Old World Travel
Exploring the Western Frontier
On this page, we go back in time to a more glorious past. Back to the days of “yesteryear.” We take a nostalgic look at some early American modes of transportation as well as popular ghost towns and other venues with “old world charm."
Western Horse Back Riding
Colorado Horseback Riding, Visit the only horseback riding stable in the
Buena Vista, Colorado area that offers rides entirely in the San Isabel
National Forest and the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area. Their old west style
stable is nestled between Mt. Princeton and Mt. Yale just seven miles west
of Buena Vista.
Jackson Hole Wyoming Outfitters
Backcountry all-day trail rides specializing in western horseback riding
on splendid mountain trails.
Bryce Canyon Scenic Rim Trail Rides offers some of the most spectacular trail riding in southwestern Utah. Their Canyon Rides are in close proximity to other top-notch attractions such as Zion National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and the Lake Powell National Recreation Area.
Pony Express Tours, Maui. Go on horse back-rides on an enchanted island. Pony Express offers both a ride to paradisiacal Haleakala Ranch, and a crater-rim ride to the Haleakala Crater in Hawaii. Seeing the crater light up at night with its red-hot lava flows is very popular.
Windwalker Horseback Riding & Photo Tours. See close-up some of the most spellbinding scenery in Arizona. Located at Cave Creek, Arizona, near the Tonto National Forest, Windwalker offers both private guided tours and pack trips.
Targhee National Forest Horse & Wagon Adventures operates out of the Double H Bar Ranch in Jackson Hole, WY. Teton Wagon Train of Targhee is situated between the Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Their genuine covered wagons provide an incomparable wilderness trek, full of majestic views of high mountain lakes, mournful loons, and trumpeter swans; home of moose, elk, deer, and other wild critters.
Covered Wagons & Mule Trains
Wisconsin Horse Outings
near Iron Mountain. Here you can go on saddle horse trail rides, horse-drawn
covered wagon and stagecoach trips, or Winter Sleigh Rides in Northeastern
Wisconsin and Michigan.
Covered Wagon Trail Rides in Teton Wilderness Area.
Hidden Trails provides an authentic wagon trail atmosphere which includes:
hearing the wagon master at the crack of dawn, camping in grassy meadows
by a noisy stream, sharing hot Dutch-oven grub from the chuck wagon, enjoying
the evening wagon circle and campfire, relaxing to the singing of a cowboy,
coaxing an old timer to spin a yarn, sleeping in a covered wagon, or tenting
under the stars. Expeditions are in the Grand Teton & Yellowstone National
Forest and usually last from 4-6 days.
Covered Wagon Treks in Wyoming, “Wagons West” a Division of "Yellowstone Outfitters." Discover the excitement of America's most enthralling outdoor adventure. Ride along with these cowboys on unused roads in the foothills of the Rockies, near the mighty Tetons. Enjoy the authentic recreation of Conestoga covered wagons of yester yore by traveling through the most scenic areas of Western America, and be instilled with a sense of inspired nostalgia. “Wagons West” trips take place inside the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Mount Leidy Highlands. The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park, and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming are nearby.
Cloud 9 Mules & Mule Team Rides, can be found at the Cloud 9 Ranch, located near Cimarron, Kansas. Their Mule Hauls travel through Horse Thief Canyon, Medicine Lodge, and the Kannapolis Reservoir in a highly regulated setting complete with Registered Trail Guides and a Mule Team Leader. Organized trips last from 1-4 days.
Cattle Drives, Trail Rides, & Covered Wagon Trips, near Billings, Montana sponsored by the Western Romance Company. Their goal is to provide real western activities and events for everyone. From the adventurous Rocky Mountains to the rolling Montana plains, their wagons, horses, equipment, and livestock provide an array of good entertainment and adventure, cowboy style.
Royal Gorge Bridge Mule Team Rides, sponsored by the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park Association located in Canon City, Colorado. The distant relatives of the wild burros at Pikes Peak left behind during the Colorado gold rush days; their park’s burros are gentle and tame, making for a safe ride, while their mule teams are born people-pleasers.
Stage Coaching
The Stagecoach Company, Durango, Colorado. Their knowledgeable
western stagecoach drivers will give you a history of the stagecoach in the
American West. Features include instruction on the types of coaches used,
structural integrity of the stage, how coaches were developed for specific
purposes, and the importance of the stage line in the expansion and settlement
of the Old West's frontier towns.
Harris Stage Lines, Paso Robles, CA., offers short stagecoach trips, a real “Horse-Power” show, horseshoe pitching, BBQ, and campfire, as well as coachhouse dining, and an Old Western Town.
Highland Stage Company, located in Tonasket, WA. Their overland stage run is an exciting 5-day, western adventure featuring an old stagecoach drawn by 6 Highland Bay Horses through the beautiful Okanogan Highlands of North Central Washington. The “Highland Stage” brings the Old West alive with this memorable vacation package as they retrace frontier era stage runs.
Tall Ship & Windjammer Cruises
Downeast Windjammer, Sailing from Bar Harbor. Enjoy a 1-1/2 to 2 hour windjammer
cruise aboard the 151' schooner. The Downeast Windjammer gives you a choice
of 4 different sailing venues. Their main cruise explores the historic Maine
coast with its many lighthouses
Traverse Tall Ships, Ltd, Traverse City, MI. Climb aboard the schooner “Manitou,” one of the largest sailing vessels on the Great Lakes. Enjoy a unique adventure back in time as you discover the beauty of Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan, from the deck of this majestic sailing vessel, with sailing adventures ranging from two hours to four days.
Sailing Ship Adventures, Inc., With offices located in Wellesley, MA and sailing worldwide with over 100 tall-masted schooners located at their main port in Florida. Sailing ship vacations offer an intimate experience of wind and wave, marine life and ship operations. At “Sailing Ship Adventures,” you can even participate in the sailing of many of the ships in their fleet. One of the main attractions of a sailing vacation is the easy access to water sports like fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and wind surfing.
Steam Boat & Paddle-Wheeler Cruises
The New Orleans Steamboat Company,
the “original steamboat company,” operates
the Natchez Steamboat along the Mighty Mississippi River in the New Orleans
area. The “Natchez” offers fine dining and a Dixieland jazz band
during the dinner hour.
Mississippi River Cruises, A Division of "Vacations to Go", provides cruises which give passengers a unique glimpse at America through historical ports of call. On your Mississippi cruise, you can enjoy Cajun cuisine and listen to jazz in New Orleans, or relish the view as your Mississippi riverboat cruises an itinerary that includes either: the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, trips to the east of the Mississippi, or harbor visits to cities such as Nashville, Chattanooga and Cincinnati.
Paddle Wheel Riverboats, Ltd., operates out of Manitou, Canada. While on one of their Paddle wheelers, small and large groups can enjoy the cultural, scenic, and historic sights of Winnipeg and Manitou. The steamship offers a gift shop, photo opportunities, live music, and a full course menu.
Vancouver Sightseeing and Boat Cruises located in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. “Vancouver Paddlewheeler” sails up and down the Historic Fraser River. Their voyage will take you from Canada’s second largest port, up-river past the Port Mann Bridge to Douglas Island. From the Fraser River, you can see aquatic wildlife and view the remains of an old Paddlewheeler.
Alaska Ship Cruises, sponsored by Cruise West operates out of Seattle, Washington.
While their fleet includes 8 modern-day cruise ships and only 1 steamship,
each one of the ships in their fleet is ideally suited to their up-close,
casual and personal style of cruising. Their small boats and skilled crews
allow for easy navigation through narrow inlets and coves, something large
cruise ships cannot do. You can practically reach out and touch the ice, as
the ship passes between ice glaciers. This is a highly acclaimed cruise line.
Steam Locomotive Trips
Niles Canyon Railway operated by the Pacific Locomotive Association,
operates out of the Sunol Station Depot, near Fremont. CA. Their purpose
is to recreate an atmosphere of Pacific Coast railroading during the period
of the 1910’s by preserving the heritage railroads of central California
and the nation. There are 3 train rides per day, each rd-trip lasts about
an hour, and travels the 9-mile route from Sunol to Fremont. The steam
locomotive operates twice a week, depending on weather.
Railtown Historic State Park, Jamestown, CA., is 100 miles south of Sacramento, operated by the California State Parks has a complete 1897 Railway Roundhouse, Railyard, and Repair Shops. Train rides, occurring every Saturday and Sunday from April to October, go through California’s most historic mining towns and scenic “Gold Country.”
Central Pacific Railroad Museum provides a “virtual” on-line tour of the original transcontinental railroad as it stretched from coast to coast.
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad is located 10 miles north of Tillamook, Oregon, in the town of Garibaldi. The Railroad is run entirely by volunteers, in conjunction with the Port of Tillamook, which is a retrofitted WWII.U.S Naval Air Station. This scenic trip chugs along Tillamook Bay and gives passengers views of the ocean. The old timers are happy to share their excitement of the beautiful and historic Oregon Coast line by gives rides behind a 1910 Heisler Steam Locomotive in 1900’s Railcars. The only locomotive in the Tillamook Bay Region to run along the Pacific Coast. The “Oregon Coast RR,” has four trips from Thursday to Sunday, during the months of May through September.
Ghost Towns
Old Virginia City, Montana. This very much alive ghost town has been kept
in its original1864 condition. It’s a remarkably well-preserved old
west Victorian gold mining town; however, when the gold ran out, people
left and buildings became dilapidated. It is a true and original Old West
Town. This Montana gem is located in an incredibly rich area of natural
beauty, recreation, history, and filled with impressive artifacts.
Tombstone, AZ, "The Town Too Tough To Die." Tombstone was perhaps the most renowned of Arizona's old mining camps, with more gambling houses, saloons, and a larger "boothill" and "red light" district than any town in the southwest.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Travel back in time to the scene of the most famous cowboy gun battle in American history.
South Park City, Colorado. An amazingly authentic restoration
of a Colorado mining Boomtown on Hwy 285. Their parent city, Fairplay,
is at an elevation of 9,896 feet. The scenic portion of Hwy 285 runs
through the Pike National Forest near Poncho Springs. In the Bristlecone
Pine Scenic Area, next to the town of Alma, you’ll see 2,000-year-old
trees. South Park City is a remarkable restoration of frontierdays, preserving
the history of early America as it once was. Their “living museum” is
an accurate representation of a mining town between 1860 and 1900 complete
with costumed guides. Thirty-four authentic buildings are filled with
over 60,000 artifacts, which display the socio-economic characteristics
of “gold-rush” life.
Seven of the buildings are on their original sites; the other 27 have
been relocated from abandoned camps and ghost towns near South Park, at
the base of the Majestic Rocky Mountains.
Ghost Town "Gold Sheet,” is an on-line directory of old mining camps and ghost towns throughout America.
Historic Inns & Lodging
Historic Afton House Inn & River Cruises.
Voted “Greatest Escape” by
Mpls. CityPages for 2007. Afton House offers premium lodging, dinning,
and scenic boat cruises on the St Croix River between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The 2- story colonial structure has all of the class and charm of a Historic
Country Inn. Each room is unique in its decor, with an antique 1850’s
ambiance. Deluxe rooms feature whirlpool tubs and outdoor balconies overlooking
the St. Croix River. St. Croix River Cruises majestic departures can be
viewed from your balcony vantage point.
Green Springs Guest Ranch, Ashland, OR. Green Springs Ranch is a working
guest ranch of over 1,500 acres, offering a one of a kind mountain escape
in the Southern Oregon Cascades. It is within the Cascade-Siskiyou National
Monument Area and contains some of the most diverse plant and animal life
found in the state of Oregon. The owners provide exquisite lodging, wagon
rides, an “outback” campground, opportunities for religious and
spiritual retreats, and “cow dog” competitions.