39SU N DAY, NOV E M BER 22 , 2009T H E E X A M I N ER
TRAVEL
By Marie Gullard
Special to The Examiner
W
hat is not to love about
a small town where a
significant portion of
its homes and buildings
are registered as a National Historic
District?
Odessa, located in New Castle
County, Del., is one such example of
a quaint hamlet untouched, for the
most part, by the development that
is typical of its other surrounding
areas.
The Examiner asked Lyn Lewis,
director of communications at the
Greater Wilmington Convention &
Visitors Bureau, to talk about the
town she finds so enchanting.
EXAMINER:Whatkindofactivities,inter-
estingmuseums,galleriesandhistorical
sights are to be found in Odessa?
LEWIS: One of the outstanding attrac-
tionsinthetownistheHistoricHouses
of Odessa. Once part of the renowned
Winterthurcollection,HistoricHouses
of Odessa is now operated by the His-
toric Odessa Foundation. The five
properties offer a well-documented
insight into 18th- and 19th-century
lifestyles in a rural village that once
flourished as a shipping community.
They are furnished with a superb
collection of artwork, antiques and
cabinetry, many of which were fash-
ioned by Delaware's finest 18th- and
19th-century craftsmen. In addition to
beingrecognizedasaNationalHistoric
Landmark,HistoricHousesofOdessa's
Corbit-SharpHousehasrecently[been]
designatedpartoftheNationalUnder-
ground Railroad Network to Freedom
by the National Park Service.
EXAMINER: Are there any quaint
places in town for an overnight stay?
LEWIS: The Cantwell House is the
perfect B&B for a weekend getaway.
Located at 107 High Street, just one
block above Main Street in Odessa,
proprietor Carole Coleman, has cre-
ated a cozy retreat. Like most of the
town's properties, Cantwell House has
historic significance. The main house
features common areas filled with
books and a wonderful collection of
antiques and several bedrooms [are]
equipped with private baths. There is
also a private cottage equipped with
an efficient kitchen area, fireplace and
a spiral staircase leading to the loft.
EXAMINER: How about upcoming
events to entice visitors to Odessa?
LEWIS: ChristmasinOdessaistheper-
fecttimetovisit. OnthefirstSaturday
inDecember,theentiretownisdressed
for the holidays, inside and out. Many
ofthetown'sprivate18th-and19th-cen-
tury homes and public buildings open
theirdoorsforself-guidedtours.Spon-
sored by the Women's Club of Odessa,
thispopular45-yeartraditionisatown-
wide event: Firemen prune magnolia
trees to gather greens for sale, Girl
ScoutsandBoyScoutsassemblethese
greens in bundles, residents spare no
effortdecoratingtheirhomesandlocal
highschoolstudentsbenefitfromschol-
arship funds the event generates. On
December 5th, this 45-year tradition
includes Clydesdale-drawn carriage
rides, organ concerts, a Christmas
shopandfabulousfreshgreensonsale
in the firehouse.
Tiny Odessa, Del., is a town packed with history
GAS TANK AWAY
IF YOU GO
� What: Odessa, Del.
� Distance: A two-hour drive from
D.C.
� Info: wilmcvb.org
By Robin Tierney
Special to The Examiner
D
ead men do tell tales, as
does everyone else, in
Columbia. For every tomb-
stone, building, garden and
bar, friendly-folk throughout South
Carolina's capital will volunteer a
backstory sparkling with detail.
Guides, and ghouls, reveal dur-
ing a moonlit tour of Elmwood
Cemetery why a woman was bur-
ied in her wedding dress. Historic
Columbia Foundation docents open
doors not only to mansions but the
Mann-Simons cottage - bought in
1850 by a freed slave who walked
here from Charleston with her four
young daughters, earned acclaim as
a midwife and started a church in her
basement.
That mountain tunnel on the side
of a downtown bank? A native says
that Blue Sky, creator of this astonish-
ing trompe l'oeil mural, still lives here
-- and also sculpted "Busted Plug,"
the tilted monolithic fire hydrant
nearby. Humor enlivens storefronts:
Immaculate Consumption eatery,
Pupcakes, Village Idiot and Goat-
feathers, reputedly the state's first
venue to serve cappuccino, Guinness
and haute raw cuisine.
As I gaze at the ornate State House,
a passer-by points out palmetto tree
insignias and bronze stars marking
Union cannonball blasts, part of Gen.
William T. Sherman's fiery 1865 siege
of the cradle of the Confederacy.
The Art Deco jewel now hous-
ing Gotham Bagel's jitterbug, live
jazz and tag-team DJ nights pre-
viously harbored a lunch counter
that remained segregated until
1962. Outside the grand buildings
still ringing the University of South
Carolina's "Horseshoe," young
scholars of yore let off steam by
firing weapons, necessitating that
tall stately wall.
Columbia's museums braid history,
culture and lust for knowing. Witness
"World War I in 3-D" and crawl into
trenches at the Confederate Relic
Room and Military Museum. Be awed
by early inventions and startled by
eerily animated dinosaurs at South
Carolina State Museum. Climb the
spine and slide through the belly of
40-foot-tall, 17-ton "Eddie" at EdVen-
ture Children's Museum.
Recent revitalizations have trans-
formed a west-side factory corridor
into the bistro-studded Vista district
and rejuvenated funky east-of-USC
Five Points, whose myriad festivals
include such amusements as "Feats of
Strength" and "Airing of Grievances"
pub-crawls.
Free self-guided tour brochures for
thissuper-walkablecitybrimwithlore
about architecture (Second Empire!
New Brutalism!), the Civil War, and
real-people feats and foibles.
Linkingdowntowntonature,Three
Rivers Greenway meanders along
the Congaree, Saluda and Broad riv-
ers. The picture-and-picnic-perfect
waterworks station originally sprung
from an early-1800s architect's smart
gravity-pumped plan.
As for spinning tales, Columbia
City Ballet is unsurpassed. Its red-hot
annual "Dracula" spectacular draws
equal numbers of men and women,
hipsters and patricians. Bram Stoker
must be pirouetting in his grave -
dying to tell more stories. Here, the
allure of lore is irresistible.
Reach Robin Tierney at
robintierney@gmail.com.
Lowcountry oasis of high
spirits and storytelling
WORTH THE TRIP
IF YOU GO
FamouslyHot.com
(800) 264-4884
Event watch
Five Points "Festivus" Dec. 4 and 5.
fivepointscolumbia.com
ROBIN TIERNEY/SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER
The Three Rivers Greenway is just one of many majestic views in Columbia, S.C.
Name: Gaylord National - TRADE; Width: 34p8.4; Depth: 6.5 in; Color: Black
plus three; File Name: 143092-0; Comment: GAYLORD - TRADE; Zone: PCaa
3528' 63216256

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