My Tour of the Southeast

1. My Tour of the Southeast Fishing Boat Tour

2. Howdy, y’all! Welcome aboard my poling skiff! Because of the swamps and marshes here in the south, we sometimes have to use poles to move our boats. Get ready—we switch pole operators every hour. Your turn is coming up soon!

3. Everglades National Park, FLA • Only place in the U.S. where crocodiles can still be found! • More than 300 bird species live there • On the southern tip of Florida • Covers a million and a half acres (1,500,000 acres) • The Everglades are endangered because there is a water shortage, and if the water dries up, all the animals who have habitats there will be greatly affected.

4. Let’s get a little closer to some of those cool creatures! • The Everglades have tons of neat landforms and animals. Try one or more of these videos to learn more!

5. Thank goodness we escaped those alligators! I could see them eyeing me up for lunch! Let’s head off to somewhere a little less “bitey.”

6. The J.F.K. Space Center at Cape Canaveral, FLA • The space center is a NASA site. NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. • NASA was created in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower. • Take a tour of the space center. • Meet the astronauts who were in space recently.

7. I’m feeling a little “spaced out.” How about you? Lean back, relax, and try to catch some fish while we set out for Virginia.

8. Jamestown, Virginia • Founded in 1607 by 104 English men and boys • Jamestown existed before the Pilgrims arrived! • See a timeline of important events in Jamestown. • The Powhatan Indians lived around Jamestown and traded with the settlers. The Powhatans are Pocahontas’ tribe. • The Jamestown settlers had a rough time. They had brackish water and an unfamiliar climate. Also, there was an extended drought when they arrived. These problems led to much sickness and death. • Jamestown did survive to become the first permanent English settlement in the New World.

9. Jamestown, Virginia • Too bad the Jamestown settlers lived so long ago. It would be so neat to hear about their lives. • Wait! We do have some videos of people who played an important role in Jamestown’s creation! • Meet the people of Jamestown here!

10. I am so glad that I live in 2013 and not in 1607, aren’t you? I don’t think I would like to have a king. I definitely wouldn’t like not having electricity and a hot shower! • We have taken our boat as far as it can go. Hop aboard our bus, and we will take off for Appalachia!

11. Coal Mine in Appalachia • Appalachia is a part of the Appalachian Mountain range. It is the central and southern section. See the map below to see where Appalachia is. • Do we live in Appalachia?

12. Coal Mine in Appalachia • Mining coal is a tough job! See the page below to learn some facts about mining in Appalachia. Take a look at the pictures too. Would you like to work in a coal mine? • Perryopolis Mining • Coal mining is not healthy for the earth. This picture shows what the area looks like when the miners finish. What is unhealthy about this land?

13. After touring that mine, my lungs are feeling a little dusty. Let’s get some fresh air as we sail along on our riverboat. It will take us to Memphis, Tennessee—the home of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll! • Let’s get in the mood as we ride!

14. Memphis, Tennessee • City founded in 1819 by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson (president) • Named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River • Population: 670,100 • Largest city in Tennessee • 3rd largest city of the Southeast • 19th largest city in U.S.

15. Memphis’ Most Famous Resident • Graceland, Elvis Presley’s mansion, is in Memphis. • Take a tour of a few of his rooms here. Memphis’ Most Famous Assassination • Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel. • Tour the Memphis sites here.

16. On the boat again… • That Memphis sure is a hoppin’ place! I’m looking forward to kickin’ back and watching the sites as we float on down to New Orleans! • Rollin’ on the River

17. New Orleans: The French Quarter • Known as Vieux Carre’ (Old Square) because it was the first part of New Orleans to be settled • Founded in 1718 Jean-Baptiste le Moyne de Bienville

18. I’ve eaten here!

19. Jackson Square • One of the most famous sections of the French Quarter • Home to St. Louis Cathedral • So many weddings take place here that you have to book years in advance!

20. Le Café du Monde • The most famous café in New Orleans • Was the setting for a movie scene • Serves world famous beignets

21. Home of Mardi Gras • Learn all about Mardi Gras here. • Take a quick tour of the French Quarter’s highlights here.

22. That French Quarter is a wild place! I’m exhausted! I think I’ll take a little nap as we sail out to the Gulf of Mexico. Wake me up when we get there! ZZZzzzz

23. Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico • Ok, ok, I’m awake! Are we there yet? Holy mackerel, that ship is sinking! Oh, I mean, look at that cool oil rig!

24. Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico • An oil rig is used to house workers and machinery for drilling wells in the ocean floor, extracting oil and/or natural gas, processing the produced fluids, and shipping or piping them to shore. • Sometimes rigs are hooked to the ocean floor and sometimes they float. • Chevron Corporation and ExxonMobil Corporation both have rigs off the coast of Louisiana.

25. Take a tour of a rig here. These are all the active oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

26. Boy, I’m glad that I don’t have to live on a rig! I’m a landlubber for sure! I would be so seasick. This next place is more my style. Wait til you see!

27. Historic Latta Plantation • Cotton plantation in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina • James Latta bought the land with a log cabin on it in 1799. • In 1800, Latta built the mansion that is still there now. • After purchasing lots more land around his, Latta ended up with about 700 acres that were mostly cotton fields.

28. Historic Latta Plantation • Latta owned 2 slaves in 1800. • By the time his plantation was in full swing, he owned 23 adult slaves and 11 child slaves. • Also on his property, Latta grew the crops and raised the livestock that kept the plantation eating and functioning. • Latta had a mill and a quarry on his property. • Latta died in 1837 when he was 82. His widow kept the plantation running for 7 more years. • Take a tour here.

29. That plantation looks like a lot of work! Our tour is almost finished. We have one last stop! Listen to this songfor a clue to where we’re headed.

30. Montgomery, Alabama • The capital city of Alabama • 2nd most populous city in Alabama, 4th in the Southeast • 2 towns joined to become Montgomery in 1819 • Became Alabama’s capital in 1846 • Spent 3 months in 1861 as the capital of the Confederate States

31. Montgomery and the Civil Rights Movement • Montgomery Bus Boycott took place here in 1955. • Started to oppose racial segregation on buses • Boycott started with Rosa Parks (see book) • Martin Luther King, Jr. also took part in this protest. • The boycott was a success! The court ruled that racial segregation was unconstitutional. This is the bus that Rosa Parks was riding when she refused to give up her seat.

32. Montgomery, Alabama • See pictures of the history of Montgomery here. • Be a tourist and watch the tourist video!

33. Well, that’s the end of our tour. I hope y’all enjoyed our trip! Come back again for our next excursion—to the Midwest. We’ll gallop our way around the middle of the country. Nice meetin’ ya!