Going On Faith Summer 2017

ON T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R FAITH-BASED TRAVEL PLANNERS VOL. 20 - NO. 3

SUMMER 2017

TAKE A SPIN THROUGH

BAVA R I A MISSISSIPPI

H I S TO RY MUSEUM

NEWS GOING ON FAITH

CONFERENCE PREVIEW

This mountain seting … your group’ s next event.

Hold your group’s next conference or ministry event in the beautiful surroundings of Billy Graham’s mountain retreat center in Asheville, N.C. The Cove’s gracious accommodations, distinctive meeting spaces, and exceptional service help provide an ideal,

distraction-free atmosphere so your group can relax, refocus, and be renewed through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our year-round facility rests on 1,200 secluded acres of rich forest, woodland streams, and hiking

trails. Visit TheCove.org or call our Guest Group team at 828-298-2092.

458-Seat and 119-Seat Auditoriums • 14 Additional Meeting and Breakout Rooms • Warm and Inviting Guest Rooms • Complete Audio and Visual Capabilities • 24-Hour Complimentary Beverages • Delicious Cuisine A ministry of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

©2017 BGEA

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

—1 CHRONICLES 16:11, ESV

Give them an experience that will last.

“ONE GENERATION SHALL PRAISE YOUR WORKS TO ANOTHER, AND SHALL DECLARE YOUR MIGHTY ACTS.”

—Psalm 145:4, NKJV

Bring

your group to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., and discover how a humble farmer’s son became pastor to the presidents and shared God’s love with millions of people around the world. Retrace his dynamic journey as history comes to life through inspiring multimedia presentations and state-of-the-art exhibits.

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

4330 Westmont Drive • Charlotte, North Carolina A ministry of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

©2017 BGEA

“The No. 1 thing to do in Charlotte.”

GOF

THE MAGAZINE F O R FA I T H - B A S E D T R AV E L

[ SUMMER 2017 ]

18

Indiana’s Amish Country

Tradition thrives in Northern Indiana.

22 26

The Drama of Mississippi

This state is awash in antebellum homes and Civil War sites.

Museum Milestones

New and expanded institutions offer exciting experiences.

NORTHEAST

AND M I D - AT L A N T I C 33 Explore the waterfront

DEPARTMENTS Columns 6 EDITOR’S NOTES: The power of momentum

ON THE COVER: A couple in traditional German dress dance at Oktoberfest in Bavaria. Photo by Julian Sebastian

4

Spotlights

News

12 HOW TO: Plan Trips on a Budget

14 PROFILE:

cities of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

8 HOLMES COUNTY, OHIO, prepares for the Going On Faith Conference

Gigi Inigo

16 INTERNATIONAL: Bavaria, Germany

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

Savannah Osbourn Staff Writer

Stacey Bowman Account Manager

Going On Faith is published quarterly 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.

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

EDITOR’S

NOTES BRIAN JEWELL

THE POWER OF MOMENTUM

I

t’s amazing the difference momentum can make in a ballgame.

In many close basketball games, the outcome isn’t determined by which team led on the scoreboard for the most time. Instead, games are often won or lost based on momentum — streaks of incredible performance that seem to transcend regular gameplay.

When your favorite team is on a hot streak, it can be a euphoric feeling. The players work as a single organism, moving beautifully across the floor and making dazzling moves look easy. Even if you are rooting for the underdog, during those moments of brilliance, you sincerely believe your team can win. And if they find a way to capitalize on that momentum, they have a pretty good chance of pulling off an upset.

Of course, sometimes the opposing team has the momentum. And those times are agonizing. Your team can’t move the ball, they can’t hit a shot, and they commit sloppy fouls and turn the ball over too frequently. A team with a comfortable lead can watch victory quickly slip away if they lose the momentum in the game and fail to get it back.

Momentum is an integral part of basketball, but it also plays a critical role in the success or failure of organizations. I spent a lot of my life as a member of a church that seemed healthy and thriving, but lost its momentum somewhere along the way and closed within a few years. It was tragic. Now I’m part of a church that is on fire, having one success after another, and the feeling is electric. Like an

elite basketball team in the middle of a hot run, we feel unstoppable.

There are lessons to be learned here for travel groups, too. The winds of momentum can push your church’s travel ministry to dazzling heights or terrifying lows. There are church travel programs around the country that are growing, thriving and experiencing amazing success. There are others in similar churches in similar cities that are seeing their numbers shrink, their members age and their enthusiasm wane.

Momentum can seem magical, but it isn’t random. Great coaches know how to control the momentum in a game. When things are going well, they build up as much of a lead as possible because they know the hot streak won’t last forever. When the other team seems to be controlling the game, coaches call timeouts, substitute players and formulate new strategies to swing the momentum back in their direction.

I hope your travel program is experiencing a hot streak, not a slow spiral. But no matter what state your program is in, I encourage you to take stock of your group’s health and keep an eye out for the forces that will lift you up, as well as those that could push you down. If things are looking good now, think about how you might capitalize on your current success so a string of bad luck doesn’t set you back in the future. And if things aren’t looking great for your group, be willing to take the bold action required to keep unfortunate events from putting you out of business.

And remember that in the end, winners create their own momentum.

BRIAN JEWELL [ EDITOR ] brianj@grouptravelleader.com

6

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

Kentucky offers dozens of attractions. From a life-size Noah’s Ark to Shaker Village, you’ll find something for everyone. For sample itineraries and travel tips, visit kentuckytourism.com/faith.

The Ark Encounter

Making plans for your group?

Try some of ours.

Shaker Village

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption

#travelky

GOING ON FAITH CONFERENCE HEADS FOR HOLMES COUNTY GOING ON FAITH

CONFERENCE PREVIEW

Photos courtesy Holmes Co. Tourism Bureau

Going On Faith Conference attendees will enjoy the heritage of Holmes County, Ohio’s Amish culture.

BY DA N DI CKSON

C

ommonly known as Amish country, Holmes County is nestled in rural northeast Ohio between Columbus and Cleveland. But to many visitors, it seems a world away from big-city life.

The area is unlike any other part of the United States. Here visitors sample what country life in America might have been like 150 to 200 years ago.

All this is courtesy of a remarkable religious sect, the Amish, about 17,000 gentle, peaceful, hard-working

8

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

people who appear to be straight out of the 19th century but who live surrounded by modern society and technology.

Delegates to the 2017 Going On Faith Conference, the national gathering of religious travel planners, will get to experience a little of Amish culture August 22-24. The local tourism office encourages any travel planners still on the fence about going to sign up and be part of it.

“They should go especially if they have never been to Amish country,” said Laurie Judson of the Holmes

County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau.

Unlike other Going On Faith Conferences that have been held in large convention centers in good-size cities, this meeting of religious travel planners and travel industry representatives will take place inside Grace Mennonite Church in the small rural city of Berlin, Ohio. The Mennonites are closely related to the Amish in their faith and beliefs.

When they arrive in the area, delegates will see some unusual sights. It is not uncommon to see an

With our hearts we welcome you.

Host for 2017 Going on Faith Conference Homemade pies and low-tech transportation in Ohio’s Amish Country

Share our heritage.

Share our beauty.

Amish farmer clearing his field with a horse and plow, or to spot an Amish family clip-clopping along a highway full of motorized traffic in a buggy pulled by a horse. And the group’s traditional clothing — plain pants, shirts, hats, dresses and bonnets — always stands out. In short, Amish country is a special place.

Five different hotels will serve the conference delegates. They are the Berlin Resort, Comfort Suites Berlin and the Berlin Grande Hotel and two popular mainstays of the region, Zinck’s Inn and Lodging on the Square.

CONFERENCE PLANS The conference will be held in midweek this year. When they arrive, delegates are asked to register for the meeting at the Grace Mennonite Church, where they can network and begin to build new travel relationships. Then some of the fun begins.

“On that first afternoon, we are planning to hold an old-fashioned ice cream social outdoors at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin,” said Judson. “It will be held next to a colorful, 296-foot-tall painted mural that depicts the story of the Amish and Mennonite people, basically depicting their very moving immigration stories.” There will also be some local entertainment as attendees enjoy their ice cream.

Following the official conference welcome and keynote address, everyone will be bused to the nearby town of Wilmot. Dinner will be served at the Amish Door, a restaurant, bakery, market, hotel and gift shop. The Amish Door offers traditional meat-and-potatoes cooking. Guests usually feast on specialties like roast beef or broasted chicken, as well as mashed potatoes, delectable vegetables, homemade bread and fresh pie. Several area convention and visitors bureaus will be in attendance, so delegates can obtain information should they want to bring a group back to the area.

www.VisitAmishCountry.com

1-877-643-7875

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

9

Nebraska, will share his unusual encounter with a stranger the night before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Quillen will challenge delegates to change their lives by first changing the lives of others; specifically, by making those people’s dreams come true.

“WE ARE GOING TO GIVE THEM A JAMPACKED THREE DAYS OF TOUCHING, TASTING AND SEEING WONDERFUL AMISH COUNTRY.”

SEASONS OF FUN

The second night’s dinner and entertainment will take place at the Amish Country Theater, which presents comedic and family-friendly variety shows on a stage built to look like a barn.

“There will be an abbreviated show presented to give people an idea of what can be offered to groups,” said Judson. “The theater does a lot of audience participation.”

On the second afternoon of the conference, tours to nearby Owens, Wayne and Tuscarawas counties, all part of Amish country, will be offered. Some delegates to conferences like to come a day or two early or stay after it to go on FAM tours. They won’t be disappointed this year. Two pre-conference FAM tours have been arranged. The first is with Visit Canton, the CVB for the nearby Ohio city, and will cover the many benefits of visiting that city. The second is a more detailed tour of Amish country and will be provided by Dutchman’s Hospitality. The post-conference FAM tour is to Youngstown, Ohio, and will be sponsored by the Mahoning County CVB. Also of note, the conference will feature an inspirational speaker with a remarkable story to tell. Award-winning author Rob Quillen from Omaha,

Each season offers something special in Amish country. Spring bursts forth, with flowers blooming and “new” green appearing everywhere. Baby animals are born on the many Amish farms dotting the countryside. People enjoy visiting them in special back roads tours.

Summer is a busy time on the farm, and there is much work to be done.

Tourists can see some of the traditional methods still being used today. Fall is by far the busiest tourism season in the region, with fall harvests, Oktoberfest celebrations, Halloween fun and other special events taking place.

Winter may be a colder time, but the Amish offer sleigh rides, visits to barns where animals are wintering, tours of cheesemaking and chocolate-making shops and a glimpse of the world-famous quilt making and furniture building that have been traditions in the region for decades.

Judson said delegates will experience a change of scenery and a much slower, more peaceful lifestyle in Amish country. After the day’s conference work ends, the fun begins.

“We are going to give them a jam-packed three days of touching, tasting and seeing wonderful Amish country,” he said. “I think it will be a lot of fun for everybody.”

COME TOGETHER I N T H E F OX C I T I E S

Endless shopping, dining and nightlife options

Make the Fox Cities your next meeting destination!

Enjoy the big city amenities and small town charm that our 20 communities along the shores of Lake Winnebago and the Fox River have to offer: • An exceptional visitor experience for groups of 10 to 2,500 • Safe, walkable communities • Flexible, affordable meeting spaces • Free bureau services

15+ facilities with unique, affordable meeting space

We invite your group to COME TOGETHER IN THE FOX CITIES.

Begin your planning at going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

FoxCities.org

GET SOCIAL!

Fun options for group activities and team building

T HANKS TO THESE

S P ON SORS :

CON FEREN CE HOST CIT Y CON FEREN CE PA D FO LIO DELEGATE RE G IST RY TRAVEL INDUSTRY REPORT HOLMES COUNTY COC & TOURISM BUREAU

LUNCHEON MSC CRUISES (USA) INC

BREAKFAST DAY ONE GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS

BRE A KFA ST – DAY T WO ARK ENCOUNTER – CREATION MUSEUM

FLOOR GR AP HI CS ANDERSON MADISON COUNTY CVB

N AME BA DG E S APPLE AMERICAN GROUP

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION BERLIN MAIN STREET MERCHANTS

O PENIN G CE R E M ON IE S DIAMOND TOURS

V EN DOR SH OWCA S E EXPERIENCE PARK TOURS

SEMIN AR DELEGATE RE G IST RY A D FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

FLOOR GR AP HI CS GAITHER FAMILY RESOURCES

SP ON SO R B O OT H GREATER ONTARIO CALIFORNIA CVB

SP ON SO R B O OT H P GRAHAM DUNN – WAYNE COUNTY OH AMISH COUNTRY

CON FEREN CE PA RT NE R STEP AND RETREAT

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

HOW TO

PLAN TRIPS

ON A

P

BUDGET

BY BRIAN JEWELL

eople travel for all sorts of reasons: great food, adventure, learning opportunities, relaxation, etc. But almost everyone who takes a trip is in search of one critical component: a good price.

As a group travel planner, you can put together amazing trips, but if the prices are too high, you will probably find that few people will sign up. This is especially true for churches, where the inclusive mission of a travel program makes it important for trips to be affordable to as many people in the congregation as possible.

Much of the cost of tours is tied up in transportation and hotels, as well as fees charged by tour operators. There’s only so much you can do to change these numbers. But even given the inherent costs involved in travel, there are plenty of strategies you can employ to keep your trips on budget.

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

Here are 10 tips to make your church group trips affordable and still enjoyable.

TRAVEL CLOSE TO HOME. Trips to marquee destinations like New York City or the Holy Land may seem appealing, but that kind of travel can be expensive. If you’re on a limited budget, and especially if you’re just starting your travel program, you can save considerable money by taking trips to interesting destinations close to home. Day trips save you the cost of overnight accommodations, and two- or three-night trips to places within driving distance can help you build community and create fellowship in your church group without racking up significant travel expenses.

2)

USE SMALLER VEHICLES. Traditionally, group travel has employed full-size motorcoaches, which can seat up to 55 passengers. This is a comfortable and convenient way to move a group but can come at a high price, sometimes $1,500 per day or more. If your group is smaller than 30 or 40 people, consider renting an executive coach, a shuttle bus or even a 15-passenger van to transport them. Your travelers may miss the luxury of the larger, more spacious coach, but they will appreciate the cost savings.

3)

TRAVEL OFFSEASON. Many popular destinations have predictable demand cycles that dictate their high and low seasons — such as ski resorts in winter and beach destinations in summer. Visiting these areas in peak season will bring high hotel prices. But taking tours to those same places during the slower seasons can result in significant savings on hotel rates. As long as your group is prepared for less-than-ideal weather, you can save significant money and, as a bonus, avoid the crowds.

4) 5)

AIM FOR SLOW DAYS. You can also find cost savings by visiting destinations on slower days of the week. In some cities that get a lot of Monday-through-Friday business travel, weekend hotel prices can be much lower. Many destinations that thrive on weekend leisure travel offer discounts to groups that will fill otherwise empty rooms during the week.

Tour

SOUTHEAST INDIANA

GIRLFRIEND

Getaways

TARGET HOTEL VALUE. Nothing else affects the price of a trip more than hotel rates, and the price you pay for rooms can vary dramatically based on location and amenities. You should have a list of which features are important to your group — perhaps free breakfast and interior corridors — and which are not, such as a pool or a fitness center. Target your hotel searches to properties that offer the most of what you need and the least of what you don’t. And keep in mind that you can often save significantly on hotels if you’re willing to sacrifice on location, staying in the suburbs, near an airport or away from the city center.

6)

USE THE HUB-AND-SPOKE STRATEGY. If you are planning a tour that includes several destinations or attractions within driving distance of one another, consider finding a small town that is centrally located among those cities and using it as your hub for the trip. The hotels in these smaller communities are almost always lower priced than their counterparts in larger cities, so you can save money by staying there each night and then “spoking” out to the cities you want to visit each day.

7)

LIMIT INCLUSIONS. It’s nice to be able to offer three meals a day, enhanced attraction experiences and other special touches on your tours. But since there’s no such thing as a free lunch, these inclusions come at a price, and incorporating too many of them can cause the overall cost of a trip to inch upward. If you want to offer a low cost of entry for your travelers, consider planning your trips with minimal included meals and activities. They will have to pay out of pocket during the trip this way, but they will have more choices and control over how much they spend.

8)

PRORATE COMPS. This tip is somewhat technical but can offer some real savings if applied properly. When working with groups, many travel companies, hotels, attractions and other organizations offer complimentary goods and services as an incentive to group leaders. Policies vary from company to company, but it’s not uncommon for an organization to offer one free room, admission, meal, etc., for every 10 to 15 paying customers. If you’re traveling with the group, the first comp should be used to make sure your trip is free. But if your group is big enough to earn two or three comps, you can spread the benefit of those additional savings across the entire group, lowering the cost for everyone. Always ask for comps when working with travel vendors.

9)

ASK FOR HELP. No matter where you travel, you should always have local experts helping you put together a great trip. Whether it’s the convention and visitors bureau in a destination or a tour operator that has taken hundreds of other groups to that region, these experts know the ins and outs of the places you want to go, and they will have insights about how to save money. Always ask these partners what they can do to help you fit the trip within your budget.

Aurora and Lawrenceburg

OHIO

Indianapolis

INDIANA

1

Cincinnati

KENTUCKY

GET CREATIVE. If you have taken advantage of all the above tips and are still coming in over budget, it’s time to exercise some of your own creativity to find ways to cut costs. Find ways to maximize the value you deliver while cutting out the extras that don’t matter as much. Don’t let old habits or outdated traditions hold you back.

Instead, take a fresh look at every aspect of your trip to find ways to save.

Louisville

Lexington

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

www.TOURSoutheastIndiana.com 800-322-8198

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

FACES

of FAITH

A Life of Travel

TRAVEL

BY A SHLE Y RI CKS

GIGI INIGO

[ STYLE YOUR TRIP, LLC ]

BY AS HL E Y R I CK S

G

WHO DO YOU PLAN FOR? Style Your Trip, LLC, a company that partners with numerous parishes and congregations to plan international pilgrimages.

igi Inigo has been active in the travel industry for 25 years but not always as a travel planner.

“I was the district sales manager for Philippine Airlines before joining a tour operator,” she said.

Among her responsibilities for the tour operator was launching a travel program to Israel. While the travel program wasn’t necessarily focused on the religious market, Inigo worked closely with the Israel Ministry of Tourism office in charge of clergy relations and was invited to tour the country.

This trip made its mark on Inigo. “I was inspired and decided I really wanted to lead pilgrimages,” she said. “Pilgrimages have a different type of personality.” She views the religious market as “incredibly rewarding” and different from the more fast-paced, competitive nature of the larger travel industry.

“A pilgrimage is not just a vacation,” she said. “It’s another level because you walk in the footsteps of the Lord or the saints. It’s a spiritual journey.” Every pilgrimage is a special experience, but she sets out to make every trip memorable by including extra touches to deepen the experience for her pilgrims.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE? 1 Corinthians 13.

“Love is everything.”

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Santa Ana, California.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESTINATION? Inigo’s favorite destination is Italy. “Rome, Florence, Venice, really the entire country. I can just go over and over.”

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? Inigo’s favorite hobby is traveling but when she’s not traveling, she loves cooking and “exploring food, doing cooking experiences and eating at great restaurants.”

One of Inigo’s groups cruises on the Sea of Galilee.

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

“I like to throw in surprises for them,” she said. For example, on a trip to Portugal, she organized a special lunch during which travelers sampled the area’s cuisine and spent time getting to know local hosts.

Inigo works closely with pastors and priests of several churches and denominations to customize trips for their groups. Her attention to detail sets her apart as a planner, and her travelers love her for it.

“I have a lot of repeat clients,” she said. “Most of my clients are my friends forever.”

After a trip, Inigo may plan a reunion where travelers can relive the memories and stay in contact with the friends they’ve made, many of whom will also join her for another pilgrimage.

“I’m really blessed to have a job like this, to not just give people a trip, but for them to live their faith,” she said. “It’s very rewarding. It’s incredible to see people grow their faith right in front of your eyes.”

Italy is Inigo’s favorite country.

T RAV EL T IP S TIP 1 Plan a pretrip destination seminar that includes information on the destination as well as dos and don’ts so everyone is on the same page.

TIP 2 Make sure everyone has a travel companion.

TIP 3 Follow-up is important. Find out what aspects of the trip were most memorable and what travelers loved about the trip. It makes your travelers feel important, too.

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

The Cathedral of Our Lady is a popular faith-based site in Munich.

PASSPORT

STAMPS INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

BAVARIA GERMANY

All photos courtesy German National Tourist Board

The Christmas market at Lake Constance

BY AS HLEY RIC K S

he largest state in Germany, Bavaria is also the most popular destination for Americans visiting the country. The state covers a large area of southeast Germany that borders Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic.

The Bavarian landscape consists of rolling hills in the north and Alpine peaks in the south. Much of this landscape is dotted with the castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria, who renovated many of the area’s existing castles and added his own creations. Some of his most famous projects are Neuschwanstein, Linderhof Palace and Herrenchiemsee.

Many church travel groups have heard of the Bavarian

T

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

village of Oberammergau because of the world-renowned Oberammergau Passion Play that is put on by the townspeople every 10 years. The town is nestled in the German Alps between Munich and the Austrian border. The passion play was first performed in 1634 as an act of thanksgiving after the town was spared the effects of the Black Plague. It has taken place every decade except for the 1940s, during World War II. Special performances also took place on the 300th anniversary of the original play in 1934 and the 350th anniversary in 1984. Each performance requires over 2,000 participants, and all the actors, singers and other members of the production team must be residents of Oberammergau. Over half of the town’s residents are involved in each passion play.

TO P AT T RAC T ION S

FOR CHURCH GROUPS

MUST-DO: The Bavarian Motor Works plant is a popular stop for tourists. It includes a variety of interactive exhibits that tell the story of the development of transportation from the bicycle to modern automobiles and showcases notable BMW cars.

• PILGRIMAGE CHURCH OF WIES, STEINGADEN — This ornate 18th-century church in the foothills of the Alps is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to tradition, locals saw tears on the face of a wooden carving of Jesus, resulting in a rush of pilgrims to the site. The church was built to house the statue in the late 1740s in the Rococo style and is a popular Catholic pilgrimage destination.

• ST. PETER’S CATHEDRAL, REGENSBURG — Regensburg is home to a famous historic district and St. Peter’s Cathedral’s boys choir. The chapel dates to the Roman era, and more recently, the cathedral played host to Pope Benedict XVI, a native of Bavaria.

• THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF ALTOETTING, ALTOETTING — The national shrine of Bavaria and the oldest in the area dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this church is home to the famous Black Madonna statue.

• LAKE TEGERNSEE — Boasting a picturesque landscape and the Tegernsee Abbey, built in the eighth century on the lakeshore, the lake is also the site of the town of Tegernsee, known for its pastries.

• NUREMBURG — This city is home to many World War II historic sites, including a park that hosted Nazi rallies and the trials of some of the most infamous members of the Third Reich. The park and the many museums of the city are popular tourist stops.

Munich Oktoberfest

MUST-TASTE: Weisswurst, or white sausage, is a common breakfast dish or morning snack, typically boiled and typically served alongside sweet mustard, a soft pretzel and a stein of regional beer.

According to tradition, weisswurst was never eaten in the afternoon or evening because it was prepared in the morning without modern preservatives. Locals still follow this custom, despite the availability of household refrigeration.

BRING IT HOME: Bavaria’s annual Christmas markets start at the end of November and last through the Christmas season. Many tourists come just for these celebrations and enjoy sipping mulled wine while shopping for handcrafted gifts. Oberammergau is home to the Bavarian State Woodcarving School and is known for its beautiful woodcarvings.

PHOTO OP: Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenshwangau was constructed during the reign of Ludwig II, who built many ornate and wellknown German palaces. Many Americans will recognize this castle, as it inspired Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Wieskirche Pilgrimage Church

Neuschwanstein Castle

RESEARCHIN G Y OU R TR IP www.germany.travel

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

BY BR I A N J E W E L L

TRAVEL

SNAP SHOT

AMISH COUNTRY NORTHERN INDIANA Northern Indiana is home to one of the country’s largest Amish populations.

ometimes our similarities are more striking than our differences.

Case in point: a visit to the Amish Country of Northern Indiana, where church groups can have real encounters with members of the Amish orders that call the area home. Though they are famous for their plain clothes, low-tech lifestyle, German dialect and traditional values, Indiana’s Amish aren’t all reclusive, and the numerous opportunities for visitors to spend time with them highlights the many ways people are alike, regardless of the differences in their cultures.

Church groups that take tours of northern Indiana can have numerous experiences that include personal encounters with the area’s Amish, during which they will learn about their lives as family members, churchgoers and entrepreneurs.

“We find that people like the authentic, the rural, the opportunity to meet people and get to know personalities,” said Sonya Nash, director of group and experiential sales and marketing for Amish Country of Northern Indiana. “It’s not just driving on the bus and seeing something out the window. It’s the in-home Amish meal experi-

S

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

All photos courtesy Elkhart Co. CVB

ence, the Amish camel dairy farm, the family that makes baskets and the Amish coffin-maker. It’s the interactive experience that’s really taking off well.”

Each of these visits is part of a raft of hands-on activities tourism offers to groups visiting town, and each gives visitors the chance to meet and talk to local Amish residents, see their work and, in some cases, sample their products.

Product samples are an important part of another experience that has become popular with groups visiting the area: the Brown Bag Tour.

“This is the fun, hidden surprise tour,” Nash said. “Everybody gets a bag. You go with a guide to the tea shop, the noodle shop, the popcorn shop. Everybody gets something everywhere you go, so you end up with a bag full of goodies. In the fall, it might be doughnut holes and cheese. So, people have a ball seeing the things they’re going to get next. It’s another way to experience the back roads.”

In addition to these interactive cultural experiences, here are four other highlights that should be on your next Indiana Amish itinerary.

A Northern Indiana quilt garden

Every event has a story ...

QUILT GARDENS | ELKHART COUNTY

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

This summer, Amish country is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Quilt Garden initiative, which brings flower gardens planted in patterns inspired by Amish quilts to 19 attractions and businesses in six cities and towns throughout Elkhart County. This year’s gardens feature more than 150,000 plants.

The 10th-anniversary celebration will also feature a series of 56 bronze statues created by a New Jersey sculptor. The statues depict everyday scenes from small-town life, such as a policeman writing a ticket or a child eating ice cream. The highlight is a 25-foot-tall interpretation of “American Gothic,” with a couple and a pitchfork standing in downtown Elkhart.

WWW.AMISHCOUNTRY.ORG

DAS DUTCHMAN ESSENHAUS | MIDDLEBURY Not far from Shipshewana, Das Dutchman Essenhaus is one of the premier hospitality and dining attractions in northern Indiana. And with more than 1,100 seats, the dining room at the Essenhaus is one of the largest restaurants in the state. Though it isn’t an overtly Amish establishment, Essenhaus pays homage to the Amish traditions in the area through its restaurant and bakery menu, as well as five shops in former farm buildings on the property where guests can find fruitcake, home-style noodles, locally made jams and fruit spreads, and other area specialties.

Groups can stay in the Inn at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, which offers some of the best accommodations in the area, and see theater productions at the newly built Heritage Hall, which offers shows from May through December.

WWW.ESSENHAUS.COM

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going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

AMISH ACRES | NAPPANEE

A camel farm on the “Brown Bag Tour” of Amish Country

Most groups that visit northern Indiana plan a stop at Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort, where they can get a comprehensive look at the history and traditions of the Amish people who inhabit the area. Built on a 19th-century Amish farmstead, Amish Acres features historic buildings and interpreters who demonstrate Amish lifestyle and farming techniques, many of which are still used today.

In addition to taking a guided tour of the farm and historic structures, groups see a show in the Amish Acres’ Red Barn Theater, which is the national home of the Amish-themed musical “Plain and Fancy”; it also features a season of other productions. The on-site restaurant offers Amish-style Threshers Dinners, served family style in a barn.

WWW.AMISHACRES.COM

SAMARA, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house

Located one hour north of Indianapolis and two hours south of Chicago, off of Interstate 65.

We are home of Purdue University and home of exciting attractions featuring art, architecture, outdoor adventures, clean energy, agritourism and history!

Wolf Park

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going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

Agritourism

Contact Ashley Gregory and start planning today, agregory@HomeOfPurdue.com

RIEGSECKER MARKETPLACE SHIPSHEWANA Since 1984, the Riegsecker Marketplace has been the tourist highlight of the picturesque town of Shipshewana. Created by a local craftsman in a restored factory building at the community’s main intersection, the marketplace holds several furniture stores, a craft barn, a gift shop and more.

Many groups that visit Shipshewana make time for dinner and a show at the Blue Gate Restaurant and Theatre. The massive restaurant has nine dining rooms and can accommodate over 1,000 guests, who come for traditional Amish and home-style meals. The Blue Gate Theatre hosts a series of well-known music and comedy performers, including artists such as Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell and Jeff Foxworthy.

WWW.RIEGSECKER.COM

An Amish roadside market

AMISH ACRES $99, 2-DAY 1-NIGHT PACKAGE delivers group fun with guided farmstead tours, film on Amish lifestyle, professional Broadway musical theatre, famous family-style Threshers Dinner & specialty shopping.

Amish Acres 80-acre Historic Farm & Heritage Resort features: • Annual Arts & Crafts Festival - an ABA Top 100 event • Delicious family-style Threshers Dinner served in the rustic Restaurant Barn • Repertory theatre is home of longest running musical “Plain & Fancy” • Two locally owned 64-room country inns Family-owned DAS DUTCHMAN ESSENHAUS’ 1,100 seat Amish-style restaurant and home-style bakery feature 30 varieties of pie. Their Inn, shops, activities and Quilt Garden & Mural create a quiet country escape. SHIPSHEWANA FLEA MARKET & AUCTION open Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 8 am to 5 pm, May thru September.

Vendors offer everything from fresh fruit to handcrafted furniture! Free bus parking and admission. Enjoy the auctions, events and beautiful Farmstead Inn year-round.

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

HISTORIC HOMES AND

HALLOWED GROUND M I SSI SS IP P I IS AWAS H IN AN TEBE LL UM BEAUTY AND CIVIL WAR S I T ES

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STATE OF FAITH 22

Natchez features historic homes such as Dunleith (top); distinctive locations such as Magnolia Grill (bottom right); and traditional Southern cuisine (bottom left).

going on faith [ summer 2017 ] Courtesy St. Marys Co. Div. of Tourism

Photos courtesy Natchez CVB

5 COR I N TH

4 TU P ELO

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1 NATCHEZ HIGHLIGHT | ANTEBELLUM HOMES On the banks of the Mississippi River in the southwestern part of the state, Natchez is one of the oldest cities in the South. Established in 1716, this city now boasts 13 National Historic Landmarks and more than 1,000 structures that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Thirteen antebellum homes around town make a great way to learn about Natchez history. The gem of the area is Longwood Plantation, a home that was begun before the Civil War but never completed. It is one of the few octagonal mansions in the United States.

In addition to these tour homes that are always open to visitors, groups can see many more Natchez homes during two annual pilgrimage events. The tradition of the Spring Pilgrimage dates to 1932 and features private homeowners in period dress that welcome guests into their 19th-century homes. The Fall Pilgrimage also features tours of autumn gardens and evening entertainment.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: On the outskirts of town, the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians preserves the ceremonial center of the Natchez Indians, who inhabited the area between 700 and 1730. Groups can see re-creations of the structures used by the Natchez people and learn about their interactions with French and English settlers.

MORE INFO | www.visitnatchez.org

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N ATCHEZ

VICKSBURG HIGHLIGHT | CIVIL WAR SITES

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BY BRIAN JEWELL

f your travelers like history, they’re going to love Mississippi.

Historic roots run deep in this Deep South state that enjoys abundant antebellum architecture and that saw more than its share of fighting during the Civil War. Groups visiting Mississippi today can enjoy the best of its Southern beauty and stop to hear the most compelling stories of the conflicts that took place there.

This tour begins in Natchez in southwest Mississippi and then proceeds northeast, ending in Shiloh, which sits on the Tennessee border. Along the way, groups also spend time in Vicksburg, Jackson and Tupelo. Taking five days and four nights will give you plenty of time in each city. If you’re in a hurry, you could combine two nearby city stops into a single day to shave a day off the trip.

About 70 miles north of Natchez, Vicksburg was the site of one of the most decisive Southern events of the Civil War. Union soldiers surrounded and besieged the city in 1863, and Confederate forces held their ground for 47 days before finally surrendering.

Visitors can learn more about the events of the Civil War in the area at a few attractions around town. A good place to start is the Old Depot Museum, which features a 30-minute film about the siege called “The Vanishing Glory.” Another attraction, the Old Courthouse Museum, occupies a building that housed Union prisoners during the Civil War and is full of artifacts from the era.

The Vicksburg National Military Park gives an even more in-depth look at the battle in Vicksburg. The park features 1,800 acres of earthworks, cannons and monuments, as well as the remains of the USS Cairo, a Union ironclad ship that was sunk by the Confederacy.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: In downtown Vicksburg, the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum preserves the 1890 building that served as Coca-Cola’s first bottling plant. The museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features a re-created bottling works, Coke memorabilia, a 1900 soda fountain and historic candy story.

MORE INFO | www.visitvicksburg.com going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 23

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JACKSON

TUPELO

HIGHLIGHT | HISTORIC CAPITAL

HIGHLIGHT | A NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

In the center of the state, Jackson is the capital of Mississippi and was heavily damaged during the Civil War; Union troops burned much of the city and gave it the nickname Chimneyville. But several important historic buildings around town remain, giving visitors a look at life in the antebellum capital.

The 1842 governor’s mansion is the second-oldest continuously occupied gubernatorial residence in the United States. Half-hour tours of the National Historic Landmark showcase the mansion’s history, architecture and antique furnishings. Nearby, the Old State Capitol served as a statehouse from 1839 to 1903 and is now a historical museum.

History lovers should also visit the antebellum City Hall, which was constructed in 1847 and used as a troop hospital during the Civil War. The building is surrounded by formal gardens that showcase classic Southern horticulture. Another historic building, the Manship House, is open to tour groups by appointment.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Jackson is buzzing with excitement over the opening of two new museums at the end of the year. The Museum of Mississippi History will tell the comprehensive story of the state, and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum will feature seven thematic galleries that detail African-Americans’ struggle for freedom and justice.

More than 500 of Mississippi’s Civil War battles took place in the northern part of the state. Groups can follow the Natchez Trace Parkway for parts of the 190-mile trip from Jackson to Tupelo, stopping along the way to see historic sites and Civil War locations.

Upon reaching Tupelo, travelers often visit the Tupelo National Battlefield, which marks the site where more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers fought for two days in July 1864. The park has a large memorial, cannons and interpretive signage with information on the Battle of Tupelo. Rangers at the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway Visitors Center can provide additional information to groups.

If you have serious Civil War buffs in your group, you might consider offering an optional side trip to the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Columbus, where locals began the custom of military grave decoration that would evolve into Memorial Day. WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Elvis Presley was born and spent much of his childhood in Tupelo, and today he is honored in several places around town. Groups can see Elvis’ humble birthplace and boyhood home, and they can see an antique car he owned at the Tupelo Auto Museum.

MORE INFO | www.tupelo.net

MORE INFO | www.visitjackson.com

Jackson’s Old Capitol Museum

Tupelo National Battlefield Courtesy Tupelo CVB

Tupelo Auto Museum

Elvis Presley statue in Tupelo

Courtesy Visit Jackson

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going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

Courtesy Tupelo CVB

Courtesy Tupelo CVB

5 CORINTH HIGHLIGHT | CIVIL WAR CROSSROADS In the northeastern corner of the state, Corinth sits just across the border from Shiloh, Tennessee, the site of the two-day Battle of Shiloh in 1862, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Action from that battle spilled over to the railroad crossroads in Corinth, and later that year, the Battle of Corinth was fought there.

Though the main section of Shiloh National Military Park is in Tennessee, the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center is considered part of the park and is near the site of a fortification where fighting took place in the Battle of Corinth. The museum features video overviews on both battles in the area, as well as a fullscale replica of earthworks that were dug at the battlefield.

Nearby, the Crossroads Museum occupies a former train depot and has an extensive collection of Civil War artifacts.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Borroum’s Drug Store, the oldest operating drugstore and soda fountain in Mississippi, has been owned and operated by the same family since the 1860s. The soda shop features old-fashioned treats such as malts, banana splits and sundaes, all served with equipment from the 1920s and 1930s.

Coca-Cola memorabilia (above) and a Civil War medallion (bottom) at the Crossroads Museum in Corinth

MORE INFO | www.corinth.net Photos courtesy Corinth CVB

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going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 25

GRAND OPENINGS T HE S E N EW A N D RE N OVAT E D MUSE UMS APPEAL TO TRAVELERS EVERY W H ER E

BY KEREN HA MEL

I

The American Writers Museum opened this spring in Chicago

f you love museums, you’re in luck: Some of America’s most popular destinations have brand-new or newly expanded museums for your group to visit.

With several new and expanding museums across the nation, these five stand out for their scope and ingenuity. The new Museum of the American Revolution and Museum of the Bible present comprehensive exhibits on their topics, and the American Writers Museum is one of a kind. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art tripled its gallery space last year, and the National WWII Museum is quadrupling in size.

Courtesy American Writers Museum

Museum of the American Revolution Courtesy Museum of the American Revolution

Museum of the Bible

Courtesy Museum of the Bible

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going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

[ MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ] PHILADELPHIA The full story of the American Revolution has never been told so well as by Philadelphia’s newest museum. The Museum of the American Revolution opened in April just steps from Independence Hall.

Even museum creators are impressed by early reviews.

“We’ve done an excellent job of telling specific stories at specific sites throughout North America, but what was missing was a narrative to tie it all together,” said R. Scott Stephenson, the museum’s vice president for collections, exhibitions and programming. “We couldn’t have imagined this response to the way we’ve decided to tell the broader story.” Through immersive exhibits and an extensive collection of artifacts, the museum draws visitors into the 18th-century experience — the time when the outcome was wholly uncertain, and kings and common men had to pick sides.

“From this point in history, we look at the Revolution like the unfolding of a preordained plan, but there are so many points where things could have gone differently,” Stephenson said.

As visitors weave along the familiar timeline, they also hear many of the stories that don’t make it into history books, like debates between Native Americans about how to preserve themselves in the midst of civil war or the Colonial slaves who donned red coats on the path to freedom. Loyalists get their due as well.

The interactive side of the experience includes withstanding a British infantry charge in the Battlefield Theater, designing a soldier’s uniform to fit a specific loyalty and climbing aboard a life-size replica privateer ship. The museum highlight is a theatrical presentation of George Washington’s field tent; after a short film, the curtain sweeps away to reveal the space that served as his wartime bedroom and headquarters. www.amrevmuseum.org [ AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM ] CHICAGO The country is studded with small museums dedicated to single authors, but until now, no one museum has ventured to explore all of America’s greats under one roof. This May, the American Writers Museum opened on the second floor of a vintage building along Michigan Avenue in Chicago; its mission is to explore the influence of American writers on culture.

“We’ve reached the point where our country has been around long enough that we can take a look back and see how important writers have been to the creation and continuation of culture,” said Carey Cranston, the museum’s inaugural president. “It shows how we think through our writing.”

The trick, Cranston said, was translating the solitary experience of reading into an interactive museum experience through touch screens and high-tech multimedia installations. Based on visitor response in opening weeks, the exhibits are as absorbing as a good book.

The anchor exhibit is Writers Hall — a dramatic display of 100 authors and 100 works. By turning small display boards for each, visitors get varied sensory experiences, like hearing “Oh! Susanna” or smelling cookies from Julia Child. Other permanent galleries treat the art of writing — how iconic works came to be and how writers go about creating those works today.

There are also inviting spaces for reading and, should the mood hit, spots to sit down at a typewriter and bang out something inspired. An early crowd favorite is a touch screen that reveals origins of words and phrases like “frenemy,” “Bible Belt” and “shotgun wedding.”

The current temporary installments include the giant, continuous scroll on which Jack Kerouac typed “On the Road” in the span of three weeks. One of the most culturally significant works in recent history, the scroll is a fitting inaugural piece for a museum that hopes to show the impact writers can have on the nation’s future. www.americanwritersmuseum.org [ MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE ] WASHINGTON, D.C. As Washington continues to distance itself from religion, an enormous $500 million Museum of the Bible is moving into the neighborhood — three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The high-tech brick-and-glass structure will be opening in November and will chronicle the history, narrative and impact of the Bible. Each of these three themes will have a floor of the museum dedicated to it, with the history floor featuring many of the great biblical discoveries: writings dating to the time of Abraham, fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls and early New Testament writings.

The roof will play host to a garden and Middle Eastern fare dating to biblical times. Executive director Tony Zeiss said the museum has gone to great lengths to present a factual, nondenominational account of the Bible, enlisting several independent consultants and scholars to help design the exhibits.

“We want all people of all ages and of all faiths to see our museum,” Zeiss said.

“We aren’t a ministry, and we aren’t pushing religion.”

Organizers say they are building the most technologically advanced museum in the world. Around $42 million is going into technology alone.

“It’s not going to be your grandpa’s museum,” Zeiss said. “This goes way beyond walking over to a glass and looking down.”

Each visitor will be given a personal touring device the size of a smartphone to navigate the exhibits. The system works within six inches of accuracy throughout the 430,000-square-foot museum and allows for 3-D interactivity at several stations. The devices will also guide visitors to the best exhibits, theaters and attractions at the best times.

Another unique feature is the museum’s 500-seat performing arts hall, which uses 360-degree digital mapping to immerse guests in any given environment.

The full technology package for the museum includes 384 monitors, 93 projectors and 12 theaters. www.museumofthebible.org

A King George statue at the new Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia Courtesy Museum of the American Revolution

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 27

Photos Courtesy National WWII Museum

Top: Campaigns of Courage exhibit at the National WWII Museum Bottom: The museum’s new Freedom Pavilion

[ NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM ] NEW ORLEANS Already one of the most extensive and interactive war museums in the world, with three buildings dedicated to the major themes of the war, the National WWII Museum is in the midst of a $400 million expansion that will quadruple its original size. Upon completion, the museum will include seven pavilions on six acres in the heart of New Orleans.

The latest addition is a permanent exhibit that will open to the public June 10 that drops visitors into the homefront and shows them the long road to war.

“We’ve shown what it was like to be in the war for years, but now we can show the sacrifices that people at home had to make,” said Michelle Moore, assistant communications director for the museum. “Visitors will get immersed in 1930s America and feel what it was like to be a nation at war.”

The new exhibit, named “The Arsenal of Democracy,” looks at prewar stories, domestic debates and how the attack on Pearl Harbor incited the nation. Other galleries in the exhibit focus on what Americans faced after the United States entered the war: propaganda, military recruitment, manufacturing and the Manhattan Project. The exhibit serves as a complement to the jungles, beaches and mountains that visitors travel as they experience the Pacific and European theaters.

Now under construction is the Canopy of Peace, which will cover and unite the museum campus.

“It’s going to be a stunning structure that changes the New Orleans skyline,” Moore said.

Ahead in the expansion are two more pavilions, including one focused on end-of-war and postwar experiences. www.nationalww2museum.org

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Plimouth Plantation re-creates life in the 17th century at the Pilgrims’ settlement in Massachusetts.

A

merica’s history spans several centuries as waves of pilgrims, pioneers and settlers spread across the New World.

Some places were founded a little over a century ago, and others, such as Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is preparing to celebrate its 400th anniversary, predate the country.

History often gets pushed aside as dull and dusty, but these historic destinations, whether they exemplify 1700s Europe or embody the spirit of the Wild West, bring history to life

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

Courtesy Destination Plymouth

[ DODGE CITY, KANSAS ] Dodge City, Kansas, is known around the world as an iconic American frontier town that embodies the spirit of the Wild West. That reputation is probably “a little bit romanticized” in Westerns and, of course, the television series “Gunsmoke,” but all those fictional characters and their stories “are composites of people who really existed,” said Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau director Jan Stevens.

“The Hollywood version of Dodge City is really interesting, but the truth is much more interesting,” she said.

Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday all spent time in Dodge City, and Dora Hand was a dance hall singer and actress that was accidentally killed in the first “ride-by shooting,” Stevens said.

“There’s lots of great history here, and it’s real history,” she said.

At the Boot Hill Museum, visitors can step back in time when they step inside false-front wooden buildings. The re-created Western town includes real artifacts from the period housed in a saloon, a drugstore, a hardware store and other buildings. The museum also does shootout shows and a chuck-wagon dinner. At the top of the hill, groups can wander around Boot Hill cemetery, the town’s pauper graveyard.

When visitors tour Boot Hill Distillery in the old City Hall, they’ll also get to see the old jail and fire department. Groups of 25 can take a Historic Trolley Tour to see the Lora Locke Hotel, Fort Dodge and the Home of Stone mansion, which is also open for tours; step-on guides are also available.

Dodge City Days is a 10-day festival in July and August that celebrates the city’s Western heritage with rodeos, parades and a longhorn cattle drive. www.dodgecity.org

[ ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI ] In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition first made camp on the Missouri River in St. Charles, Missouri, launching into the unknown.

Today, the city takes pride in its Lewis and Clark history.

The Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center museum, which sits on the riverbank, offers groups tours of exhibits that include dioramas of the expedition, native prairie replicas, and keelboats and pirogues like those the Corps of Discovery used.

The museum is on Bishop’s Landing on the river, which is just a block east of the city’s crown jewel: its 10-block restored historic district. The neighborhood dates to the 1800s, and more than 100 specialty shops and restaurants line its gas-lamp-lit, brick-paved streets. The CVB offers walking tours with guides wearing historic attire showing off the Main Street district, where buildings date back to the 1700s. Also downtown, next door to the visitor center, is the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site, where groups can tour the building that served as the capitol from 1821 to 1826.

A few blocks north, the Foundry Arts Centre is a working art facility with 20 artist studios upstairs and gallery space on the ground floor, housed in a 1920s train-car factory. Just a five-minute walk away, groups can tour the Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Docents lead groups through the shrine and talk about the French missionary who brought formalized education for girls to the Missouri frontier in 1818.

About 30 miles west of St. Charles is the Historic Daniel Boone Home at Lindenwood Park. At this 300-acre site, groups can tour Boone’s home and the adjacent Boonesfield Village, with a blacksmith shop, a log cabin and a chapel. www.historicstcharles.com [ SAVANNAH, GEORGIA ] The original charter for the Georgia Trustees, granted in 1732, said all colonists “shall have a free exercise of their religion.” Because of that religious freedom, “what has happened over the centuries, it’s really become a beautiful tapestry of different denominations,” said Mindy Shea, director of tour, travel and international sales for Visit Savannah.

Total religious freedom wasn’t the case. The charter specifically denied Catholics the right to worship in the colony, and the Georgia Trustees also originally banned Judaism, according to the Georgia Historical Society.

But when a ship with Jewish passengers docked, Gen. James Oglethorpe allowed them to stay and even allowed them to own land. The Jewish settlers founded the Congregation Mickve Israel, the third-oldest Jewish congregation in America and the oldest in the South. The Gothic-style synagogue sits on Monterey Square, and groups can take guided tours of both its sanctuary and its museum, where they’ll see the two oldest Torahs in North America and the congregation’s collection of letters from 13 presidents, including George Washington.

Christ Church, built in 1733, was the first church formed in Savannah and still rings the bell hung by Revere and Son from Boston. The First African Baptist Church congregation was organized in 1773, but the building was completed in 1859. After working all day on plantations and in fields, slaves walked to the site and “built this church brick by brick in the dead of night,” Shea said. The church subsequently became a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Although it got a later start in Savannah than other religions, Catholicism took root in Georgia after the American Revolution. Groups can visit the late-1800s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist during selfguided or docent-led tours, and they can also attend daily mass there. www.visitsavannah.com

[ ELKO, NEVADA ] Whether they were searching for land, gold or a fresh start, an estimated 250,000 people made their way to California between 1841 and 1869, and the California Trail led them through what is today Elko, Nevada.

At the California Trail Interpretive Center, groups can see covered wagons, learn about pioneer life and hike the nature trails surrounding the museum to take in views of the Ruby Mountains, “which are gorgeous and beautiful,” said Tom Lester, tourism and convention manager for the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority. Lester recently arranged for a group to go hiking in the mountains and then enjoy a Dutch-oven-cooked lunch.

For the annual Trail Days at the center, visitors can experience live reenactments of pioneer life at an 1850s-era wagon encampment and recreated Shoshone summer camp.

The Western Folklife Center is the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering’s headquarters. Although the annual festival is a busy time for groups to visit, the city is a year-round home to cowboy artists and poets that perform at events. Housed in the historic Pioneer Hotel in downtown, the center displays pieces from its permanent collection, rotates temporary exhibits and has a historic bar and dance floor for groups and events.

Across the street at J.M. Capriola Co., groups can watch custom saddles being made. The Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum, in the former home of G.S. Garcia Saddle Co., is being renovated to its 1800s appearance and is slated to reopen November 1. During the remodel, groups can work with the museum director to schedule a leather-tooling class at J.M. Capriola.

The Northeastern Nevada Museum houses extensive collections of Western art and exhibits of Nevada’s history and wildlife. www.exploreelko.com

A Dodge City cattle drive Courtesy Dodge City CVB

A fountain outside Savannah’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Courtesy Visit Savannah

going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ]

Courtesy Elko CVA

Top: A historic photo of Elko Bottom: Harlow Old Fort House in Plymouth

Courtesy Destination Plymouth

[ PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS ] Plymouth Rock is nestled in the sand on the shore of Plymouth Harbor, “1620” chiseled into its surface. No evidence exists that this boulder was the landing spot where the Pilgrims stepped into the New World — only a story passed down from one of the original Mayflower passengers that identified it 121 years after the Mayflower arrived.

That doesn’t make it any less of an icon for visitors to Plymouth, Massachusetts, the site of the first Pilgrim settlement that also served as the capital of the colony.

Plymouth is preparing for its 400th anniversary in 2020 with plans for festivities and fanfare, and Pilgrim Memorial State Park, the site of Plymouth Rock, will be revamped, said Paula Fisher, marketing director for Destination Plymouth.

Plimoth Plantation is the city’s most-visited site, and the living-history village is a re-creation of what Pilgrims would have built in their first few years in the village. Re-enactors wearing period costume show visitors to the 17th-century English village and the Wampanoag Homesite what life was like at the time.

The Plymouth Antiquarian Society owns and maintains three historic homes that are open for tours, and historic walking tours or step-on guides are available. Groups can take guided tours of the First Parish Meetinghouse, which is the fifth building to sit on the site of the first meetinghouse, built in 1621, or visit Burial Hill next door and the Plimoth Grist Mill across the street.

Thousands of people descend on Plymouth for Thanksgiving, and the city welcomes them with the weeklong America’s Hometown Celebration, which features a parade, a food festival, a harvest market, concerts and living-history experiences. www.seeplymouth.com

INSPIRED

BY SOUL. Whether you’re seeking history, art, or culture, Macon is the perfect place for spiritual inspiration. Come see why it’s more than a place on a map. It’s a vibe all its own.

32800.768.3401 going on faith| [VisitMacon.org summer 2017 ] St. Joseph Cathedral

NORTHEAST

AND M I D - AT L A N T I C

EAST COAST CLASSICS

Groups can explore Newport aboard chartered yachts.

T

Courtesy 12 Meter Charters

CATCH THE BREEZE IN THESE WATERFRONT CITIES

BY K EREN H AMEL

here’s an enchanting overlap of old and new in the seaports along the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. From Virginia to Maine, sparkling harbors and manicured streets entice groups to soak up town history, walk the waterfronts and get into a boat on the sea itself.

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA Home to the oldest naval port in the United States, Norfolk, Virginia, draws visitors eager to tour the port at nearby Nauticus, a maritime science museum. Connected to Nauticus is the Battleship Wisconsin, which saw action during World War II through the Persian Gulf War. Visitors get to roam through several of the rooms on a self-guided tour.

Rather than touring the naval base by foot, some visitors prefer to

board the popular Victory Rover to get a waterside view of the huge fleet. To see all 400 years of historic Norfolk, visitors can walk Cannonball Trail, which winds along the shoreline of the Elizabeth River and through the districts of downtown.

This old navy town may be quaint and quiet, but it isn’t stuck in history. Norfolk is undergoing a renaissance, one that’s especially visible in the Waterside District.

“For a long time, that area along the waterfront was an eyesore, but the revitalization has exceeded our expectations,” said Erin Goldmeier, media relations manager at Visit Norfolk. The Waterside District opened in May and is one of many spots adding to an exploding art, entertainment and food going on faith [ goingonfaith.com ] 33

scene. “We haven’t seen development like this in years,” Goldmeier said.

A good way to see the shoreline is by climbing aboard the American Rover, a three-masted topsail schooner that gives harbor and sunset tours. Equally relaxing is a visit to the Norfolk Botanical Garden, which blooms in every season but comes ablaze with azaleas in the springtime. The 175-acre garden can be explored by foot, by tram or by boat. After dark, groups can settle in for performances by the state’s symphony, opera and stage company.

A final must-see is the Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia’s premier art museum; one of the best glass collections in the United States, it includes celebrated Tiffany glass items. www.visitnorfolk.com

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND A centuries-old playground for the rich and famous, Newport, Rhode Island, is studded with well-preserved gems from the Colonial and Gilded ages.

Picture-perfect mansions sit atop magnificent bluffs overlooking the sea. More than a dozen mansions built by nouveaux riches around the start of the 19th century are open to the public.

“These mansions give a fascinating glimpse into Gilded Age extravagance,” said Andrea McHugh, marketing communications manager at Discover Newport.

“Detailed tours of these summer cottages — that’s a most inappropriate name once you’ve seen them — show how opulently these families lived.”

The Breakers, an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo built by the Vanderbilts, is the grandest of them all. Rosecliff, a 1902 party mansion built by a silver heiress, houses Newport’s largest ballroom. The Elms is interesting for its behind-the-scenes look at a wine cellar, a coal tunnel and servants’ quarters.

For a breathtaking view of all the mansions, visitors can take the Cliff Walk, a 3.5-mile path that runs along the coastline.

Beyond the mansions are several treasures from centuries past. Fort Adams, the largest coastal fort in the United States, includes a maze of underground tunnels and quarters where officers and their families lived more than a century ago. Touro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of worship in the United States, dates to 1759.

Because Newport has long been a bastion of world sailing and long-distance races, as well home to some of the most beautiful yachts in the world, the harbor has the largest fleet of retired 12-meter yachts available to the public.

Visitors can choose from several top-rated sailing companies that offer everything from hands-on experiences to relaxing cruises where groups get to sit back and enjoy lobster and stuffed clams. www.discovernewport.org

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT Much of what makes New Haven, Connecticut, worth a visit is a result of Yale University and the arts and architecture that have developed within its footprint since 1701. The best way to begin a visit is with an official campus tour.

“A student will guide you through campus and share their experiences, as well as Yale’s unique history,” said Barbara Malmberg, director of marketing and communications at Visit New Haven. “You’re also going to see the most spectacular display of architecture, including the Louis Khan buildings, art galleries and the ice rink for the Yale hockey team, which is still in the shape of a whale.”

Campus tours are offered daily, but visitors should also be on the lookout for the architectural walking tour, Malmberg said. It sells out immediately.

A visit should also include several hours in the Yale library and museums. The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library contains 600,000 rare volumes

34

preserved within a Modernist translucent marble cube.

Inside, visitors get to peek at one of the only surviving Gutenberg bibles in the world, as well as original Audubon bird prints and changing exhibits.

The Yale University Art Gallery, which contains an impressive collection and is open to the public for free, is also famous as a Modernist masterpiece designed by Kahn. The British art, musical instrument and natural history museums are also worth touring.

For a panoramic cliffside view of New Haven and Long Island Sound, visitors can drive or hike to the top of East Rock Park. It’s the most popular of New Haven’s many parks and a great spot to watch the sunset. www.visitnewhaven.com

PORTLAND, MAINE Maine’s largest city has mastered an enchanting balance; the old seaport of Portland has maintained its Old World charm and remained entirely cosmopolitan.

Lobster lovers can attest that it has become the culinary mecca of northern New England.

“We’re authentic by nature,” said Robert Witkowski, media relations director at the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve kept out the chains and stayed true to our heritage.”

The best example of this balance is in the revitalized Old Port District. Brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets lead to an impressive collection of bookstores, boutiques and toptier restaurants. Not far from the Old Port is the Portland Museum of Art. In addition to a strong European collection, the museum exhibits works by Maine’s renowned artists John Singer Sargent, Andrew Wyeth and Winslow Homer.

Beyond the Victorian homes of downtown, several of which are open for tours, are protected shorelines on both sides of the city.

“We want you to feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere within a few moments, in a good way,” Witkowski said.

After soaking up the shoreline, visitors should pay a visit to the Islands of Casco Bay, a collection of 365 islands sometimes called the Calendar Islands. Ferries run from Portland to seven of the main islands throughout the day.

Within 20 miles of Portland are six historic lighthouses, and the most famous is Portland Head Light, possibly the most-photographed lighthouse in the nation. George Washington commissioned the lighthouse in 1791, and it’s still in use at the entrance of the shipping channel into Casco Bay. www.visitportland.com

Portland Head Light

going on faith [ summer 2017 ]

By Cynthia Farr-Weinfeld, courtesy GPCVB

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