Trolley Touring

In nearly 18 years of fulltime RVing, not to mention our travels away from the RV lifestyle, we have been to so many interesting places. Historic cities, battlefields, mountains, deserts, and seashores. And we have found that one of the best ways to get an overview of a place is by taking a trolley tour.

For the most part, we prefer to tour alone at our own pace, but by taking a trolley tour first we have the opportunity to get some local history and it’s highlights, and discover places we might have missed, going it alone. Then, when we do set off on our own, we have a good idea of the local attractions and points of interest we want to go back to, as well as the ones that we really weren’t that impressed with.

Most of the trolley tours we’ve taken also allow you to get on and off at different stops at your convenience. This can be a benefit in cities with a lot of traffic, or if you just don’t want to drive into town and look for a parking place.

One of our favorite places to visit is historic St. Augustine, Florida, just 90 miles north of our home here in Edgewater. As the oldest European-inhabited city in the country, St. Augustine has been home to native peoples, explorers, pirates, settlers, and enslaved people for longer than anyone can remember. Some say you can feel the ghosts of the past on every street corner in St. Augustine, and I think there may be some validity to that. We have taken sightseeing tours with Old Town Trolleys in St. Augustine and been very impressed with our tour guides every time. The Red Train also operates trolley tours in St. Augustine and they are very popular.

Another favorite Florida destination of ours is the historic Greek sponge fishing town of Tarpon Springs, on the Gulf Coast. We have spent many delightful hours wandering along the waterfront, popping into the Greek bakeries and souvenir shops that caught our eye. The Clearwater Jolly Trolley operates not just in Tarpon Springs and Clearwater, but also in other nearby cities you might want to explore.

Fredericksburg, Virginia is a beautiful city with a lot of history attached to it. George Washington and other colonial leaders passed through and spent time in Fredericksburg often, and some bloody battles were fought there during the Civil War. Our excursion with Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg provided us with a very good overview of the city and the people in it, their history, and tidbits about Colonial days and the Civil War that we found very interesting.

Millions of people have visited Sedona, Arizona to marvel at the towering red rocks surrounding the town, soak up the metaphysical air, and browse the New Age shops. If you want to get your fortune told, buy healing crystals, or just admire nature’s beauty, Sedona has a lot to offer. The Sedona Trolley offers 55 minute tours in town and nearby, or you can take the two hour tour through the red rocks and come away with a lifetime of memories.

Another of our favorite towns is beautiful and historic Astoria, Oregon, where the mighty Columbia River meets the wild Pacific Ocean. We have spent a lot of time in Astoria, and it’s one of the places we considered very strongly when we were looking for a place to hang up the keys. The Astoria Riverfront Trolley offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about the history of the community, which has been home to Native Americans, fur traders, sailors, fish canneries, and the setting for several movies, including the classic The Goonies.

And these are just some of the many adventures awaiting travelers anywhere they go in the country. From major cities like New York and San Francisco to small towns like Astoria and Sedona, there are trolleys and tour guides waiting to show you a good time and help you make some amazing deposits into your memory bank.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Going Home With A Cat And A Ghost by RVing author Judy Howard. It’s the story of a woman liberated enough to travel the country in her RV, yet still imprisoned by tragic events from her past. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.

Thought For The Day – I’m definitely a morning person but I often choose to sleep straight through it.