This week we’re Road Trippin’ Across the eastern half of the Southeast. The states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware are all touched by the Atlantic Ocean. Each of these states has its own special recipe based on the seafood most common to its area. Broilers are a big industry in most of the states in this region, along with greenhouse and nursery products.
Florida produces 65 percent of citrus in the United States. Georgia produces almost half of the country’s peanuts. South Carolina has the only tea farm in North America. North Carolina is the top producer of sweet potatoes in the country. Virginia is one of the top turkey-producing states. Maryland is a leading state in the production of blue crabs. About 90 percent of Delaware’s farms are family-owned, and corn is the top crop in the state.
Silver Springs State Park in Florida is a laid-back, family-friendly stop on our tour. Tourists have been taking glass-bottom boat tours of this area since the late 1800s. You can take a slow boat ride past Spanish moss-covered trees, alligators lounging on the banks, turtles sunning on half-sunken logs, and old movie sets. Yes, Silver Springs has been the filming location for movies such as Creature from the Black Lagoon, several Tarzan movies, the old TV series Sea Hunt, and many more! The clear waters are great for viewing sunken boats and schools of fish through the glass-bottom tour boats. This was the most relaxing tourist destination we visited in Florida.
The next stop on our trip is Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston has something for everyone in the family. You can take a carriage ride through the historic district to admire the beautiful old homes and gardens or walk along the Battery to enjoy the view and the ocean breeze. You can visit Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, where you can explore the decks of the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier (left) and the USS Laffey destroyer. Then go down into the tight quarters of the USS Clamgore submarine. Once you’re back above deck, take a short boat ride over to Fort Sumter. You can roam through the passageways and fortifications of this historic site. You are free to stay as long as you like, but keep an eye on your watch! You don’t want to miss the last boat back! Charleston is a city you will want to visit again and again!
Let’s head up to North Carolina, where we’ll visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk. Here you will see the hill where the Wright Brothers made their first successful flights. The flights weren’t very long or very far, but they were the beginning of a mode of transportation that allows us to travel the world in an amazingly short amount of time. The museum exhibits show you what the Wright brothers’ camp while they were testing and their first successful airplane looked like. You can walk to the top of the hill and see the ocean not too far away.
Our last stop is the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia. This outdoor living history museum allows you to walk down a trail to farms from different countries and different eras. The Old World area has farms from England, Ireland, Germany, and West Africa in the 1600-1700s. The New World – American Frontier area features a 1700s American Indian farm, and American farms from the 1700s, 1820s, and1850s. Each farm contains a farmhouse, garden, and animals appropriate for its time and location. It is fascinating to explore the different farms and hear the stories of everyday life from the re-enactors.
There is much more to do and see on the east side of the Southeast. You can watch our Road Trippin’ Across the USA! – The Southeast (east side)! Video on the Dade County 4-H Facebook page or on our Dade County GA 4-H YouTube channel. A new video is posted each Monday at 11 a.m. Eastern.
