Five Fun Facts from the Black Heritage Trail in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been home to Africans and black Americans for more than 350 years. Celebrating its 15th year, the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail is a year-round, walking and driving tour that takes visitors to 24 designated sites where Portsmouth's black residents lived, worked, prayed and celebrated. The Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail identifies key movements and participants, such as resistance and civil rights; black women of Portsmouth; religion, enslavement and emancipation; and patriotic service. The trail connects visitors with stories and reveals that, against the odds of early enslavement and subsequent marginalization, Africans and their descendants built communities and families, founded institutions and served their town, state and nation in many capacities.

Here are five fun facts from the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail:

Slave Prince Whipple in Famous Painting. During the American Revolution, the Moffatt-Ladd House was the home of Gen. William Whipple, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that his slave, Prince Whipple, is the black soldier in the famous painting, “Washington Crossing the Delaware.” Prince Whipple was one of 20 enslaved African men in Portsmouth who petitioned the New Hampshire Legislature in 1779 for their freedom. After Prince's death in 1796, his widow, Dinah Whipple, ran a school for African children from this home for more than 20 years.

Hidden Balcony Seats for Servants. At North Church, servants once occupied balcony seats hidden from view of their white owners and neighbors sitting below.

African Burial Ground. In 2003, workers dug up a portion of Chestnut Street and discovered burial fragments from what state archaeologists later determined were 12 individuals. Early maps of Portsmouth identified a "Negro burying ground" in that area. Forensic study continues, while the city and the community decide how best to memorialize the site. The site was re-interred with appropriate respect.

People’s Baptist Church. In 1952, the Rev. Martin Luther King preached at the People's Baptist Church (est. 1908), which is still operating in a different location. This is where King first met Coretta Scott King, who sang in the choir at the event. Today, the original church is The Pearl, a reception space.

Abolitionist Leaders Appeared at Music Hall. The beautifully restored Music Hall occupies the site where black abolitionist leaders, such as William Wells Brown, Frederick Douglass and Charles Lenox Remond, appeared during the antebellum struggle to end southern slavery.


Photos courtesy of Black Heritage Trail, Inc.

Winter Events and Festivals

Don’t let the dull days of winter get you down. Enjoy a great winter event in a historic setting: food, wine and beer festivals; concerts; snow activities; parades; crafts and more.

Santa Fe, New Mexico
ARTfeast, Feb. 26-28, 2010
The 13th annual ARTfeast combines art, food, wine, fashion and home events set in Santa Fe's historic downtown and along the city's art corridor, Canyon Road. The most popular event, the Edible Art Tour, is on Friday, Feb. 26, when 30 of the city's top art galleries host 30 of the city's finest restaurant chefs, who create food inspired by the galleries' exhibits. The program is a fundraiser for art programs in Santa Fe's public schools.

Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Winter Wine Festival, through Feb. 27, 2010
There is still time to enjoy the festivities of this Winter Wine Festival, pairing the region’s finest chefs with great winemakers for weekly Grand Vintners' Dinners. The festival’s closing event on Feb. 27 is the 2nd annual Winter Wine Fair & Sale, taking place in the Wentworth Grand Ballroom.

Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia
Winter Concert Weekend, Feb. 27, 2010
Colonial Williamsburg and the Virginia Arts Festival present Grammy Award-winner Kathy Mattea on stage in the Williamsburg Lodge’s Virginia Room, with two cabaret-style concerts.

Buffalo/Niagara, New York
Buffalo Powder Keg Festival, Feb. 27-28, 2010
The Buffalo Powder Keg Festival pays homage to Buffalo's snow, as well as its rich brewing tradition. Festivities for this new event include ice sculptures, snowman building contests, sleigh rides, a snow maze, hot cider booths, hot pretzels and peanuts, sledding hills, live music, snow queen contest, toboggan pulls, festival of lights, a bike race, tubing and a parade. Also, a 5k snow run, snow shoveling contest, sorority/fraternity igloo building, fireworks, snowshoeing, pancake breakfasts, curling demonstrations, a festive ball, ice snow globes and a chili contest.

Laurel Highlands, Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
Maple Festival, March 20-21 and 24-28, 2010
At Festival Park, the heart of the 63rd annual Maple Festival, see living history tours of the cobbler shop, an antique doctor’s office, the country store and historic Meyers Manor. Visit a regiment of Union soldiers from Somerset County. Learn about the maple industry. Relax and enjoy the live entertainment on a specially built outdoor stage or browse through large arts and crafts areas. Enjoy historic Maple Manor, maple sugar demonstrations, crafts, quilt show, historical music pageant, car shows, parade and entertainment.

Photos from top to bottom courtesy of: Santa Fe; Wentworth by the Sea; Laurel Highlands.

Black History Month Activities

Gozaic partners commemorate Black History Month with tours of homes where slaves lived, stories of the Underground Railroad, a festival celebrating African-American history and more.

New Castle Court House Museum, New Castle, Delaware
Network to Freedom and Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey from Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad , Ongoing Exhibits
In honor of Black History Month, the New Castle Court House Museum in historic New Castle, Delaware, is hosting an exhibit titled “Network to Freedom.” This display explores the building’s connection to the Underground Railroad, for it was here in the nation’s first state capitol and court that abolitionist Thomas Garrett was tried and found guilty. Additionally, the Court House Museum features an ongoing exhibit titled “Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey from Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad.” This exhibit chronicles the compelling story of Emeline Hawkins and her family and their 1845 odyssey from slavery in Maryland, as they travelled through Delaware on the Underground Railroad to freedom in Pennsylvania.

Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, Virginia
Slave Life at Mount Vernon Tour, Feb. 2010
In observance of Black History Month, Mount Vernon interpreters, stationed at the slave quarters, highlight the lives and contributions of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. Throughout the month, a daily “Slave Life at Mount Vernon” tour explores the lives and contributions of the slaves who lived at Mount Vernon. A wreath-laying and presentation occurs daily at noon at the slave memorial site, throughout February.

Apalachicola, Florida
African-American History Festival, Feb. 20, 2010
Join the day-long celebration at the seventh annual African-American History Festival on Feb. 20, 2010, at the 6th Street Recreation Center in Apalachicola. Festivities include a parade, music, education and fun for the kids. The Hillside Coalition of Laborers in Apalachicola (H'COLA), a group of men and women with strong ties to their community, hosts the festival.

Louis Armstrong House Museum, Corona (Queens), New York
Celebrating Louis Armstrong: Jazz Great & Civil Rights Pioneer, Feb. 20 & 27, 2010
Louis Armstrong was one of the world's greatest entertainers: a genius trumpeter and singer, a goodwill ambassador, charismatic movie star, prolific writer and talented collage artist. But he was rarely viewed as a civil rights pioneer. In honor of Black History Month, the Louis Armstrong House Museum staff offers weekly family-friendly presentations on the life and legacy of Louis Armstrong, including a look at the many barriers Armstrong broke during his remarkable 50-year career. The presentations explore Armstrong's controversial response to the Little Rock Nine school desegregation crisis in 1957, when he refused to go on a State Department-sponsored tour to the Soviet Union. View the FBI file that carefully tracked Armstrong's whereabouts after his public call for change. Reservations required.

James Madison’s Montpelier, Montpelier Station, Virginia
The Montpelier Train Depot – In the Time of Segregation, Feb. 21, 2010
The opening of James Madison's Montpelier's newest exhibit: “The Montpelier Train Depot – In the Time of Segregation” uses the authentically restored 1910-era building to teach about the Jim Crow period of segregation in the space where it actually happened. The exhibit uses the old segregated colored and white waiting rooms to show the reality of racism that African- American travelers confronted during this period, and lets visitors examine first-hand the fallacy of "separate but equal." This exhibit opens Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. Admission to the opening is free. There is a fee for the day’s lectures and reception.

Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia,
From Freedom to Slavery Program, Feb. 27, 2010
A variety of programs at Colonial Williamsburg help you discover how colonial African Virginians fought for their individual and collective freedom in the face of a slave society. “From Freedom to Slavery” presents the compelling story of Elizabeth, an enslaved African-American woman, forced back into slavery after living free with the Shawnee Indians on the western frontier.

Photos top to bottom: Louis Armstrong at home with neighborhood kids, late 1960s, courtesy of Louis Armstrong House Museum; Colonial Williamsburg.

2010’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations Offer an “Embarrassment of Riches”

Every Dozen Distinctive Destinations list offers something new, some city or town or neighborhood that you’ve never even heard of, much less hung out in. This year’s list offers something else in the way of novelty: You get to vote for your favorite – sort of like “American Idol,” but with less eyeliner.

I’m warning you, picking a favorite won’t be easy. All of this year’s destinations offer lively downtowns to shop in and handsome historic buildings to look at, but every one of them has something special, too. Huntsville, for example, has 19th-century houses and 21st-century space-travel hardware; St. Louis has world-class museums and that incredible shimmering Arch; Sitka has rainforests and whales and Tlingit dancers. Rockland has lobster, while Bastrop has barbecue. See what I mean? “Diverse” doesn’t even begin to describe this year’s embarrassment of riches – whatever you’re looking for, we’ve got it, from glaciers to drag queens. But don’t let the variety intimidate you. Vote – and while you’re at it, start packing a suitcase.

I have to admit that of all the places on this year’s list, the one that intrigues me most is the one called “The Crooked Road,” which really isn’t so much a place as an experience. I lived in southwest Virginia for several years and came to appreciate it as a truly beautiful, truly different corner of the country – and this listing spotlights one of the best, most distinctive things about it: the music. You can plan an itinerary that will keep you toe-tapping for days, in a head-spinning range of venues that includes an open-air amphitheatre on the crest of the Blue Ridge; an old movie house in Galax where they’ve been broadcasting a live radio show every Friday since 1999; a barn-like music hall at the Carter Family Fold, home of the legendary family whose 1927 recordings pretty much gave birth to today’s country music industry; and a gas station (yes, gas station) in Stuart where local musicians get together every Thursday evening to cut loose. Good stuff. No, great stuff.

At the end of your visit to The Crooked Road – or any of the other places on this year’s roster – I predict you’ll be asking yourselves two questions: How come we never came here before? And how soon can we come back again?

That’s a good thing. It’s what the Dozen Distinctive Destinations list is all about.

This blog post by Dwight Young originally appeared on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website, PreservationNation.org, on February 3rd, 2010. Dwight joined the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977. He currently serves as senior communications associate and writes the regular ‘Back Page‘ feature in Preservation magazine.

Gozaic is the website of Heritage Travel, Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Photos top to bottom: Bastrop's Main Street lined with classic cars. Photo by Joe D. Newman; Bluegrass musicians play in front of the sign of the Carter Family Fold. Courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Heritage Q&A with William G. Clotworthy

Today, we continue our occasional series where we interview noted personalities from the world of travel, heritage and culture.

Author and Presidential Historian William G. Clotworthy’s career involved two distinct venues -- modern visual communications (advertising and broadcasting) and American history. Bill says, “As I’ve grown older, I recommend the latter. The pressure is minimal; one works at one’s own pace -- no deadlines, only dead lives.”

Bill began working as an NBC page in 1948, and for the next 42 years he worked in the advertising and broadcast business as a producer of television shows and commercials for many prestigious companies, such as General Electric, 3M, DuPont, Campbell Soup, Armstrong and others. He associated with famous personalities, such as Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye and Johnny Carson, and he spent six years supervising General Electric Theater and its host, Ronald Reagan. The final link in what Bill calls, “the chain of glamour,” was 12 years as NBC censor on “Saturday Night Live.”

“Perhaps I’ll call my memoirs ‘From Howdy Doody to Saturday Night Live,’” he says.

Where is your hometown? Westfield, New Jersey

Where do you live now? Midlothian, Virginia

How did you start writing about presidents? In retirement, I began to travel, lecture and write -- an adventure that led to becoming what my publisher calls, “one of America’s leading authorities on publicly accessible places associated with presidents in the United States.” My books are: “Homes and Libraries of the Presidents,” “Presidential Sites” and “In the Footsteps of George Washington.” I am currently at work on “Homes of the First Ladies” and hope for a 2010 release date. In between trips to Mount Vernon, Monticello and other prestigious sites, I found time to write a little memoir on my television experiences, “Saturday Night Live: Equal; Opportunity Offender.”

Have you found inspiration in your work? Looking back (a quirk of aging), I have found the most interesting part of my career is the latter part. Somehow, there is a deeper feeling of accomplishment. I am proud to have been associated with many great personalities and would not trade my years with Ronald Reagan for anything, but nothing has moved me as much as visiting log cabins in Hodgenville, Kentucky; Kinderhook, New York; Moravia, New York; Mercersburg, Pennsylvania; or rude houses in Pineville, North Carolina; Point Pleasant, Ohio; or West Branch, Iowa; even a walkup apartment above a bakery in Tampico, Illinois – all birthplaces of men who grew up to become president of the United States!

Tell us about the people you have met at presidential homes. The host personnel at presidential sites, whether park rangers, museum curators, teenage volunteers or senior citizen docents, are invariably friendly, knowledgeable and anxious to enhance every visitor’s enjoyment of the facility. It has been my privilege to meet and benefit from these stewards of our great American heritage. I am proud to be a historian.

Where have you traveled while researching presidential sites? Is there any place you recommend people visit? I have not traveled extensively in researching my work. After all, Herbert Hoover was the first president born west of the Mississippi, and the majority of the sites I’ve studied lie within the original 13 states. I have missed a few: Teddy Roosevelt’s cowboy log cabin in Medora, North Dakota; George W. Bush’s boyhood home in Midland, Texas; and the newly opened Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. But, I’ve been to Plains, Georgia (Carter); Key West, Florida (Truman); Hope, Arkansas (Clinton); Fairfield, Vermont (Arthur); and Stonewall, Texas (Johnson).

If I were to recommend a single must-see, it would be Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington. Owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association since 1861, it is America’s most popular historic home and now features a brand-new education center concentrating on Washington’s entire life, not just his life at Mount Vernon as a plantation owner.

My particular favorite exhibit? With the assistance of brilliant forensic anthropologists, computer scientists and sculptors, three accurate life-size models were created of Washington as a 19-year-old surveyor, a 45-year-old general and a 57-year-old president. This is part of a remarkable and insightful journey into understanding the one man most responsible for creating our nation.

What’s your next trip? Medora, North Dakota, to visit what I’ve missed -- the Teddy Roosevelt cowboy log cabin. I’ll go as soon as the ice melts, perhaps one day in mid-August.

Readers: What presidential sites have you visited or hope to visit? Tell us in the comments section below.

Photo courtesy of William Clotworthy and McDonald & Woodward Publishing

Five Fun Facts from Ruth Hunt Candies in Mount Sterling, Kentucky

Today we start a new series featuring "Five Fun Facts" from Gozaic partners. With Valentine's Day approaching, we present Ruth Hunt Candies in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. It's not too late to order sweets for your sweetheart. Among the favorite confections at Ruth Hunt Candies are Kentucky pulled-cream candy, caramels, mallow caramels and bourbon balls. But, it is Ruth Hunt's Blue Monday Sweet Bar that is the most famous.

In 1921, Ruth Hunt began selling the confections her friends and family always loved. From the time she made them in her home kitchen in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, to their creation in the current 15,000-square-foot factory, Ruth Hunt's candies have been steeped with the flavor of Kentucky and the tradition of absolute quality. Today, more than 70 varieties of candy are made, using many of Ruth Hunt's original recipes. From the huge old marble slabs to the hand-stirred, spun-copper kettles, the atmosphere is flavored with sights and smells of "homemade" candy.

Here are five fun facts from Ruth Hunt Candies:

How did the Blue Monday get its name? Ruth Hunt created a wonderful candy bar, but couldn't decide on a name until a traveling minister paid her a visit and remarked, "Every Monday I must have a little sweet to help me through my blue Monday!"

Official Candy Maker of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Since 1993, Ruth Hunt Candies has been the official candy maker of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Visit Kentucky during Derby time and stop by Ruth Hunt's for a tour. Purchase an official box of candy, featuring a thoroughbred racehorse scene from an original oil painting of Churchill Downs.

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Balls. In 1996, Ruth Hunt Candies started producing Woodford Reserve Bourbon Balls. The combination of award-winning Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Ruth Hunt's confectionery magic has resulted in an exceptional confection. After visiting Ruth Hunt Candies, take an hour's drive to the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles for a tour, and learn about the bourbon-making process. Kentucky makes 95 percent of the world's bourbon.

World Equestrian Events. In September 2010, Kentucky will host the Alltech Federation Equestre Internationale World Equestrian Events at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington. Ruth Hunt is an official candy maker for these games and is providing world equestrian games confections. This is the first time the world equestrian events have been hosted outside of Europe. Lexington touts itself as "the horse capital of the world."

Chocolate Louisville Slugger. If your trip through Kentucky winds through Louisville, visit the Louisville Slugger Museum. The chocolate baseball bats, with the official Louisville Slugger logo, sold at the museum are produced at Ruth Hunt Candies.

Have you tasted Ruth Hunt candies? If so, tell us about your favorites in the comments section below.

Photos courtesy of Ruth Hunt Candies

Celebrate Presidents' Day

Celebrate Presidents’ Day at a historic site, with special events, birthday parties, lectures by re-enactors and more.

Three days of festivities commemorate the 278th birthday of our first president at his home, Mount Vernon in Virginia. Featured events on Feb. 13-15, 2010, include a surprise birthday party for Gen. Washington; breakfast of hoecakes swimming in butter and honey; and a wreath-laying ceremony at Washington's tomb.

A new exhibit opens on Feb. 13, “Bringing Them Home: 150 Years of Restoring the Washington Collection.” The exhibition celebrates 150 years of historic Mount Vernon’s being open to the public and the preservation efforts of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. Most items are being exhibited for the first time, and many have not been at Mount Vernon since the Washingtons lived there.

Admission is free for everyone on Monday, Feb. 15. On Feb. 22, Washington's real birthday, anyone who is named George or who has a Feb. 22 birthday, will be admitted free upon presenting identification.

Colonial Williamsburg, in Williamsburg, Virginia, celebrates Presidents’ Weekend, Feb. 13 and 14, 2010, with a number of events and talks throughout the weekend. Hear stories about and meet with America’s forefathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Discuss the role of a president’s wife with Martha Washington, and listen to the music adored by Thomas Jefferson, in the Governor’s Palace, his home when he was governor of Virginia.

Billings Farm & Museum, in Woodstock, Vermont, is hosting the Vermont Humanities Council program “Teddy Roosevelt: Mind, Body, and Spirit,” on Presidents' Day, Monday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. in the farm and museum’s theater. The program is free and open to the public. The 50-minute, one-man performance features Theodore Roosevelt’s own words. A formidable achiever, Roosevelt attained many accomplishments as a soldier, author, naturalist, historian, statesman, Nobel Prize-winner and president of the United States. The presentation will be followed by a “presidential” receiving line. Advance reservations requested.

Honor Presidents’ Day with a visit to the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington, Kentucky. The home is the first historic house restored to honor a first lady. Admission is free for school-age children (K-12) on Feb. 15, 2010 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Photos top to bottom courtesy of: Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association; Billings Farm & Museum

Valentine’s Events with a Historic Twist

Previously, we shared Valentine's Day gift ideas with a historic twist. Today, we offer a few ways to spend time with your loved one in a historic setting, whether enjoying dinner at a historic estate, a concert under the stars or a historic downtown chocolate festival.

Stop by the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 6-14, 2010, for a special exhibit, “Valentines to President Wilson.” On Valentine's Day 1916, suffragists delivered valentines to President Wilson and members of Congress to lobby for the right to vote. For a limited time only these historic valentines are on display at the museum.

Get a jump on Valentine's Day with this concert at Bonnet House Museum & Gardens in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Feb. 11, 2010, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. The University of Miami Frost School of Music will perform, as part of the Young Artist Music Series, on the veranda lawn beneath the moon and stars.

Take the special Valentine's Romance Tour at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Virginia. Tour the mansion and hear surprisingly romantic stories and scandalous tales of love. This special tour is available only on Feb. 12, 13 and 14 at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Space is limited, so reservations are recommended.

Spend the afternoon with your sweetheart at the 8th Annual Chocolate Fest on Feb. 13, 2010, from noon to 3 p.m., in the Grand Ballroom at The Philips Hotel in historic downtown Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. The event is sponsored by the Philipsburg Main Street Program Promotion Committee.

Enjoy a romantic evening at Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate in Duluth, Minnesota. This Valentine's dinner is on Feb. 13 and 14, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. and begins with an abbreviated tour, followed by a candlelit meal in the charming Winter Garden.

Happy Valentine’s Day


Photos from top to bottom: Sewall-Belmont House and Museum; Oatlands Plantation; Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate

Valentine’s Day Gifts with a Historic Twist

Looking for fresh ideas for your Valentine? How about a gift with a historic twist from a great American historic site? We’ve discovered a few out-of-the-ordinary ideas from Gozaic partners’ museum shops.

If you are seeking a Valentine's gift with a twist, try these beautiful martini glasses. Each is skillfully handblown by the Liberty Craftworks artisans in Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, and available through the Henry Ford Online Store.

This blown-glass, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition red bird was created by Oiva Toikka, expressly for Fallingwater in Mill Run Pennsylvania. During Toikka's visit, he was inspired by the local scarlet tanager and made this piece exclusively for Fallingwater. Each bird is signed, dated and numbered.

Take your Valentine on a romantic picnic. These picnic accessories from Monticello in Charlottesville are sure to impress. Selection includes a cheese board with tools, cooler tote, wine caddy and more.

Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, offers a beautiful necklace with two full strands of rosy pink pearls, enhanced with a removable handcrafted sterling silver slide. To make this gift truly personal, engrave her monogram or initial on the disc.

Your sweetheart will love these delicate heart, drop earrings from Historic Deerfield in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

George Washington signature bow ties are 100 percent silk and feature George Washington's distinctive "G Washington" signature. These ties are designed especially for George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

If your Valentine has a love for Elvis, visit the online Elvis gift shop from Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. “I heart Elvis” items range from pajama bottoms and T-shirts to coffee mugs, a rhinestone clutch purse and much more.

Youngsters will love these cuddly California bears from the Benicia Historical Museum in Benicia, California. They are available in two sizes, 15-inch and a small six-inch bear that roars.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Photos courtesy of (top to bottom): Greenfield Village; Fallingwater; Colonial Williamsburg; Mount Vernon; Graceland; Benicia Historical Museum

Taste of Home: Chippers, Wilbur Buds, Whoopie Pies and More

Last week, we featured a blog post offering places to find authentic, traditional and local flavors while traveling. I offered a few suggestions from my home state of Michigan. Today, other members of the Gozaic and National Trust for Historic Preservation travel team offer their recommendations.

Gozaic's California girl is Sonja Potter. One of her favorite places is Wahoo's Fish Taco restaurant in Laguna Beach. Sonja's recommended order is two fish tacos with black beans and rice. Wahoo's was founded by brothers, Wing, Ed and Mingo, in 1988.

Scott Gerloff grew up in South Dakota and now visits family in North Dakota. Before returning home he stops in Widman's Candy Shop in historic downtown Grand Forks for the world-famous “chippers,” chocolate-covered potato chips.

Gozaic has three Pennsylvania transplants -- each offering their own tastes of home.

Lisa Turgeon-Williams has several sweet and savory recommendations. First, the family-owned Bird-in-Hand Bakery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has been making whoopie pies -- little chocolate cake-sandwiches with a cream filling -- for 40 years. Second, Lebanon bologna is named after Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, with a flavor patterned after the slow-cured sausages of Germany. Seltzer's Smokehouse in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, founded in 1902, uses lean beef with the addition of special seasonings, smoked in wooden smokehouses and slow-cured. Lisa’s favorite is the sweet variety. Third, Martin's Pretzel Bakery in Akron, Pennsylvania, has been making pretzels, rolled and twisted by hand, for 65 years. And last but not least, Lisa recommends a cold Yuengling beer! Dating to 1829, Yuengling has been family-owned for five generations and is America's oldest brewery. The Pottsville, Pennsylvania, brewery offers tours, as does Yuengling’s location in Tampa, Florida.

Kathy Adams offers suggestions to satiate a sweet tooth. Kathy recommends Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia for all of its great history and traditional Philadelphia flavors. A favorite is Bassetts Ice Cream, which moved into the newly opened Reading Terminal Market in 1893. Today, Bassetts’ ice cream is available at a number of locations in the Mid-Atlantic, including the store in Reading Terminal. Kathy's favorite flavor is the butterscotch vanilla ice cream.

The town of Lititz in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is home of Wilbur Chocolate. Making candy for more than 100 years, the company is famous for its Wilbur Buds. Available in milk and semi-sweet chocolate, Kathy says the semi-sweet buds are "to die for."

According to Sarah Gabriele, "Everyone thinks the best cheese steaks are in the city of Philadelphia, but Pudge’s (pronounced Pudgies by locals) has THE BEST cheese steaks." Pudge's is located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, close to Sarah's hometown. It's been around for 40 years; in the current location for 30.

Kate Vann is a fan of salt potatoes, a central New York specialty. Salt potatoes date to the 1800s and were invented by local salt mine workers who created a simple and inexpensive lunch by boiling small potatoes in brine. The potatoes are still very popular today and make an easy and delicious dish.

As a child, Lisa Lanna and her mom were the perfect bagel-eating team. Lisa loved the warm, doughy, slightly sweet interior, saturated with melted butter, and her mom loved the crispy exterior. The traditional New York bagel, first boiled then baked, can be found throughout New York. Lisa favors the variety closest in size, texture and taste to the bagels of her childhood memories. Ess-a-Bagel, Inc. is one that Lisa recommends, serving up large fluffy bagels that are doughy on the inside and crispy on the outside, for nearly 35 years. Lisa adds, “Always best when fresh-out-of-the-oven!”

Sue Bourdaud’hi is a native of England and recommends Cornish pasties. It seems like every mining community has its own version of a pocket sandwich. The origin of the Cornish pasties dates back to the mid-1800s. They were the favored pocket sandwich of the tin miners. Sue shares her favorite recipe.

Share your recommendations of favorite local food and authentic restaurants in the comments section below.

Mary Billingsley is the director of media relations for Gozaic.com.

Photos top to bottom: Wahoos Fish Taco; Martin's Pretzel Bakery; Wilber Buds, mixed milk and semi-sweet buds; salt pototoes.

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route Expands to the Motor City

Today we take a look at another of Gozaic’s “circles of interest.” The Cycling Through History Circle explores ways to combine history and culture with cycling. Circle Moderator Ginny Sullivan is with the Adventure Cycling Association and offers great suggestions of bike routes and resources.

Since it is Black History Month, we wanted to share a recent blog post by Ginny where she writes about a bicycle tour she did in Detroit. Because of Detroit’s proximity to Windsor, Ontario in Canada, the city served as a major crossing point for those seeking freedom from slavery. The Adventure Cycling Association has tours along the Underground Railroad Route and is expanding the route to include southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario.

Have you biked along any of the Underground Railroad Route (there are more than 2000 miles to explore)? If so, share your thoughts and reflections. If you enjoy history, culture and cycling, join the Cycling Through History Circle today!

Photo courtesy of Ginny Sullivan with the Adventure Cycling Association