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havekiddoswilltravel · 5 years ago

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News Flash: Family Travel Doesn’t Even Require a Passport

Passport free affordable family travel inspiration that will get you to actually leave the house with your kids.

Often times, I have parents ask me for advice regarding travel with children and I remind them that international travel is not the only way to expose and share experiences with your kids. I’m well aware that if you search the hashtag #travel or #familytravel, you will come across many staged and photoshopped images of what seems like perfectly behaved jet setting families in Paris, Malasia, Kenya, Greece and every international Disney Park, yet I’m here for the family who’s trying to figure out how to pull off a simple in state road trip, overnight trip or weekend adventure. While we love exploring so many amazing places that are ideal family travel locations, I’m also all about the local and regional travel experiences. Why? It’s more realistic that the average family will be able to plan, afford and actually pull off an overnight trip or weekend getaway, than a safari or two week long trip through Europe. Realistic and affordable family travel is imperative to breaking the obstacles to family travel for most people.

Family travel is not something we do to simply check off a box, say that we’ve been there and because it’s currently the trendy thing to do. We were those lone black people hiking, camping, skiing and in typically not family orientated travel destinations, before family travel became the “in” thing. It’s been an integral part of our family values and way of life for over nineteen years. This means that we place as much emphasis on the experiences and lessons learned while taking a day trip to Block Island, Rhode Island or a weekend trip to Acadia National Park, Maine, as we do on our trip to Havana, Cuba. Travel is truly as much about the process of getting to the destination, as it is about experiencing said destination with our children. What do I mean? Children who grow up to be adults who love adventure and experiences are born in transit. They are born in their ability to pack their bags, organize the car, plan their trip and live in the moment once they arrive. They’re born in the ability to make the most out of the unexpected or hiccups in their plans, without those challenges completely ruining their trip.

These lessons can be learned without even owning a passport, a car or the funds to take you on that bucket list trip. You don’t need to have TSA Pre Check, Global Entry or Mobile Passport to raise travel loving and adventure seeking children. You can accomplish these goals by teaching your kids how to explore their own back yard, state, region and country. The United States or your own home country are filled with incredibly beautiful places just waiting for you to experience them. I challenge you to rethink the passport stamp seeking family travel culture that we’re bombarded with daily on social media and you will realize that it’s not as unattainable as you once thought. Even as a family travel blogger, I find myself rolling my eyes at some of the elitists posts that I see on social media these days. I’m here to tell you that it’s perfectly okay if your kids don’t leave the country until they have their first job and can afford to buy their own flight. While we do travel internationally with our four children, I must acknowledge that international travel is not something that is immediately available to most families with two children, much less those with four. I encourage you to start traveling with your kids by choosing trips that meet your personal family budget. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s paralyzing.

The older I get, the more I appreciate a good long weekend family trip. I don’t have the attention span for most 7-day trips with kids. I love long weekends and 5-night trips because they allow our family to create amazing memories while not completely disrupting our daily flow, routine and wallet. Also, as a large family, lodging, food and transportation costs add up quickly. I’d rather travel more often, than travel longer in one single trip. This is our family’s preference and you will figure out your own family travel flow, the more you get out of the house with your kids. I’ve written previous blog posts about the fact that family travel is not a vacation. It requires a shift in thinking and an acceptance to what your reality is as a parent leaving the house with children. It’s a fact. You will have to put in all of the work required to parent on a daily basis while you are away from home. Travel will only accentuate your troublesome family dynamics. Ugh, sorry I had to say that! It’s reality. I’ve spoken to so many parents who say that they don’t travel with their kids because their kids don’t listen, misbehave and thus damper their travel experience. Those are issues that I highly recommend that you address and deal with before you embark on a week long trip with children. Traveling didn’t cause these issues, but having kids out of their element accentuates all of those things to a degree that will cause you to never leave home again. Thus, be realistic in your travel expectations with children. You may be in a season that requires shorter trips. Embrace that. The season of longer travel will be here before you know it.

Don’t be paralyzed by all of the family travel posts to expensive travel destinations, that leave you feeling inadequate, despondent and slightly depressed. Start somewhere. Start Local. Start now. You won’t regret it and in the meantime, you’ll be planting those seeds that you will surely sow at the right time in your family’s lifetime. These are some of our favorite family travel destinations that hopefully will get your wanderlust juices flowing. I bet some of these are close enough to you that you can make a long weekend out of them.

- The Grand Canyon, Flagstaff Arizona, U.S.A.

- The Monterrey Peninsula, California, U.S.A.

- The Pacific Coast Highway, California, U.S.A.

- Coronado Beach, San Diego, California, U.S.A.

- San Francisco’s Cable Cars, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

- Sequoia National Park, California, U.S.A.

- Yosemite National Park, California, U.S.A.

- Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

- Essex, Connecticut, U.S.A.

- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut, U.S.A.

- Litchfield Hills in Connecticut, U.S.A.

- Amelia Island, Florida, U.S.A.

- Everglades National Park, U.S.A.

- Key West, Florida, U.S.A.

- Marco Island, Florida, U.S.A.

- South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A.

- Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A.

- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

- Acadia National Park, Maine, U.S.A.

- Kennebunkport, Maine, U.S.A.

- Ocean City, Maryland, U.S.A.

- Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

- Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

- Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

- The Lakes Region, New Hampshire, U.S.A.

- Mount Washington, North Conway, New Hampshire, U.S.A.

- The Adirondacks, New York, U.S.A.

- The Catskills, New York, U.S.A.

- Lake Placid, New York, U.S.A.

- Lake George, New York, U.S.A.

- Finger Lakes, New York, U.S.A.

- Hudson Valley, New York, U.S.A.

- New York City, U.S.A.

- Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S.A.

- The Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.A.

- Gettysburg National Military Park and Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

- Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A

- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

- Block Island, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

- Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

- Manchester Village, Vermont, U.S.A.

- Stowe, Vermont, U.S.A.

- Killington, Vermont, U.S.A.

- Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, U.S.A.

- Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.

- Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.A.

- Nova Scotia, Canada

- Niagara Falls, Canada

- Quebec, Canada

- Montreal, Canada

- Exploring any Chinatown, Koreatown or little Italy in any major city.

What are some of your favorite affordable family travel destinations? What are some of the obstacles that you face in starting to travel with your kids?

Pro tips for affordable local family travel:

- Travel off season. Island destinations like Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard are just as stunning, more affordable and less crowded in the off season. Ski resorts make amazing Spring, Summer and Fall destinations. Off season travel also mean that you won’t face minimum night requirements and thus allow you to take a weekend trip rather than a full week.

- If you have young children and don’t need to work around a school schedule, hotels are cheaper on Sunday nights and mid week. Avoid Friday and Saturday nights unless traveling to business destinations and then weekends are actually less expensive at some of the really nice business hotels.

- Brand loyalty does pay off. If you do stay in hotels, follow the deals and not the destinations. Also, stick to one brand and sign up immediately for their rewards programs. Many of our annual hotel stays are free nights using rewards.

- Don’t be afraid to book Airbnb’s. As a large family, we often book condos and full houses at a significantly cheaper rate than a hotel stay.

- I use Costco often for car rentals. They offer the best deals for vehicles that can accommodate our family.

- Be flexible and creative in your lodging options. We’ve stayed outside of beach towns for 1/4 of the cost of staying on the beach. Flexibility in family travel is key to actually going anywhere.

- Be willing to try new things. We’ve stayed in cabins, RVs and tent camped. I honestly never pictured myself having some of the amazing experiences that we’ve shared with our children. To think that I may have missed these memories if I stuck to that which I was comfortable with.

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eddiejpoplar · 7 years ago

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Driving the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route in a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

APPALACHIA — The route didn’t open until May. We were more than a month early, driving through the first dim hours of spring in a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. I’d imagined bare hills and blue skies, bud-laden limbs and yellow finches flitting through the whole of it. Instead, we ran headfirst into the last wan days of winter, the map blanketed with a statewide storm full of snow and ice. We could have turned around and left the more than 1,000 miles of the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route for safer, warmer days. But now more than ever, the Wrangler is a key that unlocks this country’s forgotten places, a tool that takes you there regardless of terrain or weather.

The Wrangler is a rare thing. Point one out to anyone—your grandmother, young nephew, dental hygienist, plumber, or CPA—and ask what it is, and not one among them will hesitate to answer, “Jeep.” The shape is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that when it came time to completely reimagine the machine for the fourth time in the model’s history, designers abandoned the front badge entirely. Save the chrome for someone who needs a nametag.

The previous-generation JK Wrangler debuted in 2006. The new JL model bows to an automotive landscape that’s foreign by comparison, one increasingly populated by EVs and talk of self-driving cars. It must seem like some fresh hell for a body-on-frame SUV, unapologetic on its solid axles, blissfully incapable of operating itself. The Wrangler has always survived in spite of change, a prized relic with thick roots that run right back to the war-winning Willys MB. Is there still room in this world for the Wrangler?

The people of Backcountry Discovery Routes seem to think so. The nonprofit has been doing the Lord’s work since 2010, creating and preserving off-highway tracks that typically stretch from some massive western state’s southern border to its northern edge. They’re engineered to cater to adventure and dual-sport motorcycle riders, with dips into small, one-pump towns for fuel and food. Paul Guillien has been on the BDR board since its inception. The mid-Atlantic route is organization’s 12th and its first on the East Coast.

Don’t let the leather and gorgeous touchscreen fool you. The 2018 Jeep Wrangler hasn’t lost any of its bruiser chops.

“It’s more important now than ever because a lot of the roads are being closed down, and the roads that typically get closed are the ones with the most value to us,” Guillien said. “They are the low-usage, high-elevation, rugged roads that have a lot of character and a lot of fun factor and are really remote. You don’t see people out there.”

BDR relies on an army of local volunteers, people who know the crooked, hidden gems that wind their way through any given place.

“Even if the route’s in your own backyard, like Washington, a state that I was born and raised in, when we created the route, we went to so many places I had just never been to,” Guillien said.

We were in four high when we hit the first DRIFT. I ran down the stuck-as-hell trouble tree. First, reverse.

He’s not some sequestered office drone, either. As the CEO of Touratech USA, he’s spent a lifetime riding into wild and abandoned places.

The MABDR winds from the Tennessee border through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania before terminating on the New York state line. It nips and chases the Appalachian Trail, tumbling along the knotted chord of the old hills I’ve loved all my life. It was too cold for motorcycles but perfect for a Wrangler.

It was a gamble, going so early in the year. We did not know how long it would take us. BDR splits the route into nine sections, and each one can account for a day of riding if you have nowhere else to be. I called some friends. Sam, who I’ve known since we were 12 years old and has been a willing accomplice to most if not all of my idiot schemes, and Paul, my senior-year roommate from college, fresh from his time as an officer in the Marines.

The sky was clear when we hit I-81 and gunned south for Damascus, Virginia. There are more than a few correlations between an adventure bike and a Wrangler. Historically, both have been little more than tolerant of time on an interstate, but this machine is a revelation. The 3.6-liter V-6 is a carryover, and it still turns out 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, but the new eight-speed automatic transmission and the Rubicon’s 4.10 gear ratio means that for the first time, the Wrangler is reasonably quick. And for a metal tub with a canvas roof, it’s also reasonably quiet.

We caught the weather at the start of the trail, the first big, wet flakes falling as we crossed the Tennessee line, and turned north again, the route chasing old rail beds and streams, both lined with the wide, waxy leaves of mountain laurel. At first, the snow was fun and gorgeous, the Rubicon unfazed on its 33-inch BFGoodrich KO2 tires, but by midafternoon outside of Blacksburg, it was clear the storm wasn’t there to play.

Mountain Lake Lodge, just outside of Pembroke, sits at 3,875 feet. If you’ve seen “Dirty Dancing,” you know this place. The movie was filmed there. The body of water the hotel is named after is one of just two natural lakes in the state, and although it once covered more than 50 acres and was more than 100 feet deep, a collection of natural drainage holes all but emptied it in 2008. The lake bed turned up more than stones and mud. The bones of Samuel Felder appeared when the waters receded, too. He’d fallen out of a boat and drowned 87 years earlier. Workers have stabilized the bottom using clay and stone, and Up there, the snow was axle deep, clinging to branches and blanketing the road, but the Rubicon made short work of it until we crested the ridge. On the north side of the mountain, great drifts of heavy, wet snow barricaded the road. We were in four high when we hit the first one and beached the Jeep firmly on its frame rails. I ran down the stuck-as-hell trouble tree. First, reverse. We continued to sit where we were parked. Then four low with the rear locker engaged. Nothing. Then both lockers. Sam hopped out.

What else can fit three grown men, enough gear for four days, and blast through more than 1,000 miles of off-road abuse?

Up there, the snow was axle deep, clinging to branches and blanketing the road, but the Rubicon made short work of it until we crested the ridge. On the north side of the mountain, great drifts of heavy, wet snow barricaded the road. We were in four high when we hit the first one and beached the Jeep firmly on its frame rails. I ran down the stuck-as-hell trouble tree. First, reverse. We continued to sit where we were parked. Then four low with the rear locker engaged. Nothing. Then both lockers. Sam hopped out.

“All four are just spinning,” he said. “Now what?”

“Now we dig.”

I’d loaded the usual off-road necessaries in the Wrangler when we left, not because the MABDR traverses impossible terrain but because these forests want their roads back. Downed trees, washouts, and deep mud are all par out here. In addition to the usual emergency sleeping bags, food, water, and a lighter, I’d packed a shovel, an ax, a saw, all manner of recovery straps and bow shackles, and a come-along. That last one was important. Although Ram will sell you a vehicle with a massive Warn winch already mounted in the front bumper, Jeep will not. If we had to extract ourselves, we’d be doing it with muscle and mechanical advantage.

The drifts were over our thighs at the deepest, unheard of this far south. The day was late, and I didn’t want to be up there after the sun went down. We pulled out our gear, Sam got to digging out as much snow as possible, and Paul and I started stringing recovery straps to the nearest tree. None of us had prepared for more than an hour of digging and wading through wet snow. Our jeans were soaked to our thighs, and our scalps steamed in the cold afternoon air. We’d dig, crank on the hand winch, dig some more, and crank again. Paul took up a place at the nose, and with me easing on the throttle and sawing at the wheel, the Jeep broke free. Nothing like a little winter adversity to stoke an appetite.

At any point, we were no more than six hours from my doorstep, off in places I would have never had the gumption or the ability to otherwise explore. That is the miracle of the Wrangler.

We finished the first day in Covington, the Wrangler filthy from door sill to roof, the three of us reeking, wet, muddy, and laughing our asses off at getting stuck on the side of a mountain in late March. When we sat down for dinner, I asked the waitress for a beer suggestion.

How much snow does it take to immobilize a 2018 Jeep Wrangler? About 26 inches, give or take.

“My favorite right now is from Starr Hill,” she said. “I think I’ve got three left. It’s called Snow Blind.”

We caught our fair share of road closures over the next few days, routing around them with a little help from our Garmin InReach Explorer. It’s something of a miracle that anyone could sketch a semipermanent route through these mountains, but Guillien says BDR has had plenty of help from the National Forest Service.

“The land managers look fondly on managed travel,” he said. “They like the fact that we’re organizing all of the adventure motorcycles to follow a defined set of roads because it makes it easier for them to choose which roads to keep open.”

At least during the summer months. But spring, even with its still-frozen tracks and closed barricades, is a wonder. We followed game prints in the snow, caught deer, turkey, bobcat, quail, and porcupine all unperturbed by our presence. Hawks and owls followed us as we drove, eyeing us as the curiosity we were, far from our own homes, the wildlife all waking up and anxious for warmer days.

The Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route spends plenty of time out of cell range, but a warm meal and a dry bed are never far. We decamped in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, for a night.

At any point, we were no more than six hours from my doorstep, off in places I would have never had the gumption or the ability to otherwise explore. That is the miracle of the Wrangler. That is the mantle the 2018 JL has assumed. I can’t help but adore the truck. It’s happy out there, crab-walking up a snowy climb one second and blasting down an empty two-lane the next, more composed than anything this capable has any right to be. It’s a galaxy from the supercruise-plagued sedans of today. It is made for just this. For packing in two friends and all your gear and gunning for the empty ridges around you with no plan but to see where the horizon ends.

We wound ourselves through the wilderness for three and a half more days. It’s a strange thing to wander into a town and have no clue what state you’re in. To only know you’ve covered a distance by the accents on the locals’ lips and the gently shifting shades of architecture. First, the locust-planked barns of Virginia, low and weathered. Later, the stone-foundation bank barns of Pennsylvania, painted bright and proud against a deep blue sky. It’s the quilted fabric of our country on display, the great disparity of people and histories forged together to make something greater. It is the gift of the BDR and the machine that can run through it.

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kylejosephus · 7 years ago

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15 Houses Under $50,000: May 2018 Edition

by Elizabeth Finkelstein

Ever since I started writing this particular column several years back, a funny thing has happened: I’ve started to become a magnet for cheap, old fixer-uppers. They seem to come to me in my sleep. They arrive daily in my inbox. People have even stopped me on the street to tell me about them. (Yes, this IS my dream-come-true, in case you were wondering.) It occurred to me one day that I’m aware of more cheap old house listings than I know what to do with, so I started a special Instagram feed @cheapoldhouses as a place to share them with others who can’t get enough fixer-upper eye candy. The feed has done so well that I’ve taken a short hiatus from our standard 10 Under 50K post on CIRCA. But I’m back now, ready to share with you a handful of the most gorgeous homes for sale under $50K that are ready and waiting for your TLC. (If you come across any beautiful old houses for sale for under $50,000, send them along to us at [email protected]) Also… We don’t personally represent any of these homes. We’ve provided a link back to the original listing in the description for each home. Click through if you’re looking for more information!

1 136 Chestnut St, Danville, VA Source: CIRCA, courtesy of Friends of the Old West End $44,420 Exterior painting and repairs are already underway on this unique Queen Anne style cottage. Built in 1891, the cottage was updated in the 1920s adding the porch lattice and a rear addition for a “modern” kitchen. Overall, the condition of the structure is very good, with nearly all architectural features intact and restorable. In addition to its decorative trim, the front porch is graced by a stained bead board ceiling in good condition. The front entry door features a fanlight transom. A fifteen light front door and six light side panels complete the front entry. The house retains five arts and crafts fireplace mantles with their cast iron surrounds and decorative doors. Bead board wainscoting is present in the entry hall and dining room. A nice rear yard completes the picture. Tentative architectural plans call for keeping the original four front rooms intact as a living room (or study), dining room, family room, and master bedroom. Those plans also suggest incorporating a new master bath and walk in closet, two bedrooms with generous closets, hall bath, kitchen with breakfast area, and a laundry closet in the rear. Those plans are freely available to prospective purchasers. But hurry before the Danville land bank completes the interior themselves. This one is truly a find. The cottage was originally built by Herbert Lee Boatwright, a local tobacconist. A successful businessman, Boatwright later owned one of the Millionaires’ Row mansions just a few hundred feet away. Boatwright’s sons were known for their excellent marriages – one to the daughter of a U.S. Senator and the other to the daughter of Virginia’s governor. Rehab and occupancy covenants required. Brokers protected. This property is located in the Old West End (OWE) National Historic District. One of five National Register districts in Danville, Virginia, the OWE boasts the finest and most concentrated collection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture anywhere in the Commonwealth. But it’s not just the architecture. Located adjacent to our city’s flourishing downtown River District, the Old West End is a community of friendly people with a passion for preservation and restoration. Make your home in our welcoming neighborhood and our just-right city. It’s nicer here. Come join us.

2 411 Broad St, Camden, AL Source: RE/MAX Tristar $36,000 MAKE IT YOUR OWN!!! Located on Broad Street close to downtown Camden, this home needs love and it can become a treasure!!! It offers two living areas, large eat-in-kitchen, 2 Bedrooms, and Storage Room downstairs, with 1 Bedroom upstairs. Also, upstairs is room to expand, if needed. The property includes a 1 Bedroom Apartment joined with open patio. Come see this home and be sure to notice the ancient Magnolias either side of the walkway! Current taxes: $349.47

3 106 Gorham St, Fayette, OH Source: CIRCA, courtesy of Welles Bowen Realty $45,000 Victorian style home waiting for your finishing touches. Bed & Breakfast home features 4 spacious bedrooms and 3 baths. Built in 1862, present owner re-wired house after it was purchased in 1998. Double lot with mature shade trees.

4 292 Main St, Florida, NY Source: Zillow, courtesy of Copper Cove Realty $28,000 Own a piece of local history! Former school converted into a single family home. In need of much TLC – needs extensive foundation and interior repair. No heating system or kitchen. Plumbing & electrical need a lot of work. It will take a solid investment, & a lot of dedication to bring this old house back to life! Ideal for someone interested in a labor of love, could be perfect for an art or photography studio. Building consists of (3) 22×30′ rooms & (3) 16×10′ rooms. Property is sold “AS IS”!

5 23 W Washington St, Grafton, WV Source: Zillow, for sale by owner $49,999 This historical Victorian is one block from the Mother’s Day Shine in Grafton, WV. Grafton is also the home of Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother’s day. The layout of this home would suit it perfectly for a bread and breakfast. Top floor is a two bedroom apartment with it’s own entrance. Each level of this three story home has it’s own outside entrance. There are six fire places, five with the original mantles. Renovating this home is a big project and only the truly dedicated need apply. $49,999 as is or $69,900 with a new metal roof which I am waiting for contractors to start. $5,000 down balance over 20 years at 12%APR with no prepayment penalties for paying off early. There is the possibility of purchasing additional properties around near the home for expansion & parking. This is not a to own this is a sale on a deed of trust. Qualified buyers only. Easy financing.

6 590Z Ch. de l’Église, Saint-Armand, Quebec, Canada Source: zonevendu.com, courtesy of Olivier Maurice $25,000 CAD Unique project! Opportunity to convert this church into an incredible living space. Rare opportunity on the market.

7 133 Lock St, Lockport, NY Source: Zillow, for sale by owner $24,000 The Stickney house is a 2 1/2 story stone house located on a double wide lot with the original Gasport limestone carriage block and octagonal hitching post still intact. The home is in a quiet neighbourhood just a few minutes walk from the Lockport locks, lake effect ice cream, Steam works coffee etc. Some renovations have been completed, but much more is needed!

8 307 Halifax St, Warrenton, NC Source: CIRCA, courtesy of Preservation North Carolina $30,000 Exuberant display of elaborate woodwork; picturesque setting on a hill among some of the finest homes in Warrenton! Early 20th century homage to some of Warren County’s finest 19th century houses. It’s exuberant display of elaborate interior and exterior features run the gamut of Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles. Built in 1932 by Janice and Peter Seaman, who was in the lumber business and a skilled woodworker, the Seaman House is a testament to their appreciation of architectural refinement. Decades of neglect have resulted in severe water damage and collapsed floors. The house will need all new electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, structural repair, roofing, a new kitchen and bathrooms. The house is located in the National Register district and may be eligible for tax credits. Though the property is overgrown, the house and outbuildings fading, it doesn’t take much imagination to see the beauty and quality of the estate. The outstanding woodwork and spacious well-laid out rooms within a stately house situated on a slight rise with mature trees and boxwoods calls out to be preserved. Warrenton is about a 1-hour drive from Raleigh via US Routes 1 or 401; an hour from Durham via I-85 and about two hours from Richmond, VA via I-95 to I-85.

9 2474 Napier Ave, Macon, GA Source: Zillow, for sale by owner $40,000 Designed and built by famous Macon architect Alexander Blair, who designed Macon?s Grand Opera House, this Napier Heights home was Blair?s personal residence until the mid-20th century. Retains historic features – parquet floors, mantels, and trim. Sold AS-IS, requires rehabilitation and comes with single-family, owner-occupied covenants.

10 612 Sherrod Ave W, Covington, TN Source: Realtor, courtesy of Property Place $40,000 ***INVESTOR SPECIAL*** Home is being: *Sold AS-IS *WHERE-IS * *Termite Damage* Home will have to be completely renovated. This home is located on a big beautiful lot and back yard is fenced. Home features aprox. 12 ft. ceilings down stairs, formal living and dining room, big kitchen.Beautiful wood trim downstairs and pocket doors. Front porch and back deck not in good shape. Please, be careful getting to front doorand some floors in bad condition. Caution enter at your own risk.

11 4595 Hwy 18, Rose Hill, M Source: Realtor, courtesy of J.E. SMITH REAL ESTATE $40,000 Home is 115 years old according to tax records. Very nice older home place. Home has 14′ ceilings , interior is basically all wood ceilings, floors, and walls.

12 413 N. Bond Street, Plains, GA Source: CIRCA, courtesy of CENTURY 21 Americus Realty, Inc. $48,000 Single Family Detached – Pretty 3 bedroom 3 bath home located in Plains, GA adjoining Pres. Carter’s farm. This home offers large porches for relaxing afternoons and morning coffee. This home offers updated baths and kitchen, hardwood flooring specialty wood walls and several fireplaces. Needs a little paint, repairing and plenty of love! Large private lot. Take advantage of this unique property. Call Mary Kathryn 229-938-8541.

13 6865 Nc Highway 94, Fairfield, NC Source: Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty $39,900 One of the oldest homes in Fairfield just minutes to Lake Mattamuskeet. This piece of history deserves some TLC. Cypress built with original heart pine floors in 1809. They don”t build them like this anymore! Large .65 acre lot boasts mature trees which provide plenty of shade. The home has 4 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen, foyer and parlor/living room. Back porch is enclosed. Front porch is covered.

14 1418 NE Perry Ave, Peoria, IL Source: Realtor, courtesy of Jim Maloof Realtors $21,900 EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO OWN HISTORIC PEORIA! LOTS OF NATURAL WOODWORK, LEADED GLASS, HUGE WALK-THROUGH PANTRY, COFFERED CEILINGS. NEEDS SOME WORK TO BRING IT BACK TO IT’S ORIGINAL GLORY!

15 702 Mulberry St, Louisville, GA Source: The Georgia Trust $15,000 The Little House in Louisville, GA is a rare grand example of residential Gothic Revival construction in Georgia. With 5,200 square feet situated on .66 acres, the house was built in 1876 at an estimated cost of $4,000 and features remarkable detailing both on the interior and exterior. The first floor features a dramatic central stair with original curved handrail, 15 foot ceilings, etched glass transoms over interior doors, and full height windows that open onto a full wrap around porch. Plaster crown and frieze are intact where visible, although drop down ceiling tiles and water damage has obscured the detailing in some rooms. The upstairs features four well sized rooms with simpler detailing. Original mantels and hardware are found throughout. There are two symmetrical additions on the rear of the house, including a large kitchen area. Located one block from the historic commercial district, the house would lend itself to use as a bed-and-breakfast or professional office space, as well as a private residence. The Little House is endangered by significant leaks in the roof, left unattended for several years. Rehabilitation will require significant investment of time and capital. A new roof is an immediate need, along with repair of water damage. The exterior siding and detail require inspection, repair, and paint. All systems, including electrical, plumbing, and HVAC will need to be repaired and updated. The Louisville Downtown Development Authority recently gained control of the property with the goal of stabilizing and saving the house. The DDA has temporarily patched the roof to prevent further deterioration.

Bonus #1 848 Vine St, Poplar Bluff, MO Source: Zillow, courtesy of Mossy Oak Properties Mozark Realty $39,900 Known as the “Castle on Vine”, this one-of-a kind Victorian style home is rich in Poplar Bluff history and is a clean slate to add your own personalization. Channel your inner Chip and Joanna to make this a great Bed & Breakfast, Boutique, Museum or venue. The electric has been updated on the main level. This home is part of the Missouri Preservation Society and can be tax deductible to restore.

Bonus #2 2798 Batesburg Hwy, Batesburg, SC Source: Zillow, courtesy of Covenant One Realty & Etown Realty $29,900 Full of potential! Looking to rehab or are you an investor looking for that next income producing property? This is iconic property has so much to offer for the buyer who’s ready to put the work into it. Home is in need of total renovation, inside and out. Great thing is the septic system is about a year old and the well is in great working order. The lot has been recently surveyed with new plat and corners marked. Second level is currently unfinished but if finished could potentially bring the square footage to over 3,000 sqft. Property has been cleared of all debris, downed trees and dozens of tree stumps. Also has a detached 2 car garage. Call agent to schedule all showings!

Bonus #3 3088 State Route 145, Preston Hollow, NY Source: Realtor, courtesy of Country Views Realty Inc. $39,900 This 3 bed 1.5 ba home is waiting to be brought back to its former glory. Originally the Parsonage for the Preston Hollow Baptist Church, it has the character you would expect from this era. On the exterior, period architecture can be seen on the roof & window cornices, paneled front door and bluestone sidewalks. Inside, arched doorways, tin ceilings & wood floors are in the parlors. Beautiful wood newel post & railings. Lots of natural light. Summer kitchen w/vaulted ceilings can be an office etc.

Love cheap, beautiful old houses?

Follow CIRCA’s Instagram feed at @CheapOldHouses, on which we showcase only gorgeous historical homes for sale for under $100,000.

AUTHOR ELIZABETH FINKELSTEIN

Elizabeth is the founder of CIRCA and a practicing writer, architectural historian and preservation consultant living in Nyack, NY. Elizabeth has loved historic houses for as long as she can remember, having grown up in an 1850’s Greek Revival gem that was lovingly restored by her parents. Elizabeth, her husband Ethan and their beagle Banjo remain on a relentless hunt for their perfect “Thanksgiving house.”

from House Retoration Tips https://circaoldhouses.com/15-houses-under-50000-may-2018-edition/

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cristinkgarzaky · 7 years ago

Text

15 Houses Under $50,000: May 2018 Edition

by Elizabeth Finkelstein

Love cheap, beautiful old houses?

Follow CIRCA’s Instagram feed at @CheapOldHouses, on which we showcase only gorgeous historical homes for sale for under $100,000.

AUTHOR ELIZABETH FINKELSTEIN

from House Retoration Tips https://circaoldhouses.com/15-houses-under-50000-may-2018-edition/

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juliasmathewus · 7 years ago

Text

15 Houses Under $50,000: May 2018 Edition

by Elizabeth Finkelstein

Love cheap, beautiful old houses?

Follow CIRCA’s Instagram feed at @CheapOldHouses, on which we showcase only gorgeous historical homes for sale for under $100,000.

AUTHOR ELIZABETH FINKELSTEIN

from Home Decoration Ideas https://circaoldhouses.com/15-houses-under-50000-may-2018-edition/

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tinaparkerusa · 7 years ago

Text

15 Houses Under $50,000: May 2018 Edition

by Elizabeth Finkelstein

Love cheap, beautiful old houses?

Follow CIRCA’s Instagram feed at @CheapOldHouses, on which we showcase only gorgeous historical homes for sale for under $100,000.

AUTHOR ELIZABETH FINKELSTEIN

from House Retoration Tips https://circaoldhouses.com/15-houses-under-50000-may-2018-edition/

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sartorialatlantan · 7 years ago

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When Traveling to Plattsburgh

This has to be said about Plattsburgh, New York. Unless you live close and I mean close, within a handful of hours tops, take a plane. This is not an easy town to get to. You cannot fly directly there. You have Montreal as an option; get your passport updated though. You can fly into Burlington, Vermont and take the ferry over. I think there's a ferry ride from Montreal too. I wouldn't know though. I drove. I drove with my wife and two daughters, 3 years old and 1-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia. Alpharetta to be exact, which is a touch north of the city. We left early, 5 in the morning, and started our two-day journey. My kids hadn't ever been in a car this long so this was definitely going to be interesting, an experiment in patience for us no doubt. We bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee a year prior for the occasion, something large and spacious to make the trip as comfortable as possible. It's no "land yacht" but it's big enough for two adults and two small children. We were scheduled to drive through several states on day one. We would make our way out of Georgia and into both the Carolinas and into West Virginia and not stop for food or real rest until we hit one of the many "burgs" of Virginia. To my surprise, the girls were doing quite well. It's amazing what a dual screen DVD player will do for your sanity. They had a regular rotation of their favorite movies and my oldest had mastered the art of interchanging the discs; only after the end credits, of course, she likes the music that plays while the words scroll up the screen.

Our first stop of any notable length was for lunch at southern roadside staple Cracker Barrel. I felt fried, eyes burning, stiff back, mild headache from too much caffeine and not enough sleep. You can go to bed as early as you like, it doesn't mean shit when your one-year-old is teething. When you've been driving for 7 hours and finally stop you're literally buzzing. We ate lunch with my wife's parents. They were on this trip with us riding in tandem from this point on. After the meal, I told my oldest daughter she could have something from the restaurant's general store. So naturally, we left with our bellies full and a pretend waffle maker. Waffles, butter, and syrup included. The plan from this point was to press on to Hagerstown, Maryland. There was no alternative, the town of Hager had to be our destination; our hotel reservations for the night were in said town. We would not arrive on time though. We weren't on the road ten minutes after leaving the Cracker Barrel parking lot when the tire pressure light came on. A little backstory on this tire…this damn tire. The low-pressure warning light had been coming on for weeks, maybe a month. My wife drives the Jeep and would routinely stop for air, only every time she'd stop and manually check it, the pressure would read normal. We figured maybe it's a bad sensor in the tire. Days before leaving, just to play it safe, we take it to the service center. They check it, do whatever it is they do and give it a clean bill. Must be a bad sensor… As it would turn out on the trip, there was a nail in the tire. Thanks to the Internet, and the scattered Jeep dealers up the east coast, we were only delayed one hour and back on the road, free of charge. It meant arriving well past dinnertime, but we made it.

The second day we covered all the New England ground. I guess it was NewEngland. It's all a highway blur at this point. From Maryland we were back into West Virginia then into New Jersey, then Pennsylvania, or was Pennsylvania first, then New Jersey? Then finally we crossed into the state of New York…with an eternity to go. I haven't checked this on the map but from what I can tell Plattsburgh is the farthest tip north on the right side of the state and we drove straight up the side. I feel bad for people from New York State because, well, the rest of us just assume if you say you're from New York, you mean the city. I'm here to tell you, New York State is huge and open and full of country. There are hillbillies in Plattsburgh that could be from deep South Georgia just based on looks alone. But I'll get into that later. After a nine-hour second day drive, we arrived. And here I thought I felt fried the day before.

The whole time leading up to this trip my mother-in-law had been warning me to brace for an ugly town. "It's not a pretty town, it's old and rundown, but the lake is nice". She was really selling it (he said with jest.) She wasn't wrong. The town is old and rundown, but there was a certain charm to it. The house we stayed in was on Lake Champlain; if it weren't for the islands in view you'd swear it's an ocean, and I'm told that it's not even as big as the Great Lakes. The house is on the same street my wife's father and his six siblings grew up on. This is their hometown, and what an interesting hometown to have. The lake is gorgeous, and with it still being early June at this point, it's still freezing cold. I swear there must've been an un-thawed layer of ice down deep out there still. Nevertheless, we got in, we meaning my three-year-old (a child who has no issue with freezing temperatures apparently), me, and my soon-to-be brother-in-law. My daughter didn't go every day, but I did. My future brother-in-law Drew and I would routinely do shots of tequila and then carry a plastic bag full of beers down to the water; it's a classy look. You can get day-buzzed all you want but when you go waist-deep into 58-degree water, you sober right up. These day drinking lake days gave way to a food run that can only be done in this town.

Clare and Carl's. You've never heard of it, and that makes sense. Clare and Carl's is a sinking hot dog shack. Well, from what I could tell it's made of white bricks, maybe cinder blocks, but it is literally sinking. The ass of the store is literally going into the ground. I didn't look but the lore around the bathroom is that the rim of the toilet bowl is now ground level, like something out of Eastern Europe. I'm sure whomever I heard that from was exaggerating… then again it is possible. Naturally I asked, "Why not fix it?" but apparently, the shack owners don't own the land and have to "play it where it lies" so to speak. Clare and Carl's is famous, at least with my in-laws who no longer live in the town, for their Michigan's. (Michigan Red Hots as they're known.) I cannot describe the bun, I have tried and the closest I can come is that it looks like a miniature bread loaf that's been hollowed out in the middle, only the edges resemble something closer to a piece of white bread folded in half. But that's not really accurate either. I don't know what that damn thing was, but it was good. The Red Hot is a hot dog, and it is RED. It did not look like any dog I'd had before. The standard Michigan comes with meat sauce on top with raw diced onions. If you want to sound like you know your shit you order them buried. I would routinely order a brown bag's worth of "buried" Michigans. The onions go underneath the dog, meat sauce on top. The meat sauce is close to a no-bean chili sauce; only the meat has been ground and pounded into almost a paste, like wet sand. Delicious wet sand. I cannot recall now, but I believe they're finished off with a stroke of yellow mustard. They're individually wrapped and rolled tight in wax paper and off you go. They're locally known as Michigans, I call ‘em Plattsburgh Heroin; I ate a lot of those. Beer-fueled and hungry we would venture there routinely, about mid-day, warming up after a lake plunge. I never went over my head, Drew, and cousin Ben, did, they even swam out over their heads. I chose to keep my heart above the water line. Did I mention how cold the water was? A Michigan Red Hot will warm you right up.

There is not a lot to do in this town, aside from drink, swim, and eat. I'm told the locals, more so in the old days, also fought. I think that's common in isolated places, particularly hockey towns. You eat, drink, play and fight. I've never been so bored that I wanted to fist fight a stranger, or a friend, but I could imagine in the dead of winter in a town like Plattsburgh, you do what you need to, to pass the time. The military used to have a big presence in the town. Two branches I believe. I heard stories of the blue collar locals giving the Air Force guys shit for one reason or another, routinely causing fights to break out. There's a SUNY college in the town, I think that's what keeps it going now. The literal town was usually lively and buzzing with young people out to eat and drink. I'm sure there is more to do than what I experienced though, I don't want to seem like I'm putting the town down. We were there for a wedding. In this family, weddings also function as an excuse for a full family reunion. It's never quite everyone, but this visit only left us short three cousins. This being a reunion of sorts for my Irish-Catholic family-in-law, there was drinking, usually by lunch, and dancing, and socializing and eating and also drinking, did I mention drinking? No one gets out of hand, there are too many small children to look after, but the beer and wine flows.

Everyone in this family is unique. They've all got interesting lives, and do interesting things. Some more than others, but everyone's got a personality for sure. Everyone inevitably breaks off into groups for doing various activities. Drew and I routinely break away when we're in the same place. He and my sister-in-law live on the west coast. On one day, early into the trip, he and I decided to venture into town for liquor and cigars. The tequila was easy to come by, but we had to go into the old city for the cigar hunt. We first wandered into a smoke shop. Smoke shops, ironically, no longer specialize in smoke. It's just wall-to-wall vape accessories. The pipes and water bongs are on display in glass cases like relics from the past. Do you want to feel old? Get a conversation going with a young millennial about how they take in grass or nicotine. They're into some space-age tech. They don't even carry lighters. We quickly realized that this was not where we needed to be and proceeded down the street to a real cigar shop. We were not prepared for how real it would be. The buildings in this town are old, really old, and this cigar shop was the ground floor of one of the many old buildings. I don't know if they had a ventilation system for the air, but if they did it must've been broken. I like cigars, I like the smell of cigar smoke, but this…this was awful. You couldn't breathe. The air was brown. There were 4 or 5 old men sitting in a circle just puffing away, I guess they were used to not breathing. Our eyes instantly watered, I caught a buzz within seconds. I was taking short shallow breaths, trying my best not to cough and look like a total wimp. We quickly escaped to the humidor, the only smoke-free safe haven in the store. It was here where Drew said, "I don't think I want one anymore…" I was in agreement, but I knew both A. that I didn't want to leave empty-handed, tail between my legs and B. that I would want one at the wedding reception the next day. We made our selection, took a deep breath, then headed back into the store; we did our best to make little to no small talk at this point. That smell stayed with us and on us the rest of the day. You would have thought we rolled in tobacco leaves in a burning barn. Nevertheless, I smoked mine at the reception. We would later share the other near the end of the trip, late at night sipping tequila and whiskey, talking about David Foster Wallace with Ben and the advantages of Fresco wool in the summertime. (That last part was all me.)

When we weren't having a family hang at the rental house, we were out eating. One or two nights after the wedding a group of us, about 7 or 8, went to the famous Monopole dive bar. A place I'm told was home to many fights back in the day, the kind of bar where elbow room is a luxury no one can afford. On this particular night, it was dead. Some of us were buzzed, the rest were getting started and we were there to eat pizza and hot wings. The pizza was decent, a Sicilian-style pie, mostly bread with some sauce and cheese on it like an afterthought. But the wings, my god the wings! The sauce the majority of us agreed on was the Stoner Sauce. A spicy, honey mustard-based BBQ style sauce, holy lord was this good, so good that Drew and I ordered a second basket. They were so good, Drew and I returned the next night to get more, 40 or 50 more to take back for the group. There were too many family members who had not gone on the trip the first night, too many relatives who didn't know what they were missing. Even my father-in-law's brother Mike, who said he didn't like hot wings, ate and enjoyed them. Outside of my favorite wing establishments in Atlanta, these were the best wings I've had in a long time. I ate very many. I will again when we go back.

Another food-related highlight of the trip was the cold cheese pizza, again with Drew. Naturally, we assumed we were being pranked when cousin Mathieson told us to order a large pie with a side of cold cheese from Pizza Bono. It was 2 in the morning, and as drunken luck would have it, they were still taking delivery orders. Getting the order placed was a bit of a chore. I don't think the girl working the phones knew how to use one, or to talk to people, or take food orders. She damn near hung up on us before Drew even gave her the address. He said she seemed very confused when he asked for a side of cold cheese, (put off even) like she suspected we were pranking her, when in reality if this was a prank by Matt, she was a 3rd generation prank victim. We decided to wait out front for the driver, it was now past 2 a.m. and we didn't want to wake the whole house with a pizza delivery. There was an ongoing uncertainty as to whether or not this food would arrive. The way the order went, the suspicion that the whole thing was a joke, the time of night, the general deadness of the small town we were in. We hoped for pizza, but I think we were prepared to go to bed hungry. It was a very happy moment indeed when the driver pulled up, large pie in one hand and a take-out container filled with thick shredded fresh mozzarella cheese in the other. Turns out, this was no joke. You sprinkle a heaping pile of cold fresh mozzarella on your slices and go to town. It doesn't add anything noteworthy to the slice, but it's great. I recently had this confirmed by a native Upstate New Yorker who cuts my hair, that yes, cold cheese pizza is indeed a thing and it was no joke. You could probably get this anywhere; you just might get looked at funny. Try it though if you're ever in Upstate.

One of the first things that struck me in Plattsburgh is its overall lack of air conditioning. I'm southern, Atlanta southern, I hate humidity and heat and deal with it far too often. Plattsburgh, though, is lucky to get six weeks of summer before it's jacket weather again, so AC is not a priority. This was an issue for me. To keep from sweating I need a cool, dry 72 or below. Anything above that and I start to melt. Fortunately for me, our room had a spot cooler, so it stayed relatively cool in there. Everywhere else though…I was bordering on miserable. I was alone in this though, I usually am. The lack of AC made my trip to local grease trap, Homestead, interesting. The food there was superb. I just had to eat while simultaneously wiping my forehead. This was basically a Yankee Waffle House. The crowd though could've easily been transplanted from Griffin, Georgia. I saw teased-up bangs on a woman that I haven't seen since my late 80s childhood. It's a total head scratcher to see red necks with northern accents. I was with my father-in-law, who has always said they were from a red neck town, turns out he was being serious. We both ordered the corned beef hash and eggs. I don't love corned beef hash, I generally like it, but this hash blew my mind. It was so tightly minced and just about over-fried, crisp and connected on the outside and soft and delectable in the middle. That, with some buttered toast to dip into my sunny-up eggs, I was in heaven, sweating and ready to leave, but heaven all the same.

I have to apologize now to every in-law relative who didn't get mentioned. There was a lot more on this trip and I could go on for pages and pages, though there are some things best left out. This was my first trip to their hometown and while I didn't love the drive the destination was great. I'm not pushing people over to go back tomorrow, but I will go back, maybe when my kids are out of diapers and my pockets are deep enough to afford the airfare. Funny enough, some of the selling points for visiting didn't even happen. You're an hour from Montreal; you can day trip to another country for crying out loud! We didn't make the journey though, no passports for the kiddos. Then, there's all of Burlington, Vermont, the Ben and Jerry's factory too. We didn't do any of it, just talked about it and ultimately decided to relax on the porch instead and have another beer. So when visiting Plattsburgh, New York, take a plane and go on an empty stomach. If you find yourself desperate to do something to occupy your time, there's great food, great beer at Valcour Brewing, you can swim in Lake Champlain, even if it's cold, and I guess if it comes down to it, head to the Monopole and pick a fight with one of the many grizzled, pickle-nosed regulars. You'll probably lose the fight, but oh what a story you'd have.

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