Come along with me and share the excitement as I explore the world researching freelance articles. These blog posts offer short chunks of travel that you can digest quickly as well as plenty of photos so you get the picture. You'll have some fun, make discoveries, and pick up great ideas and information for your own vacations. Think of me as your canary in the coal mine. For even more travel inspiration, visit my BERKELEY AND BEYOND website at http://www.berkeleyandbeyond.com.
exterior of farmhouse at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas
Thomas Jefferson Nash purchased 110 acres of farmland in Grapevine in 1859. His family raised an assortment of livestock and crops here. Today, 5.2 acres of the original Nash Farm--including the farmhouse built by Thomas, the barn, and the family cemetery--remain. The house retains much of its original structure, but was restored in 2008. The Grapevine Heritage Foundation’s mission for Nash Farm is to preserve, protect, and visually reflect the significance of Grapevine’s farming and agricultural heritage so that future generations may appreciate and experience a way of life lived by settlers of the Grape Vine Prairie. Nash Farm schedules many special events (think Ice Cream Social, Kite Making, or an 1860s Baseball Game) and interpretive programs, as well as educational tours. Every event here is a living history experience, with workers dressed for the era. And crafts are done with authentic era tools. “You’ll never see plastic,” say tour guide Cody Jolliff.
upstairs bedroom in farmhouse at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas
By all means sign up for the package that includes a farm-to-fork farmhand breakfast of biscuits with homemade butter and jams, salt pork (fried ham), hard-boiled eggs fresh from the farm’s henhouse, pickled vegetables, trappers fruit, and a variety of beverages (each guest gets to take home their logo Nash Farm coffee cup as a souvenir). I had to good fortune to experience this delicious breakfast in the dining room and kitchen that were built separate from the house to keep down the heat from the wood-burning stove, and part of the deal was assisting with the morning farm chores, including feeding and collecting eggs from the heritage breed chickens, turkeys, and Gulf Coast Sheep as well as picking ripe little peaches right from the tree. This early morning exercise helped me and my compatriots work up a good appetite.
Gulf Coast Sheep at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas
eggs ready for collecting from nest at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas
ripe peaches in a basket at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas
10 fun things to do downtown on Main Street in Grapevine, Texas plus an extraordinary place to stay nearby
If you have a 4-plus-hour stopover at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, consider shuttling in to stroll Main Street in Grapevine’s Historic Downtown. Or extend your stay for 24 hours and spend the night at an extraordinary mega resort. All of these places except the resort are within easy walking distance of each other.
Main Street in Grapevine, Texas
1.eat a deep-fried stuffed avocado. Well known and long-loved Esparza’s Restaurante Mexicano occupies a renovated late 1800s house and is famous for its margaritas and Tex Mex dishes.
stuffed avocado at Esparza's Restaurante Mexicano in Grapevine, Texas
2. have a down-home experience at an old-time farm. A visit to Nash Farm takes you back to 1859. You’ll see heritage breed farm animals and docents dressed in era clothing. More.
picking peaches at Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas
3.visit a complex of historical museums. The Settlement to City Museums operate within old town buildings here that include a replica ice house, a house museum, a schoolhouse, and a cotton ginner’s museum. Each holds specific collections.
Settlement to City Museums in Grapevine, Texas
4.witness an Old West shoot-out between Glockenspiel characters in a clock tower. The 127-foot-high Clock Tower atop the Grapevine Visitors Information Center is home to two 9-foot tall characters--would-be train robbers Nat Barrett and Willy Majors. They emerge for a 5-minute scheduled show most days, but unfortunately, when I visited, they were no-shows.
exterior of Grapevine Visitors Information Center in Grapevine, Texas
5.taste quality dark chocolate in a shop operated by an M.D. Operating within a cool little shop, Dr. Sue dispenses “chocolate you’ll feel good about eating.” Dr. Sue’s Chocolates aims to promote a healthier lifestyle and uses no artificial ingredients or “GMO anything.” Everything is also gluten free. I adore the cherry-pecan chocolates.
cherry-pecan chocolates at Dr. Sue's Chocolates in Grapevine, Texas
6.take a ride on a vintage railroad. Climb aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for a ride in old-time 1920s rail cars along the historic Cotton Belt Route to the Fort Worth Stockyards. The engine is sometimes Puffy, an 1896 steam locomotive, and sometimes Vinny, a 1953 GP-7 diesel locomotive.
Grapevine Vintage Railroad ticket office in Grapevine, Texas
7.view a gigantic miniature railroad layout. Back at the stellar Grapevine Visitors Information Center you can enjoy a massive 1,000-square-foot interactive model train layout and a kid’s train yard-themed play area.
lobby of Grapevine Visitors Information Center in Grapevine, Texas
8.go wine tasting. Though it is a surprise to many people to discover there are no vineyards in Grapevine, there are seven winery tasting rooms located along Main Street. My favorite was Messina Hof Winery Grapevine, which is located in the replica 1920s Wallis Hotel. I especially liked the GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mavedre) and the Italian Sagrantino--both are dry, delish, and drinkable.
wine tasting at Messina Hof Winery Grapevine in Grapevine, Texas
9.make your own blown-glass ornament. The state-of-the-art facility that is the Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery is the perfect place to try glass-blowing or to just see how it’s done.
working on ornament at Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery in Grapevine, Texas
10.get in the Christmas spirit. Visit the official Christmas Capitol of Texas in December. That’s when more than 1,400 events are scheduled over 40+ days.
And while you’re here, spend the night in the mega Gaylord Texan Resort. With 1,814 rooms spread though 9 floors, this extravaganza has 4.5 acres of lush indoor gardens and a seasonal water park with indoor and outdoor pools. Christmas here is a sight to behold--you’ll see more than 2 million twinkling lights, 15,000 ornaments, and a 54-foot-tall Christmas tree--even snow tubing and a carved ICE! exhibit held inside a 9-degree ice tent!
atrium at Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas
