Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

 Many of our nation's community parks are ours to enjoy because of donations by generous citizens. Such is the case here - in 1980 Caroline Ware and Gardiner Means gave their 74-acre farm to NOVA Parks to develop it for public use. Over the years several miles of trails, three ponds, twelve garden areas, a visitor center, an atrium, and a Korean bell pavilion have been added to the farmland transforming it into a pretty spot to spend a few hours. 

Almost all flowers were long gone when we visited but the pleasant fall weather and changing leaves were perfect. Half of the park was being prepared for a holiday light show and the other half was decorated for a kid's Halloween scavenger hunt. 

The park grounds slope steeply downhill from the atrium. The trail to the right has a switchback and is the best way to go with a wheelchair although most wheelchair users will need assistance on the return trip. The trails at the bottom of the hill have gentler slopes. The paved trails are accessible but the unpaved ones are not. The visitor center (admission desk and gift shop) and atrium are accessible. 

 The parking lot is large enough RVs. Gardens  38.93774, -77.28032

 

National Gallery of Art -1874: the Birthday of Impressionism

On April 15, 1874, thirty one artists, know as the “Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers, etc" opened an exhibit in Paris. This relatively unknown group of artists were considered too avant-garde and had been barred from the Paris Salon's annual exhibition which drew a half a million viewers and could make or break an artist. The thirty one artists gained the name Impressionist after an art critic wrote a satirical review in a Paris magazine. The exhibit was not a success as few painting were sold but many of the artists which included Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, and Paul Cézanne, became renown figures in the art world. 

The exhibit showcases 125 pieces of art that were displayed at both Paris exhibitions and highlights the difference in artistic style and subject matter. A brief history with details of the French defeat in Franco-Prussian War of 1871 and the civil war that followed helps to explain the mood of the city in this period. 

This is a traveling exhibit, first shown in Paris. It opened in DC in September and will continue until January, not a long run so it's crowded with visitors. Everything is accessible. 

When visiting DC we park on one of the street around the National Mall. On most streets the fee is $2.00 an hour payable by credit card or phone app and and limited to three hours. The spaces are not marked with lines so RVs fees are the same as car fees.  Museum  38.89065, -77.01853

The People’s House

 

The museum, which opened just a month ago, allows visitors to experience an interactive, virtual visit to the White House. Unlike the actual White House tour, the museum includes the Oval Office. Visitors can sit behind the Resolute Desk, listen in on historic meetings in the Cabinet Room, and join the guests in the State Dining Room. Each room has some type of interaction such as touch screens to learn more about the White House Staff, objects in the rooms, or important events.

 

We had fun playing with the green screen photo booth. Photo are sent directly to your email or social media account. I think the pastry chef is laughing at me because I can't reach the table. :D

The museum is mostly accessible. The door that accesses the main exhibits is heavy and doesn't have a push button to open it. Some of the objects in the Touch Points of History exhibit, which must be touched to work, are too far away to reach when seated. For a new museum these oversights were unexpected and frankly unacceptable. 

Finding parking spaces is always difficult in DC but we found one on Virginia Ave by the statue of Simon Bolivar. It's about 1/2 mile from the museum. The sidewalks and curb cuts are in good condition. Museum  38.89859, -77.0398

Monocacy National Battlefield

 In the summer of 1864, Confederate General Lee ordered his troops to march towards Washington DC which was lightly defended because the bulk of the Union forces were engaged in the siege of Petersburg and Richmond. However agents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad noticed signs of General Early's movements and tipped off the Union commanders giving them time to assemble 6,000 Federal troops under General Lew Wallace at Frederick, Maryland. The armies met on July 9 and the ensuing battle which only lasted from 8:30 to 5:00 resulted in victory for the Confederate Army. The Union was forced to retreat but the battle delayed the Confederates long enough for Union troops to arrive in Washington and prevent the capture of the Union capitol.

 The visitor center has a short video, exhibits, and a fiber optic battle map which makes it easy to follow the movements of the troops. A brochure is available for a five stop self guided auto tour. Short trails branch out from the parking spaces at each stop. 

 

The visitor center is accessible. The interpretive signs at the first stop, the Best House, are accessible but the trails are not. The trails at stop 2 and 3 are not accessible. We did not stop at 4 or 5 however a short portion of the trail at stop 5 is designated as accessible. It's possible to see the battlefield and understand the action by reading the information on the brochure at each stop. 

The visitor center parking lot is large enough for RVs. The auto tour lots parking areas are large enough for short RVs. One section of the tour road is gravel in fairly good condition. Route 355 which cuts through the middle of the battlefield is busy making left turns onto it from the tour route difficult. Battlefield  39.37739, -77.39496

Codorus State Park

The dam that formed Marburg Lake in Codorus State Park was built in 1965 as a cooperative project between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large paper company. The company needed a steady supply of water and lake would provide water for the local communities. The lake is also a focal point for the Corodus State Park that opened in 1970. Unfortunately the lake water fluctuates so much due to the amount drawn by the paper mill that building and maintaining a beach is impossible but the park does have swimming pool. 

Almost all  26 miles of shoreline is state park and provides a wide variety of recreation opportunities - camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, swimming, mountain biking, disc golf, boating, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, sledding, and ice fishing. We'll come back to explore the park thoroughly when we have more time.

The campground has about 200 sites which are mix of full hook up, electric, non-electric, and tent. Amenities include restrooms with showers and a dump station. 

Seven sites, both full hook up and electric only, are accessible. We didn't need electricity so I chose site 14, a non electric site, because of the distance from other sites and because the stated driveway grade is slight. Although not designated as accessible, site 14 is good fairly level with small gravel under the table and plenty of room to deploy a lift.  Park  39.775, -76.9146

 

York County History Center

The History Center moved into the former Met-Ed steam power plant in August 2024 with all new exhibits including a 12 foot tall Reddy Kilowatt. 

The first exhibits describe the role York, Pennsylvania, founded in 1741, played in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. The city hosted the Continental Congress from September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 while the Articles of Confederation were drafted and adopted. During the Civil War the city was occupied by the Confederate Army for three days before they marched to Gettysburg. After the battle  thousands of wounded Union soldiers were treated in the York U.S. Army Hospital. 

Other exhibits cover stories of local residents who were involved in the Underground Railroad helping runaway slaves as they headed north, plus tales of early settlers and farming practices. Artifacts include a large variety of equipment and machinery built in York factories. On display is a very complicated looking machine from D. F. Stauffer Biscuit Co. that made animal crackers using a long cylindrical cutter.  The company made the first animal crackers in the US and has been in business for over 150. 

Another complicated piece of machinery is a huge  A-frame ammonia compressor built by York International in the early 1900s.  It was used until the 1970s at the Cudahy Packing Company in Wichita, Kansas to produce ice and refrigeration for preserving meat products. 

The museum is accessible. The admission price includes three more museums in the complex but their hours are very limited so we didn't visit any of them.

Parking is located directly north of the museum. Go past the museum on Pershing Avenue, round the corner onto Gay Avenue then turn right into the lot. The lot is large enough for RVs. History Center  39.96376, -76.73228

Mister Ed's Elephant Museum and Candy Store

Mister Ed's is a family business now being run by the third generation of Gotwalts. Changes over the years included a complete rebuilding after a devastating fire in 2011. Hundreds of volunteers came to clean the elephant collection. Although some were destroyed, thousands survived and are on display in the museum.

 

And then there's the candy! Handmade fudge and chocolates, loose candy by the pound, jelly bellies, Pez candy and dispensers, and nostalgic candy bars, plus nuts and souvenirs. 

Don't miss the small garden featuring animal statues, a fountain, and a teapot collection. 

 

     The museum is accessible. The garden path is rough in spots and the arched bridge is steep. Wheelchair users may need assistance. 

The parking lot is large enough for RVs. It's surfaced with gravel and the store entrance is uphill so wheelchair users may need assistance. Museum/Store  39.89827, -77.43027