Exploring by train
The Lewis and Clark Explorer Train starts running again May 28, connecting Portland, Ore., to the historic Astoria-Warrenton region in northwest Oregon after a successful season last summer carrying travelers along the south shore of the Columbia River, through nature preserves and passing by the Lewis and Clark trail.
The train will run through Sept. 20. Tickets are available through Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL or www.amtrak.com.
The debut of the line in 2003 was the first time since 1952 that a train had carried passengers along that route.
Once you’re in the area, use the “Explorer Shuttle” bus to travel between historic sites such as Ft. Clatsop, which is a replica of Lewis and Clark’s winter outpost, to Ft. Canby in Ilwaco, Wash.; Ft. Stevens in Warrenton, and Seaside, Ore., where the Lewis and Clark salt mines are located. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/focl.
For help in planning your visit, contact the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce at 800-875-6807 or check out www.oldoregon.com.
Charleston home tours
For decades, tours of homes and gardens have been a spring tradition in the South. As the flowers begin to bloom, a number of historic houses and private gardens will be open to visitors in Charleston, S.C., during the 57th Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens, March 18 through April 17.
Interiors and gardens of approximately 150 historic private houses in the city’s Colonial and antebellum neighborhoods will be featured. Sponsored by the Historic Charleston Foundation, the program offers self-guided walking tours to visit private gardens and homes, landmark churches and public buildings in different neighborhoods.
Tickets to the house and garden tours are $45. Guided morning orientation tours of Charleston are offered Monday through Saturday and cost $15.
For more details, call 843-722-3405 or see www.historiccharleston.org.
Koalas out of control
Kangaroo Island, a popular place for viewing koalas off the coast of South Australia, is suffering from too large a load of the cute, cuddly creatures.
The koalas, which were introduced to the island 100 years ago, are breeding out of control and decimating the native eucalyptus trees, their only food source.
Naturalists warn that the trees are dying and the koalas could face starvation if not culled, but authorities are afraid to thin the population because of an expected backlash from tourists and animal-rights activists. Attempts to control the population through sterilization and moving animals off the island have failed. Still, it is one of the best places to see koalas, and tourists flock there.
