Close to Home but Not a Stay-cation

Although Logan and I love traveling to far off places, we try not to neglect the gems in our own region. As I said earlier, my family was big on taking day trips. I can't survive from one big trip to the next without some smaller excursions in between. Logan and I have been taking day trips together since we were old enough to drive. Our very first one was to Waverly Mansion in West Point, MS, which is less than an hour's drive from Tupelo. Since then we have been to Memphis countless times, Florence (AL), Dismal Canyons (AL), Jackson, the Natchez Trace, Nashville, Birmingham, Lynchburg (TN, home to the Jack Daniel's Distillery), and most recently Shiloh (TN). We even like to be tourists in our own hometown of Tupelo. On several occasions we have visited Elvis' birthplace, and just yesterday we checked out the Natchez Trace visitor center. I think there is the disbelief for travelers that you have to get on a plane, train, boat, or, at the very least, an all-day car ride for it to be a vacation. Whereas I do not fall into the new popular group of the stay-cationers, I do believe that you can stay close to home without sacrificing fun.

Recently, I have started collecting travel books, which focus on our southeast region. I just acquired a great books entitled Off the Beaten Path, which highlights places in Mississippi that are travel worthy. Among these are a jail turned library in Macon (which Logan and I visited last month), the Blues Highway and other points of interest including Kermit the Frog's home place in the Delta, and the queen of the gypsies' grave site in Meridian. Another book, which I've enjoyed reading cover to cover, is called 100 Places to See Before You Die: US and Canada. This book has given me the idea to visit Eudora Whelty's home in Jackson, tour the Square in Oxford, and attend Spring Pilgrimages in Columbus and Holly Springs. It is not always feasible to take off for a week or even three-night trip, but everyone can squeeze in a day trip. Logan and I try our best to travel somewhere once a month, even if that means we're going to explore somewhere less than an hour away.

This Valentine's, for example, I wanted to take a trip somewhere, but we didn't have budgeted a lot of time or funds. I have never been to Elvis's home in Graceland, partly because it was so close I thought I would always make it there someday. When we went we were in the same group as a family from England. Now that got me to thinking, "Did this family fly all the way from across the pond just to see Elvis's house?" Maybe or maybe not, but regardless they were there. Now would I chose Memphis over a trip to England? Not hardly, however, we were able to drive to Memphis, tour Graceland, and eat a great dinner for a little more than $100, which is about 1/10 the price of one plane ticket to England.

Yesterday Logan and I went to the Natchez Trace Parkway Headquarters, which is located less than 15 miles from our house. It has been remodeled for years, but I haven't bothered to check it out since I was in the fourth grade. While we were there, we noticed an RV belonging to some travelers from Ontario, Canada. People from all over the country and even the continent purposefully come to drive the Natchez Trace, a National Park since 1938, which we often look at as a shortcut to and from Tupelo. Logan and I had a picnic, got our National Park Passport books stamped, strolled down a paved trail, and then even explored a horse trail that Logan had refurbished for his Eagle Scout Project almost ten years ago. All in all, it was a glorious spring outing, which cost us less than $15 total (only cost was the food for the picnic).

Am I an advocate for the oh-so-boring stay-cation? No, but I am a sincere supporter of exploring one's own backyard in a more metaphorical sense.