1 comments about Seekers of Scenery: Travel Writing from Southern Appalachia, 1840-1900.

1. This book has marvelous illustrations, a dense historical introduction, and a series of travellers' essays that have not been published for over a hundred years. The book will be useful for Appalachian studies scholars, historians of the regions, and people who are just interested in how the Appalachians have changed over time.
   
   Jeff Powers-Beck

No comments about The Blue Ridge & Smoky Mountains: An Explorer's Guide, Second Edition.

No comments about The Treasure Hunters Guide to Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky Antiques, Flea Markets and Junk Stores: Also Bed and Breakfast Inns & More.

No comments about Birth of a National Park in the Great Smoky Mountains.

1 comments about The Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains: An Explorer's Guide (Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains : An Explorer's Guide).

1. Well organized reference. Detailed and accurate information. Includes "tourist traps" to avoid.

1 comments about Tennessee Hill Folk.

1. Looking through the pages of this amazing book is like traveling back in time. The brilliant black and white photography makes these rural tennessee images come more alive than a Norman Rockwell painting. This is the land where my great-grandparents lived and seeing these photographs made their world come alive. There is something so refreshing in this age of digital photographic trickery and enhancements to see the purity of these incredible images. Do yourself a favor and check out this book. Whether your interest is photography, nostalgia, or history, you will not be disappointed.

No comments about 101 Things to Do in Tennessee Before You Up and Die.

1 comments about Tennessee: A History (States and the nation).

1. I bought this book after reading about Wilma Dykeman's death in our local Greene County, Tennessee newspaper. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Informative and beautifully written. This is not an *complete* history, by any means, but is very good for the history it covers. It is meant to be an overview of the history that makes Tennessee unique, and it covers that well. I found out things I hadn't known, which was a bonus.
   
   Great history of Tennessee for tourists.

No comments about Tennessee: A Photographic Journey.

1 comments about The Best Bike Rides in the South: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.

1. I recently carried this book along for a driving trip (carrying bicycles) that my daughter and I took down the Southern Atlantic coast (NC, SC, GA), veering to north central Florida before turning around for home. The book was ok, but only for pointing us in a general direction and then mapping out our own rides from there. The maps are relatively easy to follow and they do a good job categorizing the type of rides from Rambles up to Challenges, but I found myself wanting more 'challenge' on the Cruises and Rambles and less 'challenge' for the Classics and Challenges. Perhaps it's just a matter of personal preference.

   Our first stop was Jekyll Island, GA. We were not too pleased to learn that the Jekyll Island Ramble, noted as "an excellent bike ride for the entire family", was in reality a highly dangerous path (~3 ft. wide) shared with other cyclists and pedestrians coming and going from both directions. Was appalled to read the island maps and literature strongly suggesting that cyclists stay off the real roads and on these hazardous paths. My daughter and I ignored that suggestion for the most part, but still had to navigate around a few cyclists riding on the left side of the road so to stay with their riding partners who had opted to stay on the path. I understand why some people might prefer or be attracted to bicycle paths. However, I think that ALL bicycle riders would do well to understand that the basic rules of cycling are pretty much the same as the rules of the road for drivers. IMO, if people would ride with this awareness, there would be very little need to sequester cyclists (or cyclists to sequester themselves) onto choked and dangerous little paths with pedestrians as is the case on Jekyll Island. The marsh and harbor side of the island was very quiet and sparsely traveled as compared to the ocean/beach side. We did follow the bike path for a bit because it veered away from the road and was very scenic.

   Our next stop was St. Augustine, FL. Car traffic along A1A was far too heavy and the streets way too narrow to even attempt the St. Augustine Ramble - my 12 year old is a good road rider, but easily overwhelmed. To sandwich her between all those cars would have been cruel and unthinkable. We did walk down St. Georges Street, but I can't imagine attempting to cycle through all that pedestrian traffic as the book suggests. I was tempted to snatch a few of the children on scooters and scold them for weaving in and out so closely among the walkers - what the heck were their parents thinking, or were they thinking??

   On to North Central Florida, location of the Suwannee River Classic ride. No way was my short-legged 12 year old going to ride 98 miles, but to our good fortune, most of the country roads in that area were lightly trafficked by motor vehicles so that we were able to tailor our riding distances accordingly. Falling Creek Falls was a very lovely and scenic stop and not one that would normally be found by most tourists. I wished that the book had highlighted more of the gorgeous fresh water springs in that area and/or mapped some rides to them. The one listed, Ichetucknee Springs, was a pretty place, but not particularly bicycle friendly. People might do well to pick up the Bicycle Facilities Map for North Central Florida at any of the tourism offices - I thought it listed a better and more extensive range of rides and intend to return one day to explore them more thoroghly.

   We wound up back on the NC coast to finish off our vacation. By then it was the weekend. I would NOT suggest doing the Cape Fear Challenge ride on a weekend day, even to my worst enemy. I'm not sure when would be the best time to do a ride like this. 421S on the front end of this trip is always car-packed. One must also watch out for hwy 133N on the backside. On Saturdays and Sundays, this is a 2 lane road with NO shoulders heavily trafficked by pickup trucks and SUVs towing big boats on trailers. An early morning weekday jaunt down 133N to Orton Plantation and the Brunswick Historic Site might be quite pleasant, however. Do remember your bug spray as the book suggests! The biting flies and 'no-see-umms' are already thick as of this posting - late April. We stayed in Southport and this area is close to 'home' territory to me. We didn't attempt the Cape Fear Challenge, tho I ran into two cylists who had tried unsuccessfully to cyle out 133N and back. I rode Bald Head Island (all golf-carts, no cars) with my daughter on Saturday and then took a lone early Sunday morning jaunt from Southport to Oak Island - very pleasant!

   To sum it up, this is not the worst book of rides, but not the best either. I do appreciate that the book was helpful in providing a little direction for us to head towards, even though we tailored and altered most of the listed rides to suit our own riding style and abilities.