old New Orleans for the 3rd time and it sounds spooky and romantic all in one. So cool....
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens-QMD
http://harvestthymefarm.etsy.com
http://harvestthyme.blogspot.com
~live big, ride hard, and shoot straight~ |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 08 2009 : 1:22:32 PM
Hey, Alee! Cool! I used to live in Rapid City, SD and I wanted so badly to go see Devil's Tower and never did. We did explore the Black Hills, Deadwood, Sturgis (during the bike rally, WHAT an eyefull!), Mount Rushmore, the Badlands and Wall Drug. I would love to go there again.
I would love to go to Montana! Have you seen the Wilderness Family series of movies? There are three and they were filmed back in the '70's. I think they were filmed in Montana, but just checked the cover and it said they were high in the Rockies, that's kind of vague. Anyway, the setting is what I think of when I think of Montana and it is just gorgeous. I might consider moving to where they live, except in the movies someone is nearly eaten by wild animals every five minutes. I am sure it is not like that now?
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| dkelewae |
Posted - Apr 08 2009 : 1:07:00 PM
If you make it to Missouri, Hannibal is a neat little town to visit :) Lots of Mark Twain related things, a great B&B called Lulabelle's(which used to be a working brothel back in the day), and lots of little shops.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #272
St. Peters MO
Country Girl trapped in the city!
http://farmgirldreams.blogspot.com/ |
| Alee |
Posted - Apr 08 2009 : 1:02:14 PM
Well if you guys ever come out west, come check out the Black Hills, Devil's Tower (very awesome and a good KOA near by), the Big Horn Canyon (lots of scenic look out points and points of interest), Custer Battlefield, The Yellowstone County Pictograph caves- oh my there is so much to see out here!
Just outside of my hometown there is an ancient Mammoth Kill site where they found almost completely preserved Mammoths!
There is also the Pryor Mountains which are home to some of the last herds of wild horses in America! They can often be scene from the highway that runs through them, or you can take a 4 wheel drive vehicle to almost the top of the mountain or of course horse back riding in.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Apr 08 2009 : 08:55:47 AM
check out Boyd Mountain Cabins in North Carolina near Maggie Valley. It is a working Christmas tree farm with horses, and all the cabins are restored and bonifide olde. It is a step back in time there, for sure, except there is TV.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 08 2009 : 03:09:25 AM
Hey, Dawn!
We went to Chattanooga just a couple of weeks ago. We went to Rock City and stayed at the Chanticleer B&B. Did you go to Rock City when you went to Ruby Falls? Of course, I have seen signs for it all of my life but had never been. Oh, wow! I totally enjoyed it so much! I didn't know what to expect but really, they should name it Boulder City or Gigantic Rock City. We were enchanted with all of the passageways and bridges and the little "street" signs. Everything was so green and mossy. I would not have been surprised and almost expected to see fairies and trolls and gnomes there. They were having a St. Patrick's Day celebration, so we got to learn some Irish dancing, see men in kilts, smell lamb stew (we didn't eat it) and my daughter, Oakley, got a glittery, green shamrock painted on her face.
The whole top of Lookout Mountain seems like a fairytale in the mist, a magical place with boulders in interesting formations poking up at every turn and little streams of water cascading down the mountainside. The architecture of the homes is storybook style and one can believe that Hansel and Gretel have wondered those paths and Little Red Riding Hood is on her way to her grandmother's at that very moment.
The city of Chattanooga is just a ten minute drive from there and we enjoyed the riverside scene. They have an aquarium, a really neat modern/American art museum overlooking the river, and plenty of restaurants. It is a very walkable place with something for everyone to do. Very clean and safe feeling.
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| Alee |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 7:38:04 PM
Wow! You ladies are giving me a healthy dose of wander lust!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 4:42:39 PM
I love those suggestions!
How about MJ's Farm? Hardy har har.....
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens-QMD
http://harvestthymefarm.etsy.com
http://harvestthyme.blogspot.com
~live big, ride hard, and shoot straight~ |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 2:31:42 PM
Not too far from my hometown of Springfield Illinois is New Salem, the place where Lincoln lived in early years of his adult life. Lots of log cabins and a beautiful setting.
Not too far from my home now in Tallahassee, Fl. is what used to called the Tallahassee Junior Museum. It is filled with old cabins, and animals and trails to walk....there are festivals there each year where they recreate old ways. We also have Bradley's Country Store that has yearly festivals....you can go there anytime and sit on the porch of the store and get home-made sausage. Yummy!
There are many places all over the country that are just waiting for farmgirls to visit!
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| lovelady |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 2:12:51 PM
Dawn~ You are hilarious! Dog whiz..hahaha! But I totally agree, Ruby Falls is a big let-down!
I haven't lived in Indiana very long, so I don't know many, but I think there is a living history museum just north of Indianapolis called Conner Prairie that looks like a really fun place to go, but I haven't gotten the chance to up there yet.
In Tennessee, the town of Lynchburg is really neat. Lots of antique stores and little restaurants. The Jack Daniels Distillery is just outside of town and is such a neat place. The grounds are beautiful and the tour guides are very good storytellers! Best part: Free admission and free delicious lemonade. The county is dry so you can't sample the whiskey! Just a bit down the road is the town of (I think..) Bell Buckle. Very cute town! |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 12:19:24 PM
Ultimate country music stop: Dollywood. Um... Gatlinburg is cute with all its Switzerland inspired buildings. I went to Ruby Falls in TN... what a joke. My dog could whiz off a cliff faster than that thing runs!
Hale Farm and Village in Ohio.. a real, working 1800's community.
I love this topic. need to think of more places to visit!
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens-QMD
http://harvestthymefarm.etsy.com
http://harvestthyme.blogspot.com
~live big, ride hard, and shoot straight~ |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 11:38:45 AM
LOL! Dawn! Yes, there is a Corn Palace but it is in Mitchell, South Dakota. A friend of mine went. Not to disparage it, but just the outside is covered in corn. The inside is like a normal building. Still cool to see if you happen to be driving through the area. I think they change the design every year.
One place that I thought was lots of fun and beautiful is Dahlonega, Georgia. They have u-pick apple orchards, a town full of cute shops on the square, a gold mine that you can go into and you can also pan for gold. There is a gold-mining museum right in the middle of the town. You know that saying, "Thar's GOLD in them thar hills!" Well, they were talking about the hills around Dahlonega. There is a state park lodge at Amaicalola Falls that has the most comfortable beds that I have ever slept in outside of my own. I went in the fall and you gotta know that the trees were just beautiful! I think what drews everyone there is the mild climate. It was very pleasant.
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 07:44:51 AM
Isnt there a place in Iowa made of corn? Or what about ROute 66? Dont' get more kitchsy than that!
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens-QMD
http://harvestthymefarm.etsy.com
http://harvestthyme.blogspot.com
~live big, ride hard, and shoot straight~ |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 07 2009 : 03:04:22 AM
Dawn, I'm sure that your 16-year-old will start to think you are cool in about five to ten years! The rodeo! That is totally cool mom material!
Vicky, love the Sod House! I can't believe that I have never heard of it. What a neat place! The only sod houses that I have ever seen have been in old photographs with haggard, unsmiling women standing in the doorway and dirty children sullenly looking at the camera. To me it looked like a dark, dirty cave. NOT appealing. Amazing what glass windows can do! Ha!
I have bookmarked that website into a file that I named The MaryJane Traveler.
Katie, I really like your idea of rustic getaways! And I would love to make MaryJane's Farm my next stop, but dang! That is at least a 30 hour drive or more from where I live. I am going to have to do some major selling of Idaho to my husband to convince him to make the trek.
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
| KD Earthwork |
Posted - Apr 06 2009 : 8:30:50 PM
I like this topic too.But how about more Rustic get-aways,B&B's.tent camping,maybe farmgirls w/ rentals to help supplement income.Even cut trailers in beautiful spots.Like in-expensive,or upscale but cute and rural and rustic get aways.In some place magazine or book,can't remember HuckleberryTent&Breakfast in Clark Fork,Idaho was mentioned and I've been drooling over taking a trip there,but it is two-three day drive from here.But when I finally get to Mary Jane's...next stop.
Katie |
| mndreamer |
Posted - Apr 06 2009 : 7:55:30 PM
Great topic! YAY Lehmans, we order from that catalog like most people ordered from Sears catalog!
In Minnesota, we have the Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, MN. http://www.walnutgrove.org/museum.htm Also, in nearby Sanborn, MN is a fantastic sod house that is also a bed and breakfast. That was a blast! http://www.sodhouse.org/. And down in Harmony, MN is a beautiful, quaint amish community (the largest in Minnesota) with a ton of things to do. With another Laura Ingalls museum in nearby Burr Oak, Iowa. Also in Urbandale Iowa is the fantastic living history farm http://www.lhf.org/ Every state has an amazing list of great things to see. I know I haven't discovered 1% of all the great things here in Minnesota. Great idea Rachael!!!
~Vicky~
It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
--- Laura Ingalls Wilder
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| deeredawn |
Posted - Apr 06 2009 : 6:39:35 PM
Me cool? Tell THAT to my 16yo! ROFL!
Another neat place in Ohio...(gee I ain't proud am I?) is the Fenton Glass Company over by the WV border and then Roseville Pottery in Zanesville.
I used to travel everywhere when I was young with the rodeo (andwhen I was young and it didn't hurt so much) and I saw a lot of neat places. But one thing I never did was discover my OWN STATE. So that's what I do now. I go on road trips all the time right here in Ohio and its pretty fun! We are also home to the Dum Dum Company... no thats not MY store...... haha... its those teensy suckers that you can lick in one... two.... thrrrrreee! (Okay, a tootsie roll flashback there...showing my age! heehheeee!)
Dawn #279
MJ's Heirloom Mavens-QMD
http://harvestthymefarm.etsy.com
http://harvestthyme.blogspot.com
~live big, ride hard, and shoot straight~ |
| NikkiBeaumont |
Posted - Apr 06 2009 : 6:20:45 PM
I found it! It is called Eastfield Village. The article about it is in the June 2005 Country Living magazine.
Here's the link http://www.greatamericancraftsmen.org/eastfield/eastfield.htm
This place is in central New York. Their site has a list of workshops for 2009. If you click on the building on the map you will see photos.
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
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