The Group Travel Leader May 2019

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Want amazing military marvels?

In Oklahoma, it’s a battle royale.

Oklahoma is steeped in military tradition. Immerse yourself in the wonders of warfare at historic sites dotting the state. Start at the USS Batfish in Muskogee, which sank three Japanese subs in 76 hours. Salute America’s heroes at Lawton’s Armed Forces Day Parade. Explore awe-inspiring armaments at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum in Fort Sill.

Then watch heart-pounding reenactments at the Honey Springs Battlefield Historic Site.

Find adventures and itineraries at TravelOK.com/Group.

WHERE HISTORY TAKES FLIGHT

BRING YOUR GROUP TOUR TO LIFE. Hands-on experiences and uncommon access offered exclusively for groups.

Plan your group’s Live the Life Adventure at VisitVirginiaBeach.com/GroupTour.

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table ofCONTENTS VOL 29 | ISSUE 5

GEORGIA

6 EDITOR’S MARKS

SPECIAL SECTION

NEWS

HISTORIC HOMES

8 INDUSTRY NEWS

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BEER, WINE AND SPIRITS

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13 P R O F I L E : BRUCE DICKINSON

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ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS

History

O N THE COVE R

A boardwalk leads to the white sandy beaches of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Photo by Susanne Kremer

FEATURES

WAR MUSEUMS HONOR AMERICA’S HISTORY OF HEROISM.

Soak up the

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GULF COAST Discover treasured destinations in each of the Gulf Coast states.

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SOUTH DAKOTA SPOTLIGHT

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HISTORIC WICHITA

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STAFF SOUND-OFF

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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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17 QUILT GARDENS SOW COLOR THROUGHOUT AMISH COUNTRY

BY VICKIE MITCHELL

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ou don’t have to quilt or garden to appreciate Amish Country’s Quilt Gardens, 17 well-tended flower gardens that replicate colorful quilt patterns, scattered about Elkhart County in northern Indiana.

“This is the only place in the nation where they exist,” said Sonya Nash, director of group and experiential sales and marketing for the Elkhart County CVB. From Memorial Day until mid-September, and often longer depending on the weather, the quilt gardens and their 1 million blooms are free attractions that delight those who travel the county’s 90-mile scenic Heritage Trail.

Elkhart County is known for agriculture and Amish artisans, so the quilting/gardening combo is a natural. “We have a lot of quilting, and we like farming and gardening,” said Nash.

The number and locations of gardens fluctuate each year although some participate every year. In areas with no green space for gardens, artists have painted quilt murals, 22 of them in all.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS TEND GARDENS

Most gardens are sponsored and cared for by attractions or businesses that also welcome groups. Among them are Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, Indiana’s largest restaurant, famous for fried chicken and pies; Coppes Commons in Nappanee, where a former factory that made kitchens for John F. Kennedy and Frank Sinatra now houses an ice cream shop, bakery, booksell-

er and other shops; and the Elkhart County Courthouse in Goshen, a small town packed with art, entertainment and local shops.

“From the garden near Das Essenhaus, you can smell the fried chicken and even if it is 10 in the morning, I feel like I have to go get fried chicken,” said Nash.

The quilt gardens were conceived 12 years ago as a way to grow tourism, especially visitation to smaller, lesser-known communities.

“Our goal was to connect each of the six towns and encourage visitors to travel the Heritage Trail,” said Nash.

It seems to work. For example, in Elkhart, admissions double at Ruthmere when the historic house museum’s quilt garden is in bloom. Visitors flock to Shipshewana each June for a quilt festival the town launched a few years ago. (It will be June 19-22 this year.)

PIECING TOGETHER ITINERARIES

Like quilts, there are endless ways to design an itinerary that includes quilting and gardening: A lunchtime garden party, an Amish quilting bee with a family-style meal or a class led by an Amish-Mennonite duo who teach participants how to make wooden quilt blocks.

“Quilting is thriving and a lot of people travel for their passion,” said Nash. “They buy fabrics, see what other quilt artists have made. The Amish are known as quilters and their stores and historic quilt patterns are a mainstay of their culture.”

A stop or two at the cheery gardens is a

thrill for many group travelers.

“They can see one garden or all 17, or pick several to visit,” said Nash. “Many traditional tour operators use one or two stops to brighten up an itinerary.”

For those who want a more extensive program, quilt garden ambassadors are available for meet and greets. Master gardeners can step-on to talk about the varied gardens, the annuals chosen and maintenance of the colorful floral displays.

Speakers often point out the commitment and hard work – planting, weeding, replacing failed plants mid-season — the gardens require. “Groups like to hear about the work people have done to bring something to life,” said Nash.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.QuiltGardens.com www.AmishCountryTours.org 574-262-8161 sonya@amishcountry.org

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ne fantastic meal can turn everything around.

We’d all like to believe that every day on the road is going to be a great one. Travel, after all, is the business we’re in. We were all drawn to this industry by the promise of incredible experiences. And it’s our job to make sure the people who trust us with their travel plans have a wonderful time.

That’s the idea anyway. But if you’ve been in tourism as long as I have, you probably know that sometimes things just don’t go the way you had hoped.

Bad weather can scuttle plans for an adventure. Traffic, mechanical breakdowns or unexpected closures can wreak havoc on your well-planned schedule. Sometimes, an experience with a hotel or attraction doesn’t live up to your expectations. And occasionally, you — or some of your travelers — will simply wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

There’s no silver bullet for solving all these problems. But there is a way to lift people’s spirits and take the edge off a disappointing day: Treat your travelers to a memorable meal.

Food sustains us, but it’s more than just sustenance. What we eat nourishes our souls in addition to our bodies. Eating makes us feel things: comfort, satisfaction, energy, joy and more. And the euphoric

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feeling that follows a positive culinary experience can affect the way you perceive the rest of your day, long after you put down your fork.

Meals also have a powerful social component. Eating with people is a fundamental tool in building relationships. When people enjoy a good meal together, they feel closer to one another. The euphoria of the culinary experience is reinforced by the social bonds of laughter and good conversation.

You probably already know all these things. But as a travel planner, are you using them to your advantage?

I’ve been on too many tours where meals were treated as pit stops between more important activities. For the people who planned those itineraries, the meals were simply about refueling and doing so as inexpensively as possible. I walked away from those meals satiated but not satisfied: They may have filled me with food, but they didn’t fill me with joy.

On the other hand, I have also been on tours that featured some exceptional dining experiences. I can still remember the cities where those meals happened, the things I ate and the people I was with, even if I remember little else about the rest of the day. The positive impact of those meals has endured for years.

There’s nothing you can do to protect your trips against unplanned trouble. But you can mitigate the psychological damage by making sure your itineraries include lots of enjoyable dining experiences. That doesn’t mean every meal has to be an expensive, gourmet affair. But it does mean putting some thought into the culinary aspect of your program. Chain restaurants, buffets and box lunches rarely make lasting impressions.

If you ensure that each day of your trip features at least one unique or memorable meal, you’ll find your travelers are a lot more forgiving about anything else that happens along the way. And if you’re going on the trips with them, you might find that eating well improves your experience too.

MAY 2019

APPLY FOR OUR COLUMBUS & CLEVELAND FAM

REGISTER Experience

BY

Columbus

M A Y 1 7 TH and

Destination

Cleveland are working with The Group Travel Leader Inc. to host a FAM that showcases the best of both cities from July 10-14. If you are interested in bringing your groups to Ohio and want to apply for the chance to attend this FAM, register online at: http://grouptravelleader.com/OhioFAM

Qualified travel planners will be guests of the two cities’ tourism staffs and will enjoy visiting favorite attractions such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the new National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus.

For additional information please contact Kelly Tyner at:

888-253-0455

JULY 10-14, 2019

KELLY@GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

Space is limited to 20 tour operators.

Registration deadline is May 17.

SM

COLUMBUS & CLEVELAND FAM

H T T P : / / G R O U P T R AV E L L E A D E R . C O M / O H I O FA M

INDUSTRY NEWS ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM TO OPEN NEW AND EXPANDED FACILIT Y THIS SUMMER ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — The Asheville Art Museum is scheduled to reopen this summer after a major renovation and expansion.

The new museum will combine historic and contemporary elements with renovation of existing museum space in its 1926 Pack Library building downtown and the construction of a state-of-theart glass-fronted addition that provides a new front facade, entrance and plaza.

In total, more than 68,000 square feet is being preserved, renovated or rebuilt to provide new exhibition galleries, an education suite of classrooms and studios, expanded storage collection, a larger library, a new rooftop sculpture terrace and cafe, and critical upgrades to HVAC, lighting and technology systems.

The exterior will be sheathed in glass and lighted at night to illuminate Pack Square Park and the city center.

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THE RENOVATED AND EXPANDED ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM COMBINES A NEW MODERN GLASS STRUCTURE WITH A HISTORIC 1926 BUILDING.

Courtesy Asheville Art Museum

MAY 2019

RUBY FALLS OPENS NEW VENUES AND EXPANDED GUEST SERVICES CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — Ruby Falls has completed a multimillion-dollar expansion that includes new venues and enhanced guest services and amenities.

Highlights include a new entrance and ticket atrium with expanded guest services, the accessible Blue Heron Overlook with a view of the Tennessee Valley, seasonal food carts and shaded open-air dining, and the Village Gift Shop. Connecting all the venues is the new Ruby Falls Village Plaza.

Ruby Falls has applied for more than 40 LEED strategies in the green design of the new venues. Final approval for LEED certification is in process.

With the expansion, Ruby Falls introduced timed-entry ticketing.

Ruby Falls is America’s deepest commercial cave and tallest underground waterfall open to the public with a 145-foot waterfall located 1,120 feet beneath Lookout Mountain.

W W W. RU BYFA L LS .COM

A NEW VISITOR CENTER WILL OPEN THIS SUMMER AT LITTLE JERUSALEM BADLANDS STATE PARK. Courtesy Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park

LIT TLE JERUSALEM OPENING T O PUBLIC OAKLEY, Kansas — The Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park near Oakley is expected to open to the public by mid-year.

The mile-long valley of 100-foot-tall spires and cliffs encompasses the state’s largest Niobrara Chalk formations, which previously had no public access.

Trails cross the historic territory that is home to wildlife and plants rarely found anywhere else in the world.

W W W. NAT U R E .ORG/ L I T T L EJ ERUS A L E M

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BY SAVING ITS PAST,

COLUMBUS

ENRICHES

ITS FUTURE

THE KELTON HOUSE MUSEUM & GARDEN Courtesy Experience Columbus

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olumbus has become an expert at preserving the past, from its 1800s neighborhoods to memories of military veterans.

The ways in which the city has been enriched because its citizens cared enough to protect and invest in their heritage are many. Here are several examples, worth a stop on any visit.

IT TOOK A VILLAGE TO SAVE GERMAN VILLAGE

German Village, a thriving 233-acre neighborhood on downtown’s south edge, was saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970s and is considered a model for historic preservation.

The entire neighborhood is now on the National Registrar of Historic Places and it’s quite a contrast to downtown’s nearby skyscrapers. No building, save a church steeple, www.experiencecolumbus.com/ tour-planners

BY VICKIE MITCHELL

rises higher than three stories. Houses and businesses are packed tight, often within inches of one another.

It’s a cozy, charming and walkable place, and its neighborhood association shows it off by offering step-on guides and walking tours. Most popular are Explore Beyond the Door tours, where visitors step inside a home or two and see what living in German Village is like today. Although homes look just as they did when they were built, there are surprises behind the facades like contemporary decors and hidden gardens bursting with flowers and blue pools. After a tour, groups can stop by Barcelona, where drinks are still delivered from an oak bar that’s original to the early 1900s building, or visit Valter’s at

the Maennerchor, in the former headquarters of a German singing society and social club. Chef Valter Veliu is known for his Jaegermeister wings, marinated for two days in German mustard, espresso and other ingredients.

COLONIAL SPIRIT LIVES IN OLD WORTHINGTON

Old Worthington, north of downtown, predates German Village by about 40 years.

Its Colonial style echoes a New England town, and its village green remains a gathering place. The Worthington Historical Society, housed in a 1845 church rectory, is home to a collection of 19th century china and bisque dolls and a gift shop that sells packets of the town’s signature bean soup mix. Walking

A CUSTOM CONTENT SERIES FROM EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS

THE NEW YORK TIMES NORTHERN LIGHTS, ICELAND

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

GERMAN VILLAGE Courtesy Experience Columbus

THE OHIO THEATRE IN DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS Photo by Levi Ely, courtesy Experience Columbus

THE CANDLE LAB

tours can be arranged, and although the area is historic, many merchants are quite modern, like Ride Home, a bike/coffee shop, and House Wine, a wine shop and bar. Groups especially like The Candle Lab, where they can make scented candles to take home. It takes about an hour for candles to set, allowing time to wander the neighborhood.

PROMINENT FAMILY PAVED PATH TO FREEDOM

The Kelton House, a few blocks east of downtown, is another preserved piece of Columbus’ history. It is far more than a pretty, restored 1852 Italianate/Greek Revival filled with Victorian antiques that belonged to the Kelton family. On guided tours, groups learn about the Kelton family’s dedication to the Underground Railroad from an interpreter who portrays Sophie Kelton, the family matriarch. Prominent and prosperous, the Keltons risked everything to help slaves make their way to freedom.

Courtesy Experience Columbus

SINGING THE PRAISES OF THE OHIO THEATRE

When they weren’t busy saving German Village, preservationists were raising $2 million to save the Ohio Theatre, across from the statehouse.

It’s hard to imagine how 1928 moviegoers could concentrate on the show in this stunning baroque movie house that feels like a brocade ball gown, all gleaming gold and red with fancy scrollwork and an ornate dome.

Tour guides share the 2,791-seat theater’s history and also sing the praises of its Mighty Morton pipe organ. Groups might get to hear a tune or two and sing along.

SALUTES TO OUR MILITARY PAST

With the addition of a national museum honoring all veterans, Columbus has become even more connected to our nation’s military history.

A MUSEUM WITH A DIFFERENT TWIST

The new National Veterans Memorial and Museum turns heads. From above, it is an infinity circle, its curves of concrete topped with green grass. No surprise, its design made it one of the most eagerly anticipated new buildings in 2018.

The museum is also unorthodox in its approach to collecting, with an emphasis on telling stories instead of displaying artifacts.

Multimedia presentations allow patrons to hear about veteran experiences firsthand and a Share Your Story space allows veterans who visit to share theirs. Guided tours are a good overview, but groups should include free time so tour members can revisit exhibits that interest them most.

A CAPITOL IDEA

Ohio’s Greek Revival statehouse -- long, low and crowned with a round cupola – sits on 10 acres at the heart of downtown. Guided tours include its rotunda, brightened by a massive skylight, where citizens filed by Abraham Lincoln’s casket in 1865. Salutes to leaders, including the first six women to serve in the legislature, are among the exhibitions in the capitol’s museum. A gift shop sells items made by Ohioans.

HISTORY CENTER HAS IT ALL

The Ohio History Center is just what his-

tory should be—eclectic, lively and full of fun twists. Its museum’s collection is wide-ranging—from mastodon bones to World War I memorabilia. The 1950s return to life in a fullsize Lustron house—a prefab design made in Ohio - filled with all things ‘50s like record albums, a phonograph and Roy Rogers toys. Not just nostalgic, the exhibit interweaves issues of the era: the Civil Rights movement, women’s rights and the Cold War. In the summer months, the center’s 1890s village is a lively place where visitors can pose in a photographer’s studio or watch the Ohio Village Muffins play baseball, 19th century style.

MOTTS SHOWCASES A PRIVATE MILITARY COLLECTION

Warren E. Motts has amassed military artifacts from Colonial battles to current conflicts at his Motts Military Museum. There are large items, like helicopters and jeeps, SAHARA CAMELS but also small, personal pieces like medals and uniforms, donated by veterans and their families. A Higgins boat is one of the few this World War II landing craft that remain. Motts also claims the second-largest collection of artifacts from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and is raising funds to house and display the items.

MEALS TAKE FLIGHT AT 94TH AERO SQUADRON

NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM Photo by Randall L. Schieber, courtesy Experience Columbus

Dinner at the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant is a great way to end a day spent visiting military sites. Memorabilia and artifacts from the two world wars decorate the French-style farmhouse next to runways of Columbus’ airport. It’s a place where groups can ponder the comings and goings as planes take off and land, and consider their place in history.

GAIN A BROADER PERSPECTIVE

As Ohio’s capital, Columbus is a good place to gain an understanding on the entire state.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

FOOD & WINE EXHIBIT AT THE NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM

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

Photo by Randall L. Schieber, courtesy Experience Columbus

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

866-397-2657

THE OHIO STATEHOUSE Photo by Levi Ely, courtesy Experience Columbus

EXPERT

insigh t

BRUCE DICKINSON DICK INS ON T R AV EL

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

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t was a simple family vacation that inspired Bruce Dickinson and his wife, Pam, to get involved in the tourism industry 21 years ago.

“We live in Sioux Falls, on the eastern side of South Dakota,” Bruce Dickinson said. “We decided to go west with our family and visit the Deadwood area. I saw buses from Canada and Chicago and all over the country in Deadwood and the Black Hills, but nobody had a sustainable program from the eastern side of the state.

“We said, ‘We can do that,’ so we partnered with a hotel and casino out there, and we did a lot of trips when gaming was new in Deadwood. Then, from there, the guests started asking us to take them somewhere else.”

For a few years, Dickinson balanced the growing tour business with his day job, teaching business and hospitality at a local college. Eventually, he left the academic world to focus on the couple’s growing company, Dickinson Travel.

Today, the Dickinsons serve customers from Sioux Falls and the surrounding area, taking them on trips that range from two-night jaunts to two-week explorations.

“There are some folks in the industry that do the same thing every year, year after year,” Bruce Dickinson said. “We do have some trips that we rotate in every two to three years. But we’re always looking for new experiences for our guests. It’s more work to develop a new trip, but people who travel with us appreciate new experiences.”

Recent tours have taken groups from South Dakota all the way to Savannah, Georgia; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and St. Louis. This summer, the Dickinsons will take a full coach on a trip to the Canadian Rockies, with stops in Calgary, Lake Louise and Banff.

The Dickinsons pride themselves on the amount of research they invest in developing trips.

“I conceptualize, research, plan and execute all of our tours,” Bruce Dickinson said. “One thing we’ve always done when we choose a new destination is to research it very thoroughly. We plot out a potential itinerary with potential vendors, and identify attractions and hotels in each town.

Then we go and try to experience the trip as our guests will experience it.

We basically scout out the trip prior to taking our guests on it. It gives us a

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

SALES TIP FROM BRUCE “ Treat people as you want to be treated,

a nd va lue people’s t ime. If you’re dea l-

ing w it h people in t hei r t w i l ight yea rs, t hei r t i me is rea l ly prec ious , so ta k e

it s e r iou s l y. T he re ’s not h i n g b et te r t h a n a w e l l-pl a n ne d , w e l l- e xe c ute d bu s tou r ; but t here ’s not h i n g wor s e t ha n one t hat isn’t pl a n ned wel l .”

better vantage point, and a lot of times, we’ll make changes to the itinerary because of it.”

That attention to detail and commitment to innovation has earned the Dickinsons a loyal following. They personally escort each tour and plan to operate about 20 departures this year. That schedule keeps the husbandand-wife team as busy as they want to be.

“We’re trying to balance it all,” Bruce Dickinson said. “Rather than let the business control us, we’re trying to control it and manage our trips. We don’t want to do too many, because we so thoroughly enjoy it.

“We’re not greedy and we’re not needy. Instead of trying to increase our numbers year after year, having a good time with people is going to be more sustainable for us. So we have no interest in growing — we’re just taking care of the guests we have.”

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Courtesy Museum of the American Revolution

TOP: OPENED IN 2017, PHILADELPHIA’S MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION GIVES VISITORS A NEW LOOK AT THE COUNTRY’S ORIGIN STORY. BOTTOM: THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MUSEUM IN RICHMOND DEALS WITH THE MILITARY CONFLICT AND SOCIAL ISSUES SURROUNDING IT.

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ar is dirty, messy, brutal and devastating for all involved, but it has always been an unfortunate part of life on this planet. Trying not to repeat those calamities is the goal of any good society. Fortunately, historians have become good at finding and preserving the artifacts that remain from those brutal conflicts in the hope that future generations don’t forget the lessons learned.

War museums and their curators have also become good at interpreting the events that took place and offering unique perspectives on those conflicts. There are many good war museums around the world, but here are five that will help visitors have an interesting and moving experience as they learn about the men and women who fought in some of America’s most significant wars.

By Penelope M. Carrington, courtesy The American Civil War Museum

WA R M U S E U M S O F F E R S O M B E R I N S I G H T S

NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM Kansas City, Missouri “The War to End All Wars” didn’t exactly do that, but its impact has been felt through the past 100 years. Though Americans tend to focus more on its successor, World War I, the first global conflict on the planet, has had a much greater impact elsewhere.

The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, continues to tell that story.

The memorial began right after the war ended.

In about 10 days in 1919, more than 83,000 people contributed to a fund and raised about $2.5 million, said Mike Vietti, director of marketing for the museum. The Liberty Memorial, later the National World War I Memorial, was built, and the artifacts collection began around the same time.

“The goal and the mission has been to tell the global story of what took place in World War I,” Vietti said. “When I say that, I mean the museum and memorial don’t focus solely on what happened in the United States. We truly tell the global story.”

The museum has the most comprehensive collection in the world, with artifacts from every participating nation. It endeavors to show the effects the war has had on modern life.

“The legacy and the impact of the Great War is very much alive with us on a daily basis for every single person on this planet,” Vietti said.

EXPLORING THE MAIN GALLERY AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY Photos courtesy National WWI Museum

A RENAULT FT 17 TANK AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM

— W W W.THEWOR LDWA R .ORG —

Courtesy Lafayette Travel

THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM’S LIBERTY MEMORIAL

Photos courtesy National WWI Museum

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Photos courtesy National WWI Museum

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history but more of a reflective experience of ‘really, what does it mean?’” said Keith Darcey, public relations manager. “What’s the lasting legacy of World War II? Why is it still relevant 75 years later? That’s kind of what we hope people gain out of this.”

NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM New Orleans In 2000, Stephen Ambrose, author of “Band of Brothers,” and Nick Mueller, his colleague at the University of New Orleans, opened a D-Day museum to house Ambrose’s extensive collection of D-Day artifacts. It helped that Higgins Industries, maker of many types of landing craft used in the Normandy assault, was based in the same city. In 2004, Congress designated the institution the National World War II Museum.

The museum now has more than 250,000 artifacts and 10,000 oral histories in its collection, which it showcases in two primary exhibitions: “The Road to Berlin” and “The Road to Tokyo.” The two exhibits take visitors through the war chronologically. There is also an “Arsenal of Democracy” exhibit, which shows the work done on the homefront, and the Boeing Center, which shows tanks, trucks and planes, with skywalks for closer observation. This huge campus continues to grow all the time and is adding a new pavilion now.

“You’re gonna learn a lot more about not just the

— W W W. NAT IONA LW W2MUSEU M.ORG —

HISTORIC AIRCRAFT SUSPENDED AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM

Photos courtesy National WWII Museum Group Travel_StCharles _May_19.pdf

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THE U.S. FREEDOM PAVILION AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM IN NEW ORLEANS

Photos courtesy National WWII Museum

MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Philadelphia Visitors to the Museum of the American Revolution will leave ready to take up their muskets and fight for liberty. The museum is new, having just opened in 2017. Visitors who think they know the story of the Revolution will be surprised by this museum, which goes into much more depth and drama. That it’s in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, just adds to its revolutionary attitude.

“Our story isn’t the war; it’s the whole Revolution,” said curator Mark Turdo. “From 1760 to 1790 is the social, cultural and political changes.

In the middle of that is the 8 1/2-year war.”

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17 OLD EL PASO COUNTY JAIL MUSEum T HE

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THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MUSEUM IN RICHMOND

The gallery takes visitors through the Revolution chronologically, telling stories through artifacts and vignettes. It gives visitors insights into the experiences of many different people affected through all ages and walks of life.

“That’s one of those moments that I hear a lot about, people coming through going, ‘I didn’t know that Indian communities were torn apart by the Revolution or that African Americans had to make certain decisions,’” Turdo said. “That can be very eye-opening because a lot of the themes that we reflect in the galleries are themes and conversations that we’re still having in this country. In some ways, that can be very comforting, to realize that if we haven’t solved it, that’s OK; we’re still working on it.”

By Penelope M. Carrington, courtesy The American Civil War Museum

A HISTORIC PLANE ON DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR IN REDRICKSBURG

— W W W. A M R EV MUSEU M.ORG —

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR Fredericksburg, Texas Why would a museum about a Pacific war be in a landlocked city in Texas? Because Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander of the Pacific during World War II.

By Leo Aguirre, courtesy NMPW

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MAY 2019

As Nimitz got older, some local businessmen approached him about opening a museum in his honor. He said no, but eventually agreed if they would make it about the men and women who served under him, said Brandon Vinyard, director of marketing and public relations for the museum.

The museum is now a six-acre complex that started in the Nimitz Steamboat Hotel, owned by the admiral’s grandfather. It’s now the home of the Admiral Nimitz Gallery. There is also the George H.W. Bush Gallery, which tells the chronological story of the war.

“We actually go back 100 years prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and kind of set the stage for why Japan attacked the U.S.,” Vinyard said.

“It wasn’t that they just kind of woke up one day and, you know, decided to do it. There were a lot of incidents that led up to it. We follow that all the way to the surrender aboard the USS Missouri.”

Some one-of-a-kind items on display are an HA. 19 Japanese midget submarine, which was actually used in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“It ran aground during the attack, and the captain of that vessel was the first POW during World War II for the U.S.,” Vinyard said.

There’s also an Australian Stuart tank that was taken out by a Japanese gun, and the museum also has that gun, as well as the tank commander’s videography.

Two blocks down the road is the Combat Zone, which includes a PT-309 boat and a TBM Avenger, exactly like the one flown by George H.W. Bush in the war. Several weekends a year, there are full battle reenactments where guests can see what battlefield life was like.

But the museum is not just about battles. “We pride ourselves on telling the human story of the Pacific,” Vinyard said. “We don’t just focus on the American side against the Japanese. We really focus on how World War II in the Pacific affected the world as a whole.”

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A WORLD WAR II USO JACKET IN FREDERICKSBURG Photos by Leo Aguirre, courtesy NMPW

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Build a birdhouse

—W W W. PACI FICWA R MUSEU M.ORG —

OHIO Indianapolis

INDIANA

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Cincinnati

KENTUCKY Lexington

Louisville

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

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR

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THE DECLARATION GALLERY AT THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Courtesy Museum of the American Revolution

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MUSEUM Richmond, Virginia The American Civil War was a brutal conflict that divided the nation and whose effects still haunt the American consciousness. In Richmond, Virginia, two museums — the Museum of the Confederacy and the White House of the Confederacy — became the American Civil War Center in the early 2000s. Starting May 4, 2019, they are all a part of the new American Civil War Museum.

All the exhibits in the museum are new, said communications manager Jeniffer Maloney. Guests will experience many of the exhibits interactively and through unique interpretations.

“In one section, there is a clear glass hole in the floor, covered by a plexiglass surface,” Maloney said. “As you look down, you can see artifacts that were actually found on the battlefield, everything from shoes to bullets.”

The building was constructed around the ruins of the Tredegar Iron Works, the biggest ironworks in the Confederacy. There is a “Tredegar Works” exhibit, a self-guided tour of the ironworks site, and a “Water Works” interactive exhibit designed for younger visitors.

“It’s a beautiful building, and it reinforces our mission statement: to present the Civil War from multiple perspectives — Union, Confederate, enslaved African Americans and free African Americans, women and children, and how it touched everybody,” Maloney said.

The museum also has a branch at Appomattox, and visitors can still walk through the White House of the Confederacy, where Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family lived.

—W W W. ACW M.ORG —

ONE OF THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION’S INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS

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By Bluecadet, courtesy Museum of the American Revolution

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SOUTH DAKOTA

STATE SPOTLIGHT

DE ADWOOD

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CHAMBERL AIN MINU TE MAN

HOT SPRINGS

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B Y TO M A D K I N S O N

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t’s practically state law that groups

must visit certain South Dakota

attractions. After all, the state’s official nickname is “The Mount

Rushmore State,” and the Crazy

Horse Memorial has almost as much fame because

visitors can watch that spectacular sculpture as it emerges from a mountain of granite. Fun fact: The predecessor to today’s nickname was “The Sunshine State,” and there was great debate

about abandoning it in 1992. The winning argument was that although sunshine exists elsewhere, there’s only one Mount Rushmore.

Though South Dakota may have been rela-

tively late to the game as a state — it was admitted in 1889 — and has a small population —

fewer than 900,000 — it is packed with history.

Deadwood captures gold rush history in real

shoot-‘em-up fashion; the Mammoth Site tells a great geologic and paleontological story; and

the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site recalls the tension of the Cold War. Rapid City

celebrates every U.S. president; and Chamberlain puts a special focus on Native American history and heritage.

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Courtesy SD Tourism

RENAISSANCE IN DEADWOOD Deadwood, born in 1876 in a burst of gold rush glory, burned to a crisp in 1879. It sprouted anew with brick buildings, becoming a prosperous small town, but eventually withered on the vine.

Another renaissance began in 1989 when it became only the third spot in America after Las Vegas and Atlantic City, New Jersey, with legal gambling.

Today, it has 1,800 hotel/motel rooms, 10 large-scale gaming establishments, plenty of restaurants and the ghosts of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock as modern-day storytellers. The whole town is a National Historic Landmark, and gaming revenues have funded historic preservation work throughout South Dakota.

A major public gathering place called Outlaw Square is targeted for completion in time for September’s Deadwood Jam music festival. Lee Harstad of the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce reports that a collection of experiential tours is adding new options for groups. Among them are walks with an Old West law officer — you might meet Wild Bill Hickok along the way — gold panning and behind-the-scenes looks at museums and archives.

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Courtesy SD Tourism

MAMMOTH SITE “The community of Hot Springs keeps one of the most valuable fossil treasures known to mankind today.”

That statement from Ice Age paleontologist Dr. Ralf-Dietrich Kahlke is all the reason a group needs to visit the Mammoth Site, a climate-controlled indoor scientific dig that peers 140,000 years into the past. It is 60 miles south of Mount Rushmore.

The dig is into a sinkhole scientists estimate entombs more than 100 towering mammoths that once roamed freely on the high plains of North America. Year-round guided tours last about 40 minutes, and behind-the-scenes lab tours include conversations with working paleontologists. For several weeks each summer, groups can watch from overhead while teams of excavators carefully search for the bones of mammoths, giant short-faced bears and other species that slid into the sinkhole and couldn’t escape.

The ability to see this is the result of pure chance. A heavyequipment operator leveling a small hill in 1974 struck something unusual. It turned out to be a seven-foot-long mammoth tusk. The rest is history.

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Courtesy NPS

SCARY SITE Mount Rushmore is awe-inspiring. Deadwood is theatrical.

Rapid City is entertaining. Chamberlain is contemplative. But the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is downright scary.

It examines the Cold War’s Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) strategy in which the U.S. and the Soviet Union armed themselves to the hilt and prayed their missiles never would deliver their thermonuclear warheads.

A treaty shut down the Minuteman II missiles — 1,000 were deployed underground across multiple states — and the National Park Service tells its story at three spots along Interstate 90.

Visitation has mushroomed since the 2014 opening of a visitor center at Exit 131, just 21 miles from great doughnuts and free ice water at Wall Drug Store; an award-winning interpretative film premiered at the visitor center last year. Nearby is the Delta-01 launch control facility, which offers reserved ranger-led tours only, and a few more miles away is the Delta-09 missile silo site, where you can see a Minuteman II in its silo. Rest assured, it’s been deactivated.

NPS rangers are at the silo from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 3 p.m. from June through September for talks. Tarmac parking and restrooms are available.

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Courtesy Rapid City CVB

PRESIDENTIAL CITY To sound like a true South Dakotan, refer to this Black Hills hub with one word: Rapid. By South Dakota standards, Rapid is a big city, population 76,500, but it’s a great size for groups.

Its most novel attraction is the City of Presidents, life-size bronze statues of all U.S. presidents along city sidewalks. Take a selfie with Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt and other members of this exclusive club. Barack Obama’s statue arrives in June.

Main Street Square buzzes with activity such as ice skating in winter and live music on Thursdays during the Summer Nights series, and the block-long Art Alley mural installation constantly changes as artists get permission to paint over previous works. Much smaller than Mount Rushmore but considerably more approachable is “Passage of Wind and Water,” a $2 million collection of 21 granite pieces transformed by artist Masajuki Nagase. Don’t miss the Journey Museum or Prairie Edge, where the Native American art, craft and jewelry selection is beyond impressive.

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Courtesy SD Tourism

CHAMBERLAIN/OACOMA South Dakotans have a thing for big statuary. “Dignity of Sky and Earth,” a 50-foot-tall stainless-steel statue of a Native American woman, is destined to join Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial as must-see South Dakota attractions. Sculptor Dale Claude Lamphere designed it to represent “the courage, perseverance and wisdom of the Lakota and Dakota cultures.”

“Dignity” rises above the heartland in Oacoma at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on Interstate 90 in central South Dakota and offers a foretaste of more Native American cultural exploration across the Missouri River at the Akta Lakota Museum in Chamberlain. “Akta Lakota” means “to honor the people,” and the 14,000-square-foot octagonal museum tells the deep story of the Lakota people and their way of life. Admission is free; donations support the museum’s educational mission.

A longtime roadside favorite, Al’s Oasis remains a multifaceted travel stop, offering food, lodging, shopping and five-cent coffee, and Chamberlain is the start of the Native American National and State Scenic Byway for some off-interstate exploration of the land of the Lakota people.

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GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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GULF

time

GROUPS TRAVELING ON THE GULF COAST CAN ENJOY NUMEROUS WATERFRONT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS VENTURING OUT ON A SHRIMP BOAT IN MISSISSIPPI.

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By Gabi Logan Courtesy Visit MS Gulf Coast MAY 2019

GROUPS FLOCK TO AMERICA’S

S O U TH E R N B EA CHES

BY E L I ZA M Y E R S

H

ow do millions of people get through the dark, dreary months of winter each year? They picture the beach.

That ideal screensaver image of white sand, emerald waters and relaxing atmosphere exists in the United States along the Gulf Coast. Guests don’t need to bundle up when visiting the area’s 1,600 miles of coastline. The winter average low stays in the 50s and 60s.

Each of the states along the Gulf Coast offer vibrant options for group travelers looking to escape to the beach together. These top Gulf Coast beach destinations stand out from the rest of the coastline for offering both natural beachfront beauty and impressive attractions.

Itineraries at each of these beach destinations can include a wide range of activities, such as kayaking through a birding hot spot, chartered deep-sea fishing, exploring a World War II aircraft carrier, gambling at a swanky casino and learning the art of sand castle creation.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS

The days of wading into freezing water are over when you feel the Jacuzzi-like temperatures of the Texas Gulf. Corpus Christi, the largest coastal

city in Texas, invites guests to dip their toes into its miles of warm and pristine beaches.

The city attracts both nature lovers and urban sophisticates. The Padre Island National Seashore shines as the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world.

Groups can book tours to the island to look for the rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and the island’s 380 bird species. The national seashore also protects a hypersaline lagoon teeming with fish that visitors can try to catch on guided fishing excursions.

Further inland, groups can board a legendary World War II aircraft carrier at the USS Lexington.

Tours reveal how the ship set more records than any other carrier in the history of naval aviation.

Visitors can marvel at treasures from a Spanish shipwreck at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. The museum combines local history with scientific discoveries in exhibits on rocks, coastal wildlife and dinosaurs. The museum’s H-E-B Science Center offers interactive experiences for visitors, including the three-story DNA Climber, a planetarium and giant musical instruments, among other exhibits.

Groups treat their eyes to floral beauty at the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.

Another must-see stop, the Texas State Aquarium

SUNSET ON THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST

By Fred Salinas, courtesy Visit MS Gulf Coast

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

uncovers the colorful life existing under the Gulf Coast at the Texas State Aquarium.

Foodie Favorite: Pier 99 Restaurant draws seafood-seeking diners for its fresh, local fare and casual atmosphere. The restaurant has garnered various accolades, including placement on Coastal Living magazine’s list of best seafood restaurants in Texas.

W W W.V ISI T COR PUSCH R IST I T X .ORG

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

Many travelers might not associate Louisiana with tranquil beaches populated with wildlife.

Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish proves a secret oasis bursting with rustic charm, bird-watching and an expansive shoreline.

Jefferson Parish stretches from New Orleans down to the Gulf Coast past intriguing bayous, historic towns and mouth-watering seafood restaurants, ending at Grand Isle along the Gulf of Mexico. Known as Sportsman’s Paradise, Grand Isle invites groups to breathe in the salt air on a fishing excursion with any of the nearly 30 charter fishing companies. The island boasts more than 280 species of fish that can be caught from almost any spot on or off the island.

PADDLING IN LOUISIANA’S JEAN LAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK AND PRESERVE

Courtesy Visit Jefferson Parish

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A MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BEACH

Courtesy Visit MS Gulf Coast

Welcome Home Celebration

In the spring, the Nature Conservancy offers nature hikes through the island to view thousands of migratory birds such as pelicans and pink roseate spoonbills that congregate on the island.

Other fun island activities for groups include renting canoes at Grand Isle State Park or examining 139 species of native butterflies at Grand Island Butterfly Dome.

Off the island, Jefferson Parish holds additional natural wonders, such as the well-visited Bayou Segnette State Park and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

Gretna and Rivertown, two other captivating walkable and historic small towns, also draw groups. For more excitement, visitors can bet on Treasure Chest Casino, which offers nearly 1,000 slots and 36 table games.

Foodie Favorite: Not many restaurants specialize in Italian-meets-Cajun dishes. R&O Restaurant in Metairie has attracted a devout following for its crawfish pies and other distinctive dishes.

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BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

Groups can gain a new appreciation for the shrimp that ends up on their plate with a 70-minute voyage with Biloxi Shrimping Trip in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The entertaining excursion drops a 16-foot trawl that drags the bottom of the Mississippi Sound to uncover the sea critters in its catch.

Biloxi and the surrounding Mississippi Gulf Coast immerse visitors in their coastal surroundings with cultural museums, outdoor activities, worldclass gaming and championship golf courses. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Shearwater Pottery are two of the area’s most popular stops, with eccentric art at the first and hands-on pottery workshops at the latter.

Approximately 70% of America’s oysters and 69% of domestic shrimp originate from Mississippi’s coastal waters. The area’s thriving fishing industry reaches back 300 years, and the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum explores its engaging exhibits.

To find the wilder side of Biloxi, groups can book McCoy’s River and Marsh Tours to visit a pristine river swamp on the Pascagoula River Watershed, one of the largest undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. The protected wilderness offers abundant wildlife and stunning moss-draped cypress trees.

The Betsy Ann Riverboat sails to the Mississippi Sound and Back Bay Biloxi with a focus on history, wildlife and ecology. Guests can frequently expect to spy dolphins, pelicans and herons on the tour.

Nearby, Gulfport, Mississippi, expects to open the Mississippi Aquarium in early 2020. The aquarium will spotlight the state’s distinctive marsh and gulf environments on a sprawling campus of indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Foodie Favorite: McElroy’s Harbor House offers laid-back dining and unimpeded views of Deer Island and the Mississippi Sound. Groups can enjoy Gulf-fresh catches and traditional fare.

WHAT DID MARK TWAIN SAY IN 1883? Who were the Creole Cowboys? And how did Baton Rouge become an independent nation for 74 days? From beautiful museums to breathtaking gardens, walk through Louisiana’s vibrant history when you explore its Capital City of Baton Rouge.

Plan your next meeting or event at VisitBatonRouge.com/meetings

W W W.GU L FCO AST.ORG

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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A PELICAN AT DARLING NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

A SANIBEL ISLAND SEA SHELL

A FLORIDA WILD FLOWER

Photos by Jason Boeckman, courtesy Lee Co. CVB

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH, ALABAMA

Groups can learn the art of sandcastle building and marvel at the work of professionals during a day at Sand Castle University in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Set on the sugar-white beaches on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, the one-hour class will hardly feel like school.

Each class includes a time-lapse video and a list of tools used so participants can impress their families on future beach trips.

The tranquil setting of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach appeals to many groups for the area’s warm gulf breezes and plethora of activities for groups.

Groups can voyage past the beach on a deep-sea fishing charter. Many restaurants in the area offer “hook and cook” options, so participants can bring their freshly caught fish for an affordable way to dine out.

Though tourist favorites, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach protect several parks brimming with wildlife, including Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.

WildNative Tours’ Wildlife and Dolphins Kayak Tour regularly leads groups to the most impressive parts of the refuge.

Gulf State Park offers nine different ecosystems that are easy to access along the 28-mile Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail’s paved paths. Coastal Segway Adventures visits each ecosystem and points out hard-to-spot ospreys, bald eagles and other coastal creatures.

The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo allows groups faceto-face time with exotic animals during the Animal Enrichment Program. Groups can interact with various wild animals in a variety of scenarios, such as watching a baboon figure out a treat puzzle made from recycled fire hose.

Foodie Favorite: Lulu’s goes beyond well-reviewed seafood. The Gulf Shores staple combines food with a full-scale beach party. Groups can take advantage of the restaurant’s live music, ropes course, arcade and multiple bars.

WWW.GULFSHORES.COM

SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA

About 25 miles south of Florida’s Fort Myers, intricate swirls and colorful designs decorate the abundant shells covering Sanibel Island, Florida. Shell collectors travel from around the world to visit the town, since the island’s curved shape acts like a shovel to scoop up shells from the Gulf of Mexico.

After hunting for conches and cockles, groups can see the ultimate shell finds at the island’s BaileyMatthews Shell Museum. Some of the largest and

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most decorative shells ever found at Sanibel Island line the walls of the quirky museum.

Beyond the beach, the island offers several adventures at the 5,200acre J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Hundreds of animals live in this park, including crocodiles, endangered giant manatees and more than 245 bird species. Groups can hike, bike, kayak or drive past the park’s mangrove-lined streams.

In 2009, officials designated the hundreds of varieties of native and nonnative plants at the Sanibel Moorings Resort as an official botanic garden.

Knowledgeable guides reveal how this garden grew to its current six acres.

For a historical perspective on the island, the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village preserves eight restored buildings dating back to 1898. Groups can step into a furnished pioneer home, a one-room schoolhouse and the 1899 Bailey’s General Store.

Connected by road to Sanibel Island is Captiva Island. The diminutive yet gorgeous island offers shopping, snorkeling, kayaking and sunset catamaran cruises.

Groups can find additional attractions at nearby Fort Myers, such as the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, the Imag History and Science Center and the Burroughs Home and Gardens.

Foodie Favorite: Il Cielo keeps the focus local with fresh-caught fish, free-range chickens and Florida-grown vegetables. The upscale restaurant offers a range of American and Italian menu items, such as crab cake with bacon hash.

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Photos courtesy Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism

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WICHITA’S FAMOUS “KEEPER OF THE PLAINS” STATUE STANDS OVER THE ARKANSAS RIVERBANK AT SUNSET.

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WICHITA-SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Courtesy Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

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t first glance, you wouldn’t imagine cowboys and cattle once

strutted down the streets of Wichita. The largest city in Kansas and an industrial manufacturing hub, Wichita enjoys all the trappings of modernity and cultural recreation.

But 150 years ago, the city looked radically different. Cattle were herded through the city by cowboys crossing the country along the Chisholm Trail.

Though the city entered a technology and manufacturing boom in the 1920s, groups can still experience the town’s early days at the interactive Old Cowtown Museum and entertaining Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper. They can also discover other aspects of the city’s past at the Mid-American All-Indian Center and the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum.

Wichita’s museums and tourist stops rival

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Courtesy Visit Wichita

those in major cities across the country. Visit these fascinating heritage attractions to understand how the city’s Wild West past shaped its cutting-edge present.

OLD COW TOWN MUSEUM Horses trotting along dirt-covered streets, costumed interpreters and occasional gunfights illustrate how the Old Cowtown Museum keeps its focus on historical realism. The living-history museum re-creates Wichita in 1865 with a town comprising 54 historic and reconstructed buildings.

Groups can browse through 10,000 artifacts as well as speak to interpreters ready to chat about daily life during Wichita’s Wild West era. Occasional shootouts originate from real stories of rowdy cowboys and lawmen trying to keep the peace.

Thirsty guests can sip on sarsaparillas at the city’s saloon, reimagine shopping at the general store or watch a family cooking dinner in the museum’s residential area.

“It takes you back in time to when people had skills we no longer take the time to learn, like blacksmithing,” said Moji Rosson, vice president of sales for the Wichita MAY 2019

Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Groups can really enjoy themselves here. You learn about the pioneers that were building our city. It really is quite the experience.”

The 1952 museum is one of the oldest openair history museums in the central United States.

Groups can opt for guided tours, educational programs or self-guided explorations of the museum’s 23 acres.

MID -AMERICAN ALL-INDIAN CENTER A 44-foot-tall sculpture of a Native American chief stands at the confluence of the Little and Big Arkansas rivers. The iconic “Keeper of the Plains” statue stands next to the Mid-American All-Indian Center, which honors the Plains Indians who lived in the town before settlers.

“It is a historically spiritual place for Native Americans,” said Rosson. “You walk out of the museum and see the ‘Keeper.’ If you are lucky, you can come back after dark and see the pots of fire that light up the ‘Keeper.’ It is a spectacle that is hard to describe but you have to witness in person.”

The light show, which occurs each night for 15 minutes, symbolizes the four elements of the medicine wheel coming together.

Wichita was named after the Wichita people, a confederation of Southern Plains Native American tribes indigenous to Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas.

The center honors the area’s local tribes as well as Native Americans across the country.

The museum’s 3,000-piece collection changes yearly to explore various facets of Native American life. Groups can book guided tours to explore the museum’s interactive displays, videos and art gallery.

After exploring the museum, visitors can wander through the Outdoor Learning Center to see a full-size tepee and native garden that reflects how the Native American families once lived. Nearby, the Artist Gardens showcase works from two wellknown Native American artists: Francis Blackbear Bosin and Woody Crumbo.

W I C H I TA - S E D G W I C K COUNT Y HISTORICAL MUSEUM The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’s 1890 building, 170-foot-tall clock tower always impresses. Known as the Palace of the Plains, the building is considered one of the museum’s premier artifacts.

The gorgeous building houses the museum’s collection of 70,000 artifacts, including a Wichita-built 1916 Jones Six automobile.

“One of their most popular exhibits is on the Chisholm Trail,” said Rosson. “It explains how Wichita was one of the key posts on the trail and how that helped make Wichita into a city.”

The museum follows the city’s development from something out of a John Wayne movie to its boom in aircraft manufacturing in the 1920s.

Suddenly, the town became a leader in aviation. A

MID-AMERICAN ALL-INDIAN CENTER

Courtesy City of Wichita PRAIRIE ROSE OPERA HOUSE

Courtesy Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper

HISTORIC INTERPRETERS AT OLD COWTOWN MUSEUM

Courtesy Visit Wichita GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

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short film provides background into this transition.

Visitors can walk past full-scale replicas of a Victorian home interior, a neighborhood drugstore and the mayor of Wichita’s office from the 1890s.

Other exhibits explore stories from Wichita during the buffalo-hunting days of the 1800s, the town’s connection to World War I and the lean times during the Dust Bowl.

The Hall Collection of Cut and Engraved Glass showcases functional, dazzling objects made from glass. Other changing exhibits are wide-ranging in topic, with past exhibits from baseball to the electric guitar.

Groups can work with the museum to schedule a guided tour.

PRAIRIE ROSE C H U C K WA G O N S U P P E R Cowboys tired from a day of wrangling cattle often gathered in the evening to share a meal around a campfire. Groups can relive this romanticized comradery at the Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper.

“It is a unique experience,” said Rosson. “Groups can come early and enjoy a wagon ride or even watch a cowboy movie. They can customize the experience for the group.”

The dinner bell rings at 6:15 for an all-you-caneat barbecue dinner complete with baked beans, potatoes, homemade biscuits, and apple cobbler with ice cream. After the meal, guests can watch a Western stage show with traditional cowboy music and humor by the Prairie Rose Rangers.

The popular evening entertainment runs on weekends and Thursdays through Sundays during the holidays. Special guests also occasionally perform; past country music artists have included Riders in the Sky, Roy Clark and Ronnie McDowell.

Groups that arrive before the dinner bell can enjoy a horse-drawn-wagon ride across the property. One stop on the ride includes the Hopalong Cassidy Museum, which includes exhibits and the Bar 20 Theatre.

The Bar 20 Theatre shows classic cowboy movies from 5 p.m. until dinner, with free popcorn and access to the Silver Screen Cowboy Museum.

The museum showcases the history of cowboys in film with movie props, posters and other movie memorabilia.

V I S I T W I C H I TA — WWW.VISITWICHITA.COM —

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Dungeness Ruins Cumberland Island A picturesque ferry ride from the mainland takes you to Dungeness Ruins, the ruins of a 59-room Scottish mansion, once a display of wealth and opulence of the Carnegie family, now sitting among the flora and fauna that color the island.

Photo credit: @chadanklef

chart a course for the hostess city Savannah, GA

Trolley Tours As one of the oldest cities in the nation, Savannah has plenty of stories to tell. Spend a few hours on a trolley tour to see and hear about the history, legends, and legacies as you pass by the old mansions and historic sites that give the Hostess City of the South all of its charm.

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Bonaventure Cemetery Photo credit: @chschmidt_

Savannah Riverboat Cruises Beyond the cobblestones, restaurants, and shops of iconic River Street is the Savannah River itself. Take in views of the famous Waving Girl statue, Hutchinson Island, and classic southern architecture from a stately riverboat cruise. Stand on the open-air deck or waltz your way through the grand ballrooms, drink in hand, as you float by the great port city of Savannah.

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Georgia’s Bouquet On Full Display

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Callaway Resort & Gardens Pine Mountain Serenity is an hour southwest of Atlanta. Callaway Resort & Gardens is more than 2,500 pristine acres of stunning views, memorable moments, and relaxation. Take a tour of the grounds, then enjoy everything from golf to fishing to the legendary Butterfly Center. Whether for a day-trip or an extended retreat, your group will find inviting beauty among the azaleas.

ExploreGeorgia.org/Groups

Photo credit: @heyfeatherbrain

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Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum

Follow the Paths of Presidents

Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home

Roosevelt’s Little White House State Historic Site Jimmy Carter National Historic Site

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C

B

D

A: Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Plains

B: Roosevelt’s Little White House State Historic Site Warm Springs

C: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum Atlanta

D: Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home Augusta

See how a small-town peanut farmer became President of the United States. Learn the story of Jimmy Carter by touring his childhood home and school, the farm he ran as a boy, and the train depot that served as his campaign headquarters.

In the vibrant town of Warm Springs is FDR’s personal retreat, the Roosevelt’s Little White House State Historic Site. Preserved as a museum, complete with his custom 1938 Ford convertible, get an indepth look at one of the nation’s most enduring historical figures.

Browse the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum for a closer look at the only Georgian to become President—so far. Just minutes from Atlanta’s beloved BeltLine, you’ll tour a replica of the Oval Office and see the documents and photographs that defined a presidency.

In downtown Augusta, see where President Woodrow Wilson spent the formative years of his youth—during the turmoil of the Civil War. Hear stories of the home he was raised in, the history of the area, and how his experiences shaped his leadership during WWI.

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Discover Over 10 Different Group Tours of Rome

Georgia’s Rome is centrally located between Atlanta, Birmingham & Chattanooga.

Georgia‘s

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Call for Free Group Tour Planning: 800.444.1834 Learn More: RomeGeorgia.org/Groups ExploreGeorgia.org/groups

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, GEORGIA

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D O N ’ T M I S S G E O R G I A’ S H I S T O R I C H O M E S B Y PAU L A AV E N G L A D YC H

From plantations built before the Civil War to a cottage that served as a 20th-century presidential retreat, Georgia is full of historic homes. Here are a handful worth discovering on your next group trip.

H AY H O U S E MACON

The Hay House is an antebellum home built between 1855 and 1859 by William Butler Johnston and his wife, Anne Clark Tracy, after their three-year grand tour of Europe. Inspired by their travels, they began constructing their home the moment they came back to the states.

The home is recognized as a National Historic Landmark partly because of the technological achievements in the original design of the building, which include indoor hot and cold running water, central heating, gas lighting, a speaker-tube system, an in-house kitchen and an elaborate ventilation system.

With 18,000 square feet and 24 rooms on seven levels, including a two-story octagonal cupola, the Italian Renaissance Revival-style house was unusual even for its day.

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LIBERTY HALL HILLS AND DA L E S E S TAT E

H AY HOUSE

OW ENS -THOM A S HOUSE AND SL AV E QUA R T E R S

LITTLE WHITE HOUSE

S S U E M AY 2 0 1 9

Courtesy Hay House THE 1859 HAY HOUSE IS ONE OF MACON’S FOREMOST HISTORIC TREASURES.

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“It would have stood out,” said William Aultman, director of collections and programs at Hay House Museum.

When the Johnstons passed away, their youngest daughter, Mary Ellen Felton, and her husband, William Felton, moved in.

The house was sold to the Hay family in 1926, and they lived there until the 1950s. The house is now a museum full of furniture from different periods in the home’s history, said Aultman. Groups can visit the basement, the main floor and the second floor. A behind-the-scenes tour is offered several times a year and includes a look at the wine cellar, the attic and a secret room.

W W W. H AY H O U S E M A C O N . O R G

H I L L S A N D DA L E S E S TAT E L AGR ANGE

Built in 1916, Hills and Dales Estate is a 13,000-square-foot, threestory Italian villa. The home was designed by two Atlanta architects, Neel Reid and Hal Hentz, for textile magnate Fuller Callaway and his wife, Ida

Cason Callaway. The home includes gardens that were started in 1841 by the property’s original owner, Sarah Ferrell, and are considered some of the best preserved 19th-century gardens in the country. Ferrell planted six terraced gardens that feature native and exotic plants from across the country.

Fuller died in 1922, but Ida lived there until her death in 1936. The home was taken over and restored by Fuller Callaway Jr. and his wife, Alice, and their grandchildren continue on as trustees for the foundation that maintains the property. The house is still fully furnished with items from the Callaway family. Guests will marvel at the grand interior of the home, including the ornate dining room that still looks as it did back in 1916.

Groups are offered guided tours of both the house and gardens. A box lunch can be added when the weather is nice so groups can enjoy their lunch on the pool house terrace, adjacent to the house. Groups of more than 15 people must be split into smaller groups. The visitors center has exhibit space and a 15-minute film about the Callaway family and their home.

A FORMAL HEDGE GARDEN (LEFT) AND SUNROOM (RIGHT) AT HILLS AND DALES ESTATE IN LAGRANGE

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Courtesy Hills & Dales Estate

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O W E N S -T H O M A S H O U S E A N D SL AV E Q UA R T ER S S AVA N N A H

The Owens-Thomas House sits in the heart of Savannah and tells the stories of both the free and enslaved people who lived and worked there in the 1800s. Built in 1819, the National Historic Landmark has the only intact urban slave quarters in Savannah, attached to the former carriage house, and it recently installed exhibits in the mansion’s basement that tell the slaves’ stories.

“That’s what makes this house different,” said Shannon Browning-Mullis, curator of history and decorative arts at the Owens-Thomas House. “This is not a story being told elsewhere in Savannah right now.”

The 10,000-square-foot home was built with indoor plumbing on all three levels, with sinks, marble bathtubs, showers and flush water closets.

The first floor of the house, where the service personnel would have worked, is a raised basement, meaning it is partially below ground. The main entrance to the home brings visitors up to the second level via a grand staircase. The carriage house stored horses, carriages and a hay loft on one side and two levels of slave quarters on the other. There were between eight and 14 enslaved people at any given time.

“All of the grand homes in the city housed people who were enslaved,” said Browning-Mullis. “They ran the house, raised the children and cooked the food. If you want an honest history of how people lived at the time, you have to go somewhere that tells the story.”

Groups of 16 people are allowed to take guided tours of the home. Larger groups must be split up.

W W W. T E L FA I R . O R G / V I S I T / O W E N S - T H O M A S

SAVANNAH’S PICTURESQUE OWENS-THOMAS HOUSE

LIBERTY HALL CR AWFORDVILLE

Built in 1834, Liberty Hall was the home of Alexander Stephens, former vice president of the Confederate States of America and a governor of Georgia. The home, which sits inside A.H. Stephens State Park, has been restored to its 1875 grandeur and features a collection of antique furniture and artwork that belonged to Stephens.

The house was one of the first in Georgia to use a Springfield Gas Machine to light its lamps. It also has a wine cellar and an extensive library.

Stephens “spent most of his time in the library,” said Andre McLendon, park manager. “He was a lawyer, and he loved to read.”

The home has four bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen. All its ceilings are 12 feet tall and are painted light blue.

“During that time period, they thought painting ceilings that color would make people feel cooler,” he said. The walls are painted in bright colors.

The back porch, where the library is located, is one of the coolest spots in the house during hot summers, and Stephens spent a lot of time back there reading. He was a bachelor. There are slave quarters in the backyard.

Groups can take a guided tour of the home and some of its oddities with the park historian. The park also has a Civil War museum that holds artifacts that were owned by Stephens, including muskets and a chair built out of gunstocks.

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LITTLE WHITE HOUSE WARM SPRINGS

The Little White House was built by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Warm Springs in 1932. The president, who suffered from polio, was always on the hunt for a cure for his disease. He came to Warm Springs in the 1920s hoping the warm mineral water would have healing properties.

“It didn’t cure him, but he found it very therapeutic. It did help him,” said Ashley Aultman, interpreter ranger at the Little White House. He liked it so much he bought the springs property in 1926 and helped found the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, a treatment center for polio patients.

Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, stayed in the three-bedroom, twobathroom cottage they built on the property 41 times between 1932 and April 12, 1945, when he died at the site.

The home includes its original furnishings, and the inside is set up like it was at the time of Roosevelt’s death. The 1930s kitchen has its original utensils, ice box, and pots and pans. The home also includes an unfinished portrait of Roosevelt that was being painted when he passed away.

A museum on the property displays personal items and gifts that were given to the Roosevelts over the years and includes a 12-minute film about Eleanor Roosevelt narrated by Walter Cronkite. Groups can take a self-guided tour of the site or arrange a ranger-guided tour at a discount.

W W W. G A S TAT E PA R K S . O R G / L I T T L E W H I T E H O U S E

Courtesy Owens-Thomas House

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A HISTORIC PHOTO OF ROOSEVELT VISITING WARM SPRINGS ON DISPLAY AT THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE

A MONUMENT AT LIBERTY HALL IN CRAWFORDVILLE

By Gene Phillips, courtesy ACVB

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Courtesy Little White House

MAY 2019 Courtesy Liberty Hall

T H AT ’ S T H E S P I R I T

GEO RGI A

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G R O U P S A R E E N J OY I N G G E O R G I A’ S B E V E R A G E S C E N E B Y PAU L A AV E N G L A D YC H MOONRISE DISTILLERY YO N A H M O U N TA I N V I N E YA R D S R E F O R M AT I O N BREWERY

RED HARE BREWING

Georgia is becoming a major player in the brewery, distillery and winery industry.

In the past 10 years, the entire beverage industry has exploded, and that growth is expected to continue over the next 20 years. Groups can visit some of the following Georgia breweries, wineries and distilleries for great tours and tastings.

C O M PA N Y

RICHLAND RUM RICHLAND AND BRUNSWICK

RICHLAND RUM

Richland Rum started as a hobby. Erik and Karin Vonk wanted to make authentic rum, like it was made in the old days, out of fermented sugar cane.

“Not like most rums, which are mixing rums,” said Karin Vonk, co-owner of Richland Rum. “They taste good in a cocktail, but on their own, they are not so delicious.”

The Vonks began growing sugar cane on their farm near Richland in 1999 and have been making rum for 20 years. They purchased and restored three historic buildings in downtown Richland for their distillery, fermentation room and tasting room.

The master distiller or the Vonks themselves give tours of the facility, explaining how the entire rum-making process works. At the end of the tour, visitors are invited into an old hotel that was built in 1890 and now serves as the Richland Rum tasting room, gift shop, lounge area and event space.

Courtesy Richland Rum GROUPS CAN TOUR THE RICHLAND RUM DISTILLERY TO DISCOVER HISTORIC SPACES AND UNIQUE SPIRITS.

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Richland Rum comes in three expressions. The white — or virgin — rum is unaged and comes straight out of the still. The company’s classic rum is a 4-year-old dark rum that is delicious for sipping, like a cognac or bourbon. The rum is stored in American white oak barrels, where it rests and matures. The company is dabbling in two other types of rum, one that is partially aged in barrels used to make port wine, which gives the rum the subtle flavor of port wine, and another that is partially aged in barrels that were used to make double IPA beer that is aged, giving the rum a slight hoppy note. Large groups are welcome.

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R E F O R M AT I O N B R E W E R Y WOODSTOCK AND CANTON

Reformation Brewery started as a home brewing operation created by two friends who appreciated the wide variety of beers available in Europe and across the United States. Spencer Nix and Nick Downs decided to open their own brewery after many years of home brewing success and a burgeoning reputation for making good beer. They opened their Woodstock brewery in

2013 and are opening a second, much bigger location in Canton this year.

The original location is the research and development facility and has between 24 and 36 types of beer on tap at any one time. It also has two different levels and a large backyard so visitors can hang out both inside and out. Visitors can see the brewhouse from the first level of the facility, and the brewery loves to host community events such as book clubs and game nights.

“There’s always a little bit of something going on here,” said Jessica Miller, communications director for the brewery. “It is about creating moments where people can connect through community and conversation, and we aim for that in the experiences we deliver.”

The Canton location is a much larger space and will offer guided tours of the brewing process and a big tasting room. It will be able to accommodate large groups.

“We needed a home for our production facility to grow, and we have run out of space at our current location down the road,” Miller said. The new location is in the same county, just 15 minutes down the road from Woodstock.

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BOOKS AND BREWS AT REFORMATION BREWERY IN WOODSTOCK

Courtesy Reformation Brewery

FRIENDS ENJOYING REFORMATION BREWERY Courtesy Reformation Brewery

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MOONRISE DISTILLERY IN CLAYTON Courtesy Moonrise Distillery

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YO N A H M O U N TA I N V I N E YA R D S CLEVELAND

Founded in 2006 by Bob and Jane Miller, Yonah Mountain Vineyards is a 197-acre family-owned winery at the base of Yonah Mountain. The Millers and their son Eric, who is also part owner and general manager of the winery, bought the property in 2005 and started selling wine in 2009.

“We built it from the ground up,” said Eric. The rolling hills and sandy soil are the perfect location for the winery’s 20 acres of planted grapes, including sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. The vineyard only plants vinifera grapes, which are the grapes typically used in Italy, France and other parts of Europe.

“We don’t do sweet wines,” he said. “We are 100% dry. But we do have two dessert wines that are sweet but are made with vinifera grapes.”

The winery offers a 90-minute walking tour and tasting, during which guests can taste eight wines and see the facility’s wine caves, where the barrels of aging wine are stored. Groups may also book a reserve wine tasting that allows them to taste the difference between Yonah Mountain wines and the finest wines from around the world. Yonah is one of the biggest wineries in Georgia and recently added an event space that can hold up to 1,000 people.

“We are proud of our wine. It will hold up against any wine in the country,” Miller said.

W W W. Y O N A H M O U N TA I N V I N E YA R D S . C O M

R E D H A R E B R E W I N G CO M PA N Y M A R I E T TA

Red Hare Brewing Company was founding by Roger Davis and Bobby Thomas, who used to work together at a large corporation. They shared

YONAH MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS TASTING ROOM

an interest in home brewing, and when Davis was faced with a relocation for work, the duo decided to leave corporate America and open their own business eight years ago. It was the first brewery in Marietta.

“Opening a brewery was a big deal,” said Olivia Caldas, marketing and taproom events manager for Red Hare Brewing Company. “No one was really doing it. People thought they were crazy, but they took a leap of faith.”

The company now distributes its beer all around the Southeast. Groups can tour the brewery, including the fermentation tanks and the canning line, which produces up to 600 cans per minute. Guides explain the whole brewing process and tell the story of how Red Hare got started. Visitors also get to taste Red Hare’s beers, including lagers, IPAs and stouts. The brewery holds events in the taproom, but it also has a private room that can hold 40 people.

WWW.REDHAREBREWING.COM

MOONRISE DISTILLERY C L AY T O N

Moonrise Distillery got its start in 2012. It was started by a retired chemist named James Henry, who is the namesake of Moonrise’s distilled beverages.

The current owners kept the name and continue to expand on the distillery’s options. They produce bourbon, rye whiskey, moonshine and brandy.

“We are unapologetically old-fashioned and old-school,” said Doug Nassaur, owner and head distiller for Moonrise. “We’re committed to making it the way it had been made in family distilleries in Kentucky. We put an awful lot of time and effort into providing a good experience for our customers.”

Moonrise Distillery is a destination experience in the foothills of Rabun County. Group travelers can see the business’ stillhouse and barrelhouse and enjoy a drink on Moonrise’s 80-foot-wide front porch overlooking Black Rock Mountain.

“It’s a great place to enjoy the mountain air,” Nassaur said. The distillery also has a band stage for concerts and festivals. All tour visitors are treated to a taste of the distillery’s small-batch bourbon and rye and four-grain white whiskey.

Moonrise can handle large groups easily. The walking and tasting tour takes about 45 minutes.

“My tours have a lot of history in them, a lot of science,” Nassaur said.

“We show the artisan side of it, which is neat. We are also developing the Moonrise Moonshine Museum to give credit to the folks who developed the beautiful art we get to do every day.”

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RED HARE BEERS IN MARIETTA Courtesy Yonah Mountain Vineyards A BARREL CELLAR AT YONAH MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS WINE IN THE VINEYARD ON YONAH MOUNTAIN

Courtesy Yonah Mountain Vineyards

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Courtesy Red Hare Brewing Co.

By Gene Phillips, courtesy ACVB Courtesy Yonah Mountain Vineyards

MAY 2019

hillsanddales.org LaGrange, GA | 706-882-3242

IN LAGRANGE, HISTORY LIVES AND INSPIRES. Asheville 265 miles

Chattanooga 181 miles Birmingham 131 miles

Atlanta 68 miles

Columbia 273 miles

LaGrange Montgomery 96 miles

Columbus 47 miles Savannah 300 miles

Pensacola 257 miles biblicalhistorycenter.com LaGrange, GA | 706-885-0363

Jacksonville 336 miles

Centrally located just southwest of Atlanta

Questions on how to do LaGrange?

Brittany Simmons, Director of Tourism brittany@lagrangechamber.com or 706-645-3543

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A N I M A L S T H R I V E I N T H E S E G E O R G I A H A B I TAT S B Y PAU L A AV E N G L A D YC H

NORTH GEORGIA ZOO AND PET TING FARM

C H E S TAT E E WILDLIFE GEORGIA

PRESERVE & ZOO

AQUARIUM

FLINT RIVERQUARIUM

ZO O AT CHEHAW

Whale sharks, albino alligators and zedonks. Visitors to Georgia’s zoos and aquariums can see these amazing creatures up close.

From the world’s largest aquarium in Atlanta to smaller organizations that showcase Georgia wildlife and marine creatures, zoos and aquariums throughout the Peach State offer some memorable experiences for tour groups. Here are five for the animal lovers in your group.

GEORGIA AQUARIUM AT L A N TA

The largest aquarium in the world sits in downtown Atlanta. Holding more than 10 million gallons of water, the Georgia Aquarium features four whale sharks and a host of manta rays. It is the only aquarium in the United States to display these creatures. They make their home in the aquarium’s Ocean Voyager gallery, which holds 6.3 million gallons of saltwater and is considered the largest aquarium exhibit in the world.

The aquarium opened in 2005 on land donated to the facility by Coca-Cola in the Centennial Olympic Park district, which hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The World of Coca-Cola opened next door.

“The goal was obviously to draw tourists and to be able to draw conventioneers coming to the Georgia World Congress Center [the city’s convention center],” said Will Ramsey, vice president of sales for the aquarium.

Courtesy Chestatee Wildlife Preserve GROUPS CAN SEE LIONS, TIGERS, GRIZZLY BEARS AND OTHER LARGE ANIMALS AT CHESTATEE WILDLIFE PRESERVE IN DAHLONEGA.

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The aquarium is always growing and expanding because its founders want to make it a repeat destination for all types of visitors, not just groups.

“It makes an amazing day out for people,” Ramsey said. “I think the aquarium is great for anyone of all ages; from a family with a senior grandparent and child, everyone loves the aquarium.”

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C H E S TAT E E W I L D L I F E PRESERVE AND ZOO DAHLONEGA

Group visitors to Chestatee Wildlife Preserve and Zoo have an opportunity to get closer to nature while learning the stories of the preserve’s many rescued and orphaned animals. Walking along acres of trails, visitors can observe the zoo’s white tigers, grizzly bear, Siberian tiger, monkeys and emus.

They can also view herds of elk or see hedgehogs, exotic birds and alligators.

Two of the zoo’s most famous residents are zedonks, which are hybrid donkey and zebra mixes. They look like donkeys with zebra-striped legs.

The zoo is a nonprofit organization that is run with the help of volunteers.

Visitors to the preserve and zoo have the opportunity to participate in many types of animal encounters, including breakfast with the big cats, where guests can feed the tigers, zebras, bears, elk, emus, wolves and zedonks.

Groups can attend the Small Animal Encounter Show, where zookeepers introduce many small animals, like exotic birds and hedgehogs, and explain where the animals come from, the characteristics of the species and interesting facts. A guided walking tour of the zoo takes about 45 minutes, and the tour guide talks a bit about each animal and how it was rescued. There is a reptile house with giant toads, snakes and bearded lizards; pony rides and hayrides take visitors to harder-to-reach sections of the zoo for more intimate encounters with animals that aren’t on the walking trail.

THE OCEAN VOYAGER EXHIBIT AT GEORGIA AQUARIUM

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A CHESTATEE ANIMAL ENCOUNTER Courtesy Chestatee Wildlife Preserve

CHESTATEE WILDLIFE PRESERVE

Courtesy Georgia Aquarium

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Courtesy Chestatee Wildlife Preserve

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FLINT RIVERQUARIUM ALBANY

The Flint RiverQuarium is a rare freshwater aquarium that interprets the Flint River watershed as the river flows through Georgia toward the Gulf of Mexico.

All the aquarium’s exhibits highlight one section of the river environment, including a re-creation of a blue-hole spring, a hole that can crop up on the edge of a river and that is connected to the aquifer below.

“There will be a break in the limestone between the surface and the underwater aquifer where a blue-water spring bubbles up,” said Wendy Bellacomo, marketing manager for the aquarium. “They are something unique to our area.” The RiverQuarium is built around the blue-hole spring, with exhibits wrapping around and winding their way through the building, detailing the wildlife in area lakes and swamps. At the bottom is a big viewing window that looks into the bottom of the blue-hole exhibit, where the larger catfish and sturgeon hang out.

The facility also has an outdoor aviary that showcases birds native to the area that needed to be rescued in some way, such as wading birds, songbirds, quail and others that migrate through the area. A white albino alligator named Moonshine is an added attraction. An outdoor garden helps the facility grow food for the animals. Educational group tours, as well as group discounts, are available.

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POSING WITH A WOLF AT NORTH GEORGIA ZOO IN CLEVELAND

ZO O AT C H E H AW ALBANY

Also in Albany, the Zoo at Chehaw is an education- and conservationfocused zoo in an 800-acre nature park. The zoo is home to 238 animals representing 125 species, and groups are invited to participate in animal feedings and keeper talks every weekend. The park offers a free African Veldt ride, a trailer ride through a 40-acre wildlife exhibit that features seven species of free-roaming animals.

Groups love to take curated zoo tours to learn more about the animals, and the zoo also offers hands-on interactive experiences with snakes, baby crocodiles and hedgehogs. Chehaw is willing to work with groups to plan any type of event that includes the zoo and the other features of Chehaw Park, like the splash park, the large wooden playground and the camping sites. The park also offers fishing, biking, walking and horse trails, said Morgan Burnette, spokesperson for Chehaw.

The area was first developed as Chehaw State Park in 1937 on 586 acres of donated land. It has since expanded to nearly 800 acres that encompass moss-covered cypress swamps, hardwood forests and wiregrass habitat. It was named after the Chiha, or Chehaw, a tribe of Creek Indians that lived in the area. The wild animal park opened to the public in 1977 and became the Zoo at Chehaw in 2016.

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AN ALBINO ALLIGATOR AT THE FLINT RIVERQUARIUM IN ALBANY Courtesy North Georgia Zoo & Farm

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FLINT RIVER AQUARIUM’S BLUE HOLE VIEWING ROOM RiverQuarium

By GeneCourtesy Phillips,Flint courtesy ACVB

Courtesy Flint RiverQuarium

MAY 2019

NORTH GEORGIA ZOO A N D PE T TING FA R M CLEVELAND

The North Georgia Zoo and Petting Farm is all about visitor experiences and animal encounters, a fact that makes it a favorite with both younger and older generations. The zoo trains many of its animals to be able to go out into the community as ambassadors. Some are used in commercials, including “Vampire Diaries” and “Coma.”

The zoo hosts hundreds of animals, including camels, sloths, kangaroos and wolves and offers groups the opportunity to personalize their visit by booking a behind-the-scenes tour where they can visit animals that aren’t on display yet and that the zoo would like to have more interactions with people on a smaller scale. The tour lasts about 2 1/2 hours and includes interactions with kangaroos, fennec foxes, lemurs, bush babies, gibbons, monkeys, parrots, birds of prey, deer, animals native to Georgia and wildcats.

Every visit is different.

Visitors can also sign up for a camel encounter, where they take a wagon ride up to the ridge to view water buffaloes, yaks, highland cows and camels.

The highlight is getting to meet and feed the camels. Other encounters get your group close to otters, wolves, wild cats, porcupines and reptiles.

Most group tours are limited to 25 people. Sunset tours give visitors a different perspective on the zoo and allow them to spend time with the wolves.

WWW.NORTHGEORGIAZOO.COM

ANIMAL EXPERIENCES AT NORTH GEORGIA ZOO

Photos courtesy North Georgia Zoo & Farm

Located in Atlanta’s dynamic metro north, Sandy Springs

is minutes from the big city but also near 950 acres of parks and recreational activities. With plenty of choices for group dining, easy parking and countless activity options, it’s everything a group needs, and everything each person wants. As your local support team, we know all the ins, outs and in-betweens of planning your group tour in Sandy Springs. Contact us today to learn more about our complimentary planning services.

GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

Go to VisitSandySprings.org or call 770-206-1445.

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sound-off

STAFF

WH AT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM A CL ASS TRIP? In college I went on a mission trip, which my university also allowed as credit for a Western Civilization course. It required documenting and writing a paper on all the historical sites we visited in England, Poland, Vienna and Italy. My favorite memory from that trip was following a guide from the train station to a very out-of-the way hostel where seven of us slept like the seven dwarves on two pushed-together queen beds. I, unfortunately, had to sleep in the crack. It wasn’t pleasant at the time, but it is one of the best memories from that trip: waking up with seven friends in a hot, sticky room with one large window overlooking Rome. We spent the day exploring Roman ruins and fountains and ended it with some authentic Italian food.

— Donia Simmons, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

My favorite memory was seeing the Yankees play in the old stadium before it was torn down and then seeing the Blue Man group — one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

— Daniel Jean-Louis, ACCOUNT MANAGER

My senior year in high school, I had a teacher who took us on two class trips: one to Chicago and one to Columbus, Ohio. He built in a lot of free time and encouraged us to go out and explore the cities on our own.

One of my favorite memories of those trips is sitting with my friends at a little coffeehouse we found near the Ohio State University campus in Columbus.

We sipped on fancy drinks, listened to jazz and felt very sophisticated. For a 17-year-old, it was a perfect way to spend a free afternoon in a new city.

— Brian Jewell, EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Growing up in Massachusetts, my third-grade class took a school field trip to Plimouth Plantation. I remember walking through the re-creation of the 17th-century village, learning about eel fishing and canoe-making at the Wampanoag village, boarding the Mayflower II and seeing Plymouth Rock, which is way smaller than you would think. Seeing such a big part of our country’s history left a lasting impression, and I would love to go back again and visit again as an adult.

— Ashley Ricks, CIRCULATION MANAGER

I went to Prague for a study abroad class after my sophomore year of college, and it was easily the best trip I have ever taken.

Our professor introduced us to a lot of important people while we were there, and I always talk about it to this day. My friends all sigh when I bring it up because they’ve heard the story so many times.

— Kyle Anderson, ACCOUNT MANAGER

I’m taking some liberties with this topic. I traveled to Chicago with both of my sons’ classes to go to the city’s museums when they were eighth graders at Bardstown Middle School. They had a science teacher who did this every year with his classes, and somehow, I drew the short straw both years to go along as a parent chaperone. We stayed in a nondescript hotel up on the lake and went to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum. We also went to Ed Debevic’s, a favorite local restaurant, so the kids could trade verbal abuse with the waiters and waitresses. For most of these kids, it was their first time to fly, and back then, we could all get great airfares on Southwest, so a lot of kids went. It was one of those things that, as a parent, you have to do at least once, and somehow, I got to do it twice.

— Mac Lacy, PUBLISHER

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.

BRIANJ@GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM 58

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MAY 2019

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y r o t S r ou

OUR BOARDWALK A world of entertaining and exciting experiences awaits in Atlantic City. Up and down our world-famous Boardwalk, and throughout your entire Atlantic City stay, you’ll experience the ultimate in tax-free shopping, award-winning dining for every taste, fun

Y

amusements and great local attractions.

Atlantic City offers the perfect setting to experience an exciting getaway and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Atlantic City Expert Heather Colache is available at 609-449-7151 or hcolache@meetac.com to make sure you enjoy Atlantic City as it was meant to be experienced. Call today to book your Atlantic City Experience.

Meet AC received funding through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.

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