1743. Go to De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton

 When I saw that De Soto National Memorial was in Bradenton and the Pirates play in Bradenton, I knew we were swing by De Soto National Monument before the baseball game. 

De Soto National Memorial honors the landing of Conquistador Hernando de Soto and his army of soldiers, craftsmen, and clergy in 1539. The Monument is open 8-5 every day except holidays with the visitor center being open 9-5. It is on the bay and all the way on the edge of Bradenton. 

The Visitor Center has a small museum to learn about De Soto and the Spanish Conquistadors. There is an opportunity to dress up as a Spanish Conquistador. The hubby wouldn't let me put on anything more than a hat. 

Majority of the park is outside. There is a Nature Trail that winds along the shoreline and is about a mile long. There is a shorter trail as well. The first part of the trail is all boardwalk and then it is sand. The hubby vetoed the sand trail so we did not explore much of the short trail. Along the trail are interpretive signs that tell you about what De Soto would have encountered. 

There is the Living History Camp which is open January-April Thursday-Sunday. We were there on Wednesday so it was not open. There were also concerned about Red Tide so they were not sure if they were going to be any interpreters while Red Tide was present.

Red Tide is a harmful algal bloom that affects people with breathing problems. It is supposed to have a horrible smell but we thought it didn't smell any worse than Lake Winnebago in summer. 

You can also do a ranger lead Kayak tour from June-October. That would be cool to do but the hubby wouldn't do it. You can also launch your own kayak and canoes from the beaches.

De Soto Monument is also pet friendly so you will see dogs on trails. 

There is also a small display on the housing that De Soto would have lived in across from the visitor center. 

There is a lot to do at De Soto Memorial and you can chose to do as little or as much as you want. We only saw a portion of the park but I would love to hike the whole trail or even do a kayak tour.

6793. Go to Ford’s Garage

 Some times the hubby has suggestions of places to see or places to eat at when we travel. He wills say we need to and name something we need to do. I always write these down and try to remember them when I start planning a trip. One of the suggestions he had was go to Ford's Garage. 

Ford's Garage is a neighborhood burger and beer joint that has several locations around the country mainly in Florida. After a quick Google search, I saw several locations around where we were going to be in Florida. As I started to plan the trip, I saw there was in St. Petersburg not too far from Tropicana Field so I planned for us to have an early dinner at Ford's Garage between the Rays and Yankee games. 

The hubby saw Ford's Garage on a twitter post from @TheBoggsTavern. All the restaurants are decked out in Ford memorabilia. There is a lot of car details through the restaurant as well. The napkins are old. blue car rags. I wish I took more pictures especially in the bathroom. The sinks were old tires and you had turn the clamps to turn the water one. I stood there for several minutes trying to figure out how to get the water on.

The food was amazing. The hubby ordered a regular cheeseburger. I love the Ford's Garage Iron Brand on the buns.

I really didn't want a 1/2 lb. burger. I was not that hungry. All their burgers are 1/2 lb. burgers. I saw the BBQ Brisket Burger -- Cheese, Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Brisket, Bacon, and Onion Straws. It said nothing about actually coming on top of a burger. I seriously thought I was getting brisket on a bun with BBQ sauce, bacon, and onion straws. I was wrong. It was all that on top of a 1/2 lb. burger. 

Let's just say it was amazing. I am so glad I went with it even if I could not finish the last two bits. It was messy but that's what napkins are for. 

We will definitely come back again. It was that good. Prices were reasonable for what you got not really any pricier than Cinders or Red Robin. They were definitely way better than Red Robin. I'd say check them out if you ever find especially if you are Ford person. You'll love all the old Ford and car stuff.

Exploring the St. Pete Pier

 After we finished exploring the St. Petersburg History Museum, we had some time left on the meter so we decided to check out the Pier. 

Since it was early in the day on a Monday, St. Pete Pier was not really busy. The pier tends to be busier later in the day and week. There are vendors along the marketplace and other happenings. It was pretty quiet while we were there. 

We walked down the pier a bit and took some pictures. We really just enjoyed the scenery. I find walking on the beach or pier to be calming.

There is a small beach and playground area neither of which was very busy. 

The pier scene is not really the hubby's cup of tea. If I was by myself or a group of friends we totally would have had a blast on the pier. Heck, I probably would have fed the meter more money to have more time exploring.

Definitely check out the pier if you are ever in the area. The whole area is worth checking out. Do not give it 10-15 minutes like we did. I should have budgeted more time to exploring the pier.

1748. Go to the St. Petersburg Museum of History

 When we go to spring training, we try to do something touristy before the game each day. With the teams spread out in Florida more than they are in Arizona, I focused on the city we were going to be in that day. 

Since we were going to be in Tampa/St. Pete for the Rays game, I really wanted to go to the Tampa Baseball Museum. Unfortunately, they are closed on Mondays. I started searching for things to do in the area that the hubby would agree on. Browsing Roadside America, I discovered the World's Largest Collection of Autographed Baseballs was at the St. Petersburg Museum of History which was open on Mondays. 

The St. Petersburg Museum of History is located on the edge of the St. Petersburg Pier area. It is open Mon-Sat 10-5 and Sunday 12-5. Don't go to the Museum of Fine Arts. They are closed on Mondays. Both museums are within a block of each other and if you're not paying attention, like I was, you may go to the wrong one and be turned away. The cost is $15/adult. I found a Groupon deal for $17 for both us. 

It is not a large museum. There are only Five exhibits and several of them are small. 

The changing exhibit is currently Civil Rights in the Sunshine State. It was interesting but not really my cup of tea. I find the Civil Rights depressing as in the way the blacks were treated/mistreated over the years. Maybe I just have not found the right exhibit yet. Civil Rights in the Sunshine State was very well one and very informative.

One of my Favorite Exhibits was the Odditorium. It was a like a mini Ripley's Believe It or Not. There was a lot of interesting artifacts that found their way to the St. Petersburg area throughout the years including a mummy, 2 headed calf, and 2 headed chicken.

The Sunshine City Gallery has a collection of artifacts from St. Petersburg past.

The Piers Through the Years is a collection of photographs of the different piers in St. Petersburg. It is a small exhibit.

Our favorite exhibit and the one we came here for was Schrader's Little Cooperstown. Inside the two room exhibit there are over 5000 signed baseballs. They range from baseball players and managers to celebrities and politicians. It was quite the collection. It was fun seeing all the different people he had sign baseballs. I am a bit sad to see he did not have a Bob Uecker ball though. 

This was the perfect museum to visit before the Rays game at Tropicana Field. It's only about 2 miles away from the Trop so easily walkable if you so inclined. It is a definite must see if you are in the area. I would definitely go back and see what new baseballs are in the collection.

4478. Go to Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro

 Someone posted in one of my Facebook groups that they stopped at Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee on their way to Florida. I realized it wasn't that much of a detour and actually helped us by-pass Nashville. We really didn't want to get stuck in Nashville traffic on a Friday afternoon. The only problem was going to be timing. I wasn't sure if we'd get there before it closed. On paper it looked good possible, especially after we changed our travel plans due to weather, but you never know.

Stones River National Battlefield is a Civil War Battlefield located about half hour southeast of Nashville. The Visitor Center is open 9-5 and the Park Tour Road is open 8-5. 

As we were driving to the Visitor Center, I noticed the road was part of the Trail of Tears which means the Trail of Tears goes almost through the battlefield. I did get my Trail of Tears stamp.  Even though we didn't spend much time on that road, it was a still a piece of history I was able to briefly visit. One day I hope to explore more. 

After checking out the visitor center, we were short on time. So we drove over to the cemetery which I really wanted to see. A tree from the windstorm earlier in the day fell over but didn't do any damage.

We then drove over to stop 2 on the Park Tour Road to see the Slaughter Pen which was the big battle. There is a nice trail (short) trail through the slaughter pen but due to time constraints I briefly checked it out and snapped a few pictures.

We did not get the full experience of the battle field and that's okay. Maybe another trip. We made use of the time we had. The hubby got a stretch break and I got another passport stamp. It was a much better experience than I expected as I am not one to seek out battlefields. I did manage to do the things I wanted: See the cemetery, the Slaughter Pen, and a cannon. It was a good stop.

If you are in the area check it out. It's not that far off the beaten path and you can explore as little or as much as you want. Even the displays in the Visitor Center are very informative.

2372. Go to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City

 Besides George Rogers Clark NHP, the only other National Park site I had left to visit in Indiana was Lincoln Boyhood Home. I know I was to Lincoln's birthplace as a kid but have vague memories if we also stopped at his boyhood home. Since Lincoln's Boyhood Home was about an hour from George Rogers Clark NHP, it made sense to hit them together.

Lincoln Boyhood Home National Memorial is in Lincoln City, IN. The grounds are open sunrise to sunset year round. The visitor center is open 9-4 CST and closes for an hour at lunch time.

The visitor center has two main halls one that depicts the life of the Lincolns in rural Indiana in the early 1800s. The other is set up as a church from that time period. Both include artifacts and descriptions of the use. Both are worth looking through. 

Because the weather was not very cooperative, we did not walk the trails to the grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, the Trail of Twelve Stones, or Boyhood Trail. The Living Historical Farm does not open until Mid-April. I would have loved to walk the Trail of Twelve stones or at least make it to the grave but not in the pouring rain. The hubby isn't keen on walking in the woods anyways. 

Because we got stuck inside during the thunderstorm, we actually view the 20 minute film. I am not one for films but this one was good despite the cheesy actors. It gives you a good insight into Abraham Lincoln's life growing up in the wilds of Indiana. 

The Lincoln Boyhood home can be a great stretch break stop on your way to Nashville . It got us off the interstate for a bit and made for a nice leisurely drive even in the rain. It is definitely worth checking out especially in the summer when you can get the full experience. 

2379. Go to George Rogers Clark National Historical Park

 When planning our trip to Florida, I knew I wanted to knock off the rest of the Indiana National Park Sites since they were kind of on the way and wouldn't take that long to visit. George Rogers Clark National Historic Park was our first stop.

George Rogers Clark National Historic Park is located in Vincennes, IN which is in Eastern time. It is open 9-5 daily but double check since they are closed on holidays. It is a small national park site. It includes the visitor center and the monument. There are also trails to explore along the Wabash River.

The Visitor Center has a 30 minute movie about George Rogers Clark. We passed mainly because we didn't have 30 minutes to spare. There are a few displays about George Rogers Clark, the fort, and history of the British stronghold during the Revolutionary War. 

After exploring the Visitor Center, a ranger will take you to the monument which is short walk. The monument is only open when a ranger is present so it's best to go to the visitor center first. The monument is a tribute to the George Rogers Clark and how he defeated the British at the Fort. The Jefferson Memorial in DC is modeled after this memorial. Inside the memorial are several paintings depicting the history of the fort during the Revolutionary War. 

I learned a lot. I told the hubby he wasn't expecting a history lesson but that's what we got. I never knew the Revolutionary War was fought beyond the 13 colonies and into the Northwest Territory. The ranger was full of information and we could have spent a lot more time hear listening to it all.  

Even though it is a small park, don't underestimate what you will find here. It was a great stop and I was glad we did stop. If you are ever in the area check it out.