The Old Town Fernandina Historic Site is the original location of the city of Fernandina Beach. The village was laid out north of the modern-day town on a low bluff overlooking the Amelia River in 1811 and expanded in 1821. The settlement was near Fort San Carlos, which was erected in 1816 and abandoned about 1821. When the railroad built to the area in the 1850s, it was unable to construct to the site of Old Town Fernandina and instead terminated at present-day Fernandina Beach. In 1853, the city relocated to its present-day location. Some buildings stand in the Old Town section, but none date to the original settlement.
Old Tucson is half movie studio and half theme park that features live entertainment, including action stunt shows and musicals. Columbia Pictures built the studio on land Pima County owned, in 1938 to serve as a replica of 1860s Tucson for the movie Arizona. Over the years, dozens of producers have turned to Old Tucson to film at the studio, including 1993’s Tombstone. Today, guests can walk the studio’s streets, ride on a miniature train, watch shows and see how stuntmen film gunfights for movies. Old Tucson is near the western portion of Saguaro National Park.
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The Overseas Highway is a 113-mile-long highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys to Key West. It was largely built on parts of the former Overseas Railroad right-of-way, an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West Extension completed in 1912. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane heavily damaged and partially destroyed the Overseas Railroad. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections and sold roadbed and remaining bridges to Florida, making it a famous drive between Miami and Key West.
When the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was first envisioned in the 1930s, the only way to reach the summit of San Jacinto Peak from the floor of the Coachella Valley was on foot. That didn’t deter Francis F. Crocker. While the link was first proposed in the midst of the Great Depression, work on the project was slowed by both World War II and the Korean War, though planning work continued through the 1950s. The project saw new life in the 1960s, and the tramway opened in September 1963.
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Piazza San Marco (or St. Mark’s Square in English) is the primary public square (Piazza) in Venice. The origins of the square date to the early ninth century, though alterations were made over the years, including in the 12th and 15th centuries. St. Mark’s Basilica sits at the eastern end of the square. Napoleon allegedly called St. Mark’s Square “the drawing room of Europe,” though whether he did is debated.
Pioneer Mill Co. formed in 1860 as the first plantation to grow sugar commercially in Lahaina. A century later, the mill processed 60,000 tons of sugar annually. In 1928, the company built a 225-foot-tall smokestack, which became a landmark for both motorists and boaters. The company transported its cut sugar cane via rail until trucks replaced trains in the 1950s. The company shuttered operations in 1999, but a question remained about how to preserve the landmark smokestack. Lahaina Restoration Foundation took over the $600,000 restoration project. Today, the chimney is part of a small park that includes a pair of locomotives — “Lahaina” and “Launiupoko” — once used on the plantation.
The Avon River runs through the heart of Christchurch, and punting along the river in a handcrafted flat-bottomed boat is a peaceful way to take in the city. Boats depart from the historic Antigua Boat Sheds, then pass through Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
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The 561-foot-tall Reunion Tower is one of the recognizable landmarks in Dallas. Part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex, Reunion Tower is the 15th tallest building in Dallas and located about 1,000 feet from Dealey Plaza where President John F. Kennedy was killed in 1963. Known locally as “The Ball,” the tower was completed on Feb. 2, 1978.
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According to a marker, “Built during the Great Depression, the Roanoke Water Tower was the town’s primary water source. Hugh H. Jenkins, Roanoke’s first Mayor, advocated for the well and water system to help the newly-incorporated community grow. In 1934, he consolidated Roanoke’s water system under the city and applied for public works administration funding, which was granted and used for the tower’s 1936 construction. Approximately 150 feet tall, the tower contains a 100,000 gallon capacity steel tank and stands on four steel legs. Though no longer in use, the tower was a vital part of Roanoke’s growth and remains a local landmark.”
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