The Group Travel Leader January 2018

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table ofCONTENTS VOL 28 | ISSUE 1

T R AV E L S O U T H

6 EDITOR’S MARKS

TO U R P L A N N E R

14 C H A N G I N G H O R I Z O N S

MUSIC STORIES

NEWS

SPRING

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O N THE COVE R

The saguaro cactus is an icon of Tucson, Arizona.

By Frank Krahmer

A CAPITAL

FEATURES

R E S TA U R A N T I C O N S

L I F E O N T H E WAT E R

FA M OUS FACES

S OU THE R N FAR MS

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Going Green CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY IN THESE 10 AMERICAN CITIES

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Trip Discover highlights in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

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FESTIVALS

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MAC T. LACY CHARLES A. PRESLEY BRIAN JEWELL HERBERT SPARROW DONIA SIMMONS DAVID BROWN

Founder and Publisher Partner Executive Editor Senior Writer Creative Director Art Director

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ELIZA MYERS CHRISTINE CLOUGH SAVANNAH OSBOURN ASHLEY RICKS KELLY TYNER STACEY BOWMAN

Online Editor Copy Editor Staff Writer Circulation Manager Director of Sales & Marketing Advertising Sales Director

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The GROUP TRAVEL LEADER is published ten times a year by THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Inc., 301 East High St., Lexington, Kentucky 40507, and is distributed free of charge to qualified group leaders who plan travel for groups of all ages and sizes. THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER serves as the official magazine of GROUP TRAVEL FAMILY, the organization for traveling groups. All other travel suppliers, including tour operators, destinations, attractions, transportation companies, hotels, restaurants and other travelrelated companies may subscribe to THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER by sending a check for $59 for one year to: THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Circulation Department, 301 East High St., Lexington, KY 40507. Phone (859) 253-0455 or (859) 253-0503. Copyright THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of editorial or graphic content in any manner without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited.

S THE LOCAL FLAVOR YOU’VE BEEN CRAVING Minutes from downtown Columbus & The Ohio State University

Sample Grandview’s eclectic mix of restaurants & breweries on a guided food or brew tour.

Create your own custom candle, learn about the art of aromatherapy & soapmaking, or try your hand at metal stamping in a working jewelry studio.

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Peruse Grandview Avenue and West 5th Avenue where you will find shops not found anywhere in the Midwest.

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EDITOR’S T HE

I

t’s hard to believe that a gallon of gasoline once cost $4.

It was the summer of 2008. Fuel prices had been climbing steadily for about five years, and nobody knew where they would stop.

We watched as the average price of fuel broke the $3 mark, then $4. For all we knew, those prices would continue to rise. Then, the Great Recession hit.

Since 2007, financial experts had been warning that there was a problem in the American economy. In 2008, their warnings grew louder, until, in the fall of that year, we witnessed giant investment banks collapsing and the stock market losing trillions of dollars in value. The financial crisis that got underway in 2008 reached into virtually every area of the economy at home and abroad, causing a steep decline in real estate values — and the price of fuel.

A lot of people took a financial hit during that time, from powerful mortgage company executives to small-business owners and even everyday investors and homeowners. If you were among those who suffered, the sting of the Great Recession probably lasted much longer than the recession itself.

High gas prices and plunging home values weren’t the only things making news in 2008, though. On the entertainment front, a nationwide strike by television and movie writers left the country with no new programming to watch for months. Fortunately, that

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BY B R I A N J E W E L L

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strike ended in a new agreement for the writers guild but not before many TV and film projects were shelved or scrapped altogether.

That’s not to say the entertainment year was a total bust. Several highgrossing movies from 2008 set up film franchises that are still popular today. Blockbusters that year included “The Dark Knight,” the second of a three-part Batman reboot series; “Twilight,” which kicked off a years-long vampire-fiction frenzy; and “Iron Man,” which spawned two sequels and numerous spin-offs.

For many people, though, the most memorable part of 2008 was the meteoric rise of Barack Obama from a junior senator to president of the United States. Obama broke the color barrier in the White House and is largely credited with galvanizing the millennial generation into political action.

Of course, a lot has changed in the 10 years since 2008. The stock market recently hit an all-time high. The rapid growth of broadband internet, streaming video services and cord-cutting households has fundamentally shifted the entertainment environment. And the man who occupies the White House today is the opposite of his predecessor in virtually every way.

The world is a different place now than it was 10 years ago, and that has implications for the way you do business. Your travelers aren’t the same people they were in 2008, and you’re not the same person either.

If you’ve been in this business for a while, especially for more than a decade, it can be easy to settle into habits you developed long ago. But if the way you plan, advertise and operate your trips hasn’t evolved since 2008, you risk becoming irrelevant.

I’m glad 2008 is in the past, and I’m not interested in going back. Chances are that the people you plan travel for aren’t interested in going back either. So let’s embrace 2018 with excitement and positivity. Because gas is cheap again, and the world is easier to explore than ever.

JANUARY 2018

TOGETHER

REACH WE

ON t h E m a g a Z i n E F o r Faith-basEd traVEl plannErs Vol. 19 - no. 6

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FAMILY MATTERS

PL ANNERS CAN DOWNLOAD SAFERBUS MOBILE APP SALEM, Ohio — Some group planners and travelers assume that all bus companies are alike when it comes to safety.

Though it is true that bus travel is a safe mode of transportation, group travel planners should remember that bus operators are not alike when it comes to safety. Many of us choose our motorcoach transportation based on price or a relationship with a driver. Most operators take safety seriously, but there are always a few companies that cut corners, putting passengers and other motorists at serious risk.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and The Group Travel Family have teamed up to educate travel leaders on this important subject. Before you book or contract with a charter company, take a few minutes to learn about safety considerations and research prospective bus operators.

For instance, you want to choose an operator that does the following: • Inspects all its buses regularly, completes the required maintenance and repairs, and ensures that all safety equipment is present and working properly.

• Hires well-qualified, properly licensed drivers with good safety records, and ensures they are medically fit to drive and obey all safety laws and regulations.

Safety in the Palm of Your Hand FMCSA has free safety information and tools to help trip planners and passengers research bus safety. Travelers and travel planners can

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download the convenient SaferBus mobile app to research bus companies at www.fmcsa. dot.gov/lookbeforeyoubook. Find or ask for the company’s USDOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) number, and use it to search, since many bus companies have similar names.

Here are a few things to check for any bus company you’re considering: • Authorization to Operate — All commercial bus operators that carry passengers across state lines must have a USDOT number and be authorized by FMCSA to operate. If you see a red “Not authorized to operate” notice in your search results, don’t book with that bus operator.

If you find that a bus company not authorized to operate is selling tickets, report it to FMCSA. Just click the “Leave Complaint” button on the SaferBus app to access the National Consumer Complaint Database.

• Operator Safety Records — These records provide an indicator of how well a bus company has performed in specific safety categories.

These include important safety practices like maintaining the bus and safety equipment, using qualified drivers who hold commercial driver’s licenses, complying with hours-of-service regulations to prevent fatigued driving and having a proactive substance abuse screening program.

Empower Your Passengers FMCSA’s “Look Before You Book” website also provides tips, information and a “Learn Before You Board” fact sheet to help passengers take an active role in bus safety; it explains how to find and use onboard safety equipment and what to do in an emergency, and how to report unsafe driver behavior such as speeding, texting while driving and driving impaired.

Visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/lookbeforeyoubook today to keep your passengers moving safely, or attend your local TravelTalks Meeting, where the subject of bus safety is discussed at each meeting.

FMCSA’S SAFERBUS MOBILE APP ALLOWS TRAVEL PLANNNERS TO CHECK THE SAFETY RECORDS OF MOTORCOACH COMPANIES.

JANUARY 2018

DIAMOND TOURS SIGNS ON FOR 15TH YEAR SALEM, Ohio — Diamond Tours will mark its 15th straight year of commitment to secure its leadership role in the group travel industry by reaching out to group travel planners in seven target markets where the growth of group travel continues to expand.

Diamond is continuing its outreach to faith-based groups, baby boomers, African-American and mature market groups that have travel programs.

The national tour company will bring its message to these groups through The Group Travel Family, an organization of group travel organizations that, collectively, has 25,000 travel groups in its membership.

“Diamond Tours is saying that they recognize the value of relationships with group travel planners, and [they] are backing up that statement with group travel education for group leaders,” said Joe Cappuzzello, president of The Group Travel Family.

Diamond Tours began serving travel groups 26 years ago with a single regional tour product and now offers tours nationwide with departures from any group or organization’s meeting place. The growth of the company can be traced to its single focus on serving the needs of group travel planners. The tour company prides itself on its allowing groups to book tours with no deposit, and Diamond still prints the group’s trip flyers free of charge.

If you are a group travel planner and want to learn more about Diamond Tours, simply attend your regional TravelTalks meeting by registering free of charge at www.grouptraveltalks.com or call 800-628-0993.

AATC HEADS TO ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS SALEM, Ohio — The travel industry is invited to explore the group diversity market at the African American Travel Conference (AATC) this spring.

The Pheasant Run Resort and the St. Charles, Illinois, Convention and Visitors Bureau will act as host to the AATC on April 30. The conference will focus on training, networking and destination awareness. The AATC Marketplace features one-on-one business appointments between travel planner delegates and the travel industry.

This is the 19th annual AATC conference. Please contact Jennifer Ferguson at 800-628-0993 to register.

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INDUSTRY NEWS NEW EXHIBIT EXPLORES RICH HISTORY OF BROOKLYN’S WATERFRONT BROOKLYN, New York — The Brooklyn Historical Society opened a new exhibit in January that uses a multimedia experience to tell the history of Brooklyn’s waterfront.

“Waterfront” combines cutting-edge digital interactives with storytelling in 12 concept areas to immerse visitors in the natural and human histories of the waterfront.

The innovative activities and displays include allowing visitors to interact with historical figures and objects in historic paintings; a largescale 1879 image of Brooklyn’s coastline that immerses visitors in the sights, sounds and smells of Brooklyn’s 19th-century warehousing district; artifacts and oral histories of female Navy Yard workers during World War II; and a 10-foot illustrated landscape on which visitors can create their own waterfront with magnets of buildings, bridges, animals and landmarks.

There are even objects displayed in the museum’s

Courtesy Brooklyn Historical Society

A NEW EXHIBIT AT THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY USES MEDIA TO TELL THE COLORFUL HISTORY OF THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT.

restrooms that highlight some of the iconic products made along Brooklyn’s coastline, including Chiclets Gum, Domino Sugar and Benjamin Moore Paint.

“Waterfront” is in the museum’s satellite space inside Empire Stores, a renovated 19thcentury warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park that was reopened in 2017 as a revitalized public space featuring restaurants, retail stores and offices.

At the entrance, visitors encounter a floorto-ceiling sculptural installation of more than 80 archaeological artifacts and fragments excavated from the ground beneath Empire Stores in the 1970s.

“We want visitors to leave Waterfront looking at their surroundings with a richer sense of the history of the site, of Brooklyn, and of Brooklyn’s place in a broader global economy and culture,” said Brooklyn Historical Society President Deborah Schwartz.

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NEW TENNESSEE AQUARIUM EXHIBIT FEATURES HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — The Tennessee Aquarium has continued its use of virtual reality immersive learning with its new exhibit, “Tiny, But Mighty Important,” that uses holographs to tell a story.

Opened in mid-November, the exhibit allows visitors to watch a short presentation that appears to float in mid-air to illustrate the devastating impact that silt and erosion can have on freshwater ecosystems.

The imagery hovers in a kiosk over a bed of actual river rocks and is viewable from all angles. As the animation begins, viewers see a 3-D projection of life in a healthy stream, with fish laying eggs and aquatic insects crawling among the stones.

Later, erosion from nearby hills sends silt into the water, clouding the scene, smothering the eggs and eventually causing the animal life

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Courtesy Tennessee Aquarium THE NEW EXHIBIT AT THE TENNESSEE AQUARIUM EMPLOYS HOLOGRAMS AND VIRTUALLY REALITY TECHNOLOGY.

to disappear.

The holographic water quality display is just one component of the newly designed River Journey attraction, which replaces the Aquarium’s Barrens Topminnow lab exhibit.

Guests couldn’t enter the previous exhibit, but the new space is fully explorable and emphasizes education through interactivity.

As they enter the new exhibit, guests are greeted by a large screen with looping footage of Southeastern aquatic wildlife.

Visitors also are able to get an up-close look at tanks exhibiting Barren’s Topminnows, interact with a rotating display that offers another simulation of silt in a waterway and read graphics discussing topics such as the negative impact of nonpoint source pollution such as urban and agricultural runoff.

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JANUARY 2018

T W O N E W M U S E U M S H I G H L I G H T M I S S I S S I P P I H I S T O R Y, S T A T E ’ S R O L E I N C I V I L R I G H T S M O V E M E N T JACKSON, Mississippi — The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum — two new interconnected museums that cover the sweep of Mississippi history and the state’s major role in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement — opened in Jackson on Dec. 9.

The museums combine interactive visitor experiences with exhibits showcasing artifacts including a 500-year-old dugout canoe and the doors of the Bryant Grocery that 14-year-old Emmett Till walked through before a fateful encounter with the shopkeeper that led to his murder in the summer of 1955.

The two museums share a lobby, auditorium, classrooms, collection storage and exhibit workshop for a facility that covers a total of 200,000 square feet.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum’s eight galleries chronicle the events of the national Civil Rights Movement that took place in Mississippi.

It includes memorials to people who were victims of lynching in the state, mug shots of every Freedom Rider arrested in Mississippi and stories of Civil Rights veterans.

Courtesy Mississippi Civil Rights Museum THE NEW MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM AND MUSEUM OF MISSISSIPPI HISTORY OPENED IN DECEMBER.

There are two immersive theaters that explain how the Brown v. Board of Education decision and Till’s murder ignited the Civil Rights Movement.

Among the powerful artifacts are shards of glass from a bombed church, a burned cross and an FBI fingerprint kit.

The heart of the museum is a central space lit by a 30-foot-tall light sculpture that plays the museum’s theme song, “This Little Light of Mine,” to highlight people who lost heir lives for the Civil Rights Movement.

The Museum of Mississippi History’s theme is One Mississippi, Many Stories, which runs throughout eight galleries that explore the many diverse people who contributed to the state’s history from prehistoric times to present day.

The stories are personalized through an extensive collection of Mississippi artifacts including wrought-iron slave shackles; an early Bowie knife; life-sized models of the homes of an enslaved family, a yeoman farmer and a wealthy planter; a baseball glove owned by Willie Mitchell, the Mississippi native who once struck out Babe Ruth; and a replica 1930s general store.

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SMITHSONIAN’S FREER GALLERY OF AR T REOPENS AF TER T WO-YE AR RENOVATION WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art reopened in October after being closed nearly two years for renovation.

In addition to numerous physical improvements, curators also re-created ways the paintings are exhibited to better engage 21st-century audiences.

Among the physical renovations to the Smithsonian’s first art museum, opened in 1923, was the cleaning, repair and restoration of the granite exterior; removing interior carpeting and restoring the original terrazzo floors; upgrading the auditorium; improving wi-fi; and installing marble baseboards.

Each gallery now has a theme instead of being organized only by chronology or country of ori-

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

THE SMITHSONIAN’S FREER GALLERY OF ART REOPENED WITH REDESIGNED EXHIBITS AFTER A TWOYEAR RENOVATION.

gin. Labels for the works have been rewritten to make them less technical, and key items are marked with red-edged labels.

The Freer and the adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, which opened in 1987 and is connected to the Freer through underground galleries, have the nation’s major collection of Asian art with more than 40,000 objects dating back thousands of years.

Detroit industrialist Charles Lang Freer donated his collections of Asian art and early 20th century American art to the Smithsonian, and money for the building, with the stipulations that none of its holdings could be lent out and no borrowed objects brought in.

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CONFERENCE SCENE

TOUR OPERATORS FORECAST CONTINUED REMARKABLE RUN

BY B R I A N J E W E L L

Photos courtesy USTOA

USTOA SCENES, TOP TO BOTTOM: A MEMBERSHIP RECEPTION; PRESIDENT TERRY DALE ADDRESSING THE AUDIENCE; A PERFORMANCE AND TALK BY VIOLINIST KAI KIGHT.

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HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Major tour operators reported remarkable sales growth in 2017 and are optimistic for continued success in 2018, according to a member survey conducted by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA). The organization announced the survey results at its annual Conference and Marketplace, November 27-December 1, at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Florida.

In the survey of USTOA active members, 95 percent of respondents anticipated sales growth for the year ending in 2018. Two-thirds of members are optimistic and forecasting a “boom year” with growth between 7 percent and 10 percent.

According to the survey, 84 percent of responding members saw an increase in sales for 2017, with 53 percent reporting growth of 10 percent or more. More than a third of those members attributed the sales growth to an improving economy, and 31 percent cited improved marketing.

“In my nearly seven years with USTOA, this is the first time where virtually everyone expects strong single- or double-digit growth,” said association president and CEO Terry Dale.

Members of the association’s executive committee attributed the optimism to a general strength in the economy and the travel sector overall.

“If the market is strong, people feel good and are willing to spend,” said Harry Dalgaard, president of Avanti Destinations and vice president of USTOA. “Our deposits are up 39 percent over last year. I have never seen anything like it.

The proof is in the pudding.”

“The economy is good, the dollar is strong, and competition is keeping prices low,” said Paula Twidale, executive vice president of Collette and immediate past chair of USTOA. “2017 has been good, and ’18 is looking even stronger.”

In addition to the strong market, members

attribute some of the growth to advancements in the types of products and experiences being offered by both tour companies and the destinations they visit.

“There has been so much evolution in what we offer,” said Dana Santucci, vice president of development at EF Education First and chairman of USTOA. “Destinations are working hard to come up with these creative ideas.”

“There’s a real market for creative product development,” said Charlie Ball, executive vice president of Princess Cruises and Tours and USTOA treasurer. “In the past, people wanted a good experience; now they want a great one. For a long time, tour operators sort of overmanaged the experience. Now, we’re opening up more to the destinations and asking them what they have to offer.”

Despite the strength of the 2018 forecast, association officials spoke of several political developments that could have adverse impacts on travel, including negative perceptions of America because of President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

“We clearly saw inbound traffic affected,” Twidale said, citing an 11 percent drop in Collette’s inbound sales in 2017. “Foreign currencies are down, but the perception of us being an unwelcoming destination has an impact.”

The association is also working to help travelers understand recent restrictions on travel to Cuba. Though the Trump administration recently overturned Obama-era policies allowing individuals to visit Cuba on their own, current rules still allow people to travel to the nation as part of group trips operated by licensed tour operators.

“Cuba is open for business,” Dale said. “Like so many regulations, confusion permeates everything. We feel a responsibility to try and clarify to our customer base that you can still go to Cuba.”

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JANUARY 2018

JOIN US FOR A TRIP TO GEORGIA IN APRIL

H

ave you always wanted to experience the top attractions in southern Georgia? Are you looking for ways to learn more about trip possibilities in Georgia and have a great time doing it?

Do you have a few days to see Georgia’s Plantation Trace region firsthand in April?

Would you like to spend a few days with executive staff of The Group Travel Leader magazine while you’re at it?

If so, we have just the opportunity for you.

PLANTATION TRACE HIGHLIGHTS, CLOCKWISE FROM The Georgia Department of Tourism TOP: PEBBLE HILL PLANTATION; RAY CHARLES MEis inviting up to 20 of our travel planner MORIAL; PEBBLE HILL EXTERIOR; OLIVE FARMS readers to enjoy a three-day site inspection trip in and around its Plantation Trace region, April 10-12. Qualified travel planners will be guests of the Georgia Tourism staff and will enjoy visiting the communities of Valdosta, Thomasville and Albany.

And once you get to Georgia, all your expenses are covered.

“Join The Group Travel Leader’s executive editor, Brian Jewell, and Kelly Tyner, our director of sales and marketing, for this fun and educational site inspection trip to Photos courtesy GDED experience the best of Georgia’s Plantation Trace,” said publisher Mac Lacy. “Brian and Kelly will accompany our Georgia hosts on this trip and will be sharing travel planners. Applicants will complete a brief travel profile that will be their travel experiences with everyone in attendance. used by Georgia Tourism staff to select attendees.

“Brian and Kelly will be highlighting the trip in real time on social media, and Brian will write an article on this tour for publication in The Group Travel Leader magazine,” said Lacy. “Tour participants will have To submit your travel profile and request a spot on this exciting trip, go the opportunity to share their impressions and experiences about Georgia to www.grouptravelleader.com/2018-georgia-fam-registration and fill out with our staff and meet some wonderful hosts from the state. It’s going to your profile online. To inquire by phone or to ask a question, call us toll-free be a lot of fun for everyone involved.” at 888-253-0455 and ask for Kelly.

All accommodations, sightseeing, transportation and meals are included Registration for this complimentary site inspection trip in Georgia closes once participants arrive in Georgia. No travel expenses to and from Georgia February 26, so don’t delay. will be reimbursed.

Join Brian, Kelly and the Georgia Department of Tourism for a wonderThis readership event and site inspection tour is limited to 20 qualified ful trip April 10-12.

AN AN INDUSTRY INDUSTRY PANEL PANEL SHOWCASED SHOWCASED SOME SOME OF OF THE THE INDUSTRY’S INDUSTRY’S BRIGHTEST BRIGHTEST YOUNG YOUNG MINDS. MINDS.

All All photos photos by

by Matthew Matthew Minucci, Minucci, courtesy courtesy USTOA USTOA

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Changing

BY B O B H O E L S C H E R

S

eattle-based Un-Cruise Adventures is surely one of the most aptly-named companies in the travel industry. My November sailing aboard the line’s Safari Voyager was unlike any other cruise I’ve ever taken; a true adventure trip, it was designed specifically for hardy souls with no interest in cruising to popular, well-known ports with thousands of their closest friends on a mammoth floating resort.

Increased fascination with exotic flora and fauna, our global environment and its preservation, and the possibilities of small group exploration have fed a valid and expanding market segment for no-holds-barred active and certifiably green adventure travel. These are folks for whom such possibilities as rough seas, rain, mud, damp life jackets, flexible scheduling, lack of contact with the outside world, limited amenities, zodiac transfers and “wet” landings are of little if any concern, and instead, are just aspects of enjoying “getting away from it all” on an adventurous vacation. And the high percentage of happy repeat passengers during my week aboard Safari Voyager testifies that they love the Un-Cruise product.

Safari Voyager is by no means a luxury vessel. Built originally in 1982, it was substantially rebuilt in 2016 and, at 1,195 tons, is a tiny fraction of the size of typical modern-day cruise ships. Accommodating just 62 guests, it likely wasn’t originally intended for open ocean travel, as its lack of stabilizers contributes to a considerable amount of motion in even moderate seas. Consequently, this is not a ship for those afflicted by seasickness. Nor is it for those with physical disabilities, as its four decks can be reached only by relatively steep staircases.

Food is plentiful, nicely presented and unquestionably healthy. All beverages are included, except for expensive wine vintages. Standard cabins, which can be configured with either twin beds or one queen bed, are compact but well laid out and comfortable.

Un-Cruise’s fleet consists of nine small ships with maximum capacities of 22 to 88 guests. Our itinerary featured a precruise overnight at a luxury hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica; a week exploring the national parks, wildlife refuges, beaches and conservation areas along the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Panama; and a full nighttime transit of the Panama Canal. On the

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way to the airport in Panama City the following morning, we also viewed the new, larger locks on the Caribbean side from an overlook and visitor center. Service from knowledgeable, dedicated crew members, who seemed always willing to honor special requests, such as mine for cheeseburgers at lunch, was very good throughout.

Other destinations the company offers include Mexico’s Sea of Cortés, Hawaii, the Galápagos Islands, the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and the waters of the Pacific Northwest in Washington and British Columbia. However, during the April to September season, its major emphasis is on exploring the remote coves, passages, islands and wilderness areas of southeast Alaska, where the bigger ships usually can’t venture.

The demand for ecology-oriented adventure travel continues to grow, attracting both younger and mature guests with sufficient means to afford small, unique journeys into the wild. For those not averse to a bit of roughing it, Un-Cruise Adventures has the vacation they are seeking.

A COLORFUL LAND CRAB

A CAPUCHIN MONKEY IN THE FOREST

VIEWING THE PANAMA CANAL

Photos by Bob Hoelscher JANUARY 2018

EXPERT

insigh t

TOM WHITE

U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER

BY B R I A N J E W E L L

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om White always knew he was good at sales. But he also knew he wanted his career to make a difference in people’s lives.

So after growing up in a military family stationed at various times in Germany, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and finally, Huntsville, Alabama, he saw an opportunity open at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

“I was going to school full time for sales management, and I needed something part time,” White said. “I had worked in retail sales before that, and I knew I was good at promotions and events, but I wanted to find a “ We have so muc h tec h nolog y, but place that had more meaning to it. I felt like working here and seeing the sa leHOSTS s st iSKI l l come s dow n to rel at ionCOLORADO’S kids coming into the museum so excited had such an impact on them.”SNOWMASS VILLAGE GROUPS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING White’s first opportunity with the organization came in 2000, when he , p er iod . I f you’re t r y i ng to WARM-WEATHER SPOTS SUCHsh AS ips FLORIDA. spent six months as a counselor working firsthand with young visitors. A develop new business f rom scratc h, short detour into the charter bus industry took him away for a while, but then the U.S. Space and Rocket Center came calling again. get t i ng people to u nder sta nd you r “I was recruited to come back as part of the operations team,” he said. e x per ience a nd k now ing you ma kes “I worked in planning and logistics, and took over the group sales side, and it was a natural fit. Then, about eight years ago, our new CEO came a big d i f ference. Technolog y comes in and did some restructuring. She brought the whole sales department together, and she asked me to be in charge of it.” a nd goe s, but rel at ionsh ips don’t.”

In this role as director of sales and outreach, White recognized the opportunity for the organization to grow by reaching out to the travel and tourism market. He now regularly works with tour operators and group leaders, attending events hosted by organizations such as the American Bus Association, Travel South USA and the United States Tour Operators Association.

“For adults, it’s kind of a fantasy camp,” he said. “We have some huge “I spend about 100 days a year traveling,” he said. “I’m trying to lead space buffs come in. But if you’re not a space buff, it’s still a cool, fun on developing sales through tour operators, through receptives or with experience.” schools directly. As much as I’m on the school side of the business, I’m at Regardless of how old the participants are, White enjoys knowing that a lot of education shows as well, and I also go directly to the classroom.” the products he sells bring people joy and make long-lasting memories.

Many school groups are interested in the center’s famous Space Camp “I get to go down and see people putting on their spacesuits, about to do program, which involves three to six days of immersion in which students their space walks,” he said. “They have huge smiles on their faces. It’s so fun experience the training and technology involved in deep-space exploration. and cool. I’m not just trying to sell a certain number of products. It makes me But White is finding more adult groups interested in similar programs. feel good to know that I’m selling an experience, and it makes a difference.”

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SALES TIP FROM TOM

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Clover AL L OVER

I S S U E J A N U A R Y 2 01 8

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by BRIAN JEWELL

reen is the color of spring, and there’s no party greener than St. Patrick’s Day. Irish roots run deep throughout the United States, and in cities throughout the country, St. Patrick’s Day has become a favorite way to celebrate Irish heritage and local community spirit. Groups can kick off spring with large parades, live music, traditional Irish food and plenty of great memories by visiting one of these famous St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Photos courtesy Visit Savannah

H E R E A R E O U R T O P 1 0 T R AV E L I D E A S F O R S T. P A T R I C K ’ S D A Y

BOSTON

With a legendary Irish heritage, it’s little wonder that Boston has become one of the foremost destinations in the country for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Boston boasts the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration outside of Ireland, with more than half a million people visiting each year to enjoy the festivities.

HISTORY: St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Boston are thought to have begun with a small parade in 1737, when Massachusetts was still an English colony.

PARADE: There are several St. Patrick’s Day parades in the Boston area. The most famous, nicknamed the Southie, takes place in South Boston and features bagpipers, Irish bands, Irish dancers and thousands of other performers.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: Irish music can be found throughout Boston around St. Patrick’s Day, including an annual performance by famed local Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys.

MORE INFO: WWW.SOUTHBOSTONPARADE.ORG

WASHINGTON, D.C .

The red, white and blue of Washington turns to orange, white and green on St. Patrick’s Day as locals and visitors come out for the famous Shamrock Festival. The celebration features live music from 50 Irish bands, as well as dance performances and a wealth of other activities.

HISTORY: St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in D.C. began with a small parade in 1971 by the local Irish American Club.

PARADE: The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade travels down Constitution Avenue and features two and a half hours of marching Irish bands, dancers, floats, military units, and police and fire department processions.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect

opportunity to visit several Washington landmarks with Irish roots, including the Embassy of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, the oldest parish in D.C. MORE INFO: WWW.DCSTPATSPARADE.COM

CHICAGO

Chicago goes all in for St. Patrick’s Day with a gesture that no other destination in the United States can match: dyeing the Chicago river green for the day.

Downtown Chicago is packed with visitors for St. Patrick’s Day who visit the city to watch the dyeing of the river in the morning and then stay for the downtown parade at noon and celebrate into the evening.

HISTORY: St. Patrick’s Day parades began in Chicago in 1956, and a local plumber’s union began the tradition of dyeing the river green in 1961.

PARADE: Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is one of the largest in the country and will celebrate its 64th anniversary in 2018. It lasts about three hours and features hundreds of floats, marching bands, bagpipers and step dancers.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: Various neighborhoods throughout Chicago hold their own smaller parades, offering less crowded experiences. And the Irish American Heritage Center throws a special festival from noon until midnight.

MORE INFO: WWW.CHOOSECHICAGO.COM

DENVER

Denver plays host to one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations west of the Mississippi River, with a parade that attracts more than 250,000 viewers and supporting events around the city that put a unique Mile High spin on this Irish holiday.

HISTORY: The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Denver took place in 1889. The modern incarnation of the parade was launched in 1962 by a handful of local revelers and has grown to become a major event.

OPPOSITE PAGE: SAVANNAH HOSTS THE SECOND-LARGEST ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE IN THE COUNTRY, WHICH IS ATTENDED BY SOME 300,000 SPECTATORS. GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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PARADE: Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day parade features more than 10,000 participants and integrates Western-themed elements such as horses and stagecoaches into the Irish traditions.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: Denver has dozens of Irishthemed establishments where visitors can sample Irish food or raise a pint in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. One local favorite, Fado’s, puts on a festival especially for the holiday with Irish music on two stages.

MORE INFO: WWW.DENVERSTPATRICKSDAYPARADE.COM

SAN DIEGO

Though St. Patrick’s Day is often a chilly occasion in most of the United States, the perennially beautiful weather of Southern California makes San Diego one of the most pleasant places to celebrate in March. St. Patrick’s Day is San Diego’s largest single-day event, and the city rolls more than 80,000 square feet of bright green artificial turf over parts of its downtown to mark the occasion.

HISTORY: The San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade was started in 1981 by the owner of a local Irish restaurant who had organized similar parades in New England before relocating to California.

PARADE: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Diego has more than 120 entries, including traditional performers such as brass bands and Irish dancers along with whimsical acts such as roller skaters, clowns and antique cars.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: After the parade, an Irish festival is held in Balboa Park throughout the afternoon, with step dancers, Irish folk singers, a Celtic food village, a beer garden and more.

MORE INFO: WWW.STPATSPARADE.ORG

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Southerners love to celebrate, which is why St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Savannah, Georgia, take

COSTUMED REVELERS IN DENVER Courtesy Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade

place through the entire month of March. This charming historic city hosts the second-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country and goes so far as to dye the water in its park district fountains green to mark the occasion.

HISTORY: St. Patrick’s Day parades started as a religious observance in Savannah 193 years ago, making this local celebration one of the oldest in the United States.

PARADE: More than 300,000 residents and visitors line the route of Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, which is billed as a celebration of “faith, heritage and family.” Twelve local Irish heritage organizations and many more families and community groups produce the parade each year.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: A three-day festival surrounding St. Patrick’s Day takes place on River Street and the City Market area of Savannah, with hundreds of vendors and live performances on stages throughout the district.

MORE INFO: WWW.SAVANNAHSAINTPATRICKSDAY.COM

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Numerous elements make the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Kansas City, Missouri, notable. The day starts with a special Gaelic Mass, which is followed by a parade that has become one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day events in the country. The city’s festivities are known for their family-friendly feel.

HISTORY: Kansas City first started celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in 1873, since many Irish immigrants came to the area during a building boom in the mid-19th century. This year will bring the 46th annual parade.

PARADE: More than 200,000 people visit Midtown for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Kansas City. The parade features plenty of floats, dancers, bands and

NEW YORK CITY ST. PATRICK’S 18DAY PARADE

By Dominick Totino, courtesy NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade TRAVEL LE ADER

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CHICAGO TURNS THE RIVER GREEN.

By A. Alexander, courtesy Choose Chicago

JANUARY 2018

other traditional elements, and since the creator of the best float gets a trip for two to Ireland, locals are known to pull out all the stops in creating impressive displays.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: Several smaller parades take place throughout the city, and the Kansas City Irish Center hosts Irish musical performances.

MORE INFO: WWW.KCIRISHPARADE.COM

NEW YORK

NEW ORLEANS

Though another late-winter cultural celebration grabs most of the headlines in New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana, the Big Easy throws a big celebration for St. Patrick’s Day, too. Just like Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans consists of numerous parades, along with block parties and tons of live music.

HISTORY: A deeply Catholic city, New Orleans has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since 1809. Events began to ramp up as Irish workers flocked to the area to build the New Basin Canal during the 1830s.

If you want to take your group to the country’s grandest St. Patrick’s Day celebration, you must take them to New York. Irish heritage and Catholic faith run deep in the city, and celebration in honor of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and the archdiocese of New York, draws as many as 3 million spectators each year.

PARADE: Groups have several parades to choose from on St. Patrick’s Day. The main parade on Magazine Street and St. Charles Avenue features floats and Mardi Gras-style throws of green beads and doubloons. The Irish Channel, a traditionally Irish neighborhood, throws its own parade, with men dressed in tuxedos throwing cabbage.

HISTORY: New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was started in 1762 — 14 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence — by a group of homesick Irish ex-patriots and soldiers stationed in the Colonies with the British army.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: Parasol’s Bar in the Irish Channel throws one of the city’s biggest block parties after the parade ends, with plenty of green beer and local flavor.

PARADE: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York is as big as they come, lasting five to six hours and involving more than 150,000 participants. Despite its massive size, the parade is still run by a volunteer organization.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: New York is full of other Irishthemed events on St. Patrick’s Day, from comedy festivals to pub crawls and open houses at Irish heritage centers.

MORE INFO: WWW.NYCSTPATRICKSPARADE.ORG

NEW ORLEANS GOES IRISH.

MORE INFO: WWW.STPATRICKSDAYNEWORLEANS.COM

DUBLIN, OHIO

What could be better than celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin? Perhaps celebrating in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus that has embraced its Irish namesake and created a memorable and manageable series of events to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day. HISTORY: Dublin doesn’t have a particularly large Irish population, but it has been celebrating Irish heritage nonetheless since the 1980s.

PARADE: With only 20,000 residents, Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade isn’t large, but it does feature a number of experiences. Many attendees start the day at a local pancake breakfast and then head out to the Inflation Celebration to watch giant balloons being blown up before the parade itself gets underway.

OTHER FESTIVITIES: Dublin continues to celebrate after the parade’s end with the Blarney Bash, a festival with live bands, beer, food trucks, crafts and other entertainment until 11 p.m.

MORE INFO: WWW.VISITDUBLINOHIO.COM

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Courtesy New Orleans CVB

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STATE SPOTLIGHT

OHIO C ATAW B A I S L A N D

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CLE VEL AND

4 HOLMES COUN T Y

2 3 COLUMBUS

1 HOCKING HILL S S TAT E PA R K

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JANUARY 2018

BY B R I A N J E W E L L

O

hio is gearing up for a big year in 2018.

The Buckeye

State is perenni-

ally popular with

tour groups, offering a variety of tried-and-true attractions and experiences that draw visitors from around the country. This year, several of

those attractions are celebrating new additions,

expansions and renovations, and other destina-

tions are debuting new attractions that will give groups additional reasons to visit.

In Cleveland, the legendary Rock and Roll

Hall of Fame has undergone significant renovation and has new immersive performance experiences for visitors. The Amish Country Theater

in Holmes County will move to a brand-new entertainment and hospitality complex this year.

In the southeastern part of the state, Hocking Hills State Park is debuting a new observatory and astronomy park.

Columbus is buzzing with anticipation

over the opening of the new National Veterans

Memorial and Museum, a project years in the making. And on Catawba Island, off the Lake

Erie coast, beer and food lovers can experience

creative cuisine and the beauty of the outdoors at a new farm brewery.

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Courtesy Hocking Hills State Park

A STARGAZING DESTINATION In rural southwestern Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park offers one of the state’s largest, most pristine natural areas, as well as a fantastic place to view the night sky with minimal light pollution.

This spring, the park will debut the John Glenn Observatory and Astronomy Park, where visitors can take advantage of the area’s isolation to gaze deeply into the night sky and explore its stars and planets.

Named for astronaut, senator and Ohio native John Glenn, who died in 2016, the astronomy park is an indoor and outdoor facility designed to help visitors discover the wonders of the galaxy during both daytime and nighttime. A large telescope at the observatory will offer views deep into the Milky Way, and the outdoor area is designed to allow the rays of the sun to form a special pattern on a central plaza on the first day of each season.

The park will offer a variety of day and night programs to help groups make the most of their visits.

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Courtesy Berlin Encore Hotel

AMISH EXPANSION The Amish country of Holmes County in northeastern Ohio has long been a popular tourist destination, and in 2012, the Amish Country Theater opened to provide entertainment for groups visiting the area. After five years of growing success, the theater plans to move into a brand-new venue in the town of Berlin this spring.

The new venue will nearly double the theater’s seating capacity, offering room for 600 guests along with a sloped floor and stateof-the-art theater technology. The theater will feature shows six days a week, with weekend concert series and other special events.

The new theater is one of three adjacent parts in the development project, which will also feature the new Berlin Encore Hotel and Suites. The hotel will have 81 guest rooms and will feature rustic decor, exposed beams and fireplaces. Also connected to the theater and hotel will be Encore Hall, a 16,000-square-foot event center.

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Courtesy National Veterans Memorial and Museum

A MUSEUM FOR VETERANS Across the country, a variety of museums, monuments and memorials are dedicated to veterans of various wars and branches of the armed services. This summer, a new museum in Columbus will serve as the nation’s first institution to honor all veterans from throughout America’s history.

The National Veterans Memorial and Museum has been under construction since 2015 on the Scioto Peninsula in downtown Columbus. This cultural institution is designed to bridge historical stories and current events. More than just a war memorial or a military museum, it will tell narrative stories of individual veterans from throughout the country’s history using photos, letters, personal items, multimedia presentations and interactive exhibits.

The 50,000-square-foot museum will feature exhibition galleries, an interactive media theater, a memorial room honoring fallen heroes and a rotating exhibit area. The architectural highlight of the facility is the rooftop sanctuary, accessible by a spiral processional; it will be available for ceremonies, celebration and reflection.

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JANUARY 2018

4 ROCKING RENOVATION A mainstay of the Cleveland lakefront, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been telling the stories of music legends for decades.

The museum has been undergoing a series of renovations known as “Rock Hall 2.0” that are making the visitor experience even more immersive.

Now complete is the first phase or renovations, which brought updates to the Rock Hall’s main exhibits, and a redesigned cafe is now located on the museum’s first floor and is open to the public without museum admission. The menu now features dishes created by various celebrity chefs from around the area.

Last summer, the museum debuted the new Power of Rock Experience, which gives visitors a front-row seat to performances from Hall of Fame inductees. The three-part exhibit includes an immersive 12-minute film that showcases induction ceremony performances and interactive booths where guests can be “interviewed” by musicians such as Smokey Robinson and Alice Cooper.

Courtesy Rock and Roll HOF

LAST SUMMER, THE MUSEUM DEBUTED THE NEW POWER OF ROCK EXPERIENCE, WHICH GIVES VISITORS A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO PERFORMANCES FROM HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES.

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5

Courtesy Lake Erie Shores and Islands Courtesy OperaDelaware

BREWERY ORCHARD On Catawba Island just off the shore of northwestern Ohio in Lake Erie, Twin Oast Brewing has developed a reputation for using home-grown and local ingredients to brew accessible craft beers. This year, the brewery will be taking the “farm to fermenter” concept a step further by inviting guests to visit the 60-acre farm estate surrounding it.

Since 2010, the brewery’s owners have been busy reclaiming a tract of abandoned and overgrown land and restoring it to its agricultural usage. Today the farm grows the brewery’s hops and features stone fruit orchards and other home-grown produce.

The new brewery offers visitors the opportunity to sample one of the company’s beer varieties while exploring the orchards. An on-site kitchen will offer a small menu of rotating seasonal dishes, and food trucks will bring in other creative, artisanal foods designed to pair with the Twin Oast beers. Groups will also be able to enjoy live entertainment at the farm’s natural outdoor amphitheater.

W W W.T WI N OAS T.C O M

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JANUARY 2018

FEEDING GIRAFFES AT THE ZOO WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TOUR ‘TIL WE HIT THE DESSERT TRAY AT SCHMIDT’S

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C A PIdeas I TA L INSIDE THE U.S. CAPITOL DOME

ONE OF 20,000 SPECIES HOUSED IN BALTIMORE’S NATIONAL AQUARIUM

“WHITE RABBIT” BY MARGARET MUNZ-LOSCH, FEATURED IN BALTIMORE’S AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM All photos by Savannah Osbourn

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JANUARY 2018

CONSIDER THIS PATRIOTIC ESCAPE TO

MARYLAND A ND WAS H I NG T O N , D. C .

B Y S AVA N NA H O S B O U R N

F

or years, the 31-foot-high broadcast antenna crowned the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Today, it’s one of the most powerful museum artifacts in Washington, D.C. The antenna is one of numerous items on display in the 9/11 exhibit at the Newseum in Washington.

I visited the museum in late October of last year during a four-day group familiarization tour in Maryland and Washington hosted by Mid-Atlantic Tours and Receptive Services (MARS). Having never visited the region before, I was thrilled to experience some of the area’s immense cultural history and famous cuisine.

Maryland is home to so many historic sites, from the Maryland State House, America’s first capitol, and Fort McHenry National Monument, where the national anthem was composed. Groups can stroll down 17th-century streets and dine in taverns once frequented by revolutionaries like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. And D.C. offers many moving experiences for groups, including the impressive, newly opened Museum of the Bible.

BA LTIMORE We kicked off our four-day expedition with lunch at the Hard Rock Café in Baltimore, which is housed inside the historic Power Plant Building

overlooking Inner Harbor. The iconic 65-foot neon guitar sign above the restaurant, a Hard Rock Café trademark, stood at the top of the towering redbrick structure, alongside four black power-plant chimneys.

After eating our fill of tasty burgers and fries in the cafe, we made our way across the harbor on foot to the No. 1 attraction in the city: National Aquarium. Widely regarded as one of the finest aquariums in the country, National Aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals. From the outside, the aquarium looks like a monolithic greenhouse, with rocks and greenery visible through a glass, pyramidlike structure.

Visitors could easily spend a day wandering through the vibrant exhibits, which include such wide-ranging subjects as the wilds of Australia, the Amazon River Forest and the teeming Blacktip Reef. Throughout the habitats, we came face-to-face with golden lion tamarins, poison dart frogs, bottlenose dolphins and giant pacific octopus. One of the most famous residents of the aquarium is a 500-pound, three-finned green sea turtle named Calypso.

Next, we took a bus across the harbor to visit the marvelous American Visionary Art Museum, which displays the work of innovative self-taught artists. The face of the building features a glittering mosaic of green and blue swirls, making it impossible to miss. Inside were all sorts of curiosities, from self-portraits of mental patients to robots made from recycled household objects.

We closed out the evening with a dinner and a show at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, about 20 minutes from downtown Baltimore in the outlying community of Columbia. Now in its 38th season, the theater presents award-winning Broadway productions such as “Mamma Mia,” “Newsies,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Young Frankenstein.”

Before the show, we took advantage of the lavish buffet set up on the stage floor; we then turned

around our chairs as the night’s performance of “Dream Girls” began. One incredible fact to note is that the performers double as the wait staff, alternating between serving tables and belting out show-stopping numbers through two backto-back performances.

ANNAPOLIS The next morning, we departed for Fort McHenry National Monument, the birthplace of the national anthem. During the War of 1812, the fort successfully defended Baltimore from an invading British armada in Chesapeake Bay, inspiring Francis Scott Key to pen the verses to “The StarSpangled Banner.” We stopped at the visitors center to watch a short film about this harrowing naval battle and then explored the fort’s grassy ramparts.

After that, it was time to say goodbye to Baltimore and head over to Maryland’s beautiful state capital: Annapolis. With so much history to explore in the area, the Four Centuries Walking Tour from Annapolis Tours by Watermark offers an exceptional two-hour overview of the city’s most iconic landmarks. At the beginning of the tour, we followed a docent clad in Colonial attire to the Maryland State House, which served as the first meeting place of the U.S. Congress and is the oldest continually used statehouse in the country. It was there that George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, a scene later depicted in the famous John Trumbull painting.

After walking through several historic neighborhoods, we entered the U.S. Naval Academy, where we had the opportunity to watch the midshipmen assemble for Noon Formation in the main courtyard. Some notable past graduates of the prestigious academy include Sen. John McCain and President Jimmy Carter.

Around lunchtime, we wandered down to Annapolis Harbor for a relaxing boat tour

Artwork by David Brown GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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of Chesapeake Bay. In addition to walking tours, Annapolis Tours by Watermark also features narrated boat cruises, and groups can take advantage of their combined land and water package, with the option of ordering a box lunch.

Once we reached the end of our visit in Annapolis, our next stop was the Newseum in Washington. The museum commemorates the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Every day, the Newseum displays the current issue of every major newspaper in America, as well as those of many from around the world. Though it could take days to explore all seven floors of the museum, a few highlights are the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery, the 9/11 Exhibit and the Berlin Wall Gallery.

For dinner, our group enjoyed an opulent feast at the brand-new Maryland Live casino in Hanover, Maryland, where we finally got the chance to try some signature Maryland crab cakes and cream-of-crab soup.

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NATIONA L HARBOR On the following morning, our group met for a catered breakfast at the historic Oxen Hill Manor in Oxen Hill, Maryland, a suburb of Washington. Built in 1928, the Neo-Georgian home sits on the banks of the Potomac River and features beautiful wood floors, vintage fireplaces, English gardens and a large brick patio. Over the years, the upscale venue has hosted notable events such as actor Chris Rock’s wedding and President Bill Clinton’s birthday party.

After breakfast, we took a brief tour of the new MGM National Harbor Resort and Casino, right next door to Oxen Hill Manor though obscured by a thick line of trees. The casino resort is one of National Harbor’s signature attractions and offers a wide range of entertainment for groups, including concerts, gaming, shopping and deluxe dining.

Next, we drove just a few minutes down the road to the heart of National Harbor. National Harbor is a waterfront entertainment hub packed with restaurants, shopping and various attractions. As we made our way down the boardwalk to the Capital Wheel, we noticed a 72-foot statue of a giant emerging from the sand, an iconic sculpture titled “The Awakening.”

Towering over the water, the Capital Wheel is a beautiful, white-spindled Ferris wheel that opened in 2014. Its climate-controlled gondolas carry guests 180 feet above the National Harbor waterfront, with Washington and Old Alexandria, Virginia, visible in the distance. When we looked closely, we could make out the pale pointed shape of the Washington Monument on the horizon.

JANUARY 2018

For lunch, we headed into the stunning 19-story glass atrium of the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center, where a generous buffet awaited us in one of the exquisite event spaces upstairs. Boasting 2,000 guest rooms and 500,000 square feet of meeting space, the Gaylord National Resort offers an exciting waterfront venue for meeting groups of all sizes.

Afterward, we hopped aboard a water taxi run by the Potomac RiverBoat Company and coasted across the river to Old Alexandria.

Old Alexandria is a wonderful hidden gem in the area, just eight miles from Washington. Groups can visit Christ Church, where historic figures like Washington and Robert E. Lee once worshiped, or stop in Gadsby’s Tavern to learn about the legendary ghost story of the “Female Stranger.”

WASHINGTON Once evening arrived, we rode the bus back into Washington to eat dinner at Pinstripes bowling alley, an Italian-American restaurant that combines fine dining and craft beer with leisurely play. After enjoying pizza and a few rounds of bocce ball, we topped off the night with an illuminated monument tour of the city, driving past the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol and many other landmarks. As impressive as these sites are during the day, there is nothing quite like the breathtaking visual of illuminated Neoclassical architecture against the night sky.

On the final day of our trip, we were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Museum of the Bible, just two blocks from National Mall and three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The exquisite $500 million museum was

Enjoy the Montgomery County, Maryland countryside, a rural destination just outside of the nation’s capital.

Watch artisans at work in their studios, learn about the history of the Underground Railroad with a visit to the Woodlawn Manor and finish the day with beer tasting at Brookeville Beer Farm.

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constructed in an impressive five years and features some of the most advanced exhibit technology in the country. Upon entering, each guest receives a state-of-the-art digital guide that can be used to customize their tour based on time constraints and preferred exhibits.

Throughout the exhibit floors, visitors learn about the content, history and impact of the Bible through immersive displays, interactive kiosks and colorful artifacts. Some of the most engaging highlights are biblical short films, a virtual flying tour of religious sites in Washington and a replica Nazarene village. In addition to the exhibits, the museum features a beautiful, two-story glass rooftop portion with a restaurant, a biblical garden and a 472-seat theater.

Next, we visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE opened in 2016 and explores American history through the lens of the African-American experience. The building itself is an architectural marvel, challenging the white-pillared Romanesque style that characterizes so many Smithsonian museums in Washington with a rich shade of brown that seems almost golden in the sun.

The lattice pattern of the exterior aluminum panels reflects the ironwork once made by slaves.

Beginning with 15th-century Africa and Europe, the chronological history galleries walk guests through the suffering and indomitable spirit of African-Americans in the United States. Groups can view treasured artifacts such as Harriet Tubman’s shawl and Nat Turner’s Bible, as well as sobering relics like the iron shackles that bound the feet of small children. Other exhibits highlight African-American contributions to art, film and sports.

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Our final stop for the day was the U.S. Capitol. The magnificent site is visible from numerous vantage points throughout the city, thanks to its perch on Capitol Hill, and is often mistaken for the White House. Over the course of an hourlong guided tour, we walked some of the splendid marble corridors and legislative halls where many of the most important decisions in the country have been made. The tour begins with a 13-minute short film about America’s founding called “Out of Many, One” and then takes groups to significant locations throughout the building, such as the Crypt, the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall.

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It’s personal

Y

ou know you’re about to encounter something profoundly powerful and moving when you see tissue boxes stationed throughout a museum exhibit.

Though our group only visited the Newseum in Washington D.C. for a brief time, I made sure to stop by the 9/11 Gallery, which showcases the personal stories, footage and photos of journalists who risked their lives to cover the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.

Most people can recall the exact moment 17 years ago when they first heard the news, flipping on televisions and radios to listen with abated breath as the nightmare unfolded. The gallery brings those emotional memories to light with visceral artifacts such as a charred eagle statue from the Pentagon and a piece of debris from United Flight 93, which crash-landed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers heroically attempted to overpower the hijackers.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a battered, 31-foot broadcast antenna that once stood at the top of the World Trade Center’s North Tower, the first targeted building and the second to collapse. Lined across the adjacent wall, newspapers from all over the world announced the tragedy on September 12, 2001, with stark headlines such as “U.S. Attacked,” “Terror” and “Day of Death.”

In addition to browsing the displays, visitors can watch a 10-minute short film titled “Running Toward Danger,” which highlights the harrowing first-person accounts of journalists who ran toward Ground Zero while others fled for safety, setting aside their own shock and grief to document the event. One journalist, Thomas E. Franklin, captured the Pulitzer Prize-winning image of three firefighters raising the U.S. flag from an upended flag pole in the heart of the wreckage, reminiscent of the iconic World War II photo, “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.” The gallery also includes a touching video tribute to photojournalist Bill Biggart, who died while reporting on the attacks.

— SAVANNAH OSBOURN JANUARY 2018

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Mississippi is shining a light on its rich and complex story through new interactive museums, authentic culinary experiences and an unmistakably unique musical culture. Visit us here in the birthplace of America’s music and step into the true stories responsible for shaping a state and influencing the world.

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RESEARCH

RESONATES during

T U T T E L L’ S T E R M

BY MAC LACY

W IT TUTTE L L

W

it Tuttell is a research guy. Heading into the coming year as chairperson for Travel South USA, North Carolina’s state travel director has research efforts at the top of his personal queue for the 12-state travel organization.

“We need better standardized research for the domestic group market and for our international inbound marketing efforts,” said Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina. “By leveraging the resources of a dozen states, we can go a long way in standardizing the research we all tap into.”

Travel South USA began working with Tourism Economics several years ago, and the effort is beginning to pay off. Tourism Economics produces standardized research and forecasts trends for more than 250 organizations across the globe. Travel South USA is a pilot project for its international tourism analytics research that examines visitation, market share and travel trends for participating countries, regions and states.

Tuttell is a big believer in collective programming as well, and he cites the group’s ability to leverage dollars to everyone’s benefit as one of its biggest assets.

“The Travel South Tour Planner your company publishes is a great example of that,” he said. “It’s successful because it spreads the investment across 12 states. Our Ultimate Ad 8

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Challenge is another. We’re getting into media programs now that are very measureable, which is great. As individual states, we couldn’t demand that much attention from some of these media companies. Another is Domestic Showcase. We draw the buyers we need to be successful because of the collective importance of our respective destinations.”

Tuttell may be a big supporter of shared interests among his Travel South colleagues, but he also doesn’t mind heralding the new developments in his home state.

“Hosting Travel South Showcase in Winston-Salem a couple of years ago is still paying benefits for us,” he said. “We are seeing new group business from tour operators who came, and we’re still generating exposure from journalists who participated.

“Storytelling is a common theme for all of us in the South because that’s what today’s travelers respond to,” he said. “Why did the Wright brothers come to North Carolina to fly? Because we have islands 26 miles out in the ocean and the winds are what they needed. What is Ocracoke brogue? Why do they have their own language there?

“In Jacksonville, North Carolina, at Mission Barbecue, everyone stands at noon each day to join in singing ‘The StarSpangled Banner.’ People come from everywhere just to be there for that. And we have a new craft brewery in Hendersonville that is our first opened by an African-American female brewer. L.A. McCrae has opened Black Star Line brewery there, and it’s a pretty cool story.

“If you have groups that are into pirates, next year we’re celebrating the 300th anniversary of the death of Blackbeard, the famous pirate who sailed the Eastern Seaboard and ran aground near Beaufort,” said Tuttell. “There will be events at Beaufort Pirate Invasion in Beaufort, during Piratefest in Greenville and at Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree at Ocracoke.”

T O U R

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Next time someone asks what you did last weekend, have a better answer.

In Kentucky, you can enjoy amazing food, music, entertainment, horse racing, distillery tours and much more. All delivered with true Southern hospitality and charm. To learn more and see sample itineraries, visit KentuckyTourism.com.

Come experience what we’re famous for.

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CENTRAL H IGH SCHOO L I N ARKANSAS IS AMONG TH E MOST SIG NI FICANT CIVI L RIGHTS SITES I N TH E SOUTH .

CIVIL RIGHTS and other stories

HEADLINE 2018

BY MAC LACY

L IZ B ITTN E R

W

hen it comes to assessing and publicizing the impact of America’s civil rights era on the South, Liz Bittner thinks there is no time like the present.

On January 1, the country will celebrate the 155th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and on April 4, America will reflect on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis.

“Just a few years ago, the National Park Service identified a number of significant sites related to architecture, schools, parks and other civil rights landmarks across the South,” said Bittner, Travel South USA’s president and CEO. “However, Lee Sentell, our Board member from Alabama, knew there were so many more sites to be noted for travelers interested in this chapter of our history. We need to tell that story and facilitate travel to those sites. This is a key element of our tourism region and we’re taking a leadership role in making that happen.”

Travel South USA is spearheading the effort to create a United States Civil Rights Trail and is working to form a nonprofit marketing alliance that will help to promote as many as 140 local sites that are significant to the civil rights story across 14 states and Washington, D.C. “There are stories to be told from the civil rights era for domestic and international travelers,” said Bittner, “stories of tragedy and stories of bravery, stories that reflect the

strength of our nation’s young people and the resilience of their elders. It’s not a story of separate but equal; it’s a story of equality for all.”

“Stories” is a word Bittner uses often. She believes that the South has the best storytellers in America. Many of them, she said, are just ordinary citizens.

“It usually comes down to a person,” she said. “Travelers want to know or figure out who that person is and hear it from them. Many times, they encounter those persons within the context of an unremarkable event like a meal or chance meeting. That’s how the South resonates with its visitors.”

Bittner is bullish on her 12-state region’s long-term prospects as an international travel destination, but said it, like others, has seen visitation fall off the past couple of years.

“2016 was down, and 2017 will be, too,” she said. “Some of that is political, and some of it is the strength of the dollar across the world. Certainly, tragedies like the events in Las Vegas and New York affect us all. But Travel South USA is committed to protecting our recent growth in international visitation despite these obstacles.”

Bittner relishes her organization’s role in leveraging the efforts of a dozen states and hundreds of convention and visitor bureaus to sell America’s most popular travel region.

“We unite our states’ and cities’ efforts,” she said.

“That’s our role. We’re the glue that holds it all together.”

Travel South USA’s 2018 Domestic Showcase takes place March 18-21, 2018, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Bittner says buyer registration is up 35 percent over last year, reflecting a high interest level in the destination.

“It was time for us to return to this iconic coastal area,” she said. “Interestingly enough, we seem to do it every 10 years. We were there in 1998 and 2008, and we’re looking forward to being there again in 2018.”

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State Capitol Montgomery

Helen Keller Birthplace Tuscumbia

Edmund Pettus Bridge Selma

Vulcan Park Birmingham

U.S. Space & Rocket Center Huntsville

Alabama is Celebrating 200 Years Join a three-year statewide celebration: 2017 places

2018 people

2019 stories

Alabama is continuing its multi-year Statehood Bicentennial celebration and your motorcoach groups are invited to enjoy the activities. Towns and cities are scheduling special events that are “group friendly.” Our numerous historic sites, many on the new U.S. Civil Rights Trail, are eager for you to visit.

Our state is spotlighting the four previous Capital Cities in St. Stephens, Huntsville, Cahaba, Tuscaloosa plus the current Capital, Montgomery.

Visit www.alabama.travel to learn how you can play a part in commemorating beautiful Alabama.

FOR GROUP TOUR INQUIRIES CONTACT: Rosemary Judkins, Alabama Tourism Department 334-242-4493 • rosemary.judkins@tourism.alabama.gov

VISITORS CAN S EE TH E SPOT WH ER E DOZENS OF H ITS WER E R ECOR DED AT M USCLE S HOALS SOU N D STU DIOS

B

BY BRIAN J EWELL

ehind every great song is an even better story.

The music of the South — from Louisiana zydeco to Nashville country, Mississippi blues and the mountain sounds of Kentucky and North Carolina — is full of heartfelt tales of life, labor and love. And the musicians, songwriters and others who work hard to make the music have stories of their own.

Here are six personal stories from people whose lives are immersed in Southern music, as well as their tips on where your groups can have great music experiences when traveling South.

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Courtesy AL Tourism Dept..

HEAR it

HERE S O M E S O U T H E R N S T O R I E S M A K E G R E AT M U S I C

WWW. T R A V E L S O U T HU S A . CO M

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M USCLE S HOALS, ALABAMA

HEAR it

HERE

Courtesy AL Tourism Dept.

LOCAL

Judy Hood

southern

MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA

SECRETS

When Judy Hood was a high school student in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the 1960s, she used to hear rumors about famous musicians being seen around town. She didn’t believe them.

“People would come into homeroom and say, ‘Mick Jagger is down at the studio,’ and we would say ‘No, he’s not,’” Hood said. “We thought it was an urban myth.”

But it wasn’t a myth. During the golden age of rock ’n’ roll, the small town of Muscle Shoals was at the center of the recording industry. The biggest names in music, from the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, came to the small town to record with a quartet of studio musicians collectively known as the Swampers, who quietly shaped the soundscape of a generation.

After she grew up, Judy married David Hood, the bass player for the Swampers, and had her own career in corporate America. She retired at 55, but eight months after she left her job, the documentary film “Muscle Shoals” debuted, bringing a tidal wave of interest to her town.

“The universe had another plan for me,” she said. “It became incumbent on me to step up and coordinate all this. So I started doing Swampette Tours. I would take people to the studios and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

“On my tours, it’s not unusual for a grown man to break down and cry. Keith Richards referred to the original Muscle Shoals Sound Studio as rock ’n’ roll heaven. People go into that room and have an emotional experience. It’s a

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T O U R

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When your group is inspired by a legacy of strength, courage and nonviolence.

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DAVI D HO LT

small studio, but it became one of the most influential recording studios in the world.”

Today, the studio has been renovated and serves as both a recording space and a museum. More than 34,000 people have visited since it reopened in 2014.

David Holt

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA For more than 40 years, David Holt has studied the music of North Carolina and the surrounding mountain regions. But the four-time Grammy-winning recording artist and television personality was introduced to Southern mountain music in an unlikely place: California.

“I heard Ralph Stanley play a concert when I was going to UC Santa Barbara,” Holt said. “I fell in love with the oldtimey style of banjo that he played, the old claw-hammer style he learned from his mother. I went to talk to him at the

end of the concert, and he told me to go to North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky or Tennessee to learn.”

So in 1973, Holt moved to Asheville, North Carolina, and began learning traditional music from people in the area, working odd jobs to support himself. Eventually, he got connected to legendary musicians such as Grandpa Jones and Roy Acuff, and ended up touring with Doc Watson for 14 years before launching his own solo career.

“The flavor of music throughout the mountains is a combination of English, Scotch-Irish and African-American,” he said. “It’s everything from bluegrass to blues. Each area from Kentucky to North Carolina and Virginia has a sound all its own because most of these places were isolated until the 1960s or ’70s.”

When friends come to visit, Holt takes them to jam sessions in private homes around the Asheville area. For groups, he recommends attending the Shindig on the Green series, which takes place between July 4 and Labor Day at Pack Square Park.

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ZYDECO ARTIST CH U BBY CAR RI ER

“Every weekend, musicians come down,” he said.

“Some play onstage, and some are just sitting around playing in little groups. You can stand next to them and talk about what they’re doing. It takes place on Saturdays, and they say it starts ‘long about sundown.’”

Chubby Carrier LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA

Growing up in Church Point, Louisiana, Chubby Carrier thought he was going to be a football player. But after a back injury ended his sports career, he turned to an art form that had run in his family for generations: zydeco music.

“My grandfather played this music,” he said. “My daddy played this music. There were musicians in our house, and that was a blessing. So I chose music after the football thing didn’t work out.”

Carrier took the family affinity for zydeco, recruited some

Courtesy Louisiana Office of Travel and Tourism

WWW. T R A V E L S O U T HU S A . CO M

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ROCK ‘ N ’ BOWL I N N EW OR LEANS

fellow musicians and hit the road as Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band in 1989. The group has toured every state in the country, much of Europe and even South Africa. In 2010, they won a Grammy for the year’s best zydeco album.

Today the group has “slowed the pace down a bit,” he said, playing about 100 dates a year. Wherever they go, they introduce people to the unique zydeco, which is more upbeat than other Cajun music, and the culture that it comes from.

“Zydeco music tells our stories,” he said. “People hear about the guys who were working in the bean fields and rice fields. They hear about the sharecropper culture. They hear about the sugarcane worker who works all day and plays music all night. The music touches the heart because you hear people singing about the hard times in their lives while still having a happy moment.”

Carrier now lives near Lafayette, Louisiana, and recommends that people come to that area — as opposed to New Orleans — to hear authentic Cajun and zydeco music at restaurants and local clubs.

“We have festivals in the spring and fall,” he said. “The spring festival is the Red Beans and Rice Festival, which has a gumbo cook-off. Every festival we have is pertaining to our food, but that’s also where you’ll hear our music.”

Courtesy Louisiana Office of Travel and Tourism

GAR LAN D ROG ERS Courtesy Mountain Arts Center

The Outer Banks

®

Garland Rogers

OF NORTH CAROLINA

PRESTONSBURG, KENTUCKY

Am ericasFirstBea ch.com

Local Outer Banks Cuisine

Music ran in Garland Rogers’ family; his grandfather played banjo and his grandmother played guitar and sang. So when he first stepped onto the stage at a high school talent show in his hometown of Prestonsburg, Kentucky, in 1990, he was a natural.

“It was the first time I sang in front of anybody,” Rogers said.

“There was a lady who came to the talent show who was putting together the Kentucky Opry, and she asked me to become a member of the Opry Junior Pro, a group of young local talent who can work their way into the big opry.”

Wright Brothers National Memorial

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CHAR LI E WORS HAM

Courtesy CMHOF

Rogers graduated from junior player to full cast member of the Kentucky Opry, a music show at the Mountain Arts Center near Prestonsburg. He spent 14 years with the opry before leaving to pursue other interests, making a record in Nashville and touring with a friend for five years. He also began a bluegrass gospel band that played at his church and other places. Then he got a call from the director of the Mountain Arts Center.

“Clayton Case called me and asked if I would be interested in coming back to the Mountain Arts Center and the Kentucky Opry, and that got me back into country music.”

Today Rogers is one of the lead singers of the Opry, which highlights classical Kentucky mountain music as well as country, gospel and other music and comedy. Groups can enjoy the family-friendly show regularly at the Mountain Arts Center or find other local talent playing traditional and country music at restaurants throughout eastern Kentucky.

“Somebody is playing somewhere about every night,” Rogers said.

Charlie Worsham

NAS HVI LLE ’S STATION I N N

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Courtesy TN Dept. of Tourist Dev.

DON’T JUST LEARN A B O U T H I S TO R Y

HAVE A BLAST

From childhood, Charlie Worsham knew he wanted to be a musician.

And it only made sense that he would play country music.

“Nine of the first 10 concerts I went to were country concerts,” he said.

“Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Patty Loveless. And a lot of my early days in music were in the world of bluegrass, which is part of the lineage of country music.

So it always suited me, and I loved it.”

After attending Berklee College of Music, the Mississippi native did what so many other young musicians do: moved to Nashville to chase a dream. He joined a band, wrote songs and played in the recording studio.

Eventually, he got a solo record deal with Warner Brothers, where he has released two albums, and began touring with the likes of Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift.

“On a regular basis, I ask myself what my 12-year-old self would think about what I have done over the past week. The me from that time would be losing his mind. It’s a pretty wonderful opportunity day in and day out. It’s a challenging business, but I love what I do, and I’m grateful for it.”

Worsham revels in Nashville’s music heritage. He has a long list of recommendations for visitors who want to immerse themselves in Music City.

“If you’re coming to Nashville, you have to go to the Ryman Auditorium — they don’t call it the mother church for nothing,” he said. “Then there’s a tiny place called the Station Inn, which has been a bluegrass club for 40 years.

It is to bluegrass what the Ryman is to country.

“You also have to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In my opinion, it’s about the best museum for music that ever was. It tells the story of country music in a very compelling way. And they have really cool things you can attend, like songwriter workshops or an instrument petting zoo.”

Plan your trip to Virginia now at

HISTORYISFUN.ORG

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We’re proud to host you and your taste buds at

TRAVEL SOUTH SHOWCASE 2018.

Give your group an adventure to remember, right here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Here, you’ll find 62 miles of coast for you to explore. Or you can just kick back, relax, and order up some Gulf-fresh oysters.

Plan your escape at GulfCoast.org.

WE HOPE YOU FIND SOME ADVENTURE OF YOUR OWN AT TRAVEL SOUTH SHOWCASE 2018 HERE ON THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST.

Tricia Walker

CLEVELAND, MISSISSIPPI Music took Tricia Walker from Mississippi to the world’s biggest stages — and then back again.

TH E S H I N DIG I N “I grew up in a small town in southwest Mississippi called Fayette,” she CLAYTON, NORTH CARO LI NA said. “After I saw the Beatles on ‘Ed Sullivan,’ I wanted to learn to play guitar, and I played until my fingers bled. I started a high school band, playing everything from Jimi Hendrix to the Monkees. After I finished my master’s

By Aaron Dahlstrom, courtesy Visit NC degree in music, I started writing songs.”

Walker entered some songs in a local competition and won, which encouraged her to take the plunge and move 500 miles to Nashville. She found success as a performer, backing up artists such as Connie Smith and Shania Twain; as a songwriter; performing songwriter shows in the round with Ashley Cleveland, Pam Tillis and Karen Staley.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of Mississippi in 2004, her alma mater, Delta State University, began a music recording program and reached out to her about coming to work with talented young students. So now, Walker leverages her TRICIA WALKER experience as director of the Delta Music Institute helping up-and-coming Mississippi musicians hone their craft.

“Blues is very important to the history of the Delta,” she said. “But here in the college program, I see students doing all kinds of things.

I hear a lot of alt rock, a lot of hiphop, a lot of experimental music.

Our students come from different towns, mash up against each other and start doing things that are pretty unique. So I’m hopeful that what they will put out in the world is going to be new and fresh.”

Walker said groups visiting the Delta should get to know the breadth of its music scene by making stops in a variety of places. Cleveland has an indie rock scene, and Clarksdale, about 40 miles away, is an epicenter of traditional blues.

She also encourages groups to stop at the Gramm Museum Mississippi in Cleveland.

T HE ALLUVIAN H OTEL • TH E AL L U V IA N S PA “There’s a Mississippi-centric portion that has a fantastic apparaV I KING C OOKING SC H OOL • GIA R DINA’S tus called the Music Table,” she said.

“It’s like you’re looking at a river, and A cosmopolitan boutique hotel deep in the Delta there are digital photos and fields 318 Howard Street Greenwood, MS 662.453.2114 thealluvian.com floating down the table. You can touch them, listen to the music and learn about the influences.”

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TH E BRIGHT STAR IS KNOWN FOR ON E OF TH E B EST S EAFOO D GUM BOS I N COASTAL ALABAMA .

BY SAVAN NAH OS BOU R N

T

ravelers journey down South for many reasons, but it is the time-tested cuisine of family-owned restaurants in Southern cities both large and small that makes the trip memorable. From grits to gumbos and fried green tomatoes, traditional Southern dishes are packed with rich flavors that satiate the senses.

Next time you visit the South, be sure to look for these hidden gems.

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Courtesy The Bright Star

DINING in

DYNASTIES

T H E S E R E S TA U R A N T S T E L L T H E S T O R I E S O F T H E S O U T H

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DINING in

TH E BRIGHT STAR I N ALABAMA

DYNASTIES

Courtesy The Bright Star

LOCAL

Bright Star

southern

SECRETS

BESSEMER, ALABAMA For those in search of original Gulf Coast seafood, The Bright Star in Bessemer, Alabama, is just the place to visit.

Known for serving some of the freshest seafood in the Southeast, the century-old restaurant specializes in snapper. Fresh loads of fish brought in from the docks twice a week are used to make sizzling culinary creations such as Greek-style snapper, fried snapper throats and seafood gumbo. In recent years, the restaurant has also gained traction as a steakhouse, winning the title of Best Steak in Alabama in 2012.

In 1907, Greek immigrant Tom Bonduris opened The Bright Star in a small, horseshoe-style bar in town; it was later moved into the historic Realty Building in downtown. Other family members from Greece eventually joined him in the United States to help run the business. As The Bright Star flourished and expanded, it eventually took over the entire first floor of the building. It now stands as the oldest restaurant in Alabama. Today’s patrons will notice the original vintage flooring and the beautiful European murals that line the walls.

According to Andreas Anastassakis, one of the current owners, what makes The Bright Star so remarkable is his family’s dedication to carry on what their ancestors started, as well as the loyal guests who continue to visit the restaurant generation after generation.

“Every day, something special happens at this place,” said Anastassakis. “We’ve got employees who have been here over 40 years and customers who come in every day.

All of that really sets us apart from the competition.”

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Sweet water TENNESSEE

“A visit to Sweet water is like taking a step back in time. Discover many unique shops and attractions teeming with nostalgia, charm and friendliness. In the historic shopping district, you will find shops filled with rare antiques, exquisite home furnishings and decor, original works of art, choice fashion, unique garden gifts, hard-to-find collectibles and much more. W hile you’re there, don’t miss a chance to explore underground at the fascinating Lost Sea.” — KEVIN TRIPLETT Tennessee Department of Tourist Development

W W W.V ISI T SW E E T WAT E R .COM

T O U R

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LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

HISTORY Naturally Made

at the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Walk in the footsteps of the nine students who paved the way for integration. The Little Rock Nine Monument at the Arkansas State Capitol commemorates this major moment in Civil Rights history. Mosaic Templars CULTURAL Center in Little Rock serves to educate visitors on AfricanAmerican culture. What history will you make in Arkansas? Learn more at CivilRightsTrail.com.

Arkansas.com

DESS ERT AN D ENTR EE AT TH E BRIGHT STAR Courtesy The Bright Star

The restaurant has entertained some notable guests over the years, from actress Sandra Bullock to Alabama football coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant. The dedicated “Bear” Bryant Booth, where Bryant often sat, is the mostsought-after table in the restaurant.

W W W.T HE BR IGH T S TA R .COM

Buckner’s Family Restaurant

JACKSON, GEORGIA

Based in the heart of Jackson, Georgia, Buckner’s Family Restaurant treats guests to family-style country cooking on Lazy Susan tables. The restaurant’s large round tables seat six to 10 people, making groups feel right at home, and feature rotating Lazy Susans in the center with buffet items laid out in oval dishes.

“It’s not your standard buffet; we bring the buffet to you,” said owner Drew Buckner.

Courtesy The Bright Star

The Buckners believe in preparing their heritage recipes the old-fashioned way, rolling bread dough by hand and bringing in fresh chicken, pork and beef to cut and cook on-site.

Though the menu changes daily, one item remains a constant: Buckner’s famous fried chicken. The restaurant serves close to 100 tons of chicken breast each year in addition to other mouthwatering Southern foods, like barbecued pork, stewed tomatoes, creamed corn and peach cobbler.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Buckner with a laugh. “But it has a family atmosphere, just like home. We’re here to serve and love the people, and I think they feel that when they walk in.”

The restaurant was founded by Buckner’s father, uncle and grandparents in 1980. Buckner recalls busing tables when he was as young as 8. One of his earliest memories of the restaurant is when his family would bring in gospel and bluegrass musicians to help attract customers, although today, the restaurant’s famous chicken draws more than enough business on its own.

Buckner’s Family Restaurant also offers a private din-

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KENTUCKY’S B EAUMONT I N N

ing area for anniversary parties, celebrations and other group events that can accommodate up to 100 guests with round-table seating.

W W W. BUC K N E R SFA MILY R E S TAU R A N T.COM

Beaumont Inn

HARRODSBURG, KENTUCKY Named one of the South’s top 20 charming inns by Southern Living Magazine, the Beaumont Inn is a historic bed-and-breakfast in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, the oldest town in the commonwealth. The inn, on a lovely, parklike property, features 31 guest rooms in three separate buildings.

Passed down through the Dedman family for five generations, the Beaumont Inn reflects the finest qualities of Kentucky culture, particularly through its food offerings. In the main dining room, guests can sample traditional Kentucky fare such as yellow-legged fried chicken, 2-year-old

Courtesy Beaumont Inn

BUCKN ER’S FAM I LY R ESTAU RANT FRI ED CH ICKEN

BUCKN ER’S FR ES H RO LLS

Courtesy Buckner’s Family Restaurant

S T A Y L A F AY E T T E Plan your escape to t he Happiest Cit y in America.

L A F AY E T T E T R AV E L . C O M /Groups

WWW. T R A V E L S O U T HU S A . CO M

800 346 1958

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BEAUMONT INN OWNER DIXON DEDMAN

Courtesy Beaumont Inn

Kentucky cured country ham, corn pudding and cornmeal cakes. Those with a sweet tooth would be remiss not to try a bite of the restaurant’s famous orange lemon cake.

The Beaumont Inn, also an official stop along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, offers 70 distinct brands of bourbon, along with many other wines and spirits, in the nearby Old Owl Tavern. Groups can sign up for the Innkeeper’s Bourbon Tasting with owner Dixon Dedman to sample up to six of these bourbon varieties.

After dining, visitors can lounge on the rocking chairs outside, stroll down the neighboring walking trail, and admire some of the family antiques and memorabilia in the circa-1845 Main Inn building. Among the fascinating features are a baby grand from the 1860s, places in the window panes where girls once scratched their names with diamond rings and a chair used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he visited the area during the 1930s.

W W W. BE AU MON T I N N.COM

LAM B ERT’S CAFÉ I N M ISSOU RI

By Michael Owens

Lambert’s Café SIKESTON, MISSOURI

When guests take a seat in Lambert’s Café in Sikeston, Missouri, they can expect to see a roll or two flying across the room. Home of the “throwed roll,” the restaurant bakes nearly 600 dozen rolls each day, sweetening the bread with a dollop of sorghum molasses. Servers are known to toss the rolls to customers as they walk past the tables. As guests settle into this friendly, laid-back atmosphere, they can take their pick of piping-fresh fare like chicken and dumplings, fried okra, chicken pot pie and smoked hog jowl.

In 1942, Earl and Agnes Lambert opened Lambert’s Café with a small loan from the bank and just 14 cents to their name. They persevered through World War II, when many restaurants were forced to close due to rationed food supplies, and provided a small refuge where locals could gather during hard times. After Earl Lambert passed away in 1976, his son, Norman Lambert, took over the cafe with his mother.

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BRING YOUR GROUP TOUR TO LIFE.

Fall in love with the rhythm of the waves with hands-on experiences and uncommon access offered exclusively for groups. Plan your group’s Live the Life Adventure at VisitVirginiaBeach.com/GroupTour.

ANTOI N E ’S I N N EW OR LEANS

The tradition of the throwed rolls began one day when Norman Lambert was passing around dinner rolls to customers throughout the tightly packed restaurant. There was one patron he could not quite reach who finally told him to “just throw the damn thing.” Lambert obliged, much to the amusement of everyone watching, and soon other servers began doing the same thing.

“Everybody joined in, really by accident,” said general manager Jerry Johnson, who has worked at the restaurant for over 30 years. “People just liked the entertainment of it.”

Under Lambert’s ownership, the local diner progressed into a well-known, 300-seat establishment. During the 1990s, he opened two more locations, in Ozark, Missouri, and Foley, Alabama. Lambert passed away in 1996, leaving the management of the popular restaurant chain to his two sons.

W W W.T HROW E DROL LS .COM

Antoine’s Restaurant NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Photos courtesy Antoine’s

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In the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Antoine’s Restaurant is the oldest French-Creole fine-dining restaurant in the city.

It was founded in 1840 by a young French immigrant named Antoine Aliciatore, who served the local French gentility and quickly established the restaurant’s reputation as one of the classiest venues in the area. Today, fifth-generation owner Rick Blount carries on Aliciatore’s legacy as CEO of the restaurant.

During its 178 years, Antoine’s Restaurant has played a central role in popularizing French-Creole cuisine across the United States. It is the birthplace of famous dishes such as oysters Rockefeller, pommes de terre soufflés and eggs sardou, which are poached eggs topped with artichoke hearts, truffles and hollandaise sauce. After dinner, guests can top off their meal with classic French desserts like mousse au chocolat or order a glass of café brulot diabolique, a flaming spiced coffee with brandy.

Detail: KALEIDOSCOPIC CALAMITY by Margaret Solomon Gunn

PADUCAH, KENTUCKY Hundreds of Beautiful Quilts on Exhibit

Aisles of Fabrics, Machines & Quilting Supply Vendors

World-Renowned Quiltmaking Instructors

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The restaurant features 14 exquisite dining rooms on two floors and can host private events or parties with up to 700 guests. Each room displays different themes and artifacts that reflect the rich culture of New Orleans, whether groups prefer to dine like kings in the Rex Room or recline in the stately Capital Room.

W W W. A N T OI N E S .COM

BOWENS IS LAN D R ESTAU RANT I N CHAR LESTON

Bowens Island Restaurant CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Photos courtesy Bowens Island Restaurant

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Bowens Island Restaurant is one of Charleston’s bestkept secrets. Locally, it is known as the best place to fill up on fresh steamed oysters and enjoy a beer on the waterfront. For many years, the offbeat venue was characterized by mismatched furniture and decades of graffiti scrawled on virtually every wall and surface. Visitors could find heaping piles of sun-bleached oyster shells outside, one of the few exterior indications that the ramshackle building was a restaurant. But it was these features that gave Bowens Island Restaurant so much character.

In 2006, the old cinderblock building was destroyed in a fire, much to the dismay of longtime patrons, but thirdgeneration owner Robert Barber quickly rallied efforts to rebuild. The new building has more deck space, a dock house and fresh walls on which guests can pen their names and stories.

In addition to the restaurant’s signature steamed oysters, visitors can sample authentic low-country foods such as shrimp and grits, crab cakes and Frogmore stew. Rental space is available in the Dock House, the Sophisticate or the Porch, providing the perfect opportunity for a group event overlooking the salt marsh.

W W W. BOW E NSISL A N D. BI Z

GRACELAND.COM/GROUPS • 800-238-2010 © EPE. Graceland and its marks are trademarks of EPE. All Rights Reserved. Elvis Presley™ © 2017 ABG EPE IP LLC

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OUR STORIED ROADS AND RIVERS

T

he Gateway Arch in St. Louis is perhaps the ultimate starting point for your Missouri adventure.

After all, the 630-foot monument commemorates America’s westward expansion and is a symbol of the country’s pioneering spirit. Be sure to visit in 2018, when the new Museum at the Arch opens, capping a multi-year renovation project.

From St. Louis, cruise across the Show-Me State on Route 66, the avenue for the quintessential American road trip. Winding through cities of all sizes, a ride on Missouri’s stretch of “the Mother Road” leads to motor courts, roadside oddities and family-friendly attractions such as Meramec Caverns in Stanton.

It also leads to the highway’s birthplace, Springfield, home of the new Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. The immersive museum has more than 350,000 square feet of outdoors-themed exhibit space and 1.5 miles of trails to explore.

When it comes to museums, Missouri has abundant mustsees, including the renowned Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Noted for having works from around the globe, the collection at Nelson-Atkins is one of the finest in the country. In 2015, Yelp! users ranked it the top museum in the U.S.

From Springfield, it’s a quick drive south to Branson, home of fabulous entertainers and the natural beauty of the Missouri Ozarks. Take a relaxing boat ride on Table Rock Lake, grab a front-row seat for Legends in Concert and learn about a tragic chapter in world history at Titanic Museum Attraction.

Of course, when people think of Kansas City, their minds – and taste buds – often go straight to barbecue. With experienced pit masters and innovative ways of presenting ’cue, it’s no wonder groups enjoy places like Jack Stack Freight House where menu items include everything from smoked ribs to the staple of Kansas City barbecue, burnt ends.

One hour south of St. Louis, along the Mississippi River.

Sedalia, Missouri where Music History Lives!

www.VisitSedaliaMo.com

Group Travel_StCharles _Oct_17.pdf

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10:14 PM

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A PASS ENG ER R ELAXES DU RI NG A CRUIS E ABOAR D TH E AM ERICAN Q U EEN.

BY SAVAN NAH OS BOU R N

S

cenes of water are quintessential to the South, and there are myriad ways for groups to experience them. Adventurous travelers can kayak or paddleboard along lush coastal regions, and nature lovers can savor the sights of remote waterways on narrated ecotours. Others may gravitate toward a relaxing dinner cruise down some of America’s most historic rivers.

No matter what kind of aquatic excursion appeals to your group, the following attractions are guaranteed to provide an unforgettable experience on the water.

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Courtesy American Queen Steamboat Company

ON the

SURFACE

I S L A N D S A N D W AT E R D E F I N E S O U T H E R N C U LT U R E

WWW. T R A V E L S O U T HU S A . CO M

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AM ERICAN Q U EEN

ON the

SURFACE Courtesy American Queen Steamboat Company

LOCAL

American Queen Steamboat Company

southern

SECRETS

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

Based out of Memphis, Tennessee, the American Queen Steamboat Company gives groups the opportunity to cruise down the Mississippi River as Mark Twain once did — aboard a magnificent, vintage-style steamboat. The company offers some of the best river cruise packages in North America, including pre-cruise hotel stays, complimentary beer or wine with dinner and customizable shore excursions in each port.

The largest steamboat ever built, the six-deck American Queen will make passengers feel like Victorian royalty as they sail past antebellum plantations, Civil War sites and picturesque river towns along the Mississippi.

The greatest advantage of American Queen cruises is that groups can create their own sightseeing itinerary in each port. The night before the ship docks for a shore excursion, each guest receives a map with designated HopOn Hop-Off locations. While groups explore the city at their leisure, a dedicated fleet of Hop-On Hop-Off motorcoaches stops at each pick-up site every 15 to 20 minutes.

“What we do is give people the entire city,” said Bob Buesing, co-founder of Shore Excursions of America. “We don’t just put people on a bus for three hours. Our tours allow them to enter museums, attractions and all kinds of things at their own convenience.”

Before working with the American Queen, Buesing ran the tour company East Coast Touring for 38 years. Seven

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Sk y Lake

STONEVILLE , MISSISSIPPI “Ancient ba ld c y press trees, some more than 1,0 0 0 years old, are the main attractions at Sky Lake. The oldest tree measures nearly 47 feet in circumference and reaches 70 feet ta ll. Sk y La ke is a lso home to a diverse range of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and other wildlife. Walk the boardwalk, or kayak through the living Delta swamp.”

— JIM BEAUGEZ Visit Mississippi

W W W. SK Y L A K E MIS SIS SIPPI.ORG

T O U R

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VI SI T

T Y B EE Picture your group here. We can.

Discover yourself on Savannah’s Beach.

Just 20 minutes from historic Savannah.

VisitTybee.com

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ST. SI MONS IS LAN D, G EORGIA

Courtesy SouthEast Adventure Outfitters

years ago, he partnered with fellow tourism professional Jim Palmeri, to found Shore Excursions of America, incorporating the Hop-On Hop-Off concept into river cruises.

“We love what we do,” said Buesing. “We don’t run tours; we give experiences on the American Queen.”

W W W. A MER ICA NQU EENST EA MBOATCOMPA N Y.COM

SouthEast Adventure Outfitters ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA

Just off the coast of Georgia, St. Simons Island is characterized by long stretches of unspoiled beach and live oaks draped in Spanish moss. The rugged beauty of the coast has always drawn visitors to the island, but until the 1990s, there were not many guided outdoor activities available for tourists. In 1994, Georgia native and longtime boating en-

thusiast Michael Gowen recognized that need, and with the help of some friends, founded his own ecotour company: SouthEast Adventure Outfitters.

“I always say that coastal Georgia has a huge trail system; it’s just all wet,” said Gowen. “Back in 1994 when we started, there wasn’t much ecotourism in the area, so it’s been gratifying to see that grow. We started out with a couple [of] kayaks, and now we have two retail stores.”

Thanks to SouthEast Adventure Outfitters, visitors can now explore St. Simons and the surrounding islands through guided experiences such as kayak tours, stand-up paddleboarding, fishing charters and eco-cruises. For those who prefer to relax on a boat, the Norma Eco-Cruise accommodates up to six passengers for a narrated boat tour of the area. Departing from the historic Village Creek Landing, the vessel takes guests along 21 miles of remote waterways between St. Simons, Sea Island and Little St. Simons, where they may spot wildlife such as dolphins, sharks, otters and colorful migratory birds.

“You can go every day and see something different,”

PL AY A ND GE T AWAY ON T HE

NORTHSHORE

Visit St. Tammany Parish and bring your appetite for great Louisiana cooking, and for living.

Come paddle the bayou, tour Honey Island Swamp, do the Dew Drop, toast the town at Abita Brewery or Pontchartrain Vineyards, and sample sweets at The Candy Bank.

Less than an hour from New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Baton Rouge.

8 0 0 - 6 3 4 - 9 4 4 3 • w w w. L o u i s i a n a No r t h s h o r e . c o m /g r o u p s 42

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said Gowen. “The sheer variety, the pureness of the area, the unspoiled nature — it’s pretty amazing.”

In addition to savoring the natural sights, groups get the chance to learn about some of Georgia’s rich history.

One of the most treasured sites along St. Simons is the 600acre historic Musgrove Plantation, where President Jimmy Carter held his first preinaugural cabinet meeting.

W W W.V IL L AGEC R E E K L A N DI NG .COM

SOUTH EAST ADVENTU R E OUTFITTERS

A Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours and Adventures GIBSON, LOUISIANA

Louisiana is well known for its beautiful bayous and cypress swamps that teem with wildlife such as alligators, snapping turtles and great blue herons. Just 70 miles west of New Orleans, travelers will discover one of the best locations in the Courtesy SouthEast Adventure Outfitters

WWW. T R A V E L S O U T HU S A . CO M

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A CAJ U N MAN ’S SWAM P TOU RS AN D ADVENTU R ES

Courtesy A Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours

state to experience the spectacular beauty of the swamps: A Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours and Adventures.

“Most people who come to Louisiana spend most of their time in New Orleans and the big cities, but the most beautiful part of the state is right here,” said Captain Billy Gaston, who leads the tours.

Gaston purchased the well-established company in 2015 from Ron “Black” Guidry, who had been running the tours for 26 years. Since then, Gaston has added his own unique flair to the tour, often sharing personal stories of his life growing up in the heart of Cajun country.

“The best part of my job is meeting people from all over the world and showing them what I love so much about the place where I was born and raised,” said Gaston. “I make sure everybody walks away with a smile on their face.”

With no sound or sight of human activity for miles, the 49-passenger vessel winds throughout the rich ecosystem of Bayou Black, where guests are sure to spot an alligator or a nesting eagle. One of the highlights of the experience is when Gaston calls the alligators by name to the boat, providing a rare opportunity for passengers to see the immense creatures up close.

“I’m like the Dr. Doolittle of southern Louisiana,” said Gaston with a laugh. “They usually hide when other boats pass, but they come right up to me.”

W W W.C A J U N M A N A DV E N T U R E S .COM

Tour Daufuskie HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

TRUE DELTA VIBE. TIMELESS SOUTHERN CHARM.

Home to fewer than 500 permanent residents, Daufuskie Island is a beautiful, uncultivated spot off the coast of South Carolina, accessible only by ferry from Hilton Head Island and Bluffton. The vibrant island provides a pristine natural getaway, and travelers can explore everything it has to offer through Tour Daufuskie.

Tour Daufuskie began in 2011 when local ironworks artisan Chase Allen noticed the need for ecotourism activities on the island and partnered with a fellow outdoor enthusiast to launch the

Treat your group to a unique melting pot of experiences and cultures that only Greenwood can deliver. Uncover the mystery of Blues legend Robert Johnson, learn the secrets of mouthwatering Southern cuisine at the world-renowned Viking Cooking School, or soak up the atmosphere and landmarks featured in the DreamWorks blockbuster film “The Help.”

And that’s just the beginning of a tour sure to end in rave reviews!

Talk to us about custom itineraries, group travel rebates and concierge services.

662.453.9197 www.visitgreenwoodMS.com

Paid for in partnership by Visit Mississippi.

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HATFI ELD AN D M CCOY AI R BOAT TOU RS

Courtesy Hatfield and McCoy Airboat Tours

KAYAKI NG WITH TOU R DAUFUSKI E GU LLAH TOU R GUI DE , SALLI E AN N ROBI NSON Courtesy Tour Daufuskie

Courtesy Tour Daufuskie

business. This past year, Anna Clark joined the team as the managing director and lead guide.

“When people join us for a tour, they really get to see what makes Daufuskie Daufuskie, and I love getting to share that with visitors,” said Clark.

Tour Daufuskie offers four different tour experiences.

The History and Artisan Tour, the most popular option, takes groups on golf carts to some of the island’s most fascinating landmarks. Depending on group preference, guests can visit sites like the circa 1800 First Union Baptist Church, the Mary Fields School, the Bloody Point Lighthouse or the Billy Burns Historic Museum.

In 2016, Tour Daufuskie partnered with sixth-generation island native Sallie Ann Robinson to premier a Native Gullah Tour, which highlights the history of Gullah culture on the island. Those hoping to encounter some of the island’s native wildlife may prefer the Eco Tour or the Kayak Tour.

Clark described one special memory from when she was kayaking with a father and his two daughters.

“There was this pod of 10 to 15 dolphins that showed up unexpectedly and breached the water, which is really rare,” said Clark. “So that was a neat experience to share with them.”

W W W.T OU R DAU F USK IE .COM

EXPERIENCE ~

Hatfield and McCoy Airboat Tours

MATEWAN, WEST VIRGINIA

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill A Landmark Destination — The Historic Centre, The Farm & The Preserve

The Hatfield and McCoy feud has become almost legendary in modern culture, often dramatized as a harrowing tale of lawless revenge and forbidden romance.

The story stems from the real-life rivalry between two rural families that lived on either side of the Tug River: the McCoys in Kentucky and the Hatfields in West Virginia.

In 2012, a Hatfield and McCoy miniseries aired on the History Channel starring A-list actors Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton. The show spurred renewed fascination with the history of these feuding families, and tourists began flooding into the Matewan area, particularly to visit

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the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System.

Around that time, former coal miner Keith Gibson began toying with the idea of offering boat tours aboard his six-passenger airboat.

“It was an idea I’d had for a really long time,” said Gibson. “After the TV series aired, we were getting quite of bit of tourism from the trail system, so starting the business was a combination of getting laid off from the mining industry and seeing tourists come in with the numbers to sustain it.”

During the tour, passengers ride with Gibson down the Tug River, which marked the dividing line between the two families, and learn more about their contentious history, from the stolen hog that allegedly started the feud to the tragic romance between Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy. W W W.HATFIELDMCCOYAIRBOAT TOURS.COM

Mark Twain Riverboat HANNIBAL, MISSOURI

The Mark Twain Riverboat takes groups on a scenic, narrated cruise down one of America’s most legendary rivers: the Mississippi River.

The river’s claim to fame stems from celebrated author Mark Twain, who grew up along the riverbank and watched steamboats sail into port each day with travelers and trade goods from around the world. As a young man, he worked as a riverboat pilot and later immortalized the dynamic river setting in classic novels like “Tom Sawyer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

“In his day, every boy wanted to be a riverboat pilot,” said Captain Steve Terry, who operates the Mark Twain Riverboat with his wife, Sandy. “It was a grand and glorious job as far as they could tell, and the river made an awesome background for his stories.”

During the cruise, passengers will spot notable landmarks such as the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse on Cardiff Hill and the famous Jackson Island, which Twain featured prominently in his work.

Groups can book a one-hour sightseeing cruise during mid-to-late afternoon or sign up for the two-hour dinner cruise later in the evening. After dining, guests can relish the view from the open-air deck or swing by the dance floor to enjoy jazz and melodic tunes from a live band.

“I give passengers plenty of downtime to just listen to the birds and listen to the wind blow through the trees,” said Terry. “A lot of people live in the city and don’t get to experience that.”

W W W. M A R K T WA I N R I V E R BOAT.COM

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Plan your visit at ArkEncounter.com Williamstown, K Y (south of Cincinnati)

WORKERS FO LLOW G EORG E WAS H I NGTON'S WH ISKEY R ECI PE I N TH E DISTI LLERY AT MT. VER NON.

BY SAVAN NAH OS BOU R N

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he South is full of famous faces, from celebrated singers and authors to those who changed the course of history on the battlefield. When groups visit the homes and museums of these individuals, they get the chance to step into the shoes of their heroes and learn about the world that shaped them.

Some visitors may be surprised by how much they relate to these historical figures and walk away with newfound appreciation for their legacies. Here are six legendary Southerners who are sure to capture the imaginations of all your group members.

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FACES and

PLACES SOME SOUTHERNERS REVEAL ITS SOUL

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ROS EMARY CLOON EY AN D BI NG CROS BY

FACES and

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By Kathy Brown, courtesy Rosemary Clooney House

LOCAL

Rosemary Clooney House

southern

AUGUSTA, KENTUCKY

SECRETS

Internationally recognized singer and actress Rosemary Clooney was known for the rich texture of her voice and for cultivating an expressive, bluesy style that set her apart early in her singing career.

“Anytime you hear her sing from her early years, you can tell it’s Rosemary,” said Steve Henry, proprietor of the Rosemary Clooney House.

Originally from Maysville, Kentucky, Clooney began her entertainment career in the late 1940s when she sang a duet with her sister Betty on a Cincinnati radio station.

After going on tour with the Tony Pastor Band, she eventually signed with Columbia Records, also home to Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra. Over the years, she appeared on popular programs like the “Ed Sullivan Show” and released No. 1 hits such as “Come On-A My House,” “Hey There” and “Mambo Italiano.”

She later starred alongside Bing Crosby in the classic film “White Christmas.” When “White Christmas” debuted in 1954, it garnered rave reviews worldwide, becoming the highest grossing film of the year. According to Henry, one of the reasons the film achieved such widespread popularity during the 1950s was that it paid tribute to military veterans.

“You have to understand that the U.S. had just been through World War II and the Korean War,” said Henry.

“Plus, it had great actresses, great singers — all of the music that Irving Berlin produced was highly regarded.”

Just four months before she passed away from lung cancer

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Moton Museum FARMVILLE , VIRGINIA

“The Robert Russa Moton Museum, located in Farmville, Virginia, is the national center for the study of civil rights in education.

Named a National Historic Landmark in 1998, the former high school was the site of the first nonviolent student demonstration in 1951, an action that led to the Brown vs.

Board of Education case before the U.S. Supreme Cour t, which mandated equa l education for all Americans.”

—ANDREW COTHERN Virginia Tourism Corporation W W W. MO T ON M USEU M.ORG

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MACARTH U R M US EUM OF ARKANSAS M I LITARY H ISTORY

Courtesy MacArthur Museum

in 2002, Clooney received the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of her illustrious six-decade career.

Fans can visit Clooney’s picturesque riverside home in Augusta, Kentucky, where she spent the last 22 years of her life. The house is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and features childhood photographs, beautiful costumes from her films, a comprehensive collection of “White Christmas” memorabilia and an exhibit on her famous nephew, George Clooney.

W W W. ROSE M A RYC LOON E Y.ORG

Douglas MacArthur LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

Gen. Douglas MacArthur has long been regarded as one of the greatest military leaders in American history, perhaps best known for his valiant defense of the Philippines and other Pacific regions during World War II. He

famously uttered the line, “I shall return” when President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered him to flee the Philippines as Japanese forces closed in, and he did so two years later with reinforcements to liberate the islands from Axis control.

Later, he oversaw the successful Allied occupation of postwar Japan and played a pivotal role leading United Nations forces in the Korean War. Though his outspoken criticism of President Harry S. Truman’s leadership during the Korean War led to his dismissal from military command in 1951, a decision that sparked outrage among the American public, MacArthur received a hero’s welcome upon his return to the United States and remained an influential figure until his death in 1964.

The five-star general was born in 1880 in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Civil War arsenal where his father was stationed as a captain. Today, the Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal is one of the most historic buildings in the state, housing the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. Inside the museum, visitors can browse exhibits

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WI LLIAM FAU LKN ER’S ROWEN OAK

that highlight some of the most critical events and innovations in military history, from the advent of the jeep to the use of propaganda posters during World War II to draw public support for the war effort.

The museum examines many details of MacArthur’s life and legacy, particularly the controversy of his dismissal from command, which led to tense civil-military relations for many years to come. Groups also get the chance to explore an authentic Civil War structure and walk the grounds where many of the historic events depicted in the gallery occurred.

W W W. M AC A RT H U R PA R K L R .COM

By Robert Jordan, courtesy Ole Miss Communications

Faulkner’s Rowen Oak OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI

Just south of downtown Oxford, Mississippi, literature lovers can visit the beautiful wooded Rowen Oak, where distinguished author William Faulkner and his family lived for

MACARTH U R M US EUM OF ARKANSAS M I LITARY H ISTORY Courtesy MacArthur Museum

MARGAR ET M ITCH ELL HOUS E I N ATLANTA Courtesy Atlanta History Center

FESTIVALS AND FUN. GRAND HISTORIC HOMES. BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICA’S GREATEST PLAYWRIGHT, TENNESSEE WILLIAMS. RUN OR BIKE ALONG THE SCENIC RIVERWALK, WINDING AROUND AND OVER THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER. SHOP, DINE, AND SAVOR IN THE ULTIMATE SOUTHERN DESTINATION. VisitColumbusMS.org YEAR-ROUND Daily Historic Home Tours APRIL 5 -14, 2018 78th Annual Spring Pilgrimage SEPTEMBER Tennessee Williams Festival OCTOBER Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium

for attraction and event listings.

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ROWEN OAK

By Robert Jordan, courtesy Ole Miss Communications

more than 40 years. Faulkner purchased the Greek Revival house and surrounding 29 acres in 1930. The serene, secluded landscaped allowed him the privacy he needed to write, and it was there he penned some of his greatest works, including “A Fable,” “Absalom, Absalom!” and “As I Lay Dying.” Many of his novels explored controversial topics such as slavery, poverty and the decline of Southern aristocrats, introducing dark themes that came to characterize the Southern Gothic genre.

“He was the first person to write about the modern South that emerged following the Civil War,” said William Griffith, curator of the museum. “He developed a formula for Southern literature: a nice, bucolic town that’s hiding a dark, vicious secret, and then something uncovers the secret, and the town has to confront it.”

When Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949, he was the first writer from Mississippi to receive the honor. His novel “The Sound and the Fury” is widely considered one of the greatest English-language novels of the 20th century.

One of the most popular times to visit Rowen Oak is early spring, when the trees and flowers come into full bloom. After admiring the beautiful original furnishings throughout the home, visitors can step outside to explore historic structures on the grounds, such as an old horse barn, a detached kitchen and the servants’ quarters.

W W W. ROWA NOA K .COM

Margaret Mitchell House ATLANTA

Margaret Mitchell published only one work of fiction in her life, but that did not deter her captivating Civil War tale, “Gone With the Wind,” from becoming one of the most revered examples of Southern literature. The book was conceived in 1926, the year newlyweds Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh moved into a quaint, red-brick apartment building on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, a home Mitchell af-

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AN DY GRI FFITH M US EUM

By Hobart Jones, courtesy Andy Griffith Museum

fectionately called “The Dump.” After an ankle injury left her bedridden, her husband brought home dozens of books from the library each week to help her pass the time. Eventually, he grew tired of carrying armloads of books into the house and brought back a typewriter instead, saying, “For God’s sake, Peggy, can’t you write a book instead of reading thousands of them.” So Mitchell started to write, and a vivid story of survival in a war-torn country began to take shape.

Though nearly a decade passed before Mitchell submitted her manuscript to a publisher, “Gone With the Wind” was an instant success. Within a year of publication, the novel received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and four years later, the story was adapted into an award-winning film starring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. In the whirlwind of publicity that followed, Mitchell found little time to produce more writing, instead turning her attention to philanthropic work in the local community. In 1949, she was struck by an off-duty cab driver as she and her husband were crossing the street, and she passed away shortly after at the age of 49.

At the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, groups can learn more about Mitchell’s rich inner world, her phil-

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anthropic efforts and her inspiration for writing the timeless novel.

“Many people expect her to embody the typical, sweet Southern belle, but she was very much an independent and, at times, quite a rebellious young lady,” said Jessica VanLanduyt, deputy mission officer at the Atlanta History Center.

Visitors can tour the apartment where she penned most of the book and see various exhibits throughout the house that commemorate her background and legacy.

W W W. AT L A N TA HIS T ORYC E N T E R .COM

Andy Griffith Museum MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA

When many people think of Andy Griffith, they recall his role as small-town sheriff Andy Taylor in the beloved family sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show.” The award-winning, eightseason show captured the hearts of viewers from its debut in 1960, following the heartwarming story of sheriff and widower Andy Taylor; his son, Opie; his bumbling deputy, Barney Fife; and other comical characters in the close-knit community of Mayberry. “‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was about friendship, kindness and taking care of one another,” said Abigail Linville, director of collections and exhibitions at the Surry Arts Council. “It was a simpler time and place, and that’s what made his character so endearing to people.”

Three years before the actor’s death in 2012, the Andy Griffith Museum opened in his hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. The museum featured memorabilia from his extensive career in film, theater and music. Many artifacts were donated by Griffith’s friends and family, among them a rocking chair made by Griffith’s father, the suit Griffith wore in “Matlock,” and the original sheriff and deputy badges from “The Andy Griffith Show.”

“Everyone puts him in the category of Andy Taylor,” said Linville.

“The most common statement I hear

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THOMAS J EFFERSON'S MONTICELLO

is ‘I had no idea he did anything else. I had no idea he did ‘A Face in the Crowd,’ ‘Waitress’ and ‘No Time for Sergeants.’ I encourage people to come to the museum so they can see the type of actor he was.”

In September each year, the Surry Arts Council celebrates the legacy of the “The Andy Griffith Show” with Mayberry Days, a weeklong festival that draws thousands of fans.

W W W. SU R RYA RT S .ORG

By Ali Zaman

Presidents’ Homes VIRGINIA

AN DY GRI FFITH M US EUM

I NTERPR ETER'S AT MOU NT VER NON

By Hobart Jones, courtesy Andy Griffith Museum

By Cameron Davidson, courtesy VTC

NASA Visitor Center

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Looking to stay a bit longer? Sign up for an inspiring experience at Space Camp! Two- to six-day Camps are available for all ages: children, families, adults and corporate groups.

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Virginia is the birthplace of more U.S. presidents than any other state in the country, and today, groups can visit eight of their beautiful, historic homes.

Visitors could easily spend a day at George Washington’s stunning country mansion Mount Vernon, along the banks of the Potomac River. The expansive estate includes the main house, a distillery and gristmill, flower gardens and an education center.

Charlottesville, Virginia, is known as the home of the country’s third, fourth and fifth presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and James Madison. Considered one of the most brilliant politicians in American history, Jefferson spent nearly 40 years modifying the house and gardens of his hilltop home, Monticello, a project he called his “essay in architecture.” Unique features include Venetian porches with wooden blinds, an octagonal Dome Room and 13 skylights.

The Neoclassical-style plantation house Montpelier served as the home of James Madison, also known as the Father of the Constitution. In addition to touring the house, groups can wander through more than eight miles of surrounding trails. Other history buffs may want to stop by the lovely country house of Ash-Lawn Highland at the base of the Southwest Mountains, where James Monroe lived.

W W W.V IRGI N I A.ORG / PR E SIDE N T S

Huntsville, Alabama • (800) 637-7223 www.rocketcenter.com

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GRITT’S FARM HAS B EEN FAM I LY OWN ED I N WEST VI RGI NIA SI NCE 1927.

BY SAVAN NAH OS BOU R N

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he farms of the South have so many unusual experiences to offer, from tastetesting fresh oysters and herb-infused honeys to meeting impressive animals such as buffalo and towering Clydesdale horses. The next time your group is looking for a revitalizing venture outside the city, consider taking them to one of these little plots of paradise.

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Courtesy Gritt’s Farm

HONEY and

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HOM E- GROWN GOO DN ESS IS A SOUTH ER N TRADITION

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DI N N ER AT GRITT’S FARM

HONEY and

HALF SHELLS Courtesy Gritts’ Farm

LOCAL

Gritt’s Farm

southern

BUFFALO, WEST VIRGINIA

SECRETS

Gritt’s Farm in Buffalo, West Virginia, has been a staple of the Kanawha Valley area for more than 90 years. The 400acre homestead farm was established in 1927 by Italian immigrants Veto and Nellie Gritt, who handed down the family business through four generations.

During the 1950s, second-generation owner Lee Gritt began experimenting with greenhouses, becoming the first person in West Virginia to grow hydroponic tomatoes. Today, Gritt’s Farm uses greenhouses to grow a wide range of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers that guests can pick up from the farm store or order through the farm’s gourmet Community Supported Agriculture program.

In 2012, Gritt’s Farm featured its first professionally designed corn maze, which was an instant hit with locals. Soon after, the farm began adding more attractions to entertain visitors, including a wagon train, human hamster wheels, apple cannons and rubber duck racing. On Slide Mountain, guests can race down three giant slides built into the side of a hill. Bunnyville features little houses with cute rabbits inside.

“We’re always adding new attractions. The first question anyone asks when they come is ‘Oh, what’d you add this year?’” said Brad Gritt, fourth-generation owner.

Recently, the farm has begun hosting farm-to-table dinners using locally harvested ingredients to make delectable menu options, such as pumpkin pie soup, apple fritters and slow-roasted chicken with parmesan grits.

Congaree National Park HOPKINS, SOUTH CAROLINA

“Congaree National Park is located a short drive from downtown Columbia. Open to the public and free of charge, there is a wonderful welcome center filled with information about the park, the wildlife found there, the tree and plant life that grow in the park and its overall histor y. Visitors can take advantage of various programming offerings throughout the year and take a canoe or kayak tour down Cedar Creek.”

— KIM JAMIESON Discover South Carolina

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W W W.GR I T T SFA R M.COM

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THE ONLY THING MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN SEEING THEM AT TOP SPEED IS SEEING THEM SITTING STILL. Not only do we have great convention facilities, but we have some pretty impressive facilities for after your meeting, too. Like the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum – home to the largest motorcycle collection in the world. Standing amidst the 1,600 vintage and modern bikes and race cars you’ll actually feel the energy in the room. And the entire city. Right here in Birmingham.

inbirmingham.com | # INB irmingham | 800 - 458 - 8085

GRITT’S FARM

Courtesy Gritt’s Farm

Seven Springs Alpaca Farm

LEBANON, VIRGINIA

In the foothills of the Clinch Mountains in southwest Virginia, Seven Springs Alpaca Farm produces high-end alpaca fabrics for clients around the world. Deborah and Dwight Bailey purchased the land in 1998, and brought home their first alpaca about three years later.

“I love working with textiles, so alpacas were a natural choice,” said Deborah Bailey. “You can press their wool against your face, and it doesn’t itch. It’s hypoallergenic and very insulating.”

At present, the property houses more than 100 huacaya alpacas of premier breeding stock. Though some farmers raise alpacas as a hobby, the Baileys employ a selective breeding process to ensure the quality of the fiber, sometimes traveling across the country to handpick the finest alpacas available.

Seven Springs Alpaca Farm offers guided tours through-

out the year that take visitors through highlights of the farm, including the veterinary facility, the quarantine barn and the birthing room. Guests can also visit the farm store to pick out their own alpaca sweaters, scarves or socks.

Bailey suggested that groups visit the farm in the spring or fall, when birthing season is in full swing.

“Alpacas are normally standoffish like cats, but the babies come up to you and nibble on you or smell you,” said Bailey. “They’re very curious. They love little children, and they’re not much bigger than the kids themselves.”

W W W.7SPR I NG SA L PAC A.COM

Wehrloom Honey

ROBBINSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA When Aron and Jessica Wehr moved to Robbinsville, North Carolina, in 2010, they had no intention of starting a honey farm. The passion project began when Aron Wehr

Your group tour will have no trouble staying entertained. With a beautiful, revitalized waterfront, world-class shopping, amazing chef-owned restaurants, harbor cruises, museums, tours of the world’s largest navy base and so much more to choose from. No wonder Norfolk was named America’s #1 Favorite City for 2018!

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Contact Melissa Hopper, Associate Director of Tour & Travel, to plan your next trip today!

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bought his wife two beehives as a Christmas gift one year.

The Wehrs started selling their honey at local farmers markets and festivals, and as the demand for their products increased, so did the number of beehives in their backyard.

Now, the couple owns close to 200 hives.

“It took us a couple years before we were like ‘Wow, I think we could actually do this,’” said Aron Wehr. “But we’re having fun. It sort of grew on its own.”

In 2015, Wehrloom Honey open a year-round retail store on the main highway in Robbinsville. The shop features a wide selection of honey-based products, from herb-infused honeys to moistening balms and handmade herbal soaps, and guests are welcome to sample any of the 16 honey varieties available for purchase. Sourwood Honey, derived from the nectar of sourwood blossoms high in the mountains, is one of the most popular varieties. The farm store also has a honeybee observatory, where groups can view 40 active beehives through vertical glass casings.

This past year, Wehrloom Honey also began produc-

Courtesy Wehrloom Honey

S E VEN S PRI NGS ALPACA FARM

Courtesy Seven Springs Alpaca Farm ehrloom Honey

Courtesy Wehrloom Honey

Like the sun breaking over the horizon, our trip to Little Rock was inspiring.

Visiting Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center and learning about the bravery of the Little Rock Nine was a powerful experience, as was touring the Clinton Presidential Center and seeing the Anne Frank Tree sapling. Catching a great exhibit at the Arkansas Arts Center and a stirring performance at the beautiful, new Robinson Center — who knew? You can enjoy all this and more in Little Rock.

Little Rock Central High School > To see more visit LittleRock.com

WWW. T R A V E L S O U T HU S A . CO M

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ing mead, a honey wine made from fermented honey.

Among the available choices are light, fruity flavors such as Pretty in Peach and Black Bear-Y. “Honey is our best-selling product, but the mead is catching up pretty quick, and we’ve only had it for sale since May,” said Wehr.

To learn more about honey farming, visitors can schedule a guided tour of the production area and honeybee observatory. Groups can also sign up for a beekeeping class during the spring and summer.

W W W.W E HR LOOM.COM

Ratchford Buffalo Farms MARSHALL, ARKANSAS

Not every traveler can claim they have seen a buffalo herd up close. Eighty miles south of Branson, Missouri, Ratchford Buffalo Farms specializes in selling exotic meats such as buffalo, elk, wild boar and venison, housing an average of 50 buffalo on-site. Otis and Madge Ratchford purchased the 500-acre farm in 1952 and made a simple living raising cattle and growing produce such as strawberries and tomatoes. After Otis’ death in 1986, his son, L.C. Ratchford, took over management of the farm and expanded the business to include beef, buffalo and pork farming.

Buffalo and elk provide leaner and more nutritious meat than cattle. In addition, Ratchford avoids the use of any antibiotics, hormones or steroids, raising his livestock on natural, grass-fed diets, dramatically affecting the richness of the flavor. Some of the farm’s most popular products are hot buffalo snack sticks and wild boar snack sticks.

“It’s something that you can’t get at Walmart,” said Ratchford. “It’s a healthier snack stick. When you come here, you get to see where it’s raised and how it’s raised, and get to know your local farmer.”

Groups are welcome to stop by the farm, though visits must be scheduled in advance. As visitors admire the burly buffaloes within their enclosure, they may also notice Ratchford’s assortment of rescued animals, which include peacocks, a llama, an alpaca and a pet deer. According to Ratchford, many people acquire these kinds of animals as pets without knowing what to do with

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them, so he often offers to take them under his wing.

“To me, it’s a way of life; it’s not just a job,” said Ratchford. “You’ve got to love it, or you can’t do it.”

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Warm Springs Ranch

WARM S PRI NGS RANCH I N M ISSOU RI

BOONVILLE, MISSOURI

Encompassing more than 300 acres of rolling green hills, Warm Springs Ranch is the breeding farm for the famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses. It is in Boonville, Missouri, around 150 miles west of St. Louis.

Clydesdale horses are known for the furry white stockings on their legs as well as their incredible size; their backs alone reach six feet in height. For 85 years, these gentle giants have been featured in Budweiser commercials and promotional events, traditionally displayed pulling a bright-red beer wagon in teams of eight.

Courtesy Warm Springs Ranch

RATCH FOR D BUFFALO FARMS

A CLYDES DALE AT WARM S PRI NGS RANCH Courtesy Ratchford Buffalo Farms

Courtesy Warm Springs Ranch

Historic Downtown Bardstown

WONDER History surrounds you in Kentucky’s second-oldest city. With more than 35 annual events on tap, there’s always a reason to hurry back and raise a glass in Bardstown, Kentucky. www.visitbardstown.com | 800.638.4877 bart10028v2_groupTravel.indd 1

12/20/17 5:37 PM

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M U R DER POI NT OYSTERS

Courtesy Murder Point Oysters

At Warm Springs Ranch, groups can meet these magnificent animals up close and learn about the extensive training required for a Clydesdale horse to join the Budweiser team.

“Whether people are 4 years old or 84 years old, they still get that big smile on their face when they see the Clydesdales,” said farm manager John Soto, who has worked with Budweiser Clydesdales for more than 35 years.

Soto began working with horses as a teenager and often visited the Clydesdale horses whenever a Budweiser hitch came to town. When Budweiser offered him a fulltime position at the age of 21, he leapt at the chance.

“I’ve never had a real job — I’ve only really worked with horses,” said Soto jokingly.

Groups can take a walking tour of the farm’s premier 25,000-square-foot breeding facility, visiting areas such as the examination room for pregnant mares and the foaling stalls, which usually house four or five baby Clydesdales. At the end of the visit, groups return to the breeding room for a complimentary Budweiser beer tasting and photo opportunity with one of the geldings.

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Elvis Presley Event Center Elvis Presley Birthplace

Elvis at 13 Bronze Statue State-of-the-Art Theater

Murder Point Oysters GULF COAST, ALABAMA

The Zirlott family has been in the seafood business for five generations, harvesting shrimp, fish and other natural resources along the Gulf of Mexico. After taking a training course from Auburn University on animal husbandry in 2012, Rosa and Brent Zirlott decided to try their hand at oyster farming and partnered with their son, Lane, to launch Murder Point Oysters.

The company prides itself on offering a premiumgrade product. Grown in the nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the oysters develop a plump, buttery texture.

“Most people have never tasted a real Alabama oyster, so we’re really excited to give everyone the chance to try it,” said Rosa Zirlott, co-owner of the company.

The family raised 25,000 oysters the first year and quickly fell in love with the process. Zirlott described her excitement upon pulling up one of the hatchery baskets for the first time.

“We opened the basket and saw this nursery of baby oysters, baby crabs and fish. It really excited us to see that, and that’s when it hit home for us that we just loved what we were doing,” said Zirlott.

Since then, business has been booming. In 2017, Murder Point Oysters harvested 1.3 million oysters.

Seafood lovers can stop by the new Murder Point Oyster retail store to purchase farm-fresh oysters, or pick up a souvenir hat or T-shirt.

This summer, Murder Point Oysters will begin featuring a behindthe-scenes tour of the farm, where groups can learn about raising oysters and see the long rows of hatchery baskets lining Sandy Bay. W W W. M U R DE R POI N T OYS T E R S .COM

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f o s t h g i l h g i h e h t f o One ife ! - Brian from my l Tennessee

L clo ibrary sed Jan will b uar e y 1– 6.

“The Billy Graham Library was very inspirational and encouraging,” Brian also wrote. “It was on my bucket list.”

Bring your group to Charlotte, N.C., and discover what God can do through an ordinary life surrendered to Him. Walk in the shoes of a farm boy who became pastor to presidents and shared God’s love with millions. Admission is free, and exhibits are state-of-the-art. The experience is unforgettable.

“Come and see what God has done.” —Psalm 66:5, ESV

A ministry of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

©2017 BGEA

Monday to Saturday, 9:30–5:00 • BillyGrahamLibrary.org • 704-401-3200 Reservations required for groups of 10 or more; email LibraryTours@bgea.org or call 704-401-3270.

4330 Westmont Drive • Charlotte, North Carolina

A L A BA M A | A R K A NS A S | GEORGI A | K EN T UCK Y | LOU ISI A NA | MISSISSIPPI | MISSOU R I

LEAVE with

STORIES OF YOUR OWN

NORTH C A ROL INA | SOU TH C A ROL INA | TENNESSEE | V IRGINI A | W EST V IRGINI A

FIVE TO SEE LIVE THESE E V EN TS DEFINE THEIR DESTINATION

B Y R AC H E L C A RT E R

F

estivals are a time to celebrate big occasions, and these festivals feature big parades, big fun and even bigger welcomes to visitors who are looking for a grand spectacle and a good time.

Mardi Gras parades for all ages can be found in northwestern Louisiana; winter festivals that celebrate the season mean snow sculpting in Minnesota and floating parades in Florida. On New Year’s Day, the nation tunes in to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, but Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade, also on New Year’s Day, is just as colorful.

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PHILADELPHIA

There’s another New Year’s Day parade that’s just as colorful as the Tournament of Roses Parade but not nationally televised nor nearly as famous. Every January 1 for almost 120 years, about 10,000 men, women and children who are part of “Mummers clubs” in Philadelphia dress in colorful, crazy costumes to parade and perform along one of the city’s main streets during the Mummers Parade.

Mummers of all ages belong to more than 40 organized clubs that participate in the parade. Each club belongs to one of five categories: Comics, Wench Brigades, Fancies, String Bands or the Fancy Brigades. Belonging to a Mummers club is a tradition that spans “from generation to generation,” said Jim DePhilippo, tourism sales manager for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. “They get together and practice and hang out and have fun.”

The combination of the Mummers Parade’s longevity and its creativity makes it an unforgettable event, he said. It’s free to watch the parade from the route or at three special performance areas along Broad Street, but tickets must be reserved to watch the show from the judging stands near City Hall.

For groups, the best way to watch the spectacle is during two Fancy Brigade shows indoors at the Pennsylvania Convention Center that “really give you a highlight of the more exciting presentations, all while being the most comfortable,” he said. Groups can reserve prime seats for the Fancy Brigade Family Show in the morning or the Fancy Brigade Finale performance in the evening.

MummersFest, a four-day ticketed festival before the parade, allows visitors to watch the clubs rehearse, see costumes up close and even try some on, make crafts and more. New Year’s festivities kick off with fireworks shows on New Year’s Eve at 6 p.m. and again at midnight right on the Delaware River.

W W W.V ISI T PH I L LY.COM

COLORFUL, FANCIFUL COSTUMES ARE A HALLMARK OF THE MUMMERS PARADE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY IN PHILADELPHIA.

Photos by Edward Savaria, courtesy PHLCVB GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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MARDI GRAS

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S H R E V E P O R T A N D B O S S I E R C I T Y, LOUISIANA

To outsiders, Mardi Gras may conjure caricatures of wild crowds cavorting in the streets of New Orleans. And that’s part of it. But many other Southern cities celebrate the five-week season that begins on January 6 — Epiphany or Three Kings Day — and runs through Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday kicks off Lent.

Shreveport and Bossier City, the sister cities that hold hands over the Red River in northwestern Louisiana, know how to celebrate Mardi Gras season in a big way — but in a different way than New Orleans.

“Our Mardi Gras [parades] are very family-friendly, and there are even parts of the parade routes that are usually alcohol-free,” said Aly Velasquez, marketing associate for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

Shreveport and Bossier City have several parades every year, but the Krewe of Centaur and the Krewe of Gemini are the largest. They drew more than 400,000 combined spectators last year. For groups, the cities throw the Red River Mardi Gras Bash every year; the “huge party” is held in a climate-controlled tent front and center on the Krewe of Centaur route.

The bash is reserved only for groups of 10 or more — everyone must be 21 or older — and features live music, Cajun food, king cake, beads and a T-shirt.

“It’s right on the parade route, so everyone attending will have a frontrow seat rather than having to compete with the crowds,” Velasquez said.

Although Centaur and Gemini are the largest and longest parades, locals have their own favorites. The Krewe of Highland is a quirky parade where some in the crowd catch ramen noodles, hot dogs and moon pies along with beads. Elaborately costumed pets and their owners march in the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Pet Parade. The Krewe of Harambee marches through downtown Shreveport on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is thought to be the only Mardi Gras parade dedicated to King.

Courtesy Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau

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LOCAL KREWES IN SHREVEPORT AND BOSSIER CITY THROW MARDI GRAS PARADES THAT ARE BOTH EXTRAVAGANT AND FAMILY FRIENDLY. Courtesy

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Photos courtesy Shreveport-Bossier CTB JANUARY 2018

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TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE

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By Tom Serio, courtesy Winterfest Boat Parade

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

FIREWORKS PUNCTUATE THE SEMINOLE HARD ROCK WINTERFEST BOAT PARADE.

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New Year’s Eve is all about the ball drop in New York City, but New Year’s Day is reserved for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Roughly 700,000 people from around the world gather in Pasadena for the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl game, and there’s a lot of energy and a lot for groups to do in the days surrounding the festival.

The Tournament of Roses Parade theme is different every year, and the 2018 theme, “Making a Difference,” was chosen to honor and celebrate people in communities who act in selfless, generous and kind ways to help others. The parade itself wouldn’t be possible without 80,000 hours of manpower from about 935 volunteers with the nonprofit Tournament of Roses Association.

The parade features two hours of intricate floral floats, marching bands and high-stepping horses along a 5.5-mile route, but groups can get involved in ways other than watching from the grandstands.

The CVB has a list of float-decorating companies and individual associations that need people to work around the clock in the final days to put the final touches on floats, something visitors are welcome to do. If groups don’t want to decorate, they can head to Rosemont Pavilion at the Rose Bowl Stadium to watch as workers apply seeds, bark and grasses on floats. After the parade, floats are displayed along Sierra Madre and Washington boulevards.

Live on Green is an annual three-day celebration that coincides with the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl. For three decades, the free festival has entertained visitors from morning to night with live music, performances, activities, contests, food booths and more at the Pasadena Convention Center. Groups can also arrange for guided tours of the 1922 Rose Bowl Stadium.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

During the annual Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the floats float. In December, the parade marked its 46th year as “the greatest show on H20.”

For more than two hours, 100 elaborately decorated and extravagantly lighted boats cruise past spectators that line 12 miles of the New River’s banks. Groups can reserve space in the grandstand viewing area at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, where “it is almost like a festival within the parade,” said Kathy Keleher, marketing and parade director for the Winterfest Boat Parade. “There’s live entertainment, food and a lot of fun things for them to do before the parade.”

The grandstand area welcomes more than 7,000 spectators with reserved or assigned seating and another 3,000 walk-ins, she said. For ticketed seating, the parade has quite a few motorcoach and charter companies with groups of 20 to 40 people, such as AARP Florida, which reserved seats this year as a thank-you for a group of volunteers.

But groups can also participate in the parade by riding on a boat. They can reserve space on a boat or charter a ship — some can hold up to 300 people, although most groups have 20 to 50 people on average, she said.

Groups can reserve small pontoon boats; midsize fishing charters; or large, professionally decorated ships, where passengers can enjoy catered food and drinks, live music and more.

THE ROSE PARADE CROSSES THE COLORADO BRIDGE IN PASADENA.

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By Jamie Pham, courtesy Pasadena CVB GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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S T. PAUL WINTER CARNIVAL

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ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

The St. Paul Winter Carnival got its start in 1886 after some Eastern newspaper reporters claimed Minnesota was “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.” Local business owners decided to show them otherwise by organizing the first winter festival to showcase the state’s snowy beauty.

Now in its 132nd year, the 2018 Winter Carnival features 17 days of festival fun with three parades and signature events at Rice Park and Vulcan Snow Park. Themed days, such as Ladies Day, Frozen Family Fun Night and Cinco de Mayo Night, appeal to a variety of visitors.

Rice Park is festival central with entertainment during the day and live music every night “to keep people coming back and keep the excitement up,” said Alyssa Olson, marketing and event manager for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which produces the carnival. Groups can watch dance performances and competitions such as the robotic snowplow competition or the Freeze Your Bags Off beanbag tournament; hit up food and drink vendors; warm up with mulled wine from the ice bar; and watch ice sculptors carve their creations.

Three parades punctuate the schedule. The Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade kicks things off, but the King Boreas Grand Day Parade is the big event with floats, royalty, marching bands and more. During the Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade, “Vulcans” march through town carrying torches to help Vulcanus Rex “overthrow” King Boreas at the ice palace and, thus, usher in summer.

Vulcan Snow Park is a winter playground with a snowslide for sledding, a snow maze and snow-sculpting competitions, polar plunges and bar-stool ski races.

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ST. PAUL WINTER CARNIVAL IS 17 DAYS OF COLD-WEATHER FESTIVITIES, INCLUDING SNOW-SCULPTING COMPETITIONS AND A SNOW PARK.

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Photos courtesy St. Paul Winter Carnival JANUARY 2018

A SPRING

Desert

VISIT TUCSON WHEN THE COLORS COME OUT

BY E L I ZA M Y E R S

Courtesy Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

W

hen most people hear the word desert, they picture a brown landscape devoid of life. But this image contrasts greatly with spring in Tucson, Arizona, when vivid colors blanket the desert landscape with spectacular effect.

Spring not only brings gold poppies, blue lupines and white desert chicory, but early March through mid-May also brings more temperate weather than that of the scorching summers. The ideal temperatures make it the best time to explore Tucson’s attractions and festivals, among them the popular Tucson Festival of Books and the Agave Heritage Festival.

Whether they are tempted by the cooler temperatures, the kaleidoscope of wildflowers, the exciting festivals or all the above, groups will love Tucson in the spring.

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

SPRING BRINGS BLOOMS TO THE CACTI AT TUCSON’S ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM.

S A G UA R O N AT I O N A L PA R K Growing up to 45 feet tall, the saguaro cactus native to Tucson is a symbol of the desert Southwest. These plants, some of which are 250 years old, thrive in Saguaro National Park, especially during May, when they burst into white bloom.

“The park is gorgeous in spring,” said Dan Gibson, director of communications for Visit Tucson. “Groups can have an experience with park rangers, hike and then have dinner.”

The Saguaro National Park offers a convenient way to explore the Sonoran Desert landscape, ancient petroglyphs and an impressive amount of wildlife. Groups can get an overview of each of these topics at the Red Hills Visitor Center. The center runs an orientation program that offers a Native American perspective on the saguaro cactus alongside other exhibits.

Short hikes, such as the Valley View Overlook Trail, showcase the distant mountain ranges and up-close verdant flora.

Another short walk, the Signal Hill Trail, includes a hill covered with dozens of petroglyphs that date back 800 years.

Driving tours, guided horseback rides and ranger programs, such as Night Hikes, can easily keep groups captivated for half a day or more.

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SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

Courtesy NPS

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

Courtesy Tucson Festival of Books

T U C S O N F E S T I VA L O F B O O KS Every year, more than 130,000 book lovers convene one weekend in March for the Tucson Festival of Books. Hosted by the University of Arizona since 2009, the event boasts a surprising diversity of events, from a science fair and varied entertainment to local retailers and workshops.

“The Tucson Festival of Books is one of the largest book festivals in America,” said Gibson.

“If your group has any affection for reading at all, it’s a great event on a large scale.”

Attendees interact with over 400 authors who participate in presentations and workshops of all types. Groups can sit in on a presentation by a best-selling author and 10-minute Tent Talks by emerging authors, or browse through the numerous exhibitor tents.

Workshops on writing fiction, poetry, science fiction and other literary topics are a more hands-on way to experience the festival. Groups can also sit back and watch musicians, a Cirque du Soleil-style circus performance, taekwondo demonstrations and other acts throughout the two days.

Guests can take a break from fiction to discover the facts at the festival’s Science City. The science fair displays intriguing exhibits, such as a largerthan-life camera that visitors can walk through at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory or the largest telescope mirrors in the world at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. Shoppers will delight in browsing through collectible books, clothing, jewelry and even rare items like Navajo rugs in the vendor area. After working up an appetite, attendees can choose from several dining options, including an on-site local pizzeria, a bakeshop, a taco shop and a burger joint.

HIKING AT THE ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM Courtesy Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

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SPRING IN TUCSON BRINGS WILD BIRDS AND PASSION FLOWERS.

Courtesy Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM Groups can feel the brush of feathers as formidable raptor birds whiz by at the Raptor Free Flight presentation. During the spring, the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum holds daily raptor shows with different birds. One raptor program showcases the only raptor in the world that hunts like a wolf by using strategy: the Harris’s Hawk.

Combining elements of a zoo, a botanical garden, a natural history museum, an aquarium and an art gallery, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum strives to help guests experience the Sonoran Desert with 230 native animals and 1,200 local plant species. Most of the 97-acre museum lies outdoors along two miles of walking trails that pass by porcupines, lizards, prairie dogs, kit foxes and coyotes.

Groups can choose to wander on their own or navigate the huge complex with the one-hour Highlights Tour. Specialty tours can delve deeper into individual topics, with options such as a spring bird walk or a garden tour. Groups also love to add up-close encounters with some of the desert’s more fascinating inhabitants.

“What makes the museum interesting is that you leave with a sense of the local area,” said Gibson. “The museum does an incredible job with groups. I recently went to a catered event at the museum. There were four animal encounters with a snake, pigmy owl, bat and tortoise. The docents tell you about the animals. It was a great event.”

JANUARY 2018

A G AV E H E R I TA G E F E S T I VA L A plant so popular that prehistoric indigenous people of the southwestern United States used it as a major food source is honored at Tucson’s Agave Heritage Festival. The weeklong party and educational festival holds seminars about agave’s far-reaching history, as well as its current use in distilling a variety of spirits.

“The Agave Heritage Festival pays tribute to tequila and a variety of other agave spirits that are connected to the area,” said Gibson. “It is a celebration of all these different spirits, and it’s a ton of fun with live music and tastings.”

Vendors across Tucson participate in the earlyMay festival with over 40 tastings of tequilas, mezcals, sotols and bacanoras. Groups have their choice of about 20 events to attend, among them a cocktail competition, live demonstrations and musical acts.

Seminars on a wide range of topics include agave’s traditional uses by indigenous natives and pairing agave-based cocktails with local cuisine; there are also Agave Garden Tours at the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum. Heritage dinners featuring famed local chefs offer a relaxed way to partake in the lively event.

Courtesy Visit Tucson SPRING WILDFLOWERS IN TUCSON

VISIT TUCSON — WWW.VISITTUCSON.ORG —

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sound-off

STAFF

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO E ATING WHEN YOU TRAVEL SOUTH?

There’s only one thing I look for on the menu when traveling in the South: shrimp and grits.

I don’t eat out very often, but traveling down South always motivates me to find a good local seafood restaurant, even if I just get something simple like salmon or coconut shrimp.

Barbecue is a favorite dish in many places around the country, but nobody does barbecue like the South. My personal dish of choice is pulled pork, perhaps with some coleslaw and a side of mac and cheese. Tennessee, North Carolina and western Kentucky are known for their unique styles of barbecue, but I have enjoyed great smoked meat in places like Atlanta, Hot Springs, Arkansas and Mobile, Alabama, as well.

— Savannah Osbourn, STAFF WRITER

— Brian Jewell, EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Does drinking count? I’m more of a beer gal, but when traveling, I like a good cocktail.

I’m pretty sure that there isn’t a place on this earth that has perfected cocktail hour like the South.

My husband and I miss being able to get fresh seafood, so we eat it for almost every meal when we head down South. Some of our favorites are chargrilled oysters, crawfish, blue crab and sweet Georgia white shrimp.

— Kelly Tyner, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING

— Stacey Bowman, DIRECTOR, ADVERTISING SALES

I tend to think of seafood when I go south. Just recently, in Charleston, South Carolina, I found a wonderful oyster bar and restaurant on King Street called The Ordinary. I sat at the raw bar and watched the staff shuck oysters and prepare dishes while I enjoyed a dozen oysters on the half shell with a local wheat beer. I chose six from Rhode Island and six from South Carolina.

Shrimp and grits would also have to be on my list of Southern favorites.

— Mac Lacy, PUBLISHER

— Ashley Ricks, CIRCULATION MANAGER

EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to Staff Sound-Off, the monthly column where our staff members answer questions about their travel practices and preferences.

We hope you enjoy these tips. If you have a question you’d like to see us answer, send it to me and it may appear in a future issue.

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Terms and conditions: Our vacations are subject to availability. 2019 groups at 2018 pricing expires May 31, 2018. Port charges and taxes are included in pricing. The deposit required is $500 per person and is due at the time of booking. Full payment is required minimum 90 days prior to departure. 2019 itineraries, hotels and inclusions are subject to change. Contact Emerald Waterways for full details on our new Emerald Group Value Points program. Point values vary by destination and sail date. ŠEmerald Waterways 2017 | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | One Financial Center, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02111. Ad Code: 17_EW423, December, 2017