A month ago, I wrote about a Civil War driving tour in Tennessee. Here's another one I found out about in an engaging article by Jodi Helmer in the November/December issue of AAA's Home and Away magazine.

Helmer followed North Carolina's Blue-Gray Scenic Byway on a quest to find historic sites connected to the Civil War. The journey was a hunt and ask venture that wound through small towns and tobacco fields. As she found out, even a nondescript field where a battle took place has significance. Such was the case when she went into the Harper House, the now museum, but once farmhouse that was turned into a hospital during the war in order to treat soldiers who were wounded.

Other points of interest along the way were the Cliffs of Neuse State Park, the remnants of CSS Neuse--a ship used by the Confederate Navy, and small towns like Dudley, Seven Springs and Deep Run.

People in these towns pointed Helmer in the direction of terrific barbecue. She suggests Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro.

Reading Helmer's article reminded me of the importance of pulling off the road once in awhile to read those brown historic markers and asking the locals, "Where would you eat and what's worth seeing here?"

For more information about the Blue-Gray Scenic Byway, click here. One thing to keep in mind, many places are closed on Sundays. Here is a down-loadable brochure of the Civil War Trail another tour option.

Here at Gadling we'll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each -- maybe you'll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you'll think that they're good songs. Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the comments below and we'll post it at the end of the series.

If you're going to England, you really ought to make a stop in Liverpool. There's a Tate Museum (with a terrific Auerbach I particularly like), Albert Dock, from whence The Titanic departed, and a music scene you'll never forget.

The Beatles aren't the only band to come out of Liverpool. Here's a list of twelve Liverpool bands from the BBC, which even they confess is "by no means an exhaustive list." Every one has played the famous Cavern Club, which is a great place to visit, even just for a pint in the afternoon.

The unnatural trio of turkey, duck, and chicken might initially make your stomach curl, but the supposed supernatural taste of the turducken might just appease the staunchest of food critics. This chicken in a duck in a turkey has become a nationwide phenomenon in the past decade - so much so that NFL commentator John Madden awards a turducken to the winning team of the Thanksgiving Day game (usually the Detroit Lions versus the Dallas Cowboys). Just this year, though, Madden announced he would be returning to the traditional turkey for Thanksgivings henceforth.

The unlikely combination of birds actually makes for a nice blend of dark and white, dry and juicy meats. Preparing and cooking the perfect turducken takes at least ten hours. Start by deboning all the birds and preparing a cornbread and sausage stuffing. Basically, the turkey is laid flat and spread with a layer of stuffing. The duck is placed on top of the turkey (add another layer of stuffing), and the chicken (with leftover stuffing inside) is placed on top of the duck. Carefully wrap the turkey as you normally would and cook as usual.

I knew about tofurkey about seven years ago, when Sam, my hippie next door neighbor in Boulder, needed a vegetarian alternative to turkey and went so far as to prepare our friends a tofurkey feast for Thanksgiving. Aside from the smooth slices this mock-turkey has opposed to the sometimes dry and stringy quality some Thanksgiving birds have possessed, my rather bland taste buds were not able to tell the difference at all. I never bothered to ask where Sam purchased this honking piece of pseudo-bird. It really did look, smell, and taste like a turkey fresh from the oven.

Since then, I discovered a brand of manufactured tofurkey in stores called "Tofurky" (trademarked without the "e"), which is owned by Turtle Island Foods and can be found at essentially every Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Trader Joe's. The Tofurky brand carries all kinds of vegan delights, but specializes in its Tofurky Jurky, Franks, and Holiday Products.

My initial post on "Trouble in Hawaiian Paradise" might have painted an unrealistic picture of my island home. I think it's worth clarifying the real picture versus what my idealistic traveler self sees in Hawaii. So, being "real" for a moment, I must admit that Hawaii, just like other expensive and desirable travel destinations on the globe, certainly feels the effects of a decline in tourism. One particular Gadling reader brought specific issues to my attention that I'd like to discuss in greater detail in order to illustrate Hawaii's predicament more accurately and clearly.

Newer, more exotic, less expensive destinations are changing the landscape of options for travelers. These new destinations (like Laos, Slovenia, and Mongolia) have changed people's approach to travel. In most cases, it is not only more cost effective but also better to go elsewhere. Hawaii has always been expensive. That has not changed. What has is that tourists who don't necessarily want or have to come to Hawaii choose other destinations with similar climate, like Mexico and Costa Rica. These places are certainly more affordable, but the cultural experience is quite different. Many travelers will still pay the extra cost so they can experience "Hawaii." Others will not.

"If we can not end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity."

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was assassinated 45 years ago today. As one of the events that certainly shaped the collective consciousness of Americans, at least in my opinion, here are places I've been where I've thought of Kennedy and that fateful day where the words "grassy knoll" and "book depository" became part of history books.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer, his legacy has touched me personally.

Place 1: Dealy Plaza and the grassy knoll. There is a plaque here to commemorate Kennedy. The grassy knoll was made famous by the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone. Theories abound that shots were fired from the grassy knoll as well. If you drive along Elm Street, you'll be on the route Kennedy's limousine was following when he became Oswald's target. The plaza is a National Historic Landmark.

One of the best ways to travel without leaving your home is through photography. Pictures have the ability to draw us into new cities, cultures, and traditions, allowing us to discover worlds that were once unbeknown to our eyes. And now thanks to Google we have a new way of traveling not only around the world, but through time as well.

On Tuesday the Google blog announced that the internet company is making a LIFE photo archive available on Google image search. LIFE made a name for itself in the history of photojournalism, capturing many of the world's most important moments on film, but the really cool thing about this archive is that many of these images have never been published, meaning that we're getting to discover ones that have, until now, been sitting in old archives in the form of slides, negatives, etchings and prints.Twenty percent of the collection is currently online, and when they're done, there will be over 10 million images to search through.

What are some of the highlights of the collection? The Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination; The Mansell Collection from London; Dahlstrom glass plates of New York and environs from the 1880s; and the entire works left to the collection from LIFE photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gjon Mili, and Nina Leen. There are so many amazing pieces by some of the most influential photographers, it will be easy to spend hours searching the archive. And when you find one that really strikes your eye, you can even order a high-quality framed print of it.

You can access the collection here.

Barack Obama's new status as the president-to-be has added a boost to Illinois tourism. Already tourists are showing up to frequent the places Obama has frequented. Want to see where he used to get his haircut before the Secret Service said, "No way," to the large plate glass windows? Head to Hyde Park Salon and Barber Shop. Even though Obama won't be there, (the barber now goes to him) you can see the chair where he once sat.

If eating where Obama heads with Michelle on date nights is what you're after, head to Medici on 57th Street in Chicago. There you can join the 3,000 other folks who have bought "Obama Eats Here" T-Shirts.

For some inspiration, tour the Old Statehouse in Springfield where Obama gave two campaign speeches, or stand in Grant Park in Chicago and imagine the crowd on election night when history was made.

The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau's homepage has been changed to reflect the flurry of tourists interested in Obama travel. There's a link to "Presidential Chicago" that highlights the places Obama has frequented and provides addresses and contact information. One of them is Maria Pinto Boutique, the designer who is a fave of both Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

For more Obama travel ideas and information, check out this AP article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It's where I found out about these details, except for the info about Obama's barber. I read about that in an article earlier this week about how Obama has had to change his patterns for security reasons. If you see a gaggle of Secret Service members, Obama might be close by. Keep an eye out.

The news that Tin Pan Alley's half-dozen row houses [photo by edenpictures]may be torn down to make room for high rise apartments caught my attention for several reasons:

• One--because a group of people are working to save the buildings by having them acheive historical landmark status.
• Two--because 19th century buildings have more character than high rise apartments,
• Three-- because they have significance to Americana which means they have significance to tourists
• Four--because Singapore almost destroyed all of its charm several years back by tearing down many colonial shop houses in favor of high rises until the Singapore government caught on that the shop houses offered charm. Tourists love charm. Charm can mean money. Several areas were earmarked for development where the shop houses were refurbished to create popular tourist destinations like Boat Quay and Clarke Quay--not to mention the streets in back of Orchard Road, one of the biggest commercial streets in Singapore.

My five suggestions for Tin Pan Alley's salvation involve pepping up each building's musical connection status by turning part of each building into a place that reflects Tin Pan Alley's' important history and contribution to American life.

If travel seems overwhelmingly expensive, or just plain overwhelming, turn it down a notch. That's the message in the book 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! by Joanne O'sullivan. Plus there's not the word "die" in the title. That's uplifting.

Although this book is aimed towards children, it offers a fresh way to look at travel for adults as well. Each page touts a different wonder to tantalize ones fancy. Instead of specific places, there are themes so that no matter where you live, you may not have to travel far to check destinations off the list. Some don't cost a dime.

Each offering is presented in eye candy pages complete with facts and details for finding out more. It's like having all the best field trips in the world right at your fingertips.

First up, A Lighthouse. Did you know Michigan is the state with the most? There are 124. To find lighthouses in North America, check out this web site that features legendary lighthouses.