Photo Historic Travels

Category: From The Archives

Posts of vacations from the past, that will provide more photographs than information.

  • Should You Visit VA’s or NC’s Great Dismal Swamp

    Should You Visit VA’s or NC’s Great Dismal Swamp

    Once upon a time, the Great Dismal Swamp used to be 1.28 million acres. Over time the swamp shrank due to deforestation and agricultural development, and now the swamp is a third of its original size. Today, Virginia and North Carolina split the remaining portions of the Great Dismal Swamp. The federal government administers the Virginia side as a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), while the state government administers the North Carolina side as a State Park. Keep reading to see how the two Great Dismal Swamp Parks compare and which one I preferred.

    4–6 minutes

    History of the Great Dismal Swamp

    Sign saying Reflection Pier, with text and picture showing how the Great Dismal Swamp shrank over time.
    Historic and Current Range of the Dismal Swamp

    Before the in-depth analysis of the two parks, we should look at their shared histories. The early settlers disparaged the swamps and did not explore the Great Dismal Swamp until the 18th century. The Dismal Swamp Canal, built by enslaved labor, is the oldest artificial waterway in the country. Many self-emancipated African Americas developed settlements deep within the swamps called maroon colonies. These maroons survived in the hot, buggy, densely forested land confident that no one would discover them. Later on, the Great Dismal Swamp became a center of illicit moonshine production during Prohibition.

    Great Dismal Swamp NWR, Virginia

    Interior Ditch Gravel Road leading to Lake Drummond
    This is What You’ll Be Driving On For Most of the Great Dismal Swamp NWR

    The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is massive, taking up much of the remaining Swamp. I only went to one section of the Park (Interior Ditch); besides trails, there’s a small pavilion discussing the Underground Railroad. I only scratched the surface of what you could see in the Park.

    Path Leading To Underground Railroad Pavilion at Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
    Underground Railroad Pavilion at Great Dismal Swamp NWR.

    Lake Drummond, one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, is the highlight of the Great Dismal Swamp NWR. The waters of Lake Drummond are so black that on windless days it becomes a mirror. But even with choppy waters, the sight of trees growing in the vast expanse of blackness creates an otherworldly experience.

    Lake Drummond with Reflection Pier on left.
    Reflection of Bald Cyprus on Lake Drummond.
    Lake Drummond at Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
    Plants on Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
    Plants growing around Interior Ditch Road.
    Plants growing around Interior Ditch Road.
    Plants completely covering footbridge, Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
    Plants growing in Swamp.
    Plants around reflective water of swamp.
    Plants around reflective water of swamp.
    Close up of plants around reflective water of swamp.
    Forest, Road, and Ditch at the Great Dismal Swamp NWR.

    Dismal Swamp State Park, North Carolina

    The Dismal Swamp State Park takes up a smaller portion of the remaining Swamp. The North Carolina State Parks main attraction (besides the Canal) is the Swamp Boardwalk, which lets visitors immerse themselves deep into the woods. The rest of the Park consists of trails in more conventional woods, but a replica flat-bottomed boat and moonshine distillery can be found.

    Reflection of Dismal Swamp State Park Visitor Center on Canal.
    Dismal Swamp Canal with Trees and Walkway.
    Reflection of Trees in Dismal Swamp Canal.
    Foliage with Dismal Swamp Canal in Background.
    Foliage with Dismal Swamp Canal in Background.
    Entrance to Swamp Boardwalk, Dismal Swamp State Park.
    Trees in Swamp Boardwalk, Dismal Swamp State Park.
    Foliage with reflective pond in Background.
    Replica Moonshine Distillery, Dismal Swamp State Park.
    Replica Moonshine Distillery
    Unknown Imploded Metal Drum in Forest.
    Unknown Metal Drum
    Replica Flat-Bottomed Boat, Dismal Swamp State Park.
    Replica Flat Bottomed Boat
    Replica Flat-Bottomed Boat, Dismal Swamp State Park.
    Replica Flat Bottomed Boat
    Plymouth Gasoline Locomotive outside Dismal Swamp State Park.
    A Locomotive Used For Hauling Timber

    The Dismal Swamp State Parks closes at 5:30 in the summer and they mean it. When I returned to the entrance at around 5:10, they had closed the gate allowing cars to go through the drawbridge. I noticed that by 5:27 the gates to the parking lot were already locked and the drawbridge pulled up for boats traversing the canal. Luckily, next door to the park is a North Carolina Visitor Center, where you can use the restroom and grab a drink from the vending machine.

    Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp

    Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp.

    The Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp is located in Chesapeake Virginia. The Historical Village acts a visitor center, with a small exhibit about the history and nature of the Great Dismal Swamp. Although geographically near Lake Drummond, the Historical Village is actually a closer drive to North Carolina’s State Park than to Virginia’s NWR. The Historical Village was brand new when I went there, so if you don’t see it on Google Maps, type this address instead: 5221 Glencoe Street Chesapeake, VA 23322.

    Replica of Maroon House with Visitor Center in Background.
    Covered Walkway Memorizing Underground Railroad at the Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp.
    Bridge Reflected on Pond at Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp.
    Plants in reflective pond at Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp.
    Waterlilies on Dismal Swamp Canal with reflection of trees.
    Ruins of Superintendent's House on the Dismal Swamp Canal.
    Cornland School at the Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp.

    Located at the Historical Village is the Cornland School, a one room schoolhouse built in 1902. It served as the school for the African American students of the area. The school had no electricity or running water, and the teacher was expected to make lunch for the students. The schoolhouse fell into disuse after the early 1950s, but was saved and restored to its original appearance.

    Which Park Do I Recommend?

    I much prefer the Great Dismal Swamp NWR in Virginia due primarily to Lake Drummond’s rare beauty. By contrast, the Dismal Swamp State Park in North Carolina lack any truly unique features would draw me back to the Park. Nevertheless, both parks had their pros and cons, which I will list below.

    Go to Great Dismal Swamp NWR if…

    • Visiting from Hampton Roads.
    • Have (or need) more time to explore.
    • Want to see more nature.

    Go to Dismal Swamp State Park if…

    • Visiting from the Outer Banks
    • Have limited time.
    • Want to see more history.

    You could compare the two some more with my companion video about the two Great Dismal Swamp Parks. If you enjoyed it, please like and subscribe, and let me know if you like the video color corrected or if I should try to give my videos a more natural look.

    BONUS: Great Dismal Swamp NWR in 2018

    I previously went to the Great Dismal Swamp NWR back in 2018 and took some photos. Enjoy these never-before-seen images of the Park. You can see the mirror-like reflections of Lake Drummond more clearly in these images.

    First Lake Drummond…

    Lake Drummond with Trees and Reflection of Clouds.
    Reflection of Reflection Pier at Lake Drummond.
    Reflection of Trees and Clouds on Lake Drummond.
    Reflection of Tree and Clouds in Lake Drummond.
    Grass growing in Lake Drummond surrounded by reflection of Clouds.
    Reflection of Clouds on Lake Drummond.
    Ripples on Lake Drummond.
    Reflection of Sunlight in Clouds in Lake Drummond.

    Now the wooded swamp…

    Tall grass growing in Dismal Swamp Ditch.
    Ditch and Trees at the Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
    Forest and Brackish Water in the Great Dismal Swamp.
    Foliage and Brackish Water at Great Dismal Swamp.
    Brackish Canal at Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
    Trees growing in Brackish Water.
    Close up of Brackish Water.

    And finally some animals…

    Lizard on boardwalk in Great Dismal Swamp Forest.
    Two Butterflies on a Gravel Road, Interior Ditch.
  • EPCOT Through an Artistic Lens: A Different Perspective

    EPCOT Through an Artistic Lens: A Different Perspective

    Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

    Here is my follow up to the blog post about my trip to Downtown Orlando. My Dad and I chose EPCOT because my Dad wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. EPCOT is my favorite Disney Park because it played a huge role in my interest in geography and travel. Keep reading to learn about my ranking of the World Showcase Pavilions.

    Table of contents

    Future World

    Obviously, when you first arrive at EPCOT, you enter through Future World (now known as World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature). From my last trip to Disney World, I came to the conclusion that most of the rides in this section of the park are pretty boring. Still, I rode on Test Track, watched a couple of animated shorts at the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, and tried some sodas from around the world at Club Cool. My father and sister enjoyed Cosmic Rewind, but told me to give a warning about long lines.

    Dreamer's Point with Spaceship Earth in Background.
    Dreamer's Point with American Adventure Pavilion in Background.
    EPCOT Lake with Journey Into Imagination with Figment in Background.
    EPCOT Lake with Spaceship Earth in Background.
    EPCOT Lake with Spaceship Earth in Background.

    World Showcase

    But let’s turn now to the true focus of this blog post-the World Showcase. I recommend exploring the World Showcase when EPCOT opens to beat the afternoon crowds.

    EPCOT Lake with Spaceship Earth and World Showcase in Background.
    Body of Water in Epcot with Morocco Pavilion in Background.
    Body of Water in Epcot with Lamppost in Foreground and Morocco Pavilion in Background.

    Morocco Pavilion

    Morocco turned out to be my favorite pavilion with its impressive detail and lots of twists and turns that I enjoyed exploring. It made me seriously consider putting Morocco on my bucket list.

    If you want to cool off in the middle of a hot Florida afternoon, I recommend Spice Road Table, as the covered patio is freezing and has hurricane force winds constantly blowing. I tried the Chicken Bastilla, a bizarre dish which is essentially a savory baklava (including an omelet that’s not mentioned) that is covered in powdered sugar.

    Morocco Pavilion at Epcot.
    Morocco Pavilion at Epcot.
    Arch at Morocco Pavilion at Epcot.
    Covered Courtyard at Morocco Pavilion at Epcot.
    Riad in Morocco Pavilion at Epcot.
    Interior at Morocco Pavilion at Epcot.

    China Pavilion

    China came in as my second favorite pavilion. Although the 360-degree movie showed its age, I loved seeing the amount of detail in the Temple of Heaven replica.

    China Pavilion at Epcot with Dragon Statue in Pond.
    China Pavilion in Epcot
    Reflections of China in EPCOT.
    Nighttime view of China Pavilion in EPCOT.
    Nighttime view of China Pavilion in EPCOT with Lanterns in Foreground.
    Celing of Reflections of China at EPCOT.

    Canada Pavilion

    Canada comes in 3rd place; I really enjoyed exploring the manufactured nature. There was much of the pavilion that I had no memory of seeing before, so it was fun discovering new things.

    For dinner, we ate at Le Cellier, which has amazing steaks and cheddar cheese soup. Our reservation was close to closing time, so we ended up closing the park. Our waitress came from Canada, and we learned from her that international employees are contracted to work at the Disney Parks for a year.

    Canada Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Canada Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Fake Canyon and River in Canada Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Rabbits and Plants in Canada Pavilion at EPCOT.

    Japan Pavilion

    Japan came in as my number 4 favorite pavilion. I have always been interested in Japan so it would always rank high. They have the most food related shopping, which I can appreciate. My sister recommends the sushi.

    Japan Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Japan Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Japan Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Shishi-Odoshi Garden at Japan Pavilion in EPCOT.
    Shishi-Odoshi Garden at Japan Pavilion in EPCOT.

    United Kingdom Pavilion

    In No.5 is the United Kingdom Pavilion. I enjoyed wandering around the back courtyard area, which I also had zero memory of seeing before this trip.

    United Kingdom Pavilion at EPCOT.
    United Kingdom Pavilion at EPCOT.
    English Tea Garden in United Kingdom Pavilion at EPCOT with Trellis in Foreground.

    The Other Pavilions

    The final pavilion rankings are as follows: Mexico, France, Norway & Germany (tied), and Italy. Mexico’s indoor pavilion makes it unique; by contrast, Italy doesn’t have much going for it and it only sold high-end goods. While in France, be prepared to wait in line at Les Halles for good pastries and bread.

    Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT with Silk Floss Tree in Foreground.
    Fountain in France Pavilion at EPCOT with Remy's Ratatouille Adventure in Background.
    Stained Glass Window on ceiling in France Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Norway Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Germany Pavilion at EPCOT.
    Italy Pavilion at Epcot.
    Close up of Building in Italy Pavilion at EPCOT.

    The American Adventure pavilion is hard to rank. From a photographic point of view, the pavilion is in last place because it’s only one building. However, The American Adventure attraction makes it one of the top pavilions in EPCOT. After many vacations of passing it by, I finally managed to actually get inside and experience it for myself. It’s a marvel how they managed to fit all the various aminatronics and set pieces on that stage.

    Conclusion

    I’ve always enjoyed the World Showcase because it’s a fun way to experience different cultures. I experienced different cultures by going through the many different pavilions buying different candies and chips. I also enjoyed focusing less on doing all the rides and attractions and instead allowing myself time to see places I’ve never been to before. So next time you are at EPCOT (or another theme park) consider taking time to look at it from a different perspective-you might like what you see.