Cultural Tourism

Meet the members of Cultural Tourism DC - from grand historic homes to heritage centers - from world class parks and gardens to notable large and small museums. When visiting, be sure to stop by our member restaurants/cafes and gift shops! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage Centers Washington's fascinating ethnic history comes to life through the diverse programs and exhibits of our proud heritage centers. Historic House Museums There are significant historic homes in Washington and only one of them is the White House. You'll want to see all of them. International Washington Relish in DC's diverse global community! With so many embassies, museums, and heritage centers, you can satisfy your cultural cravings in several languages. Latino Heritage Enhance your appreciation for DC's rich and varied Latino heritage en Español through theater, exhibits, and more. Memorials Memorials to Civil War veterans, law enforcement officers, and other notable heroes beckon the visitor beyond the monuments. Photo Hoachlander Davis Photography Museums Calling all museum lovers! From fine arts to Navy memorabilia to exhibits devoted to the building arts and Ethiopian treasures, our unique museums offer a treasure-trove of art and artifacts. Parks & Gardens Don't leave Washington without exploring the natural beauty of our parks and the dramatic displays of our gardens. Performing Arts Read about dance and theater events going on in your backyard. Sacred Places History resounds in the city's inspiring sacred structures, historic black churches, landscaped cemeteries, and presidential houses of worship. Cultural Tourism DC (CTdc) strengthens the image and economy of Washington, DC, neighborhood by neighborhood, by linking more than 185 DC cultural and neighborhood organizations with partners in tourism, hospitality, government, and business. CTdc offers an innovative model for maximizing the economic impact of cultural tourism in urban neighborhoods and helps residents and tourists discover and experience Washington's authentic arts and culture. We welcome your interest and involvement. Feel free to email us or call 202-661-7581.

Carhenge, which replicates Stonehenge, consists of the circle of cars, 3 standing trilithons within the circle, the heel stone, slaughter stone, and 2 station stones, and the Aubrey circle, named after Sir John Aubrey who first recognized the earthworks and great stones as a prehistoric temple in 1648. It was not until excavations undertaken in the 1920's that they were found to be holes cut to hold timber uprights. A total of 56 holes were discovered and named the Aubrey Holes in honor of John Aubrey's observation. The artist of this unique car sculpture, Jim Reinders, experimented with unusual and interesting artistic creations throughout his life. While living in England, he had the opportunity to study the design and purpose of Stonehenge. His desire to copy Stonehenge in physical size and placement came to fruition in the summer of 1987 with the help of many family members. Thirty-eight automobiles were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring approximately 96 feet in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while those cars which are placed to form the arches have been welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The honor of depicting the heel stone goes to a 1962 Caddy. Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders' father who once lived on the farm where Carhenge now stands. While relatives were gathered following the death of Reinders' father in 1982, the discussion turned to a memorial and the idea of a Stonehenge replica was developed. The family agreed to gather in five years and build it. The clan, about 35 strong, gathered in June 1987 and went to work. They held the dedication on the Summer Solstice in 1987, with champagne, poetry, songs and a play written by the family. Carhenge has been preserved by Friends of Carhenge, a local group, who now owns and maintains it. Reinders donated the 10 acres of land where Carhenge is located. They have added a paved parking lot, picnic tables, and an educational display board. Additional sculptures have been erected at the site, known as the Car Art Reserve. One of the first sculptures to be added to the Car Art Reserve is a sculpture of a spawning salmon created by 29 year-old Canadian Geoff Sandhurst. Sandhurst won a $2500 prize and placement of his car art creation at the Reserve. Reinders' "Ford Seasons", comprised only of Fords and inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons, suggests the Nebraska landscape's seasonal changes as wheat is planted, grows, is harvested, and then the field lies barren during a windy winter. Carhenge's uniqueness, novelty and unusual components continue to draw the attention of film and television production crews as well as over 80,000 tourists from all over the world. All but 19 of the Aubrey holes have been developed, and those wishing to install a hole may do so upon application to Friends of Carhenge.

STATE PARKS & RECREATION AREAS Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area Champion Mill State Historical Park GOLF COURSES Enders Lake Golf Course, Imperial Country Club FAIRS, FESTIVALS & EVENTS Fanning Consignment Auctions Chase County Corvette Classic Art in the Park Wauneta Harvest Festival Chase County Fair & Expo Chase County Arts & Crafts Fair HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS Champion Mill, Chase County Courthouse Chase County Historical Museum Balcony House B&B, Old Rock Corral GUIDED ADVENTURES Kripple Duck Adventures Northside Motel & Guide Service Open Country Adventures ENDERS RESERVOIR STATE RECREATION AREA Enders is a combination of recreational and wildlife lands, with the additional dedication of a portion of the area as a wildlife refuge in the fall and winter. xxxThe dam itself is a homogeneous, earth-filled structure, 134 ft. high and 2,603 ft. long. It is 30 ft. wide at the top and a maximum of 670 ft. at the base. It forms a 1,707-acre lake at top conservation pool, with 26 miles of shoreline. It stores water to irrigate some 21,100 acres of land. xxxMain camping is on the east shore, and has electrical hookups, picnic shelters, grills, drinking water, restrooms, and a trailer dump station. xxxHunting for big game, waterfowl, and upland game is allowed on public property along the river, west of the refuge, and on wildlife lands north and east of the protected area. Large flocks of mallards and geese winter on the open waters of the refuge and provide an excellent huntable population for waterfowlers. Totally, there are about 1,500 acres of wildlife lands, with managed habitat, open to hunters.

Discover the DownEast & Acadia region of Maine. If “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, DownEast & Acadia is in the hearts and minds of its visitors and the people who live here. One of the first things that strikes many visitors to our region is that you actually go up to get DownEast. By the best accounts, the term “down east” derived from sailing days when ships from Boston sailed down wind in an easterly direction (if you check the map, you will drive as much to the East as North to explore our region). But you can sail down wind from Boston to the East thus DownEast. Most of all DownEast & Acadia is a state of mind unique to each person who visits this special place. Whether you are seeking history, nature, or peace of mind, you can find it in DownEast & Acadia. A unique combination of geology, natural forces and climate have combined to produce a region of unparalleled beauty that reveals itself subtly in the constantly shifting backdrop of each passing season. The glories of summer offer warm sun-filled days and breeze-filled evenings. Summer gives way to fall with the hills ablaze with color and brilliant canopied roads. Winter drapes the shores and lanes with a blanket of peace and solitude broken only by the sigh of the wind and the crunch of the snow underfoot. Spring brings a renewal of the land with a palette of pastels across the landscape with lupines, wild roses, sugar plums and more shades of green than you can count. There is so much to see and do here, it is hard to see where to begin. Start at one end of the region at the beginning of American history with a tour of American Revolutionary War sites, or visit Campobello Island, where Franklin Delano Roosevelt vacationed. See a waterfall that goes up as well as down, or stop by the old mill stream that inspired the early American ditty of the same name. Stand astride the 45th parallel and be just as close to the equator as to the North Pole. Fill in the blanks on your birding list with one of the more than 300 species in our region, like the puffin. Sail in one of our many bays on a schooner or into the Atlantic Ocean looking for whales. Shop ‘til you drop in one of the many small towns of the region where antique shops, gift shops and galleries abound. Prepare your palate for feasting, whether you are coming for our famous lobster or our wild blueberries, our food will be sure to please – fresh from the sea and the land. Of course, there is Acadia National Park with its 100 miles of hiking trails, 50 miles of groomed carriage trails, and a 27 mile paved Park loop road. Acadia includes more than 40,000 acres and miles of rocky shore between its sites on Mt. Desert Island and Schoodic Peninsula. Acadia is one of the most accessible parks in the nation. Favorite stops include Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, Precipice Trail and Cadillac Mountain – the highest point on the eastern seaboard north of Rio de Janiero. But we have many more parks and wildlife refuges in the region with trails and wildlife to occupy even the most avid outdoorsman. Whether you are seeking hiking trails, bird watching, wildlife watching, camping or something more adventuresome, DownEast & Acadia has it. Catch and release bass from the St. Croix River on the Canadian border, paddle a sea kayak out to one of our many islands, stroll through historic homes and gardens, take in a music festival or a play, or just sit and relax.DownEast & Acadia is actually comprised of two of Maine’s sixteen counties – Hancock and Washington. Washington County is the easternmost county with hundreds of miles of rugged coastline. Explore the wonders of the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge or Cobscook Bay State Park. This county boasts the highest tides in the continental U.S. near Calais and the easternmost point in America at Lubec. From the Blueberry Festival in Machias and the Salmon Festival in Eastport, you can enjoy local culture and food. Investigate the rich heritage of fishing, logging, and “blueberrying” in DownEast’s many little towns such as Milbridge, Cherryfield, Jonesport, Steuben and more. Some say you are not truly DownEast until you reach Washington County, but judge for yourself where DownEast begins. Hancock County is the other half of the DownEast Acadia region. Along with Acadia National Park, there is much more to this county. Carved by glaciers, this area of the region features a fjord, countless islands, and the same rockbound coastline. From Bucksport’s Fort Knox to Winter Harbor’s Lobster Festival there is much to do and see in the picturesque villages of this part of the region. Discover Deer Isle and Stonington’s little shops, Ellsworth’s historic Colonel Black Mansion, and Castine’s Maritime Academy. Throughout the region music, history, and festivals abound. Bar Harbor has two music festivals – Arcady and Bar Harbor Music Festivals. The Schoodic Peninsula has a two week arts festival every summer. There are museums and historical societies and historic homes in most villages – The Abbe in Bar Harbor, Burnham Tavern in Machias, Ruggles House in Columbia with its flying staircase, Wendell Gilley Museum of Bird Carving in Southwest Harbor and many, many more. So whether you are yearning for the peaceful sound of the waves lapping the shoreline, the fun of a local festival filled with food, music and local character or the thrill of seeing nature up close, DownEast & Acadia offers a great escape to Maine that is sure to please.

Aroostook County, Maine, is tucked into the northeast corner of the state. It borders the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. While being the northern most county in Maine, it is also the largest. It comprises a land area of 6,672 square miles. In fact, it is the largest county east of the Mississippi. The history of Aroostook County is rooted in its vast natural resources. The great wilderness area of western Aroostook comprises two thirds of the county and is mostly owned by companies in the lumber and paper industry. Eastern portions of Aroostook County are dominated by wide open spaces of farmland that produce potatoes, broccoli and peas, among other crops. Aroostook County serves as an outstanding recreation area with more than 2,000 lakes, streams, rivers, and ponds covering some 80,000 acres. Camping, canoeing, fishing, hunting are popular spring, summer, and fall activities. Beautiful changes in the foliage are visible in the fall, while winter is filled with ice fishing, skating, skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, among other activities. Northern Maine is also home to people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Aroostook County has two Native American tribes: the Micmacs (Mik'maqs) and the Maliseets, while French-Acadians were among the first Europeans to settle in the area. In the mid-1800's, a group of Swedish families immigrated to America and founded the current day villages of New Sweden and Stockholm. The many festivals, fairs, and other annual events that make visiting Aroostook County a unique experience are derived from this rich cultural heritage. The Acadian Festival in Madawaska celebrates the Acadian roots of the St. John Valley, while the Midsommar Celebration follows in the footsteps of the traditional Swedish celebration of the summer solstice. Other festivals celebrate Aroostook's natural resources - Patten's Pioneer Days festival features a woodsmen competition, while Houlton's Potato Feast Days honors the coming harvest of our largest agricultural crop. We take pride in our county, and we invite you to take the opportunity to see all that we have to offer.

Washington Welcomes You… …to a place where the great outdoors is a way of life. With such icons as Mount Rainier, Pike Place Market, the Cascade Mountains, Lewis & Clark trail, plus breweries, wineries, a thriving arts scene, major ski areas, java that jolts you to life, and an agricultural base to satisfy any palate, it's no wonder Washington state draws visitors again and again. Cultural AttractionsNatural AttractionsJust for FunLighthouses Sculptures / Statuaries / Monuments Museums & Galleries Aviation Nature & Science Wineries / Breweries Wineries / Vineyards Winery / Brewery Tours Historic Attractions Cultural Heritage Indian CountryAgricultural Attractions Alpaca & Llama Farms Fruit Farms / Orchards Farmers Markets Agricultural Tours Beaches Dams Gardens Hot Springs Lakes & Reservoirs Mountains & Volcanoes National Parks National Recreation Areas National / State Forests Parks & Recreation Areas City Parks & Recreation Areas County Parks & Recreation Areas State Parks & Recreation Areas Waterfalls Wildlife Viewing SitesFamily Fun Water Parks Kite Flying