Intelligent Travel

Arkansas: Sweet Mountain Music

Friend of IT Gerard Matthews sends along a tip on the best place to find some bluegrass in the hills of Arkansas.

Tucked away in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, between clear mountain streams and canopy-covered hiking trails, lies a small town where people come together to sit a spell, eat down-home cooking and pick a little old-time music. A folk or country music festival isn’t such a rare thing in the South, but in Mountain View, Arkansas, you can hear sweet gospel music, or lightning-fast bluegrass licks almost any day of the week, so long as the weather’s nice. 

To say that Mountain View (population 3,000) is small might be a bit of an understatement, but from April to November the town square quite literally hums with excitement. The breeze up in the mountains smells like honeysuckle and feels good after a long, humid day. And in the center of town, as afternoon lulls into evening, the crowds begin to gather around the old courthouse, and local musicians—farmers, teachers, accountants, civil servants, shopkeepers, housewives, and their families—make their way to the surrounding town square, instruments in tow.       

“On a regular night, there’s at least 100 musicians out there on the square. It’s like a festival, but it’s a little different ‘cause it’s something that we’re all used to," says Dean Hinesley. "It’s really just a hunger and a craving that we have to take care of from time to time.”

Hinesley is a banjo picker who also plays the guitar, stand-up bass, mandolin, and fiddle (although never plays the fiddle in public, he says), is a fixture around the Stone County Courthouse on Friday and Saturday nights, and occasionally during the week, if he and his buddies get the itch. He’s 70 years old and has been playing music “for all but about ten of those.” 

As musicians sit in small groups of five, six, or seven, taking turns yelling out the names of songs everybody knows, music lovers can walk from group to group, enjoying a glass of lemonade or basket of fried green tomatoes from the local vendors. Old couples sit in lawn chairs and young children chase each other in circles or play in the grass. The music scene here has become a favorite for out-of-towners over the past few years, but the people of Stone County have been pickin’ and grinnin’ for decades.

Babar the Globetrotting Elephant

Continuing our coverage of childhood nostalgia that has inspired us to travel, friend of IT Amelia Mularz sends us a dispatch from the wilds of New York City, where a venerable elephant has taken up residence for the next few months.

In a world inhabited by Bratz dolls, it’s nice to be reminded of an old childhood classic like Babar, the globetrotting elephant. There is a certain sophistication surrounding Babar and his simple green suit that more modern day children’s characters can’t touch (we’re going to ignore for the moment the fact that Babar married his cousin). Now until January 4th, The Morgan Library & Museum in New York hosts an exhibition in honor of the animal kingdom’s most famous world traveler. Drawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors takes visitors back to 1931, when the French painter Jean de Brunhoff first created Babar, then to 1946, when Laurent de Brunhoff took over several years after his father’s death.

The exhibit features the working drafts of each artist’s first Babar book, which makes for an interesting comparison in method between father and son. Not to mention, it’s fun to look back at Babar’s travels from the jungle to a Parisian-like city, on a family vacation around the world, and even into outer space. And after almost 80 years, Babar is still on the road. Just last month Laurent de Brunhoff published Babar’s USA. If only Babar could show those Bratz girls there’s a whole world outside the local mall. 

Read More: The New Yorker's Adam Gopnick recently reviewed the exhibit, and discussed the pro-colonialization interpretation of the books and the way it has fit into the canon of children's literature from the past century.

Has a storybook character from your childhood inspired you to travel? Let us know in the comments.

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Smithsonian Ocean Exhibit Grand Opening

Whether you made it to the beach or not this summer, you will definitely want to head over to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History this weekend to learn all about the unseen organisms lurking in the sand under your beach blanket…right??

Fine. Even if the fact that over half of all animal phyla are microscopic and live in sand doesn’t have you clamoring for more, a peek at the new Sant Ocean Hall will.

This Saturday, September 27th, the Ocean Hall will open to the public, but I got a look at the exhibits earlier this week. Spanning 23,000 square feet and boasting 54-foot ceilings, the Hall has a little something for everyone.

Big fan of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?

The exhibit features not one, but two giant squids – though the male looks downright small compared to the 24-foot-long female.   

Whale Lover?

The 45-foot model (above) of a North Atlantic right whale is an exact replica of Phoenix, an actual whale living in the wild. Phoenix, the model, has been dubbed the “ambassador” of the Hall – she holds a prominent position suspended from the ceiling.

National Geographic recently published a feature article on the friendly giants, (pictured, right), which are endangered in the North Atlantic but flourishing in the South  Pacific.  Brian Skerry's online photo gallery accompanying the article is stunning.

Jim Henson's Fantastic World

When I was a kid, I grew up so addicted to "Sesame Street" that I was pretty well convinced that television existed for the sole purpose of showing off the antics of Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, and Oscar the Grouch. But looking back, I now credit a large swath of my cultural literacy to the program: it taught me how to count in Spanish, and that other cultures were fun and interesting (remember watching Big Bird in China and the haunting moon song from his visit to Japan?). And it introduced me to the concept of religious diversity (Shalom Sesame fascinated me with its Israeli Muppets. Who knew the Muppets were different in other places?).

All of this cultural richness stemmed from the imagination of Jim Henson, a puppeteer who helped create Sesame Street, which is in its 39th season and airs in over 120 countries around the world. The show's message of tolerance is credited as one element that bound Serbians and Albanians together in post-conflict Kosovo, and earlier this year, Northern Ireland launched their own version of the program, "Sesame Tree" which celebrates diversity and encourages children to ask questions about their world. 

It's been 18 years since Henson passed away suddenly to pneumonia, but his legacy is still kept alive spectacularly in the traveling exhibit, now at the Smithsonian, "Jim Henson's Fantastic World." I had the chance to visit last weekend (which is at the International Pavilion, appropriately enough), and it was a tremendous treat.

Arrrghh You Going to Talk Like a Pirate?

Avast, mateys, we'd be remiss if we didn't tell ye that today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, yaar! (Pirates, although often crass, smelly, and generally disreputable, were still some of the savviest sailors on the seven seas...and therefore ardent travelers.) The LA Times Daily Travel & Deal Blog has a mighty great roundup of maritime museums in California who are taking doubloons for the big day. But because the day falls on a Friday this year, lads and lassies from around the world, from Alberta to Antarctica, are planning on extending the celebration all weekend long. Check out this full list of events, grab your scabbard, and watch out, as always, for scurrrvy!!!

Photo: SDMaritime.com

Rafting on the River Salmon: Where Are the Fish?

Last week, Traveler senior editor and resident tours expert Norie Quintos wrote about her sea kayaking tour in British Columbia. This week, she writes about rafting the Lower Salmon River in Idaho. And tune in next week when she shares tips on great family vacations.

My family likes salmon. We like it sautéed, roasted, poached, and grilled. I prefer to buy the wild kind (farmed fish contain higher levels of PCBs and fish farms have been implicated in contamination of the ecosystems they reside in) but with the slowing economy whatever is on sale usually rules the day.

But I can't say we really cared about salmon. Then came our five-day family rafting trip on the Lower Salmon earlier this month with ROW Adventures, an outfitter based in Couer d'Alene, Idaho. We never quite realized it, but in the midst of all the fun we were having, we were getting quite an education.

Underwater Legoland

Traveler Contributing Editor Chris Elliott and his young associates filed this report from SEA LIFE, the brand-new Legoland underwater theme park, where taking a theme park vacation no longer means leaving your conscience at home:

When Legoland California opens its new underwater theme park, SEA LIFE, on Monday in Carlsbad, Calif., it may be closest thing we have to America's first green theme park.

Everything about SEA LIFE, from the types of fish on display to the way in which it recycles waste, exudes social responsibility. When I got a sneak peak of SEA LIFE earlier this week, I found myself standing next to a bin for recycling park tickets. I'm a regular at all of Orlando's theme parks, and I've never seen a recycling bin of any kind, let alone for tickets.

Last year, the family theme park quietly sponsored a company-wide initiative called the "Green Wave Committee" with the goal of creating a cleaner, more eco-friendly park. The result: over a year, Legoland saved 212 tons of materials from going into landfills.

Legoland already recycled water, used environmentally-friendly pest control and had transitioned to sustainable packaging for food items made in the park. The Green Wave upped the ante by aggressively encouraging park guests and employees to recycle (departments within Legoland competed to see who could recycle the most cans). The park also teamed up with San Diego Habitat for Humanity and its Cans for Habitat program to raise funds to help build an 11-unit condominium complex in Carlsbad.

Thankfully, all that social responsibility doesn't translate into a boring theme park. SEA LIFE is pretty exciting. All of the freshwater fish living in the aquarium can be found in California lakes and streams, and its cold-water marine animals are all native to the California coastline. (Alas, the aquarium wasn't fully stocked when we visited, but we were promised lots of exciting fish, including sharks.)

Whale-Watching by Kayak in British Columbia

Senior editor Norie Quintos edits Traveler's annual Tours of a Lifetime issue, which selects the 50 best guided tours of the year. So what did she do on her family vacation? She took two tours out West. This week she blogs about sea kayaking in British Columbia; next week, rafting on Idaho’s Salmon River. And the following week, she'll share tips on planning a great family trip.

It took three flights and an hour-long boat ride from northern Vancouver Island to get to Hurst Island, in the heart of one of British Columbia’s newest provincial parks, God’s Pocket. There, a charming seven-room lodge at the water’s edge served as our base for exploring the area by kayak.

I’ve kayaked before, but no way was I going to do it in unfamiliar (not to mention sea mammal-laden) waters, and with two kids in tow. This was a job for an expert outfitter and the one I called on was Sea Kayak Adventures, which has been guiding trips to this area since 1993. The Couer-d’Alene-based company also runs trips to Baja in winter.

The kids weren’t so keen on encountering Shamu up close, but I was fixated on seeing orcas. So it came as a bit of a shock that during the entire five-day trip, we saw not a one. Not. A. One. Apparently, wild orcas, unlike their unfortunate caged brethren at SeaWorld, don’t perform on a schedule, which is why all whale-watching tour operators in the region, including ours, never guarantee sightings.

But we did spot something else in the water. And that something else turned out to be just as awesome and thrilling. Huge humpback whales, hunted to near extinction and a rare sight in this former whaling area, have made a dramatic comeback in the last decade.

We spotted several humpbacks, including a mother and calf that entered the cove at the entrance to the lodge. However, the encounter that made chills run down my spine was kayaking on Browning Passage and hearing behind us the forceful exhalation of air through the blowhole of one of these otherwise silent creatures—like Darth Vader, but friendlier. Is there anyone who can listen to the breath of that gentle giant (which might have gone the way of the dodo) and not become an instant environmentalist?

Strange Planet: Butter Art in Iowa

Well folks, we're now into the month of August, and the long-awaited Beijing Olympics are upon us. But don't let the hoopla of the opening ceremonies overshadow another great tradition, the Iowa Fair, which runs August 7-17. And while sports such as swimming and track take center stage at the Olympics, the Iowa State Fair sports a popular attraction all its own: butter sculpting.

The famous "Butter Cow" (pictured) has been an icon of the Iowa Fair since 1911. These days, there's a freshly carved cow each year, along with original sculptures of international and regional icons (read: Tiger Woods, Elvis Presley, and Harry Potter). The figures were all sculpted from 1960 to 2005 by the buttery hands of Norma Lyon, better known hereabouts as the "Butter Cow Lady." The star of her sport has since passed the tradition down to her apprentice Sarah Pratt, who became the fair's fourth official butter sculptor.

Butter sculptures (even butter cows!) have spread to other state fairs in past decades (the REAL "Butter Cow Lady" has even been known to cross state lines to create butter udders for them), but this tradition can hardly claim its roots in the Midwest. Butter sculpting originated in Tibet (hey, a quasi-Olympic connection), where Tibetan monks used yak butter to create animals and deities for worship.

And in another Olympic connection, this year's butter sculpture specialty will be of Olympic gymnastics team member Shawn Johnson from Des Moines, who may be able to churn butter into gold.

Photo: The Iowa State Fair

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Jenss Family Travels: Tourists in Quebec City

Besides "crazy" I’ve been called lots of things for willingly leaving my job and traveling around the world for a year with my wife and two young boys. Adventurous, courageous, brave—even fortunate—were other adjectives used that I personally think better describe the situation. I prefer being labeled as an "explorer," "adventure seeker," or just plain old "world traveler" myself. The word "tourist" had never even entered the vocabulary. Well that’s exactly what we were transformed into the moment we arrived in Quebec City, staring blankly at a road atlas and asking directions in English in a French-speaking town.

Carol and I had been to Quebec City’s old town several years earlier for Winter Carnival, where the city becomes a sort of North Pole for revelers, complete with snow sculptures, ice climbing walls, dogsled rides, plenty of alcohol to warm the spirits, and a snow bath where the participants are dressed only in bathing suits. I did mention it was winter and there was alcohol involved, right? Well, needless to say, Carol and I didn’t pack the proper clothing for this event, so I think, like us, very few tourists took part. This time, we arrive in 80-degree temperatures, but still with plenty of people crowding the walled city for fun and amusement. It turns out 2008 marks Quebec’s 400th birthday, and much to our good fortune, this was the week the province celebrated with Festival d’Ete de Quebec—a music festival that culminated the weekend we arrived. 

In hindsight, we seemed pretty lucky to get a B&B right smack in the middle of town and for only $100 a night to boot. That’s the payoff for having planned this itinerary well in advance! Room number six at the Hotel La Maison Demers fit all four of us, no problem, with two queen beds, although it gave us our first true taste of quality family time. No privacy in this joint! But no need to be indoors when there was so much going on.