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Travel Matters | by Stephen & Andie
  • Culture

Nina Simone: Honoring A Legend

March 17, 2021 4

Let’s talk Nina Simone. If you’re a music fan, you’ve probably heard her name and the song “Feeling Good,” and perhaps you have an idea of what she’s all about musically and socially. 

two people sitting on the front steps of Nina Simone's childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina

©Stephen & Andie

Our recent relocation from Los Angeles to North Carolina led to our discovery that the town Nina was born in is just thirty miles away, in Tryon. We also found out her childhood home is still there. The house had only recently been designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It had been spared demolition (yet again) by four New York artists, who purchased it with the intent of restoring and preserving it forever, in her honor. 

All of this, in addition to watching the movie “What Happened, Miss Simone?” brought us to the realization – we’ve gotta make a day trip to Tryon! We did just that, and it was a wonderful day. Surprisingly, we were able to freely walk right up onto the porch of the house, look in the windows, and even sit on the stoop for a few minutes to do some vlogging. We also explored historic downtown Tryon just a mile away, where Nina Simone Plaza has been permanently honoring her legacy since 2010. You can see our day in Tryon here!

The Legend 

Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist. And she was all of these things at the highest level. A classically trained pianist at her core, her music spanned a wide range of styles including R&B, jazz, gospel, blues, pop, folk, and of course, classical.

Childhood – Eunice Waymon

the address plate at the childhood home of Nina Simone reads the number 30 and "Eunice Waymon Birthplace"

©Stephen & Andie

Born Eunice Waymon in 1933, she began playing piano at around three or four years old. Her mother began bringing her to church where she started playing piano and organ there. It was there at church that a woman discovered her and  began classically training her once a week. 

Eunice grew up in the 1930s in the segregated South. Train tracks divide the town and run alongside the main street. These were the same tracks that she had to cross as a child to get from her home on “the black side of town” to get to her piano teacher’s home on “the white side of town.” 

She gave her first classical concert recital at the age of twelve, where her parents were asked to move from the front row to the back, due to segregation. The constant awareness of the color of her skin, and how it caused her to be treated differently shaped her as she grew, and would ultimately lead to her activism in the 1960s and throughout her life. 

Becoming Nina Simone

Eunice adopted the name Nina Simone in the 1950s, while playing in nightclubs to continue to fund her music education. She changed her name to stay under the radar, knowing her mother wouldn’t approve of her “playing the devil’s music” in nightclubs.

The Activist

As she rose to popularity moving into the1960s, she became more involved in Civil Rights activism. She became close with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, whom she eventually lived next door to. Nina performed and spoke at civil rights meetings, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches. Over time, the music industry began shying away from booking and promoting Miss Simone, due to the controversial nature of her activism. 

Musical Career

Nina Simone Plaza in Tryon, North Carolina

©Stephen & Andie

Nevertheless, Nina recorded forty albums between 1958-1974. During the 1980s she performed regularly in London. By this time, she was moving around and living just about everywhere – Liberia, Switzerland, Barbados, and eventually, Paris. She would live out the rest of her life in France until she passed away in 2003. Such notables as Patti LaBelle and hundreds of others attended the funeral. 

Influence Of Nina Simone

Her influence has been cited by the likes of Elton John, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, and again – hundreds of others. Simone’s music has been featured in numerous commercials, soundtracks, video games, and TV series, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Miss Nina Simone is equally as important socially as she is musically, and we only hope that we have encouraged you to explore her life’s contributions.


For more things to do in Western North Carolina, click these links:

  • A Perfect Day In Downtown Asheville
  • 3 Easy North Carolina Waterfall Hikes To Do With Dogs Near Asheville

And for an easy road trip just a bit more west, there are plenty of things to do in Chattanooga!

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Tags:musicNorth AmericaNorth CarolinaUnited Statesvideos
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4 Comments

  1. A Perfect Day In Downtown Asheville, NC says:
    March 30, 2021 at 3:59 pm Reply

    […] for another great day-trip in Western North Carolina? Consider Tryon, which happens to be the birthplace of Nina […]

  2. Mississippi Delta: The Birthplace Of The Blues says:
    May 18, 2021 at 9:06 am Reply

    […] you’re as big a music fan as we are, you might be interested our post on Nina Simone. The blues can definitely be heard in her music, […]

  3. Record Store Day: Shop Local While Traveling says:
    August 21, 2021 at 4:53 pm Reply

    […] of our personal favorite things are travel and music, and we think Record Store Day is a great inspiration for combining both, while encouraging […]

  4. Motown Records: a Must-See For Music Lovers! - Travel Matters says:
    April 11, 2022 at 3:09 pm Reply

    […] Nina Simone: Honoring A Legend […]

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Today we explore the Amazon jungle by night. Our flashlights reveal plenty of creepy crawlies, including unusual insects, cute frogs, a variety of spiders – including a bizarre one that looked like a robot, and Andie got her wish when we saw not one, but two tarantulas! Stephen was relieved to not run into any snakes, but later that night he was jolted awake by an an uninvited “guest” in our bed!

Only 2% of the #Amazon Jungle is in Ecuador, and part of that is in the #Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, which is where we visited during our Ecuador trip. It was our first visit to the world's largest rainforest, and we already can't wait to go back and see more!

This is the sixth video in our first-ever international series! Quito, Ecuador was the first international trip we took together back in 2011. Eleven years later, it’s where we filmed our first international series and first drone footage for our channel! 

We spent two weeks in Ecuador this time, including Quito, day-trips to Mindo and Cotopaxi National Park, the Amazon, and one of our top-3 bucket list destinations: the Galápagos Islands! 

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📍LOCATION: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador, South America

✦ PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG: 

Cuyabeno Dolphin Lodge
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THE JUNGLE at NIGHT | Ecuador Travel Vlog | Ecuador Series, ep. 6
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TRAVEL, FOOD, CULTURE, CLIMATE
Follow Our Mission to See ALL 50 STATES! 🇺🇸 🚐

Stephen & Andie | Travel Stuff
Oregon’s got #mood for days! Oregon is state no Oregon’s got #mood for days!

Oregon is state no. 22 in our mission to see ALL 50 STATES (plus DC & Puerto Rico)! Our first sleep and first morning of #vanlife was in Astoria, then we headed to Cannon Beach and were bowled over by the foggy views of majestic Haystack Rock. 

👉 LINK IN BIO 👈 to see more of the beautiful Oregon coast in our latest vlog, “First Night In Our Van!”

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#traveloregon #cannonbeach #oregoncoast #cannonbeachoregon #oregon #haystackrock #travelmatters #all50states #vanlife
We fell in love with Oregon! Swipe 👉 to see why We fell in love with Oregon! Swipe 👉 to see why!

After buying our Sprinter in Portland we headed for the Oregon coast to spend our first night in her in Astoria. The next day we explored town and also made our way to Cannon Beach. Both were nothing short of stunning! Our drives through the state just got more and more beautiful and we couldn’t stop thinking how grateful and excited we are to be new #vanlifers. 

This is going to be an amazing year!

📷 Our first coffee on our first morning after our first night sleeping in our campervan. 📍Astoria.

📷 Isn’t she lovely? 😍 That’s Haystack Rock behind Andie. You might recognize it from movies like Point Break and GOONIES! 📍Cannon Beach.

📷 Having too much fun watching a pile of giant sea lions sleeping peacefully. 📍Astoria

📷 Loving our lives! 📍 Cannon Beach

👉 Link in bio 👈 to see all of this and more in our latest vlog “First Night In Our Van!”

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#oregon #oregoncoast #astoria #cannonbeach #haystackrock #lewisandclarkrvpark #vanlife #sprintervan #sprintervanlife #all50states
Hello #vanlife! 🚐 We’re so excited to finally Hello #vanlife! 🚐 We’re so excited to finally share this news with you – we bought a camper van! *Join us at 12:15pm EST today (Monday)* for a live chat during the Premiere of our new vlog, where we spill the tea.

After months of behind the scenes planning and hunting, we settled on this beauty at the end of October: a 170” wheelbase, high top Sprinter, located in Portland, OR. In this video we fly to the Pacific Northwest to make the purchase and begin our two and a half week, cross-country journey from Portland back to North Carolina. But not before grabbing a rainy day lunch at one of Portland’s food cart havens – Cartlandia. Some hot grits from Grits Gone Wild warm us up to send us on our first outing in our new home on wheels.

We couldn’t be more excited, and this trip already kicks off our mission to see all 50 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico!). You’ll be seeing this cross-country trip, plus another month-long run in her over the holidays –  all in our upcoming vlogs!

Now — any guesses what we named her? 
Hint: any fans of the movie Role Models? 😜

PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG:

@gritsgonewildpnw 

#cartlandia

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#sprinter #sprintervan #sprinter2500 #campervan #vantravel  #vanlifers #roadtrip #roadtrippers #travelmatters #travelvloggers #UStravel #USAtravel #youtubers #DIY #Ace #kissmyvanthia #vanlifeusa
$150 train ticket from New York to… New York? $150 train ticket from New York to… New York? 

We REALLY loved our first time doing some train travel in the U.S. together! We rode the Hudson River Rail aboard the 20th Century Limited – the last two remaining, fully restored, 1940s train cars from what was “The Most Famous Train In the World” in its day. 

Our journey took us from Penn Station in Manhattan up to Albany and back. 

Sit back and enjoy the views! 👉 Link in bio 👈 to see the vlog!

📷 1: on the platform in Albany

📷 2: Penn Station, NYC

🎥 3: enjoying the VIP lounge at Penn Station pre-boarding

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#newyork #traintravel #hudsonriverrail #20thcenturylimited #1940s #vintagetrain #hudsonriver #travelmatters #travelvloggers #youtubers
California sunsets just hit different. 🌅 We we California sunsets just hit different. 🌅

We were Angelenos for literal decades and we still can’t believe how many iconic places in California we took for granted and never visited! Morro Bay is just one of them, and we’re SO STOKED that a recent cross-country road trip (big announcement on that front soon!) took us right past the area. Naturally, we looked at each other, said “Morro Bay?,” and turned the 🚐 around to head back just in time for a gorgeous sunset. 

Now we’re even more determined to hit all the spots that we took for granted and we’ll always find excuses to make our way back through Cali! Yosemite, Redwoods, Death Valley – we’re talking to you! 

What other spots do we need to hit? Shout ‘em out in the comments!

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#morrobay #sunset #centralcoast #SLO  #SanLuisObispo #california #southerncalifornia #daytrip #roadtrip #californialandmarks
We saw ALL THE MANATEES today! This was our second We saw ALL THE MANATEES today!
This was our second attempt at @bluespringstatepark within a couple weeks. We saw zero manatees the first time, and committed to returning after spending some time in Southern Florida. Turns out, we happened upon some manatees in the marina @evergladesnps, but the water was so murky we could only see parts of them… if they surfaced. 

Today was the day we got to return to Blue Spring. The weather was much cooler this time (great conditions for spotting manatees in the springs), and when we pulled up to the entrance, the sign read “MANATEE COUNT *288*” For context, there was no count on the sign for our previous visit, so… YAY! 

Can’t say exactly what OUR manatee count was, but we easily saw dozens in a short amount of time – from adorable little babies to giants! The water was crystal clear. It was so serene – watching them graciously glide through, only occasionally making a splash. Hearing that beautiful sound when they surfaced for air. Today was an AWESOME day, and we’re so thankful that we had the flexibility to come back and spend some quality time with these beautiful, unique creatures. 🥰

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#manatees #bluespringstatepark #centralflorida #orlando #florida #therealflorida #wildlife #statepark #bluespring #bluesprings #manateestatepark #bluespringmanatees #travelmatters #travelvloggers
Is this seat taken? Nothing says “classic New J Is this seat taken? 
Nothing says “classic New Jersey” like Asbury Park! We visited the boardwalk for the first time this summer as part of our DIY food tour of New Jersey. 

A killer coffee roastery? ✅
Cereal pancakes? ✅
Disco fries? ✅
$27 milkshake??? ✅

LINK IN BIO to see all that, plus a unique Jersey twist on “the slushee” in our latest vlog, now live on YouTube! 

This is state #20 in our mission to visit all 50 states (plus DC & Puerto Rico) - join our adventures! 

PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG:
@buddysjc
@roastd.coffee
@thetopsdiner
@coneywaffleasburypark

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#newjersey #asburypark #newjerseyfood #foodtour #jerseycity #fortlee #jerseyshore #travelvlog #travelmatters
As you set your goals for 2023, don’t be afraid As you set your goals for 2023, don’t be afraid to be the orange fish. If an idea or dream scares you or feels too different, it’s probably the one you should go for!

We spotted these guys while snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands. See the full vlogs on our YouTube channel. LINK IN BIO!

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#fish #schooloffish #galapagos #galapagosislands #ecuador #travelmatters #travelvloggers #wildlife #conservation #underwatervideo #snorkeling🐠 
#newyeargoals #lifegoals
We saw so much cool wildlife in the Galapagos! See We saw so much cool wildlife in the Galapagos! See the full vlogs on our YouTube channel. LINK IN BIO!

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#galapagos #galapagosislands #ecuador #travelmatters #travelvloggers #wildlife #conservation #sealion #bluefootedbooby #tortoise #frigate #iguana #crab #fish
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