Coastal Lake and River Trails

Historic Cultural and Culinary Traditions along America’s Waterways

There are many points of interest in the United States; we have selected anchor locations from which you can best base your travel movements, mindful that you are likely to visit three to four places in a compressed period of time, typically 7 to 10 days, and experience multiple interests that range from cultural to culinary, wellness and the environment.

Northeast Atlantic

The Hudson Valley extends 150 miles above the tip of Manhattan. Designated as a National Heritage Area, the valley is steeped in history, natural beauty, culture, food and farmers’ markets.

The Delaware rises in two branches and flows 419 miles – 674 Km – into Delaware Bay. Its watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles - 36,570 km² - in the five Atlantic Coast States of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. 

The Hudson and the Delaware were originally called the North and South Rivers

The Susquehanna River is 464 miles (747 km) long and is the longest river on the US East Coast. With its watershed, it is the 16th-largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic today. In the Canal Era, navigation improvements were made to enhance the river for barge shipping by water on the Pennsylvania Canal.

The Lower Potomac, Anacostia, Patuxent and Wicomico rivers are among the major waterways in the region, but hundreds of smaller streams, creeks and rivers abound providing numerous opportunities for recreational boating.

Mid America

The Upper Mississippi is the portion of the river from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to Cairo, Illinois - 2000 km (1250 mi) where it joins the Ohio River. In terms of geology and hydrography, the Upper Mississippi River valley likely originated as an ice-marginal stream during the Nebraskan glaciation.

The Missouri is the longest river in North America, rising in the Rocky Mountains and flowing east and south for 2,341 miles - 3,767 km - before connecting with the Mississippi north of St. Louis.

The First Westward leg of the Pony Express was a Ferry across the Missouri River

 

American South

The Lower Mississippi River flows downstream from Cairo, Illinois and the confluence with the Ohio River, for 1600 Kilometers – 1000 miles – to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the most heavily traveled component of this river system. Unlike on the upper rivers, there are no locks and dams on the Lower Mississippi. The river is, however, constrained by levees and dams that control flooding and secure the navigation channel for barge traffic.

The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh. From there, it flows northwest before making an abrupt turn to the southwest at the Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania border. The Ohio then follows a roughly west-northwest course until Cincinnati, before bending southwest for the remainder of its journey through the US Midwest and joining the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois.

Ohio means the Good River in Iroquoian

The Rio Grande rises from south-central Colorado and flows to the Gulf of Mexico, acting as the border between Mexico and the United States; it is the fourth longest river system in North America.

The Rio Grande Flows for much of its Length at High Elevation

US West

The Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains through the Grand Canyon to the Gulf of California. With dramatic canyons and whitewater rapids, the Colorado is a vital source of water for agricultural and urban areas.

The Imperial Valley is the most Productive Winter Agricultural Region in the United States

The Platte River originates in Nebraska and is a tributary of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers

The South Platte is the Principal Source of Water for Eastern Colorado

The American River runs from the Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin Valley, eventually emptying into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

The Willamette River Valley basin contains two-thirds of Oregon's population and is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in North America, hence the destination of many 19^th century pioneers traveling on the Oregon Trail. The river supports 60 fish species, including salmon and trout.

The Columbia is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest; its watershed extends into seven US states and a Canadian province. The river's heavy flow gives it tremendous potential for the generation of electricity with 14 Hydroelectric Dams.

The Best Way to Travel is in the Company of People that Live and Work in the Places You Visit

Val Metauro Marche Italy

Nature History and Superb Culinary Traditions

Val Metauro is named for the rivers Meta and Auro that orginate in the Appenine Mountains and flows to the Adriatic Sea. The hills of this ancient and historic valley overlook the seaside town of Fano and its historic center, rich in monuments and buildings dating from the Roman, medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. The Via Flaminia still connects Rome with this province; there is also a superhighway that parallels the ancient route.  

The Historic Borgo of Cartoceto here, you can taste unique cheese products, experience the local goat farm and millstones where a DOP olive oil is produced.

Fratte Rosa is a hilltop borgo near the renaissance town of Urbino, famous for its clay products and artisan shops dating back to the 18^th Century that display products for decorative as well as domestic use. Here, you can also visit the Terrecotte Museum in the convent of Santa Vittoria, a winery to taste the three doc wines of Pesaro-Urbino province – bianchello, sangiovese and pergola rosso – as well as experience the local cuisine, rigorously and slowly prepared with coccio, the local earthenware utensils.

Stay in a Traditional Mansion, superbly located for wine lovers and seekers of a typical local food experience, in a fairytale setting dotted with castles and villages just a few kilometers from the Adriatic Sea and the Marche Appennine mountains.

An Open-Air Museum Featuring Ancient Arms

Mondavio Castle and Rocca Roveresca, a masterpiece of military engineering by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, architect to the Duke of Urbino, charged with the fortification and restoration of structures in the Montefeltro area.

A Unique Culinary Experience

Help prepare truffle dishes and other Marchigiano specialties in these magical surroundings

The Furlo Gorge is part of a Natural Reserve park. The emperor Vespasian had a tunnel built here to facilitate passage on the Via Flaminia at the narrowest point of the gorge; next to it is a similar but smaller tunnel dating from Etruscan times.

An Open-Air Museum featuring ancient arms. Mondavio Castle and Rocca Roveresca, a masterpiece of military engineering by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, architect to the Duke of Urbino, charged with the fortification and restoration of structures in the Montefeltro area.

Heritage Tourism in the American South

Cowboys Cowgirls Music and Culinary Traditions

The American South is comprised of 14 States from Oklahoma and Texas to the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic port cities and from the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans.

Historical Tourism and Victorian Architecture

Guthrie lies along one of the primary corridors into Texas and Mexico and is a four-hour drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The city is in the center of the state, about 32 miles - 51 km - north of Oklahoma City, in the Sandstone Hills region of Oklahoma, known for hills and oak forests

Dallas is relatively young city with a colorful past. In 1839, John Neely Bryan, a lawyer from Tennessee with a taste for adventure, wandered into the area and was impressed with what he believed to be the perfect ingredients for a trading post and eventually a town: plenty of raw land, Indians with whom to do business, and the river. The young city’s can-do spirit helped bring railroads in the 1870s, the Federal Reserve Bank in 1914, Southern Methodist University in 1915, Love Field Airport in 1927, the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936 and DFW International Airport in 1973.

Fort Worth was settled in 1849 as an army outpost along the Trinity River as one of eight forts assigned to protect settlers on the advancing frontier. The cattle industry was king for a generation of people working the Fort Worth leg of the historic Chisholm Trail, which ran from the 1860s to the 1870s when the Texas & Pacific Railway arrived. In the years that followed, oil and aviation brought new wealth throughout the region. The post-war years found Fort Worth capitalizing on its strengths as a transport, business and military center. Cultural pursuits included the development of the city's internationally acclaimed museum district.

Texas Cities and the Hill Country Austin, on the eastern edge of Texas Hill Country, is the state capital, the live music capital of the world, a center for film, home to the University of Texas and Formula 1's Circuit of the Americas raceway. The city’ parks and lakes are popular for hiking, biking, swimming, boating and other outdoor pursuits as well as a ballet, museums and unique shopping experiences.

San Antonio’s rich heritage includes 18^th century Spanish colonial missions, residential areas dating from the 1860s and local museums that celebrate the city’s past. The San Antonio Mission Trail begins at the Alamo and winds southward along a nine-mile stretch of the San Antonio River.

New Orleans was established by the French in 1718 at a location that continues to be a valuable site for trade due to its strategic position along the Mississippi River. The French Quarter is a National Historic Landmark and is bordered by Canal, Decatur and Rampart Streets and Esplanade Avenue. It boasts cultural contributions from the French, Spanish, Italians, Africans and Irish.

Reduce Transit Times and Travel Costs on Your Next Trip

Mobile Alabama is located at the head of Mobile Bay and the Central Gulf Coast. Founded by the French in 1702, during its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony of France, Britain and Spain; it became a part of the United States of America in 1813. 

Savannah was founded in 1733 on the Savannah River, it became the colonial capital and later the first state capital of Georgia. Its port was of strategic importance during both the American Revolution and the Civil War. 

Charleston was founded in 1670, Charleston is defined by its cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel pre-Civil-War-era houses, particularly in the bustling French Quarter and Battery areas. The Battery promenade and Waterfront Park both overlook Charleston Harbor, while Fort Sumter, a Federal stronghold where the first shots of the Civil War rang out, lies across the water. 

Charlotte is named in honor of King George III of Britain’s consort. It is a city with 199 neighborhoods and many nicknames, including: the famed Hornet’s Nest derived from the American Revolution, The QC, Crown Town, Home of NASCAR, Gem of the South, CLT, Bank Town, Char-Town and City of Trees.

Asheville has a fascinating past; experience a walking itinerary that commemorates the city’s most significant cultural, educational, social and architecture stories; a museum without walls. Urban Farm and Mountain Trails Gourmet Cuisine Public Art Music Heritage and a Bohemian Culture.

Louisville is centrally located along the Ohio River and is one America’s most accessible cities within a day’s drive of more than half the nation’s population. This city has a colorful past, from its frontier founding at the time of the American Revolution, to early 19^thcentury steamboats and as a Union base during the Civil War. Named for King Louis XVI of France in appreciation for his assistance during the Revolutionary War, Louisville was founded by George Rogers Clark in 1778.

Nashville has been the subject of many books, movies and songs. But, while music is the lifeblood of this city, you will also find here culture, history, haute cuisine, sports, natural beauty and especially Southern charm.

Memphis is a city with a rich and eclectic history. Some of the city’s traditions and milestones: the home of Elvis Presley, the Memphis Zoo, the Indie Memphis Film Festival, Sun Studio, National Civil Rights Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music and the Beale Street Music Festival.

The Sights Sounds and Culinary Traditions of the Mississippi Regions. A melting pot of cultures, a mighty river, antebellum mansions and restaurants featuring soul food, authentic ethnic dishes and modern culinary delights. The tastes of this region take their influences from Native American heritage.

a true melting pot of regional, ethnic, national and international cuisine