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The Jazz Track

The Jazz Track is an itinerary for visiting jazz-related places (particularly big band and traditional jazz) in the United States.

Trip statement
This is the guide to prepare a trip by car to follow the route of jazz. The trip is planned for 13 days around the United States visiting historical places and clubs related with the history of jazz.

 * New York City → Chicago → Kansas City → Memphis → New Orleans

Background (1895–1935)
Let's start with some background on the real itinerary that jazz musicians followed during the first half of the 20th century.

 * Memphis

The blues dates back before the beginnings of jazz and its origins are obscure beyond hope of precise documentations, although it must have come into being somewhere in the deep rural South, some time before the turn of the 20th century. Of the large number of historical locations that played a central role in the growth of the blues, Beale Street in Memphis was officially declared as the "Home of the Blues" by an act of Congress in 1977. In the early 1900s, Beale Street was filled with clubs, restaurants and shops, many of them owned by African-Americans. WC Handy composed in Memphis some of the earliest and most famous blues, the "Memphis Blues" (1909), "Saint Louis Blues" (1914), and the "Beale Street Blues" (1916). From the 1920s to the 1940s, Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Memphis Minnie, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon and other blues and jazz legends played on Beale Street and helped develop the style known as Memphis Blues.

 * New Orleans

Jazz was born in New Orleans in the late 1890s and early 1900s. It rapidly became a popular music throughout the city, mostly in the district of Storyville. In Storyville, one could legally enjoy prostitution while listening to the first jazz band in history, the Buddy Bolden Band. Unfortunately, although Bolden was recalled as having made at least one phonograph cylinder, no known recordings of Bolden have survived. Ten years later (1917), Storyville was shut down by the federal government, forcing jazz musicians to move to Northern cities—mostly Chicago and New York City and to a lesser extent Kansas City.

 * Chicago

Chicago rapidly became the capital of jazz between 1917 and 1928. Even if the bands could not march in the streets because of the adverse weather conditions, the New Orleans style remained almost intact. A large number of cabarets emerged in the “South Side” district. Amongst them, the most relevant were the “Royal Gardens” (hosting the “King Oliver Creole Jazz Band” with Louis Armstong playing the cornet) and the “Apex Club” (hosting the greatest clarinetist Jimmy Noone and the pianist Earl Hines).

 * New York City

Meanwhile, Harlem saw the birth of outstanding jazz pianists in the ragtime style such as Willie “the Lion” Smith and James P. Johnson. This piano style became popular in part thanks to the house rent parties (private parties randomly held in apartments to finance the rent). The biggest dance club in Harlem was the Savoy, a gigantic room with two stages that allowed bands to battle all night long. Two big bands became most popular, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra first, followed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Two dazzling female vocalists emerged in Harlem during the 1920s: Bessie Smith, the empress of blues, and Ethel Waters.

 * Kansas City

The Great Depression (starting in 1929) marked the end of one of the greatest jazz eras of all times. All of a sudden, jazz musicians in Chicago and Harlem found themselves unemployed. The crisis quickly spread all over the country except in Kansas City. In the 1930s, Kansas City was the crossroads of the United States and transcontinental trips required a stop in the city. Kansas City was a wide open town with liquor laws and hours totally ignored. Many jazz musicians got caught up in the friendly musical competitions among performers that could keep a single song being performed in various variations for an entire night. Such musical competitions led to a new style, the Kansas city Style. The establishment of the Kansas City style is attributed to Bennie Moten but it became highly popular when Count Basie took over his band after his death.

Kansas City has long been recognized as having been a major jazz center, ranking in importance only behind New York, New Orleans, and Chicago. From the mid-1920s through the late 1930s, jazz musicians from the central states of America were "goin' to Kansas City" in search of jobs, musical challenge, and good times. When they arrived they entered a musical community that was extraordinarily supportive, demanding, and artistically uplifting.

While most of America suffered through the Great Depression, Kansas City jazz prospered, largely because of the corrupt but economically stimulating administration of Boss Tom Pendergast. Jazz was the popular social music of the time, and the centers of vice - nightclubs and gambling halls - usually hired musicians to attract customers. The serendipitous results were plentiful though low-paying jobs for jazz musicians from throughout the Midwest and an outpouring of great new music.

See Industrialization of the United States for a broader look at this period.

Great jazz musicians (1895–1935)

 * Memphis

 * Frank Stokes
 * Furry Lewis
 * Memphis Minnie
 * Sleepy John Estes
 * Ida Cox
 * WC Handy
 * Sidney Kirk II
 * Sidney "Spoon" Kirk III

 * New Orleans

 * Buddy Bolden
 * Freddie Keppard
 * Bunk Johnson
 * Clarence Williams
 * Joe "King" Oliver
 * Kid Ory
 * Jelly Roll Morton

 * Chicago

 * Joe King Oliver
 * Louis Armstrong
 * Jimmie Noone
 * Johnny Dodds
 * Earl Hines
 * Jelly Roll Morton
 * Lil Hardin Armstrong

 * New York City

 * Duke Ellington
 * Fletcher Henderson
 * Willie Smith
 * James P. Johnson
 * Thomas Fats Waller
 * Joe Turner
 * Coleman Hawkins
 * Thelonious Monk
 * Bennie Carter
 * Ben Webster
 * Johnny Hodges
 * Cootie Williams
 * Bessie Smith
 * Ethel Waters

 * Kansas City

 * Count Basie
 * Buck Clayton
 * Herschel Evans
 * Coleman Hawkins
 * Jo Jones
 * Pete Johnson
 * Harlan Leonard
 * Jay McShann
 * Bennie Moten
 * Hot Lips Page
 * Charlie Parker
 * Sammy Price
 * Jimmy Rushing
 * Joe Turner
 * Ben Webster
 * Claude Williams
 * Mary Lou Williams
 * Lester Young

When to go
Ideally, the trip should be done to make it to any of the Famous jazz festivals in one of the cities visited. See Wikipedia's List of jazz festivals for a list.

The Beale Street Music Festival takes place in Memphis in May.

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival takes place in April and May.

The Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival takes place in Sedalia, Missouri in June.

You can make your way to Chicago in coincidence with the Chicago Jazz Festival, usually around Labor Day (the first Monday of September).

Day 2 (Saturday): Visiting New York City

 * The 52nd Street Between 5th and 7th Ave.
 * The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid 20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life. 52nd Street has been known as "Swing Street", "the street of jazz", "the street that never sleeps" and simply, "the street". Nowadays is full of banks, shops, and department stores and shows little trace of its jazz history.

 * The Charlie Parker Residence, 151 Avenue B
 * Charlie 'Bird' Parker occupied the ground floor apartment at the height of his career, having achieved considerable success and renown as the co-founder of bebop, the modern jazz style that he and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie created in New York City during the mid-1940s. Parker enjoyed international fame while living here, performing with large and small ensembles, as well as with Latin big bands and string sections. Avenue B (between 7th & 10th Streets-along Tompkins Square Park) was renamed Charlie Parker Place in 1992 and since 1993 the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival is held annually in the park to celebrate Bird's birthday (August 29, 1920 in Kansas City, Kansas) and his contribution to 20th century music.

 * Harlem
 * Congo Room of the Capitol, West 115th & Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1940
 * Bamville Club, 65 West 125th Street, c. 1920-1930 - Coleman Hawkins
 * The Plantation, West 126th near Malcolm X Blvd., c. 1930 - rivaled Cotton Club; Cab Calloway
 * Club Cabaret, 416 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1923-25
 * Club Baron, 437 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1940-46
 * Goldgraben's, I.G. Café, 439 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1919-30; In 1964, was renamed Baron's Lounge - favorite hangout for musicians after work at other clubs
 * Elk's Rendezvous, 464 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1930-45 - held social club dances
 * Club Harlem, West 130th & Malcolm X Blvd., c. 1927-29; In 1964 was renamed Harlem Grill
 * Gee-Haw Stables, West 132nd Street between 7th & Malcolm X Blvd., c. 1940-45; In 1964, was a Gulf gas station - had a horse's head over the entrance, an after-after-hours club
 * Lincoln Theatre, 58 West 135th Street, c. 1909-1964 - installed a $10,000 Wurlitzer organ for Fats Waller; now a church (1964 data)
 * The Elk's Café, Malcolm X Blvd. between West 137th and West 138th Streets, c. 1917-20
 * Capitol Palace, 575 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1922-50 - now a playground
 * Brittwood Bar & Grill, 594 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1932-42 - Willie Gant's Musical Maniacs;
 * Golden Gate Ballroom, Malcolm X Boulevard & West 142nd Street, c. 1939-50 - luxurious ballroom
 * Rhone's Orchestra Club, 625 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1920-35 later Lenox Club, a.k.a. "The Breakfast Club," 652 Malcolm X Boulevard, c. 1935-45 - Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, 3 shows nightly with an 8-girl line; demolished 1958 for Bethune Towers/Delano Village.

Jazz clubs in New York

 * Minton’s Playhouse First floor of the Hotel Cecil at 210 West 118th Street in Harlem.
 * Minton’s was founded by tenor saxophonist Henry Minton in 1938. Minton’s is famous for its role in the development of modern jazz, also known as bebop, where in its jam sessions in the early 1940s, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke, Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, pioneered the new music. Minton’s thrived for three decades until its decline near the end of the 1960s, and its eventual closing in 1974. After being shuttered for more than 30 years, the newly remodeled club reopened its doors on May 19, 2006, under the name Uptown Lounge at Minton’s Playhouse. This place can be considered the birth place of modern jazz, and in extension, for some puritans this can be considered the death place of early jazz, so it presents the best starting point to follow from here the track of jazz.

 * The Savoy Ballroom  Lenox Avenue 140-141 Streets.

 * The Savoy was billed as the world's most beautiful ballroom; it occupied the second floor of a building that extended along the whole block between 140th and 141st streets, and featured a large dance floor (200 feet by 50 feet), two bandstands, and a retractable stage. It swiftly became the most popular dance venue in Harlem, and many of the jazz dance crazes of the 1920s and 1930s originated there; it enjoyed a long and glittering career that lasted well into the 1950s, before a decline in its fortunes set in.

 * It was known downtown as the "Home of Happy Feet" but uptown, in Harlem, as "the Track". The Savoy regularly staged "Battle of the Bands" promotions that usually occurred between a house and a guest band, although not necessarily. Sometimes the bands would trade numbers at the change-over point between sets. Invariably packed when these events took place, there was little room to dance, and the crowd would vote as to who was their favourite band, band leader, vocalist etc. Two of the most famous "battles" happened when the Benny Goodman Orchestra challenged Chick Webb in 1937 and in 1938 when the Count Basie Band did the same. The general assessment was that they both lost, to Chick Webb.

 * Elaborate events of this kind were also organized by the management: on May 15, 1927 the Savoy presented a "Battle of Jazz," which featured King Oliver's Dixie Syncopators, a band led by Williams, Chick Webb's Harlem Stompers, and Henderson's Roseland Orchestra; other battles were fought between bands led by Lloyd Scott, Webb, Alex Johnson, Charlie Johnson, Williams, and Henderson (May 6, 1928) and between Cab Calloway's Missourians and groups led by Duke Ellington, Henderson, Cecil Scott, Lockwood Lewis, and Webb (May 14, 1930).

 * Nowadays only a conmemorative plaque can be found in the location of the Savoy.

 * The Cotton Club, Lenox Avenue, at West 142nd Street (1923-1936); 200 West 48th Street (1936 - 1940). 666 West 125th Street (1997 to date).
 * Previously named "Club De Lux", The Cotton Club was the most famous of the city's nightclubs in the 1920s and 1930s, attracting an audience that often included the cream of New York society. Its glittering revues provided a medium for performances by the most prominent jazz musicians of the day, and the club's activities were brought to a wide audience by frequent broadcasts. Fletcher Henderson led the first band that played there in 1923. The house band when the venue first opened was Andy Preer's Cotton Club Syncopators; after Preer's death in 1927, Duke Ellington's orchestra was engaged and its residency became the most celebrated in the club's history, lasting until 1931. Cab Calloway and his Missourians, who had first appeared with great success in 1931, then took over, and Calloway's time as the Cotton Club's bandleader (which extended to 1934, when Jimmie Lunceford succeeded him) was to make his reputation. Both Wellington and Calloway returned after the club moved downtown.

 * Most of the principal jazz musicians, singers, and dancers of the period appeared at the Cotton Club at some stage, including Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, Ivie Anderson, Bill Robinson, and the Nicholas Brothers. The heyday of the club's existence was re-created in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Cotton Club (1984).

 * After race riots in Harlem in 1935, the area was considered unsafe for whites (who formed the Cotton Club's clientele). and the club was forced to close (16 February 1936). It reopened in September 1936 downtown on West 48th Street, in premises that had formerly housed the Palais Royal and Connie's Inn (1933-6); the Cotton Club continued to operate at this location until June 1940.

 * The club reopened later that year at Broadway and 48th Street, but closed for good in 1940, under pressure from higher rents, changing tastes and a federal investigation into tax evasion by Manhattan nightclub owners. The Cotton Club was reopened in 1978 in Harlem. The original site of the Cotton Club was demolished in 1958 along with the Savoy Ballroom and the Lenox Club, (1935-45 Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, 3 shows nightly) for the construction of Bethune Towers/Delano Village; however, its legacy lives on at a new site under the same name at 666 West 125th Street.

 * In its heyday, the Cotton Club denied admission to Black patrons, although all performers were black.

 * The Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St., in the heart of Greenwich Village.
 * Opened in 1981. The flagship New York Blue Note club has earned the distinction of being the world’s premier jazz club and restaurant. Tony Bennett, George Benson, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Oscar Peterson, David Sanborn, Nancy Wilson, the late Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie.

 * World renown talent take the stage for six day runs, with Mondays usually reserved for excellent local talent. Two sets are 9AM and 11:30AM. Prices are $35 for table reservations + minimum, or $25 cover at the bar. There is $5.00 cover charge for the Friday and Saturday late night jam sessions. Sunday brunch served noon - 6PM. Show times at 1PM and 3:30PM.

 * The Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. South (just below West 11th St.) New York.
 * Founded in 1935, The Vanguard is a dark basement in Greenwich Village. The Vanguard is the archetypal Greenwich Village jazz club. Over a hundred jazz albums have been recorded at the venue since the (originally single) album under Sonny Rollins name in 1957. The two most famous engagements in the club's history are probably those of Bill Evans and John Coltrane, both of which took place in 1961.  Wynton Marsalis regularly recorded at the club in the early 1990s.

 * Sets: Sunday - Thursday 9:30 and 11:30PM, Friday and Saturday 9:30PM, 11:30PM, and 1:30AM. Monday nights, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, established by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis over 33 years ago continues their big band tradition. Sunday - Thursday: $25 at the door (includes $15 admission plus a $10 drink minimum). On Friday and Saturday: $30 at the door (includes $20 admission plus a $10 drink minimum). which has the right vibes and an excellent booking policy. Catch pianist Tommy Flanagan here for a perfect jazz night out.

 * Birdland, (1949-1965) 52nd St, (1986-1996) 2745 Broadway, (1996-to date) 315 west 44th Street, between 8th and 9th avenues.

 * Opened in 1949. Initially the club was on Broadway, but it quickly moved to 52nd Street, which was a hotbed of jazz in the 1930s and 40s. Count Basie and his smokin' big band made Birdland their New York headquarters, eventually recording George Shearing's "Lullaby of Birdland" live at the club. John Coltrane's classic Quartet regularly appeared at the club in the early 1960s, recording "Live at Birdland."

 * People who have performed at the Birdland: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Erroll Garner, and many, many others.

 * All show times: 9 and 11PM (with early 5:30PM tribute sets added to the M, Tu and F schedules). Music charge varies, $20-35. There is a $10 food/drink minimum per person at the tables. At the bar, the music charge includes one drink. Sundays belong to Arturo O'Farrill’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band, Mondays have been reserved for the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin for the later sets, and now every Monday from 5:30 - 7:30PM - The Art Blakey Jazz Messenger's Revue perform. Tuesdays typically go to The Famous Duke Ellington Orchestra directed by Paul Mercer Ellington with early sets at 5:30 - 7:30PM showcasing David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Centennial Band. From Wednesday - Saturday expect the best in local and internationally touring artists. Just added: Every Friday from 5:30 - 7:30PM - Lew Anderson's All American Big Band. All will enjoy the excellent sightlines to the stage.

Other jazz-related places

 * The Blue Note recordings, The earliest location was 167 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016. Now it is placed in 150 Fifth Ave. 6th Fl.
 * The Verve recordings 1755 Broadway
 * The Jazz Museum in Harlem
 * The Louis Armstrong House 34-56 107th St., Corona, 104 E 126th St.
 * The Louis Armstrong Archives - Open by appointment +1 718-997-3670
 * Flushing cemetery 46th Ave with 162nd St, Queens County. Numerous jazz musicians are buried in this cemetery such as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Johnny Hodges.

Day 4 (Friday): Boston to Chicago
Concert night in Chicago.

Day 5 (Saturday): Visiting Chicago
The jazz historic places in Chicago are mostly located on the south side, with the exception of the Green Mill, which is in Uptown. Visit the Chicago's South Side Jazz Clubs website. The location and state of the building can be consulted at

 * Haitian Pavilion 6401 S. Stony Island Ave, Today known as Jackson Park.
 * The Haitian Pavilion was the center of black entertainment during the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. The exposition brought to Chicago many black itinerant musicians, such as W.C. Handy (considered the father of the blues), Scott Joplin (the father of Ragtime). The Haitian Pavilion was an incubator for jazz music, it was there where Scott Joplin and many other musicians discovered that many other black fellows musicians have developed similar skills and shared their experiences in the different music stiled that gave rise to jazz music. Today, two impressive symbols of the World's Columbian Exposition remain. The "Golden Lady" sculpture is a smaller version of Daniel Chester French's Statue of the Republic which originally stood at the foot of the Court of Honor. The original Fine Arts Palace now houses Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

 * Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District
 * The area is one of the nation's most significant centers of African-American urban history. Full of clubs and cafés during its 20th-century expansion before the Great Depression, it played a great role in the history and development of the golden age of the Chicago music scene. Louis Armstrong lived in the neighborhood and performed at many of the area's night clubs, such as the Sunset café, The Vendome Theatre and the Plantation café. The building of the former Sunset cafe is still there and it is considered a Chicago Landmark.

Historic jazz clubs in Chicago

 * Pekin Inn 2700 S. State St.
 * Open in 1910s-20s. it is considered one of the most important South Side clubs before 1910. It was the first to employ musicians who were closely associated with ragtime and pre-jazz popular music, like Joe Jordan, Tony Jackson and Wilbur Sweatman. Some people consider the Pekin Inn as the birthplace of the Chicago Jazz scene and one of the first music laboratories where people experimented with ragtime, and pre jazz styles.

 * Dreamland Ballroom 3618-20 S. State, at 35th Street. Chicago
 * The dreamland was one of the first ballrooms in the history of Chicago, opened in 1912, featuring players such as King Oliver, Johnny & Warren "Baby" Dodds, Louis Armstrong and Hot Five, Alberta Hunter, Sidney Bechet, Lawrence Duhé, Ethel Waters.

 * Lincoln Gardens (Royal Gardens). 459 East 31st Street, at South Cottage Grove Avenue.

 * Lincoln Gardens (formerly Royal Gardens) was a dance hall which could accommodate up to 1000 dancers. After a fire late in 1924 the hall was magnificently refurbished for its reopening on October 28, 1925, when the name was changed to the New Charleston Café; it later became known as the Café de Paris. Dave Peyton led a band there from late November 1926, but in June 1927, it was bombed — perhaps in gang warfare — and closed.

 * The residency at the Royal Gardens in 1918 of the Original Creole Band, led by Bill Johnson, established the dance hall's reputation as a venue for jazz, and initiated a series of appearances by New Orleans musicians that were of great significance for the development of the music in Chicago. Joe King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band played a residency from June 17, 1922 until February 1924. During this period he sent a telegram to his cornet student in New Orleans to come to Chicago and join his band as a second trumpet to play at the Lincoln Gardens. The name of the trumpeter was Louis Armstrong. This was a dream come true for Armstrong and his amazing playing in the band soon made him a sensation among other musicians in Chicago.

 * During his two-year stand at the Lincoln Gardens, King Oliver with Louis and the Creole Serenaders brought hot New Orleans style jazz to Chicago and later, via recordings, to the world.

 * "When King Joe Oliver sent for me to leave New Orleans in 1922 and join him at the Lincoln Gardens to play second trumpet to his first trumpet, I jumped sky-high with joy. The day I received the telegram from Papa Joe - that's what I called him - I was playing a funeral in New Orleans and all the members of the Tuxedo Brass Band told me not to go because Papa Joe and his band were having some kind of union trouble... I arrived in Chicago about eleven o'clock the night of July 8, 1922, at the Illinois Central Station at Twelfth and Michigan Avenue. I'll never forget it. The King was already at work. I had no one to meet me. I took a cab and went directly to the Lincoln Gardens." (Louis Armstrong)

 * 'Royal Garden Blues' is considered the first 'riff' song

 * Sunset Cafe and Grand Terrace Ballroom (313-17 East 35th Street) 315 E. 35th St.
 * Built in 1909 remodeled in 1937. Following a 1921 remodeling, this simple automobile garage was transformed into one of the city's earliest and most legendary jazz venues. Its house orchestra featured such famed musicians as Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, and Earl "Fatha" Hines, while its floor shows introduced the latest dances to local audiences. Many promising young artists, including Bix Beiderbecke, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Gene Krupa, got their start at late-night sessions here. After a 1937 remodeling, it was renamed the Grand Terrace Ballroom (relocated from its earlier location in 3955 South Parkway Blvd) and remained a popular night club until 1950.
 * Earl Hines enjoyed great success there, though other big bands, including Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, and Horace Henderson, also played the Grand Terrace before World War II. The store's office, which long ago was part of the raised bandstand overlooking the Grand Terrace's dance floor. The back of the bandstand was a large mural depicting jazz rhythms, and a portion is still visible.
 * At the Grand Terrace Ballroom and other Chicago night spots, leaving a club without permission from the management was hazardous to the health of many Chicago jazz musicians. This is why Earl Hines remained at the Grand Terrace for more than a decade.
 * During 1936 at the Grand Terrace Ballroom, where Fletcher Henderson was appearing with his own band, Goodman played in front of the band with Krupa sitting in on drums. This is perhaps the first time that black and white jazz musicians played together before a paying audience
 * The building at the new location, whose exterior looks very much as it did during its musical heyday, is now a hardware Store. Some walls in the interior are still painted as they were during the Grand terrace times. it is possible to ask the ownes to visit the inside.
 * The club served as Inspiration for the song called "Sunset Cafe Stomp" by the Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five.

 * The Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway Ave.
 * Opened in 1907 as Pop Morse's Roadhouse, the "Mill" was a stopping place for mourners to celebrate the passing of a friend before proceeding to St. Boniface's Cemetery. By 1910, new owners had converted the roadhouse into the Green Mill Gardens, complete with lantern-lit outdoor dancing and drinking areas, and boasting such headliners as Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker.

 * As the Twenties roared, the Green Mill became mobster territory when Al Capone's henchman, "Machinegun" Jack McGurn, gained a 25% ownership of the club, and Al Capone himself would visit the club regularly. Manager Danny Cohen had given McGurn the 25% stake to "persuade" comedian/singer Joe E. Lewis from moving his act south to the New Rendezvous Café at Clark and Diversey. McGurn managed to convince Lewis by slitting his throat and cutting off his tongue. Miraculously, Lewis recovered, but his songs never regained their lush sound. The incident was later immortalized in the movie The Joker is Wild, with Frank Sinatra as Joe E. Lewis and a Hollywood soundstage as the Green Mill. Of course, his interest piqued, Sinatra had to visit the club. In 1986, the Green Mill decoration was restored it to its prohibition-era, speakeasy décor.

 * Vendome Theater 3145 South State Street,
 * Built in 1919 and demolished in 1949. Located in the heart of Chicago's so-called "Black Belt." The popularity of the Vendome Orchestra soared in December 1925 when the master coronetist, Louis Armstrong, came aboard after a stint at the Dreamland Cafe. When Armstrong played a solo, the Vendome audiences cheered wildly. In 1926, Armstrong left to work the Sunset Cafe, one of the city's most notorious black and tans. Other jazz artists who performed at the Vendome during the 1920s included pianist Earl Hines, drummer Jimmy Bertrand, cornetist Freddie Keppard, and pianist Lil Hardin-Armstrong.

 * Plantation Cafe 338 East 35 Street at State Street.
 * King Oliver band, the Creole Jazz Band was extensively played at the Plantation Café until it was destroyed by fire in 1927.

 * Apex Club 35th St. between S. Calumet and S. Prairie Avenues
 * Opened in 1920, Featuring Junie Cobb, Johnny St. Cyr, Dave Nelson, Joe Poston, Johnny Wells, Earl Hines, and the clarinetist Jimmy Noone.

 * Entertainer's Cafe 209 E. 35th St. at Michigan 1910s-20s
 * Featuring Sammy Stewart and his Knights of Syncopation, Freddy Keppard's Band, Earl Hines, Natty Dominique, Vernie Robinson, Carroll Dickerson.

 * Monogram Theatre 3435-40 S. State St.
 * Opened in 1910. Featuring early jazz musicians such as Sidney Bechet, Ethel Waters, Erskine Tate, Ma Rainey.

 * Elite Club 3030 S. State St.
 * Opened in 1910. Featuring Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Alberta Hunter.

 *  Ententainer's café

 * Friar's Inn basement at 60 East Van Buren or 343 South Wabash in the Chicago Loop,
 * The Friar's Inn was a night club located in a basement in Chicago's Loop area, on 60 East Van Buren Street at 343 South Wabash Avenue. The Moulin Rouge Cafe was in the same complex. Friar's Inn was run by Mike Fritzel and was remembered in musician's recollections as a gangster hangout. Friar's Inn had three bands: one from 3 to 6PM, one from 6 to 10PM, generally a rhythm section for dinner, and the main band from 10PM to the early morning - which was the Mares group. The club employed a strict "whites-only" policy. Among the notable bands associated with Friar's Inn were New Orleans Rhythm Kings (originally the "Friar's Society Orchestra"), and the Austin High Gang (also known as the "Blue Friars").
 * Noted musicians who played at the Friar's Inn included Frank Teschemacher, Bud Freeman, Steve Brown, George Brunies, Merritt Brunies, Emmett Hardy, Paul Mares, Leon Roppolo, Bee Palmer, and Mel Stitzel. Joan Crawford worked as a dancer there early in her career.

More historical jazz clubs listed in here

Modern jazz clubs in Chicago

 * Thankfully, the story of Jazz didn't end with BeBop. It kept right on cranking into the avant-garde. Part of that adventurous set was a society of (mostly African-American) musicians in Chicago called the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

 * Taking as its mission "nurturing, performing, and recording serious, original music," the AACM supports musicians, composers and educators working in Jazz. Beginning in 1965, the AACM (first led by Muhal Richard Abrams) has educated young musicians in Chicago and oddly enough, Amsterdam and Paris where some of founding memebers lived in self-imposed exile during the early 1970s.

 * Musicians associated with the AACM, such as Henry Threadgill, Anthony Braxton, Jack DeJohnette, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago: Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Famoudou Don Moye, and Malachi Favors produced some of the most exciting and challenging Jazz music of the 1970s, music which only began to be recognized by the mainstream and academia in the 1990s.

 * In the late 1980s and early 1990s, musician and Columbia College professor Hal Russell brought a large influx of new musicians into the AACM sphere of influence both through his teaching and playing with the NRG Ensemble. Students and followers of Russell's such as Ken Vandermark, Kent Kessler, Mars Williams, and Weasel Walter have helped re-energize and the AACM scene and brought it deserved critical and media attention.

 * Luckily, quite a few of the original AACM players are still on the scene, as are many of their students both from Chicago and Europe, as well as players from the newer scene descending from Russell. You can catch shows ranging around town almost every night of the week, but the scene most predictably centers around a handful of clubs with connections to the musicians.

 * The Velvet Lounge, 67 East Cermak Road. Owner Fred Anderson is a long time member of the AACM, and has connections running deeply through both contemporary scenes. In most evenings from Wednesday through Saturday, you'll find him alternately watching the door, and joining the band on stage to play a ripping sax solo.

 * The New Apartment Lounge, 504 East 75th. Von Freeman is your host here at the new apartment, another club frequented by AACM members both onstage and off. The club is a must-see, and the Wednesday night jam sessions are legendary.

 * The Hideout seems to be the successor on Wednesday nights to the long running Tuesday and Wednesday night gigs by Ken Vandermark and friends at The Empty Bottle, where he and music critics John Corbett and Peter Margasak have created a platform for exposing Chicago hipsters to Avant Garde Jazz from the AACM scene, the Russell scene, and from around the world. Wednesday nights are usually reserved for overseas guests, such as Han Bennik or, maybe if you're lucky, Misha Mendelberg.
 * The HotHouse, 31 East Balboa. Having moved to Printers Row after many years in Wicker Park, the HotHouse regularly hosts concerts mostly by younger members of the AACM scene (like Eight Bold Souls) and associated traveling artists, in a somewhat more upscale atmosphere than the other three clubs in this group - the old location was a dive, but they took the move as an opportunity to dress up a bit.
 * Andy's Jazz Club 11 East Hubbard St., +1 312-642-6805.
 * One of Chicago's best-known and most respected Jazz establishments, historic Andy's offers casual dining and live jazz. Local acts focusing on mainstream, traditional, be-bop jazz and blues are featured with sets at lunchtime, late afternoon and evenings. Located just off Michigan Ave in downtown Chicago and just steps away from Chicago's Magnificent Mile, Andy's Jazz Club has been a destination for the work weary and hungry hipsters for over a quarter of a century. Established in 1951, this onetime newspaper pub has evolved from a shot & beer joint into a full service music Mecca.
 * Taste and variety define the music menu as well, showcasing Jazz and Blues 7 days a week. No other venue can boast of the three shows daily and a weekend rotations of world-class headliners.
 * Friday's Live Jazz At Noon provides a variety of lunchtime favorites with conversation friendly music, guaranteed to satisfy the cravings of the clock-watchers and leisure lovers alike. Open for lunch Monday-Friday with live music only on Friday. Jazz At Five ups the intensity when locals and visitors mingle beneath the "Wall of Fame" and exchange ideas in the universal language of Jazz. Jazz At Nine expands the experience with a range of world-renowned artists with diverse styles continuing until 1AM. To accommodate a more energetic weekend crowd, hours are extended to 1:30AM and serve from the complete menu until 1AM. On Sunday, entertainment jump starts your morning with a 11AM-2:30PM Brunch and continues on with evening music offered from 5PM-midnight. Located in the heart of the River North Neighborhood of the Chicago Loop, you can find Andy's Jazz Club & Restaurant at the intersection of State Street and Hubbard Street.

More modern Chicago clubs at www.chicagojazz.com

Other jazz-related places in Chicago

 * The Chicago Jazz Archive, part of the Library of the University of Chicago, open Tuesday to Friday by appointment only (call 702-8541); contains pictures, magazines and recordings from the early jazz in the Chicago scene.

 * Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St.,
 * Many big bands played at the Chicago in the 1930s and '40s, including, to name a few, Benny Goodman, Dick Jurgens, Harry James, and Orrin Tucker. Having narrowly survived demolition in the mid-1980s, the Chicago Theatre continues to operate, with most of its elegance still evident.

Day 6 (Sunday): Chicago to Kansas City
Distance: (532 Miles)

Concert in the Phoenix?

Jazz places in Kansas City

 * 18th and Vine District
 * ...we came to the corner of Eighteenth Street and Wham! Everything along that street was all lit up like klieg lights... And everywhere you went, there was at least a piano player and somebody singing, if not a combo or maybe a jam session... we were walking into a scene where the action was greater than anything I've ever heard of." ca 1924-25, William Basie, from Good Morning Blues, the Autobiography of Count Basie.

 * ...The Flavor of 18th street was on the sidewalks, you could find everybody who was anybody on 18th street.But it was grand. 12th street was joints, 18th street was class. It was all we had, and it was the only place we could go." Reuben Benton, long time resident.

 * 18th and Vine in Kansas City is internationally recognized as one of the cradles of jazz. Along with New Orleans's Basin Street, Beale Street in Memphis, 52nd Street in New York and Los Angeles's Central Avenue - the 18th and Vine area was a midwife to the birth of a new style of jazz. Like the spicy barbecue for which Kansas City is so widely noted, the jazz that evolved in the 18th and Vine district was likewise distinctive. Simmered in the blues, Kansas City's jazz was a riff-based sound fueled by jam sessions in the district's crowded clubs.

 * A list of the musicians who worked and made their home in the historic district reads like a veritable Who's Who of Jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. Charlie Parker is likely the most noted modern jazz musician to come from Kansas City. However, many notables call the city home or got their start in this significant jazz scene.

 * Located just east of Downtown Kansas City, it is the Kansas City metropolitan area's historic center of African American culture. It has been the focus of more than $30 million of civic investment since the late 1980s, but the district's redevelopment has struggled. In the 1990s, parts of the film Kansas City were filmed there. Façades left from the movie remained on most of the dilapidated buildings until the end of the 1990s. Today, the 18th and Vine district includes the Mutual Musicians Foundation, the Gem Theater, the long-time offices of African-American newspaper The Call, the Blue Room jazz club, the American Jazz Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, restaurants and apartments.

 * The clubs sported colorful names such as the Cherry Blossom, the Chez Paree, Lucille's Paradise, the Subway Club, the Sportsmen Club, the Ol' Kentuck' Bar-B-Q and Fox's. Many of the clubs featured "Blue Monday" sessions. Former bassist for Andy Kirk, Laverne Barker remembered how, "People would go to the area on Sunday Nights and would wait for Blue Monday parties to start in the clubs at midnight. The jam sessions would start and go `til Monday afternoon."

 * Vine Street also has been celebrated by many songs including "Vine St. Bustle," "Vine St. Boogie," "Vine St. Drag" and "Kansas City."

 * American Jazz Museum 1616 East 18th st Kansas City, MO
 * Located in the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, MO., this is the place where jazz masters such as Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, and hundreds of others defined the sounds of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Contains rare photos, album covers, memorabilia, and personal items telling the stories of jazz legends Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charlie Parker, More than 100 recordings of the greatest jazz ever played, Studio 18th & Vine, where visitors experiment with harmony, melody, and rhythm, Films and special collections honoring the impact of jazz on the American experience, Special exhibits highlighting Kansas City’s unique contributions to jazz.

 * 'Closed on Mondays'

 * The Mutual Musicians Foundation 1823 Highland Avenue, 18th & Vine district,
 * Otherwise known and the Musicians local No. 627, this modest musicians union house was established in 1917, and represents KC jazz, blues, and ragtime history far better than the museum down the street. Open jazz jams and cutting sessions Saturdays starting at around midnight lasting til sometimes past dawn - if the crowd and musicians can keep each other interested.  (Blues jams on Friday night.) Charlie Parker grew up in the area and there are stories of him peeking through the window of this place to see perhaps Basie, Lester Young, etc. Upstairs there is a piano that locals say Scott Joplin, Mary Lou Williams and Count Basie played on. Downstairs reside the Saturday jams in a room that has a grandma's formica kitchen feel. Lester Young (hear 1958 audio discussion with Chris Albertson), Bennie Moten, Walter Page, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Buster Smith, Mary Lou Williams, Pat Metheny, Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Kevin Mahogany, Ahmad Alaadeen, Bob Brookmeyer, Claude Fiddler Williams, George E Lee, Bobby Watson, Jay McShann, Andy Kirk, The Blue Devils, Karrin Allyson and many others had/has strong ties to this district (or the 12th Street scene which is completely destroyed).

 * Fox's Tavern, Corner of 18th St and Vine.
 * Very popular with loudspeakers on the street broadcasting music and shows, contributing enormously to the atmosphere of the district.

 * Piccolo's club, Corner of 18th and Vine (west of Fox's Tavern).
 * Street hotel, featured the early location of the Blue Room, an exclusive jazz club.
 * Shannon building featured on the basement, one of the most famous jazz clubs, the Subway. The most recognized jazz musicians jammed at the Subway: Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Krupa, Harry James, Chu Berrym, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Ben Webster and countless other held cutting contest with local musicians.
 * The El Capitan Club, 1608-10 E 18th St.
 * Elk's Lodge, 1606-E 18th, (open in 1906).
 * Moten and Hayes records owned by two men that would become famous bandleaders, Benny Moten and Thamon Hayes. Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra was the most successful Jazz band of the Midwest. The band toured all over the country and had a top selling recording in 1927 for Victor named "South". In 1929 Count Basie of The Blue Devils joined the band, and several other members of that band soon joined Moten's Orchestra. Count Basie took over the band after Moten's death in 1935.
 * Lucille's Paradise Club, 1709-11E 18st St, featured radio broadcast in the late 1930s.
 * Scott's Show Bar Corner of 18th st and Highland Avenue, an elite supper club in the 1940s opening as the 'Highland Gardens' in 1922. Also called the Airdome and the Quaterne, and later the Rialto and the Boone.
 * Centennian Church, Count Basie played the Organ at this congregational church.
 * Gem Theatre operated from 1912 as a segregated movie theatre.
 * The Parrot Inn, 1813 Vine St.
 * The Mardi Grass Club opened in the 1950s. Had many names, turnovers through the years. Much the same since the 1930s, raw urban club. "Bird, Basie, Miles, Monk played it". It closed due to lease dispute according to Ignatius' secret sources and apparently will reopen down the street. Rumor is another club will go in this spot.
 * The OI Kentucy Barbecue. Musicians jammed here and ate barbecue soup for 10 cents.
 * Eblon Theater is the site of the Count Basie first job in Kansas city. His band came to play to the city and left him here. He played as an organist in silent films, as the Cherry Blossom in 1934, it featured Japanese decor and some of the hottest jam sessions in town. Later was called the 'Chez Paree'.

Jazz clubs in Kansas City

 * Reno Club. 12th Street, between Cherry Street and Locust Street.
 * Known as the "Queen" of Kaycee clubs, the Reno Club flourished during the 1930s, but was closed for tax evasion in 1938. The club's activities, directed by Papa Sol Epstein, were segregated, and separate dance floors, bars, and dining areas were reserved for black and white patrons. Bennie Moten played there in the early 1930s, and in 1935 Count Basie formed a nine-piece group, the Barons of Rhythm, for a residency; it was in this venue that Basie was discovered by John Hammond in 1936.

 * The balcony above the bandstand here was Charlie Parker's favorite roost. He'd sit there, the air thick with marijuana smoke rising from the band downstairs, and listen to his idol, Lester Young, blowing with the "Count" Basie band.

 * Nightly broadcasts from the club were relayed on radio station W9XBY. In 1938 Jesse Price's big band played there, and the following year George E. Lee, whose career passed through a decline in the mid-1930s, brought his new band (formed the preceding year for a residency at the Brookside Club) to play an engagement at the Reno. The club was as important for after-hours jam sessions by the many jazz musicians playing in the city at that time as it was for the music that was played to entertain the clientele.

 * A police parking lot now occupies the sacred ground where Club Reno once stood.

Modern jazz clubs in Kansas City

 * The Phoenix 8th & Central, +1 816-472-0001

 * Jardines Restaurant & Jazz Club 4536 Main Street +1 816-561-6480

 * The Blue Room 1616 18th St.

 * The American Jazz Museum's Blue Room is a museum by day and at night comes to life as a working jazz club. Four nights a week, the Blue Room resonates with the sweet sounds of Kansas City jazz. As the only Kansas City club included in DownBeat magazine's 2004 list of Top 100 Jazz Clubs in the world, the Blue Room consistently books top name national and international entertainers while it continues to showcase the best of jazz in Kansas City.

 * The Blue Room was recognized again in DownBeat magazine's February 2007 issue as the only Kansas City club to make the list of Top 100 Jazz Clubs in the world:

 * As part of the American Jazz Museum, the Blue Room is designed to resemble a nightclub from the 1930s. Shows in the room hit on Monday (a regular jam session), Thursday, Friday and Saturday, featuring top regional straightahead talent.

 * Majestic Steakhouse 931 Broadway (walking distance from Phoenix) +1 816-471-8484
 * Jazz and jam 6 days, but Monday. Art deco/Victorian classic club feel with typically over 50 crowd. Cigar club upstairs with walkin humidor (said to once be Tom Pendergast's hangout). Bram Wijnands' regular gig spot (weekends).

 * Grand Emporium 3832 Main Street +1 816-531-7557, +1 816-531-1504
 * Mostly touring blues and bluesrock acts on weekends but also jazz/punk/zydeco/reggae weekdays. Many blues mags consider it one of best urban blues clubs in US and it is a multi WC Handy award winner. This place usually has a soul you can breathe in but lately they seem to book a bit  more blue collar and suburban twangy blues over the urban blues they've been known for.  Gotta do Amazing Grace's soul food  (and/or bring in pizza from next door).  Open blues jams, second Thursday of each month, no cover (for this event).

 * Harling's Upstairs 3941-A Main Street +1 816-531-0303
 * Urban blues, jazz, Irish/celtic, swing, and rock. Tuesdays (?) - 18-piece swing orchestra.  Saturday 2PM (open) jams too - Mama Ray (no cover). Usually weekend cover charge.  Jean Harlow and Joan Crawford were once showgirl dancers at this club.  A Midtowner's favourite, where local filmmakers hang.

(More jazz clubes at Foursquare)

Other jazz-related places in Kansas City

 * Charlie Parker birthplace 852 Freeman Avenue, Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas
 * At year 1999, the location is a vacant lot.

 * Charlie Parker Home 1516 (1535) Olive St Kansas City, MO
 * Parker was living here during the period he was going as a kid to jam sessions in 18th St (close to his school) and 12th (the Reno Club). He spent the childhood and adolescence here until he moved to New York, already as a formed musician.

 * Charlie Parker Grave site Lincoln cemetery, 8604 E Truman Rd
 * Charlie Parker asked explicitly not to be buried in Kansas City, but the family decided to do it so.

 * Other Charlie Parker Houses 109 W34th St., and 114 W 36th St.
 * Charlie Parker moved here in 1927, and lived here for about four years, after moving from his birthplace at the other side of the river, in Kansas City, Kansas. At least seven homes have been identified in Kansas and Missouri at which the Parkers lived at one time or other. Both buildings are still there at year 1999.

Day 8 (Tuesday): Kansas City to Memphis

 *  American Jazz Museum Visit in the morning. Tu–Sa 9AM to 6PM, Su noon to 6PM, M closed

Driving distance: 538 miles.

Sedalia, MO

 * Sedalia, Missouri. (25 km off road, in the way of Kansas City to Memphis is consider the Birth Place of the Ragtime). Sedalia was once the residence of the famous ragtime composer Scott Joplin. Joplin and ragtime music are honored in a yearly Ragtime Festival, usually held in June.

 * Once there, the Scott Joplin House can be visited.

Once in Memphis, try to catch a Blues concert.

Day 9 (Wednesday): Visiting Memphis

 * Street , Memphis, TN
 * When the self-proclaimed "Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy, an accomplished bandleader and songwriter, arrived on Beale Street from the Delta in 1908, he brought with him the blues, a new style of music he "discovered" down south. With his publication of "Memphis Blues" in 1912, Handy became one of the first people to publish a song featuring characteristic "blue notes" and containing the word "blues" in its title. By the 1920s, Beale Street was a showcase for jug bands, where he played a mixture of blues, ragtime, and humorous tunes.

 * In the 1920s, the area took on a carnival atmosphere and gambling, drinking, prostitution, murder and voodoo thrived alongside the booming nightclubs, theaters, restaurants, stores, pawnshops and hot music. By mid-evening, the street would be packed and a one-block walk could take forever, especially if he had to detour around the medicine show set up in the little hole in the wall, or if he stopped and listened to the wandering bluesman playing for pennies and nickels. There were big vaudeville shows at the Palace and the Daisy, hot snoot sandwiches at the corner café jug bands playing down at the park and one block over on Gayoso there was a red-light district to rival New Orleans’ Storyville.

 * Beale Street was completely shut down and the buildings demolished. Nowadays, it is just a street for tourism and shopping with some reopened blues clubs, but missing the spirit of the early 20s.

 * A. Schwab Dry Goods, in the family since 1876, is the only remaining original business on Beale St. Open M-Sa 9AM-5PM. The Orpheum Theatre also remains, opened on October 15, 1928 on the corner of Main and Beale.

 * Clubs on Beale street: Alfred's On Beale, Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall, Alley Cats, New Daisy Theater, A. Schwab, New York Pizza, B. B. Kings Blues Club, Pat O'Briens, Beale St. Tap Room, People’s Billiard Club, The Black Diamond, The Pig on Beale, Blues City Cafe & Band Box, Psychics of Beale Street, Club 152, Rum Boogie Cafe, Dyer’s Famous Hamburgers, Shake Shack, Eel Etc. Fashions. Silky O Sullivan’s, Hard Rock Cafe, Strange Cargo, King’s Palace Cafe, Tater Red’s, Memphis Music, Wet Willies.

 * Sun Studio 706 Union Ave, +1 901 521-0664
 * 'Where rock'n roll was born'. The studio where Elvis Presley recorded his first four albums, and changed the music industry. Johnny Cash, the inimitable Jerry Lee Lewis, and the "Rockin' Guitar Man", Carl Perkins were first recording here. Nowadays, is a sort of museum, so you can enter and visit the studio.

 * W C Handy Blues Museum & Performing Arts Center 1275 Royal Oaks Cv, +1 901 396-3914
 * WC Handy is considered the father of the blues. He is the one that bought the blues from the Mississippi Delta up to New Orleans through the Highway 61.

 * Memphis Rock N Soul Museum 191 Beale St, +1 901 205-2533
 * The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum’s exhibition about the birth of rock and soul music tells the story of musical pioneers who, for the love of music, overcame racial and socio-economic barriers to create the music that shook the entire world.

 * Located at 191 Beale, on the corner of legendary Highway 61 at the FedExForum sports and entertainment complex, the museum offers a comprehensive Memphis music experience from the rural field hollers and sharecroppers of the 1930s, through the explosion of Sun, Stax and Hi Records and Memphis’ musical heyday in the 1970s, to its global musical influence. The museum’s digital audio tour guide is packed with over 300 minutes of information, including over 100 songs, and takes visitors at their own pace through seven galleries featuring 3 audio visual programs, more than 30 instruments, 40 costumes and other musical treasures.

 * STAX Museum of American Soul Music (Stax Records) 926 E. McLemore Ave. Phone: +1 901-946-2535, Fax: +1 901-948-8560

 * Stax was a major player in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, and frequently released early funk and 1960s Chicago blues recordings. While Stax was involved almost exclusively in the production of African-American music, the label is noted for having some of the first popular ethnically-integrated bands. Featuring recordings of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Albert King.

 * Today, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, located at the original site of Stax Records, pays tribute to all of the artists who recorded there with a rare and amazing collection of more than 2,000 interactive exhibits, films, artifacts, items of memorabilia, and galleries designed to keep Stax alive forever. Because it is the only soul music museum in the world, it also spotlights America's other major soul music pioneers, including the sounds of Muscle Shoals, Motown, Hi, and Atlantic Records, spotlighting the contributions of such soul pioneers as Ike & Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson Five, Ann Peebles, Al Green, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and many others.

 * Hours: March-October: M-Sa 9AM-4PM, Su 1-4PM; November-February: M-Sa 10AM-4PM

 * WDIA 706 Union Avenue
 * The radio station where Beale Street went on the air (1948). It became the first all-black radio station in the country, with African-American deejays and programming that specifically targeted a black audience. WDIA’s torrent of gospel, blues, and the sounds of rhythm and blues (R&B) put it on its way to becoming the most powerful station in Memphis.

 * In 1948, Blues Boy King was hired by Memphis blues station WDIA for a 15-minute live radio spot where he performed and hawked a health tonic called Pep-Ti-Kon. A year after, B.B. King records for the first time, cutting four songs (including his debut single, “Miss Martha King”) at Memphis radio station WDIA.

 * The WDIA studio on Union Avenue, just up the street from the Peabody Hotel, is also still in operation, broadcasting a steady stream of talk and music, and you can stop in for a quick tour. On Saturday mornings, Rufus Thomas, the senior statesman of the local music scene, still broadcasts a weekly show, and the station’s all-blues programming on Saturdays remains an unpretentious tribute to the city’s blues tradition. Listen to the radio as you drive around the city or take a day trip down to the Delta.

 * W.C. Handy House & Museum 352 Beale Street, +1 901-527-3427

 * Aretha Franklin's birth home 406 Lucy St.
 * Just a few blocks from Stax stands the house where Aretha Franklin was born and raised until she moved north at the age of eight.

 * Elvis birthplace 306 Elvis Presley Drive · Tupelo, MS
 * The most significant landmark of Tupelo's modern history is a modest, two-room house where the King of Rock & Roll was born on Jan 8, 1935. From this humble beginning, Elvis Presley began his meteoric rise to become the world's most popular entertainer.

 * The Elvis Presley Birthplace is part of the Elvis Presley Park and has been restored to the period before the singer's family moved to Memphis. The birthplace has been designated a Mississippi landmark. The Elvis Presley Park includes the Elvis Presley Museum, Memorial Chapel, Gift Shop and a lifesize statue of "Elvis at 13". The Park offers complete recreation facilities for picnics and community events.

 * Hours: May-Sep: M-Sa 9AM-5PM; Oct-Apr M-Sa 9AM-5PM; Su year-round 1-5PM

 * Graceland, Map of Graceland 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard - Memphis, TN, +1 901 332-3322, +1-800-238-2000
 * This huge mansion was once the home of Elvis, the most famous entertainer in the US. Now it is a pilgrimage place for many fans and one of the landmarks of Memphis.

 * Gibson Beale Street Showcase in Memphis 145 Lt. George W. Lee Avenue, +1 901 544-7998 ext 4017
 * This memorable tour of Gibson’s Memphis guitar factory consists of an intimate viewing of the facility as Gibson’s skilled luthiers craft some of the finest guitars in the world. An opportunity to witness the intricate process of binding, neck-fitting, painting, buffing, and tuning that creates these incredible musical instruments. See and hear how Gibson has helped shape the world of music for over 100 years and continues to set the pace for the musical innovations of tomorrow. Tour lasts approximately 45 minutes.

 * Tours are given: Monday- Saturday 11AM, noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, and 4PM; Sunday noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, and 4PM

 * Heartbreak Hotel,
 * Elvis Hotel. Across the street from Graceland. It features unique decor. You can try to see the lobby.

Day 10 (Thursday): Memphis to New Orleans
Driving distance: 396 miles. Take route 61, the Blues Highway, and follow it as weaves into Mississippi, all the way to New Orleans.

Clarksdale
Once one of the Delta’s main trading towns, Clarksdale is possibly the most important blues-town in Mississippi. John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner were born and raised here. Other influential bluesmen who made their names in Clarksdale include Muddy Waters, Bukka White, Son House, and Robert Nighthawk. On September 26th, 1937, Bessie Smith died in Clarksdale after a car accident on Highway 61 near Coahoma.

 * Riverside Hotel. 615 Sunflower Avenue. Here stood the GT Thomas Hospital for blacks, where Bessie Smith died. The owner of the Hotel, Frank Ratliff claims his mother, who turned the hospital into a hotel in 1944, knew what really happened, but Frank’s is not willing to tell anyone. Bessie´s Room (room #2) can be visited. John Fitzgerald Kennedy chose to stay at the Riverside when he visited Clarksdale. He stayed opposite Bessie’s in room 2a.

 * WC Handy's marker. WC Handy heard the blues for the first time in 1903 when he was living in Clarksdale.

 * Delta Blues Museum. #1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, MS. Mar-Oct: M-Sa 9AM-5PM; Nov-Feb: M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Go south on 61 Highway to Clarksdale. 61 Turns into N. State Street. Turn right on DeSoto, go under the railroad tracks and turn left on 3rd Street.

Dockery Plantation
Take Highway 8 east from Cleveland (Here, WC Handy pronounced his famous words "An American composer is Born") for about 5 miles to reach the Dockery Plantation founded around 1895. According to many, the blues was born right here. Charley Patton, pioneer of the Delta blues was a worker here.

Where the “Southern meet the Dog”
These were the lyrics of the first Blues WC heard in Tutwiler. He asked the singer what they meant. They actually mean a point where the Yazoo and the Mississippi railroads meet. This point is in Moorhead and the railroads still exist

Natchez
When Natchez was the old capital of cotton industry, more millionaires lived here than anywhere else in America. This is today a city of contrasts full of Southern Charm and elegance.

Day 11 (Friday): Visiting New Orleans

 * The French Quarter. The city's historic center is its main tourist draw.

 * Faubourg Treme. Founded by free people of color the Treme is home to New Orleans' African American Museum, historic St. Augustine Church, Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square (and the National Jazz Museum) as well as a vibrant Secondline tradition.

 * Faubourg Marigny. New Orleans' "bohemian" neighborhood is also home of the Frenchmen Street Entertainment District.

 * Storyville. The now defunct district where prostitution and gambling was legal in New Orleans. Storyville was a key in the development of jazz and that its closing was responsible for New Orleans musicians leaving for Chicago. Almost all the buildings in the former District were demolished in the 1930s to clear the land for the building of the Iberville Projects. While much of the area contained old and decayed buildings, the old mansions along Basin Street, some of the finest structures in the city, were leveled, too.

There are a series of monuments on the neutral ground of Basin Street, including statues of Simón Bolívar, Benito Juárez, and Francisco Morazán, and a metal sign commemorating Storyville.
 * Basin Street. The back side of Basin Street was the front of the Storyville red light district, with a line of high end saloons and mansions devoted to prostitution. Basin Street was commemorated in the Basin Street Blues composed by Spencer Williams in 1926 and recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1929 and Miles Davis in 1963.

Jazz clubs in New Orleans

 * Anderson's Annex. 201 North Basin Street, at Iberville Street.
 * Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse. 300 Bourbon Street.
 * Preservation Hall. 726 St. Peter Street.
 * Candlelight Lounge. 925 N. Robertson Street.
 * d.b.a.. 618 Frenchmen Street.
 * Snug Harbor. 626 Frenchmen Street.
 * The Spotted Cat. 623 Frenchmen Street.
 * Sweet Lorraine's. 1931 St. Claude Avenue.
 * Maple Leaf Bar. 8316 Oak Street.

New Orleans has a vibrant live music scene throughout the city. Although Bourbon Street has lost its luster as an exclusively musical destination (with a few exceptions) have no fear, this is New Orleans. The Frenchman Street entertainment district in the Faubourg Marigny (the neighborhood next to the French Quarter) is one of the best places to catch a live Jazz Performance in New Orleans. Arrive any day of the week, later in the evening. Quality street musicians abound in New Orleans.

Saloon.  From 1901 to around 1925, Anderson's Annex was the headquarters of Tom Anderson, from where he controlled the brothel district of New Orleans. The venue was managed by Bille Struve, who also produced the famous Blue Book (a guidebook to the district), which advertised it somewhat misleadingly as a "café and restaurant."

From about 1905, it was sometimes known as the Arlington Annex, after Josie Arlington's whorehouse, one of the three largest and most popular on Basin Street. The saloon offered music on a modest scale, presenting small bands, such as string trios (mandolin or violin, guitar and double bass); among the musicians who played there were Bill Johnson, the black guitarist Tom Brown, and Wellman Braud, playing violin. In published accounts, such famous musicians as Louis Armstrong and Albert Nicholas are said to have played at Anderson's Annex, but they actually worked at Tom Anderson's New Cabaret and Restaurant.

Day 13 (Sunday): New Orleans to Boston
By plane.

title: The Jazz Track


text:
Jesus Trail

The Jesus Trail, is a 65-km hiking and pilgrimage route in the Galilee region of Israel that connecting many sites from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The trail begins in Nazareth, and passes through Sepphoris, Cana, the Horns of Hattin, the Arbel Cliffs, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Tabgha, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Jordan River and Mount Tabor.

Understand
The Jesus Trail was founded by two young hikers, Maoz Inon and David Landis in 2007, and the trail was marked in 2009. It is managed and promoted largely by the volunteers, and is a non-profit project.

Get in
Beginning at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the route winds through the Old City up to the Salesian Church and continues on to Zippori National Park, Mash'had and Cana for the first day. The trail is blazed with white/orange/white painted stripes, and more information can be found on the trail's official website, linked at the top of the page.
 * - home of Joseph and Mary and childhood home of Jesus
 * - where angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
 * - church overlooking Nazareth where Jesus spent early life
 * — beginning of the Jesus Trail
 * — a kibbutz
 * — a village (nearby ruins thought to be the ancient site of Arbel)
 * — twin peaks of an extinct volcano. Besides the Mount of Beatitudes, is considered by a few as the site where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount
 * — thought to be where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount
 * — (return via different route)
 * — Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee and the continues to flow toward the Dead Sea
 * (Nebi Shu’eib) — Druze holy shrine
 * — believed to be the site of the Tranfiguration of Christ (via different return route)
 * — (via different return route)
 * — thought to be where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount
 * — (return via different route)
 * — Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee and the continues to flow toward the Dead Sea
 * (Nebi Shu’eib) — Druze holy shrine
 * — believed to be the site of the Tranfiguration of Christ (via different return route)
 * — (via different return route)
 * — (return via different route)
 * — Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee and the continues to flow toward the Dead Sea
 * (Nebi Shu’eib) — Druze holy shrine
 * — believed to be the site of the Tranfiguration of Christ (via different return route)
 * — (via different return route)
 * — (via different return route)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Jesus Trail


text:
Thekkady

Thekkady (Idukki district, Kerala, India) is the location of the Periyar National Park. Kumily (Idukki district) is the nearest town centre to Thekkady.

Get in
Thekkady is enchanting as the road winds through tranquil countryside, rich plantations and thick jungles. The sanctuary, 60 km from Idukki, 190 km from Cochin and 114 km away from Kottayam is open throughout the year, but the best season for a visit is from September to March. The sanctuary is centred around the large (24 km2) artificial lake formed by a dam across the Periyar river. It is one of the famous holiday destinations in India.

Kumily is 4 km away from Thekkady. Madurai to Kumily is around 120 km (approx 4 hours in state transport bus which are available at Madurai). One can stay at Kumily as it offers good hotels, shopping market & restaurants.

Tiger reserve
Thekkady, better known as Tiger Reserve has a rich diversity of vertebrates. The diverse forest types, vayals, marshes, and a large aquatic habitat together support 62 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles, 27 species of amphibians, and 38 species of fish.

The invertebrate fauna of Periyar is not well documented, though the predominant invertebrate orders are Protozoa, Annelida, Arthropoda and Mollusca. 160 butterfly species have been listed.

Among the 62 species of mammals, many are rare, endemic and endangered. Periyar is prime elephant country and large herds are often sighted at the lake fringes. There is an estimated population of 900-1000 animals which is likely to overlap with the population in the adjoining forest areas.

A much disproportionate sex ratio of the elephant is found in Periyar and adult tuskers are far too few. Gaur, among the largest of bovines, occurs in all types of habitats. Gaur have staged a remarkable comeback after their near demise due to a rinderpest outbreak in the 1970s.

Sambar, the largest deer in India, are extensively distributed and constitute the principal prey base of tiger and wild dog. Wild pig has wide distribution throughout the park. Sometimes, these animals invade agricultural lands often leading to man-wildlife conflicts. Small relict populations of the highly endangered Nilgiri Tahr are found in the high altitude grasslands of Mangaladevi. Four of the five primate species found in the Western Ghats are well represented in Periyar. While the Nilgiri Langur enjoys a wide distribution in the moist forests, the highly endangered Lion Tailed Macaque are confined to the dense evergreen canopies. Malabar Giant Squirrel is common in the area. Though the presence of the endangered species, Small Travancore Flying Squirrel, is recorded from Periyar, the Large Flying Squirrel is more frequently seen.

Salim Ali’s fruit bat reported from Periyar adjoining the High Wavys. It is an endemic and endangered species, considered to be among the rarest of bats.

The Tiger is found in all types of habitats though their density is much less in the evergreen forests. Though sighting one is difficult because of the thick vegetation, evidences like pugmarks, clawings, and scats are located throughout the reserve. The population is estimated to be between 35–40.

The Striped-necked Mongoose is not uncommon, found in the semi-evergreen and evergreen forests.

Nilgiri Marten is an extremely rare and endemic mustelid, though it is sighted sometimes.

Sleep
There are several categories of hotels in and around Thekkady. Apart from hotels, there are good cottages and home-stay rooms available. These are basically owned by residents who have decided to make some money by renovating a part of their house and renting it out to travellers. These rooms can be quite luxurious and will give you a homely feel. Kumily is 4 km from Thekkady, where there are a lot of hotels, restaurants and shopping markets. Good place to stay during visiting Thekkady.

Go next

 * Eravikulam National Park, 7 km, home to Nilgiri Tahr.
 * Kochi, major beach town, 130 km
 * Kodaikanal, major hill station with lake, 163 km
 * Kottayam, backwater town, 142 km.
 * Kovalam, world famous crowded beach village, 300 km
 * Kumarakom in Vembanad Lake, 150 km
 * Kuttikanam (35 km) — a hill station, the place for the adventure tourism and trekking. The hotels of Kuttikanam keep you cool on sunny days. Generally the area is cool, often filled with mist
 * Munnar — one of the major hill stations in South India, there are a number of other places to visit around
 * Painavu is the headquarters of the Idukki district.
 * Peermade (32 km) — Peermade is named after Peer Muhammed, the Sufi saint who spent his last days here. The Mausoleum of the saint, the summer palace of the erstwhile Travancore Royal Dynasty and the residence of the Diwan are situated near by and all are worth visiting.
 * Ponmudi, cute little hill station, 300 km

title: Thekkady


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The Lothians

The Lothians is the collective name for the counties of Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian, plus Edinburgh city, in the Central Belt of Scotland. They're all lowland in nature, heavily populated around Edinburgh, and bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth, and to the south by the Lammermuir hills. In 2021 their population was 897,770.

Cities and towns

 * is the Lothians' centre of gravity and the capital of Scotland. It's a must-see destination for its arts and entertainment (year-round, not just at the Festival), history and culture, and natural scenery, with the Castle crags and volcanic cliffs of Arthur's Seat looming over it.

East Lothian is the most scenic of the city hinterlands. The coast improves as you go east, with a "Costa Golf" of sand hills, ruined castles and pine woods, finally cliffs and craggy islets.
 * is a commuter town just east of Edinburgh.
 * is an attractive seaside village. The salt marshes of the bay are a wildlife reserve.
 * is a seaside village with a notable golf course and a nearby aircraft museum.
 * is a small harbour town, the usual base for trips to the Bass Rock.
 * is a small fishing port. Here the conservationist John Muir grew up, before moving to the US.
 * is a pleasant market town with a whisky distillery.
 * has an industrial museum at nearby Prestonpans.

Midlothian was a coal-mining area in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
 * is the main town. Just south in Newtongrange is the Scottish Mining Museum.
 * is a commuter village and army base. Just north is the 15th century chapel of Roslin. For hiking and views head into the Pentland Hills.

West Lothian in the 19th century had the world's first oil industry, and in parts it's a post-industrial mess, but it has some gems.
 * is a drab 1960s "New Town," yet near to a Bronze Age burial henge and a base for the medieval Knights Hospitaller.
 * is an attractive small harbour town beneath the Forth rail and road bridges.
 * Palace was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.
 * has a heritage steam railway.

Other destinations

 * is the volcanic islet off North Berwick.
 * stride southwest into Lanarkshire.

Understand
The Votadini buried their princess in about 600 AD on what would become Edinburgh Airport. But the headstone (visible when taxiing) was already 3000 years old, and the crags they lived upon were the plugs of a line of volcanoes thrown up over 300 million years ago. They inscribed the headstone in Latin, acquired in the Roman era, and their battles were described in the saga Y Gododdin. All this reflected a region that was lowland and easy to reach, that became part of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom based in Northumberland. It was only in 973 AD that "Laudian" was ceded to Scotland: a Glaswegian might say that the handover has yet to be implemented. Medieval Scottish monarchs were scared of English control and used the "Queen's ferry" to move between their capital Dunfermline and Edinburgh, which only became the capital around 1360. The city stank, even by their standards, because "Auld Reekie" burned coal from the coalfields south and east. This was mined by monks, then from the 19th century ramped up into a grubby industrial belt when deep mines (such as Monktonhall) reached thicker seams. West Lothian also industrialised then, with the world's first oil industry based on shale. Edinburgh city until the 1760s huddled on Castle Rock, with sanitary arrangements little better than those of the Votadini, only with far greater population density. Altogether, the region was clearly destined to become a prime tourist destination.

A good start was made from 1760 when Edinburgh drained its middens and established the New Town on the ridge north of Castle Rock. Political power had drained south with the 1707 Union with England, but the "Athens of the North" became a counterweight with its neo-classical architecture, Enlightenment thinking, legal and financial institutions, and literature - great talents who couldn't afford to live there included Robert Burns and William McGonagall. In 1822 George IV visited, to be greeted by arrays of loyal Scots in clan tartans invented for the occasion and worn to the present day. From 1890 the Forth Bridge carried the railway north, but cars used the Queen's ferry until the Forth Road Bridge opened 1964. There was more development around Glasgow, so the Lothians don't have the degree of urban sprawl and post-industrial brownfield seen further west, but Livingston in the 1960s became an unattractive "New Town". The outlying towns are all commuterland but have mostly preserved their historic core. All this is set in attractive scenery between sea and hills that adorns a myriad biscuit tins, picture calendars and packets of porridge oats: the "brand" of Scotland is the imagery of Lothian, its least Scottish region.

Get in
All transport routes converge on Edinburgh.

is 8 miles west of the city, with good UK and European flight connections. It has few North American or Asian direct flights, so either take a connecting flight or consider using Manchester then taking the train. There's seldom any advantage in flying into Glasgow.

Trains run frequently daytime to Edinburgh from London Kings Cross via Peterborough, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle, plus a nightly sleeper from London Euston. Trains run from southwest England and the Midlands via Sheffield, York and Newcastle (these also stop at Dunbar), from Manchester airport and city, and frequently from Glasgow and Stirling. Trains from Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee run to Edinburgh every couple of hours.

Buses run to Edinburgh from London Victoria, from Belfast via Stranraer, and frequently from Glasgow and the other major Scottish cities. These bypass the other Lothian towns, so you may have to travel into central Edinburgh and journey out again.

By road the east coast route from England is A1 via Berwick-upon-Tweed, Dunbar and Haddington to Edinburgh. This route is lowland and rarely blocked in winter. The west coast route is M74 via Carlisle and Abington towards Glasgow, then onto A702 via Biggar. This crosses Beattock Summit but is kept open in all but the worst weather. M8 is from Glasgow, M9 is from Stirling, and M90 from Perth soars over the Firth of Forth. All these routes are toll-free.

Get around
There are trains from Edinburgh to Dunbar, North Berwick, Linlithgow and Livingston. Take the bus for other routes, including South Queensferry where the trains rumble high above the village on the Forth Bridge, and Dalkeith and the Mining Museum where the railway station is at some distance.

Bicycles are not allowed on the A1 between Edinburgh and Dunbar, on A720 the Edinburgh city bypass, on much of A90 from city's edge to South Queensferry, or on the Queen's Crossing over the Forth. There are workaround bypassed old routes for each, for instance bikes and pedestrians cross the Forth by the old road bridge A9000.

See

 * Edinburgh itself will absorb most of your time, with its Old Town clambering up to the castle.
 * A series of smaller castle ruins dot the landscape, with the most attractive at Linlithgow, but the most dramatic setting at Tantallon near North Berwick.
 * Hopetoun House near South Queensferry is the most imposing stately home in the area.
 * For wildlife follow the coast east to Gullane and Dunbar, with maybe a boat trip to the Bass Rock.
 * Highland Games are held each year at Edinburgh Ingliston, North Berwick, and Bathgate near Linlithgow.
 * "In Lothian? - no way!" Surprising sights include a nuclear power station at Dunbar, an original Concorde at East Fortune near Haddington, and a coal mine at Newtongrange near Dalkeith.

Do

 * Walk: the East Lothian coastline is attractive, and Glencorse above Penicuik leads into the Pentland Hills. A canal towpath leads from Edinburgh to Linlithgow and Falkirk, thence to Glasgow.
 * Theatre: in August thousands of shows vie for your attention at the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.
 * Ski: there's a dry-slope at Hillend above Edinburgh.
 * Beaches: Portobello is Edinburgh's own cheap and cheerful strip. But you need to go east for the sands of Gullane and the crags and coves of Dunbar.
 * Football: Edinburgh has three pro soccer teams, best known being Hibs and Hearts. It also has a pro rugby union team, and rugby internationals are played at Murrayfield.
 * Golf: dozens of courses, those championship-rated are Dalmahoy in West Lothian and Muirfield at Gullane.

Eat

 * Edinburgh has a huge concentration of eating places in all price ranges.
 * Out-of-town standouts are La Potiniere in Gullane and Champany Inn in Livingston.

Drink
Edinburgh and Dunbar are the main brewing centres in the Lothians. Edinburgh has a long tradition of brewing but now only the Caledonian Brewery remains, which brews Caledonian 80/- (eighty shilling), Deuchars IPA (India Pale Ale) and some McEwan's beers (most are now brewed in England). Stewart Brewing is a small brewery in Loanhead just south of Edinburgh. Dunbar is home to Belhaven Brewery and Thistly Cross Cider.

Grain whisky is distilled in Edinburgh for blending, and Glenkinchie Distillery in Pencaitland near Edinburgh distils malt whisky. Gin is distilled in Edinburgh and North Berwick.

Stay safe

 * Standard advice applies about dressing for a change in the weather, not leaving valuables on display in your car, and steer clear of the occasional Friday night drunk.

Go next

 * Southeast for the Scottish Borders, with ruined abbeys at Jedburgh, Melrose and Kelso. The cliffs of Berwickshire are very scenic.
 * North into Fife for Culross and Dunfermline, the East Neuk fishing villages, and St Andrews.
 * Northwest to Stirling for routes towards the Trossachs.
 * Glasgow is a major destination in its own right.

title: The Lothians


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Mohawk Trail

The Mohawk Trail was a historical Native American migratory game path. Today it is Massachusetts Route 2, a 63-mile east-west highway that extends from the Massachusetts-New York line to Millers Falls on the Connecticut River. The Mohawk Trail features over 100 attractions and has been recognized as one of the best scenic routes in the United States.

Understand
Like many roads in New England, the trail got its start as a migratory game path originating somewhere west of the Taconic Mountains (in what's now New York state), and it wound eastward through what would become Massachusetts. Native Americans --primarily the Mohawks in the west and the Pocumtucks in the Connecticut River Valley to the east-- used the trail in their migrations, and they had long-established treaties regarding hunting and fishing rights along its length. Upon the settlement of the English in the Pocumtuck territory, and the Dutch, who were making inroads into Mohawk lands in the lower Hudson River Valley, political unrest began to develop amongst the two tribes. The Europeans hoped that political unrest between the tribes would further their own ends, and they began to manipulate one tribe against the other. Although the Europeans later attempted to arrange a peace conference to settle the differences of the two tribes, a full-scale war broke out, and the Mohawks gained the upper hand. The path became known as the "Mohawk Trail."

With the end of the Indian Wars and the beginning of the American Revolution, the old trail was gradually rerouted and widened to accommodate wagon traffic between the city of Boston and the interior towns, particularly North Adams.

By the early part of the 20th century people began to appreciate just how beautiful the region encompassing the trail was, so in October 1914 the Massachusetts State Legislature declared the "Mohawk Trail" a scenic tourist route. It was during this time that the mountainous, winding stretch of road --especially the section named "The Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway"-- really began to explode with popularity. Previously, the fastest route from North Adams to Boston was by rail via the 4.5-mile Hoosac Tunnel, which traveled through the Hoosac Mountain --one of the largest mountains that the Mohawk Trail climbs and winds over. But as cars were becoming more affordable in 1914, the thrill and challenge of driving over the Hoosac Mountain, instead of through it, began to draw families from everywhere in the Northeast. Stretching from the 1920s through the 1950s, the road became a travel destination in itself and small shops, campgrounds, and trading posts began to pop up. Today, the excitement and fascination with this stretch of road seems to be surging like never before, and it has drawn enough attention as a vacation spot that the towns and surrounding areas are now referred to as "the Mohawk Trail Region". The trail has been recognized by the "National Geographic Traveler" magazine and the American Automobile Association as being one of the top scenic routes in the United States.

Whether you live close by and are looking for a slow relaxing ride by the scenery, or you are looking to spend days exploring the side roads, stopping in different villages and towns, hiking its open public lands, visiting the campgrounds, and exploring some of the numerous other sites and attractions, you should definitely consider experiencing the Mohawk Trail.

Prepare
If you plan on venturing out on the Mohawk Trail on a motorcycle, keep in mind that helmet laws vary from state to state. Depending on where you are traveling from, there may be no helmet law in your state. Even if you usually don't wear a helmet, it is a good idea to bring one with you and check with the state laws when crossing borders. Any passenger you carry must be wearing a helmet at all times. Only motorcyclists who have held their license for over 1 year may have a passenger on the back of their bike in the state of Massachusetts.

Western route to the middle of The Mohawk Trail

 * From Boston via Springfield, Massachusetts I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) take I-91 North
 * From I-91 North take Exit 26 in Greenfield, Massachusetts and Route 2 East or West.

Western route to the western section of The Mohawk Trail

 * From I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) take Exit 2, North on US 20/7 to Route 2

Northern route to the eastern section of The Mohawk Trail

 * From Boston. I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) take Exit 11A I-495 North
 * From I-495 North take Exit 40, Route 2 West.

To the western section of the Mohawk Trail

 * Take I-95 North to I-91 North
 * Get off on I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) to Exit 2, North on US 20/7 to Route 2

To the middle of the Mohawk Trail

 * Take I-95 North to I-91 North
 * From I-91 North take Exit 26 in Greenfield, Massachusetts and Route 2 East or West.

Northwestern scenic route to the western section of the Mohawk Trail

 * Take the Taconic Parkway North to Route 295 East.
 * From 295 East take Route 22 North to US Route 20 East.
 * Take Route 20 to US Route 7 North and follow to Route 2 East.

See

Do

 * The Mohawk Trail Scenic Loop - The Mohawk Trail has drawn the attention of people who enjoy riding motorcycles. The scenic route has been described by riders in the area as one of the most enjoyable paths in the north east. Climb 3,491 feet to the top of the highest peak in Massachusetts, Mount Greylock. Then descend down the mountain to find a hairpin turn, winding you up the Hoosac Mountain. Your journey up the Hoosac Mountain will provide you with views over several mountain ranges, a look down upon four states, and the view right down into the Hoosac Valley. Coming down the backside of this mountain you will be winding along side the Deerfield River, through the Berkshire foothills, and across the Mohawk Trail State Forest. Then tail off onto Route 2A East, and hop on 112. Whether you are looking for a relaxing ride to take in the scenery, or you are seeking a thrill ride through winding roads and hills, the average 325-350 mile journey on The Mohawk Trail Scenic Loop is a must for motorcycle enthusiasts.

Sleep

Go next

 * American Industry Tour, a tour through Massachusetts and upstate New York.

title: Mohawk Trail


text:
Theni

Theni is a town in western Tamil Nadu, in southern India.

Understand
There are a lot of places to visit around Theni. Theni is where you can stay and catch buses or drive a car to go around the places. Theni was the first district in Tamil Nadu to get three international accreditation certificates – Quality Management System (ISO 9001), Environment Management System (ISO 14001) and Occupational Health and Safety Management (ISO 18001).

See

Do

 * Megamalai Falls

Buy
Good shopping spot for silk sarees. Edamal Street is a street where you can find lot of saree shops.

Go next

 * Periyar National Park, 63 km from Theni, is an important tourist attraction.

title: Theni


text:
Thenmala

Thenmala is in Kerala in India. It is a scenic place known for its natural beauty. It is the location of the first eco tourism project in Kerala. The Thenmala dam is a big attraction and is mainly used for irrigation purposes.

Get in
Punalur is the nearest larger city, from where it's possible to take a bus or taxi.

By train
There is a limited service from Kollam, which is a major hub and sees trains from many parts of India.

Get around
Taxis and jeeps

title: Thenmala


text:
The North Cascade Loop

The North Cascades Loop is a beautiful 440-mile driving itinerary in the North Cascades of Washington. It is a very diverse drive, encompassing pristine mountains, grand rivers, picturesque islands, and rolling river valleys.

Understand
This loop passes through some of the most spectacular and diverse scenery in northwestern Washington around and in the North Cascades Mountains, crossing the mountain range itself twice and also going through bucolic Whidbey Island, beautiful Lake Chelan, and peaceful river valleys. All roads on this route are paved and well-maintained, but the North Cascades Hwy. is closed in winter, making this loop only passable during the summer months. To complete the loop, you also need to take a Washington State Ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island (Clinton).

Prepare
While doing a day-trip on this loop is theoretically possible, it would not be a good idea because you would have no time at all to stop and enjoy the scenery. Two days is probably the bare minimum, but three to four days would allow you to explore this loop in much better detail. Driving is the only way to experience this loop.

By plane
The closest major airports to the route are Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is about 45 minutes south of Everett on the loop, and Vancouver International Airport which is about one hour and fifteen minutes from Burlington (in the Skagit Valley, also along the North Cascade Loop). Bellingham and Everett have airports that service to other cities in the western states, such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area (such as Oakland or San Francisco). Wenatchee has three flights from Seattle-Tacoma, but unless you take this connecting flight during the morning or evening commute it's unlikely to be worth it.

By car
From Seattle or Portland, take I-5 north to Everett, and begin the loop from there. From Vancouver (BC), take BC-99 and I-5 south to Burlington, which is on the route. From points on the east, including Spokane, take US-2 or I-90 and US-97 to join the loop at Wenatchee or Leavenworth.

By train
Amtrak Cascades serves Everett and Mount Vernon. Amtrak's Empire Builder serves Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Everett. The loop can be started at any of those cities.

Drive
For our purposes, the city of Everett will be our starting point and the description of the loop will go clockwise from there, even though you can start anywhere, such as Burlington, Wenatchee, etc. and go either direction. The loop has been divided into eight main sections.

Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands
From Everett, drive west on WA-526 to Mukilteo, and catch the ferry across Possession sound to Whidbey Island. Whidbey Island is one of the longest islands in the continental USA and is also one of the most scenic. As you drive north on WA-525 and WA-20, the main road running along the spine of the island, you pass through pastoral countryside and cute little towns such as Langley and Coupeville, as well as Fort Ebbey State Park and Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. At the north end of the island is the beautiful Deception Pass State Park, which includes land on both Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands bordering Deception pass which divides those mountains. There are beaches, freshwater lakes and the majestic Deception Pass bridge towers over it all. Take the bridge across to Fidalgo Island. Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island is the ferry terminal to the San Juan Islands and a wonderful (overnight) side trip can be taken there from Anacortes.

The Skagit Valley
From Fidalgo Island, the route takes Hwy. 20 east across the Swinhomish Channel to the mainland in the Skagit Valley. This fertile valley is famous for its tulips and claims to grow more of these flowers than Holland. The colorful town of La Conner is just off the highway and can be another side trip. Hwy 20 continues to speed through Burlington (Washington) and Sedro-Wooley, the gateway to North Cascades National Park, where there is a park information center. As the Skagit Valley melts away, the imposing North Cascade mountains come into view.

The North Cascades Highway
At Concrete, a US Forest Service Spur leads to Baker Lake, just east of Mount Baker. This reservoir is popular for hiking, canoeing and angling. Back on the highway, Rte. 20 passes through Rockport State Park and the Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area. Continuing on the highway, stop at the Gorge Creek Falls, and then you reach the crystalline Diablo Lake and Ross Lake, both large reservoirs. After Ross Lake, the beautiful North Cascades Hwy. climbs up to Rainy pass (4855') which is a wonderful viewpoint for the area and where a paved trail leads to Rainy Lake. The road ascends even higher up to Washington Pass (5477'), the highest point on this loop. After Washington Pass, the highway snakes down the slope down to the Methow Valley.

The Methow Valley
As the North Cascades Hwy. descends into the Methow Valley, you pass through the cute western town of Winthrop which still seems to have retained the flavor of the frontier. Winthrop is also an outdoorsy place: with 300 days of sunshine, all forms of recreation are here. Nearby is the Pearrygin Lake State Park. After leaving Winthrop, the route follows the Methow river first on WA-20, then switching onto WA-153 south down the lower Methow Valley toward the Columbia River.

The Columbia River
The Columbia River is the most important and grandest river of the Northwest, and the drive follows it for quite some time. At Pateros, take US 97 south and soon you will arrive at Lake Chelan, which is one of the deepest lakes in the US. It extends well into the Cascade mountains. Although the southern end of the lake is like a resort, an unusual adventure is to take a ferry or floatplane from the town of Chelan all the way up the lake to remote Stehekin in the Lake Chelan National Recreation area. From Chelan, the loop continues to go along the west side of the Columbia River on US 97-A and soon reaches Wenatchee, which is often regarded as the "Apple Capital of the World". While in Wenatchee, visit the Ohme gardens, a beautiful retreat.

The Wenatchee Valley
At Wenatchee, take US 2 west (the Stevens Pass Hwy)along the Wenatchee Valley. The Wenatchee Museum has great exhibits on the history of the apple industry and an 11 mile Loop trail skirts both sides of the Columbia River. At Cashmere, you can stop by the Aplets and Coltets factory where they make delectable fruit treats or visit a pioneer village. A few miles west, the town of Leavenworth reinvented itself into a charming Bavarian village and is now a top tourist destination. Just outside Leavenworth, there are endless possibilities for outdoor activities especially rafting the Wenatchee River in summer. Continuing west, the drive passes through the beautiful Tumwater canyon to Coles Corner, where a road leads to pristine Lake Wenatchee State Park.

Stevens Pass
The loop goes back into the Cascade Mountains through Stevens Pass on US-2. At 4061', it is a great viewpoint as well as a ski resort. Descending from Stevens Pass, stop at Deception Falls on the way. The jagged Mount Index can also be seen from the highway. At Sultan, the mountains mellow out into the Skykomish Valley.

Snohomish/Skykomish Valley
At the town of Gold Bar, be sure to stop at Wallace Falls state park. The center of his park is the 265-foot waterfall, accessed by a trail. The highway rejoins the Puget Sound at the port city of Everett, which is also the end of the loop.

Eat
Zeke's Drive In Just outside of Goldbar, Zeke's is a solid roadside shake and burger joint. The portions are large, the burgers are pretty good and the fries are fries are awesome. I stop there every time I drive Highway 2.

Fuel
After you pass Marblemount on the North Cascades Highway (going eastbound), there is no gas for 70 miles until Mazama. There is also no cell phone coverage (no matter which carrier) from Ross Lake to Mazama. If you need assistance, you'll have to flag down someone with a two-way radio, or obtain a lift.

Avalanches
In the Cascade Mountains (which divide the state into halves) there can be significant snow accumulations during the late fall and winter months. This poses a danger for avalanches whenever these areas experience warm up periods, regardless of how brief they may be. Washington Pass is at an elevation of 5477 ft. (1669 m), and can have snowfall on any day of the year. Mountain passes are sometimes closed for avalanche control and may effect travel plans. Check the Washington State Department of Transportation website for information regarding Avalanche control.

If going into the mountains during winter and early spring months, refer to the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website for information regarding the current avalanche dangers throughout the Cascade region of the state.

Go next

 * Seattle
 * Olympic National Park Accessed from Whidbey Island or Seattle via ferry.
 * Vancouver Just about 1.5 hours from Burlington
 * The San Juan Islands can be reached on a side trip by ferry from Anacortes on Washington State Ferry.
 * Victoria This city with a British charm can be reached from Anacortes by Washington State Ferry, but due to its schedules it is impossible to do a day trip.

title: The North Cascade Loop