More Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios is one of the most fun Disney World Parks.  There is plenty to see and do after you have ridden Star Tours over and over.  (There was even a little more Star Wars to see!)

The Studio Backlot Tour was a tram ride that took you through some movie special effects.  Unfortunately in researching this post, I discovered that it closed last month.  Over the years the ride had gotten smaller and smaller to make way for other attractions.  It was still there when we visited last winter and I was happy to see the Star Wars vehicles I remembered and disappointed that the Golden Girls' house was gone.  The most famous parts of the ride--the special effects water tank and Catastrophe Canyon survived until the end.

After the ride, you could tour the American Film Institute Showcase, which featured props from famous movies.  My favorites included Indiana Jones, ET, and Titanic.

The Great Movie Ride is one of the famous Disney animatronic rides, though it also includes live action.  The outside of the ride is set up like the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater, complete with hand prints.  The ride itself takes you through scenes of great movies.  Most scenes are recreated using animatronics, but some of the scenes also require the guides to play parts.

Muppet Vision 3D is, as the name implies, a 3D Muppet movie.  The movie takes you on a tour of Muppet Labs.  It is really more of a 4D movie since you are squired with water and air and bubbles.  There are also a couple of animatronic cameos of Statler and Waldorf and Bean Bunny.  It is a must see.  Outside is a very cool Muppet Statue.

 For all of you who love history as much as I do, be sure to check out the Walt Disney:  One Man's Dream exhibit.  It includes items from Walt Disney's Life and the life of the park.  I especially enjoyed seeing Walt's office and the insides of an old version of the animatronic Abraham Lincoln from the Hall of Presidents.  There are also models of Disney attractions.  (Peter Pan is below)

Streets of America is created to look like New York City and San Francisco.  It was originally a working backlot, but is now just an attraction to walk through.  As you can see, my visit was at Christmastime.

 Finally, there are a couple of famous landmarks at Hollywood Studios.  The first is the Sorcerer's Hat, which doubles as a stage.

The second, and older, landmark is the Earful Tower.

Disney World Hollywood Studios

The best vacation day in recent memory, and possibly ever, was the day I spent last winter at Disney World's Hollywood Studios with my family.  I can't quite put my finger on what exactly made it so wonderful, but it must have been the famous Disney magic of the "Happiest Place on Earth"--the cleanliness, the helpfulness, the other happy families--combined with great weather, small crowds, Star Wars, family togetherness, and a desire to have fun.

If you know me, you know how much I love Star Wars, so the first stop was Star Tours.  We walked right on and rode a total of five times during the day.  None of those times required a long wait in line because the line was short or because we used fast passes.  Fast passes allow you to make reservations for rides that have long lines.  Once you have made your fast pass, you go and do something else and come back to the ride at your designated time (you have have an hour after your time because it can be hard to time things perfectly when you are dealing with ride lines).  Then you go in a special entrance with a much shorter wait.  This allows you to maximize the things you can do in a day instead of spending it all in line, though not all rides have fast passes are there are limits to how many you can use.

Outside Star Tours is Star Wars themed.

Inside you will see C3P0, R2D2, other robots, and Mon Calamari.

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The ride itself is a simultor set up like a starspeeder.  It is in its second incarnation.  The first opened in the 1989 and it was redone in 2011.  It is in 3D.  First you board the starspeeder for your trip.  C3P0 is with you (under protest) on the trip which may take you to Hoth, Tatooine, Coruscant, Naboo, the Death Star, an Asteroid Field and Kashyyk.  You may meet Darth Vader, Yoda, Princess Leia, Admiral Ackbar, Han Solo, or Stormtroopers.  There are a total of 54 combinations, so even though we rode five times, each experience was different.  During the flight, the empire is searching for the rebel spy, which is a lucky person on the ride whose photo appears on the screen.

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After the ride, you exit to the conveniently placed and well stocked gift shop.

There are so many things to see and do at Disney World...more next time!

Loretto Chapel

The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico is a lovely little Catholic chapel.  While it is a very nice church, it is just like any other church you might find anywhere in the country.  Except for one thing.  The legend of the staircase.  This is the reason that so many people visit.  Whether you believe in the miraculous legend or not, the chapel is definitely worth visiting to see the famous staircase.

The Sisters of Loretto are based in Kentucky.  In 1852 they responded to a call from the Bishop by sending seven sisters to help in Santa Fe.  On the way, they ran into a cholera epidemic and the Mother Superior died and they had to send another very sick nun home.  Upon arrival in Santa Fe, the remaining nuns started the Academy of Our Lady of Light (Loretto).  In 1873, it was determined that the school should have a chapel designed by the Parisian architect Antoine Mouly and his son, who were in town to build the St. Francis Cathedral (which is next door).

The school closed in 1968 and the chapel was decomissioned.  It is now a museum.  

When the chapel was completed, there was a huge problem:  There was no way to reach the choir loft!  There was no way to build a staircase without ruining the small space, according to architects consulted.  This is where the legend comes in. 

The sisters prayed a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.  On the last day of their prayers, a mysterious man (with a donkey) appeared looking for work.  He built the staircase for the sisters and, when the work was complete, disappeared without even waiting to get paid.

The sisters looked everywhere for him and even ran an ad in the paper, but they couldn't find him.  Maybe he was St. Joseph answering their prayers himself!

Miraculous or not, the staircase is an architectural masterpiece and ahead of it's time.  It has two 360 degree turns and no visible signs of support.  It is built with wooden pegs instead of nails.  It was originally built without the railing (which scared some of the nuns, so one was added later).  Also, according to legend, the wood that it is built with is unidentifiable.

Modern analysis says that there is support internally, the wood is spruce, and building with wooden pegs is nothing new.

Many people believe the legend and many people do not.  You will have to visit and decide for yourself!

Rock City

Everyone should "See Rock City" if they have the chance.  It is completely beautiful and cute.  It is also completely touristy and kitschy, but somehow that adds to the charm.  Rock City is located 6 miles outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

Rock City's Enchanted Trail has 4100 feet of walking trails that meander through rock formations and gardens.  The trail includes the Swing-A-Long bridge, which really does swing.  There is an alternative non-swinging bridge if you prefer.

The highlight of the trails is Lover's Leap.  From Lover's Leap (and the area around it-Seven States Plaza) you can see 7 states on a clear day-or so they say. This rock gets it's name from a Cherokee legend in which a brave and maiden fall in love, run away from their feuding tribes, get recaptured, and he gets thrown off and she jumps off the rock.  The waterfall is man made, but still pretty.

  

The Lover's Leap formation is natural and the area has been called Rock City since the early 1800s.  Rock City as we know it began in the 1920s when Garnet Carter purchased the land and gardens were planted.  In 1930, his wife Freida marked the paths.  It opened to the public in 1932.  During the Depression, business understandably slowed down.  Carter began offering to paint barns near roads for free if his painter, Clark Byers, could put the words See Rock City on the them.  An icon was born.  Rock City has since weathered highs and lows in tourist traffic, but has always continued to function.

Fun Fact:  Garnet Carter invented miniature golf!  He called it Tom Thumb golf.  He was quite a business man, with many different endeavors, including a housing development called Fairyland on land purchased along with the Rock City land.

 

Another trail highlight is Fat Man's Squeeze, a very tight part of the trail that often requires turning sideways. 

The trail includes the lovely Rainbow Hall.  Inside the hall you have lovely views through the colored windows and rainbow patterns on the floor and walls.

You can also amaze your friends by taking colorful photos through the windows without needing filters.

A final trail highlight is the stone witch.  She was very popular in the 1930s but was forgotten for decades and recently restored.

 The Fairyland Caverns is a trail through (man-made) rock caverns.  Inside the cavern are tableaus of fairy tales.  They are terribly kitschy and old, but also really cute.  The cavern is kept mostly dark and the tableaus are lit by black light.  They are better in person than my photos show.

Freida Carter, originally from Germany, had the cavern built to showcase stories from her childhood.  The sculptures were done by Jesse Sanders and completed in 1947. 

The final attraction at Rock City is the Mother Goose Village.  It is similar to the Fairyland Cavern, but instead of separate scenes, it is all done in one room on one large scene lit by black light.

 The Mother Goose Village was also done by Jesse Sanders and completed in 1964.

For more information, or maybe to purchase a bird house, see the Rock City website.