Gettysburg, ghosts and lots of fiddling

I have always wanted to visit Gettysburg and it was a great historical destination. Or first stop on our trip south of the border was to the Ohio State Reformatory. If you believe in ghosts, it is supposedly one of the most haunted places in Ohio. The filming location for the Shawshank Redemption and other movies, this museum is fascinating.

The escape hole Hollywood prop for the movie

Next we went south of the Mason Dixon line and stayed at this lovely in run by a Mennonite family.

Each room is furnished with antiques

An ancient stone bridge is walking distance to the historic inn

In Phenoxville, outside Philadelphia, there is a lovely pub where you can listen to traditional music every Sunday afternoon. It is so nice to have a harp at a session.

The famous Liberty Bell.

Lunch was in a historic City Tavern

After touring the sites of Old Philadelphia we went to Media for another session at the Sligo pub.

Great tunes and great Guiness at this charming pub; session is every Monday.

On Thursday, in Reading Pennsylvania there is a weekly session on Thursdays.

The Reading traditional musicians.

Hershey is an interesting place to visit. You can taste the different choclates of the world and learn about chocolate making.

Mr. Hershey was a kind man who treated his employees like family.

On to Gettysburg, our first restaurant was a Mexican place in town. The food was generous; and the price quite affordable!

The largest memorial at Gettysburg; ; there are hundreds of memorials on the battleground and throughout the town.

Dobbins pub; try the french onion soup there.; it is the best I've every had. The wait staff wear period costumes.

Ghost walk tour guides; dressed i civil war era garb.

Another historic pub is the Farnsworth House Inn, behind the pub is a civil war camp where young people can experience how it was like during the conflict.

Many Irish fought in the war and there are numerous memorials with a shamrock symbol.

GarryOwen is a famous civil war tune and the name of the town [pub which has Sunday sessions twice a month.

This clever adaption makes a bodhran sound like a snare drum.

We loved our time in Gettysburg. Our next session was in Maine, our second time in Bangor this year.

We stayed in the Brady suite at the Bangor hotel. The room even had a Tommy gun on the wall!

The gang was captured by the FBI in Bangor.

The windows of our room overlooked the pub across the road. They have a lovely session every Tuesday at Paddy Murphy's.

We returned to Halifax in time to go to the weekly session at the Lion's Head Pub.

What a treat to see Ashley and Wendy MacIsaac in Halifax the following Saturday. Shane MacDougall hosts these events often in HRM.

Sunday. tunes and Irish dance at the Old Triangle...

And more tunes at Durty Nellies!

We stopped in Old Quebec on our way back to Ontario. We stayed two nights. The Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens..is delightful.

We had the lunch special...soup, bread, wine, main course dessert...under 25$!

An old fiddle adorns the historic restaurant wall.

Every Monday night Murphy's pub in Old Quebec has a traditional session.

Irish and French Canadian tunes performed by friendly welcoming people.

Just outside the city walls of Old Quebec (pictured) is the Pub Nelligans. Every Tuesday they host a lively session.

If you are a traditional player driving to Nova Scotia (or from Nova Scotia)....stopping Monday and Tuesday overnight in Old Quebec rewarded with the cobbled streets steeped i history....and each night you can go to a session!