The Group Travel Leader May 2021

BIRDS & BINOCUL ARS | OKL AHOMA C IT Y SCENES | MISSOURI’S TOWNS & DOWNTOWNS

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HISTORY & HERITAGE

ISSUE

MAY 2021

CONTENTS

GROUP TH E

TRAVEL LEADER

CHARTING THE EVOLUTION OF GROUP TR AVEL

COLU M NS

N EWS

6 Editor’s Marks

8 Ride the Silver Wave

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Iconic American Moments

VOL 30 | ISSUE 5

Georgia Spotlight

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HISTORY

ISSUE

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

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SHOW M E MI SSO URI

HISTO RIC O KLAHOMA C I T Y

Stage shows, museums and Route 66 make Missouri an appealing destination for groups.

The past is always present in this bustling frontier destination.

K E LLY T Y N E R 888.253.0455

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Birdwatching Hotspots

& HERITAGE

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Founder and Publisher Partner VP & Executive Editor Senior Writer Creative Director

KELLY TYNER KYLE ANDERSON ASHLEY RICKS

SARAH SECHRIST CHRISTINE CLOUGH

kelly@grouptravelleader.com

VP, Sales & Marketing Director of Advertising Sales Graphic Design & Circulation Controller Copy Editor

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 travel-related 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) 2530455 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.

DISCOVER BOURBON CITY’S BLACK HERITAGE

Take a step back in time and explore Louisville’s Black heritage with the Unfiltered Truth Collection. These seven new immersive experiences feature perspectives and histories that you may not have heard before.

From stories of Louisville’s historic Black neighborhoods to Bourbon and horse racing, these are ideal for any group.

Learn more at UnfilteredTruthCollection.com

EDITOR’S MARKS

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BY BRIAN JEWELL

never learned to surf, but I’m determined to ride this wave all the way to shore.

In many ways, life in the tourism industry throughout 2020 and early 2021 has felt like a bad day at the beach.

Though the forecast called for warm weather and sunny skies, we were met instead with towering storm surges and gale-force winds. And even though we tried to pick ourselves up after each wave hit, it seemed that just as soon as we started to find our footing, another larger one knocked us down again.

Finally, though, it looks like the storm is passing. A successful vaccination campaign has reversed our fortunes in the fight against COVID-19. And freed from the grip of fear and emergency regulation, Americans are ready to travel again.

Now, the coming waves promise fun and fulfillment. Among the most significant is the “silver wave” of older Americans who, being among the first vaccinated, will also be among the first to travel (see “It’s Time to Ride the Silver Wave” on page 8). Now that the Centers for Disease Control has given its blessing for vaccinated individuals to travel, I expect the wave to be strong and swift.

A silver wave is especially advantageous for the group tourism industry because retired people have long been the target demographic for the lion’s share of our products. Those who have spent a year quarantining at home are now ready to make up for lost time, and some will even spend more than normal on their trips this year since last year’s adventures were canceled.

The silver wave is only the beginning, though.

Many experts, even some of the most cautious, expect the vaccination effort to largely neutralize

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the pandemic in the next month or two. So, destinations that rely on vacationing families should see a robust recovery this summer. And with schools transitioning back to in-person education, this fall and next spring could bring the return of student travel as well.

All together, these trends represent a rising tide for the tourism industry. And although it could take another year or two for business to return to pre-pandemic levels, positive news and pent-up demand could give us enough momentum to return to profitability sooner.

I certainly look forward to enjoying a prosperous travel economy again. But for me, the wave of recovery is about much more than dollars and cents: It’s about travel itself. It’s about exploring new places, eating new foods and getting to know new people. It’s reconnecting with old friends in cities and towns all around the country and — soon, I hope — around the world.

I’ve said many times in the past year that travel isn’t just something we do; it’s who we are. Those of us who make careers in tourism don’t do it for wealth or prestige. We do it because the road runs through our veins and hospitality is in our DNA. Many of us have been doing it for so long that we can’t imagine doing anything else.

If that sounds like you, I want to invite you to join me in riding this wave. The storm is passing, the skies are clearing, and the horizon is bright once again. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.

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APPLY TODAY FOR THE FAMS YOU’D LIKE TO ATTEND!

Are you looking for new ideas in your old favorites or a new destination for your group to enjoy? Register for one of our 2021 FAMs to learn about these great destinations from the local experts. To apply for a chance to attend any of these complimentary FAMs, go to www.grouptravelleader.com/FAMs.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

WITH THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER

LOUISIANA’S RIVER PARISHES

MAY 19-21

JULY 27-30

Tour well known attractions like Louisville Slugger Museum and Kentucky Derby Museum and new attractions including the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Stoneware & Co. at Paristown Pointe and Butchertown Market. Best of all, you’ll get to experience what it feels like to be a VIP at Churchill Downs with a dinner reception and racing in a Suite!

Join us in Louisiana’s River Parishes just outside of New Orleans where you’ll learn about the history of Whitney, Destrehan and Oak Alley Plantations, enjoy a cooking demonstration and tasting at Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience and take a thrill ride on ZipNOLA over the Manchac Greenway with views of alligators, turtles and other wildlife.

ALABAMA

GALLUP, NEW MEXICO

SEPTEMBER 13-17

AUGUST 2-6

We are partnering with the City of Gallup to highlight this New Mexico hidden gem along Route 66. Gallup is THE destination for outdoor adventures, culture seekers, and art lovers.

This is as real and authentic as it getsNative American Culture, steeped in tradition, and surrounded by some of the best outdoor recreation and trails.

We are working with Alabama Tourism Department to host a FAM showcasing Alabama’s Natural, Historic and Exciting Group Tour Wonders. Explore Birmingham, Huntsville, Muscle Shoals and DeSoto State Park and learn what Sweet Home Alabama has to offer your groups.

LOUISIANA’S NO MAN’S LAND OCTOBER 6-10 We are partnering with Louisiana Tourism to showcase the best of Louisiana’s No Man’s Land region that includes Lake Charles, Natchitoches and DeRidder.

You’ll tour the Creole Nature Trail, Melrose Plantation, Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu for a King Cake Demo & Tasting, casino resorts and much more.

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If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Tyner at:

888-253-0455 KELLY@GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM

Silver Wave

It’s Time to Ride the

BY BRIAN JEWELL

Experts are calling it the “silver wave”: a movement of older Americans who, now that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, are set to begin traveling in droves this summer and fall.

This demographic, which has long been the bread and butter of the group tourism industry, was largely sidelined during the pandemic. But since they were among the first to be vaccinated, they have also been among the first to begin booking travel again. And this means a wave of opportunity is about to wash over the tour business.

The silver wave promises a return to business and even profitability for many tour companies and travel organizations. But this is not a universal guarantee. A year of pandemic conditions has left the travel industry dazed and confused, and some destinations, attractions and companies are not prepared to maximize this opportunity or handle an influx of travelers.

If that describes your situation, don’t worry; there’s still time to catch the wave. But it’s going to require bravery, flexibility and creativity.

Here are five essential steps every tourism organization needs to take in order to ride the silver wave back to prosperity in 2021.

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RE S E T

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Reset Your Thinking A year is a long time, long enough to create new routines, habits and thought patterns. And in the year-plus that the travel industry has been dealing with pandemic conditions, many of the protocols and processes we first thought of as temporary have firmly entrenched themselves in our minds. Although that’s understandable, it’s also dangerous because a tentative, wait-and-see attitude will hold you back from riding the wave of travel’s return.

Though the pandemic dominated our collective minds in 2020, it’s time now to reset your thinking to a mind-set of post-pandemic prosperity. Stop dwelling on risks and start pursuing rewards.

If you continue to think as you did in 2020, you’re going to see the same results you saw in 2020: no sales, no travelers and no recovery. So say goodbye to cancellations, postponements and obsessing over safety. And say hello to the wave of eager customers.

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Refine Your Messaging Recent studies have consistently shown a huge demand for travel, especially among consumers that have been vaccinated. But many travelers and group travel planners are hesitant to book trips they want to take because they’re unsure where they’ll be allowed to go and what they’ll be allowed to do once they get there.

In the early weeks of the pandemic, the travel industry’s messaging was all about cancellations and quarantines. Then, as things gradually began to reopen, the message switched to masks and safety protocols. But with all the ups and downs of the pandemic over the past year, the messaging has become jumbled, and travelers are confused.

To ride the recovery wave this year, you’ll need to cut through the confusion with strong, clear messaging: “We are open!” Don’t emphasize restrictions and safety measures in your communications because everyone already knows about masks and hand-washing.

Instead, highlight the great experiences you can offer customers right now.

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Rebuild Your Itineraries If your tour itineraries or the sample itineraries you circulate to travel planners were created more than two years ago, they’re probably out of date and inaccurate. Even under ideal circumstances, itineraries need frequent updating. With the pandemic, though, there’s a good chance that a business you usually include in an itinerary isn’t operating the way it normally does. And sadly, some have closed for good.

If you plan travel for groups, work on creating new itineraries that spotlight great travel experiences that are currently available. Check in with your destinations and suppliers to make sure the information you’re publicizing is accurate. If this will be your first tour since the pandemic began, consider a shorter trip to a destination close to home to help your customers ease back into travel.

If you work in destination or attraction marketing, you should also create new sample itineraries that reflect where your destination is today and where it is going tomorrow. Let your travel planner customers know that everything you’re sending them is something they can do right now.

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Rehire Your Salespeople When the pandemic hit, many leaders of tourism organizations reacted to the financial strain by letting employees go, especially sales employees, who wouldn’t have been able to sell much anyway. And though that decision was understandable a year ago, today is different. To ride the silver wave back to tourism’s recovery in 2021, you need your experienced salespeople in place.

For tour operators and group leaders, now is the time to start a person-by-person campaign to reach out to existing customers, especially those eager to start traveling. If you have a sales staff, get them busy making these calls. If you don’t have a sales staff, start making sales calls yourself. Many of your potential customers are simply waiting for you to invite them to book a trip.

If you work in the travel industry, get busy filling your sales roles as quickly as possible. Put those salespeople to work reaching out to all the travel planners in your database to re-establish relationships and start the travel planning conversation.

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Restart Your Promotions Under the best of circumstances, it can take months to plan a group tour, and with all the disruption caused by the pandemic, getting new trips off the ground might take even longer. That makes it critical to get your ads and messages into the marketplace right now in order to inspire people looking for fall travel opportunities. If you wait until public health authorities officially declare the pandemic over, you will have waited too long and missed the window of opportunity.

If your newsletter or email campaigns have fallen dormant, restart them now.

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And if you reach travelers in your community through local newspaper or magazine ads, start advertising again with an offer for a specific trip that your potential customers will be eager to take.

If you work for a CVB or an attraction, it’s critical to end your budget freeze and take decisive action. Savvy travel planners are doing the legwork now for trips they’ll take this fall. To reach them, start advertising in print and online in earnest.

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Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum

COURTESY BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM

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A Boston Tea Party re-enactment COURTESY BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM

An Abraham Lincoln statue at the Wills House in Gettysburg

Elvis Presley’s television performances electrified viewers on the Ed Sullivan Show and other programs.

COURTESY DESTINATION GETTYSBURG

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HISTORY & HERITAGE

ISSUE

R E L I V E T H E M O M E N T S T H AT M A D E U S AT T H E S E H I S T O R I C S I T E S

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BY BRIAN JEWELL

hey are the moments that defined America.

History has been made by thousands of leaders, innovators and everyday heroes. But some events from our collective past were so pivotal that they created iconic images Americans will remember for ages to come.

Traveling throughout the United States affords many opportunities to rediscover those moments and hear the untold stories behind them. Here are some iconic moments in government, culture, science and art that are worth revisiting on your next tour.

COURTESY ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES

Boston Tea Party It’s a scene illustrated in nearly every American history textbook: A band of rebellious Massachusetts colonists disguised as Native Americans angrily dump a shipment of tea in the Boston Harbor. The 1773 event, which came to be known as the Boston Tea Party, was the first of many incendiary acts that led to the American Revolution.

The colonists, angry over the British government’s “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of imported tea over the side of a ship and into the water. The act caught the attention of the Crown, and less than a year and a half later, American rebels were fighting British soldiers on nearby Lexington Green.

Travelers can learn more about the Boston Tea Party and re-create the act of rebellion for themselves at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. This multisensory experience includes live actors, interactive exhibits and a full-scale replica of a 1700s sailing ship.

Gettysburg Address Few events have shaped America more than the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 was among the bloodiest and most important moments.

But what cemented this battle in the minds of Americans was the stirring speech that Abraham Lincoln gave in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just four months later.

The Gettysburg Address was delivered at the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery. The speech made headlines for its shocking brevity and power, which included the phrase “government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Today, the Gettysburg National Military Park is among the most visited battlefields in the country.

Groups can tour the park and several local museums to learn about the battle and the Gettysburg Address.

Of special interest is the David Wills House, where Lincoln stayed the night before the ceremony and put the finishing touches on his speech.

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Gettysburg National Military Park

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COURTESY DESTINATION GETTYSBURG

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Elvis performing in his hometown of Tupelo

Golden Spike It’s difficult to overstate the importance of the railroad in creating the interconnected United States we know today. The railroad enabled commerce, settlement and travel throughout every part of the country it touched. So when the major rail lines of the Eastern and Western regions were finally connected, it was a big deal.

In 1869, officials celebrated the completion of the first transcontinental railroad by driving the ceremonial Golden Spike between two connecting lines at a place in Promontory, Utah. The spike was made of 17.6-karat gold and was accompanied by other ceremonial spikes composed of various gold, silver, copper and iron blends.

The Golden Spike is no longer in the ground — gold is relatively soft and makes a poor metal for railroad durability — but visitors can see the spot where it was laid and learn more about the transcontinental railroad at Utah’s Golden Spike National Historical Park.

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COURTESY ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park

Rosie the Riveter In 1943, in the middle of World War II, Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller created a poster that would become one of the most iconic images of the decade: a woman in coveralls and a red polka-dot bandanna flexing her bicep and proudly proclaiming, “We can do it!” The image caught on like wildfire, and “Rosie the Riveter” became a symbol of the multitudes of American women working in factories to support the war effort.

There has been some disagreement over the years about who inspired the image of Rosie. But historians have recently settled on Naomi Parker, an attractive young woman who was photographed in just such a bandanna and coveralls working an industrial machine at the Alameda Naval Air Station in California in 1942.

Today, travelers can learn about the legacy of the fictional Rosie, Parker and thousands of other women who contributed to the wartime production at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California.

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A gathering of Rosies at the national historical park

Utah scenery at Golden Spike National Historical Park

In 1956, there was no bigger stage in America than that of “The Ed Sullivan Show.” And on September 9 of that year, “The Ed Sullivan Show” helped catapult up-and-coming musician Elvis Presley into superstardom.

More than 60 million people watched Presley’s debut performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” where he sang “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “Ready Teddy” and a few verses of “Hound Dog.” The performance cemented Presley as a superstar and was perhaps the most significant act on the show until the Beatles arrived in 1964.

Today, the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York is still a hot spot for television production: David Letterman taped his “Late Show” there for decades, and his successor, Stephen Colbert, taped there, too, until the pandemic began. Groups can arrange for tickets during trips to Manhattan. And there’s much more to learn about Presley and his performing legacy at the legendary Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee.

G R AC E L A N D.C O M

R E A L H I S T ORY

R IG H T NOW

COURTESY NPS

Plan your trip today.

Golden Spike National California poppies Historical Park

JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT

AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN COURTESY NPS

COURTESY NPS

Elvis on ‘Ed Sullivan’

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jyfmuseums.org G R O U P T R AV E L L E A D E R . C O M

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Selma to Montgomery March America’s civil rights era produced numerous iconic moments and memorable images. Perhaps none is more triumphant, though, than the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, in which activists John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of protestors across Selma, Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge.

The successful march across the bridge was especially significant because an earlier attempt had ended in disaster when authorities violently beat back protestors in an event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. The attention garnered by the march was instrumental in leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later in the same year.

Travelers can commemorate this momentous march in numerous ways. They can attend the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which takes place each March or see the still-standing Edmund Pettus Bridge during a trip to Selma. The city’s National Voting Rights Museum has much more information about the march and the civil rights era.

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Moon Landing

Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge

Ohio’s Armstrong Air and Space Museum

On July 20, 1969, Americans watched in rapt anticipation as Neil Armstrong ventured out of the Apollo 11 lunar module and became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. His words in that moment became legendary: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

In that moment, Armstrong and the legions of NASA employees who made the moon landing possible cemented America as the definitive winner of the space race, securing a key victory in the Cold War and inspiring legions of children to dream of becoming astronauts. Historians estimate that more than 650 million people watched the event live.

Many artifacts from the moon landing and the Apollo program are now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington. But travelers can also learn more about Armstrong and his pioneering career at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in his hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio.

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COURTESY ARMSTRONG AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

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Miracle on Ice

BY ART MERIPOL, COURTESY ALABAMA TOURSIM

In 1980, there was no more intimidating athletic force than the national ice hockey team from the Soviet Union. The Russian team comprised professional players and had won gold in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games. So when the U.S. team of younger amateurs took the ice to face them in the medal round of the 1980 games, few onlookers expected them to emerge victorious.

During that hockey match, which took place in Lake Placid, New York, the American team put on a stunning performance and cemented its place in sports history by defeating the Russians 4-3. The match came to be known as the Miracle on Ice. Travelers today can relive this moment and learn more about the 1980 games at the Lake Placid Olympic Sites. Adjacent to the site where that famous hockey game was played, the Lake Placid Olympic Museum features memorabilia and exhibits about the Miracle on Ice and other moments from the Winter Olympics.

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GEORGIA

By Jill Gleeson

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here’s no doubt about it: Georgia is absolutely peachy, and we’re not just talking about the beloved agricultural crop that gives it its nickname.

Boasting the largest land area of any state east of the Mississippi, Georgia offers a huge variety of attractions within its borders. Groups will find a wide variety of opportunities in this jewel of the Southeast, from big-city attractions in Atlanta to smaller but no less singular wonders in the state’s small towns.

Long and triangular like an inverted piece of peach pie, Georgia is also graced from its mountainous north to its lowland south by the legendary charm and hospitality of its residents. Groups are welcomed warmly, whether they’re visiting Savannah’s Spanish moss-draped public squares or taking in college town energy in Athens.

Next time your travel group heads to the Peach State, include some of these experiences in your itinerary.

Diners enjoy a leisurely brunch at Soho South restaurant in Savannah’s historic district.

BY GEOFF JOHNSON, COURTESY VISIT SAVANNAH

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National WWII Museum

Atlanta Motor Speedway COURTESY ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

POPULAR DEMAND ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

With a roaring crowd hundreds of thousands strong and the thick, throaty zoom of race cars as they hurtle around the track, there’s nothing quite like race day at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But even if your group can’t make a NASCAR event, they’ll love a tour of the facility, which includes visits to a suite, the garages, Victory Lane and even three laps around the 1.54-mile track in Speedway vans. There are loads of places within the Speedway where groups can sit for a spell and take in the unique ambiance, so think about bringing boxed lunches.

Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah

COURTESY VISIT SAVANNAH

Cartersville’s Booth Western Art Museum

PHOTOS COURTESY BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM

SAVANNAH HISTORIC DISTRICT

Still regarded as one of the most popular U.S. cities for tourists, Savannah shines in its Historic Landmark District, the largest in the country. Highlights include some 100 restaurants; 22 park squares, like the 30-acre Forsyth Park; museums galore; and historic churches, too. There’s almost too much to see and do, so groups might want to begin exploring the cobblestone streets with a trolley tour, which gives a good overview of the gorgeous city.

BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM

A painting at the Booth

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Tucked away in Cartersville, a town of just 21,000, the stunning, 120,000-square-foot Booth Western Art Museum specializes in exhibiting contemporary Western art. Among the showstoppers on display in the Smithsonian affiliate are works from renowned artist Howard Terpning, a collection of letters written and signed by American presidents and Civil War art from the past four decades. The Booth happily offers groups docent-led tours free of charge.

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Savoy Automobile Museum

UP AND COMING

BY KEVIN ROSE, COURTESY ACVB

GEORGIA AQUARIUM

Group visitors can now get close to the briny deep’s most feared fish thanks to the Georgia Aquarium’s new gallery, “Sharks! Predators of the Deep.” The 1.2 million-gallon saltwater exhibit that features the apex predators swimming behind floorto-ceiling acrylic windows debuted in October 2020. It offers groups the unparalleled opportunity to spot species such as great hammerhead and tiger sharks in a massive 20-foot-deep, 185-foot-long tank, one of the world’s largest exhibits of its kind.

A shark exhibit at Georgia Aquarium

SAVOY AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM

It’s been a while coming, but by fall of this year, the Savoy Automobile Museum should be open in Cartersville. Situated on 35 acres, it will feature three temporary exhibition galleries and one permanent exhibit in a 70,000-square-foot main museum that will also provide a presentation theater and private dining rooms for groups. All told, the institution will boast space to exhibit 1,000 cars of all kinds, guaranteeing that motorcoach tours will always find something to love at the Savoy.

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COURTESY ACVB & ATLANTAPHOTOS.COM

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COURTESY SAVOY AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM

Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium

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MERCER MUSIC AT CAPRICORN

In its heyday during the 1970s, Macon’s Capricorn Sound Studios was where legends like the Allman Brothers, Percy Sledge and the Charlie Daniels Band made music. But bankruptcy shuttered the building for nearly four decades until Mercer University came along and helped save this crucial bit of recording history. Reopened since early 2020, the complex now offers a 1,200-square-foot museum filled with ephemera like ticket stubs, photographs and T-shirts, as well as interactive kiosks where groups can explore the Capricorn catalog.

The studios are open for tours, too.

Mercer Music at Capricorn COURTESY MERCER UNIVERSITY

MEMORABLE MEALS SHACKELFORD HOUSE

Known to locals around Albany as the Pink House, the Monticello-style Shackleford House was designed by celebrated architect Edward Vason Jones, who is credited with renovating 25 rooms in the White House. With gorgeous detailing like hand-carved molding, trim and doors, the structure is primarily used as a wedding venue. However, Shackelford House welcomes groups for catered meals from area enterprise Stewbos, which serves carefully crafted dishes with regionally sourced ingredients, like homemade pecan pie.

Elegant dining at Albany’s Shackleford House PHOTOS COURTESY SHACKLEFORD HOUSE

The Shackleford exterior

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MEMORABLE MEALS FIVE AND TEN

One of the state’s most celebrated eateries and with good reason, Five and Ten perches prettily within a historic house in Athens on the University of Georgia’s Sorority Row. The digs are lovely, but even more impressive is the cuisine, best described as American soul food with French and Italian influences. Owner and celebrity chef Hugh Acheson, a two-time James Beard Award winner, accepts reservations from tour groups, but travelers may be seated in several different rooms.

Grilling oysters at Barnsley Resort

PHOTOS COURTESY FIVE AND TEN

A Five and Ten frogmore stew

BY HANNAH LAZANO

O V E R N I G H T S E N S AT I O N S BARNSLEY RESORT

The gardens at Barnsley Resort

From horseback and bike riding to archery and canoeing — plus fishing, golfing and group activities like Fire Kettle Cooking School — there’s so much to do at the Barnsley Resort that groups may never want to leave. In the bucolic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia, the estate dates back nearly two centuries. In 2018, the resort expanded to offer 150 rooms and suites, now offering plenty of space for groups of any size.

PHOTOS COURTESY BARNSLEY RESORT

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BY ANDREW THOMAS LEE

Dining al fresco at Five and Ten in Athens

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Historic Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel in Americus

HISTORIC BEST WESTERN PLUS WINDSOR HOTEL

Built in 1892, this historic beauty takes up almost an entire block of little Americus, and the charming town is all the better for it. Despite numerous and extensive renovations, including one completed just last year, the Windsor has managed to retain its Victorian stylings, including a soaring three-story open atrium lobby. That’s no doubt one reason the property is a favorite of celebrities like former President Jimmy Carter, as well as group travelers.

EXPLOREGEORGIA.ORG

COURTESY BEST WESTERN PLUS WINDSOR HOTEL

SOME PEOPLE SEE A PILE OF TOOLS. WE SEE A WAY TO HELP IMPROVE A DESTINATION IN NEED.

Tourism Cares can help you see the world differently. By participating in our outreach, education and volunteering programs you’ll be able to more successfully connect needs to opportunities.

And, you’ll gain the direction, networking, tools and skills required to shape a more resilient and sustainable future for the destinations and communities we all sell and rely upon. Join us and unite with your industry colleagues to harness the transformative power of travel.

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Groups will find dozens of fountains around Kansas City, such as this one in front of its historic Union Station.

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TOWN CENTRAL MISSOURI HAS A CITY FOR ANY GROUP

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BY ELIZABETH HEY

issouri is easy to visit and hard to forget.

The Show Me state has a laid-back Midwestern vibe, but don’t let that fool you. It also features exceptional museums, entertainment and outdoor diversions.

Year-round, Branson delivers a good time from its ever-evolving entertainment and attractions to the yesteryear setting at Silver Dollar City. Columbia buzzes with culture and sports at the University of Missouri, and your group can pick from a host of outdoor activities.

Tantalizing barbecue, rich culture and more than 200 sparkling fountains — more than any other city in the world except Rome — characterize Kansas City. In Joplin, several famous American artists have contributed their creativity to this Missouri town that had the good fortune to be on Route 66. And in Springfield, your group can head to the largest outdoor retailer in the world, tour a cave or dine at the new Metro Eats community project.

B R A NSON Surrounded by the Ozark Mountains, Branson continues to build on its reputation as the entertainment capital of the Midwest.

In 2020, Branson’s Silver Dollar City was named the No. 1 Amusement Park in the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards and the best park at Christmas for the third year running. Opened last summer, Mystic River Falls is considered an engineering marvel. It touts a rotating four-platform, eight-story lift and “The Tallest Drop on a Water Raft Ride in the Western Hemisphere.”

Entertainment in Branson appeals to all interests. The new musical “Jesus” at the faith-based Sight and Sound Theatre showcases dazzling special effects and an original score. Dean Z, star of the hit international touring production “Elvis Lives,” combines a 10-piece band and immersive video for his high-energy tribute show that begins with Elvis’ 1950s hits and wraps up with his 1970s Vegas performances. “Escape Reality,” a world-class illusion and comedy dinner show, stars Garry and Janine Carson, who produce award-winning Las

BY JONATHON TASSLER, COURTESY VISIT KC G R O U P T R AV E L L E A D E R . C O M

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Smallin Civil War Cave Vegas productions. The Amazing Acrobats of Shanghai are celebrating 22 years in Branson with their new “Shanghai Circus,” featuring breathtaking acrobatics, dance, magic and aerial feats.

Noteworthy attractions include the Aquarium at the Boardwalk, with up-close views of sea creatures, and an original 5D submarine adventure. State-of-the-art technology at FlyRide, inside Beyond the Lens, will have your group soaring over mountaintops and lakes in a suspended multiperson ride that glides and tilts, giving the sensation of true flight. And at Fritz’s Adventure, an outdoor flying experience opens this month.

“Groups are flocking here to enjoy both the aquarium and story of Jesus,” said Lynn Berry, director of communications for Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And at Dean Z, some audience members have been moved to tears because he portrays Elvis so authentically.”

SPR I NGF I E L D Not far from Branson, Springfield offers activity options for foodies, outdoor explorers and history lovers alike.

When Metro Eats opens in early summer, Springfield’s culinary scene will bring together farm and city in this creative community project. Food trucks and cargo containers, an indoor food hall and the Where House bar are in the works. Artisan boutiques will sell items from handmade soaps to cheese and much more. Weekly farmers markets with up to 120 vendors and monthly festivals will fill out the calendar packed with live entertainment. The park’s greenhouses will host cooking, planting and gardening classes to educate and entertain.

A visit to Springfield isn’t complete without a shopping spree at the world’s first and largest Bass Pro Shops store: Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. Chock full of outdoor gear, this retail giant houses the free NRA National Sporting Arms Museum, the Archery Hall of Fame and exhibits that detail the history of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. The adja-

COURTESY MDT

cent Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium has been named best new attraction and best aquarium in USA Today reader polls.

“People are surprised at how much there is to do here,” said Susan Wade, public relations manager at the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Groups are really pleased with attractions like Bass Pro and Wonders of Wildlife because of the quality of the experience and the attention to detail.”

Your group can explore Missouri’s reputation as the Cave State in this region. At 11 stories high, the Smallin Civil War Cave boasts the state’s largest cave opening; guided tours recount its history and geology. For the adventurous, there’s a two-hour wild-cave tour. At Fantastic Caverns, a Jeep-drawn tram will guide your group through one of the few caves in the world large enough to ride through.

“Groups are really pleased with attractions like Bass Pro and Wonders of Wildlife because of the quality of the experience and the attention to detail.”

— SUSAN WADE

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Fritz’s Adventure in Branson COURTESY BRANSON LAKES AREA CVB

Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium

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“Jesus” at Sight & Sound Theatre

COURTESY BRANSON LAKES AREA CVB

A Beetle Bailey statue in Columbia

COLU M B I A On the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, guided tours explore the Mizzou Botanic Garden. Since its inception, this living museum has sustained thousands of plants displayed among famous icons, such as Jefferson’s original grave marker and the Columns of Academic Hall.

Nearby, the award-winning Shelter Gardens supports more than 15,000 annuals and perennials and 300 varieties of trees and shrubs. Five miles from downtown, Rock Bridge State Park sits on more than 2,200 acres. Interpretive programs range from caves and karst systems to bats and ecosystems. Groups can explore the park’s namesake rock bridge, sinkholes, a natural spring and an underground stream in its seven-mile-long cave system known as the “Devil’s Icebox.

“The Mizzou Botanic Garden is an experience people don’t expect because the entire campus is considered part of the gardens,” said Megan McConachie, strategic communications manager for the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Rock Bridge State Park has always been one of my favorite spots because you can have so many different kinds of geological experiences.”

Via the MKT Spur, cyclists of all experience levels can hop on the Katy Trail that ranks as the nation’s longest converted rails-to-trails project. Pastoral landscapes, impressive limestone bluffs and stunning views of the Missouri River are highlights. Several miles west of Columbia, the trail’s only railroad tunnel is in charming Rocheport, where your group will also find boutique restaurants and shops, as well as the award-winning Les Bourgeois Vineyards. Opt for a wine tasting or a behind-the-scenes tour of the production facility. Afterward, dine in their award-winning Blufftop Bistro, with panoramic river views, or in the A-Frame Wine Garden, always popular for picnics.

University of Missouri in Columbia COURTESY COLUMBIA CVB

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A Route 66 mural in Joplin

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BB’s Lawnside Barbecue in Kansas City

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Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

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BY DEREK SLAGLE, COURTESY VISIT KC

National World War I Museum and Memorial

K A NSA S C I T Y For an authentic introduction to Kansas City, dig into a plate of barbecue with KC Barbecue Tours. Visit four restaurants that showcase KC originals and “hidden gem” local favorites, or three restaurants on a BBQ and Beer tour.

Transportation is provided via minicoach, but a step-on guide can be arranged for larger groups.

Downtown, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s yearlong celebration commemorates the 101st anniversary of the leagues’ formation. Alongside its evergreen exhibits, Negro Leagues 101 will offer programs and events to honor the rich history of Black baseball and its impact on America.

Originally dedicated in 1926, the Liberty Memorial houses the country’s first and only museum focused solely on World War I. A new virtual reality experience opens this month called “War Remains.” It brings to life the conflict on the Western Front from a soldier’s viewpoint. Don’t miss the elevator ride to the memorial’s top for a panoramic city view.

Nearby, the Crown Center touts restaurants, shops, the Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium and the Hallmark Visitors Center. A glass-covered skywalk connects to Union Station, the restored grand dame of Kansas City’s railroad days.

Spend the afternoon at the Model Railroad Experience and Science City, or catch a live theater production, a planetarium show or an extreme-screen movie.

In the Kansas City suburb of Independence, an all-new experience awaits at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. One of only 14 presidential libraries nationwide, it will reopen later this year with state-of-the-art technology after the largest renovation in its history.

“PhotoSpiva is the longest running photography competition west of the Mississippi. Jurors are internationally known photographers and educators, and all the chosen entries are on display every March and April.” — KERSTIN LANDWER COURTESY VISIT KC

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Red Oak II in Joplin

JOPL I N Route 66 bisects downtown Joplin, and City Hall remains part of the Mother Road’s history. Originally known as the Newman Brothers department store, the 1910 Chicagostyle structure houses Thomas Hart Benton’s last signed mural. Its story includes Benton’s grandson, Anthony Benton Gude, whose mural hangs alongside his grandfather’s work.

Continuing along Route 66, a step-on guide will point out Joplin’s architecture and more than 15 murals that attest to Joplin’s history. En route, the Spiva Center for the Arts attracts visitors to their exhibits and art workshops.

“Spiva is such a treasure, and they’re moving to a larger, multiuse building in 2022,” said Kerstin Landwer, director of sales for Visit Joplin MO. “PhotoSpiva is the longest running photography competition west of the Mississippi. Jurors are internationally known photographers and educators, and all the chosen entries are on display every March and April.”

History, faith and architecture converge on Joplin’s Sacred Places tour. Highlights include historic places of worship, among them a church that was built in 1930 as a Fox Theatre.

Also noteworthy is the Murphysburg District, which is on the national historic registry. And the Joplin History and Mineral

COURTESY VISIT JOPLIN MO

Museum boasts a larger collection than the Smithsonian.

Just off Route 66, artist Lowell Davis, known as the Norman Rockwell of Rural Art, re-created his hometown of Red Oak, which had become a ghost town after World War II. Davis bought homes and businesses from the town site and other rural ghost towns and moved them to Red Oak II. The Belle Starr house, where the infamous lady outlaw grew up, and a 1920s cottage-style Phillips 66 gasoline station are among the privately owned buildings.

V I S I T M O.C O M

IN SETTING THE STAGE FOR YOUR NEXT GROUP ADVENTURE There’s a reason Branson has consistently been voted a top group travel destination; we take vacationing together seriously.

Lenni Neimeyer, CTIS, CSTP | lneimeyer@bransoncvb.com | 417-243-2105 GROUP THE

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OKLAHOMA CITY IS A TOWN WITH A SOUL

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BY ROBIN ROENKER

klahoma City, the capital and largest city of Oklahoma, bills itself as “The Modern Frontier.” And it’s easy to see why. Founded during the famed Land Rush of 1889 that first opened Oklahoma Territory to non-Native settlement, the city celebrates its past as one of America’s first Western outposts while boasting a diverse mix of thriving, modern downtown dining and entertainment districts.

There’s no shortage of things to see and do in OKC, as the city is known to locals, from the poignant Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, which pays tribute to those lost in the 1995 bombing of the city’s Murrah Federal Building, to a day trip to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, which boasts one of the world’s largest collections of glass art by famed maker Dale Chihuly.

But no trip to the city would be complete without a tour of its rich history and heritage, on display at a wide array of sites that celebrate the people, places and cultures that make OKC unique.

Oklahoma’s 1963 Classen Inn honors the golden age of Route 66 travel with midcentury modern decor.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OKC CVB

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Set to open in September, the long-anticipated First Americans Museum, on the banks of the Oklahoma River, will include state-of-the-art exhibits of Native American culture and art, as well as live educational demonstrations. Its Discovery Center will include immersive, hands-on activities, and its on-site, full-service restaurant will offer Native-inspired cuisine. The museum store will feature handmade items crafted by the state’s premier Native American artisans.

The new facility promises to offer visitors a great starting point to explore the collective histories of the 39 distinctive First American Nations present in Oklahoma today. The museum’s planned Tribal Nations Gallery 30

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will include 140 objects on long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

“I love that it is completely owned and operated by the 39 tribes,” said Sandy Price, vice president of tourism at the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It is the first time they have felt like they have been able to tell their story the way they want to tell it.”

NAT IONA L COW BOY A N D W E S T E R N H E R I TAGE M USEU M

Founded in 1955, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum houses one of the nation’s premier

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The mad dash to stake claims in Oklahoma City’s Land Rush of 1889 is captured in life-size drama through the 45 bronze figures that make up the city’s Centennial Land Rush Monument. Created by artist Paul Moore and located in a city park near the Bricktown Canal, the series of figures depicts the varied participants of that historic day, from the gentleman in charge of the noon-sharp cannon blast that started the run to the men on horseback and families in wagons racing to find the launching point of their new lives in the American West.

“It’s like the whole energy of that day is frozen in time,” Price said. “Everyone is depicted in motion. At some point, the monuments cross the Bricktown Canal, and the entire park just makes a great place for group photos.”

Centennial Land Run Monument

CON E S TOG A WAG ONS A N D T E PE E S AT T H E OR R FA M I LY FA R M

Orr Family Farm

collections of Western history, art and culture.

Its exhibits include works of art by famed cowboy artist Charles M. Russell, weapons and day-to-day relics from the settling of the American West, an in-depth look at pioneers of American Rodeo and a rich sampling of Native American artifacts, among other highlights.

Recently, the museum added Liichokoshkomo’ — Chickasaw for “Let’s Play” — a new, 100,000-square-foot outdoor space for learning and family fun. Visitors can try their hand at tasks from the Old West such as grinding corn, weaving on a giant loom or loading a pioneer wagon. The outdoor exhibit also includes life-size replicas of several Native-style buildings, including a Kiowa tepee, a Puebloan cliff dwelling, a prairie sod house and a Chickasaw council house.

A visit to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in tandem with a stop at the new First Americans Museum will “truly be the best of cowboys and Indians within 15 minutes of each other,” Price said.

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Groups wanting a taste of frontier life will want to consider an overnight stay at the Orr Family Farm, where Conestoga wagons and tepees offer an unusual glamping experience that blends the historic mystique of the Old West with must-have modern amenities, including luxury bedding, charging ports and private bathrooms and showers at each site.

Though offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the entire campground can host only up to 100 guests and is best suited to hosting smaller groups, Price said.

Accommodations include a four- or five-person tepee, a four- or six-person wagon, or the less glamorous “camper” wagons that can fit up to eight people in bunk beds. Groups can include an optional Campfire Meal of hotdogs, chips and lemonade.

Both wagons and tepees are temperature controlled, and guests can enjoy access to charcoal grills and fire pits as well as the farm’s many activities, among them a gem mine, a fun yard, a playground, a fishing pond and a swim spa.

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Fans of midcentury modern style might prefer a night’s stay at Oklahoma City’s Classen Inn. Recently renovated, this classic 1963 motor lodge boasts plenty of retro flair with furnishings and decor that are a nod to bygone American road trips of the past.

As a testament to Oklahoma City’s historic location along Route 66, the Classen Inn offers 15 guest rooms, all done in midcentury colors and themes.

Several rooms include a private balcony, offering guests a wonderful spot to relax and unwind while taking in the inn’s iconic “Googie”-style architecture, a futuristic style heavy on geometric shapes that was influenced by the Space and the Atomic ages of the 1940s through 1960s.

“Groups can rent the whole hotel,” Price said. “It’s a very cute, very fun, very cool hotel.”

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Oklahoma History Center

OK L A HOM A H IS TORY C E N T E R

Home to collections that explore Oklahoma’s Native populations as well as its early settlement, the civil rights era, the modern scientific contributions of its residents and more, the Oklahoma History Center offers something of interest for every visitor.

Situated on 18 acres, the center features over 200,000 square feet of exhibits that focus on everything from the state’s natural geology and cultural heritage to the evolution of commerce and transportation in the region.

The newest exhibit, “Launch to Landing,” includes a Skylab 4 Apollo Command Module and focuses on telling the story of Oklahomans in the U.S. Space Program, as well as those who played pivotal roles in early U.S. aviation history.

Another popular exhibit, “Realizing the Dream,” lets visitors view re-creations of important sites in Oklahoma’s civil rights history, including Richard Lewis’ barbershop and Clara Luper’s living room.

The museum’s Sam Noble Gallery includes a tribute to the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma!” and the ways that it shaped a new era in modern American musical theater. Other key exhibits explore the roles of the natural gas and oil industries in the state and Oklahoma’s rich military history.

The History Center is “very hands-on and covers a wide scope of the history of Oklahoma,” said Price.

Liichokoshkomo’ at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

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THE MODERN FRONTIER

Experience a combination of history, innovation, nostalgia and energy during your next group visit to Oklahoma City.

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B I R DWATC H I N G I S T H E PE R F EC T G RO U P O U T I N G

Hundreds of thousands of Sandhill cranes converge on Kearney during their yearly migragion

BY TOM ADKINSON

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COURTESY VISIT KEARNEY

ook! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! And another bird!

And another bird!

That’s the joy of bird-watching. It’s an easyto-do, low-cost-of-entry outdoor activity that keeps on giving, and that makes it an excellent component of leisure tours, if not the primary focus.

Birds, of course, are everywhere, but there are destinations where you’re guaranteed birding success, whether success is seeing lots of birds or seeing unusual ones. Many of those destinations come with built-in advantages and expert assistance.

Here are some examples. Pack your binoculars, a notebook and some walking shoes, and start looking.

ARTWORK BY DONIA SIMMONS

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Avian finds in Cape May

Red-bellied woodpeckers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

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ON THE JERSEY SHORE Cape May, which bills itself as America’s first seaside resort, isn’t what many expect of New Jersey. Its Victorian architecture, structures built after a massive fire in the 1870s and now preserved, landed part of the town on the National Register of Historic Places, but the overwhelming majority of its visitors don’t care.

That’s because those visitors are avian transients headed north or south, depending on the season. They fly through Cape May because it’s effectively the bottom of a funnel as they travel along the coast. Multiple habitats — the Atlantic Coast, Delaware Bay, marshes, meadows — appeal to a variety of species.

“That’s why you’ll often see Cape May on top-10 lists of birding locations in the U.S. or even the world,” said Gretchen Whitman, director of the Nature Center of Cape May, one of several New Jersey Audubon facilities.

Experienced birders might count 200 species on a spring day, Whitman said, while adding that no experience is necessary to enjoy birding.

“The appeal is that it can be done anytime and anywhere,” she said. “It is an easy way to connect with nature, and it provides reasons to explore new places.”

The blue-roofed nature center itself offers a great introduction to area birding, and it has step-on guides to lead groups to various locations. Among them is the Hawk View Platform at Cape May Point State Park, which overlooks ponds, meadows and the beach. It provides visitors with perspectives on various habitats and the birds that frequent them.

Spring migration attracts humans, who particularly like seeing shorebirds such as red knots, a threatened species; semipalmated sandpipers; and ruddy turnstones, along with common songbirds such as warblers and robins, which almost everyone can identify. In fall, birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and ospreys command much attention.

“There’s a related bonus in Cape May in September when monarch butterflies pass through headed south, and everyone loves butterflies,” Whitman said.

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BY ROYCE BALL, COURTESY PICKERING CREEK AUDUBON CENTER

ON MARYLAND’S EASTERN SHORE Farther down the coast, the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore are famous for sailboats and crabs feasts — and year-round bird-watching, particularly waterfowl.

That’s why tour leaders seeking to please and educate all clients visit the Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art in Salisbury. It showcases the world’s largest public collection of decorative and antique waterfowl decoys and is the site of the largest bird-carving competition in the world: the Ward World Championship.

Also in Salisbury is Pemberton Historical Park, with 4.5 miles of nature trails and an enviable variety of bird-friendly habitats: tidal and freshwater wetlands, freshwater ponds, upland pines, hardwood forest and meadows.

Opportunities to see waterfowl on the wing abound in winter, when Canada geese, trumpeter swans, snow geese and many kinds of ducks take up residence.

“We on the Eastern Shore are well positioned on the Eastern Flyway to see migrant and resident species,” said Mark Scallion of the Pickering Creek Audubon Center near Easton, which Scallion said has step-on Audubon guides and an array of volunteer experts that enjoy meeting tour groups.

The 400-acre Pickering Creek Audubon Center works well for groups. It offers six miles of trails and 90 acres of freshwater wetlands that once were farm fields. Scallion said his site offers five species of woodpeckers and many opportunities to listen for wood thrushes, whose call he described as the most melodic of all songbirds in summer.

They winter in Central America and southern Mexico.

Scallion said a historic site, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park in Cambridge, doubles as an appealing birding location because of enjoyable walking paths and proximity to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

“The Blackwater Refuge is good for winter waterfowl, and it is a great location to see bald eagles,” Scallion said. “You often can see single eagles, and sometimes you’ll see groups.”

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Point Reyes National Seashore IN THE HEARTLAND For about six weeks every year in late February through early April, avian magic happens along the Platte River in Nebraska, and it’s a guaranteed way to show a group one of the world’s great migrations. More than 80% of all sandhill cranes converge in this river valley, along with millions of ducks and geese in a bigger time window, on the way north to their breeding grounds. It’s a refueling stop for 600,000 of the impressive birds, which can stand up to four feet tall and have wingspans of up to six feet.

Visit Kearney is well positioned to help groups see this spectacle by offering tips on locations, times and viewing etiquette. At the top of the list of viewing locations is the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary, just 20 minutes from Kearney and directly along the Platte River. Another 15 miles away is the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center.

If you’re extremely lucky, you may see a fellow traveler among the sandhill: one of only about 500 whooping cranes in existence. Roger Jasnoch, executive director at Visit Kearney, knows that excitement. It took him 20 years to spy his first whooping crane, and he’s delighted to report subsequent successes.

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Sunset in Kearney

BY CARLO ARREGLO, COURTESY NPS

O U T W E S T AT P O I N T R E Y E S You can’t go much farther west than Point Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better birding location, whether casual or expert.

Carlo Arreglo, a National Park Service ranger/naturalist, suggests starting at the Bear Valley Visitor Center for a 15-minute introductory film and immediate bird sightings.

Among them right there are acorn woodpeckers, which Arreglo describes as loud and gregarious. Another species you may hear rather than see is the California quail, whose call is oddly Midwestern. “‘Chicago, Chicago, Chicago’ is what the California quail sings,” Arreglo said.

Perhaps the most photographed spot here is the Point Reyes Lighthouse, and since your group is going there anyway, know what birds to seek. Expect brown pelicans in fall and migrating common murres — which Arreglo says aren’t really that common — pigeon guillemots, loons and surf scoters — a medium-size sea duck — in spring.

Black oystercatchers are here all year, and you may see a peregrine falcon. Pat yourself on the back if you see a tufted puffin. It’s possible.

If you’re willing to walk the 1.5-mile trail to Abbott’s Lagoon, this is the place to see winter ducks and raptors.

Black-shouldered kites, which are small raptors, are common in fall and winter. Walk carefully on the sandy beaches in spring and early summer because this is a nesting area for threatened western snowy plovers.

Be on the lookout, too, for the common yellowthroat.

It’s a white, yellow and brown warbler with a distinctive black band across its eyes. You could almost think of it as an avian raccoon or, perhaps, the Lone Ranger.

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Sandhill cranes on the Platte River PHOTOS COURTESY VISIT KEARNEY

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A beautiful bird in Beaumont IN THE TEXAS SUN

Pacific coast birds at Point Reyes

BY CARLO ARREGLO, COURTESY NPS

A Beaumont sunset

A seabird on the Texas coast

Beaumont wetlands

Rob Ripma is a Hoosier and loves birding so much that he created a tour company that takes him out of Indiana to show exotic locales around the world to dedicated birders and nature photographers. Texas is among his favorite U.S. destinations.

“The upper Gulf Coast absolutely is one of the hot migration locations in the U.S., and Beaumont is a great base of operations,” said Ripma, owner of Sabrewings Tours. “This is a great place to see a huge number of species.”

Beaumont’s region is famous because it features both the Mississippi Flyway and the Central Flyway, migratory routes thousands of miles long and traveled by hundreds of species.

Complementing the migratory routes are multiple habitats that attract birds in transit: coastline, marshes, meadows, piney woods and more.

The Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau has published extensive resources for birders that are ready guides for tour operators. One publication features 28 birding trails, all accredited by Texas Parks and Wildlife, within a 40-mile radius.

They lead you to places such as High Island, Big Thicket National Preserve, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and Shangri La Botanical Gardens to see everything from bald eagles and pileated woodpeckers to roseate spoonbills.

One intriguing destination is Cattail Marsh, a 900-acre area of artificial and natural wetlands created by Beaumont’s water reclamation department. That might sound dull until you learn that Cattail Marsh provides habitat for 358 bird species — that’s almost half of all bird species in Texas — and that planners designed it with human visitors in mind.

Boardwalks, viewing platforms and levee walkways guarantee sightings of birds and other wildlife.

Ripma puts all these birding opportunities in perspective: “Birding is enjoyable because people are innately interested in birds,” he said. “You never know what you’re going to find.

It’s almost like your own personal treasure hunt. And you get to go places you might not see otherwise.”

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A birding tour in Beaumont

A handsome Texas duck PHOTOS COURTESY BEAUMONT CVB

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Tennes see

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Legendary Status THESE ATTRACTIONS ARE AMONG TENNESSEE’S HITS

The Grand Ole Opry

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BY TOM ADKINSON

he Grand Ole Opry, Elvis Presley and the Great Smoky Mountains: That trio of Tennessee travel treasures tops a list of destination prospects whenever you think of a Volunteer State tour.

These are just the highlights of a trip through Tennessee. Client-pleasing possibilities abound throughout this long and lean state. Let’s take a look at several of them, practically all with legendary status.

St a r t i n Na shv i l le

BY TOM ADKINSON

The 100th birthday of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry in 2025 is creeping up on the famous venue. The engineers who put WSM-AM radio on the air in 1925 never dreamed it would be possible their weekend program of down-home entertainers, some right off the farm, would be heard today through various media anywhere on earth.

The Opry, the longest-running radio show in history, has of course evolved since 1925. Its home most of the year is in the suburban 4,400seat Grand Ole Opry House; but especially in winter, it offers broadcasts from the venerable Ryman Auditorium in the heart of Nashville’s entertainment district. Much of its fame grew there from 1943 to 1972.

Its history carries the names of legends — Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline among them — and its current roster features household names such as Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Marty Stuart. Every show’s lineup is different.

Whether or not your group experiences the Opry at the Ryman, the historic building is worth a visit. It opened in 1894 as an ecumenical church, and its amazing story is told with a video program and a walkthrough tour that tells much of Nashville’s history. Today, it is one of the most popular small performance venues in the country. A-list artists who would otherwise never play a venue with only 1,700-seats eagerly book dates at the Ryman.

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BY CRAIG THOMPSON, COURTESY MEMPHIS TOURISM

Just as the Ryman helps tell Nashville’s history, the nearby Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum explains what country music is and how it came to be. You don’t have to like country music to thoroughly enjoy this museum.

Early this year, the National Museum of African American Music opened next door to the Ryman Auditorium, providing one more portal into Nashville’s reputation as Music City. Its popularity is sure to blossom.

On t o Memph i s

Elvis Presley performed at the Opry only once. It was early in his career, and it was not successful. He didn’t hold that against Nashville; he recorded extensively at Nashville’s RCA Studio B, which is open to groups, while he made Memphis his home.

Home, of course, is Graceland, which has grown to pilgrimage-worthy status for millions of fans. And while Graceland hasn’t grown bigger, the Graceland experience has.

Posing at Graceland

BY ALEX SHANSKY, COURTESY MEMPHIS TOURISM

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

BY DAN BALL, COURTESY MEMPHIS TOURISM

Memphis is a must-visit destination for music and history lovers traveling in Tennessee.

The Opry, the longest-running radio show in history, has of course evolved since 1925.

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Visiting the Ryman Auditorium

BY TOM ADKINSON

Make that “Graceland experiences.” Of course, the Graceland mansion commands center stage. Later stars may have built more palatial digs, but Graceland was a home. The tour includes Elvis’ living room, his parents’ bedroom, the TV room and the famous Jungle Room, which started somewhat as a lark.

Elvis Presley’s Memphis is the outgrowth of the Presley-mania that evolved after his death in 1977. It includes a career museum — the wall of gold and platinum records is a stunner— an automobile museum — check out his pink Cadillac— two customized Elvis airplanes and a collection of 10 immersive experiences that get you close to Elvis, at least in virtual and augmented-reality ways.

You can make Graceland your home base in Memphis at the 300room Guest House at Graceland and get live entertainment at the 1,600-seat Graceland Soundstage or the more intimate 464-seat Guest House Theater.

Elsewhere, the Rock ’n’ Soul Museum and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music deservedly are on many Memphis itineraries.

Think of the Rock ’n’ Soul Museum as an encyclopedia entry. The museum began as a short-term Smithsonian Institution project, and Memphis residents preserved it to help explain the city’s history and music. Country, gospel, soul and rock music coalesced in Memphis, particularly as 20th-century rural residents migrated to the city.

As a contrast, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music homes in on one musical style and the roller-coaster life of Stax Records. Stax started in 1957, and it was in 1960 that it assumed its internationally famous name, taking the first two letters of the founders’ names, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. Stax had a galaxy of stars: Among them were Rufus and Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, the Mar-Keys, Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye and the Staple Singers.

Perhaps Tennessee’s most famous historic hotel is the Peabody, known for its live ducks in a lobby fountain and an employee whose job title is duckmaster. Watching the ducks parade to and from the marble fountain is a treasured travel memory.

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Of f t o t he Mou nt a i n s

Ever-popular Great Smoky Mountains National Park inspires many tours. The mountains have attracted generations of leisure travelers while inspiring the growth of three visitor-oriented communities. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville existed before the park, but oh, how they have changed.

Gatlinburg is hemmed in by the park and is the most walkable of the three. Some in your group might be tempted to walk the flat, 1.9mile Gatlinburg Trail from the edge of town to the park’s Sugarlands Visitor Center for one of the park service’s most informative videos. It explains the park’s geologic creation, Native American heritage, pioneer influences, wildlife diversity — salamanders outweigh bears in total mass — and how the park came to be dedicated in 1940.

Pigeon Forge, once a tiny farming community centered on an 1830 gristmill that’s still operating, is in a river valley and, therefore, has more

The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge

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that nature created, a lover of European folklore enhanced and a barn painter made famous — has drawn visitors to the top of Lookout Mountain since 1932.

Lovers Leap at Rock City in Chattanooga

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open space than Gatlinburg. Its central parkway is lined with theaters, restaurants, hotels and a dizzying array of attractions. Among them are the Titanic Museum Attraction, which resembles the ill-fated ocean liner; a towering Ferris wheel; and a place for snow tubing year-round.

Dollywood, Tennessee’s most-visited attraction, is inside the city limits barely three miles from the parkway’s action.

Sevierville, the county seat, became part of the visitor scene with outlet shopping, restaurants, more lodging, golf, an indoor water park and a statue of a famous local celebrity. No need to guess who: A country-girl Dolly Parton in bronze is one of Tennessee’s most popular selfie locations.

“The mountains are our magic,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. “The Smokies bring visitors to our doorstep, and we are glad to entertain them, whether they explore deep into the national park or simply admire them from afar.”

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Rock City — the attraction

The Great Smoky Mountains COURTESY PIGEON FORGE TOURISM

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Dow n t o Ch att a noo g a Way

Chattanooga is popular with tour operators and not just because it is so accessible via interstates 75 and 24. Its physical landmarks — Lookout Mountain and Moccasin Bend in the mighty Tennessee River — are just the start of its many appeals.

It’s difficult to think of Chattanooga without reciting the names of its three most notable attractions: Rock City, Ruby Falls and the Incline Railway.

Rock City — the attraction that nature created, a lover of European folklore enhanced and a barn painter made famous — has drawn visitors to the top of Lookout Mountain since 1932. Its claim of seeing seven states from Lover’s Leap is known far and wide. Owners Garnet and Frieda Carter designed the whimsical fairyland and commissioned Clark Byers to paint “See Rock City” on barns across 19 states. A tourism legend was born.

The visitors center at Jack Daniels Distillery

BY MICHAEL TEDESCO, COURTESY EXPERIENCE LYNCHBURG

A “See Rock City” barn COURTESY ROCK CITY

Ruby Falls

Ba ck t o t he Hol low

Rock City COURTESY RUBY FALLS

Nearby, but inside Lookout Mountain, is Ruby Falls, a massive show cave and underground waterfall. The cave, open since 1929, was one of the first to be commercially lighted, and owners label Ruby Falls the tallest and deepest publicly accessible waterfall in the nation.

Visitors descend a 260-foot glass-front elevator to get the big view of the 145-foot-tall waterfall.

What the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway lacks in length, only one mile, it makes up for in scenery, a spectacular view of Chattanooga and the valley of the mighty Tennessee River. The funicular celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2020 by installing two new railcars with more window space, heating, new lighting and wheelchair accessibility. Build time into your schedule to take in the shops, restaurants and microbrewery tours in historic St. Elmo at the Incline’s lower station.

The Tennessee Aquarium opened in 1992 on the banks of the Tennessee River and is a youngster compared with its Lookout Mountain tourism cousins, but it is well on its way to treasured status as a group tour destination.

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A group hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Without doubt, Tennessee’s most famous export is an amber liquid in square bottles. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey is available almost everywhere in the world, but there’s only one distillery, and that’s in the tiny town of Lynchburg, 80 miles south of Nashville.

The Jack Daniel Distillery is exceedingly group friendly. For decades, visitors asked whether they could taste the product and were politely told that local law prevented that pleasure. A few years back, however, that changed, and you pick a dry tour only if that’s your desire.

After Jack Daniel birthed whiskey tourism in Tennessee, other distilleries began popping up, enough to inspire the 25-site Tennessee Whiskey Trail. If you wanted to, you could use it as a rough itinerary to visit tourism treasures all across Tennessee.

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BY TOM ADKINSON

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Staff Sound-off

HAVE YOU EVER VISITED A PLACE THAT WAS THE SITE OF AN ICONIC AMERICAN MOMENT?

HOW DID IT IMPACT YOU?

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PUBLISHER MAC LACY

originally wrote about visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial, which had a profound effect on me, but learned that Donia was living in Oklahoma City at the time, so I deferred to her account of that tragic moment in our country’s history.

Instead, in a total pivot, I’ll say that I was working here in Lexington with NTA and Jim Host in 1985 and was lucky enough to be given a front row ticket for the NCAA Championship game between Georgetown and Villanova.

I sat directly behind Villanova’s cheerleaders. It remains one of the most celebrated upsets in NCAA basketball history, as Villanova shocked Patrick Ewing and his defending champions. In the world of college athletics, which Jim helped to create, this was and remains an iconic moment.

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DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING SALES KYLE ANDERSON

GRAPHIC DESIGN & CIRCULATION ASHLEY RICKS

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CONTROLLER SARAH SECHRIST

e visited the Kentucky Military History Museum in Frankfort, Kentucky, a few years ago. I remember looking out the secret windows thinking there were soldiers in this spot a long time ago. The museum is perched overlooking the city, which is why they built the arsenal there, so the view protecting it is amazing. The museum is really cool, too.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR DONIA SIMMONS

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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@GROUPTR AVELLEADER .COM M AY 2 0 2 1

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iving in Maynard, Massachusetts, when I was little, I was never far from history, particularly early American history. My town was next to Acton, a few minutes from Concord and a short ride on the T into Boston. Even as a child I was fascinated by history and all the stories of Pilgrims, Native Americans, revolutionaries and authors of New England. I think it was much easier to see how history is connected to the events we’re surrounded by today and how it ultimately influenced my love of history and cultures from around the world.

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went to Gettysburg in eighth grade on a field trip, and seeing the battlegrounds and knowing the history really opened my eyes. It was eerie to stand on the same grounds where one of the most important battles in American history took place.

he site that impacted me the most was my visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in 2000, five years after the fateful Murrah Bombing. On April 19, 1995, I emerged from one of my college classes to hear the devastating news about the Murrah bombing.

The sight of the smoke rising, just a few miles from Oklahoma Christian University where I studied, is something I will never forget. The loss of life had a profound impact on me and still does to this day. Several years later, I worked with a gentleman who survived the blast in the elevator he had just stepped into. He carried in his wallet a time-stamped paper from his business in the Murrah building that day, a reminder that life is precious.

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