Got this idea from another thread where I learned that Lowes is from N Carolina, which I didnt know, and really never thought about. But since this is the sports off season which may be extended, I thought it would be a good idea to learn about the areas in which ACC schools are located. What fortune 500 companies or well known private companies or tourist attractions etc..., are near your school or is within 100 miles of your school? You can even include a little history. This should be interesting if we get some good participation. We can brag about our towns as much as we would like.

Syracuse University
Susan B Anthony Home/Museum (Rochester)
Harriet Tubman Home (Auburn)
Destiny USA (Syracuse, was second largest US Mall when built)
Finger Lakes
The Adirondacks (Lake Placid, Lake George)
Kodak
Xerox
Bausch & Lomb
Paychex
Wegmans
Thousand Island salad dressing
The Garbage Plate
Frederick Douglas
The Strong National Museum Of Play

Other Syracuse fans are welcome to chime in. I know Im leaving a lot out but this is what came off the top of my head.

Near Virginia Tech:
- New River Valley
- Dixie Caverns

That's about it. Blacksburg, VA is in the Appalachian Mountains. It's pretty much outdoorsman or nothing...

(07-07-2020 12:00 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Near Virginia Tech:
- New River Valley
- Dixie Caverns

That's about it. Blacksburg, VA is in the Appalachian Mountains. It's pretty much outdoorsman or nothing...

When promoting VT you got to talk about Christiansburg, Radford, and Roanoke.

Army munitions plant on the New River just south of town.
Big Star on top of a Mountain in Roanoke
Virginia's historic girls school at Radford
Blue Ridge Parkway

(07-07-2020 03:50 PM)Statefan Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 12:00 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Near Virginia Tech:
- New River Valley
- Dixie Caverns

That's about it. Blacksburg, VA is in the Appalachian Mountains. It's pretty much outdoorsman or nothing...

When promoting VT you got to talk about Christiansburg, Radford, and Roanoke.

Army munitions plant on the New River just south of town.
Big Star on top of a Mountain in Roanoke
Virginia's historic girls school at Radford
Blue Ridge Parkway

You're doing a better job of recruiting than i am.

(07-07-2020 05:01 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 03:50 PM)Statefan Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 12:00 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Near Virginia Tech:
- New River Valley
- Dixie Caverns

That's about it. Blacksburg, VA is in the Appalachian Mountains. It's pretty much outdoorsman or nothing...

When promoting VT you got to talk about Christiansburg, Radford, and Roanoke.

Army munitions plant on the New River just south of town.
Big Star on top of a Mountain in Roanoke
Virginia's historic girls school at Radford
Blue Ridge Parkway

You're doing a better job of recruiting than i am.

You gotta sell the NRV!

Radford is an awesome town. I've stayed there twice on runs between the 1000 Islands and Florida

(07-07-2020 03:50 PM)Statefan Wrote:  

(07-07-2020 12:00 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Near Virginia Tech:
- New River Valley
- Dixie Caverns

That's about it. Blacksburg, VA is in the Appalachian Mountains. It's pretty much outdoorsman or nothing...

When promoting VT you got to talk about Christiansburg, Radford, and Roanoke.

Army munitions plant on the New River just south of town.
Big Star on top of a Mountain in Roanoke
Virginia's historic girls school at Radford
Blue Ridge Parkway

I graduated in 1991 .. my first job after college was for my fraternity, first as traveling consultant, and then later in the Foundation as Dirctor of Alulmni.

Anyway ... one of the schools I visited as a traveling consultant was Radford. Our fraternity was one of the first there when the school went co-ed in the early 1970's. I had never heard of it. But wow ...

... the talent level of the girls at Radford in 1992 rivaled that of Florida State, and Florida, which I traveled to as well. Lots of babes at Radford, and a ratio that was stupid, something like 5 or 6 to 1, female to male.

Two other "small schools" that I would put in my top 10 back then ... Florida International (FIU) especially if you are partial to latina's -- total smoke show ... and Moorhead State in Moorhead Minnesota. Strong scandinavian influences there ... tall, leggy blondes. Everywhere.

As far as the original post goes ....

3 decent sized economic drivers in Louisville ...

1. Louisville's history with Kentucky Fried Chicken spawned a lot of fast food/restaurant spin offs. Long John Silvers was founded here (since moved to Lexington, I believe) and the founder played baseball for U of L, and the U of L baseball stadium bears his name. Rally's is another fast food chain that started here (since merged with Checkers). Junior Bridgeman, former Milwuakee Buck and Louisville Cardinal, was at one time one of the largest Wendy's franchisees in the country and his business was located here. He's divested a good hunk of these at this point I think ... but there are lots of restaurant-chain-folks located here.

Texas Roadhouse was started here, and is HQd here.
Papa John's Pizza ... duh duh duh.

... to name two other big ones.


2. Bourbon is obviously gi-normous for us too ...
Brown Forman may still be on the Fortune 500 list, or just off it ... but they are big in the spirits biz.


3. The UPS air hub and Louisville's geography has made Louisville a logistics powerhouse. When you order that fresh lobster on line from the Maine fishery for your fancy dinner? Chance are good that the lobster was grown right here in Louisville. There are dozens of such operations set up a short drive to the UPS air hub.
Mucho trucking companies, and warehousing operations are also all over the place. Which makes sense, given that 2/3 of the US population is within one day drive of Louisville.


Honorable mention -- the union presence in Louisville used to be dominant, with not 1, but 2 Ford Plants, a thriving GE Appliance operation, International Harvester plant, and several other smaller manufacturing facilities. The 2 Ford plants are still going. The GE appliance park is a shell of its old self, and I believe has changed ownership. International Harvester went bankrupt many moons ago.

Humana Insurance Company ... is still alive and kicking, despite trying to sell themselves to Cigna .. and they are responsible for a lot of spinoff companies locally too. They deserve a mention.


Other Stuff ---
Bourbon Trail -- bunch of great bourbon distilleries
Churchill Downs
Hillerich & Bradsby (maker of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat)
Mammoth Cave a short drive south ... world's largest cave, with much of it still be explored and discovered
Valhalla - hosted Ryder's Cup and multiple PGA Championships. Got another one coming in May of 2024 .. come for the Derby, hang out for a couple of weeks, and then enjoy the PGA Championship!
Fort Knox - go git yourself some gold!!
Muhammad Ali Center


I'm sure I'm missing some stuff .... but this is a decent stab at this question ...

As far as the immediate area is concerned the two most striking things about UofL's main campus (called Belknap Campus—the K is silent) are:
• Belknap Campus is just a few blocks from Churchill Downs.
• In the other direction, Belknap Campus is at the northern edge of the US's largest Victorian preservation district (called Old Louisville). This neighborhood features a great art fair every fall (canceled in 2020) called the St James Court Art Show.

(07-10-2020 02:32 AM)TuckerGnat Wrote:  As far as the immediate area is concerned the two most striking things about UofL's main campus (called Belknap Campus—the K is silent) are:
• Belknap Campus is just a few blocks from Churchill Downs.
• In the other direction, Belknap Campus is at the northern edge of the US's largest Victorian preservation district (called Old Louisville). This neighborhood features a great art fair every fall (canceled in 2020) called the St James Court Art Show.

Good call on the St. James Art Show .. https://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/
It's huge as the link will describe in better detail than I could.

BUT ... for those visiting ACC fans ... the scheduling of this event has some quirks.

Schools are out for the Friday of this art show weekend. Which means that most high school football games take place on the Thursday night before (some rule about games taking place on school days). Which opens up a Friday evening for U of L football games to take place -- many times U of L volunteers to take a Friday night spot because of this, knowing that it's difficult for other schools to do so.

SO .... if your school happens to be playing at U of L on a Friday night the first weekend of October, you could also hit the art show the day of, or the day after the football game.

Clemson sits on the banks of Lake Hartwell, and has Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee are in the region.

Greenville is just a short drive away and has an awesome downtown centered around the Reedy River.

There are plenty of historic sights relatively close by with King's Mountain National Military Park, Cowpens National Battlefield, and Ninety Six National Historic Site all within a two hour drive for the Revolutionary War buffs. The scenic Toccoa Falls are an hour away in Georgia, along with the Currahee Military Museum in the train depot of Toccoa proper. Charleston is 3 1/2 hours, Asheville is 1:45, Charlotte is 2:15. Columbia is a short drive too but there's nothing there worth a damn besides Riverbanks Zoo.

Tallahassee - the areas industry is mostly government and state related. Historically it is pretty rich. The name "Tallahassee" is taken from an old Apalachee Indian word meaning "Old fields" or "Old town". The area was a hotbed of Indian activity, it's hilly area made for good settlements, its many lakes provided fish and game. The Spanish came and settled with the Indians (Apalachee) in the late 1500s and stuck around until the English ran them out. The historical site of Mission San Luis is a hidden gem in this area. You can visit the museum and explore its artifacts, then take a stroll outside in the recreated village, talk to the historians dressed in time period cloths. I highly recommend it and it's not far from FSU campus.

Within the city, there are several parks great for showing off it's natural beauty and for people watching. The 2 you should absolutely see is Lake Ella and Cascade Park.

Lake Ella is a smallish lake, but a popular place for residence to go leisurely walking or take a break at one of several "cottages" that sell refreshments. The main attraction of this park however are the many ducks and geese that have lost their fear of humans. I have actually picked up a duck and petted a few others, but most will come just close enough to be out of reach.

Cascade Park is on the southern edge of downtown. It's really the middle park of a chain of 3 parks which should all be explored while you are here. If you don't have the legs to walk, no problem, you can rent a bicycle, scooter or segway. It's another great place for people watching that has been newly renovated over the last 10 years. Historically, it had a natural waterfall up until the early 1900s which can be seen on postcards during that period. The railroad however built right over top of it and destroyed it. Since renovations, it has added an artificial waterfall as well as fountains, an amplitheater, play areas, restaurants and it's newest addition is a hotel which should be complete soon. Walk across S.Monroe St. to Proof brewery, Tallahassee's largest micro-brewery. The beer known as the "Mango-wit" is probably their most sold and can be seen in many of the area restaurants and stores.

Wakulla springs- Just 20 minutes from Tallahassee is a deep sink hole with gushing water forming the spring. You can swim, jump off the dive platform, take a boat tour or just relax inside the old hotel / restaurant. Several movies have been shot here including Tarzan and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Forgotten Coast- This might be the least touristed coast line in all of Florida. The stretch of highway from Panacea to Apalachicola is mostly inhabited by Oysterman and Fisherman. Along the this coastline you will find beaches, campgrounds and museums. My favorite town along this area is Carrabelle, the history museum was very interesting, you will also find a beach that is historically significant for training soldiers in preparation for "D day".

(07-15-2020 08:24 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  Tallahassee - the areas industry is mostly government and state related. Historically it is pretty rich. The name "Tallahassee" is taken from an old Apalachee Indian word meaning "Old fields" or "Old town". The area was a hotbed of Indian activity, it's hilly area made for good settlements, its many lakes provided fish and game. The Spanish came and settled with the Indians (Apalachee) in the late 1500s and stuck around until the English ran them out. The historical site of Mission San Luis is a hidden gem in this area. You can visit the museum and explore its artifacts, then take a stroll outside in the recreated village, talk to the historians dressed in time period cloths. I highly recommend it and it's not far from FSU campus.

Within the city, there are several parks great for showing off it's natural beauty and for people watching. The 2 you should absolutely see is Lake Ella and Cascade Park.

Lake Ella is a smallish lake, but a popular place for residence to go leisurely walking or take a break at one of several "cottages" that sell refreshments. The main attraction of this park however are the many ducks and geese that have lost their fear of humans. I have actually picked up a duck and petted a few others, but most will come just close enough to be out of reach.

Cascade Park is on the southern edge of downtown. It's really the middle park of a chain of 3 parks which should all be explored while you are here. If you don't have the legs to walk, no problem, you can rent a bicycle, scooter or segway. It's another great place for people watching that has been newly renovated over the last 10 years. Historically, it had a natural waterfall up until the early 1900s which can be seen on postcards during that period. The railroad however built right over top of it and destroyed it. Since renovations, it has added an artificial waterfall as well as fountains, an amplitheater, play areas, restaurants and it's newest addition is a hotel which should be complete soon. Walk across S.Monroe St. to Proof brewery, Tallahassee's largest micro-brewery. The beer known as the "Mango-wit" is probably their most sold and can be seen in many of the area restaurants and stores.

Wakulla springs- Just 20 minutes from Tallahassee is a deep sink hole with gushing water forming the spring. You can swim, jump off the dive platform, take a boat tour or just relax inside the old hotel / restaurant. Several movies have been shot here including Tarzan and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Forgotten Coast- This might be the least touristed coast line in all of Florida. The stretch of highway from Panacea to Apalachicola is mostly inhabited by Oysterman and Fisherman. Along the this coastline you will find beaches, campgrounds and museums. My favorite town along this area is Carrabelle, the history museum was very interesting, you will also find a beach that is historically significant for training soldiers in preparation for "D day".

Sounds like some beautiful areas. I havent been to the Tallahassee area in over 25 years. Never did any touristy things there. My stepfather is from a little town called Quincy which is about 26 miles west of Tallahassee. He, my youngest son and myself were going to do a guys trip down to Quincy in October. But thats not going to happen anytime soon until theres some semblance of normalcy.

(07-15-2020 10:44 PM)cuseroc Wrote:  

(07-15-2020 08:24 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  Tallahassee - the areas industry is mostly government and state related. Historically it is pretty rich. The name "Tallahassee" is taken from an old Apalachee Indian word meaning "Old fields" or "Old town". The area was a hotbed of Indian activity, it's hilly area made for good settlements, its many lakes provided fish and game. The Spanish came and settled with the Indians (Apalachee) in the late 1500s and stuck around until the English ran them out. The historical site of Mission San Luis is a hidden gem in this area. You can visit the museum and explore its artifacts, then take a stroll outside in the recreated village, talk to the historians dressed in time period cloths. I highly recommend it and it's not far from FSU campus.

Within the city, there are several parks great for showing off it's natural beauty and for people watching. The 2 you should absolutely see is Lake Ella and Cascade Park.

Lake Ella is a smallish lake, but a popular place for residence to go leisurely walking or take a break at one of several "cottages" that sell refreshments. The main attraction of this park however are the many ducks and geese that have lost their fear of humans. I have actually picked up a duck and petted a few others, but most will come just close enough to be out of reach.

Cascade Park is on the southern edge of downtown. It's really the middle park of a chain of 3 parks which should all be explored while you are here. If you don't have the legs to walk, no problem, you can rent a bicycle, scooter or segway. It's another great place for people watching that has been newly renovated over the last 10 years. Historically, it had a natural waterfall up until the early 1900s which can be seen on postcards during that period. The railroad however built right over top of it and destroyed it. Since renovations, it has added an artificial waterfall as well as fountains, an amplitheater, play areas, restaurants and it's newest addition is a hotel which should be complete soon. Walk across S.Monroe St. to Proof brewery, Tallahassee's largest micro-brewery. The beer known as the "Mango-wit" is probably their most sold and can be seen in many of the area restaurants and stores.

Wakulla springs- Just 20 minutes from Tallahassee is a deep sink hole with gushing water forming the spring. You can swim, jump off the dive platform, take a boat tour or just relax inside the old hotel / restaurant. Several movies have been shot here including Tarzan and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Forgotten Coast- This might be the least touristed coast line in all of Florida. The stretch of highway from Panacea to Apalachicola is mostly inhabited by Oysterman and Fisherman. Along the this coastline you will find beaches, campgrounds and museums. My favorite town along this area is Carrabelle, the history museum was very interesting, you will also find a beach that is historically significant for training soldiers in preparation for "D day".

Sounds like some beautiful areas. I havent been to the Tallahassee area in over 25 years. Never did any touristy things there. My stepfather is from a little town called Quincy which is about 26 miles west of Tallahassee. He, my youngest son and myself were going to do a guys trip down to Quincy in October. But thats not going to happen anytime soon until theres some semblance of normalcy.

Wow! You got a connection to the Tally area, of course I am familiar with Quincy, the town made a fortune when a banker convinced many of the locals to invest in Coca-Cola well over a hundred years ago, today Quincy is a little run down and I really can't think of anything to do or see in Quincy, however a small hole in the wall called "Reynolds donuts" makes the best donuts in the area, seriously you got to stop there in the morning just once. Gadsden county (where Quincy is located) is also unique in a sense because of all of its old tobacco barns that are still standing after over a hundred years, I have not seen anything like it anywhere else in Florida. Tobacco was a big cash crop for them back in its day, Quincy and Gadsden county still does a lot of agriculture, being a huge grower of tomatoes.

I was born in Tallahassee and still live here, I sometimes take the touristy things to do here for granted as I done them several times in my life, but other people would probably like to do or see it. Of course the natural wonders is not limited to my small sample, some people would enjoy going to the "natural history museum", botanist would enjoy the Maclay gardens or rent a kayak on Wakulla or Wacissa rivers, travel 45 minutes west to Marianna and see the Florida Caverns state park.

Wakulla Springs Lodge is a gem. Great place to stay on a football weekend if you can get in.

(07-16-2020 07:51 AM)Garrettabc Wrote:  

(07-15-2020 10:44 PM)cuseroc Wrote:  

(07-15-2020 08:24 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  Tallahassee - the areas industry is mostly government and state related. Historically it is pretty rich. The name "Tallahassee" is taken from an old Apalachee Indian word meaning "Old fields" or "Old town". The area was a hotbed of Indian activity, it's hilly area made for good settlements, its many lakes provided fish and game. The Spanish came and settled with the Indians (Apalachee) in the late 1500s and stuck around until the English ran them out. The historical site of Mission San Luis is a hidden gem in this area. You can visit the museum and explore its artifacts, then take a stroll outside in the recreated village, talk to the historians dressed in time period cloths. I highly recommend it and it's not far from FSU campus.

Within the city, there are several parks great for showing off it's natural beauty and for people watching. The 2 you should absolutely see is Lake Ella and Cascade Park.

Lake Ella is a smallish lake, but a popular place for residence to go leisurely walking or take a break at one of several "cottages" that sell refreshments. The main attraction of this park however are the many ducks and geese that have lost their fear of humans. I have actually picked up a duck and petted a few others, but most will come just close enough to be out of reach.

Cascade Park is on the southern edge of downtown. It's really the middle park of a chain of 3 parks which should all be explored while you are here. If you don't have the legs to walk, no problem, you can rent a bicycle, scooter or segway. It's another great place for people watching that has been newly renovated over the last 10 years. Historically, it had a natural waterfall up until the early 1900s which can be seen on postcards during that period. The railroad however built right over top of it and destroyed it. Since renovations, it has added an artificial waterfall as well as fountains, an amplitheater, play areas, restaurants and it's newest addition is a hotel which should be complete soon. Walk across S.Monroe St. to Proof brewery, Tallahassee's largest micro-brewery. The beer known as the "Mango-wit" is probably their most sold and can be seen in many of the area restaurants and stores.

Wakulla springs- Just 20 minutes from Tallahassee is a deep sink hole with gushing water forming the spring. You can swim, jump off the dive platform, take a boat tour or just relax inside the old hotel / restaurant. Several movies have been shot here including Tarzan and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Forgotten Coast- This might be the least touristed coast line in all of Florida. The stretch of highway from Panacea to Apalachicola is mostly inhabited by Oysterman and Fisherman. Along the this coastline you will find beaches, campgrounds and museums. My favorite town along this area is Carrabelle, the history museum was very interesting, you will also find a beach that is historically significant for training soldiers in preparation for "D day".

Sounds like some beautiful areas. I havent been to the Tallahassee area in over 25 years. Never did any touristy things there. My stepfather is from a little town called Quincy which is about 26 miles west of Tallahassee. He, my youngest son and myself were going to do a guys trip down to Quincy in October. But thats not going to happen anytime soon until theres some semblance of normalcy.

Wow! You got a connection to the Tally area, of course I am familiar with Quincy, the town made a fortune when a banker convinced many of the locals to invest in Coca-Cola well over a hundred years ago, today Quincy is a little run down and I really can't think of anything to do or see in Quincy, however a small hole in the wall called "Reynolds donuts" makes the best donuts in the area, seriously you got to stop there in the morning just once. Gadsden county (where Quincy is located) is also unique in a sense because of all of its old tobacco barns that are still standing after over a hundred years, I have not seen anything like it anywhere else in Florida. Tobacco was a big cash crop for them back in its day, Quincy and Gadsden county still does a lot of agriculture, being a huge grower of tomatoes.

I was born in Tallahassee and still live here, I sometimes take the touristy things to do here for granted as I done them several times in my life, but other people would probably like to do or see it. Of course the natural wonders is not limited to my small sample, some people would enjoy going to the "natural history museum", botanist would enjoy the Maclay gardens or rent a kayak on Wakulla or Wacissa rivers, travel 45 minutes west to Marianna and see the Florida Caverns state park.

Thats why I havent been there since 1990. Thats almost 30 years. Didnt realize it has been that long. The last time I was there was for my stepfathers, mothers funeral. My stepfather and I like to make fun of each others home town since Im from Sarasota. But Sarasota is a beautiful town, so there's not much he can say about Sarasota without conjuring something up, lol.

When I was a kid, we used to visit my step-grandmother and she lived in a house that had an outhouse on the back porch, AN ACTUAL OUTHOUSE!? It was on the back porch but you had to actually go outside to get to it. The outhouse overlooked a backyard that dropped about 20 feet and was surrounded by greenery. It looked like a scary forest. After listening to the adults share their old wives tales and having to go to the bathroom at night time in an OUTHOUSE when you're' a 9 year old city kid can be very traumatic.

Our goal in October was to visit relatives in Quincy and hangout in the area sightseeing and then go down to Sarasota for 3 days. Whenever I do get down there, I will definitely try Reynolds Donuts. My stepfather is 83 now and every time I take him to Florida, he tells me this will be his last year going down. He's been saying that for 6 years now.