ON T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R FAITH-BASED TRAVEL PLANNERS VOL. 19 - NO. 4
JUNE/JULY 2016
PENNSYLVANIA
CLASSICS
HISTORY IN
MASSACHUSETTS
FOODIE TOWNS CONFERENCE
PREVIEW MIDWEST
TRAVEL GUIDE
Your group. This
mountaintop. His purpose .
Hold your next conference or ministry event in the beautiful surroundings of The Cove, Billy Graham’s retreat center. Our gracious accommodations, distinctive facilities, exceptional service, and responsive staff help
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
to provide the ideal, distraction-free atmosphere as your group seeks the leading of the Holy Spirit through the application of God’s Word. The Cove’s year-round facility rests on 1,200 secluded acres of rich forest, woodland streams, and hiking trails. To request a guest groups brochure, please visit TheCove.org or call 1-800-950-2092. A ministry of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
©2016 BGEA
458-Seat and 119-Seat Auditoriums 12 Additional Meeting and Breakout Rooms Warm and Inviting Guest Rooms Complete Audio and Visual Capabilities Delicious Cuisine • Excellent Service 24-Hour Complimentary Beverages
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HAGIA SOPHIA
GOF THE
MAGAZINE [ J U N E | J U LY 2 0 1 6 ]
F O R FA I T H - B A S E D T R AV E L
24
18 20 Pennsylvania
Memorable
Headliners
Foodie Towns
Don’t miss these top sites in the Keystone State.
These cities are serving up great cuisine.
Merrimack Valley
This Massachusetts region has seen epic American history.
DEPARTMEN TS Columns 6 EDITOR’S NOTES: Learning the dangers of hype
ON THE COVER: Traditional straw hats hang on a wall in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Photo by Juan Monino.
4
Spotlights
MIDWESTERN
TRAVEL GUIDE
30 Midwestern City Tours 33 Agritourism Experiences
News
10 HOW TO: Engage your
8 INDUSTRY NEWS
group
12 CONFERENCE PREVIEW: Ontario, Califor-
16 FATHOM launches purpose-driven cruises.
nia, prepares to welcome the Going On Faith Conference.
Mac T. Lacy Founder and Publisher
Brian Jewell Executive Editor
Eliza Myers Online Editor
Charles A. Presley Partner
Herb Sparrow Senior Writer
Christine Clough Copy Editor
Donia Simmons Creative Director
Ashley Ricks Circulation
David Brown Art Director
Stacey Bowman Account Manager
Going On Faith is published bimonthly by THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Inc., 301 East High Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40507, and is distributed free of charge to qualified group leaders who plan travel for churches, synagogues and religious organizations. All other travel suppliers, including tour operators, destinations, attractions, transportation companies, hotels, restaurants, and other travel-related companies, may subscribe to Going On Faith by sending a check for $39 for one year to: Going On Faith, Circulation Department, 301 East High Street, Lexington, KY 40507. Phone: (859) 253-0455 or (859) 253-0503. Copyright THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial or graphic content in any manner without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited.
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EDITOR’S
learning the NOTES dangers of HY PE BRI A N JEW EL L
M
y childhood heroes just broke my heart. If you paid any attention to contemporary Christian music in the 1990s, there was no escaping D.C. Talk, a trio that redefined the genre by blending an unapologetically evangelical message with first-rate songwriting and music production that drew heavily from the rap and rock’n’roll styles of the day. For young, impressionable music fans like me, D.C. Talk could do no wrong. I nearly wore out all of their CDs and saw them in concert several times. They were “Jesus freaks,” superstars and my musical heroes. By the late ’90s, there were whispers of tension in the group, and in 1999, after releasing their most mature and ambitious album, the group announced that they were going on break — an “intermission,” as they called it — to pursue solo projects. A year went by, then two, then five. And while the three always politely deflected questions about D.C. Talk’s future, it became increasingly clear to fans that the intermission was more of a permanent hiatus. Fast-forward to this spring: After 17 years of silence, the band began releasing hints on its social media channels that a big announcement was coming. Fans went wild. Everyone, including me, was anticipating a new album or a major reunion tour — either of which would be an instant success. There was a perfect mix of secrecy and hype, all building up to the date of the announcement. Like many other people, I tuned in online right when the announcement went live, and I’ll admit that my excitement level was pretty high. But all that anticipation was
quickly dashed to disappointment when I realized that, alas, there would be no new music. There would be no new tour. Instead, D.C. Talk would “reunite” to perform some of their old hits with a handful of other bands on a chartered cruise ship in 2017. A cruise is not a bad idea — the event is sure to sell out, give the group an opportunity to test the waters for a future reunion and even make a nice sum of money. But like me, many loyal, lifelong fans were severely disappointed by the major hype surrounding the minor announcement. The backlash on social media was swift and severe, forcing the band to make a public apology. There are a lot of lessons to learn here but only one that I want to leave with you today: Quality sells, but hype almost inevitably leads to disappointment. When you are recruiting travelers for a church group trip, there’s a temptation to exaggerate the positive aspects of the experience you’re selling. You can call it “amazing,” “wonderful” or even “life-changing.” But if you’re going to use strong language like that, you had better make sure that the travel experience lives up to the hype. Here’s a better alternative: Instead of hyping what you do, focus on building quality travel experiences that will delight your travelers. Deliver real value consistently, and make sure your trips exceed your travelers’ expectations. If you earn a reputation for creating excellent trips and meaningful interactions, you’ll have a long-lasting travel program that can make a big difference in people’s lives. But if the only thing you can consistently deliver is hype, you’re going to leave your travelers broken-hearted.
BRIAN JEWELL [ EDITOR ] brianj@grouptravelleader.com
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going on faith [ june | july 2016 ]
G R E A T E R
O N T A R I O
C A L I F O R N I A
e r o l p x Meet, e ect n n o c d n a
Greater Ontario is excited to host the Going on Faith Conference in 2016! Greater Ontario region boasts scenic mountains, deserts, vineyards and metropolitan areas that are both historic and cosmopolitan in character that make it Ideal for leisure and business travel. We look forward to welcoming you August 9 – 11 to Ontario, California. The Ontario International Airport lets you y right into the heart of Southern California. Registrations are now being accepted. A state-of-the-art convention center, world class shopping, awe inspiring weather, access to over 6000 guest rooms. All waiting for you when the business day is done. Meet, explore, connect in Greater Ontario, California. For more information on your next meeting experience, visit: discoverontariocalifornia.org/meetings 2000 E. Convention Center Way | Ontario, California 91764 909.937.3000 | 800.455.57.55 | info@ontariocvb.org
NEWS
REMEMBERING
WORTHY
MIKE NIELAND
Mike Nieland, founder of Blue Marble Journeys in Ankeny, Iowa, passed away April 21 as a result of an inoperable brain aneurysm. He was 59. After a career as a teacher in public and Christian high schools, Mike founded Blue Marble Journeys to share his passion for Bible study and faith-based travel with church groups around the country. He led trips to
Mike Nieland founded Blue Marble Journeys and led groups on tours of Israel, Jordan and faith-based destinations in the United States.
Israel, Jordan and other international destinations, as well as service trips and visits to popular faith-based attractions around the United States. Mike was a frequent attendee of the Going On Faith Conference and traveled with our staff on familiarization tours in Jordan and through the state of Georgia. He will be missed and remembered fondly throughout the travel industry.
MADAME TUSSAUDS TO OPEN AT OPRY MILLS IN NASHVILLE
GRAND CANYON’S EL TOVAR TO UNDERGO MAJOR REHAB
Courtesy Madame Tussauds
Courtesy Xanterra
GRAND CANYON, Arizona — Grand Canyon National Park’s iconic El Tovar hotel will close Jan. 1, 2017, for a major rehabilitation that will include substantial improvements to the building’s back-of-the-house facilities as well as public areas and guest rooms. The hotel will reopen April 14, 2017. One of the original great hotels of the national park system, El Tovar 8
going on faith [ june | july 2016 ]
opened in 1905 and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America. The rehabilitation will include extensive work on the HVAC systems; upgrades to electrical, safety, plumbing and security systems; painting guest rooms and corridors; replacing kitchen equipment; and replacing carpet in the dining room and lounge. www.grandcanyonlodges.com
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Madame Tussauds, the world-famous wax attraction, will open its seventh U.S. location in Nashville at Opry Mills in spring 2017. It will be Madame Tussauds’ first music-themed attraction and the only location in Tennessee. Madame Tussauds Nashville will celebrate the city’s and country’s iconic figures and music through the theme Soundtrack of America. This family-friendly attraction will
provide visitors with an interactive experience, where they will be able to touch, see, feel and photograph figures of their favorite musicians such as Carrie Underwood, Stevie Wonder and Johnny Cash. These wax figures are in addition to the more than 45 figures the attraction plans to debut over the next year. Guests will step into immersive scenes and musical performances that are unique to Madame Tussauds Nashville. www.merlinentertainments.biz
LOUISVILLE ZOO INTRODUCES NEW PENGUINS LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The Louisville Zoo has opened its newest exhibit, Penguin Cove, Little Penguin Conservation Center, which features the first blue penguins to be exhibited at the zoo. The nine blue penguins, also called little or fairy penguins, came to the zoo from the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. They had been temporarily housed at the Bronx Zoo while their exhibit space was being completed. Little penguins are considered the world’s smallest penguin species standing between 12 and 17 inches and weighing on average just over three pounds. They live in colonies along the southern coast of Australia, around the nearby island of Tasmania, and the coastline of New Zealand. The warm-climate penguins will complement the zoo’s Rockhopper penguins that reside in the chilled
exhibit in the Islands Pavilion at the zoo. Visitors can observe the penguins’ social and natural behaviors in an outdoor exhibit area and can have a one-on-one experience with the animals in a private interactive area. www.louisvillezoo.org
The Louisville Zoo’s new Penguin Cove exhibit features nine blue penguins from Australia. Courtesy Louisville Zoo
DISCOVER WHAT’S POSSIBLE There’s plenty to discover in Houston. Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria is located in the heart of Uptown Houston, steps away from The Galleria Shopping Center - Houston's #1 tourist attraction. This hotel features rooms that were designed with the traveler in mind. Built-in case goods are used throughout to give rooms a spacious, modern aesthetic feel. The theme is derived from the geological aspect of the oil & gas industry. Steel greys accented by earth tones and turquoise are found throughout. Book by June 30, 2016 and receive complimentary on-site bus parking and guest room for bus driver. Minimum of 10 rooms on peak.
HYATT REGENCY HOUSTON/GALLERIA 2626 SAGE ROAD HOUSTON, TX 77056 832 803 1234 HYATTREGENCYHOUSTONGALLERIA.COM
The trademark HYATT and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. ©Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]
9
E N G AG E YO U R G RO U P
W
by
BRIAN JEWELL
e often say that group travel builds community. But the reverse is also true: Community builds travel groups. If you want to grow your church’s travel ministry, one of the best ways to accomplish that is to grow the community of potential travelers in your congregation. People are more likely to sign up for your trips if they feel connected to you and the other travelers. And although you can’t be everyone’s closest friend, you can employ some strategies for engaging your potential travelers and helping them feel like valued members of your travel community. Engagement happens in many different ways, both during trips and when everyone is at home. Here are five proven methods for increasing the connection your travelers feel to you and your church and to one another.
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1)
NEWSLETTERS: The best way to build a community is to communicate regularly with the people you’re trying to engage. You may send out postcards, flyers or emails when you have trips to promote, but you can communicate better by creating monthly newsletters or emails regardless of whether there are trips coming soon. Use the newsletters to update your members on the trips you’re considering for the future, to share group members’ birthdays coming up that month and to let your travelers know about other events at the church in which they might be interested.
2)
4)
FACEBOOK GROUPS: If you or your travelers are tech savvy and active in the world of social media, you should consider augmenting your newsletter communications with an active Facebook group. Facebook is the social media platform most commonly used by baby boomers and older travelers, and it allows you to instantly communicate virtually anything you like with group members. You can use Facebook to make quick announcements, poll your travelers, share pictures and videos, and send out event invitations. And the best part is that your members can respond to you and interact with one another inside the Facebook discussions, creating a much more vibrant sense of community.
GIVEAWAYS: Everybody loves free stuff, even if the freebies are of little value. You can use this principle to your advantage by employing giveaways and contests to help build excitement about a trip. Offer a discount or an upgrade to the first few people who sign up for a trip, hand out small gift cards to travelers who post their photos to social media during a trip or even give rewards to people who can answer trivia questions about the places the group has visited. If you have frequent repeat travelers, consider creating a loyalty program that rewards them with bonuses for reaching a certain number of trips with your organization.
PHOTO AND VIDEO SHARING: In the current age of travel, great photos and videos are the ultimate in social currency. People have always enjoyed taking pictures when they travel, but the ubiquity of smartphones makes it easier and more fun than ever to capture scenery, selfies and silly videos in the midst of a trip, and then to instantly share them with other travelers and loved ones back home. During your trip, encourage your travelers to share their photos and videos via group text messages, social media and other platforms. And you can use services from companies such as PhotoVision to instantly compile your travelers’ photos into fun group videos that everyone will enjoy.
EVENTS: It’s hard to build a thriving community around events that happen only once or twice annually. So even if traveling is your favorite thing to do with your church group, you can build your community of travelers by holding numerous other events throughout the year. Preview parties for trips you are promoting are an obvious place to start, but not all your events should be focused around trips. Plan a Christmas party, a Memorial Day cookout or a neighborhood service project for your group. If you want to give potential travelers a taste for what to expect on your trips, consider planning some miniexcursions to ballgames, concerts, theater performances and other fun events. In addition to providing a great night out, these trips will start to plant the seeds of community and encourage new members to consider coming along on a full-length trip.
3)
5)
THERE’S A JUDITH IN EVERY GROUP. She’s happy to join in, but she wants options. Luckily for you ® and Judith, “The Waterpark Capital of the World! ” is a crowd-pleaser. With countless group and individual activities from live shows to scenic boat rides, Wisconsin Dells will keep the Judith in your group smiling – something everyone can get behind. Contact one of our destination specialists for complimentary planning assistance.
MeetInTheDells.com | sales@wisdells.com | (800) 223-3557
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]
CALIFORNIA CALLING
Photos courtesy of Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau
by
THE CITY OF ONTARIO WILL BRING A WEST COAST FEEL TO THE GOING ON FAITH CONFERENCE 12
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W
DAN D ICK SON
hen delegates to the 2016 Going On Faith Conference heard that it was going to be held in Ontario, many no doubt thought, “Sure. Ontario, Canada. That’s a nice place.” But they quickly learned that this Ontario is located in southern California. That’s the “Left Coast” and quite different from its Canadian namesake. Ontario, California, is rolling out the welcome mat August 9-11 to delegates, who will visit this beautiful city nestled along the San Bernardino Mountains.
The Maloof residence mezzanine
“We are 40 minutes east of downtown Los Angeles,” said Michael Krouse, president and CEO of the Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB represents Ontario and neighboring Rancho Cucamonga. Both cities participate in the CVB’s promotions and activities. “We are also the hub around which there are a lot of major things to do in this entire region,” said Krouse. Though most Going On Faith delegates will be in Ontario for only a few days, others might consider coming out earlier or staying later to take advantage of the destinations in the region. Visitors can draw
Ontario boasts California’s newest welcome center.
Ontario Mills Mall
inspiration from the following list: Los Angeles, San Diego, Disneyland and its resort, Hollywood, casinos, wineries, desert, sandy ocean beaches and snowy mountains for skiing. As you might expect, the golfing is fabulous, too. “We have some big plans for them,” Krouse promised of those attending the conference.
Rancho Cucamonga is also home to the area’s professional baseball team, the Quakes, a Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team plays its home games at LoanMart Field and has set various attendance records for its league. An evening at a California baseball park is always a pleasant experience. A new official California Welcome Center just opened at Ontario Mills. It is one of a statewide series of centers that encourage American and international tourists to see and enjoy as much of California as they can. Krouse’s CVB was awarded the opportunity to build and operate its own 1,500-square-foot center and expects to see hundreds of thousands of information-seeking visitors per year and a huge number of tour buses.
RETAIL CENTRAL
The local shopping experience in Ontario is unlike almost anywhere else in the country. Ontario Mills is the largest one-story outlet mall west of the Mississippi River. There are hundreds of stores, dozens of restaurants and 58 movie screens. Located across the highway from the former Ontario Motor Speedway, it is one of the region’s top tourist attractions, even outdrawing venerable Disney. “It is about a mile in circumference and is shaped somewhat like a racetrack inside,” said Krouse. Therefore, if visitors want to get into shopping mode, wearing comfortable walking shoes is highly recommended. Rancho Cucamonga has an unusual shopping hub of its own known as Victoria Gardens. It is a pedestrian-first, open-air, mixed-use town center with a plaza and plenty of shopping, eateries and entertainment selections.
National rock groups play Ontario.
“THIS IS A CONSERVATIVE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIBERAL STATE. OUR CHURCHES ARE EXCEPTIONALLY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY.”
IDEAL FOR MEETINGS
The Going On Faith Conference will take place at the Ontario Convention Center, which is located less than a mile from L.A./Ontario International Airport. “It is an 18-year-old building, but it is in pristine condition and looks new,” said Krouse. “It is full of glass walls with great views of the San Bernardino Mountains. It’s a beautiful location.” The convention center boasts more than 225,000
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 13
square feet of flexible meeting space. As part of that layout, the exhibit hall has 70,000 square feet of column-free space, 24,000 square feet of meeting rooms and a 20,000-square-foot sectional ballroom. Citizens Business Bank Arena is part of the mix and offers seating for up to 11,000 people. Krouse described the convention center as contemporary and being more like a “high-end hotel experience” than a traditional convention center. “The food and beverage services are more like what you would find in a fine restaurant than at typical convention centers,” he said. DoubleTree by Hilton is the official Going On Faith Conference hotel. It, too, is close to the airport and has a convenient walkway to the convention center. The convention center is surrounded by 3,000 hotel rooms. Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga together have a total of about 6,000 guest rooms. The Going On Faith Conference is being organized by The Group Travel Family. President and CEO Joe Cappuzzello said the delegates who gather in Ontario are an important part of the group tour market. “These are people who plan the social and the group leisure travel and tourism activities for their religious organizations,” said Cappuzzello. For delegates, the goal is to go on a fact-finding mission for their religious groups. “They are trying to locate new destinations and to meet with those people face-to-face. These delegates travel with people from their religious community, and they want to be sure they know the tour operators they might commit to and travel with and want to be able to trust them,” said Cappuzzello. “That’s because the people they take along on these trips are their friends and people they go to church with and do things with in their communities.”
“THE COST TO DO BUSINESS IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS. THE RELIGIOUS MARKET DOES WELL HERE BECAUSE OF PRICE POINTS.”
FRIENDLY AND AFFORDABLE
Krouse said the religious market is important to Ontario. “This is a conservative city in the middle of a liberal state,” he said. “But the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is huge in the region. Catholics, Christians of different faiths and evangelicals are also common. Our churches are exceptionally involved in the community.” Traveling groups always want to travel to L.A., San Francisco or San Diego, said Krouse. “The problem is they can’t afford it. Ontario is affordable. The cost to do business is significantly less. The religious market does well here because of price points. For example, a hotel room in Los Angeles might be $300. The same type room in Ontario may be $100 to $125.” David L. Malhalab, M-News Service, MNS Photo
Courtesy of Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Top: Faith-based planners meet representatives of new destinations at the Going On Faith Conference. Bottom: Zipping across Southern California
KEITH POWELL
‘BUSINESS REVIVALIST’ TO HEADLINE CONFERENCE
K
eith Powell bills himself as the “Business Revivalist,” and he offers plenty to back that up. Host of “Coffee with Keith,” this 35-year veteran of the corporate battleground will share his business tips with delegates attending the Going On Faith Conference this August in Ontario, California. “Not only is Keith a savvy businessperson, but he is also a longtime member of the travel industry,” said conference vice president Teresa Burton. “Keith received the 2014 Agent of the Year Award as a travel agent professional from Ticket to Travel. He has chartered entire cruise ships and filled them with more than 800 passengers. He has also owned his own agency.” Powell’s client list includes associations, major airlines, cruise lines, retail business owners, universities and others. A cancer cure advocate, Powell currently serves as the president of the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation. Join us in Ontario, California in August for his presentation and all the fun that happens at the annual Going On Faith Conference! Register at www.gofconference.com.
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 15
FATHOM CRUISES BLEND SIGHTSEEING & SERVICE
Ashley enjoying some fresh coconut from a street vendor in Puerto Plata. Photo by Graham Ricks
Facilitated by Fathom, volunteers help teach children English in local schools. Courtesy Fathom
by
T
A S H L E Y R I CKS
ara Russell calls her new cruise line, Fathom, “unlike anything that has ever been done before.” From what I have experienced, she is onto something. This spring I sailed with Adonia on its second cruise to the Dominican Republic as a guest of Fathom and Islands in the Sun Cruises and Tours. Aboard a Fathom cruise, travelers to the Dominican Republic have the opportunity to take part in people-to-people experiences, volunteer in what Fathom calls “impact activities” or get out and enjoy exploring Amber Cove and Puerto Plata, the capital of the Dominican province of the same name. Fathom focuses on “alongsidedness,” wherein the cruise line works in partnership with Dominican-based organizations Entrena and IDDI to improve conditions and achieve goals set by the community. When booking an impact cruise with Fathom, guests can choose to take part in various volunteer activities, including working at Chocal, a local cacao factory, or Repapel, a women’s recycling co-op, making water filters to help local families gain access to clean water; doing reforestation activities; teaching English; or pouring cement floors to help build houses in the community. While there, my husband, Graham, and I volunteered to teach English in San
16
going on faith [ june | july 2016 ]
Marcos. The impact activity focuses on this community in particular because it is the poorest area in the province, and much of the student population is considered at risk because of the level of poverty . When we got to the school, we were introduced to the English teacher, Elberto, who welcomed us and brought us to the library where we would be interacting with the students. We worked alongside Susan Evenson, another member of our group, with two fourth-grade girls, Zola and Chelina. The five of us practiced pronouncing and singing the alphabet. Between teaching sessions, everyone took a break for the kids to have recess. We went outside only to be swarmed by children running up to us, wanting us to take pictures and play games. At one point, I felt something crash full-force into my leg. When I looked down to see what it was, I found that a sweet little girl, who was maybe 5 years old, had run into me to give me a hug, only to dash over to Graham and all the other members of our group to do the same. It was amazing to me how excited the kids were to have us helping them. It didn’t matter to them that we were in a school with no electricity or air conditioning; they were excited to learn and to meet new people. In addition to the impact activities, Fathom offers a wide variety of shore excur-
Graham and Carlos making friends with the pigeons in Puerto Plata’s Independence Park.
Teaching English in San Marcos
By Ashley Ricks
Courtesy Fathom
sions. Graham was able to go deep-sea fishing our first day in port, while I explored the ruins at La Isabela, the first European settlement in the New World, which Christopher Columbus established in 1493. It was so powerful to me, a historian, to see a site that had such a huge impact on history. For good or ill, Columbus opened large-scale relations between the Old World and New World. I was amazed to stand at the site of his house on a bluff overlooking the sea and imagine what it was like for this man to have such an influence on the world. Working with the Dominican students was, hands down, our favorite part of the trip. But a close second was taking a cab into the city and spending the day discovering the city with our new friends, Randy Calaguas and Lori Osterman. The great part about the cab ride is that for one price, up to four people can spend as long as they want exploring all over the town. The taxi drivers are experts on their city and can share some of the best places to go. Our driver, Carlos, took us to lunch at an oceanfront restaurant across from his family’s favorite beach, found a street vendor for us to try fresh coconuts and even helped me try to catch a pigeon in Independence Park, an experience
By Graham Ricks
that did not turn out so well for me — much to the amusement of my group. Unlike with a typical cruise itinerary, Adonia spent three days in the same city. By doing so, we were able to develop a connection and enjoy a deeper experience with the people and the culture than if we had sailed from port to port. We returned home feeling enriched and as if we had made a difference with the work we did while on our trip. A Fathom cruise to the Dominican Republic provides a distinctive combination of volunteer activities, accessibility and flexibility. By allowing travelers to give back in a Third World country while staying and eating aboard a modern cruise ship, Fathom represents a viable alternative for travelers for whom a more traditional mission trip may not be the best fit. On May 2, the Adonia was also the first American ship to dock in Cuba in more than 50 years. Fathom will continue to offer cruises to Cuba on alternating weeks along with impact cruises to the Dominican Republic. www.fathom.org
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YOUR GROUP AROUND THE
GLOBE A GROUP GUIDE TO GLOBAL ADVENTURES
W W W. G R O U P T R AV E L L E A D E R . C O M / E B O O K
TRAVEL
SNAPSHOT by B R IA N JEWELL
FROM MILLS
TO MINUTEMEN Colonial Inn is a favorite historic hotel and restaurant in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley.
MERRIMACK VALLEY
A
plum location in the heart of New England has served Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley well. The area has been at the center of major events in American history, art, literature and commerce for hundreds of years, and that heritage pays off in numerous ways for visitors. Located about a half-hour’s drive northwest of Boston, Merrimack Valley comprises some 21 cities and towns. The most famous site in the area may be Lexington and Concord, where the Revolutionary War began, and National Park Service sites there give visitors the chance to walk on the historic Lexington Green, where fighting first broke out in 1775. In Lowell, the valley’s largest city, visitors can learn about an impressive industrial history. “At one point, Lowell was the largest economic
A canal in Lowell National Historical Park
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going on faith [ june | july 2016 ]
center in the United States because of the textile trade,” said Deborah Belanger, executive director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Lowell National Historical Park is one of the country’s first urban national park sites. You learn about the Industrial Revolution. Most of the textile mills that were powered by the Merrimack River are still in existence, but they have been converted into museums, artists lofts and art galleries.” Many groups that visit the National Historical Park will take trolley rides through the area to learn about the city’s industrial history and see some of its historic architecture. During the spring and early fall, they also have the option of seeing the park by boat. “When the mills were being powered off the
Merrimack River, they built 5.6 miles of canals to get some of the power downtown,” Belanger said. “So the park does canal boat rides from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Groups of up to 25 can go on these boats, and you actually go through locks in some of the canals.” Travelers can learn more about Lowell’s history at various museums in the area, such as the Boot Cotton Mills Museum and the New England Quilt Museum. Famous American authors such as Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau have connections to the Merrimack Valley, and groups can visit Alcott’s home or see Walden Pond, which inspired Thoreau’s most famous work. In addition to these attractions, the Merrimack Valley offers numerous other attractions and experiences that groups will want to include during a tour.
Downtown Lowell trolley ride Photos courtesy Greater Merrimack Valley CVB
[ AMERICAN TEXTILE HERITAGE MUSEUM ] There’s no better place to learn about Lowell’s textile history and the role it played throughout the rest of the country than the city’s American Textile Heritage Museum. The museum holds the world’s largest collection of tools, spinning wheels and other machinery used in the production of fabrics, as well as more than 5 million pieces of textile prints and other items. The core exhibition showcases the variety of fabrics that have been used in industry, decor and fashion throughout the centuries. Groups can choose from a number of guided tours at the museum, which can focus on topics such as fashion, art and design in America, or industrialization and inventing in America. The museum has a variety of special events and programming available as well. WWW.ATHM.ORG
[ LIBERTY RIDE ] American Textile Heritage Museum
Taking a quick picture on Lexington Green might satisfy the most casual travelers through Merrimack Valley, but groups with more than a passing interest in American history should immerse themselves in the Revolutionary War stories of the area by taking a tour with Liberty Ride. These 90-minute trolley tours feature stops at historic sites in Lexington and Concord, along with informative narration from costumed guides. Liberty Ride passengers see important sites such as Minute Man National Historic Museum, as well as several prominent homes and taverns that were used to house troops and plan the events of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The tour also includes stops at the homes of literary figures Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson. WWW.TOURLEXINGTON.US
[ CONCORD MUSEUM ]
Liberty Ride
Though Concord is best known for its role at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, there’s more to this Massachusetts town than “the shot heard round the world.” At the Concord Museum, groups learn about the history of Concord and some of the notable figures who have lived there. A visit to the museum starts with the “Exploring Concord” film, which highlights the town’s historic landscape. Exhibits and collections include the only known surviving lantern hung in the church steeple on the night of Paul Revere’s famous ride, the desk at which Thoreau wrote “Walden” and furnishings from the study of Emerson. The museum also has a number of educational programs and public events that are open to groups. WWW.CONCORDMUSEUM.ORG
[ COLONIAL INN ]
Concord Museum
Visiting historical parks and museums is a good way to get an overview of a place, but there’s no better way to immerse yourself in history than to experience it firsthand. In Merrimack Valley, that means a visit to Concord’s Colonial Inn, a property first established in 1716 that served in various capacities during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods. The building was used as a munitions storehouse in the months leading up to the Battles of Lexington and Concord and later as a field hospital during the Revolutionary War. Today the inn offers 56 distinct, historically decorated rooms and suites, some of which are said to be haunted. There are also two restaurants — a historic tavern and a formal dining room — where groups can experience the inn’s ambiance. WWW.CONCORDSCOLONIALINN.COM going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]
STATE O F by
F A I T H
BRIAN JE W E L L
#5 PITTSBURGH
PENNSYLVANIA HEADLINERS
THESE DESTINATIONS ARE THE CREAM OF THE CROP IN THE KEYSTONE STATE Courtesy Visit Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania icons, clockwise from top: Pittsburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riverfront; a horse-drawn buggy in Pennsylvania Dutch Country; the Liberty Bell in historic Philadelphia
Courtesy Philadelphia CVB
Courtesy Discover Lancaster
# 1 PHILADELPHIA ]
[ DESTINATION
HIGHLIGHT | BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICA
PENNSYLVANIA #3 HE RS HE Y
#4
F
#2 L A NC A ST ER
#1 P H I L A D ELP H I A
GET TYSB U RG
by
B RI A N JE WE LL
or almost as long as America has existed, Pennsylvania has been making headlines. Anchored by Philadelphia in the east and Pittsburgh in the west, Pennsylvania is among the most populous states in the country and has been at the center of some of America’s most pivotal events. Groups that tour the Keystone State can relive dramatic scenes from American history, spend some time with famous candy-makers, take in world-class faith-based musical theater and see some of the best museums in the country. If your travelers haven’t spent much time in Pennsylvania, this tour itinerary is designed to introduce them to the highlights of the state, in both the major cities and the smaller communities in between. This trip starts in Philadelphia and continues to Lancaster, Hershey and Gettysburg before finishing in Pittsburgh. Five days should be the perfect length of time to see these sites and cover the roads between them. Adding an extra night at the beginning or the end to see more of Philadelphia or Pittsburgh would be a great option as well.
Historic Philadelphia Courtesy Philadelphia CVB
In a sense, America was born in Philadelphia. It was here, in 1776, that our Founding Fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and announced the creation of a new nation. Today, groups visiting Philadelphia can immerse themselves in these historical events in a number of ways. No first-time trip to the city would be complete without a stop at Independence National Historical Park, located in the historic city center. This site preserves Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was written, and is also the home of the world-famous Liberty Bell. A number of other attractions nearby round out the historical experience. City Tavern is a re-creation of a restaurant frequented by the Founding Fathers, complete with period costumes and Colonial recipes. And an organization called Historic Philadelphia hosts a number of tours and evening light shows throughout the historic district. W H I L E Y O U ’ R E T H E R E : Philadelphia enjoys a collection of world-class museums to rival any other major city in the country. The National Constitution Center focuses on stories of human freedom, and the Franklin Institute is an interactive science museum in a Greek Revival building. And don’t miss the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an encyclopedic museum whose exterior was made famous in the film “Rocky.” MORE
INFO
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WWW.DISCOVERPHL.COM
# 2 LANCASTER ]
[ DESTINATION
HIGHLIGHT | PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH
A short drive west from Philadelphia, Lancaster and surrounding York County are home to one of the oldest Amish communities in the country, colloquially called the Pennsylvania Dutch. There are still thousands of Amish in the area, and visiting groups have a wide variety of ways to interact with them and learn about their lifestyles. A good place to start is Amish Village, a 12-acre site that offers a historic look at the Amish lifestyle. Visitors can see the 1840 farmhouse as well as a village store, a smokehouse market, a blacksmith shop and a one-room schoolhouse with an Amish teacher. Another attraction, the Amish Experience, is located at Plain and Fancy Farm and features a theater that shows the critically acclaimed film “Jacob’s Choice.” Groups can work with the local convention and visitors bureau to arrange numerous personal interactions, including horse-and-buggy rides and visits to Amish homes and businesses. WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Sight and Sound Theatre has earned a reputation throughout the tourism industry for producing some of the best live musicals outside of Broadway. All the shows are based on biblical stories and feature professional actors, stunning larger-than-life sets and original musical scores. The Lancaster theater is now showing “Samson.” Beginning in 2017, it will mount a new production: “Jonah.” MORE
INFO
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WWW.DISCOVERLANCASTER.COM
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 21
#3
[ DESTINATION
HERSHEY ]
HIGHLIGHT | A SWEET EXPERIENCE
There’s no more famous name in chocolate than Hershey, and in the Pennsylvania town named for this candy empire, groups have a number of ways to indulge in some sweet experiences. Much of Hershey’s candy comes from central Pennsylvania, and Hershey’s Chocolate World is a re-creation of a candy production factory. Groups can take a tour of the chocolate line, where the popular Create Your Own Candy Bar experience allows visitors to dream up their own confectionary products. Chocolate experts offer special candy-tasting experiences for visitors; the attraction also features a 3-D show, a bakeshop and a dessert creation. Younger groups could spend a whole day roaming freely at nearby Hersheypark, an amusement park that offers a variety of shows, rides and other attractions. There are 65 rides at the park, as well as live entertainment and special events during the spring, Christmas and Halloween. WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Nearby Harrisburg is not only the capital of Pennsylvania, but also home to one of its most moving museums. The National Civil War Museum presents the events of the Civil War from the points of view of both the Union and Confederate armies using hundreds of artifacts, high-definition videos and life-size mannequins. MORE
INFO
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WWW.VISITHERSHEYHARRISBURG.ORG
[ DESTINATION
# 4 GETTYSBURG ]
HIGHLIGHT | AN URBAN BATTLEFIELD
Many cities throughout the eastern United States saw battles during the Civil War, but perhaps none were so deeply affected as Gettysburg, where, in July 1863, more than 50,000 soldiers were either killed or wounded during three days of battle that took place in the city streets and nearby farms. The Gettysburg National Military Park preserves much of the battlefield and has more than 1,300 monuments and markers dedicated to different military units that fought there. Groups should start their tours at the visitor center, which features historical displays and an educational overview of the battle, before heading out on a guided tour to explore the battlefield. Though farms outside the city saw much of the action, there was fighting in the streets of Gettysburg as well, and numerous historic homes and buildings in town can help visitors understand the personal experiences of residents who lived through the battle and its aftermath. WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Historical re-enactors in Gettysburg can share first-person stories, which travelers don’t always get from museum exhibits. Destination Gettysburg can help group leaders arrange meals or other interactive programs with actors who represent figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. MORE
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WWW.DESTINATIONGETTYSBURG.COM
Gettysburg Battlefield monuments
Hershey’s Chocloate World
Holiday lights at Hersheypark Courtesy Hershey Harrisburg CVB
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Sunrise at a sacred site Photos courtesy Destination Gettysburg
Duquesne Incline
[ DESTINATION
# 5 PITTSBURGH ]
HIGHLIGHT | CARNEGIE ART
One of the “Men Who Built America,” Andrew Carnegie made a fortune in Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and many of Pittsburgh’s pre-eminent cultural institutions were his gifts to the city. Groups can see two of the most famous Carnegie museums — the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History — located in the same building. Considered by many in the art world to be the first contemporary art museum in the United States, the Carnegie Museum of Art features more than 30,000 objects from the 20th and 21st centuries. Visitors will see painting, sculpture, print, drawings and photographs, as well as a variety of works in video and digital imagery. The adjacent Carnegie Museum of Natural History was founded in 1895 and features 20 exhibition halls full of displays and artifacts. Its most famous exhibit, “Dinosaurs in Their Time,” is filled with original fossils of numerous dinosaurs. WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Pittsburgh’s geography is defined by the confluence of three rivers, and visitors get a panoramic view of the city by riding the 110-year-old Duquesne Incline up Mount Washington, a hill overlooking downtown. The cable-car system was first built to carry steel workers but now transports visitors to see the rivers, bridges and lights of downtown, surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains. MORE
Carnegie Museum of Art
INFO
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WWW.VISITPITTSBURGH.COM
60 Comfortable Rooms in a Country Farm Seƫng. Peace and Serenity of Lancaster County. 1475 Lancaster Rd., Manheim, PA 17545 Contact: Susan WhiƩaker -SwhiƩaker@horstrealty.com or 877-720-1202
www.LancasterHersheyPAHotels.com/GOF Carnegie Museum of Natural History
130 BeauƟfully Appointed rooms in the MarrioƩ TradiƟon of Elegance. 150 Granite Run Dr., Lancaster, PA Contact: Lorrie Miller -Lmiller@horstrealty.com or 800-STAY-FFI Photos courtesy Visit Pittsburgh
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 23
Welcome to Flavortown F O O D I E S F LO C K TO T H E S E C U L I N A RY D E ST I N AT I O N S by
LYSA A LLMA N -BAL DW I N
S
ome people eat to live; others live to eat. The latter is true in cities that have earned street cred in the food and beverage scene. From multiethnic restaurants and food trucks to award-winning chefs and specialized food tours, these five cities offer a dash of spice, aroma, flavor and creativity for groups looking for amazing gastronomic adventures.
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By Andrew Thomas Lee, courtesy Explore Asheville
Diners dig into dishes at Asheville’s famous Buxton Hall Barbecue.
[ ASHEVILLE , NORTH CAROLINA ] Situated an hour from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Asheville, North Carolina, proudly boasts the moniker “Foodtopia,” a nod to its more than 250 independent restaurants and 14 farmers markets in a city of only 87,000 people. Peppering this wealth of culinary options is Asheville’s distinctive foothills cuisine — comfort food dishes like shrimp and grits, fried chicken and the like, with a local, Appalachian twist. On many restaurant menus, you’ll find ingredients like wild mushrooms, rhubarb, apples, ramps — a type of wild onion that peaks for only about two weeks in April — and trout from area rivers. “Asheville has a lot of incredible James Beard-nominated and award-winning chefs who see Asheville as a place to come and be creative,” said Landis Taylor, public relations specialist with the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Another thing that sets the food scene apart is the collaborative spirit here, where some of our best chefs work together on special themed dinners and projects that benefit the community.” Epicurean activities that welcome groups include Wild Food Foraging Tours with Alan Muscat, known as Asheville’s “Mushroom Man” and as an “alum” of television’s “Bizarre Foods,” and Asheville Food Tours, with tasting pit stops at more than a half-dozen local eateries. For chocoholics, there’s the famous French Broad Chocolate Lounge with its own Willy Wonka-style factory tour where workers sort, crack, winnow, roast, grind and mold their own bean-to-bar chocolate. GREAT DINING SPOTS FOR GROUPS: Isa’s Bistro celebrates western North Carolina’s seasonal harvest and fresh local produce; Posana serves contemporary American cuisine with local, seasonal farm-to-table ingredients; The Market Place Restaurant and Lounge has a menu it describes as “equally healthy, locally sourced, unique, and delicious”; and Buxton Hall Barbecue is a former roller-skating rink turned whole-hog wood-fired barbecue joint. www.exploreasheville.com
Custom candy bars at Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor
[ KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI AND KANSAS ] Although Kansas City’s signature dish is barbecue — there are more than 100 lip-smacking joints and counting — its eateries run the gamut from sustainable farm-to-table to seafood, Greek, Vietnamese, vegan/vegetarian, Caribbean, Lebanese, and a great deal more. According to Toni Alexander, communications manager for VisitKC, “although barbecue is our foundation and we’re proud of it, every type of ethnic cuisine can be found here. We also have Bread and Butter Concepts Restaurant Group, that has opened several very successful, popular restaurants across the area with wellestablished food types to which they have added their own spin and expanded people’s way of thinking.” These include Urban Table, a modern American bistro Kansass C Kansas City’ City’s ty’ y s Taco T Taco+Republic ac +Re +Repub public pub li lic with fresh, distinctive entrees and small plates; BRGR Kitchen + Table, on both sides of the state line, a fresh adapCourtesy Ann Arbor Area CVB tion of the classic burger; Taco Republic and Taco Republic (Food) Truck, which use traditional Mexican meats and [ ANN ARBOR , MICHIGAN ] spices for their homemade “street-style” tacos and sides; Home to 300 restaurants within a 20-mile Gram and Dun, which pairs culinary expertise with imaginaradius, as well as a handful of James Beardtive libations; and The Oliver, a refined version of the nominated and award-winning chefs, it’s no American tavern, which just opened. wonder Ann Arbor, Michigan, has received Kansas City also has a new, permanent food truck hub called accolades as one of the Midwest’s best food Little Piggy, where diners can sample a cornucopia of fare like towns. homemade sausages, tapas, funnel cakes, sliders, crepes, burgCourtesy Visit KC The gourmet landscape excels in part due to ers and other tasty delights every day of the week. its diversity of ethnic fare that includes Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Ethiopian, Historic City Market encourages grazing among the array of delicious Spanish, nouveau American and everything in between. Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Indian, Southern and other restaurants “Ann Arbor is known for having world-class restaurants in a small-city atmobordering the produce stalls of the region’s largest farmers market. sphere — not that many cities our size [approximately 230,000] have this type For groups that still want a barbecue fix, try KC Barbecue Tours, which features of culinary prowess,” said Margaret Wyzlic, communications manager for the Ann wonderful, meaty Original, ’Cue and Brew, and Riblet bus tours. Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We also have a pretty big craft brew GREAT DINING SPOTS FOR GROUPS: Garozzo’s Italian Restaurant serves and specialty spirits scene, with places like Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, Jolly sumptuous, authentic, Old World dishes; The Grille at Park Place, features prime Pumpkin Café and Brewery, and the Ann Arbor Distilling Company, which makes rib, steaks and other traditional American favorites; and RC’s Restaurant and vodka, rum, gin and coffee liqueur, and has its own tasting room.” Lounge is an area favorite for its pan-fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and pork An Ann Arbor icon is Zingerman’s Deli, growing from one locale to include tenderloins. several other outstanding stand-alone eateries: www.visitkc.com the Roadhouse, the Bakehouse, the Creamery, the Coffee Company and the Candy Manufactory. This summer, Miss Kim, a Korean Bistro and Bar, will join the family table. One of the newest foodie adventures for groups is High Five Pedal Tours, a 16-person Oakland’s Restaurant Pican pedal trolley that takes folks to local restaurants, wineries, breweries, art galleries, bookstores and attractions; only 10 passengers have Fried cheese curds in Madison to do the pedaling. Ayse’s — pronounced “Eyesheh’s” — Turkish Café serves traditional Courtesy Madison Eats Food Tours Turkish home cooking that emphasizes fresh locally grown ingredients, and guests can enjoy an authentic royal Ethiopian feast and community-sharing experience at Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant. GREAT DINING SPOTS FOR GROUPS: Isalita Cantina Mexicana offers private, customized tequila-making history and tastings; Vinology specializes in savory food and/or wine dinners and tastings in its Bubble, Cellar and Vine rooms; and The Slurping Turtle focuses on Japanese comfort food coupled with an extensive sake menu. www.visitannarbor.org Courtesy Visit Oakland
going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 25
[ OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA ] Your groups can travel the world, one plate at a time, in Oakland, California. Rising to lofty heights in the epicurean scene over the past five years, Oakland owes its culinary diversity to its residents, who speak a combined 125 languages. “With this diversity of cultures and intermingling together, there is a lot of fusion of food and restaurants,” said Francis Wong, public and community relations manager for Visit Oakland. “Because the palate here is so eclectic, Oakland is like a creative culinary incubator, where chefs can try different world flavors.” The relatively reasonable rents for businesses in Oakland inspire budding restaurateurs and food purveyors to open new dining spots as well as attract established chefs from San Francisco and farther afield to relocate or open secondary entities. Notable chefs include Preeti Mistry of Juhu Beach Club, who prepares Indian street food with a Western twist; Tonya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen, who serves upscale bistro fare in a relaxed ambiance; and co-partners Jennifer Biesty and Tim Nugent of Shakewell, who highlight the flavors of Spain, Turkey and North Africa. For a great taste of the city, sign up for tours like See.Eat.Love, intimate community strolls to a variety of restaurants, bars, and spice and cheese shops. Savor Oakland Food Tours samples gourmet gems found in a number of eclectic neighborhoods, like Chinatown and the Historic Warehouse District, among others. When groups want to do more than sit at a dining table? Then opt for some fun at Plank in Jack London Square, an over-50,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor combination beer garden, bocce ball, bowling alley and interactive video game arcade. GREAT DINING SPOTS FOR GROUPS: Calavera serves excellent Oaxacan fare from Mexico in an open-kitchen design; Picán Restaurant specializes in Southern-inspired California cuisine; and Restaurant Peony is the first in Oakland to offer authentic Hong Kong-style dim sum. www.visitoakland.org
[ MADISON, WISCONSIN ] Everything in life has a trickle-down effect. This is also the story of the food scene in Madison, Wisconsin. At the top of the hill — literally — wrapping around the state Capitol is the Dane County Farmers Market. One of the finest and largest in the country attracting almost 18,000 weekly visitors, it features more than 170 vendors selling the freshest farm produce, meats, dairy and homemade food products. Many area chefs source ingredients here for their distinctive recipes and menus, which extend far beyond the often expected meat-and-potato and Wisconsin-cheese-laden dishes. “In terms of food, when people talk about the Midwest, they, unfortunately, think of more standard fare,” said Judy Frankel, director of public relations and communications for the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau. “They don’t think of creative, innovative, out-of-the-box thinking. But once you get here, you’ll see we’ve taken one giant leap off the farm in terms of what the restaurants offer, to coax out some of the most wonderful flavors into esoteric creations.” Delectable examples include the beet and walnut burger at Graze, the kohlrabi salad at Sujeo, the blistered tomatoes with nettle pesto at Estrellón, and the smoked whitefish, crab and bacon cake at Heritage Tavern, to name just a few. Among the mouthwatering epicurean adventures around town is Madison Eats, which offers foot and B-Cycle (bike-sharing system) tours of lively Madison neighborhoods to savor an assortment of artisan foods, ethnic specialties, craft beers, and seasonal and gourmet items. GREAT DINING SPOTS FOR GROUPS: Betty Lou Cruises offers a chartered, culinary-themed lake cruise for groups; New Glarus Brewery offers free self-guided and hardhat tours with tasting room samples; and the Hop Head Beer Tour company offers multiple brewery and brewpub motorcoach stops. www.visitmadison.com
® Cajun Encounters
Where life is a celebration!
LOUISIANA ’ S NORTHSHORE 1-800 - 634 -9443
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U
We celebrate everything in St. Tammany, 45 minutes north of New Orleans. Come join us and bring your appetite – for great Louisiana cooking, and for living. Make sure you meet with Zondra at the conference to learn more about the Northshore.
w w w. L o u i s i a n a N o r t h s h o r e . c o m /g o f
DOWNTOWN, REBORN THESE CITIES OFFER URBAN E XC I T E M E N T F O R V I S I TO R S by
E
byy
E LIZA MY E R S
LYSA A LLMA N-BA LDWIN
veryone has visited a downtown that looked more like a ghost town. Boarded-up buildings, few people and nothing of interest within walking distance will drive your group away from a downtown with one glance. However, over the past decade, many cities have invested in downtown revitalization projects that have attracted residents, which in turn brought in local restaurants, hotels and attractions. Now, a new picture is emerging at downtowns across America, including Pittsburgh; Denver; Nashville, Tennessee; Des Moines, Iowa; and Greenville, South Carolina. A stroll through these downtowns awakens your senses with sounds of live music, smells of freshly prepared cuisine and views of inviting public parks. In any of these five downtowns, you can drop off your faith-based group and set them loose for safe and innovative fun.
Courtesy Greater Des Moines CVB
The George Washington Carver Bridge carries travelers over the Raccoon River into Des Moines.
[ DENVER ] Decades ago, Denver’s downtown shut down at 5 p.m. when workers left the city. Since then, however, the downtown has blossomed with residential areas for workers, making the area bustling with activity all day, night and year. This development has long encouraged visitors to feel comfortable exploring the city’s core. “The faith-based market is one of the largest markets I have,” said Tim Litherland, director of sports and specialty markets for Visit Denver. “For these groups, safety is key. Denver’s large resident base in the downtown area creates a very safe environment.” By the end of 2017, the city is slated to have 10,000 hotel rooms ranging from budget to high end. Visitors don’t worry about vehicles, since they can walk out of their hotels and hit numerous attractions and restaurants. The pedestrian-only 16th Street Mall spans a large section of the downtown, with a shuttle available for those who’d rather ride. Groups can also shop at the nearby Larimer Square, a revitalized historic district, or enjoy natural space along the Riverfront Park and its connecting Millennium Bridge. “The downtown continues to change,” said Litherland. “We have a lot of activities for families, hotels and hundreds of dining options.” TOP DOWNTOWN ATTRACTIONS: The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is the secondlargest performing arts center in the country, with 10 stages and a variety of types of shows. Groups also flock to the sprawling Denver Art Museum, which features more than 68,000 diverse works from across the centuries and the globe. GROUP-FRIENDLY DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT: For the group that can’t agree on dinner, Avanti F&B offers seven restaurant concepts within one modern-day food hall space. www.denver.org going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 27
Sunset on the Tennessee River in downtown Nashville
Nashville live music
Photos courtesy PA Dutch Country CVB
Courtesy Nashville CVC
[ DES MOINES, IOWA ] A collection of dilapidated, run-down buildings stood slated to be torn down in Des Moines’ Historic East Village. A group of business leaders stepped in to transform the buildings into a lively district filled with fine dining, eclectic retail and antique stores. This resurgence story is just one of the many happy endings that landed downtown Des Moines a spot on Fortune magazine’s top five “up-and-coming downtowns” in 2014. “Our downtown has exploded in the last five to six years with housing,” said Greg Edwards, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have 20,000 people residing downtown, many of whom are young — in their 20s and 30s age group — who really enjoy a vibrant downtown scene.” The capital city boasts a plethora of public green space, including the Principal Riverwalk, which follows the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers for a landscaped and artistic breath of fresh air. The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park also offers an outdoors escape, with 28 works of art scattered across a four-acre park. Groups can explore the high-rise buildings in the core of downtown or the nearby East Village Area for its architecturally impressive government buildings and diverse shops. TOP DOWNTOWN ATTRACTIONS: The Science Center of Iowa houses hands-on exhibits, theater and live science demonstrations, as well as a 50-foothigh planetarium. For a glimpse into Iowa’s past, the State Historical Museum of Iowa displays exhibits on Iowa’s years before statehood, its role in the Civil War and other historical contributions. GROUP-FRIENDLY DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT: For an American take on classic French cuisine, Django offers fine dining, an interactive chef station and artisan cheese plates for groups. www.catchdesmoines.com
Courtesy Nashville CVC
Downtown Des Moines from the Historic East Village
Courtesy Greater Des Moines CVB
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[ NASHVILLE , TENNESSEE ] Music spills out into the streets from every corner of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Not nicknamed the Music City for nothing, Nashville attracts musicians of all genres, with a specialty in honky-tonk music joints. “You can literally just walk down the street and hear all of this great music,” said Laurel Bennett, director of tourism sales for Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. “I think our music element adds a unique vibe to the downtown area. You aren’t going to find another city with this much music played 365 days of the year.” Bennett admitted it can be difficult for her to keep track of all the new openings and renovations slated for Nashville. Currently, officials expect 1,500 hotel rooms to open in the city by the spring of 2017. Since estimates project the city’s population to grow quickly, city planners continue to promote expansion plans to allow more professionals to move back into the urban core. “The Nashville skyline is changing dramatically,” said Bennett. “We’ve had 23 restaurants opened since January, with more slated to open by the end of the year. Nashville has been going through a major growth spurt in the last five years.” TOP DOWNTOWN ATTRACTIONS: The recent 210,000-square-foot expansion at the Country Music Hall of Fame gives groups another reason to visit this favorite, interactive music museum. Opened three years ago, the Johnny Cash Museum has expanded each year, with a recent addition of memorabilia from the film “Walk the Line.” GROUP-FRIENDLY DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT: Slated to open downtown this spring, the spacious Martin’s Bar-B-Que will feature some of the state’s legendary barbecue tradition. www.visitmusiccity.com
A Greenville bike tour
Greenville’s scenic Falls Park
Courtesy Visit Greenville SC
[ GREENVILLE , SOUTH CAROLINA ] The combination of a Mayberry-esque atmosphere with the amenities of a thriving large city has helped garner much acclaim for downtown Greenville, South Carolina. The city ranked in the Top 10 Best Downtowns in the country for “livability,” while The New York Times called Greenville “a national model for a pedestrian-friendly city.” “It hasn’t lost that small-town feel,” said Taryn Scher, spokesperson for Visit Greenville SC. “People love Greenville’s walkability. Groups can get to their hotel downtown and be able to walk everywhere. It’s all pretty much within a one-mile radius.” With new hotels planned and underway, city officials strive to keep up with the demand of the energized town. Free trolleys, art museums, galleries and performing arts venues have also cropped up in recent years for locals and visitors alike. Falls Park has become a beloved downtown space, with 40 acres of natural settings, waterfalls and activities. “On any given day, we have concerts in the street, so you can just walk up and enjoy as long as you want,” said Scher. “We have a huge amount of art in public spaces; that really enhances the beauty of downtown, and it’s one of the great draws for people.” TOP DOWNTOWN ATTRACTIONS: Baseball fans love the Fluor Field at West End, since the Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox features a field designed as a mini replica of Fenway Park. The Upcountry History Museum takes visitors through three centuries of Upcountry South Carolina with interactive, multimedia exhibits and dynamic programming. GROUP-FRIENDLY DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT: Soby’s offers South Carolina cuisine with modern twists for an elevated culinary experience. www.visitgreenvillesc.com
Courtesy Visit Greenville SC
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OUTTA SIGHT-SEEING
T H E S E T O U R S O F F E R C R E AT I V E TA K E S O N M I D W E S T E R N C I T I E S
T
he cities of the Midwest make great destinations for return visits, but the challenge is moving beyond the â&#x20AC;&#x153;been there, done thatâ&#x20AC;? spots and experiences. These five city tours are great options for groups that want to dig deeper into these destinations.
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A S H LE Y R IC K S
Courtesy Trikke STL
TRIKKE STL
ST. LOUIS
Voted “the best cheap thrill in St. Louis” by a local newspaper, Trikke STL can give your group a budget-friendly but adventuresome way to explore the Gateway City. The tour company is centered around “trikkes” which are three-wheeled standing scooters that run by battery power. The company offers a variety of tours across the city, including two popular tours of Forest Park. “What’s nice is that we’re a mobile business,” said Bill Smith, owner of Trikke STL. “We can go wherever the event site is.” This means that whether your group members want to just get out and ride or whether they want to explore an area not already on a scheduled tour, Trikke STL can work with you to plan an outing. The company also gives groups the option to personalize tours or activities to include extras like scavenger hunts and obstacle courses so they can enjoy riding a trikke without the more scripted aspects of a predefined tour. For those concerned about ability levels, Smith said, “If you can stand and turn a throttle you can ride a trikke.” No special skill is needed to operate one of the battery-powered machines. Adventurers can learn how to use one in about 10 minutes, making it easier than a Segway and allowing more time to enjoy the ride.
W W W. T R I K K E S T L . C O M
CHICAGO CRIME TOURS
CHICAGO
Courtesy Chicago Crime Tours
Chicago is known for deep-dish pizza and the gangsters of the Roaring ’20s, so it was a natural move for the same people who operate Slice of Chicago Pizza Tours to branch out and start Chicago Crime Tours. Chicago Crime Tours is “a history tour in a fun way,” according to owner Mark Singer. The tours cover crime in the Windy City from 1837 through modern times and include famous stops like the Biograph Theater, which is well known for its ties to John Dillinger. The tours incorporate fun touches such as crime trivia, Chicago history and stops at famous sites like the location of the Valentine’s Day Massacre. One popular option is the Crime and Pizza tour, where groups are able to enjoy a tour of infamous stops and stories of lawbreakers including Al Capone and George Streeter, before enjoying an authentic deep-dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno, the originator of Chicago-style pizza. Chicago Crime Tours is also a great option for a customized tour of Chicago. The company works with groups to tailor tours to the specific type and interests of each group.
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AMERICAN LEGACY TOURS
CINCINNATI Courtesy CincyUSA.com
Courtesy CincyUSA.com
Top to bottom: Chicago Crime Tours; sunrise over Cincinnati; Great American Ball Park Opposite page: Trikke STL offers fun-filled excursions through St. Louis’ Forest Park.
American Legacy Tours is host to some of the most popular and highly rated tours of Cincinnati. These city tours cover a wide array of topics, including haunted history, baseball and gangsters and Cincinnati’s own Rookwood Pottery. American Legacy Tours offers many different city tours of the Queen City, but one you won’t find anywhere else is the 1919 Baseball Tour, which allows groups to explore Cincinnati — home of the first professional baseball team — and how the city helped to shape what is called the American pastime as we know it today. The tour covers topics like the history of the Reds, the merger of the National and American leagues and, of course, the 1919 World Series between the Reds and the Chicago White Sox. Another popular excursion for more adventurous groups is the Queen City Underground Tour. This tour takes groups through the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, home to the area’s early German immigrants who helped shape Cincinnati’s heritage. After touring above ground, groups descend below the streets to see the famous neighborhood and its history from a different perspective.
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Tour SOUTHEAST INDIANA
Twilight Tour Progressive Mansions Dinner
Afer a day at nearby Creation Museum, it’s the perfect time for a Twilight Tour. Venture down the Ohio River Scenic Byway to tour and dine in historic Aurora, Indiana’s landmark estates – Hillforest Victorian House Museum and Veraestau Historic Site.
H I S TO R I C M I LWA U K E E TO U R S
MILWAUKEE
Many people know Milwaukee for its ties to brewing, but this Wisconsin city features so much more. Historic Milwaukee Tours was started as a way to educate people about the history and culture of Milwaukee and share with them the many stories found throughout its past. Historic Milwaukee offers a wide variety of tours to cover a spectrum of subjects. For those interested in architecture and Milwaukee’s most prominent citizens, the North Point Mansion tour is a favorite, since it covers the city’s Upper East Side and the Frederick C. Bogk House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Another popular tour is the Brady Street tour. Christianna Niemiec, program director for Historic Milwaukee Inc., described it as “a really fun tour, because it’s not necessarily as glamorous as the other buildings, but it’s a true Milwaukee neighborhood.” Brady Street was home to many of the city’s early immigrants, who left their mark on the area with the many ethnic delis and bakeries, and later was the center of the ’60s and ’70s counterculture in Milwaukee. Although most of the tours are offered during the summer season, the winter tour, called Skywaukee, makes use of the city’s skywalks to keep participants indoors and out of the cold weather. Historic Milwaukee also works with groups to schedule private tours.
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T W I N C I T I E S F O O D TO U R S
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
Guides in costume, Hillforest
Delicious desserts, Veraestau
“The local food scene in the Twin Cities area is really burgeoning; it’s growing by leaps and bounds,” said Rebekah Leonhart, co-owner of Twin Cities Food Tours. To share this hidden gem, Leonhart and her business partner, Julie Gann, started offering food tours for groups to experience the emergent food culture in Minneapolis and get a taste for the stories and sights the Twin Cities have to offer. On the tour, groups are able to experience a wide variety of ethnic fare and local favorites that feature sustainable food in the heart of the city. The tour features six core restaurants, with other restaurants added, depending on the day. Highlights include Kramarczuk’s, the official bratwurst and Polish sausage provider for the Twins, as well as a Greek restaurant called the Gardens of Salonica, a favorite of visitors and locals alike. Starting this summer, Twin Cities Food Tours will also be offering food tours of St. Paul to explore the unique eateries of the Cathedral Hill neighborhood, “an avenue that is filling up with a lot of different food options,” according to Leonhart. Those with dietary concerns shouldn’t worry: The tour is easily adapted, and accommodations can be made in advance to avoid any particular food allergies or dietary restrictions so that everyone is able to enjoy the full, delicious experience. Twin Cities Food Tours will also work with groups that want a private tour to craft custom experiences. The standard tour features a core collection of restaurants, but Twin Cities Food Tours has an array of partners, which allows them to cater to a variety of tastes.
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Milwaukee’s Milwau Mil waukkee’s kee’s historic his istor to ic Third Thi hird r War W d Ward
Indianapolis Indian napolis
INDIANA
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Cincinnati
KENTUCKY
Louisville
Lexington
South of I-74 & west of I-275, 20 minutes west of Cincinnati
www.TOURSoutheastIndiana.com
Twin City Food Tours
800-322-8198
Courtesy Historic Milwaukee Inc.
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Courtesy Twin City Food Tours
A MIDWESTERN BOUNTY
V I S I T T H E S E FFAA R M S T O E X P E R I E N C E T H E H E A R T O F A M E R I C A
A by
A S HL EY RI CKS
gritourism helps sustain local farms, provides educational resources and helps foster connections to nature and the world around us. Groups can learn about how the food they eat is grown and gets onto their plates, or about how farms work now and how they worked in the days before modern harvesting machinery. Here are five Midwestern agritourism destinations where your group has the opportunity to get hands-on experiences and explore the world around us.
Courtesy Arbor Day Farm
Visitors can pick apples at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City.
A R B O R D AY FA R M
NEBRASKA CITY, NEBRASKA
Nebraska’s Arbor Day Farm, located in Nebraska City about an hour from both Lincoln and Omaha, is the birthplace of Arbor Day and a National Historic Landmark. Across the park’s 260 acres, there is a wide variety of activities to appeal to an assortment of groups. A great way to start a visit to the Arbor Day Farm is the three-mile Discovery Ride, which travels the expanse of the property and gives groups an overview of the farming activities that take place there. Visitors can be fully immersed in the natural environment by taking in spectacular views from the 50-foot-tall tree house or exploring the farm’s orchards and vineyards, where peaches and one of the nation’s only collections of heritage apples are grown. Groups can also tour the nearby Arbor Lodge State Historic Park, which features the 52-room mansion and surrounding estate of Julius Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day. Guests can stay overnight at the Leid Lodge or sample the “farm to table” menu at the lodge’s Timber Dining Room. Travelers can even take home a piece of the experience: At the Lied Greenhouse, visitors can select a seedling to take back with them to plant.
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B L A K E FA R M S
ARMADA, MICHIGAN
Up-close with a chicken at Hinchley Dairy Farm in Wisconsin Courtesy Hinchley Dairy Farm
Blake Farms is a family-owned Michigan farm and orchard located about an hour north of Detroit. David Blake is the third generation of the family to operate the apple farm since it began in 1946 as one of Michigan’s only pick-your-own apple orchards. Visitors can enjoy a hayride through the orchard, where they can pick their own apples. Groups can also tour the cider mill, where the family presses cider seven days a week from the start of the apple harvest. After seeing the journey the apples make from the trees to the press, groups will appreciate trying any one of about 20 different cider products made by Blake Farms. Many are familiar with cherries and apples from the Great Lakes state, since Michigan is the second-largest producer of apples in the nation, but they may not know that lavender is another big portion of Michigan’s agricultural industry. One of the big events at Blake Farms each year is the lavender festival, where guests can sample foods made with lavender — such as lavender lemonade and lavender ice cream — and see a variety of artisan products made from the flowering herb. Blake Farms hosts many other events throughout the year, including haunted attractions at Halloween. In winter, it’s a popular spot for cut-yourown Christmas trees, and groups can enjoy warm cider and doughnuts.
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H I N C H L E Y D A I R Y FA R M T O U R S
CAMBRIDGE, WISCONSIN
Courtesy Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
Hinchley Dairy Farm Tours began at the Hinchley Farm, located about an hour west of Milwaukee and half an hour east of Madison, Wisconsin. The idea of offering tours began when Tina Hinchley brought her children’s school group to the family property so they could see what a working dairy farm is like and realized the need to provide accurate and realistic information about farming. Almost two decades later, thousands of international visitors come to experience a dairy farm and learn about how the milk gets from the cow to their refrigerator. Hinchley described visits to her farm as “a good opportunity to meet a farmer and ask questions.” She starts tours by showing groups around the family farm and teaching them about the dairy and crops that are produced as well as providing other farm facts. After the hayride, visitors are taken through the different areas of the farm, including the nursery and the milking barn, where they may even try their hand at milking cows.
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A model farm and train at Indiana’s Grover Museum
Hinchley’s prize-winning cows
Courtesy Hinchley Dairy Farm
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Courtesy Grover Museum
going on faith [ june | july 2016 ] Courtesy Jordan Tourism Board
B L U E R I V E R VA L L E Y P I O N E E R FA I R A N D T H E G R OV E R M U S E U M
SHELBYVILLE, INDIANA
The Grover Museum originated in the early 1980s as part of the Shelby County Historical Society in the Indianapolis suburb of Shelbyville. The Shelby County Historical Society’s Blue River Valley Pioneer Fair started soon after the museum was established and was a popular event for more than two decades before hibernating for a period. Eight years ago, though, interest renewed, and the event was revived as an annual festival. Each September, fair attendees can explore what life was like during our nation’s westward expansion by interacting with people in period dress and by exploring a pioneer village. Various artisans perform historical demonstrations, including blacksmithing, period cooking and woodworking. Visitors to the Grover Museum can also explore the Streets of Old Shelby exhibit to explore the full expanse of the area’s history and view artifacts and stories from the 1900s, or peruse the annual quilt show.
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An elegant dinner al fresco at Bloomsbury Farm in Iowa
Courtesy Bloomsbury Farm
B L O O M S B U RY FA R M
ATKINS, IOWA
Bloomsbury Farm, near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a fifth-generation farm that specializes in “agri-tainment” as well as agriculture. The Petersen family started out with 400 acres but has expanded its holdings to about 2,000 acres, 60 of which are dedicated to agritourism. The volume of visitors has grown along with the acreage, according to owner Karen Petersen. “We started out very small, but now we’re up to over 5,000 visitors a year,” she said. Bloomsbury Farm features a variety of attractions, including hayrides, an animal petting area, obstacle courses and elaborate corn mazes. It recently added a new attraction called the Zip, a 50-foot-high zip line that takes participants soaring through a 2,700-foot-long course. A favorite in the fall season is a visit to Bloomsbury Farm’s pumpkin patch and watching “punkin chunkin.” This growing nationwide phenomenon features pumpkins being launched from catapults or launched from air-powered cannons, often flying hundreds of feet through the air before exploding when they hit the ground.
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Martin Luther Celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation!
Dresden, Germany
Follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther to connect with the places where he lived, studied, worked and preached, bringing you and your group deep into the history of the Reformation.
Berlin, Germany
Leipzig, Germany
Offer the world to your travelers with journeys to seven continents.
faith
To learn about our extensive tour selection, call 800.762.5345 or your local Travel Agent. CST# 2006766-20 UBN# 601220855 Nevada Seller of Travel Registration No. 2003-0279