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The Dollars And Sense of a Second Home
We recently hosted a high school graduation party for Alex at my sister Sheri and brother-in-law John's getaway place at Smith Lake in Warren County, Alabama. As is so typical of me, before the weekend was over, I was scheming and dreaming about building a place of our own along these same shores.
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Ken's reaction? Sell that book you're writing and then we'll talk. While this wasn't an unenthusiastic response (although it might sound that way), this Sunday's Parade magazine offered even more practical commentary on the "dollar and sense" of such a purchase.
Continue Reading...THE Move
For a blogger extraordinaire, the last few months 
would have provided ample opportunity for content, content, content.
However, from my perspective, it seemed rather self-absorbed to write about every nuance of our move in numbing detail. Instead, I thought it would be more useful to encapsulate a few lessons learned from our recent familial excursion into a single narrative.
Continue Reading...Georgia's Peachy Keen for The Relocation Crowd
Georgia is gaining ground on Florida as a preferred relocation and retirement destination for snow birds and sun worshipers alike. At least, that is the conclusion to be drawn from the recently released United Van Lines' annual migration study.
Specifically in 2006, United statistics showed that for the first time ever more people moved out of Florida rather than into the Sunshine State. United, the nation's largest mover, finds that its results often mirror state and federal demographic statistics. The company has been evaluating this information for the past thirty years.
Why do so many folks have Georgia on their mind?
Continue Reading...The Mmmetuchen Inn
NJ: Fran and I are both professional refugees of the B.C. As two Jersey girls, when we decided to get together for lunch earlier this week, it made sense to find a midway point in our state to rendezvous. Due to the hour time difference between charming Middletown, her neck of the woods, and Basking Ridge, mine, we had to do a little research to find a location. To our good fortune, we discovered the perfect spot in the quaint and tasty Metuchen Inn (above).
Continue Reading...A Show for NE Snowbirds
For those living in the Northeast but with dreams of moving to warmer climes, there is an upcoming travel show you won't want to miss.
From January 19-21 at the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey, Living Southern Style magazine will be hosting the Live South Real Estate Show, the largest resort and retirement real estate show in the country. Meet experts, attend seminars on topics from building your dream home to selecting the right location, and visit exhibitors from Delaware to Florida, South Carolina to Virginia and every state in between.
Just the Facts
The Live South Real Estate Show is from 5 - 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday. Attendance is $15 per person at the door, but is complimentary if you pre-register by calling 1.888.248.2989 or online at www.livesouthshows.com.
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Art & Fun Are Crystal Clear at WheatonArts
NY & NJ: When Alex went with his friend Sam to the Goldsmith
family 
lake house in Ithaca, New York a few summers ago, he
naturally enjoyed the seasonal pursuits of splashing, running and relaxing that such a location inspires. But one of the more surprising outcomes of his trip was a visit to the Corning Museum of Glass, a first-rate museum and educational center with one of the world’s premier collection of art and historical glass. Here Alex witnessed glass being blown, twisted and made into objects both artistic and functional, and even got to try his own hand at the art. A delicate crystalline flower in swirls of blue, yellow and white is an object of great pride that continues to evoke a smile and memories whenever it catches his eye.
While Corning may be a more recognized name for some in the annals of glass lore, glass production is equally indigenous to the small southern New Jersey community of Millville. And there, one will find the very special WheatonArts.
Continue Reading...And The Winner Is . . .
Southern Living released their annual Readers’ Choice Awards winners in the publication's January 2007 issue. Great escapes suggested by their readers and editors that are BRCT-focused and worthy of your consideration include (drum roll please):
Continue Reading...
The Old & Improved Cloisters at Sea Island
GA: The Cloisters at Sea Island has been a haven for peaceful relaxation since it opened in 1928. 
Now, after a recently completed multi-million dollar renovation to the Mediterranean structure, the resort entices more than ever.
The 100-room main structure -- consisting of 64 rooms and 36 suites -- has been beautifully restored by architect Peter Capone and designer Pamela Hughes. Rooms feature views of the surrounding woodlands, marshfront and Black Banks River . Richly hued Turkish rugs and Irish tapestries sparkle alongside original features, like intricate moldings and colorful stained glass.
Continue Reading...Tiny Baubles
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field in Crestline Village, an unassuming shop occupies a quaint yellow bungalow that fits quietly into its surroundings. But the of-the-moment, reasonably priced treasures to be found at Bags & Baubles are fantastic enough to qualify this store for shout-out-loud, rock star status.
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The Most Revolutionary Thing About NJ's Minute Man Restaurant Is The Great Eats
NJ: We recently had reason to celebrate. Alex was accepted 
to his first-choice university for the fall of 2007 (Roll Tide!), so naturally we wanted to head to one of his favorite spots. In this case, the Minute Man Restaurant on Highway 202 in Bernardsville, NJ filled the bill.
From its caramel-colored, wood-slathered walls to the mile-high pies in the front case, a trip to the Minute Man is like a big, friendly hug.
Is Small Town USA The New Retirement Destination?
An article in Monday's Wall Street Journal by Kelly Green states what we at Back Roads, Charming Towns already know is a growing trend.
No, not that brown is the new black, but that small towns 
are the new retirement destinations. While golf courses, mountain terrains and shorelines continue to lure many in their retirement years, small town America is a preferred location for an increasing number of us.
What is it about these communities that makes them so appealing?
Continue Reading...Finding A Charming "Town" Among The Rails
NJ: An electrical outage along the rails this morning meant that I was detoured on my way into the B.C. It wasn't an unpleasant experience, providing an excuse to take the walk I am usually too rushed to enjoy from the station to the office. The weather today was beautiful and the atmosphere was brisk.
But I am getting ahead of myself. First, before I could get to excuses for taking walks, I had the pleasure of enjoying a train station, reimagined on this particular morning as a charming town center.
A Tale of Apples, Pumpkins & Corn Stalks
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NJ: Even on an overcast day, there is a glow permeating Wightman’s Farms in Harding.
Perhaps it results from the rush of activity brought on by youthful exuberance, perhaps it emanates from the brilliance of the season’s rich autumnal hues.
Continue Reading...Dancing To The Beat of A Different Drummer
NC: The rhythmic patterns are the first sounds you hear. 
The twirling and swaying are the first things you see. The palpitating energy is the only thing you feel. Asheville’s legendary Drum Circle (shown at right. Photography offered by BRCTraveller Alex Grodner) is an experience not to be missed if you happen to be in Western North Carolina on any given Friday night when the weather is warm and the spirit is willing.
Continue Reading...
The twirling and swaying are the first things you see. The palpitating energy is the only thing you feel. Asheville’s legendary Drum Circle (shown at right. Photography offered by BRCTraveller Alex Grodner) is an experience not to be missed if you happen to be in Western North Carolina on any given Friday night when the weather is warm and the spirit is willing. Continue Reading...
Rummaging Around in Far Hills, NJ
NJ: As you watch the parade of people saunter by proudly with their latest acquisition – golf clubs, garden 
equipment, antiques, light fixtures – you know this must be a unique place. And you would be right.
Twice a year the Visiting Nurses Association of Somerset Hills gives folks a chance to find their latest “must have” at their humongous rummage sale. Held at the Fairgrounds in Far Hills, New Jersey, this is the state’s oldest and largest sale of its kind.
Part of the fun of this sale is its charm. Run by volunteers who care passionately about the cause and realize that this sale draws attendees not just from the immediate area but also from as far as Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York City, the event is run with the precision and marketing savvy of a true retail establishment.
Falling Into A Good Time in Ithaca
As offered by BRCTraveller Stirling Grodner
NY: We had been gone all weekend and I just wanted to go home. But my dad and my brother had other ideas. They wanted to go play at Taughannock Falls, a waterfall outside of Ithaca, New York, and the waters surrounding it. In spite of my weariness, I certainly wasn’t going to let them have fun without me!
363 Days Ago
MS: 363 days ago, a region of quaint hamlets were overcome by powerful waters, tearing at the delicate web of humanity.
363 days ago, a chain of events put in motion by the spontaneity of nature and perpetuated by the inefficiencies of man broke the hearts of a nation.
363 days later, we have witnessed the worst and the best of the human spirit, as people have come together to rebuild lives and communities that were traumatized to their cores.
Continue Reading...One Morning in Blue Ridge
As offered by BRCTraveller Ginny Herman
GA: "I took this photo around 8.30 am coming down from my cabin towards town, going past all the rhododendrons, hemlock trees and creeks. I turned the corner and WOW. It was a wonderful experience that set the mood for the entire day for me."
Give Me An A
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CT, NY, VA & AL: The fashion gurus tell us that monograms are back "in."
For a girl raised in the South, it was never really out of fashion. For me, there are few things in life that don't look better with a little personalized pizazz! A gold filigreed monogram ring. Bath towels. Guest robes. A sofa slipcover. Engraved glasses and silver platters.
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Small-town shops in Connecticut (Personal Best Monogram Shoppe), New York, Virginia (The Monogram Shop) and Alabama (Oodles of Ribbon) are offering ideas and choices for anyone who wants to add monogrammed accents to their home, their life, their style.
Kitsch and Charm Are Alive at Pennsylvania's Roadside America (and check out the Antiques next door!)
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near Hershey, an unusual sign catches your eye around the borough of Shartlesville. “Roadside America Exit Here” it quietly beckons. Always a glutton for “out-of-the-ordinary” attractions, I found the allure too much to resist – I had to explore further. Pulling into the driveway and crossing the attraction's threshold, I had some initial reservations. After all, this was about as 1950s,
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Americans.
(And down the road is Ina Stoudt's not-to-be-missed antique store, crammmed to several sets of rafters with antique and vintage furnishings, household decorative items, unique tchotchkes and eclectic vintage clothing.)
Continue Reading...The Antique Professionals' Source: Asheville's Brunk Auctions
NC: Stirling and I went to a recent house sale in our town of Basking Ridge, a community with its fair share of antique lovers. Our purchases were fun -- Stirling's first antique piece of furniture (a pine dresser for a future home), silver serving pieces, and an exquisite Japanese bone china tea set. But it was meeting the sale's organizer, Carolyn Remmey, and the tidbit that she shared that were the best deal of the day.
Continue Reading...
Basking Ridge: Easy Livin' in central Jersey
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NJ: A place where animals lounged and basked in the sun in days past is a place where human beings love to hang out and live in the present. Basking Ridge, New Jersey is today’s featured “charming town.”
Located 36 miles west of New York City in central New Jersey, Basking Ridge is a combination of rural simplicity and small-town amenities with big-city proximity.
Continue Reading...Is A Home On the Range Right For You?
ND: "Do you have what it takes to be a 21st century pioneer?" Some towns in North Dakota are asking this question as they seek new residents and explore innovative ways to sustain an easy-going lifestyle while bolstering dwindling populations. In fact, you may even be eligible for free land and tax incentives if you are willing to pick up and move to the northwestern regions of the state.
www.prairieopportunity.com is the brainchild of The Northwest North Dakota Marketing Alliance, a coalition of leaders from local municipalities, looking for people interested in making a move to this very rural setting. But for modern-day homesteaders up to the challenge, the benefits can be many: magnificent wildlife, majestic scenery, entrepreneur-friendly environments and small town living.
Continue Reading...127 Sale Yields Endless Treasures
TN: Antique European watering cans, flower pails, wagon wheels and saddles may not be what you
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would expect to find for sale along a small-town stretch of highway in central Tennessee. But then the Highway 127 Corridor Sale is unlike most any event you could possible imagine.
Billed as the “World’s Longest Yard Sale,” this 450-mile extravaganza stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, meandering through Tennessee and Georgia along the way. Now in its 19th year, the sale has earned a reputation as a truly unique experience and bargain-hunters' paradise.
Don Daniels, who runs the aforementioned booth (pictured at right) packed with these treasures and more from England, Holland, and France as well as points throughout the United States, has been participating in the 127 Corridor Sale since its inception, and has been named a "shoppers' favorite" vendor for several years.
Pink Cadillac "Shakes Up" Natural Bridge, Virginia
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co-exists with a horse pasture in Natural Bridge, Virginia. A King Kong gorilla statue keeps a watchful eye on the colorful outpost. And inside, you are welcomed by a bronze life-sized Elvis. You have arrived at the very original Pink Cadillac Diner.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
In their July/August issue, AAA World explores the topic of sisterly excursions in "Getting Away With 'the Girls" a growing tourist trend.
My own recent girlfriend getaway was with my sister Sheri and friend Helen to visit Stirling, who is in college in Asheville, North Carolina. We stayed at the Biltmore Inn on the grounds of the magnificent Biltmore Estates. Even though the trip was in mid-January and snow flurries had apparently followed us from New Jersey, it was still a terrific bonding, chicks-only experience.
Continue Reading...Where Having "Garlic Breath" Isn't A Bad Thing
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After the circuitous ride down a makeshift road kicking up dust on bald fields, the first thing you notice in climbing off the bus is the smell. It is not an offensive or over powering scent, just one that is clearly present. But after all, this is the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Considered one of America’s premiere food events, the festival -- now in its 28th year -- was started when local garlic growers pitched the idea to the town of Gilroy, California. No one expected much that first year. So when attendance far exceeded expectations, the pungent fest was born. In 2006, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is expected to draw 130,000 guests.
As soon as I arrived, I was on the lookout for the infamous -- and interesting-sounding -- garlic ice cream.
Continue Reading...Woodstock's Hawthorn Gallery: Antiques & Curiosities From India, China, Burma
NY: On the approach into Woodstock, New York, it would be easy to overlook the sign .jpg)
pointing you towards the Hawthorn Gallery and Red Barn Antiques. But don't make that mistake -- this is one place you won't want to miss.
Tucked in next to the gas station-turned-Sovreign Bank is
Elwyn Lane. Follow this road around the bend and through a residential area and all the sudden in a clearing to your right, the red barn that houses The Hawthorn Gallery beckons. On first approach, what immediately catches the eye, beyond the striking red building, are the intricately carved wooden and stone architectural fragments that lean against walls, nestle into ground covering and rise mystically from overgrown flower beds.
And that is just the beginning of the treasures to be found
in this unique place. Continue Reading...
pointing you towards the Hawthorn Gallery and Red Barn Antiques. But don't make that mistake -- this is one place you won't want to miss.Tucked in next to the gas station-turned-Sovreign Bank is
Elwyn Lane. Follow this road around the bend and through a residential area and all the sudden in a clearing to your right, the red barn that houses The Hawthorn Gallery beckons. On first approach, what immediately catches the eye, beyond the striking red building, are the intricately carved wooden and stone architectural fragments that lean against walls, nestle into ground covering and rise mystically from overgrown flower beds.
And that is just the beginning of the treasures to be found
in this unique place. Continue Reading...
Road To Memories
Somehow it seems appropriate to begin this blog in conjunction with a holiday associated with family, friends and fun, all things we hope will be enhanced by your visits to Back Roads, Charming Towns.
With my sister and daughter in tow, we took a 12-hour road trip today, the Saturday of Independence Day weekend. We ruled out the beach (we knew that would surely be a shore bottleneck) and the Amish country (the "monsoon of June" had just swept the Delaware River over the banks of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, leaving a soggy, muddy mess by Saturday). We opted for the Catskills and specifically, the village of Woodstock. While there was the anticipated traffic on the New York Thruway, it was only when we got to Exit 16 that matters went from bopping to bleak.
