Gulf Coast Travel Itineraries

Houston Galveston Rockport and Fredericksburg Texas Louisiana and Mississippi

Located in the Texas Hill Country Fredericksburg is one of the earliest German settlements with a district encompassing 40 blocks of buildings dating from the mid-19^th century The Admiral Nimitz Museum is a landmark since the late 1800's when it was the old Nimitz Steamboat Hotel.

Rockport is a tourist destination with access to various forms of marine recreation and attractions such as boating, bay, offshore, wade, beach, and pier fishing, duck hunting, waterskiing, swimming, birdwatching, and seafood.

The History of the Texas Maritime Museum goes back to the late 1970’s at the Rockport annual Sea Fair

The Museum’s purpose is to recount Texas maritime history through artifacts, documents, and other materials of unique or historical value; collections and exhibits are based on four central themes:

Technology of offshore petroleum production and transportation

Development of Texas seaports, maritime communities and commerce along the Gulf of Mexico

Exploration and Settlement history of the Texas Gulf Coast beginning with the Spanish and French

The Texas seafood and fishing industry.

Galveston is located on Galveston and Pelican Islands on the Gulf Coast It was the main port of the Texas Navy and later served as the capital of Texas During the 19^th century it was a commercial center the largest city in Texas and a major port in America.

A deep-water channel connects the harbor with the Gulf and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

The Texas Seaport Museum tells the story of a rich legacy of seaborne commerce and immigration. Look for ancestors in a computer database containing the names of more than 133,000 immigrants who entered the United States through Galveston.

The Center for Coastal Heritage is a resource for practitioners working at the cross-section of the built environment and natural environment and a commitment to coastal resilience, sustainability and environmental health.

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the US South as well as America's fourth-largest. A cosmopolitan destination and home to an energetic arts community, it was founded in 1836 near the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and commander at the Battle of San Jacinto, 25 miles - 40 km - east of where the city was established.

The Port and Railroad, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city's population. In the mid-20^th century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Architecture the Bayou City is full of interesting buildings that reveal its past; throughout Downtown and the city's central core, there is an abundance of significant architecture that tells the story of this port and railroad town turned metropolis.

Boating and Cruising the Bayport Cruise Terminal is located on the Western shore of Galveston Bay, 30 minutes from downtown Houston. The state-of-the-art facility is near the Kemah Boardwalk with a 36-foot carousel, a 65-foot Ferris wheel and rides like Aviator, Boardwalk Tower and the Boardwalk Beast, a boat ride that takes you four miles into Galveston Bay at speeds up to 40 mph.

The Story of Mobility in America

Maritime Museums in Historic Towns

The Houston Maritime Museum started out as a small private museum for founder Jim Manzolillo’s extensive collection of maritime artifacts and ship models, now grown to over eight galleries that cover the world of maritime history and culture from early navigation and exploration, to World War II, the merchant marine and the energy industry. Noteworthy is the exhibit on the history of Buffalo Bayou, the origins of the Houston Ship Channel and the port’s impact on the economy of Houston, and the nation.

Industry and the Environment HMM hosts lectures by members of the maritime community and academia highlighting innovation and progress in the maritime industry.

Madisonville is located at on the banks of the Tchefunke River near where the river enters Lake Pontchartrain. Founded by in 1800, as the town of Coquille or Cokie because of the abundance of shells in the area, at the site of the Native American village of Chiconcte. The town was later renamed after President Madison.

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum is located on the banks of the scenic Tchefuncte River in Madisonville. The museum brings Louisiana’s maritime history to life through unique interpretive programs, exhibits, and publications.

A Historic Journey through Maritime Louisiana

The Museum features unique exhibits that illustrate the innovation, creativity, and perseverance of Louisiana’s people, concentrating on the maritime history of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, the lower Mississippi River Valley, and the Gulf Coast of Louisiana.

The Tchefuncte River Light Station is a symbol of the dynamic maritime history and culture of Louisiana. The original tower was badly damaged during the Civil War and was rebuilt in 1867-1868 on the same foundation using many of the same bricks.

The Biloxi Waterfront lies directly on the Mississippi Sound, with barrier islands off the Coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. Old Biloxi was part of the First Permanent Settlement in 1699 by French Colonists in French Louisiana. The name of Biloxi in French was Bilocci, a transliteration of the term for the local Native American tribe in their language.

The Biloxi Lighthouse is the best-known local landmark. It was built in Baltimore and completed at the site in May 1848; it is one of the two, out of twelve, surviving lighthouses along the Mississippi Coast.

The First Cannery was built in 1881 to process seafood, an economic development that attracted new immigrants from Europe to work in the seafood factories processing shrimp and other local fish harvested by shrimp boats and oyster luggers.

The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It offers exhibits on shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, managing marine resources, charter boats, marine blacksmithing, wooden boat building, netmaking, catboats/Biloxi skiff and shrimp peeling machines.

The Museum has brought life to local maritime traditions by replicating two 65′ two-masted Biloxi Schooners that sail on the Mississippi Sound and waters of the north central Gulf of Mexico almost daily. The Museum also conducts yea- round educational programs and a summer Sea-n-Sail Adventure Camp which teaches youth about local maritime heritage.

Towns and Villages of Loudoun County Virginia

American Historic Small Towns Itineraries and Wine Tours

Loudoun County is renowned for rolling hills of farms and vineyards, pastures filled with grazing horses, and the Blue Ridge Mountains; it is also just 25 miles from Washington DC.

Leesburg is Loudoun's county seat, has seen significant history from 1758, and has a well-preserved downtown historic district with stunning 18^th and 19^th century architecture. Leesburg is also a shopping and dining venue and features historic sites such as Gen. George C. Marshall's home, Dodona Manor and Ball's Bluff Civil War battlefield. Video

Middleburg, known as the capital of Virginia's horse country, has been welcoming visitors since 1787. It is also a shopper’s delight, with home furnishing and antique stores, boutiques and more; a stroll through this historic hamlet is an experience in itself. Middleburg has hosted iconic American personalities such as Jackie Kennedy and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Purcellville is a charming farm town that became the center of commerce in Western Loudoun with the arrival of the railroad in 1874. Today, the rail bed has been converted to the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, a paved multi-use recreation trail that runs 45 miles from Arlington, Virginia. 

Waterford is a National Historic Landmark Village where Virginia's oldest juried crafts fair is held the first weekend of October. The fair offers historic homes tours, 160 juried craftspeople with hands-on demonstrations, children activities, traditional music and dance, Colonial-era militia encampments, marching fife and drum corps, and Civil War re-enactors with skirmishes. 

Lovettsville is a German settlement and Loudoun's northern most town. 

Hillsboro is home to 100 residents. It is the second smallest Virginia town in geographic size, the fourth smallest in population. 

Loudon County Vineyards

Hillsborough Vineyards is perched along a mountain slope. The tasting room is housed in a renovated 1840s stone barn, a cool respite during the dog days of summer and cozy by the fireplace in winter. From the terrace outside, visitors experience Hillsborough’s luxuriant gardens and trickling fountains, framing the view of the Loudoun Valleys below and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. 

Breaux Vineyards is one of Virginia’s largest wineries with over 100 acres planted across a 404 acre estate. Proceed up the meandering driveway past manicured lawns that give way to sweeping views of vineyards as they extend up Short Hill Mountain. Nestled between the hills, Breaux’s vineyard and mountain views can be enjoyed from the tasting room, Patio Madeleine, and their landscaped terraces.

Bluemont Vineyards sits high on an eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains at 951 feet above sea level, offering spectacular views of the countryside and beyond.

 Experiential Tourism in Loudoun County Virginia

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Experience Naples its Hidden Architectural and Historical Treasures

Discover the lesser known and the many unknown architectural and historical treasures of this nearly three thousand year old city. Experience breathtaking views while kayaking around Naples Bay. Refresh yourself in a hilltop urban vineyard. Inspired by “Napoli insolita e segreta” by Valerio Ceva Grimaldi, texts by Maria Franchini and photos by Fernando Pisacane.

Architectural Treasures the Naples Chamber of Commerce and Stock Exchange dates from 1899. The neo-renaissance style building features maritime and other commerce motifs.

The Lands Register Hall in the State Archives building dates back to 1845. It was built in the 16^th century over the remains of the 10^th century Benedectine monastery. Documents include volumes dealing with a one of the first effort at managing fiscal reform in Europe.

A Hotel du Charme in the city’s most elegant quarter is now the home of what once was a house of ill repute which became illegal in Italy in 1958. The tariff schedule for services is still on display along with other aspects of the building’s interiors that were restored with the color schemes of the previous occupant and the names of the ladies that worked here on the rooms’ doors.

A Pagoda by the Sea can be visited on the premises of neo Palladian Villa Doria in the Posillipo quarter of Naples. This is where Wagner completed his Parsifal. The wood and masonry pagoda was utilized as a tea room for the noble owners and their guests. Located in the English garden of the villa, it still features the three bronze bells which ring with the wind.

Underground Wonder in 1853 the Bourbon king Ferdinand II commissioned an underground viaduct that was dug entirely with manual labor, hammers and wedges. The tuff network connected the royal palace with the port area and the city center. During World War II, the 431 meter tunnel was utilized as a bomb shelter for nearly 10 thousand people.

Libraries Museums and Archives the Bank of Naples has largest archive in the world, 336 rooms in two palazzi, that hold valuable historic and bank records dating back to the 16^th century.

The University of Naples was founded in 1224 by King Frederic II and is the oldest secular and public institution in the world. It features two cloisters, one by Vanvitelli, and the Royal Museum of Mineralogy, founded in 1801, with over 25 thousand finds hosted in the Jesuit Library chambers.

The Pharmacy of the Incurables dates back to the 16^th century. Its two halls are richly decorated and feature all the health and wellness cures and remedies in vogue in that period. Particularly noteworthy is the ceiling that presents a scene of the Trojan War with the warrior and medical expert of the day Macaone tending to Achilles’ wounds.

A Musical Archive in 1888, Count Lucchesi Palli donated an archive to the Italian State comprising 30 thousand volumes, including operas, dramas, comedies and newspapers. The collections has since expanded to include letters and other documents by Giuseppe Verdi, Salvatore di Giacomo, Raffaele Viviani and a collection of no less than 25 thousand Neapolitan songs.

  

Kayaking in Naples Bay a leisurely row along a coastline dotted with neoclassical villas, roman archeological ruins and small landings immersed in the Mediterranean maquis with the Vesuvius as backdrop for this fairytale setting. And nearby,

The Borgo of Marechiaro home of the famous finestrella, features a small port, the

Gaiola protected area and two small islands connected by a small bridge.