The Group Travel Leader July August 2019

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table ofCONTENTS VOL 29 | ISSUE 7

OKLAHOMA

6 EDITOR’S MARKS

SPECIAL SECTION

NEWS NEW IN OKLAHOMA

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FA M I LY M AT T E R S

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INDUSTRY NEWS

14

CONFERENCE SCENE

OKLAHOMA HISTORIC SITES

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I S S U E J U LY/ A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

O N THE COVE R

Aspen trees lend distinctive golden color to autumn in the western United States. Photo by Robb Hirsch

FEATURES

Fall Classics AUTUMN MAGIC NEVER GROWS OLD IN THESE ENDURING FOLIAGE DESTINATIONS.

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PLYMOUTH

Rocks

This Massachusetts city is worth a pilgrimage for any history lover.

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GEORGIA FAM

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CALIFORNIA SPOTLIGHT

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TRAIN RIDES

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

Founder and Publisher Partner Executive Editor Senior Writer Creative Director

K E L LY T Y N E R 4

CHRISTINE CLOUGH KELLY TYNER KYLE ANDERSON DANIEL JEAN-LEWIS ASHLEY RICKS

Copy Editor Director of Sales & Marketing Account Manager Account Manager Graphic Design & Circulation

888.253.0455

KELLY@GROUPTR AVELLEADER.COM

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.

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EDITOR’S T HE

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

V

arlier this summer, I received an email from Linda Benson, the leader of Trinity Travelers from Trinity Lutheran Church in Oak Lawn Illinois. I met Linda a few years ago at a tourism event in Chicago, so I was excited to see what she had to say.

I think you’ll enjoy hearing her story, too. Here’s what she wrote:

We made soy candles, visited Robert Hudson artist, glass cutter, Winona History center, Billy Sunday Home, Salt Cave, Old Jail Museum, Camel Dairy farm and more.

Our accommodations were wonderful, and so many great places to eat were also planned out with entertainment for our little group of 12. It was a most enjoyable four days. Our group had such a great time.

I just wanted to share our recent trip, but we usually always have good trips and great times.

Keep up the good work!

I just wanted to share a recent trip that our Trinity Travelers made earlier this month. In the spring, I always plan a mystery trip. This year our numbers were down, so I just wanted to go somewhere that was not far away but yet had a lot to offer.

After searching several destinations, I looked up Warsaw, Indiana, and connected with Tina Keaffaber at the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

We had met at a Going On Faith Conference several years prior, so it was fun to work with her.

Our church has our own bus that’s 20 years old, and we travel with small or large groups. On this trip we only had 12 of us, but that was to our advantage. When we arrived in Warsaw, our bus had transmission problems.

After several phone calls, we got our bus to a repair shop, rented a van, and off we went to many adventures the next few days with Tina as our guide.

Our trip included so many interesting places: Du Pay Orthopedic plant (Warsaw is the orthopaedic capital of the world), Biblical Gardens and Whetstone Woodenware.

There are many things I love about this story. First, I appreciate Linda’s resourcefulness. A bus breaking down can be a real headache, and a less experienced travel planner might have had a lot of trouble in this situation. But thanks to Linda’s quick thinking, along with the help of a great partner in Tina at the CVB, the group enjoyed a memorable experience in Warsaw that could easily have been derailed.

I also love Linda’s outlook on the size of her groups. There are a lot of tour companies that would cancel a tour if they only had 12 people registered. And although there are some economics that must be considered, a small group doesn’t necessarily mean that a tour is a failure. Working with a small group is an opportunity to use a smaller vehicle and build stronger relationships during the trip.

Finally, Linda’s story highlights the possibilities that groups can find even in small destinations. The Kosciusko County area offered enough fun to keep the group busy for four days, and Tina was able to serve as a private tour guide.

If you have a story about a memorable trip your group has been on recently, I’d love to hear it. You can reach me at brianj@grouptravelleader.com.

Happy traveling!

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JULY/AUGUST 2019

Guide Your Group to Adventure

Find a sense of awe among the beauty and excitement of Georgia’s outdoors. Head for the many group excursions across the state, like at Historic Banning Mills, just an hour west of downtown Atlanta. There you’ll find the Guinness World Record longest canopy zipline tour. Your group will glide through miles of lines overlooking the Snake Creek Gorge and take in the surrounding scenery from hikes, on horseback, or even by kayak. Find this and other unforgettable fall destinations throughout Georgia.

ExploreGeorgia.org/groups Photo credit: @banningmills

FAMILY MATTERS

BY C H A R L I E P R E S L E Y

IT’S TIME TO TALK SELFIES AND SAFET Y SALEM, Ohio — Great photos are among the most cherished trip mementos. Capturing your photos safely is just as important as snapping that perfect shot.

The quest for more social media likes and followers ups the ante for spectacular shots and sometimes encourages dangerous quests to get them. Unfortunately, injuries and serious accidents associated with taking photos, selfies and videos appear to be increasing, driven in part by the popularity of imagery on social platforms.

Prioritizing social media imagery may also be fueling increases in visits to scenic travel locations, which can often come with unfamiliar environments and unique considerations. The National Park Service reported 330.9 million visits in 2017, the highest number ever recorded.

SAFET Y FOR THE SHOOT

Travelers should respect a new environment and its risks, consider personal safety and heed posted warnings. Remind your travelers of the importance of staying grounded and safe while shooting, particularly in areas with natural hazards.

Take warnings and barriers seriously. The edge of a ledge or waterfall typically has slippery or crumbling surfaces.

Lack of a physical barrier doesn’t mean that an area is safe. At Yellowstone, for example, it’s impossible to fence off every thermal pool, where waters are as hot as 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In the mountains, going just a few feet off a trail could pose a serious fall risk.

Avoid the temptation to approach, pose with or touch an animal in the wild, no matter how 8

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tame it appears. Even small animals can carry disease and inflict significant damage to protect themselves or their young.

Standing too close to railroad tracks for photos can put a person in harm’s way. Do not step onto or get too close to railroad tracks, and keep far away from moving trains, as trains are significantly wider than the rails.

It’s not worth the risk of climbing onto a railing, tree, machinery, potentially loose rocks or a structure for a better vantage point. Never pose children on railings, fences or any other setting that puts them at risk.

PLANNING FOR SAFET Y EN ROUTE

When planning a bus tour to take those perfect shots, put transportation safety first on your list. Learn about bus safety by visiting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Look Before You Book website (www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ lookbeforeyoubook).

Take a few minutes to research safety records online before you choose or charter a bus company.

The Look Before You Book site lets you search for a bus company, with tips on interpreting their safety records to help inform your booking decision.

Share safety tips with travelers and encourage them to use their safety belts whenever the bus is moving. Most newer buses have passenger safety belts, and all buses built after November 2016 are required by law to have them.

For more pointers on onboard safety, check out the Learn Before You Board Fact Sheet, available in the Travel Planners section of the Look Before You Book website.

“I

’m here from the government, and I’m here to help” has become a light-hearted jab, commonly used throughout the United States.

Though I, too, have uttered that sentence, I would like to take a moment to thank one government agency that has promoted safe travel from coast to coast and allowed the travel industry to prosper: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The FMCSA touches every traveler on a motorcoach in America. In short, they make travel so safe that most Americans don’t even bother to think about it. I rarely write an article such as this, mainly because it is such a given that motorcoach travel is one of the safest forms of mass transit in America. However, a recent tragedy in Mexico sparked my desire to thank the people of FMCSA. That tragedy of a Mexican bus accident, which claimed the lives of 23 tourists, reminded me of how we take safe travel for granted and how the FMCSA makes that possible. The readers of this publication arrange for the transportation of over 5 million travelers each year and do so with full confidence of a safe trip.

I have had the pleasure of working with the people of the FMCSA for the last four years in creating awareness of safe motorcoach charter and travel in the travel industry. Sometimes it takes a tragedy as a wake-up call. I encourage us all to give a moment of thought to the victims and their families in Mexico and silent reflection on how the FMCSA dedicates itself to ensuring we continue to travel safely in America.

Charlie Presley is a founding partner of this publication and of The Group Travel Family.

JULY/AUGUST 2019

BLUE GATE HAS BUILT A DESTINATION DYNAST Y

BLUE GATE RESTAURANT

Courtesy Blue Gate Restauran

SALEM, Ohio — How does an internationally recognized tourist attraction grow from the humble beginnings of an Amish harness-maker? Ask the Riegsecker family of Shipshewana, Indiana, and their destination empire known as Blue Gate.

When you visit Riegsecker Marketplace, you enter the world of master craftsman Mel Riegsecker. Mel’s father was an Amish harness-maker. In 1970, Mel created a miniature wagon and six horse hitches with everything from manes to bridles. Mel’s father displayed the handsome miniature in his shop for all to enjoy. To the surprise of father and son, the miniature was quickly purchased.

Eventually, a buyer from a large department store in Chicago discovered Mel’s work, and the rest is history.

Mel and his wife, June, purchased and renovated an old factory building in Shipshewana. They called it the Shipshewana Craft Barn. That was the beginning of Riegsecker Marketplace.

Today, groups nationwide come to enjoy some of the best Amish cooking around, as well as outstanding entertainment, locally crafted furniture and much more. Blue Gate Hospitality has become a one-stop shop in Indiana’s Amish country, with a hotel, a restaurant, sightseeing tours, a bakery and a selection of entertainment.

Blue Gate Hospitality recognizes that group leaders bring thousands of travelers to enjoy the destination.

They keep in touch with thousands of group travel leaders every year at gatherings such as the Select Traveler Conference, Boomers in Groups, the Going on Faith Conference, the African American Travel Conference and the Small Market Meetings Conference.

“When a group leader takes their group to Blue Gate, I know that they will have happy travelers,” said Jennifer Ferguson of The Group Travel Family.

You can discover what Blue Gate Hospitality has for your group by contacting Taylor Rheinheimer at 888-447-4725 or taylor@riegsecker.com.

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MEET COLUMBUS’

MAKERS

PHOENIX BATS BY PHOENIX BAT CO. Courtesy Experience Columbus

BY VICKIE MITCHELL

C

olumbus is packed with crafty creatives who are busy making whistles, cookies, bats, letterpress cards, organic soaps and spirits. They love to share their stories and show people around their successful ventures.

Before you go see them and other local makers though, pick up a Made in Cbus passport from Experience Columbus (www. experiencecolumbus.com). When you buy items from at least four businesses listed in the guide, you’ll receive a Made in Cbus tote to carry them home in. www.experiencecolumbus.com/ tour-planners

AN ALL-AMERICAN WHISTLEBLOWER

A tour of the American Whistle Corporation brings new appreciation for the world’s best hand-held alarm system.

Each year, 10 employees, using equipment that’s part antique, part state-of-the-art, crank out 1 million brass whistles. In business since 1956, American Whistle is the only maker of brass whistles in the United States. Policemen, referees, lifeguards, hunters, hikers and college students are among its customers.

A 45-minute tour covers a lot of ground without much walking. Visitors learn about the whistle’s history, its many uses and the process that turns brass coils into shiny, onenote instruments. At least one trade secret

is revealed: How the synthetic cork ball that makes the whistle noise gets inside.

Led by a staff member, tours end with a free American Classic whistle for everyone, a cool deal considering the tour costs only $6.

Whistles are also sold at a gift counter. Because American Classics are made of brass, they never rust or wear out, making them gifts that last a lifetime.

COUPLE CLEANS UP WITH ORGANIC SOAPS

Wash your hands at North Market, Combustion Brewing, Watershed Kitchen and Bar and many other Columbus businesses, and you’ll get a whiff of what Glenn Avenue Soap Company is up to.

The soap maker was born out of Sandra

A CUSTOM CONTENT SERIES FROM EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS

THE NEW YORK TIMES NORTHERN LIGHTS, ICELAND

IGLOO LETTERPRESS

has named Columbus one of its “52 places to visit in 2019.”

MIDDLE WEST SPIRITS

Courtesy Experience Columbus

Courtesy Experience Columbus

MIDDLE WEST SPIRITS

Courtesy Experience Columbus

GLENN AVENUE SOAP COMPANY

Photo by Laura Watilo Blake, courtesy Experience Columbus

Metzler’s mission to rid her home of chemicals found in soaps and other products. A mechanical and biomedical engineer, Sandra creates the products; Phil, her husband, is the marketing guru. The company’s “soaphouse” in Grandview is a combination retail shop, laboratory and production facility that welcomes tours and offers classes.

Customers rave about the all-organic, chemical-free products, which use essential oils and even some local beers for fragrance.

During experiential tours, groups blend, pour and cut bar soaps, and for their efforts, receive a bar they helped make. Chances are, they’ll buy other sweet-smelling lotions, bath bombs, body butters, shaving products or perhaps, for summertime, Don’t Bug Me Natural Insect repellent, which smells good to everyone except bugs.

BAT MAKER’S A HIT IN THE BIG LEAGUES AND BEYOND

Phoenix Bats has proved you don’t have to wield a Louisville Slugger to make it in the major leagues. Since its bats were approved for professional play in 2000, the company has added pros like Miguel Cabrera to its customer roster.

On a one-hour tour of its plant, visitors can learn why stars from the Little League to the National League opt for this Columbus original.

Founder Charley “Lefty” Trudeau began making bats in the early 1990s for the Muffins, a Columbus vintage baseball team that he played for. The talented woodcrafter made his bats of premium rock maple, yellow birch and northern white ash. Soon, other vintage teams and baseball players at all levels were buying his bats. Many placed custom orders.

Today, a small staff carves out 20,000 bats per year using an Italian lathe that is one of

only two like it in the world. Visitors get up close to the production line and see how bats are made, cut, sanded and finished. Everyone, player or not, leaves with a miniature Phoenix bat.

OVER A BARREL WITH A TRIO OF DISTILLERIES

A cool cocktail on a warm summer day is one way to experience Columbus’s distilling industry.

Afternoon stops at Watershed, High Bank and Middle West distilleries might include a drink crafted from gins, vodkas, bourbons or whiskeys that each is making in its own fashion. In addition to bars, each distillery also has a restaurant, serving anything from light appetizers to main courses; dining spaces might include a patio or a small private room. Tour options vary at each operation. Watershed promises tastes of its spirits, including its first and best known, Four Peel Gin, during its 90-minute tour. Middle West offers $10 tours that tell how it makes gin, vodka, bourbon whiskey SAHARA CAMELS and a maple syrup finished in bourbon barrels. High Bank’s whiskey, gin and vodka can be sampled at its perch near the Scioto River.

requesting her baked goods and in 2016 Mrs. Turbo opened her bakery, opting for a 1950s style diner feel, complete with a pinup girl style logo. Late last year she added a second location to the business, which is 100 percent female-owned and operated.

Groups can stop in for a “happy hour” of milk and salted caramel chocolate chip cookies or arrange for a special event like decorating cookies, adding cream filling to Whoopie pies -- cleverly called Making Whoopie Pies -- or at the holidays, making gingerbread houses.

MRS. TURBO’S COOKIES Courtesy Experience Columbus

PUT YOUR STAMP ON LETTERPRESS CARDS

Allison Chapman learned letterpress at her grandfather’s side; it was his hobby and the equipment she inherited from him is the foundation of her Igloo Letterpress in Worthington. As expected, the shop does a big business in custom invitations, but it also welcomes groups for a $10 tour that includes a hands-on experience where they make notecards or coasters to take home.

Even if there’s no time for the workshop, it’s a stop still worth making. The store’s gift shop is stocked with Igloo Letterpress-made notecards, posters, gift tags, bags and other paper items as well as soaps, jewelry and other items by local craftspeople.

A SWEET ENDING TO ANY DAY

Mrs. Turbo’s Cookies is a dream stop for those with a sweet tooth.

The bakery makes its cookies, brownies, whoopie pies and cakes in small batches daily from scratch. Each generous cookie weighs in at 2.5 to 4 ounces.

The company began after its founder left corporate work and began baking treats for her husband “Turbo,” who loves racecars, and his coworkers. Before long, others were

WATERSHED DISTILLERY Photo by Laura Watilo Blake, courtesy Experience Columbus

FOOD & WINE AMERICAN WHISTLE CORPORATION

named Columbus one of its “32 Places To Go (And Eat) in 2019.”

Photo by Laura Watilo Blake, courtesy Experience Columbus

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

ROGER DUDLEY EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS www.experiencecolumbus.com RDudley@ExperienceColumbus.com

866-397-2657

INDUSTRY NEWS NTA ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO TRAVEL EXCHANGE LEXINGTON, Kentucky — NTA will introduce several new ideas and revamped programs at its upcoming Travel Exchange convention December 8-12 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The association has worked for several years with business and event consultants to create meaningful changes to its trade show.

Association leaders hope these innovations will give the organization an edge in an industry crowded with conferences and events, many somewhat homogenous in their programming.

Tour operators and other travel buyers will notice several changes to make their schedules easier and create more opportunities for networking. Buyers will be seated for all appointments throughout the week. And all scheduled appointments with destination representatives will now take place on Monday, the conference’s first full day. Buyers will have no scheduled appointments on Tuesday, allowing them more time to attend educational seminars, browse booths on the trade show floor and network during less structured events.

These schedule changes also allow for the introduction of a new program that NTA is calling Sales Missions. These are 15-minute

presentations led by state and provincial destination marketing associations (DMOs). The state DMOs can invite local destination and tour supplier representatives from their states to join in the presentations. Presenters will use the new program to educate tour operators on packaging and itinerary options available in their areas. Each presentation will be attended by at least six buyers.

Sales Missions are scheduled during two hourlong blocks on Tuesday morning. In total, buyers will attend six sales missions that morning. Buyers will request to attend specific Sales Mission presentations online.

Another related new program is Best Pitch, a 90-minute session in which representatives of national tourism offices will give five-minute presentations to groups of about 20 tour operators.

NTA is also introducing a new awards program in Fort Worth. The Trexies will honor outstanding sponsor booths. Tour operator members will serve as judges and award honors for the following categories: Best Giveaways, Most Interactive, Tastiest Treat and Best of Show.

Courtesy NTA

NTA’S 2019 TRAVEL EXCHANGE IN FORT WORTH WILL FEATURE A REVISED APPOINTMENT FORMAT AND SEVERAL NEW SALES OPPORTUNITIES.

N TAT R AV EL E XCH A NGE .COM

NEW STATUE OF LIBERT Y MUSEUM NOW OPEN NEW YORK — A new, expanded museum for the Statue of Liberty opened on Liberty Island May 16.

The museum, with large glass walls, a green rooftop pavilion planted with native meadow grasses and 26,000 square feet of exhibit space, replaces the former museum in the state’s pedestal.

The exhibits are displayed in three galleries — engagement, inspiration and immersive — and begin with a 10-minute introductory film about the history, construction and legacy of the statue.

One of the highlights of the new museum is sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi’s original 3,600-pound torch, which was replaced in the mid-1980s, showcased in a light-filled atrium that overlooks the statue and the Manhattan skyline.

There are also full-scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty’s face and foot.

N PS .GOV

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THE NEW STATUE OF LIBERTY MUSEUM FEATURES CURATED ARTIFACTS FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE’S COLLECTION.

Courtesy ESI Design

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CONFERENCE SCENE

TOURISM CARES EXAMINES TOURISM’S ROLE IN PUERTO RICO

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

VOLUNTEERS WORK TO IMPROVE A SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN FARM AND COMMUNITY CENTER — AND ENJOY THE AREA’S CULINARY BOUNTY — DURING TOURISM CARES FOR PUERTO RICO.

Photos courtesy Tourism Cares

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — When they arrived in San Juan, most of the 155 travel professionals attending Tourism Cares for Puerto Rico had never heard the term food sovereignty.

But by the end of the three-day event, which took place May 8-10, the delegation had a new appreciation for the value of local, sustainable agriculture. And they were inspired to use their influence in the tourism industry to support food sovereignty efforts in Puerto Rico and beyond.

Calling the event a “Meaningful Travel Summit,” Tourism Cares connected representatives of 98 major American tour and travel organizations with Puerto Rican tourism leaders and small-business owners. Over the course of several discussion panels and service projects, the delegation learned about efforts to reform the food infrastructure on the island and how the tourism industry can help contribute to meaningful change.

“In 2017, when Hurricane Maria came through, Tourism Cares was the nonprofit partner to the industry for donations to support tourism recovery,” said Paula Vlamings, Tourism Cares’ chief impact officer. “In Puerto Rico and many island nations, 85% or 90% of their food is imported. When the disasters hit, those ships couldn’t get into port for weeks and weeks, and Puerto Rico went without meat for months. Between the electrical grid going down and their food source held hostage on the waters, they realized that they needed to develop their own self-sufficiency for clean water, power and food sources.”

During the Tourism Cares summit, Puerto Rican tourism and agriculture experts came together for an eye-opening panel discussion on food sovereignty issues. The panel talked about ways that Marriott and other hospitality organizations are working to source more of their food from Puerto Rican farms — which never JULY/AUGUST 2019

happened before the hurricane — and how tour companies can integrate experiences in local fishing villages into their itineraries.

“I got feedback that this was an ‘aha!’ moment for delegates to realize how much their purchasing has an impact on the local community,” Vlamings said. “They can be more conscious about how they purchase their food and support the local economy. It’s not always easy. The volume can be so large that buyers can’t get the quality or quantity they want. So that’s what we talked about: how we can support local economies and have great travel experiences as well.”

Through its work with disaster recovery grants in Puerto Rico, Tourism Cares connected with World Central Kitchen, an organization founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres to help reduce food insecurity in places like Puerto Rico through supporting local farms and small businesses.

Last year, Tourism Cares awarded a $20,000 grant through World Central Kitchen’s Plow to Plate initiative to CMTAS, a community center and farm that helps locals learn to sustain themselves through agriculture in Yauco, a mountainous rural area.

“Next time there is a disaster, CMTAS will be ground zero for the recovery,” Vlamings said. “They are supporting small shareholder farmers, giving them plots of land on their farm so people can farm for themselves. That farm is a model of self-sufficiency and sustainability. Our grant helped them build a community kitchen.

They brought in mental health professionals to help people deal with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] after the disaster. So it’s a real hub for these mountain communities to learn to be selfsufficient and bring in tourism.”

On the second day of the event, the delegation traveled to Yaucoto to volunteer at CMTAS. At this mountain farm, volunteers broke up into small groups to work on various projects, including helping to build a chicken coop and biodigester as well as building tire walls to prevent animals from being injured as they move through the steep terrain. The group also planted more than 100 indigenous trees used to grow animal feed, as well as aloe plants used for medicinal purposes in areas that lack medical clinics.

Talking about food sovereignty and then volunteering at a community organization working to make it a reality seemed to resonate with many of the American tourism leaders in attendance.

“This event, for me, was a game-changer,” said Robin Tauck, a philanthropist and co-owner of Tauck, a major international tour company. “I believe the advocacy has to stop and the action has to happen.”

Vlamings said that making these kind of connections would continue to be a priority for Tourism Cares.

“That message is getting more and more traction: How do we create a tourism experience that is sustainable and supports the destination? People are asking more and more, whether they’re a travel agent, a reservations specialist or a product development agent. At Tourism Cares, we’re really committed to making those connections. If you plug in tourism, the money goes to that higher purpose, and travelers get a unique experience to be part of something doing good in that community.”

In addition to its regular volunteer projects in destinations around the United States, Tourism Cares is planning to facilitate a series of these Meaningful Travel Summits in various international destinations. The next one will take place in Colombia in the fall of 2020.

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

THE HEARTLAND’S

HEART OF ADVENTURE

RIVERSPORT OKC | BRICKTOWN NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM For all you adventure lovers out there, Oklahoma City is the place to try something new.

Give your group unique slices of adventure, like an indoor tropical oasis, dragon boating down the Oklahoma River or walkable canal-side dining, all in the heart of downtown OKC. If they’re craving a unique experience, we have custom group tours available to make your trip stand out, and that we think you’ll love.

READY TO SEE MORE? FREE ONLINE GROUP TOUR PLANNER AT VISITOKC.COM/GROUPS

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GEORGIA

FAM

FAM PARTICIPANTS ADMIRED BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE JEWELRY AND ART AT RAIFORD GALLERY IN ROSWELL.

Pride of community was evident as we toured Rome.

The Hawthorn Suites and downtown bar scene were an unexpected surprise.”

— JENN JOHNSON,

COUNTRY HERITAGE TOURS

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JULY/AUGUST 2019

ON SITE IN GEORGIA TR AV E L PL AN N E RS DIS COV E R TH E B E AUT Y O F TH E NO RTH G EO RG IA M O U NTAI NS

THERE ARE TREASURES TO BE FOUND AROUND EVERY CORNER IN THE CITIES AND TOWNS OF NORTH GEORGIA.

That’s what 16 tour operators, travel agents and other travel planner readers of The Group Travel Leader found during a four-day familiarization tour through the region in March. Hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the event began in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell and then went to Cartersville, Rome and Villa Rica, each of which has its own appeal for groups.

During the trip, participants toured historic homes, visited local businesses and galleries, sampled Georgia food and beverages, and enjoyed the beauty of north Georgia’s mountainous terrain. Along the way, they spent time with some of the tourism and hospitality professionals who specialize in helping groups plan great trips in Georgia.

Follow along on this itinerary to enjoy your own exploration of the cities and towns of north Georgia.

Day

1

All photos by Brian Jewell

• • • •

ARRIVAL IN ROSWELL CHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER BULLOCH HALL CHAMBERLAIN’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY • DINNER AT DREAMLAND BAR-B-Q • GEORGIE ENSEMBLE THEATRE

Guests flew into Atlanta or drove directly to Roswell, a suburban area just north of the city. After gathering at a local hotel, the group departed for a welcome lunch and tour at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, a 127-acre nature sanctuary.

The next stop was Bulloch Hall, a historic home where Theodore Roosevelt’s parents lived and the host venue for an annual quilt show. From there, the group visited Chamberlain’s Chocolate Factory, where group members enjoyed a delicious hands-on candy-making experience. Dinner was at Dreamland Bar-B-Q , a local smoked-meat emporium. And after dinner, the group was treated to a big-band jazz concert at the Georgia Ensemble Theatre.

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I was impressed with the quality and content of the Booth and Tellus museums and their convenience to I-75.”

— PAM UPTON, BLUEGRASS TOURS

CHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER The oldest and largest private nonprofit natural science center in the Southeast, the Chattahoochee Nature Center exists to connect visitors to the beauty of north Georgia’s natural environment. The center features numerous gardens and a 3,000-square-foot boardwalk.

Along the boardwalk, guests see exhibits with some 30 species of native wildlife. There’s also a wildlife rehabilitation center, a treetop canopy walk and an aviary where guests can see bald eagles and other animals. There are also some indoor exhibits and a gift shop.

CHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER

ROSWELL’S BULLOCH HALL

BULLOCH HALL There are many antebellum homes throughout Georgia, but few have a claim to fame as distinctive as Bulloch Hall’s. In 1853, Mittie Bulloch, daughter of the home’s owner, married Theodore Roosevelt Sr. in the living room. The couple’s son, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., would become president of the United States. During tours of the home, visitors hear stories of the Bulloch and Roosevelt families and learn about the home’s distinctive architectural touches. Constructed in 1839, it’s considered one of the best examples of temple-style Greek Revival architecture in the South. The home also hosts an annual quilt show with dozens of imaginative quilts created by fiber artists from across the country.

CHAMBERLAIN’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY Established in 1986, Chamberlain’s Chocolate Factory is the oldest chocolatier in the greater Atlanta area. Now in a new facility, the company offers chocolate tastings and hands-on activities for groups. The FAM participants enjoyed a workshop during which they learned about the history and culinary properties of chocolate.

Then, one of the company’s owners led them through making their own chocolate bark — complete with toppings of their choosing — and hand-dipping their own chocolate-covered strawberries.

GEORGIA ENSEMBLE THEATRE For after-dinner entertainment, the group visited Roswell’s Georgia Ensemble Theatre, a venue that hosts theatrical productions and educational programming year-round. On the night of the tour, the theater presented “Fly Me to the Moon,” a concert performance by local jazz musician Joe Gransden and a 16-piece big-band orchestra.

The evening featured a combination of classic American jazz tunes and original compositions by the talented ensemble.

A RELAXING MOMENT ON THE PORCH AT BULLOCH HALL

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Day

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• OLI+VE PREMIUM OLIVE OIL AND VINEGARS • RAIFORD GALLERY • DEPART FOR CARTERSVILLE • BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM • TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM • ETOWAH INDIAN MOUNDS • DINNER AT TAVERNA MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

GEORGIA ENSEMBLE THEATRE

The second day of the FAM began with a visit to two shops in charming downtown Roswell: At Oli+Ve Premium Olive Oils and Vinegars, participants had a chance to taste a vast array of flavored oils and balsamic vinegars. Next, they explored the handmade jewelry and Raiford Gallery and got a demonstration from a jewelry artist.

The group then departed for Cartersville, a town about 35 miles to the west. There they toured a pair of world-class museums. The Booth Western Art Museum has a massive collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and other pieces of Western art. Nearby, The Tellus Science Museum presents exhibits that teach visitors about everything from dinosaurs to outer space. Next, the group visited the Etowah Indian Mounds, the site of an ancient Native American civilization, before ending the day with dinner at the Taverna Mediterranean Grill, one of Cartersville’s most popular restaurants.

ROSWELL SHOPS Roswell’s Canton Street is home to numerous shops, galleries and small businesses. Oli+Ve Premium Olive Oils and Vinegars stocks hundreds of olive oils and flavored vinegars from some of the world’s finest suppliers, and FAM participants sampled products such as basil-infused olive oil and strawberry vinegar. Just down the street, the group visited Raiford Gallery, a contemporary art and jewelry gallery that represents 200 artists. Gallery owner Judie Raiford, who has been making gold and silver jewelry for over 30 years, gave a demonstration of some techniques in her on-site workshop.

BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM

BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM Founded by Cartersville locals who grew up with a love of Western dramas on TV and radio, the Booth Western Art Museum has come to house the country’s largest collection of contemporary Western American art. This 120,000-square-foot Smithsonian affiliate museum features artwork that tells stories of Native Americans, pioneers, cowboys and other towering figures of the American West.

The collection features many pieces of work by renowned Western artists Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and N.C. Wyeth. It also has a presidential gallery, which includes documents signed by every president of the United States.

AN ENGAGING GUIDE AT THE BOOTH MUSEUM

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TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM The same family that created the Booth Western Art Museum also served as the driving force behind the Tellus Science Museum.

Another 120,000-square-foot Smithsonian affiliate museum, Tellus is dedicated to teaching visitors about the natural world through scientific exploration. The museum has casts of several large dinosaur fossils, a display of glowing fluorescent minerals and a high-tech planetarium that can do night-sky shows and other programming for groups. A space gallery at the museum showcases a moon rock and many objects that have flown on manned space missions.

A JADE STONE AT TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM

ETOWAH INDIAN MOUNDS During the ice age, from about A.D. 1000 to 1500, a group of Mississippian Indians established a city where Cartersville now stands. The Etowah Indian Mounds preserves a 54-acre site that was at the center of their civilization. On the site are six earthen mounds as well as a village site, borrow pits and a defensive ditch, making it the most intact Mississippian site in the Southeast. Tourists began visiting the site as early as the Civil War era. Today, visitors, can see a reconstructed wattle and daub house and climb to the top of a 63-foot-high mound for views of the surrounding area.

I’m excited about the possibilities of a cocktail party at the Tellus museum under the dinosaur skeletons.”

— CAROLYN KEMPF, ELITE TRAVEL

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TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM

ON TOP OF ETOWAH INDIAN MOUNDS

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• • • • •

BARNSLEY RESORT DEPART FOR CAVE SPRING CAVE SPRING WELCOME CENTER ROLATER PARK PROGRESSIVE LUNCH IN DOWNTOWN CAVE SPRING • DEPART FOR ROME • DOWNTOWN TROLLEY TOUR • MARTHA BERRY MUSEUM & OAK HILL • DINNER AT MOON RIVER IN HARVEST MOON CAFÉ • ROME CITY BREWING COMPANY

On the third day of the trip, the group departed the hotel in Cartersville first thing in the morning and began making its way toward Rome. Along the way, it made several interesting stops. The first was at Barnsley Resort, a 3,000-acre property with a beautiful inn, freestanding cottages and numerous historic buildings. The next stop was a small town called Cave Spring, where participants learned about local history, visited the namesake cave and enjoyed a progressive lunch at four downtown dining establishments.

After arriving in Rome, the group was treated to a trolley tour of the scenic downtown area. Then it visited Berry College, where

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BECAUSE SCIENCE MATTERS! The exhibits of Tellus Science Musuem open minds and ignite a passion for science. Come see minerals from all over the world, stand under a massive T-Rex, and imagine what it was like when the Wright brothers took their first flight next to our full-size replica of their flyer. Kids can interact and learn in the Collins Family My Big Backyard, pan for gems, and dig up fossils to take home.

The Museum also features various special exhibits throughout the year featuring everything from motorcycles to brain teasers and toys.

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JUST NORTH OF ATLANTA OFF 1-75

tellusmuseum.org

DRAWING WATER FROM CAVE SPRING

THE RUINS AT BARNSLEY RESORT

members toured Oak Hill, the home of college founder Martha Berry. After dinner at the Harvest Moon Café downtown, some participants chose to visit the nearby Rome City Brewing Company for a beer tasting.

BARNSLEY RESORT Inspired by an English country village, Barnsley Resort is a spacious, beautiful property in the mountains of northwest Georgia.

Established in 1999, the resort has 11 miles of walking and hiking trails, as well as shooting grounds, horseback riding and canoeing.

Groups can dine in three different restaurants at the resort and stay overnight in rooms at the newly constructed inn. Also worth seeing are the ruins of the 1800s Barnsley family manor estate, which are surrounded by a formal English boxwood garden that predates the Civil War. CAVE SPRING AND ROLATER PARK Sixteen miles southwest of Rome, Cave Spring is a town of about 1,200 people. It’s named for a spring inside a cave that is now surrounded by Rolater Park. Groups can hike into the cave to see the source of the spring or fill a bottle with the fresh, cool spring water from a pool just outside the cave. At a visitor center in town, guests learn about preservation efforts underway at the E.S. Brown School. Downtown Cave Spring features 90 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and tour participants enjoyed a progressive lunch with food from four restaurants in the historic district.

MARTHA BERRY’S OAK HILL

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MARTHA BERRY MUSEUM AND OAK HILL With 27,000 acres just outside Rome, Berry College has the largest contiguous acreage of any college in the world. The school was founded by Martha Berry, who found her passion for education by teaching local children in rural Georgia after the Civil War. The Martha Berry Museum on campus introduces visitors to Berry’s legacy with a film made by Berry College students in the 1960s. Groups can also tour Oak Hill, the 1880s mansion where Berry lived as an adult. Eighty percent of the furnishings in the home are original, and its stately facade was used in the filming of “Sweet Home Alabama.”

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Find Your Rhythm Jus t

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Albany GA provides the perfect ensemble of Civil Rights history, natural beauty, outdoor adventure, and exciting family attractions. And if that’s not enough, we’ll jazz things up with an array of amazing local food made from scratch. You’ll find all this and more just off I-75, when you take a detour from the expected in Albany GA.

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history A ND nature flow

DiscoverAlbanyGA.com

The progressive lunch in Cave Spring was wonderful. The guides were awesome, and I loved the spring.”

— SUZANNE CHALLISS HOOVER NEW HORIZONS

DEPART FOR VILLA RICA Day •

• PINE MOUNTAIN GOLD MUSEUM

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• LUNCH AT CHAT AND CHOO • DEPART FOR ROSWELL • RETURN HOME

The final morning of the trip, participants began the journey to where the tour began outside Atlanta. Along the way, they stopped at Villa Rica, the “City of Riches” that was once the hub of Georgia’s gold rush. There, they visited the Pine Mountain Gold Museum, where they saw a film and artifacts that tell the story of gold mining in the Georgia mountains. The museum also includes a train ride on the mountain and a re-created mine site where visitors can pan for gold.

Following lunch at the Chat and Choo, a Villa Rica institution, the group departed to return to Roswell and the Atlanta airport, where they would leave for home with fond, fresh memories of north Georgia on their minds.

A CREEKSIDE LUNCH IN CAVE SPRING

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT L AC E Y CA M E RO N 404-962-4175 LCAMERON@GEORGIA.ORG WWW.EXPLOREGEORGIA.ORG

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If you are interested in hosting a FAM for readers of The Group Travel Leader, call Kelly Tyner at 888.253.0455.

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W HER E WI L L YOU

Fall?

B Y RO B I N RO E N K E R

I S S U E J U LY/ A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

Courtesy WI Dells VCB

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TOP: VISITORS DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF FALL ON A WISCONSIN DELLS BOAT CRUISE.

s soon as the air turns crisp and the days begin to get a little shorter, you know fall is here. There’s no better way to

bask in the beauty of the season than by taking a fall foliage tour, where the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges on the trees match those of the apples, hay bales and pumpkins at farm stands nearby.

Here are nine great destinations to help your group make the most of this fall’s color burst.

BOTTOM: FALL BRINGS A SPLASH OF COLOR TO THE MAROON BELLS NEAR ASPEN.

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JULY/AUGUST 2019 Courtesy Aspen COC

H E R E A R E N I N E G R E AT I D E A S F O R A N A U T U M N G E TAWAY UPPER PENINSULA MICHIGAN Home to tree-lined drives with picturesque views of the Great Lakes dotted by historic lighthouses, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a favorite destination for fall color fans. Foliage starts to turn by mid-September, with colors peaking by early to mid-October. Once there, the most challenging question is which route to take.

Choices include the Covered Drive on Keweenaw Peninsula, so named because trees form a canopy over this section of U.S. 41 from Delaware to Copper Harbor, and Sand Dune Drive, the portion of Highway M-26 between Eagle River and Eagle Harbor, which offers great views of the Lake Superior shoreline. On the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula, near Sault Ste. Marie, a top foliage vantage point is the Mission Hill Overlook, overlooking Whitefish Bay, near the Point Iroquois Lighthouse.

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LAKE OF THE OZARKS MISSOURI Routinely voted one of the country’s top recreational lakes and a favorite spot for fall color, Lake of the Ozarks offers stunning views of colorful hillsides and rolling shorelines. Loop the entire lake, a 92-mile journey that takes about two hours, by driving on U.S. 54 and Highway W from Osage Beach to Linn Creek.

Near Camdenton, Thunder Mountain Park overlook

on Bridal Cave Road offers a fantastic spot to take in the fall colors, set off by the beauty of the lake. Visitors to the region will want to make time to visit Ha Ha Tonka State Park, another fall color favorite. With 15 miles of walking trails, guests can get out under the fall canopy while exploring the caverns, bluffs and natural springs of the park. While there, be sure to snap a photo of the so-called “castle ruins” at Ha Ha Tonka, the stone skeleton of the early-1900s estate that was the vision of businessman Robert Snyder.

FU N L A K E .COM

POCONOS PENNSYLVANIA The four-county, 2,400-square-mile region of Pennsylvania known as the Poconos offers no shortage of fall color options and even boasts three distinct color zones — northern, central and southern — that peak at slightly different times each season, making it easy to catch many trees at their finest, no matter when you plan your visit. Scenic drives such as Route 507 around Lake Wallenpaupack and Route 6 through the towns of Honesdale and Hawley, designated a “Top Scenic Route in America” by Car and Driver, offer picturesque routes to see color. Or for a change of pace, consider a train ride through the region on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. Groups can also saddle up to enjoy the color via horseback, kayak or even zip line at one of the many outdoor adventure opportunities in the area.

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Courtesy Lafayette Travel

HIKING IN THE POCONOS

WISCONSIN DELLS WISCONSIN There’s no shortage of ways to take in the fall color vistas at Wisconsin Dells, the iconic, family-friendly destination best known for its awe-inspiring, scenic rock formations and world-class indoor water parks.

Scenic boat tours on the Wisconsin River offer a great vantage point to enjoy both the changing fall foliage

Courtesy Pocono Mountains VB

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and the iconic sandstone cliffs of the Dells. But that’s not the only way to enjoy the color. Hikers can enjoy more than 50 miles of trails at the area’s state parks — including Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo — while romantic-types might prefer a horse-drawn carriage ride surrounded by picturesque cliff-walled gorges.

Train rides through the Dells offer yet another way to enjoy the fall leaves in style.

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BERKSHIRES MASSACHUSETTS Fall oranges and reds start peeking out in early September, with color making its way fully into the picturesque valleys of the Berkshires of western Massachusetts and Connecticut by early to mid-October. While in the area, be sure to visit Mount Greylock.

At 3,491 feet, it’s the highest peak in Massachusetts and offers 90-mile, four-state views, as well as more than 70 miles of hiking trails. But you don’t have to walk to the top. Open June through mid-October, the Mount Greylock Scenic Byway, which begins in Lanesborough and takes about half a day to traverse, wanders through the forested Mount Greylock State Reservation before reaching the summit of the mountain and the iconic Veterans War Memorial Tower, a 92-foot-high granite tower that offers panoramic views of the hills and valleys below. For a different scenic vantage point, consider a trip to Pittsfield, where Route 7 skims Pontoosuc Lake, offering postcard-worthy views of fall foliage surrounding the scenic blue water.

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS TENNESSEE Despite a catastrophic fire in 2016, the forests near Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are still beautiful and still a perfect spot for a fall foliage getaway. Gatlinburg itself becomes awash in fall decor during its Mountain Harvest Festival, which runs from early September to late November, so there’s ample opportunities to snap photos of your group against backdrops of pumpkins, hay bales and fall mums. As for nature’s fall display of colors, plan to enjoy them on one of the national park’s many scenic drives, including the 11-mile, one-way loop to Cades Cove, which takes about four hours to complete during peak fall tourist season. Be on the lookout for deer, wild turkeys and even black bears, and make time to get out and explore the working gristmill, log houses and other historic structures preserved in the valley.

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CATSKILLS NEW YORK The onset of fall turns the Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York into a must-see destination thanks not only to the vibrant colors that flood the mountainsides but also the many fall festivals that draw visitors to the region. Hunter Mountain’s Oktoberfest runs from late September through the end of October and has been voted one of the 10 best Oktoberfests in the nation. While at Hunter Mountain, visitors can enjoy the fall color on a scenic skyride and even a zip line tour. For those wanting to enjoy the hues of the season on a scenic drive, there’s no shortage of options. The Catskill Mountain Scenic Byway, a 52-mile stretch of NY-28 from Phoenicia to Andes, offers views of mountain scenery in the Slide Mountain Wilderness, part of the Catskill Forest Preserve, as well as rolling farmland and pristine waterways. In the northern Catskills, take the 21-mile-long Durham Valley Scenic Byway and stop at the Five-State Lookout for spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley.

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FALL IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK Courtesy Bar Harbor COC

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ACADIA NATIONAL PARK MAINE In Maine, Acadia National Park’s mix of evergreens and hardwoods makes for a breathtaking blend of color in fall. The park’s 49,000 acres include oceanside cliffs and dense mountain forests. To get a sense of the varied beauty here, take the 27-mile-long, oneway Park Loop Road, which begins near the Hulls Cove Visitor Center in Bar Harbor and follows along the coastline of Mount Desert Island. Make time to JULY/AUGUST 2019

pull off frequently to enjoy the scenery at iconic spots such as Sand Beach, Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff.

V ISI T B A R H A R BOR .COM

ASPEN COLORADO In Aspen, the namesake trees turn a distinctive golden hue come fall, making late September and early October one of the most spectacular times to visit.

While in the area, explore the iconic Maroon Bells, two peaks in the White River National Forest dubbed the most photographed place in Colorado, as well as nearby, picturesque Maroon Lake. Accessibility to the area via Maroon Creek Road, which itself offers spectacular views of the Aspen-lined valley, is limited during peak times to buses. Another well-loved fall driving route is Castle Creek Road, which leads to the Ghost Town of Ashcroft, an abandoned silver-mining town. For those interested in taking in the views by foot, trails in the area offer options for experienced hikers and newbies alike. One popular hiking option is the Smuggler Mountain Overlook, which boasts views of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley.

ASPE NCH A MBER .ORG

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LAKE OF THE OZARK’S HA HA TONKA RUINS

FALL IN THE BERKSHIRES Courtesy FunLake.com

By Ogden Gigli, courtesy the Berkshires

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CALIFORNIA

STATE SPOTLIGHT

C O L U M B I A S TAT E PA R K

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BY R E B E C CA T R E O N

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alifornia is the country’s third-largest

state, with a his-

tory that goes back to before the arrival

of the Spanish missionaries in the 17th century.

The Golden State takes its nickname from the

gold rush of the 1880s, which brought the state the largest migration of people in history and laid a foundation for California to become what it is today.

Its prosperity at the beginning of the 20th

century established places like Balboa Park and Gardens in San Diego, where groups can

tour any of the many museums on the property.

Around the same time, the prison at Alcatraz

housed the famous gangster Al Capone. In Simi

Valley, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

houses not only an Air Force One plane but also several permanent exhibitions that chronicle U.S. history.

Next time your group goes to California, plan

a visit to some of the state’s historic attractions, places that bring the state’s past to life.

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Photos courtesy Reagan Presidential Library

RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, but his legacy is dedicated to a much broader story of the country and beyond. Groups can connect with that legacy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley.

“We have self-guided, audio and docent-led tours, but docents are stationed in every room throughout the museum to give visitors insights about what’s exciting about each space and collection,” said Melissa Giller, the museum’s chief marketing officer. “The Reagan library isn’t just about the history of his presidency, it’s about the history of the United States and the world, and visitors get a chance to interact with it.”

Groups won’t want to miss the Tea and Tour, a themed lunch with a menu from the White House followed by a guided tour.

On the tour, groups can board the former Air Force One, touch a fragment of the Berlin Wall and part of one of the Twin Towers destroyed on 9/11, and visit an exact replica of the Oval Office.

The grounds feature the graves of the former president and first lady Nancy Reagan.

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Courtesy Huntington Library

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY AND GARDENS As its name suggests, San Marino’s Huntington Library and Gardens has a prominent library, but it’s so much more than that: 16 themed gardens, millions of manuscripts and an extensive art collection.

“One of the things that’s great for visitors, whether groups or individuals, is taking a guided tour,” said Lisa Blackburn, spokesperson for the Huntington. “We have more than 120 acres of botanic gardens, paintings by the British masters and rare books.

A guide helps visitors explore the range of things that make our collections so exciting.”

Blackburn encourages groups not to miss the new Chinese garden with its reflective ponds and handcrafted pavilions, and the desert garden, which houses the world’s oldest and largest collection of cacti. The library has notable rare works, like the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, one of only 11 vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible and a first folio of Shakespeare’s works published in 1623. Their art collection ranges from Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy” to Warhol’s “Small Crushed Campbell’s Soup Can.” H U N TI N G TO N.O RG

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ALCATRAZ In San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island is probably best known as the place where the notorious Al Capone served time. The island was used as a penitentiary for 29 years, and though many tried, no prisoner ever escaped. Alcatraz was occupied by Native Americans in the 1960s and is used today for ceremonial purposes.

Groups can choose from a wide variety of tours, among them day and night tours and behind-the-scenes-style tours. One option that focuses less on the punishment role of “The Rock” is a tour of its gardens. Planted by prison guards’ families and used to hold social events, the gardens have been restored after decades of neglect.

Alcatraz also hosts visiting authors and artists and has a series of annual events. The island also features a museum dedicated to the prison’s history, with historic photographs and artifacts used daily in the prison.

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Courtesy NPS

PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM

One of California’s most beautiful and unique destinations!

Ask about our docent-led group tours - Two restaurants available with tour group options

For information on The World of da Vinci & Egypts Sunken Cities call 805.557.2704

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View a Full Scale Replica of the Oval Office

Touch an Authentic Piece of the Berlin Wall

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Photos Courtesy courtesyMAC Balboa Park

4 GroupTravelLeader.qxp_Courier 7/04 1/4/17 4:24 PM P

Discover The Huntington

BALBOA PARK With more than 1,200 acres, 17 museums, several theaters, the San Diego Zoo and open spaces and gardens, Balboa Park is perhaps San Diego’s most significant attraction.

Created in 1868, it’s one of the country’s oldest dedicated public parks.

“Each institution in the park is a separate nonprofit, but the Balboa Park Explorer Pass gets visitors access to all the different museums in the park,” said Michael Warburton, director of parkwide communications. “There is always something new, and there are always ongoing changes made to the park, so seeing different exhibitions or events is easy.”

Groups can explore the park’s unique architecture from the expositions it hosted, see a production at the Old Globe Theater and visit an art museum, a railroad museum and an auto museum, among other options. The park is home to several restaurants and cafes, which range from casual to upscale. At open-air Panama 66, local beers pair well with live jazz on Wednesdays, and on Fridays during summer, food trucks line the main walkway and the park’s museums stay open late.

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“There is always something new, and there are always ongoing changes made to the park, so seeing different exhibitions or events is easy.”

Group Tours Available Pasadena Adjacent huntington.org

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— Michael Warburton

JULY/AUGUST 2019

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Courtesy Columbia State Historic Park

COLUMBIA STATE HISTORIC PARK Near Sacramento, the Columbia State Historic Park is a perfectly preserved town from the gold rush era that gives groups the opportunity to step back in time. The town is full of privately owned businesses that bring the old days back to life.

“We have the largest collection of gold-rush-era brick buildings anywhere, containing more than 150 years of history,” said Rebecca Andrade, events coordinator at the park. “The town itself is a living museum full of historically significant and accurate exhibits with real artifacts.”

Monthly events offer groups access to special exhibits and handson activities. Groups can stay in historic hotels, sip sarsaparilla in an Old West saloon, take a tour with a costumed docent and visit a Chinese apothecary and a general store. Visitors can watch a working blacksmith, listen to street musicians, pan for gold and ride in a stagecoach. At Nelson’s Candy, traditional sweets have been made by the same family since 1923, and the Fallon Theater puts on performances almost nightly.

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hometown to airport transfers Collette takes the hassle out of getting to the airport with our hometown pickup for all air-inclusive tours (for groups of 10 or more).

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INTREPID T R AV E L E R S

BY E L I ZA M Y E R S

INTERPRETERS BRING THE PILGRIMS’ LIFESTYLE INTO THE PRESENT DAY AT PLIMOUTH PLANTATION.

Courtesy Destination Plymouth County

T H E M AY FLOW ER ’S S TO RY I S T H E B E G I N N I N G O F PLYM O U T H ’S A PPE A L PILGRIM HALL MUSEUM

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ith modern maps charting every inch of the planet, it’s hard to imagine setting sail into the unknown. Yet the 102 people who crammed into the Mayflower braved uncertainty to find a better home. They finally landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.

Their story is America’s story, which is why Plymouth is referred to as “America’s Hometown.” The seaside destination retains this vital part of its past with several fascinating historic attractions, including one of the United States’ oldest continually operating museums, the Pilgrim Hall Museum. Visitors can enjoy historic architecture, tasty cuisine, intriguing festivals and both past and present at local shops.

To discover the town’s pilgrim past, gardening heritage and current charm, groups can tour these four historic sites.

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The Pilgrim Hall Museum walks guests through the dramatic tale of the Pilgrims’ hazardous voyage, their 1620 landing and the eventual end of the Plymouth Colony in 1692. The Pilgrim Society opened the museum in 1824 to preserve the area’s Pilgrim heritage.

“To me, the Pilgrim Hall Museum should be the first stop,” said Paula Fisher, interim executive director for Destination Plymouth County. “It is a gem of a museum whether you are interested in the Pilgrims or not. The 15-minute orientation movie shows you the basics of how it all started. It puts history into the forefront of your thinking.”

Groups can see real Pilgrim possessions, such as William Bradford’s Bible, Peregrine White’s cradle and Myles Standish’s sword. The museum also reveals the history of the Wampanoag, the Native Americans who inhabited the area for 10,000 years before the European settlers and still reside there today.

Visitors can touch a piece of the iconic Plymouth Rock, which marked the spot of the Mayflower landing. The museum also goes into detail on the Pilgrims’ harrowing first year in Plymouth, as well as the first Thanksgiving.

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P L I M O T H P L A N TAT I O N

JENNEY MUSEUM TOURS

At Plimoth Plantation, visitors can meet “Pilgrims” in person to talk about their religious beliefs, education and child rearing theories.

Costumed interpreters fully embrace their roles at the living-history museum with dialects and period sayings while cooking, planting, blacksmithing and practicing animal husbandry.

The museum’s English Village re-creates the small farming and maritime community built by the Pilgrims on the shores of Plymouth Harbor.

Third-person or modern interpreters answer guests’ questions that those in character are unable to answer while in character.

“It doesn’t take a visitor long to feel like they have really stepped into the 17th century,” said Fisher. “The site also has a Native American homesite that represents the native people who lived in the area prior to the Pilgrims’ arrival. They focus on the culture of the Wampanoag people and why they befriended the Pilgrims in this area. The two groups became allies to each other for the first 50 years.”

Native Americans guide guests through the Wampanoag Homesite from a modern perspective.

They invite guests inside a mat-covered wetu, or house. These guides also explain what’s growing in their native garden and demonstrate how to play hubbub, an ancient tribal game still enjoyed by many Wampanoag today.

Groups can examine re-created historic crafts at the Craft Center, a water-powered corn-grinding mill at Plimoth Grist Mill and rare animal breeds at the Nye Barn. A replica of the Mayflower II is now under repair in anticipation of the 400th anniversary of the 1620 landing at Plymouth.

Did the Pilgrims really land on Plymouth Rock? Groups can learn the answer to this question and more on a walking tour with Jenney Museum Tours. The museum’s tours tell Plymouth stories from the Pilgrim era and beyond.

The museum’s Discover Plymouth’s History tour walks participants through the historic district for an overview of the city’s past. The tour stops by Town Brook, Brewster Gardens and monuments along the waterfront, including Plymouth Rock.

The Forefathers Monument Tour reveals details behind one of the largest free-standing granite monuments in the country. The Forefathers Monument honors the Pilgrims with statues representing faith, morality, law, education and liberty.

Guides discuss how the Pilgrims’ faith shaped the founding and development of the United States.

“Leo Martin gives the tours in period clothing, and he is very entertaining,” said Fisher. “He uses a lot of Pilgrim phrases that we still use today. He tells where they came from.”

Martin will also deliver talks in period costume at indoor presentations or as a step-on guide.

Groups can combine a guided tour with the museum’s indoor exhibits. The 1749 Jenney Museum building once belonged to Pilgrim John Jenney and now houses three exhibit rooms and a gift shop. Located in the heart of the historic district, the property backs up to Town Brook, which carried the Pilgrims’ original water supply.

Exhibits delve into Plymouth’s past with themes focused on what happiness meant to Pilgrims, the Underground Railroad movement in Plymouth and the Pilgrims’ emphasis on family.

HERITAGE MUSEUM AND GARDENS Courtesy Heritage Museum and Gardens GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

PILGRIM HALL MUSEUM Courtesy MA Office of Tourism

PLIMOUTH PLANTATION

Courtesy MA Office of Tourism

H E R I TA G E M U S E U M S AND GARDENS When doctors told Charles Owen Dexter at age 59 he wouldn’t have long to live, Dexter purchased a farm and began tinkering with hybridizing plants.

He ended up living another 22 years, and in that time, he became well known for his hybridized rhododendrons.

The glowing colors of thousands of rhododendrons continue to light up the Heritage Museums and Gardens, where Dexter once experimented in the early 20th century. Groups can see Dexter’s world-renowned rhododendrons as well as other impressive horticultural collections of holly, daylily and hosta plants.

Located 20 minutes from Plymouth, the gardens also hold more than 1,000 varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers.

“If you only walked through the gardens, you would be happy,” said Fisher. “The exhibits there change quite frequently. You can explore sprawling botanical gardens, unique art installations and antique automobiles.”

A later owner of the site, Josiah Lilly, opened it to the public in 1969. Lilly added his collections to the site, such as his car collection, now on view in the Automobile Gallery. The antique vehicles sit inside a replica of the Shaker Round Barn in Hancock, Massachusetts.

Other highlights of the site include a special exhibits gallery, the American Art and Carousel Gallery, nature trails and themed gardens. Groups can reserve tours and on-site meals.

SEEPLYMOUTH.COM

PLYMOUTH ROCK

Courtesy MA Office of Tourism

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ONLY FROM A TRAIN FASCINATION W ITH R AILROADS IS A SIREN SONG

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he pristine farms go by one by one until the train stops. Instead of just gazing at the Amish countryside, groups can walk through a local Amish farm as personal guests in conjunction with a ride on the Strasburg Rail Road.

Train companies across the country offer a variety of these experiential rides that allow passengers to interact with the scenery; among them are full-day winery tours on the Napa Valley Wine Train, historic character narrators on the Durango and Silverton Railroad, and riverboat rides on the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat.

Some train rides even inject adrenaline into the excursion with whitewater rafting packages on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad or ghost tours on the Whitewater Valley Railroad.

These exclusive train experiences add value to a group tour and make the call of the train whistle even more irresistible.

A PENNSYLVANIA AMISH BUGGY

Photos by Christopher Pollock, courtesy Strasburg Rail Road

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After peering out the train window imagining life on an Amish farm, groups can step off the Strasburg Rail Road and experience the Amish culture for themselves.

The Iron Horse and Amish Farm Tour package includes a 45-minute steam train ride through idyllic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, aboard restored passenger cars. When the ride ends, groups can interact with the Amish on a personal tour of Old Windmill Farm, an authentic 72-acre Amish farm.

The Strasburg Rail Road is one of the oldest continuously operating railroads in the western hemisphere. Chartered in 1832, the heritage railroad offers excursions through 2,500 acres of untouched farmland in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Groups can grab a bite to eat on the train’s excursions in one of the country’s only operational wooden dining cars. For a laid-back meal, groups can order boxed lunches from the Trackside Cafe to eat when disembarking at two picnic groves with plentiful seating options.

The air-conditioned rides last 45 minutes, with optional extras for groups, such as a behind-the-scenes tour of the railroad’s mechanical shops, where the line’s trains are refurbished.

For a first-class experience, groups can book the Golden Spike Package on the beautifully restored Parlor or Lounge cars. These upscale cars emanate Victorian elegance with a mahogany bar and upholstered captain chairs. A beverage with a fruit and cheese plate complement re-created news headlines from the early 20th century to complete the time travel experience.

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DURANGO AND SILVERTON NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY

What once served as a route for gold-hungry prospectors now exists to delight at the Durango and Silverton Railroad in Durango, Colorado. Groups can relive the train’s mining past by booking a historic narration trip. Narrators use first-person storytelling with period clothing to match their characters from the Wild West. These experiences give the train ride a historic significance, as the narrator puts listeners in the mind-set of Durango’s early pioneers.

Tracks were laid for the railway in 1882. Historians estimate over $300 million in precious metals rode the rails over the years. The railroad faced many challenges in its past, such as slides, floods, financial instability and war. A group of determined staff took the soon-to-be abandoned line and used it to promote tourism to the area.

Once Hollywood discovered the railroad, the guests began flocking to the area, with several movies using the train in films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Today, the line provides year-round service on a historic train with both indoor and open gondola cars for panoramic views of the mountains.

Groups can order concessions aboard the train or cater a dinner at Cascade Canyon, the railroad’s riverside pavilion.

Additional packages combine the otherwise unreachable scenery with guided tours. The Mesa Verde Discovery Tour organizes an interpretive tour of the mysterious ancient cliff dwellings of the Mesa Verde National Park. The Historic Silverton Mining Tour includes a picnic lunch and a chance to pan for gold at the Old Hundred Gold Mine.

I S S U E J U LY/ A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

DU R A NGOT R A I N.COM

A RAILWAY WINE TASTING

DURANGO AND SILVERTON’S WINE AND RAILS EXPERIENCE

Photos courtesy Durango & Silverton NGR GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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Sipping wine in a castle before boarding a luxury train through Napa Valley seems the definition of decadence. The Napa Valley Wine Train in Napa, California, re-creates the glory days of train travel with fine-dining service, postcard-worthy scenery and an exquisitely restored antique train.

Guests will marvel at the inside of the train as well as the scenery.

Antique Pullman railcars feature Honduran mahogany paneling, brass accents, etched glass partitions and plush armchairs. The train functions as a gourmet restaurant on wheels, as the chef prepares high-quality dishes with fresh, sustainable ingredients.

Groups can turn the ride into a way to explore wine country by choosing from among several tour packages. The Gourmet Express and Vista Dome packages offer exclusive tours of some of the region’s renowned wineries with customizable experiences. The Vista Dome Package is the train company’s most luxurious option, with a two-story dome dining car with unobstructed views from every angle.

The new full-day winery tour is one of the company’s most popular tours. The five- or six-hour tours traverse spectacular scenery with stops at three celebrated wineries for tours and plenty of samples.

The company offers shorter tours that stop at only one or two wineries, including the Castello di Amorosa winery, a California castle with awardwinning spirits. Other options are the Hop Train, the Murder Mystery Tour and the Estate Tour for French winemaking traditions.

W I N E T R A I N.COM

— GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS RAILROAD —

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BRYSON CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

Ultimate relaxation meets ultimate excitement on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s Tarzan Train package. Taking off from Bryson City, North Carolina, the train weaves through stunning mountain scenery in the Nantahala Gorge.

Groups then disembark to step off 13 zip line platforms with nothing between them and the forest floor for some heart-pounding fun. Zip liners can view Clingman’s Dome, Fontana Lake and waterfalls as they zoom along.

The train partners with outdoor adventure companies to offer the added zip line tour and other options of whitewater rafting and jeep tours.

The whitewater rafting package stops at the Nantahala Outdoor Center for a two-hour rafting trip on the center’s controlled Class II whitewater rapids. The trip works for novice rafters, and includes a riverside barbecue lunch, a posttrip photo, showers and transportation back to Bryson City.

The Rail and Trail package allows groups to ride jeeps for two hours past waterfalls and lakes.

Those desiring a simple ride aboard the train can opt for the Tuckasegee River Excursion for a four-hour round trip to Dillsboro. The scenery impressed filmmakers enough to feature the train in “The Fugitive,” starring Harrison Ford.

Other special events take place throughout the year, including Great American Rails-N-Tales Narration Car, for learning experiences led by local poet Horace Kephart.

GSM R .COM

SUNSET ON THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN

A NAPA VALLEY TASTING Photos courtesy Napa Valley Wine Train

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ESSEX, CONNECTICUT

To see as much as possible of the natural beauty of the Connecticut River Valley, the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat offers a two-and-a-half-hour journey beginning at the historic 1892 Essex Station. The 12-mile narrated round trip places guests in vintage coaches from the 1920s and 1930s.

The trains roll by quintessential New England towns, as well as several coves and preserves not accessible by road. Groups can see tidal wetlands and a plethora of birds, such as cormorants, blue herons and egrets.

Those with the riverboat package continue from the Deep River stop to the Becky Thatcher riverboat for a 75-minute cruise down the Connecticut River. Passengers will see more wildlife, as well as historic sites like Gillette Castle, the Goodspeed Opera House and the Haddam Swing Bridge. Upon return, passengers then board the train back to Essex Station.

Groups can also add a lunch aboard one of the train’s fine-dining cars or order a boxed lunch from the Trackside Cafe. Even the riverboat features a snack bar for sandwiches, soups and beverages.

ESSE XST E A M T R A I N.COM

Tour

SOUTHEAST INDIANA

Fall Mums, Farms & Markets Meet a friendly herd of alpaca, tour a greenhouse, visit an orchard and find locally made specialty foods and fresh produce in the Fall.

“Fun Farm & Market Experiences!”

- Clarksville Parks & Rec, Clarksville, IN

ESSEX STEAM TRAIN Courtesy Essex Steam Trains and Riverboat

A NEW ENGLAND RIVERBOAT CRUISE

OHIO Indianapolis

INDIANA

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Cincinnati

KENTUCKY Lexington

Louisville

South of I-74 & west of I-275, 20 minutes west of Cincinnati

www.TOURSoutheastIndiana.com

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS RAILROAD Courtesy Great Smoky Mountains Railroad GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

By Jody Doyle, courtesy Essex Steam Trains and Riverboat

800-322-8198

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By Lori Duckworth, courtesy OK Tourism

By Lori Duckworth, courtesy OK Tourism

By Lori Duckworth, courtesy OK Tourism

Courtesy Orr Family Farm

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Courtesy OKC Zoo

Courtesy OKC CVB

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cross Oklahoma, abundant new offerings and experiences warrant a first visit or a repeat trip to the Sooner State. Oklahoma City continues to transform itself into a thriving tourism destination. It will be even easier for groups to get around because of the newly opened OKC Streetcar that links approximately six miles of downtown and touches its major attractions and districts, such as Brick Town.

Tulsa touts its newest attractions, The Outsiders House Museum and the Gathering Place, a multiuse park. In Idabel, the Museum of the Red River focuses on art and archaeology and opened a $7 million, 18,000-square-foot addition this past April. And several farms offer the chance to stay in reconstructed Conestoga wagons and get close to alpacas in Newcastle.

OKLAHOMA CITY O KL AH OM A CIT Y ZO O Home to endangered Asian elephants, red pandas, raccoon dogs and cassowary birds, Sanctuary Asia opened August 2018 at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Within this $22 million expansion, groups can gather at the restaurant and event space, which has floor-to-ceiling windows that frame views of the elephant, rhino and Komodo dragon habitats. Sanctuary Asia is one phase of $71 million of new infrastructure slated through 2028. In addition, the Wild Encounters package invites guests to go behind the scenes and feed the grizzly bears, pet an elephant and much more.

OKCZOO.ORG

O RR FA M I LY FAR M This spring, the Orr Family Farm added 13 Conestoga wagons for overnight stays. Year-round, the reconstructed wagons can accommodate up to 88 guests. Each of the eight wagons accommodates eight guests, and five additional wagons sleep either four or six. Temperature-controlled interiors, private restrooms with showers and a signature swim spa round out the “glamping” experience. Charcoal grills and picnic tables are available, too. Groups can participate in activities such as a life-size game of foosball, pedal boats on the pond, a vintage carousel, fishing and zip lining. Fall activities include a pumpkin patch, zombie paintball and a maze.

“One of the advantages of staying in the wagons is guest access to the farm during off hours and offseason,” said Tabbi Burwell, senior manager of destination communications for Oklahoma City. “Located just 20 minutes from downtown, groups will find seclusion and lots of outdoor activities at their fingertips.”

ORRFAMILYFARM.COM

O KL AH OM A CO NTEM PO R ARY In January, Oklahoma Contemporary will open its new arts center on a 4.6-acre campus in downtown. The center will offer a multitude of programs and exhibitions in its 6,000-square-foot gallery, classroom studios and performance spaces. Groups can gather in the community lounge, the cafe and outdoor spaces. When the center opens, three major visual arts exhibitions will feature the works of artists from Oklahoma and beyond. Admission to exhibitions and much of the new programming will be free. Outdoors, the art encompasses a sculpture garden with rotating works, and Campbell Art Park will host large-scale sculptural installations.

OKLAHOMACONTEMPORARY.ORG

CO O P ALE WO RKS In the fall of 2020, the Coop Ale Works will be completed. More than $20 million will update and transform the historic 23rd Street Armory into a state-of-the-art brewhouse and speakeasy where visitors can watch how the brewery produces and makes its beer. Also planned, will be a 34-room boutique hotel with event space and a full-service restaurant and taproom.

“Their Las Vegas-style pool will be open year-round with cabanas and a swim-up bar, and it will be open to the public and guests of the hotel,” said Burwell. “The brewery behind this project is putting a lot of thought into the entire complex, which will offer a unique experience for groups.”

COOPALEWORKS.COM

TULSA O UTSI D ERS H O USE MUSEUM This summer, Tulsa unveils the Outsiders House Museum, dedicated to the preservation of the home and memorabilia used in the movie “The Outsiders.” In 1982, the movie was filmed in Tulsa by Francis Ford Coppola. The restored home offers a behind-the-scenes layer of trivia and background information. Fans can stand in the living room where Ponyboy and Darry quarreled, and visit the kitchen and recall all the talk about chocolate cake for breakfast and see Dallas Winston’s leather jacket. Visitors will hear about the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of Coppola’s director’s chair.

Hundreds of rare and never-seen photos and movie artifacts will be on display. The photos provide a glimpse into how the cast worked and played on set. They also document the filming locations throughout the city, some that still remain and others that are long gone.

THEOUTSIDERSHOUSE.COM

NEW AND IMPROVED IN OKLAHOMA, CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: THE GATHERING PLACE; MUSEUM OF THE RED RIVER; OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO; OUTSIDERS HOUSE MUSEUM; ORR FAMILY FARM GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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GATH ERI N G PL ACE Opened last year on the banks of the Arkansas River, the Gathering Place transformed nearly 100 acres into an oasis for play and education. The multiuse destination features nature trails, a large lawn for concerts and the Oneok boathouse. At the boathouse, groups can check out paddleboats, kayaks and canoes for cruising along Peggy’s Pond. The Boathouse Restaurant offers an elegant dining experience. On the top floor of the building, the Overlook Deck provides views of the Arkansas River and downtown Tulsa, and there is an outdoor terrace where groups can dine as they enjoy the panorama.

Anchoring it all, a glass and stone lodge will host numerous park activities and includes a cafe, changing cabanas, educational activity rooms and indoor lounge spaces. Upon arrival, lodge visitors are welcomed in the reception space for orientation and information. The great room provides a gathering space for functions with comfortable seating and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace.

GATHERINGPLACE.ORG

IDABEL MUSEUM O F TH E RED RIVER A new addition at the Museum of the Red River allows curators to show more of the 33,000 pieces in the permanent collection. The museum exhibits primarily North, South and Central American items used in daily life, including a wide range of pottery, basketry and textiles from everyday clothing to mummy bundles. Of the four renovated galleries, one gallery displays the staff ’s favorite pieces that were donated by the founders.

Another gallery houses a replica of the Oklahoma state dinosaur, Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. The original skeleton was unearthed by amateur paleontologists less than 20 miles from the museum in 1983. At nearly 40 feet long, this dinosaur ranks as one of North America’s largest predators and looks similar to the T-rex.

“Although we don’t consider ourselves a dinosaur museum, the Acrocanthosaurus is quite a draw, and the addition rebuilt and enhanced our dinosaur gallery,” said business manager Vickie Smith. “A docent-led tour takes groups through our four galleries that rotate exhibits every six weeks.”

MUSEUMOFTHEREDRIVER.ORG

Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees

Grove, Oklahoma

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NEWCASTLE M AGN O LIAS AN D PR AYERS: EVERY TH I N G ALPACA Since last year, Magnolias and Prayers: Everything Alpaca has opened Magnolia Blossom Ranch to the public.

Kerry and Terri Bates own Magnolia Blossom Ranch, and Gail Stymerski owns neighboring Answered Prayers Ranch.

Through a partnership, the two ranches maintain a herd of more than 40 alpacas. Visitors can see the huacaya alpaca, or teddy bear type, and the suri alpaca with its long locks.

“When groups take our hourlong farm tour, they can pet the alpacas and feed them food that we provide, which is always a huge hit,” said Terri Bates. “We also show them our mill room where we clean and keep our fleece.”

Fleece is sheared in the spring. In the mill room, the fleece is cleaned and processed into batting, roving and yarn for retail sale and handmade items. The ranch store sells alpaca fiber products made by Stymerski, who specializes in fiber arts. She creates hats, scarfs, fingerless mitts, shawls, carpets and jewelry.

Special events such as wine tastings, yoga and painting classes take place in the pasture surrounded by the alpacas.

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

Spring and fall, their Alpaca Farm Days hosts food trucks, wineries and vendors for shopping. Activities include an alpaca obstacle course, lots of up-close interaction.

MAGNOLIABLOSSOMRANCH.COM

TISHOMINGO O LD SI LO WI N ERY Opened last September between Tishomingo and Milburn, the Old Silo Winery operates on a 20-acre farm.

Overlooking the pond, the tasting room is housed in a former silo. For groups of 20 or more, owners Jim and Michele Reilly can set up a larger tasting room next to the silo.

Grapes grown on-site are primarily chambourcin, but merlot, cabernet and vidal also flourish in the vineyard. Wines include a chambourcin estate label and fruit wines such as Peach-O-Nay, a peach chardonnay, and blackberry merlot.

Small batches of between six and 10 cases each ensure consistent quality standards. Everything is hand processed, and lucky groups might get to watch bottling, labeling and corking.

“At our wine tastings, we offer six samples and a souvenir Old Silo wine glass,” said Jim Reilly.

OLDSILOWINERY.COM

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Courtesy American Banjo Museum

By Lori Duckworth, courtesy OK Tourism

Courtesy Will Rogers Memorial Museum

By Lori Duckworth, courtesy OK Tourism

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Courtesy Chickasaw Cultural Center

Courtesy OKC CVB

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klahoma’s multifaceted history spans the birth of our nation to the modern era of transportation and can be seen in today’s living culture. Within one itinerary, groups can experience pioneer and Native American heritage, discover the wit and wisdom of Will Rogers and celebrate Route 66. At numerous cultural sites and museums, history unfolds for those interested in exploring the state’s fascinating past.

A M ERI CAN I N D IAN CU LTU R AL CENTER AN D MUSEUM O KL AH OM A CIT Y Slated to be completed May 2021, the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum will be a significant institution with a national and regional scope. An extensive permanent exhibition, divided into different eras, will tell the collective story of Oklahoma’s 39 tribes.

Another significant exhibition will be on a long-term loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The exhibition will consist of 144 cultural materials collected from the tribes that are in Oklahoma today. Within those 144 items, every tribe in the state will be represented.

“It’s an amazing story because the materials were collected in Oklahoma, removed and went on a journey,” said Shoshana Wasserman, associate director and a citizen of Thlopthlocco Tribal Town and Muscogee Creek. “This is a homecoming as they make their way back to their tribes of origin. The entire museum tells the story of our homeland from a historic perspective and contemporary reality, so this truly is a national story.”

Groups can take advantage of the full-service restaurant and grab-and-go cafe. The large museum store will sell oneof-a-kind handcrafted artworks. Many Oklahoma artists go elsewhere to make a living and sell their works, but the museum plans to cultivate an artistic marketplace on-site.

Wasserman suggested that if groups want to extend their stays, all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribes are within 30 minutes to three hours by motorcoach, and many have cultural centers.

THEAMERICANINDIANCENTER.ORG

A M ERI CAN BAN JO MUSEUM O KL AH OM A CIT Y Touting the world’s largest banjo collection on public display, the American Banjo Museum recounts the history of the American banjo. On the first floor, displays start with the minstrel banjo, which was introduced in the 1800s, before moving on to classic banjos, jazz, bluegrass,

folk and five-stringed instruments.

The banjo was initially used with the African slave culture until broader public interest grew in the mid-1800s and on into today. Five large exhibits with multiple instruments represent each era. The museum’s core collection on the second floor showcases “Banjos of the Jazz Age,” plus a rotating exhibit and the Hall of Fame that celebrates an induction each September.

“After the private Hall of Fame induction, the ticketed Banjo Festival is perfect for groups,” said Janet Raines, group sales and marketing manager. “That Saturday afternoon, musicians play in the museum, including many past Hall of Fame inductees.”

AMERICANBANJOMUSEUM.COM

RO UTE 66 I NTERPRE TIVE CENTER CHAN D LER Between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, a 1937 National Guard armory houses the Route 66 Interpretive Center. The walls of this WPA building were constructed of 20-inchthick, hand-chiseled sandstone bricks hauled by mule from a local quarry.

One-of-a-kind memorabilia from the 1930s to the present day includes historic brochures and travel guides, vintage billboards and virtual “hotel rooms” with themes such as “Vanished Icons” and “Neon Nights.” At different stations, visitors “ride” in a 1930 Model-A Ford, a 1948 Willys Jeep and a 1965 red Mustang while watching short films on all aspects of the Mother Road.

“Before touring the building, our introductory film follows Dick Besser’s 1959 journey on Route 66 and revisits it 40 years later in his red Corvette,” said museum director Susan Pordos. “Visitors will definitely want to browse our gift shop that sells a nice variety of Route 66 and Oklahoma souvenirs, from metal signs to jewelry and hats.”

ROUTE66INTERPRETIVECENTER.ORG

GI LCRE ASE MUSEUM TU LSA The Gilcrease Museum can easily fill an afternoon with its world-class collection of Western American art, which includes Remington bronzes and one of the largest collections of Thomas Moran and Charles M. Russell’s artwork.

The museum’s collection contains paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures from Colonial times to the present.

Self-made oilman Thomas Gilcrease began amassing his fortune and purchasing art before founding the museum in 1949.

The museum’s historic, themed gardens reflect horticultural styles and techniques from the American West. Guided tours highlight their relationship to the museum’s collection and preColumbian-, pioneer-, Colonial- and Victorian-themed gardens.

OKLAHOMA HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS, CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: WILL ROGERS BIRTHPLACE RANCH; AMERICAN BANJO MUSEUM: CHICKASAW CULTURAL CENTER; GILCREASE MUSEUM; ROUTE 66 INTERPRETIVE CENTER GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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The not-to-be-missed museum store features Native American and contemporary art, plus iconic local artists.

The third Sunday of every month, free Funday Sunday offers special exhibition-themed programming. Gilcrease After Hours is a free evening of culture and cocktails that takes place the last Friday of each month.

GILCREASE.ORG

CH I CK ASAW CU LTU R AL CENTER SU LPH U R On 184 pristine acres of rolling hills and woodlands, the Chickasaw Cultural Center tells the story of the tribe’s culture, both past and present. The Chikasha Poya exhibit center showcases a timeline of Chickasaw history, from the mound-building society of the southeastern United States to the current-day Chickasaw Nation. Following a short film, “Chickasaw Renaissance,” the screen rises, and the audience is beckoned into a Spirit Forest that represents the most ancient sense of Chickasaw culture.

Via a winding path or the four-story Sky Bridge, groups can visit the Chikasha Inchokka Traditional Village. The village replicates traditional houses, structures and grounds of the Chickasaw Homeland from 1700 to 1750, before European contact. It features a stomp dance demonstration area, a stickball field and the Three Sisters garden.

In good weather, the village hosts cultural instructors that demonstrate traditional crafts such as beadwork, basketry and pottery, tanning hides, bow-making and flute-making.

CHICKASAWCULTURALCENTER.COM

PI O N EER WOM AN MUSEUM AN D STATU E PO N CA CIT Y The Pioneer Woman Museum honors the legacy of pioneering women of all races, creeds and nationalities, both local and national. The bronze 17-foot-tall “Pioneer Woman” statue commemorates the many women who braved the dangers and hardships of the homesteading life. Also featured in the museum are women who have made outstanding pioneering contributions in space, photography and medicine.

The museum tells the story of Oklahoma women from early settlers to those who had successful careers in the 1950s. Permanent galleries highlight 14 Oklahomans with vignettes of their lives. Household furniture, clothing and memorabilia of family life are all on display.

“The nation has only 61 museums dedicated to women’s history, and we’re one of them,” said Keith Fagan, historical interpreter. “Next year, we’ll have a large exhibit on women’s suffrage for the 100th-year anniversary commemorating women’s right to vote.”

WI LL RO GERS M EMO RIAL MUSEUM AN D BI RTH PL ACE R AN CH CL AREMO RE In April, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum opened the newly renovated Will Rogers Theatre. Rogers became the top male motion-picture box-office star from 1933 through 1935. In the span of his career, he made 51 silent movies and 21 talkies. Groups can watch one of six documentaries in the new theater and one of Rogers’ full-length movies shown daily in the museum’s minitheater.

“The last Friday evening of every month, we show a free movie and serve free popcorn and a beverage,” said Tad Jones, executive director. “An antique organ, which was donated and installed in the theater, is played whenever silent movies are featured.”

Near Claremore, a scenic drive leads to Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, situated on 200 acres. The 1875 twostory house commemorates Rogers’ younger years. Outside, goats and burros graze beside the barn. Groups can picnic overlooking Oologah Lake and watch longhorn cattle as they roam the acreage.

WILLROGERS.COM

CO LEM AN TH E ATRE M IA M I Rivaling New York theaters of its day, the Coleman Theatre stage has seen many celebrities. It’s the exact spot where Will Rogers and Sally Rand, the fan dancer, performed. Silent-movie star Tom Mix rode his famous horse, Tony, across it, too.

Today, the building has been restored to its former glory as a vaudeville theater and movie palace on Route 66.

Originally, the theater housed an audience of 1,600. Today, it seats 1,100 with reproduction seats that are wider and softer than the originals. A full schedule of national touring groups, concerts and local performers fills the calendar.

The elegant Louis XV interior dazzled 1930s audiences.

Guided tours tell the history of Coleman, who partnered with Bing Crosby. Groups can enjoy boxed lunches onstage and hear a performance on the restored Mighty Wurlitzer organ that was built specifically for this theater. Afterward, they can shop the theater’s exclusive boutiques.

“For a more formal affair, groups can enjoy a catered dinner in the ballroom and watch a classic movie in keeping with the era,” said Danny Dillon, assistant manager. “The most striking aspect about our theater is how the community has worked together to restore the original ambiance of the time period, and visitors say it’s like stepping into the past.”

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STIRRUP A WILD WEST ADVENTURE…

IN OKLAHOMA’S HISTORIC MUSEUMS! Calling art aficionados and history buffs! It’s time for an Oklahoma museum tour. At the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, meet the charismatic cowboy who “never met a man he didn’t like.” Giddy up to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City for a taste of art, culture and history. Wander over to the Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville, where you can learn the tricks of the trade at a Spring Traders Encampment. Then, hightail it to Duncan, where you can rub elbows with the bronze cowboys of the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center’s famous monument.

Explore attractions, itineraries and more at TravelOK.com/Group.

sound-off

STAFF

WH AT WAS THE FIRST ALBUM YOU E VER PURCH ASED? I’m pretty sure it was Prince’s “1999” album.

— Kelly Tyner, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING

“This Beautiful Mess” by Sixpence None the Richer. I thought I was so edgy.

— Brian Jewell, EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” — Donia Simmons, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

“Kidz Bop 2.” You know it.

— Kyle Anderson, ACCOUNT MANAGER

“Let’s Square Dance, Vol. 1.” It was a killer.

Spice Girls’ “Spice World.”

I’m totally a child of the ’90s.

— Mac Lacy, PUBLISHER

— Ashley Ricks, CIRCULATION MANAGER

“Xanadu.”

My first album was Nas’ “I Am…” It was on cassette, and I bought it in the summer of ’99.

— Melissa Riley, OPERATIONS MANAGER

— Daniel Jean-Louis, ACCOUNT 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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y r o t S r u o

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