Tours Go Better With Coke

Hello readers. I want to issue you an apology. I've been sitting on these Georgia posts for WEEKS and just have not had the energy or time to sit and get my experiences to you all. Is it weird I'm starting to get anxious about how many people know about the blog...and how far I have yet to go? I mean, in 2011, this was just a kooky idea I'd come up with, and now I have organizations and museums checking out my posts across America (even my JOB wants to use my post from those dreadful mansions in Rhode Island for a presentation to a NATIONAL museum organization). Even my friends try to help, forwarding me special event Groupons and trip suggestions for new states. While I'm happy about all of this...it is a bit...different. I'm dedicated to seeing this through...even if it takes beyond 2016 (which I'm hoping it does not...I need some passport stamps!).

FYI...cruise ships don't stamp passports. Hence why mine is still super bare

Anyway, enough about my emo development as a travel blogger (is it safe to call myself that?). Let's talk about Atlanta. I used to live in Atlanta for a very brief period of time and yet the only "touristy" thing I ever did was visit the Underground...a bunch of generic stores with stuff I was never interested in purchasing that are literally, underground. Since I was coming down for Labor Day to see my god family and friends, I didn't want to make my schedule TOO jam packed (people tend to frown at rigid itineraries) but did want to get some sight seeing in. Enter the World of Coca-Cola.

This was the first thing I did when I came to Atlanta. I had my suitcase with me, and took the Marta train (which had vastly upgraded since my last ride on it ten years prior!) straight from the airport down to the area where pretty much everything major to do in Atlanta is situated. I walked a few blocks and eventually got to the tour building (it's pretty huge) and paid for a general admission.

The line to get IN...should've taken the hint but noooo...

Let me just go ahead and warn you now. There will be a LOT of people. You WILL stand in lines as if you are waiting for the newest roller coaster at your favorite amusement park. Once you get inside, a group of about 70-80 people are ushered into a small lobby with some jumbo-sized decorated Coke bottles...and one poor soul standing at the front trying to keep everyone interested by telling jokes and doing magic tricks. Now, if you know anything about me, I HATE not being able to hear what my tour guides are saying. And with people of all ages, races, and levels of quiet present, I pulled a young man to the side and pleadingly asked if there was a more exclusive, less crowded tour option. He and another of his co-workers brought me back out to the ticket booth, and upgraded me to a VIP tour for only $12 more. TRUST ME. IT'S WORTH EVERY DIME! Not only do you get priority access to EVERYTHING, you get discounts on pictures in the gift shop and other neat swag that the general public does not. You also get a dedicated tour guide and special earbuds so you can take an actual tour, not just aimlessly roam around and hope you can figure out what you're looking at.

Travelin' T, coming to you live from the VIP...tour

Now, you do a LOT on this tour, so I'll just give you brief descriptions of the different phases of the visit. First you enter a room full of Coke paraphernalia from all around the world. An employee warms up the crowd with jokes, encourages you to take pictures, and talks about highlights of artifacts in the room.

I was up front with my fellow VIPers

From there you enter a huge theater with a 10 minute movie that shows a bunch of different people celebrating random life occurrences (like a first grandchild, or a surprise birthday party) and how Coca-Cola is a part of all of that (you know, good times). We were specifically asked to not take photos or video in here, so I obliged. From there though, you go out into the actual museum (I think it's safe to call it that) where VIP folks had to put on our headphones. We had the chance to (cut the line) and take a picture with the biggest creepiest polar bear you can imagine though, which other than the hurt faces of the kids I got to cut in front of, was pretty hilarious to do.

Next we went into a mini production section (the slowest and smallest Coke bottling factory in the world!) where we learned about technological innovations in the making of Coke. The bottles we saw being made are special in that they make all the souvenir bottles you get at the end of your tour (but we aren't there yet...)

FIZZY-Bot making bottles of Coke

Next you go into the most museum-ish part of the building, the story of how Coke was invented, and how the company (and product) grew and expanded over the years. Here is where you'll appreciate that personal tour guide most, because it was SO crowded and there were SO few captions what without their explanations you'd miss a lot of cool information.

Probably the coolest part of this section was getting to hold an actual Olympic torch. Remember the 1996 Olympic Games were in Atlanta, and Coca-Cola was a huge sponsor.

Can't you just hear the Olympic theme now?

Next is a section I nicknamed the "hater and biter" section. It talks about how so many companies tried to mimic Coke and make fake versions of the drink or to somehow tarnish the Coke image. It's here that you will get to see the vault that contains the secret Coke recipe that for years was stashed in an old lock box at a Suntrust bank.

Nothing like the real thing indeed...

Guard in front of the vault

Now before I go on...here is the only part of the tour I was ready to punch someone in the face. In this section you are CLEARLY TOLD to not cross a certain line because an alarm will sound. So what to these dummy parents let their kids do?? Cross the security line...which caused our earbuds to give a VERY loud screech and mechanical wail each time one of those little grubbers laughed and danced across it. I yelled at one woman to "get her kids together"- that REALLY hurt my ears!

From there you enter a room full of art inspired by or made from Coke and Coke materials. Tucked away in the bottom of a case was a bottle of the old "New Coke" that I'm sure most company reps would like to pretend never existed (this tickled me to see...I vaguely remember the huge brouhaha changing the formula caused).

From there we were taken to a 4D theater (and I was starting to wonder how much longer we would be on this tour). While you wait in line (again, much like a roller coaster set up) you watch a video of a woman that looks a LOT like Tracie Thoms ask a bunch of random people on the street what kind of flavors they like...or something like that. I wasn't paying much attention (or rather, didn't know I should have been paying attention). She runs off the screen saying she needs to find someone named Brigsby, and then you enter the theatre. No pics, you know, I was kind of in the moment. But you watch what seemed to be a 15 minute video of her and this Brigsby dude act goofy and discover more ways Coke is all over the world. It's 4D because the movie is in 3D (yes you get glasses) but your seats move and air and mist spray on you to coincide with the action on the screen as well. It was fun, if not a little corny.

Finally, after nearly 2 hours of tour guide led fun (thank you Deepak!) You are given an exclusive pin and dumped into the tasting room. Here you can sample Coke products from every continent (though really, if you are from America and you only stay at the North America section...you're pretty lame). This was fun in a way...some very interesting flavors from Africa and Asia (it was getting close to the time I needed to meet my friend so the rest of the world had to wait) but MAN those floors were STICKY!!! I almost broke my flip flops TWICE because the soles stuck to the floor. They should really have someone there whose sole purpose is to run a damp mop over the floor to clean up spilled pop.

The tasting room

After that, you picked up your souvenir on-site made bottle of Coca Cola and headed into the gift shop where there was a TON of red and Coke themed merchandise. Inside tip, that polar bear pic I took earlier? I got 30% off the purchase of it because I was a VIP tour member.

Thank you FIZZY-Bot!

I had to leave mine in GA with a friend though...it's not TSA carry-on friendly :-/
She's going to mail it to me though :-)

Overall, I had an amazing (if not exhausting!) time at the World of Coca Cola. They truly have set the standard for what a food or beverage factory tour should be (though to be fair, it wasn't a full fledged facility like other places). Please, if you can, buy the VIP ticket. It will really save part of your sanity. A special shout out should be given to the ENTIRE staff there. Not. One. Employee. was rude, unfriendly, or unhelpful. I mean...it was almost a little scary how nice they were. I was very impressed and pleased!

So. More on Georgia to come. I didn't do all the tours I wanted to do...but boy oh boy did I EAT a lot while I was there!

As always, thank you for following me on this journey and reading my blog. Even if it kinds freaks me out a little bit I appreciate your time taken to read it. See you on the next adventure!

Ooooooooklahoma!

Greetings readers! I've been back a little over a week from my 3 day weekend in the state of Oklahoma where I got to visit the cities of Oklahoma City and Stillwater. I had a really great time in this state and have truly fallen in love with Oklahoma City. I sincerely hope everyone gets a chance to visit someday, but just as I did for Las Vegas, I want to give you guys some tips on surviving a touristy visit to OKC.

YOU NEED A CAR TO GET AROUND

You all know I am the Queen of Public Transportation. In nearly every state I've been to I've used a bus or train or subway or SOMETHING to get around at some point. Now, I was in Oklahoma for another sorority event (more on that later) and I met up with a soror in OKC who rented a car. That was how I got around Friday and Saturday (even though that had its own problems-- our car stopped AS IN TOTALLY CUT OFF on the highway headed to Stillwater! Apparently Chevy Malibus are not safe vehicles) but Sunday I was on my own. Sundays in general suck for public transportation, but it was even worse because NO buses run in OKC on Sundays- at least not near the airport or among the museums I visited- and Sunday was my super tourist day seeing as my flight didn't leave until 6:16pm to come home.

So how did I get around? Thankfully I hadn't spent all my money and gone tchotchke crazy while I was there, I took a cab everywhere (to the tune of about $100 when all was said and done). Perhaps it was fate though because my cutie cab driver Dan was super nice, NOT CREEPY (a big plus!), and stuck with me the entire rest of my stay in OKC. He picked me up and took me everywhere I asked. The coolest thing was he of course accepts cash, but also has a WORKING card machine in his Lincoln sedan, and he accepts BITCOIN! How awesome is that? He is officially the first cab driver I've ever seen in life that takes Bitcoin. If you need a cab while you are in Oklahoma City please give him a call or text at 405-838-5242 or follow him on Twitter. He was absolutely divine.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

The entire weekend I was there the weather was over 100 degrees. I'm talking 103 and 105 friends. This Yankee chick was not pleased to say the least. With a very bold sun and little to no shade to be found anywhere, you are going to sweat, and when you sweat as much as we did, you are gonna need water (or Gatorade, or anything cool and liquid that isn't alcohol) to stay hydrated.

The Oklahoma state meal
photo from http://www.mysanantonio.com/food/slideshow/State-foods-and-drinks-85355/photo-6270094.php

COME HUNGRY

I didn't get to eat nearly as much food as I would have liked, but what I did get to eat I'll highlight on a later post. I was a bit disappointed by not being able to see all the restaurants I wanted to because everything I read about Oklahoma mentioned great barbecue, onion burgers (I did have one of those), and the super full plate that the official Oklahoma state meal consists of. Do me a favor, go, get some chicken fried steak, and tell me about it!

RIDE THE BRICKTOWN WATER TAXI

$9.50 gets you all day access to this fun and potentially romantic attraction in the heart of the city's Bricktown neighborhood (where you'll find lots of shops, restaurants, and a few sports stadiums). Unfortunately because we had to get to Stillwater we weren't able to ride at night (and it was super duper hot out) but I still really enjoyed myself. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable about Oklahoma and OKC and gave us all sorts of fun historic tidbits (like the difference between a Boomer and a Sooner... and why there was a slight beef between them for decades). This is told around the part of the tour where you pass the famous Land Run Monument.

Detail of the Land Run Monument

I won't bore you to death with details, but I WILL let you look at my YouTube videos so you can get a sense of it for yourself.

Many blog entries to come about my time in Oklahoma, just have to get the time to type them out. In the meantime please feel free to visit my Facebook page and browse my photos and give me a "like" while you're at it. Thank you so much for following me on my travels, and as always, I will see you on the next adventure!

Frankly, My Dear, You Give A Dam

Before I begin my post, I wanted to send a special congratulations to Miss Nevada for winning the 2014 Miss America pageant! My prior entry about Miss America contestants was really popular so I figured you all would enjoy that link. If you would like to learn more about the other contestants, you can read about them here. How fitting that she won right in the middle of my posts about her home state!

Speaking of Nevada, the very first excursion I booked was for the Hoover Dam using a Groupon from the Hoover Dam Tour Company. 

My sister and I were picked up at our hotel at 9:20 am and we made a few stops at other hotels to pick up other tourists. We were transported to what looked like a huge bus depot, where we boarded a coach bus to take the drive out to the Dam. On the way out, our driver told us a few stories about the housing boom and bust that had recently happened, as well as some tidbits about the Vegas economy (and thanking tourists such as ourselves for being such a large chunk of it). There was a documentary playing about the construction of the Dam, but I think I was the only person that was actually paying attention to it. 

A view from our drive

After about 20 minutes or so we made our first stop at Lake Mead- a man-made lake created by the Dam that is a popular tourist attraction in its own right. Everyone got out and took pictures, and the driver got some sort desert critters that looked like squirrels without tails to come up to the area we parked in by feeding them peanuts. I didn't get any good pics or video of them-- they were really hard to see due to their sandy colored fur.

Lake Mead

Yours truly at Lake Mead...pardon the squinty look
It was SUPER hot and sunny that day

We stayed there maybe 10 minutes, and headed on to the Dam. We went through security screenings very similar to an airport before we were truly inside of the Visitor's Center (TIP: Outside food and drinks are not permitted. Only bottled water!) There, we watched another movie about the making of the Dam (this one was maybe 10 or 15 minutes long) and then were lined up to be split into groups to enter the Power Plant. We got to see all sorts of inner workings there, but as we just had the general tour, we weren't permitted to get up close and personal with the machinery. 

Power Generators inside the Dam

Tour guide explaining how the water in the Dam works and is diverted

One of the Large water diversion pipes

After you left the Power Plant, there was a mini museum dedicated the history and construction of the Dam. It gave insights into how the public felt about the construction, what engineering and financial hurdles the project managers faced, as well as what the lives of the workers were like. There was a replica of one of the generators you could walk through, and then a part that talked about all the accolades the Dam has won as well as how it has affected the region's economics and ecology. I especially liked that they highlighted the role African Americans played in the construction of the Dam.

Display about workers in the museum portion

Photo of some of the African Americans that worked on the Dam

But, most people come to the Hoover Dam to take pictures of the Dam itself. There are two observation areas once you get outside, as well as the original Visitor's Center and a few cool statues dedicated to a lot of things related to the Dam. We stayed out there a total of maybe 20 minutes. It was SUPER hot (over 100 degrees) and really bright out, so all that light reflecting off of the light colored Dam was a bit blinding. I got a few shots of the Dam, the Colorado River, and the statues though. (Didn't want to disappoint my readers!) The original Visitor Center has a 10 minute movie you can watch, but we had to get back to our bus by then and didn't have time to stay.

The Hoover Dam

The view down

Colorado River and the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

Statues near the Dam

After we boarded the bus again, we were shuttled off to Ethel M Chocolates where because we ran over at the Dam, we only got to tour for about 20 minutes. From there, we were all dropped off at our respective hotels. 

I enjoyed my trip to the Hoover Dam. It's one of those American Icons that you hear about, and I was glad to check it off of my list.

I've got a few more entries to go for Nevada, and then my next "new" state won't happen until July-- when I venture off into Oklahoma! In the meantime you can look at the rest of my Nevada photos on my Facebook page.

As always, thank you for reading, and we'll see you on the next adventure!

A Sweet Goodbye

One of the first excursions I planned (read: told my sister I was going to do whether she wanted to come along or not) was a trip to the Hoover Dam. That post is coming (in fact it will most likely be my next blog entry) but this is going to be about how our Hoover Dam tour ended- with a factory tour of Ethel M Chocolates.

How someone thought making chocolate (a substance that easily melts) in the desert (a place that is generally super hot) was a good idea, I'll never know, but it has proven to be a pretty smart business idea. In case you were wondering, the "M" in Ethel M stands for Mars...like Mars, Inc. As in, the company that makes some of the most famous candy in the world: M&Ms among many other favorites. Ethel was the mother of the founders of the company, and Ethel M chocolates began when one of them decided it was a good time to retire....and start another chocolate company.

And he named it after his mother :)

The factory "tour" is in actuality a long hallway with windows that let you look onto the production facility. Seeing as I went on a Sunday afternoon, there wasn't very much activity going on. Only a few workers doing what looked like maintenance work.

Wonka's Factory it was not.
Image from www.notcoming.com

The good news is they had signs posted along the hallway that described what each section would have been doing if production had been going on. At the end of the hallway was a very nice woman with free chocolate samples. You could choose between white, milk, and dark chocolate (I chose dark, in case you were interested, though I haven't met a chocolate I didn't like yet!)

The Empty Factory

FREE CHOCOLATE!!!

Of course, after the hallway you turn into the gift shop, which is nothing but (expensive!) treats for you to take home. There was a man giving out samples of Chocolate Pecan Brittle...delicious! My sister and I each got ice cream (her flavor was Bananas Foster, I stuck with a plain Chocolate) and browsed the offerings. We didn't buy anything, partly because we'd only had 20 minutes to see the entire place thanks to our Dam tour running over, and partly because we were both concerned our candy would melt before we got back to our hotel room (it was over 100 degrees that day).

Our ice cream

Had we had more time, I would have loved to have strolled along the cactus garden that is also on the site. A few people on Tripadvisor said it was worth a few minutes of your time to see the beautiful desert gardens. Alas, 'twas not meant to be. For such a short (and completely unrelated) add on to a much larger tour, I really enjoyed myself at Ethel M. The candy was delicious, and I highly recommend you take some home with you if you think you can get it back un-melted (you can also order some things on their website and have it shipped directly to you).

I have plenty more Nevada entries to bring you all, so stay tuned. Make sure you check out the rest of my Facebook pictures (and hit that like button!) Thank you for reading my blog, and as always, I'll see you on the next adventure!

They Keep The Lights On

When you think of Las Vegas, what comes to mind? Gambling and casinos? Nearly naked women and sinful nights? Quickie marriages (and divorces)? Perhaps. Myself, I always think about the lights. There's only one place that can even dream of coming close to being as bright and lit up as Vegas (that would be Times Square in NYC), and even that has nothing on the decades of art, science, engineering, and marketing that have grown into the iconic Las Vegas neon signs.

It's even brighter in person
Image from http://www.condominiumcentral.net/

But, what happens when these signs get old? Or a casino is demolished or renamed or rebranded?

Enter the only museum in America (if not the world) dedicated to the preservation of neon signs, The Neon Museum. Filled with the relics of by-gone Vegas businesses and eras, a tour here is like walking back through time. Many of the signs are in the process of being restored and refurbished but there are lots that are waiting their turn, giving visitors a close peek at the artistry and thought put into each sign.

To get here, my sister and I took the Deuce Bus to Stewart and 4th Street, then walked maybe 3 or 4 blocks to the Neon Museum. We were in a bit of a hurry (we were trying to squeeze this in literally a few hours before we were to fly back to Pennsylvania), but caught a 9:30am tour. Let me go on the record and say that at first I was grumpy that there were such odd tour times (a few in the morning, and a few in the evening- and that's it!) but having gone on the tour, I fully understand why. See, The Neon Museum is all outdoors-- in a desert. So halfway through our 9:30 am tour it was already near 100 degrees outside surrounded by huge metal and glass signs with little shade to be had. A tour at high noon would probably kill someone from the sun exposure!

The gift shop/ lobby of the Neon Museum....that's the only "inside" part you'll get

Pieces of the Moulin Rouge, Stardust, Lady Luck and others- that's all metal and a real sun folks.
It was HOT!!!

At night, the tour is a bit more expensive ($25 versus $18 in the day), but they offer a bevy of discounts for Nevada residents, museum professionals, students, etc. I wish we could have seen the tour at night, when the signs are lit up and you can get a taste of them in their former glory!

Part of the original Stardust sign- the rest is scattered around the museum

It sure FELT like the Sahara out there!

This museum is pretty new (only an official museum for about a year and a half now although the collection of the signs goes back for decades) and I am excited to see where they will go from here. They have a fundraiser going to raise funds to restore some of the more damaged signs (donate friends!), and they have a cool gift shop with lots of pop art-ish items, books, and art pieces. While actual signs themselves are not for sale (or the components of them), walking through the Boneyard (the exhibition space) gave me a feeling of ownership of these beautiful artifacts. What I loved most? That many of the signs and hotels of early Vegas were designed by women and African Americans such as Betty Willis who designed the most famous signs of the Strip including the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign (more on THAT in another post) and signs for the Stardust and Moulin Rouge, and Paul Revere Williams, the first documented African-American member and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Well friends, this is one of many entries I'll have for Nevada. I truly loved this museum, and hope that my lovely readers will support them on their fundraising effort! While I get the rest of these entries typed, feel free to peruse the rest of my Nevada (and other state) photos on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and I'll see you on the next adventure!

Tips and Advice Solicitation

Hello readers! I am still on non-travel mode as I get through the holiday season, but I am already planning and working towards my trips for 2014-- and my calendar is quickly filling up!

I wanted to try something different though. I wanted to hear what YOU would suggest as great things to see or do in the states I will be traveling to. So far (barring any major catastrophe), I am going to:

Atlanta, Georgia in January 2014
Dayton, Ohio in April 2014 (though it's for a conference, so I'm not sure how much free time I will have)
Las Vegas, Nevada in May 2014
Charlotte, North Carolina in July 2014

I'm also seriously trying to fit in South Dakota in August 2014 and New Orleans, Louisiana at any point during the year.

So- what should I do? Where should I visit? Any advice or things to watch out for? Keep in mind that although I am planning on relinquishing my crown soon (I am taking driving lessons!) I am still the Queen of Public Transportation, so I most likely will not be able to go way out into the boonies without a little help. (Before you say anything, South Dakota is thus far looking like a trip with people who do indeed drive lol).

Tell me on my Facebook wall, tweet me, or simply comment below!

Thanks guys, and I'll see you on the next adventure!

Falling In Love

Before you get all weirded out about my blog title, let me make the disclaimer that this is NOT about my personal life.

Fallingwater

Great, now that that is out of the way, let's talk about Fallingwater, arguably the most famous home in the United States after the White House. This residence is probably the best known Frank Lloyd Wright building, and was built in the late 1930s for the Kaufmann family. For any non-locals, the Kaufmanns were the owners of probably the best department store EVER- Kaufmann's- that opened in 1871 but was bought out by Macy's in 2006. It was a big part of Pittsburgh culture. "Meet me under the Kaufmann's clock" is probably one of the most said phrases in the city (even though technically it's the Macy's clock now...), and has been a gathering place for residents since 1913. Obviously, to have had this much influence over the city, these folks had to have been wealthy. And one of the things they did with their money was to commission Mr. Wright to design a weekend home for them far from the city where they could be rejuvenated from all the smoke and pollution urban Pittsburgh suffered with due to steel making. They used this home for roughly 25-30 years, and then Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. donated the home to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to be turned into a museum for the public.

Which bring us to my Sunday afternoon visit to Fallingwater with two of my coworkers. It was about an hour drive from the city to the site. As the Queen of Public Transportation, let me tell you now there is NO way to get here unless you drive. NONE. We passed plenty of cows and fields on the way there. Not a bus stop sign in sight! And if you don't drive, good luck trying to find a bus tour out there- before my coworkers decided to go, I tried to Google tours from the city to the premises. I found ONE company that only does tours sporadically. Not very convenient, although it does include the nearby Kentuck Knob- another Wright home seven miles from Fallingwater that often gets overlooked by tourists (like us).

Inside the Visitor's Center

Anyway, once you get to the Visitor Center, you are told to listen for your tour number but to feel free to use the restrooms and browse the shop and cafe in the meantime. Once you are called, you are directed to a path after being told "the rules" of visiting the home, and you walk down a nature trail of sorts, making a right at a waterfall where your tour guide will be standing waiting for you with a giant walking stick in hand. Our tour guide was amazing- Eric Kobal. He was excited (but not crazy), knowledgeable (but not snooty), and friendly (but not fake). Seriously he knew details about EVERYTHING in the house- the plants in the gardens, the art on the walls, the books on the shelves, the design highlights, everything! I'm sure they probably go through some intense training in order to know so much, but I enjoyed that he didn't sound rehearsed and encouraged us to ask questions. Thankfully our group was engaging and excited to be on the tour.

Eric our tour guide! The guides carry the sticks as a sort of homage to Kaufmann, Sr.
who has a portrait in the living room holding one of these.

He had lots of quirky stories and factoids to share with us, but probably my favorite was the one about the color scheme of the home. The home is painted in a beige-y peach color called ocher and accented with Wright's favorite color, Cherokee red. This is actually the second choice of Wright- who thought the home should be covered in gold leaf! Imagine how that would have looked in depression era America-- one family being so rich they could afford to build a house covered in gold while just a few miles away their employees practically starved. Thankfully the Kaufmann's saw this was a terrible idea and the current color scheme was used instead.

After the main house tour (you go through both the main house and the guest house), you are taken to what used to be the car port but is now a sort of movie room where a different person (our was a woman named Bonnie) explains the ways the organization keeps the building maintained, discusses a little about how much it costs, and then does a strong push for membership and donations without coming across as a used car salesman. Seriously, if I had an extra hundred bucks in my pocket that day they could have had it- that's how positive the entire experience (even being solicited!) was. From there you are allowed to go back to the outside area and take pictures, but NOT the inside (more on that later) and then you head back to the Visitor Center. On the way back there is a side trail that takes you to a great spot to take the "iconic" Fallingwater pic that everyone always sees in magazines and books. I honestly had an awesome time here (history and arts nerd that I am!) and would love to come back.

The oldest piece of art in the home. A Hindu goddess statue dating to around 700 AD
Taken from outside so as not to break the rules!

Now, some tips and random tidbits. Don't even think about wearing non-flat, feet exposing shoes. Most of the surfaces we walked were either uneven stone, gravel, or dirt and wood chips so wear something sturdy and protective on your feet. If you've never been and aren't sure you'll like it, take the regular tour. It's $22 for adults. But if you already know you are a Wright fan or want a VIP experience, go ahead and shell out the $65 for the in-depth tour (I know I will next time!). What's the difference? Well, you get a tour that's twice as long in a smaller group (a maximum of ten) AND you'll get to take pictures inside of the house (which we were not allowed to do) and go to areas the general public isn't allowed. AND you won't have to worry about other tours bunching up in spaces with you as the VIP tours are pretty much isolated from everyone else.

A gathering of walking sticks and a donation box. 

Whichever tour you take, I beg you to please ask questions about the art and sculpture you see around you. Why? Well, where else can you be super close and personal with original, authentic Picassos? There are Japanese woodcuts, Riveras, and Khalos mixed in with ancient art from around the world. And there are beautiful antique books that belonged to Junior of some of the most celebrated titles in the history of literature. Another highlight was learning that the Kaufmann's cook, Elsie Henderson, is alive and well at 100 years of age and was recently at the home signing copies of her cookbook (they didn't have any signed copies for me to purchase, otherwise I would have!)

Thank you so much for reading my blog and for following me on my adventure! Feel free to check out my Facebook page (and hit that like button!), and follow me on Twitter to find out where I'm headed next!