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A Premier Tourism Marketing publication • www.leisuregrouptravel.com
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share
value
the journey ENJOY the
There’s a reason that travelers spark lasting friendships on Collette Vacations tours. Travel is more fulfilling when you share the journey. Your traveling companions are like you – active, engaged and interested in exploring the world. They enjoy the benefits of traveling together – and the inherent value that entails. Every Collette Vacations tour includes: • Wonderful accommodations • Key sightseeing • Vibrant cultural experiences • First-class transportation • Many meals featuring local cuisine
Making friends along the way – that’s just an added bonus.
Collette’s No Worries Travel Protection waiver promises you a FULL CASH REFUND if you cancel right up to the day prior to departure.
For more information contact your local District Sales Manager or call 800.852.5655 www.collettevacations.com CST# 2006766-20 UBN# 601220855 Nevada Seller of Travel Registration No. 2003-0279
step
back in time…
…and discover the wonders of Egypt. Join the ranks of mankind’s greatest explorers. Visit the incomparable sites of the pharaohs – Memphis and Sakkara, the Pyramids of Giza, Luxor and Karnak temples, and the tombs on the West Bank of ancient Thebes. Investigate the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo. Cruise along the legendary Nile River. A dedicated Egyptologist provides insight throughout your journey. This is the world of the ancient Egyptians. Splendors of the Nile 12 Days, 21 Meals starting at $2149* *Rate is per person, land only, double occupancy. Call for air rates from your gateway.
contents Vol. 20, No. 2
April 2010
COVER STORY
COVER STORY 12
LET THE SHOW BEGIN! From Broadway hits to the latest in circus fare, theatrical options abound for group tour planners
FEATURES 22
SOUTH Southern Culinary Delights by randy mink
36
WEST Curtains Up In California by elana andersen
40
Top Texas Festivals & Events by melinda hughey
46
MIDWEST Minnesota: A River Runs Through It
12 22
by randy mink
52
NORTHEAST New York Must-See Museums by chris p. peters
COLUMNS 4
On My Mind
8
by jeff gayduk
6
On Tour
On Reunions by edith wagner
58
by marty de souto
On Technology by john kamm
DEPARTMENTS 19
On The Record
45
On Our Radar: WEST
50
On Our Radar: MIDWEST
57
On Our Radar: NORTHEAST
SOUTHERN CULINARY
ON THE COVER: Banana Shpeel is a hot new show from Cirque du Soleil. (Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil)
on my mind ❖
jeff gayduk
Nudge Before a Shove WE’RE ALL DEALING WITH IT in our professional or personal lives. Something you know needs to be done, a major project, new direction or cutting of ties. It often seems that the bigger the issue the longer we procrastinate. Nobody likes to make difficult decisions – however not making a decision only makes the situation worse. Small problems become big problems, big problems become catastrophes. We dealt with such a situation recently. Late last year I was contemplating a move from our technology vendor. We had outgrown them and needed to find a new provider that had a stronger skill set to handle our growing needs. As our online business has catapulted in the last few years we had simply outstripped their skill set. So while I knew what needed to be done, the prospect of firing a vendor and migrating systems was daunting. So, it got put on the back burner. Fast forward to February of this year, we had a major technological outage that affected most of our sites. While the responsibility for the outage fell squarely on the shoulders of the technology vendor, ultimately it was my responsibility to move before it got to this point. While I learned this lesson the hard This month’s Masthead and online exclusives section has been moved to the back inside cover. Check out what’s new online @ LeisureGroupTravel.com.
4 April 2010
way, take a page from us. Whatever’s hurting your business isn’t going to just go away if you ignore it. Take the time now to fix it before it blows up. The time is now as the market is poised for recovery to get your house in order, whether that’s building a new story or knocking down walls.
JOIN US THIS JUNE IN CHICAGO! On June 10, we’re partnering with Mayflower Tours, one of America’s leading tour companies, for a day of education and a trade fair. Ticket to Ride is an opportunity to discover new group travel destinations, meet
Take the time now to fix it before it blows up. The time is now as the market is poised for recovery to get your house in order, whether that’s building a new story or knocking down walls. As spring is upon us, we’re fully recovered, on a new platform and with a BRAND-NEW launch of LeisureGroupTravel.com, but it wasn’t without a lot of bleeding and sweating (maybe a few tears too). If you attempted to access our sites during the down time I apologize, but rest assured we’re back to full-strength, and then some. Take a few minutes to browse our site, which has an entirely new look and feel, vibrant pictures, even more breaking news and advice, videos, digital page flips, fams, educational seminars, contests and more. For nearly 10 years, LeisureGroupTravel.com has been the leading group travel site in North America, and this latest rendition of our flagship takes the industry to a whole new level. I hope you enjoy!
with product vendors and learn how to better manage your group travel program. For those from outside the Chicagoland area, we’re working on a post-event fam to explore the best of the Windy City. See page 20 of this edition for more details. Hoping to see you in our hometown this June! Happy Travels,
Jeff Gayduk, Publisher jeff@ptmgroups.com
On nights and weekends Jeff tinkers with the company’s 15 websites, much like his dad did with cars back in his heyday. LeisureGroupTravel.com
on tour ❖
marty de souto, ctc
Tour Programming as a Career AT SOME TIME IN OUR CAREER, it’s necessary that we sit down and decide what is the purpose of the trips we offer and then think further as to what is our role in bringing these travel opportunities to our participants. Are we doing this as a lifetime career? As recreation? For personal fulfillment? PURPOSE OF OUR TRIPS Let’s ask ourselves: (l) Is our travel program to educate our travelers? (2) Is it to provide fun and enjoyment to those who might otherwise stay at home? (3) Is it perhaps to enlarge our participants’ horizons and provide them with a more global outlook? (4) Or is it to provide a social opportunity for our travelers to meet new people and perhaps form new but ongoing friendships? (5) Is it to make money for our sponsoring organization – and perhaps ourselves also? (6) Could it be to obtain publicity for our organization so as to build its stature? (7) Is it to attract new membership to our traveling club organization? MANY MOTIVATIONS All of the above can be viewed as legitimate reasons for our trips. But we then need to delve further and ask ourselves “Why am I here?” Am I here involved in this as a career, as a business? Am I here as a goodwill gesture to bring enjoyment, fulfillment and opportunity to others? Am I here because I love being involved in the world of travel – meeting people from other places and stretching my world knowledge? Am I here simply for the “free trips” that I 6 April 2010
manage to take and I just put up with all the work and headaches as a means to an end – travel for myself? Am I here because I actually work for a travel agency or tour operator and only do group tours as a part of my daily job? I would guess that for many of us a combination of some of the above motivations may strike a chord rather that just one of them. I have come to realize that, as an educator myself, I enjoy spoon-feeding ongoing learning through travel. But I have also learned that on tour one cannot continually be teaching;
LUSTING FOR TRAVEL I’ve learned that I’d love to be able to have a successful career in travel, but that financially it can be a rough road to riches and very few “make it” as a financially-fulfilling life enterprise. I see many involved in managing travel programs as a second career; these are the individuals who, upon retirement, and with a basic retirement income, can then turn their energies to what they really lust for – a life in travel. I’ve also seen those who have found a way to continue their
Many factors, from “free trips” to learning about the world, motivate tour planners. Some are in the business to bring enjoyment to others. your travelers want activity and fun and friendship woven throughout the day. LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned that I enjoy designing the itinerary; the creative process is what turns me on. I do not necessarily enjoy escorting tours designed by others. I’ve learned that I can easily design and book tours to certain areas of the world that I know well but that for other areas I am not as well qualified and need to put my travelers on a travel product such as a cruise or tour from some company that excels in that area.
present non-travel career but augment it with the occasional tour or tours during the year. Each of us will have our own motivations and we need to be clear about them. We also need to assess our individual strengths and weaknesses. We can then make the choices necessary and direct our travel programs accordingly for success. Marty is founder and chair of the travel industry training program at Berkeley City College in Berkeley, Calif., where she teaches all aspects of group travel. You can reach her by e-mail at josemarty@yahoo.com. For information on her latest book, How To Plan, Operate, and Lead Successful Group Trips, click on Premier Tourism Marketing’s educational website, groupuniversity.com. LeisureGroupTravel.com
Carnival Cruise Lines from New Orleans
®
Pl On us wit e Free he ve 10 Pai ry d ®
The Queen of the Mississippi & The Carnival Triumph Jan. 20-27 and Jan. 29-Feb. 5
This is a French Quarter Cruise & Play Tour. We've combined sightseeing in the Port of New Orleans with a “Fun Ship® ” cruise through the Mississippi Delta south into the Caribbean. Experience first the soul of New Orleans from your hotel in the Vieux Carre. Feel the rhythm of Bourbon Street, hear the wail of Jazz Trumpets celebrating into the night and taste the flavor of a cuisine perfected by centuries. Then fall in love with the Carnival Triumph® a ship packed with Balcony staterooms. You'll get a giant dose of fun with Carnival's Seaside Theater ®, three pools, a waterslide and Spa Carnival.® Oh, and mini golf. And a sliding Sky Dome. Sailing into the Western Caribbean you can dive among Cozumel's famous coral reefs, ride a beach buggy or swim with a dolphin. Then at Progreso, Yucatan you can visit one of the new Seven Wonders of the World - the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. Sailing twice a month year-round you can schedule this tour to fit your schedule. Prices vary with season. Note, we have great group rates secured in January. So, Hop aboard and get the fun started.
U.S. Tours Cruise Tour Package includes: • Two Nights Lodging in the French Quarter • Dinner & Private Cooking Class at the New Orleans School of Cooking • Dixieland Jazz Brunch at Court of Two Sisters • French Quarter Walking Tour • Five Day Cruise on the Carnival Triumph® • Visits To Cozumel & Progreso Mexico • Meals aboard Ship • All Taxes & Fees on these services • Luggage Handling at the Hotel & Pier • One free berth with every 10 paid full fare guests
Per Person Prices:
• PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED!
$698 Interior Stateroom $748 Ocean View $828 Balcony Carnival reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9 per person per day if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel.
Call U.S. TOURS Today!
888-393-8687
Rates are in U.S. Dollars per guest, double occupancy, capacity controlled and cruise only. Restrictions apply. Ship’s Registry: Panama.
on reunions ❖
edith wagner
How Reunions Fit in the Travel Mix I HAVE RELIED ON THE conviction that niche markets will likely survive the economic morass we’re slogging through. Niche markets imply small businesses, and small businesses are, as always, going to be the shoulders on which the country rights itself over time. Reunions, like group travel, are in an interesting position because their business is eagerly sought by some in the hospitality industry. It is, in fact, a buyers market for reunions and wise are the organizers who take advantage of it. People who organize reunions are mostly individuals who, once a year or every so often, do what professional meeting planners do day in and day out. To give reunion organizers the tools to better act like their professional counterparts, Reunions magazine provides information the occasional planner would not readily know. And it is important for individuals to at least try to get what the pros get. This goes for all aspects of reunion planning, not just for the venue, which may also host a banquet and other meals. There are no rules for reunions, but there are similarities in planning and programming. And the backyard picnic that comes to mind when you say family reunion now is often a three-day weekend affair that includes parties, picnics, tours, activities and a banquet. It involves travel, hotel rooms, food and activity fees. Military reunions always include tours of area military-related sites and attractions. Army, Air Force and Marine World War II reunions have been 8 April 2010
winding down for a while, but Navy ship reunions span eras and there is a constant flow of younger members joining. Neither Korea nor Vietnam era reunions have risen to take the place of WWII reunions. Class reunions typically stay pretty close to a home base. They revisit local hot spots and tour the high school or, as often happens, tour what was their high school and is now repurposed as
reunion] as the primary reason for taking one or more trips last year, up 13 percent from 2008. The same marketing firm coined the word “togethering,” a term to describe large family get-togethers, spurred on by baby boomers. This trend emerged after Sept. 11, 2001, and has held firm. In times of uncertainty, we become more introspective and typically look to family for solace. This was true
It’s a buyers market for reunions and wise organizers take advantage of it. a junior high or elementary school. Much later reunions (40 years +) get creative and sometimes travel or cruise together. Family reunions, on the other hand, are not easily categorized because they must concern themselves with members of all ages and abilities, not of a homogenous group. Reconnecting and passing on heritage are the top two reasons families have for going to or planning reunions. There is also a far greater concern by family reunions that all their members be able to afford reunion costs. Cohesion and full participation is more urgent for families whose goal is to actively include and integrate all generations. We recently learned from a Ypartnership/Yankelovich, Inc. 2009 Travel MONITOR(SM) study that “Family reunions have seen huge growth in the past year alone.” In fact, 23 percent of leisure travelers named [a family
Reunion organizers will find valuable ideas in the 10th edition of Reunions Workbook, a step by-step planning guide published by Premier Tourism Marketing. Subjects range from choosing a date and location to budgeting and setting up committees. Also covered are accommodations, meals, themes, activities and fundraising. To order Reunions Workbook ($9.95), log on to groupuniversity.com.
after 9/11 and is tied to the current financial malaise, according to Peter Yesawich of Ypartnerhip/Yankelovich. Reunions are growing in popularity and are actively looking for new ideas to enhance their programs and keep members engaged.
Edith Wagner is publisher and editor of Reunions magazine. At reunionsmag.com, you can request a free review copy or read the magazine online. The site is packed with reunion-planning ideas. The magazine also has a large Facebook presence. LeisureGroupTravel.com
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on theater ❖
Let the Show Begin! A kaleidoscope of theatrical options awaits group travel planners
Cirque du Soleil’s OvO, a big-top show with dazzling acrobatics, explores the secret world of insects.
Soleil has become a household word in the global entertainMusicals and comedies light up the stage at ment industry. CeleCirca ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island, Illinois. brated for its high quality and artistic innovation, the company has 1,200 artists o matter the ages or interests of from 50 countries. In 2010, Cirque du your travelers, there’s a rousing Soleil will present 21 unique shows in show in any city that will breathe life tents, arenas and theaters throughout into a group itinerary and keep folks the world. It stages seven resident talking long after the final act. shows in Las Vegas and one in Orlando. Dinner theaters, long a staple of traFrench for “circus of the sun,” Cirque ditional motorcoach trips, regale older du Soleil is constantly reinventing the audiences with familiar songs and stoidea of the circus, mixing circus arts and rylines from favorite musicals. Religious street theater with original music, elecspectacles inspire as well as entertain. trifying choreography, special effects, Cutting-edge fare from Cirque du elaborate sets and lavish costumes. Soleil and Blue Man Group have put a There are no animal acts. Many of the whole new spin on what theater is all touring shows are performed in Cirque’s about, stimulating the imagination trademark blue and yellow Grand while engaging all the senses. Chapiteau (Big Top). OVO, its latest big-top production CIRQUE DU SOLEIL (now in New York and then moving to From a group of 20 street performers Hartford, Boston and Washington, in 1984, Montreal-based Cirque du
N
12 April 2010
D.C.), features stunning acrobatic acts. The life cycle and birth of insects represent the underlying thread of the show, which portrays a colorful ecosystem where insects work, play, fight and look for love in a world of noisy action and moments of quiet emotion. Banana Shpeel, a new show playing New York’s Beacon Theatre from April 29 to Aug. 29, takes vaudeville as its starting point but transcends that traditional form for 21st century audiences. Blending choreography, slapstick comedy and acrobatic acts, Banana Shpeel is a roller coaster mix of styles. The holiday family show Wintuk, an adventure about a boy’s quest for snow, returns to the Theater at Madison Square Garden for its final season from mid-November to early January. (cirquedusoleil.com/groups) SIGHT & SOUND As a past Reader’s Choice Platinum Award recipient chosen by the readers LeisureGroupTravel.com
THE WONDER OF BROADWAY. THE MAGIC OF .
T L M E NEW YORK CITY • LAS VEGAS ON TOUR ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
SPECIAL GROUP ADD-ONS! Make your New York Broadway experience even more magical with Disney On Broadway workshops and historic New Amsterdam Theatre tours.
CALL (800) 439-9000 For a sneak peek, visit DisneyOnBroadway.com
©Disney except Mary Poppins (©Disney/CML)
IN NEW YORK CITY ON TOUR ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
on theater ❖ of Leisure Group Travel magazine, Sight & Sound joined the ranks of Disney World, New York City and Italy as a top destination. Sight & Sound Theatres, the nation’s largest professional Christian theater company and one of the most-at-
Sight & Sound’s Branson theater features a musical about Noah’s Ark.
tended live theaters on the East Coast, has a new location in Branson, Mo. Sight & Sound has been described as the “Christian Broadway,” showcasing epic Bible stories that come to life on I=: >CI:GC6I>DC6A E=:CD B:CDC >H the largest stage in 8DB>C< ID 6 8>IN C:6G N the country—a 300DJ foot stage that wraps around three sides of the audience. Sight & Sound ® opened its latest 4HE (ILARIOUS #ELEBRATION OF show, Joseph, last 7OMEN AND 4 HE #HANGE ® month in its Lancaster, Pa. location. This all-new original production about Joseph the dreamer and his famous coat C : impacts hearts of B ADK: >I young and old with IDD its message of integrity and forgiveness. From the tents HZZ l]Vi && b^aa^dc eZdeaZ ldgaYl^YZ VgZ aVj\]^c\ VWdji of Canaan to the ;dg <gdje Idjg >c[dgbVi^dc VcY GZhZgkVi^dch XVaa idaa [gZZ stunning palaces of --- BIB"I@IH Zmi#&& ---"+-+"-*-, Egypt, Joseph inK^h^i djg lZWh^iZ lll#BZcdeVjhZI]ZBjh^XVa#Xdb spires everyone to 14 April 2010
dream and live for the glory of God. Noah – The Musical graces the stage for another year in Sight & Sound’s Branson location. As Noah and his family endure ridicule and persecution as they obey the call of God, audiences feel they are sitting right inside the vessel, surrounded by hundreds of live and animatronic animals. Sight & Sound’s timeless Christmas story, Miracle of Christmas, returns at both locations with a spectacular retelling of the miraculous birth of Jesus, the Savior. (800-3771227, sight-sound.com) DINNER THEATER Whether it’s a day trip to see a specific show or a multi-day excursion, dinner theater—combining dinner with a show— clearly has its advantages. The National Dinner Theatre Association (NDTA) has over 40 members providing a variety of entertainment options. The majority offer buffet meals featuring regional fare, although there are also fine dining options with white glove service. Most theaters feature traditional Broadway shows such as Fiddler on the Roof and Sound of Music and more contemporary musicals like RENT. Tour planners can count on the quality of the food, the high level of professional talent, an attractive package price for the dinner and show, and year-round entertainment. Over the years, some have asked if dinner theater is on its way out. National Dinner Theatre Association members strive to combat the rumor that it is just enjoyed by the senior traveler. Seniors may predominate at matinees, but with the introduction of newer shows, served meals and healthier menu items, a younger audience is discovering that dinner theater can be cool. Especially when the show is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Full Monty or Hairspray. For many trip planners, the best part LeisureGroupTravel.com
Photo by Ken Howard ©BMP
Blue Man Group electrifies audiences around the world.
shows in New York City with only three performers, the founding team realized that if the show were to grow, the Blue Men would need to replicate. Three Blue Men were cast, and a show opened in Boston. Chicago came next, then Las Vegas and Orlando. The team has gone international and today the show is in Berlin, Zurich and Tokyo. 2010 will bring a U.S. touring produc-
tion and a Blue Man Group show on Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Norwegian Epic. More than 17 million people have seen Blue Man Group in over 30,000 performances, and each production has something that is unique to that city. In the spring, when student travel is at its peak, the performance schedule is adjusted to include more matinees. The
about dinner theater is that everything is in one place. There’s no worrying if the meal will be served in time to get back on the bus to get across town to the show. (ndta.com) BLUE MAN GROUP Blue Man Productions, creators of the Blue Man character, is the powerhouse behind shows that combine comedy, music and multimedia artistry. In 1991, after 1,285 consecutive
© BMP / PHOTO BY JAMES PORTO
WONDERS OF THE WORLD EIGHT, NINE AND TEN Whether your group is craving comedy, music, or a stunning theatrical experience, Blue Man Group offers something for everyone. This unique theatrical experience is a form of entertainment like nothing else, guaranteed to be an outing that your group will never forget. Call us to learn more.
Group & FIT Priority Ticketing
NEW YORK
LeisureGroupTravel.com
BOSTON
s
Expert Sales Consultants
CHICAGO
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Education Materials
LAS VEGAS
ORLANDO
1.800.BLUEMAN BLUEMAN.COM April 2010 15
on theater ❖ company’s mission is about providing playful, stimulating and intelligent experiences that inspire creativity and connect people at a deeper level with themselves and their group. The Blue Man is part innocent, hero, scientist,
shaman, group member and trickster. He doesn’t speak, but he communicates with vaudevillian slapstick humor. He drums and catches gumballs in his mouth that are filled with paint, which he spits onto a canvas to make art. It’s
Arizona
Florida
Indiana
Broadway Palm West Mesa, AZ 85205 (888) 504-7256 www.broadwaypalmwest.com
Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theatre Orlando, FL 32819 (407) 363-1985 www.sleuths.com
Kansas
Arkansas
Illinois
Arizona Broadway Theatre Peoria, AZ 85382 (623) 776-8400 x109 www.azbroadwaytheatre.com
Murry’s Dinner Playhouse Little Rock, AR 72204 (501) 562-3131 www.murrysdinnerplayhouse.com
California
Candlelight Pavilion Claremont, CA 91711 (909) 626-3296 x12 www.candlelightpavilion.com Welk Resort Theatre Escondido, CA 92026 (760) 749-3182 x22139 www.welkresort.com
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre Ft. Myers, FL 33907 (239) 278-4422 www.broadwaypalm.com
Circa ‘21 Dinner Theatre Rock Island, IL 61201 (309) 786-2667 x303 www.circa21com Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre Goodfield, IL 61742 (309) 965-2545 www.barn2.com Tommy Gun’s Chicago, IL 60616 (800) 461-0178 www.tommygunsgarage.com
Derby Dinner Playhouse Clarksville, IN 47129 (812) 288-2632 x128 www.derbydinner.com Crown Uptown Theatre Wichita, KS 67218 (316) 681-1566 www.crownuptown.com
New Jersey
Hunterdon Hills Playhouse Hampton, NJ 8827 (908) 730-8007 www.hhplayhouse.com
North Carolina
Barn Dinner Theatre Greensboro, NC 27409 (336) 292-2211 x3022 www.barndinner.com
Pennsylvania
Allenberry Playhouse Boiling Springs, PA 17007 (717) 258-3211 www.allenberry.com
interactive, with music, lights and lots of colorful liquids that get sprayed on the stage. That experience resonates with a wide range of people, from children to grandparents. (800-258-3626, blueman.com) LGT
Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 459-5221 www.dutchapple.com Freedom Chapel Dinner Theatre Christiana, PA 17509 (610) 593-7013 www.freedomchapeldinnertheatre.com Rainbow Dinner Theatre Paradise, PA 17562 (800) 292-4301 www.rainbowdinnertheatre.com Riverside Inn Dinner Theatre Cambridge Springs, PA 16403 (800) 964-5173 www.theriversideinn.com Station Dinner Theatre Erie, PA 16509 (866) 848-2022 www.canterburyfeast.com
Tennessee
Chaffin’s Barn Nashville, TN 37221 (800) 282-2276 x11 www.dinnertheatre.com
Wisconsin
Armory Dinner Theater Janesville, WI 53547 (608) 531-0186 www.janesvillearmory.com Fireside Dinner Theatre Ft. Atkinson, WI 53538 (800) 477-9505 www.firesidetheatre.com
Wyoming
Jackson Hole Playhouse Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 733-6994 www.jhplayhouse.com
Pines Dinner Theatre Slatington, PA 18080 (877) 898-8577 www.pinesdinnertheatre.com
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on the record ❖
Readers Share Their Plans for Marketing New Tours in 2010 FOLLOWING ARE ANSWERS from Leisure Group Travel readers who responded to the question: What new types of tours are you trying for 2010?
During a most trying time in the hospitality industry it is easy to step back and not take chances. In 2009 Mayflower Tours experimented with chartering a river cruise ship in the Netherlands. Although chartering an entire vessel for one’s own needs has many advantages, it also comes with risk. We are happy to report that we sold out the 2009 charter. In 2010 we wanted to do the same – we sold out the first charter, reserved and sold out a second charter, and then reserved and sold out a third charter. The traveling public is ready for a new way to look at cruising – and river cruising is turning out to be a very positive and long-lasting trend. We are pleased that we “took a chance” on this exciting means of touring – and know it will be an integral part of our philosophy for years to come. John Stachnik, CTP, CTC President, Mayflower Tours Downers Grove, IL
We have been successful promoting a variety of different tours with our valuable group leaders in 2010. River cruising has been especially popular as our leaders have successfully promoted European river cruises (Rhine, Danube, Rhone and others) with Avalon Waterways. Some of these groups are extending their vacation and visiting the LeisureGroupTravel.com
MeliSSa McKinley
Michael lundquiSt
German village of Oberammergau for the Passion Play in 2010. Our group leaders have also successfully promoted tours to the National Parks, England and worldwide. We can work with groups as small as eight passengers and as large as our group leaders make them grow. We even offer customized tours. In fact, we have a group leader who is taking members on a historical James Bond and movie-focused tour in Europe. Michael Lundquist National Group Sales Manager Globus Family of Brands Littleton, CO
Collette’s itineraries are designed for the mature market, namely baby boomers ages 55+ with experiences crafted specifically for this market segment. One such popular experience has been train journeys and for 2010, Collette introduces the “Trains & Canyons of the Southwest” itinerary. This nineday tour with a starting rate of $1,999 per person, double, land only, covers Arizona and New Mexico and features the resort towns of Scottsdale, Sedona and Santa Fe. Rides aboard the historic
Sandra Pellegrin
Grand Canyon Railway and vintage Verde Canyon Railroad pass ancient Indian ruins, and travel over trestles and through tunnels. Melissa McKee, Public Relations Collette Vacations Pawtucket, RI
The new tour I am currently offering is a custom group itinerary to Milan, Stresa and Venice, Italy this September. It is upscale-oriented with many inclusions. Highlights include five-star accommodations, a guided tour of the palace and gardens of Isola Bella, viewing of Leonardo DaVinci’s The Last Supper, sampling wines at an organic winery in the Gattinara region, a private after-hours guided tour of the Doges Palace, private pre-opening tour of St. Mark’s Basilica, a visit to four wine shops in Venice, and a train ride through Switzerland and Northern Italy. Melissa McKinley Want To Go Travel Dallas, TX It is not so much what we are doing for new tours but how we are changing old tours: April 2010 19
on the record ❖ 1. No group meals unless it is a themed meal. On the majority of our overnight tours customers receive a prepaid MasterCard. They have the choice on how they are going to spend it. Sometimes people want a big meal and other times they want a light meal. Whatever is left is theirs to keep.
2. We are doing lots of train tours, which cuts down on the cost of motorcoaches. We provide our guests with local bus tickets to where the train stations are, provide the Amtrak tickets and then use local transportation when we arrive. 3. We are doing many more one-, two- and three-day tours than we have
Leisure Group Travel Partners with Mayflower Tours on 2010 Travel Planner Event Chicago educational and entertainment experience is scheduled for June 10
L
eisure Group Travel magazine has joined up with Downers Grove, Ill.- based tour operator Mayflower Tours to promote the firm’s popular travel planner
event. The 2010 show, coined Ticket to Ride, includes an educational session, trade show and luncheon hosted by Mayflower’s sales team. The trade show features top domestic and international destination stations where travel planners will have the opportunity to meet with local experts from Mayflower’s top tour destinations. The luncheon features regional specialty foods that highlight Mayflower’s up-and-coming destinations, entertainment and giveaways, including 20 pounds of Nova Scotia lobster. “This annual event for travel planners is both educational and entertaining,” remarked Sherri Guiborat, vice president of sales for Mayflower Tours. “Attendees have not only gained knowledge of all of the deluxe escorted holidays we offer, they have increased their group sales year-over-year offering new products to their travelers and earning even greater commissions and free travel.” “We’re excited to partner with Mayflower on this event for group travel planners,” commented Jeff Gayduk, publisher of Leisure Group Travel. “It’s a great touch point to get out and meet with planners to gauge the pulse of the industry at a grass-roots level, while introducing our magazines and websites to new readers.” Details of an adjoining 2-night Chicago-based familiarization trip that will
ever done. The difference is that we are now selling an experience rather then a destination. The destination is only the place where the experience takes place. Mel Tye, CTP CEO, Tye’s Top Tour & Travel Merrimack, NH Our company’s new tour for 2010 is an American Birding Association-endorsed spring birding tour of the Stikine River delta and the coast of Wrangell Island. This is one of just three ABA-endorsed tours in Alaska. It includes a complimentary guided tour of Petrogylph Beach, a state historic park. Wilma E. Leslie, Vice President Alaska Waters, Inc. Wrangell, AK Thought you may be interested in a comment from an operator in the UK who works with lots of North American groups: We are finding 2010 as tough as we expected, but 2011 enquiries are very strong. The exchange rate at the moment is very favorable to those from North America, and the UK has never been better value. We are getting a lot of interest in our faith-based programs and tours designed for those interested in a particular niche, anything from private shore excursions for cruise groups to quilting, afternoon teas, World War II people and places, and always Britain’s history and heritage. Keith Somers Sales Manager, Inbound Tours Norman Allen Group Travel Ltd. Hereford, England
allow group planners to experience the Windy City’s sights and sounds will soon be announced.
For more information, or to reserve your Ticket to Ride, call 800-728-0724. 20 April 2010
Our company is sending more groups to Canada. We are doing Nova Scotia and Vancouver. We also have a Holy Land Tour booked to Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Israel. We are doing WashLeisureGroupTravel.com
ington DC, Savannah & Charleston, Chicago, New York and Branson as our main sellers and have incorporated more Amtrak travel into our motorcoach tours. We are giving groups more free time to explore on their own and are combining with other operators because our groups are smaller. Sandra Pellegrin Cajun Tours Houma, LA We have designed a 14-day tour of the Mississippi River starting at the headwaters in Northern Minnesota traveling south to St. Louis. It includes three days of riverboat travel through the backwaters, where you will see nature at its best. The tour uses luxury hotels each night and includes many historical attractions. We plan to do
this tour three times a year—spring, summer and fall. Henry Beyer, President Mississippi River Valley Tours Dubuque, IA One of our main thrusts for 2010 will be tours featuring wine and vineyards. We are offering a tour to the Finger Lakes region of New York State and have selected five wineries/ vineyards for tours, tastings and meals paired with wines. We are also offering wine camps on Long Island, N.Y. and in Lincolnville, Maine. These will give hands-on experience from the vine to the wine. Each is a threeday/two-night experience. Don Adams, Vice President GeoDon Tours Exeter, NH
IN THE JUNE ISSUE of Leisure Group Travel, our On the Record column will look at enhancing group tour itineraries. Please send us your response to this question: In crafting itineraries, what do you add at little or no cost that makes a big difference in satisfying customers? Are there hidden extras, surprises, even gifts that provide icing on the cake and bring smiles to passengers’ faces? Along with your comments, please include your name, company name and location. Also for publication, send a high-resolution photo of yourself. A selection of responses will be printed in the June 2010 issue. Thanks in advance for your valuable opinions. Send to: Randy Mink, randy@ptmgroups.com
Superior Value & Customized Service Get the best prices and service in group travel today. Every tour is totally customized to the needs and budget of your group. Ask for a free quote. • Book it all – air, hotels, motorcoach, sightseeing, activities, guides, meals, shows, meeting space, exclusive events, insurance – even a tour manager.
• Every group receives the best possible price and personalized service from our staff.
• Any type of group – student, alumni, religious, family, reunion, retirement, club...
• Cruise Groups – gain added value from every cruise with hotel nights, transfers and sightseeing before the cruise, while ensuring your group doesn’t miss the cruise departure. Book exclusive shore excursions from ports-of-call, or inspiring post-cruise travel.
• Destinations near home or around the world – create your own itinerary, or we’ll help you.
• Staff in our global office network provide local assistance with on-the-road issues.
• You decide your selling price, so you set your profit. • Flexible payment options.
Customized Groups: Tel: 800-808-9547 | Fax: 800-808-9548 | Groups.tb@gta-travel.com LeisureGroupTravel.com
April 2010 21
Southern
on location: south ❖
randy mink
Culinary Delights
Dining at High Point, an upscale restaurant in a converted stone mansion, is worth the trip to Monteagle, Tennessee.
n the South, travelers naturally expect fluffy homemade biscuits and melt-in-your-mouth cornbread, sweet potatoes and fried green tomatoes, big breaded catfish fillets, fried chicken and the best barbecue on the planet. The traditional Southern table is all about comfort food, the kind that reminds you of Sunday dinner at grandma’s house. I have to admit I like heavy foods— the more grease, butter or bacon the better. Fry up anything and, like magic, it turns into an irresistible treat. Right? But all food in the South is not fried. In fact, a new culinary scene is taking hold, one with healthy recipes, farm-totable philosophies and trend-setting chefs who are reinventing American cuisine—or at least putting new twists on old favorites. The following state-by-state smor-
I
22 April 2010
gasbord highlights regional specialties, culinary tours, cooking classes, farmers markets, food festivals and groupfriendly restaurants that will add flavor and fun to your next itinerary.
Highlands Bar and Grill is one of Birmingham’s top restaurants.
ALABAMA For ideas on places to take groups in Alabama, see the third edition of the 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die brochure just published by the state’s tourism department. “It has by far been the most popular brochure that we have produced to date,” said tourism director Lee Sentell. From BBQ to fresh Gulf seafood, the brochure lists dozens of restaurants in small towns and downtowns across the state. Dishes include scallops at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, fried chicken at Maggie’s Diner in Tuscaloosa, and a peanut butter and jelly pastry at the Cotton Row in Huntsville. Also on the list: Royal Red Shrimp at Old Bay Steamer and King Neptune’s on the Gulf Coast, the catfish and cheese grits at Radley’s Fountain Grill in Monroeville, baked LeisureGroupTravel.com
Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
Adventures in eating await tour groups from the mountains to the sea
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Hot Springs is famous for natural thermal spas and historic Bathhouse Row. But with the Southâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest gaming center, stunning woodland gardens, delicious dining and more â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you can call us whatever you like. Visit hotsprings.org or call 1-800-922-6478 for your Group Tour Planner now.
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on location: south ❖ grits at Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, tomato salad at Hot and Hot Fish Club, L.A. Caviar at Lulu’s in Gulf Shores, fried chicken at Martin’s in Montgomery, BBQ chicken with white sauce at Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur and orange-pineapple ice cream at Trowbridge’s in Florence. The brochure can be downloaded at alabama.travel. Festivals highlight food favorites across the state. Among the offerings: Stokin’ the Fire BBQ and Music Festival, Aug. 20-21, Birmingham; Annual Okra Festival, Aug. 28, Burkville; 5th Annual Alabama Butterbean Festival, Sept. 4, Pinson; Sweet Tater Festival, Sept. 5-6, Crane Hill; Riverfest Barbecue Cook-Off, Sept. 17-18, Decatur; National Shrimp Festival, Oct. 7-10, Gulf Shores; and 66th Annual National
Sip and savor at Chateau aux Arc Vineyards and Winery in Altus, Arkansas.
Peanut Festival, Oct. 29-Nov. 6, Dothan. ARKANSAS It’s not common knowledge, but Arkansas claims to be the largest and oldest wine and grape juice-producing state in the South, and offers fine dining opportunities as well as down-home cooking.
The Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism website has a suggested twoday itinerary to Arkansas Wine Country and Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in the Arkansas River Valley. The foodie trip starts in the Altus area with a tour and tasting at one of four wineries—Post Familie Vineyard and Winery, Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, Mount Bethel Winery and Chateau Aux Arc. Lunch features Swiss and continental cuisine at Wiederkehr’s Weinkeller Restaurant, set in a hand-dug wine cellar listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Or have lunch at one of several restaurants on Altus’ historic downtown square. The tour continues to the Arkansas Historic Wine Museum at Cowie Wine Cellars in Carbon City, just west of Paris, with overnight in a lodge room at Mount Magazine State Park. On the next day the group can take a cooking class or tour the demonstration garden at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain near Morrillton. (arkansas.com/dining/culinary-quest/vacations.aspx) The state’s tourism website also highlights unusual restaurants. Parachute Inn (870-886-5918) in Walnut Ridge, for example, occupies a restored Southwest Airlines Boeing 727, with seats reconfigured to fit tables. Dondie’s White River Princess (870-256-3311) in Des LeisureGroupTravel.com
52 weeks in the year.
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Looking for new group travel ideas? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got 52 of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em. The Arkansas State Parks system has something for everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; archeology, adventure, history, mountains, rivers and lakes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even the only diamond site in the world where you can dig for diamonds and keep what you find!
Historic Mather Lodge, Petit Jean State Park
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on location: south ❖ Arc, built to resemble an old-time steamboat, offers a buffet with huge catfish fillets, chicken strips and shrimp. Cafe Africa (501-666-2406) at the Little Rock Zoo is housed in the renovated lion house, an all-rock building constructed in 1933 by the Works Progress Administration. FLORIDA Latin and Caribbean influences have given Florida cuisine a cosmopolitan flavor. Lapped by the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, the Sunshine State also is known for its fresh seafood and abundance of waterfront restaurants. Key lime pie is the state’s signature dessert. Ybor City, known as Tampa’s Latin Quarter, has strong Cuban, Spanish and Italian traditions that date back to its heyday as the cigar-making capital of the world. Lit by gaslight-style street lamps,
Flavors of Spain tantalize guests at Columbia Restaurant in Tampa.
Seventh Avenue and nearby streets abound with funky boutiques, restaurants and bars, and cigar shops.
Ybor City’s Columbia Restaurant claims to be the world’s largest Spanish restaurant and oldest restaurant in Florida. Occupying a city block, it began in 1905 as a small cafe run by a Cuban immigrant and is now operated by the family’s fourth and fifth generations. Hand-painted tiles decorate the exterior and 15 dining rooms. Favorite dishes include paella a la Valencia, the national dish of Spain, and arroz con pollo, a classic chicken and rice dish. Wash it down with Columbia’s own sangria or choose from one of the world’s largest collections of wine from Spain. (columbiarestaurant.com) Casual fish restaurants are a natural choice in Key West, where commercial fishing is second only to tourism as the most important industry. Key West pink shrimp, sweeter than other varieties, are best when sautéed in butter. And despite
unveiling may 2010 Our ever-changing core exhibition, Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, is undergoing a dramatic expansion. Today’s stars, such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Sugarland, will be represented alongside
VISIT
legends connecting country music history across generations of fans.
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum 5@G>JH@±&JH@
UNIQUE GROUP TOUR PACKAGES AVAILABLE
Dow n tow n Na s h v i l l e , Tennessee
800-852-6437 CountryMusicHallofFame.org
Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964.
26 April 2010
LeisureGroupTravel.com
no longer being sourced in the Keys, tender conch from the Caribbean finds its way onto menus in the form of chowder, fritters and ceviche-style salads spiked with fresh lime. Most of Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stone crabs are caught in the Keys, with fresh chilled claws found on Key West menus from mid-October to mid-May. (fla-keys.com) GEORGIA Food Network star Paula Deen, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Queen of Southern Cuisine,â&#x20AC;? calls Savannah home, and groups can follow in her footsteps on a trolley tour that includes a goodie bag and lunch at her brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant on Whitmarsh Island, Uncle Bubbaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oyster House. Old Savannah Toursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Paula Deen Tourâ&#x20AC;? (3½ to 4 hours) tells the celebrity cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rags-to-riches story and visits such places as Polks Produce, often featured on Deenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TV show; Byrd Cookie Company, a favorite of hers; and Bethesda Home for Boys, where she was married. (oldsavannahtours.com) Savannahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most famous restaurant is Paula Deenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Lady & Sons, which she runs with sons Jamie and Bobby. The menu features items like chicken pot pie, shrimp and grits, and meatloaf sandwiches. The Southern buffet has fried chicken, mac and cheese, creamed corn, yams, black-eyed peas and much more, with a choice of one dessertâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;banana pudding, peach cobbler or gooey butter cake. (ladyandsons.com) Around the corner from Deenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant, Kitchen on the Square offers demonstration-style cooking classes taught by local chefs and caterers. According to its website, the store supplies some of the equipment used on the TV show Paula Deenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Cooking and the magazine Cooking with Paula Deen. (kitchenonthesquare.com). Small groups also can learn the tricks of Southern cooking and entertaining at 700 Kitchen Cooking School at The Mansion on Forsyth Park, a luxury hostelry in Old Savannah. (mansiononforsythpark.com)
EXPERIENCE JEFFERSON
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on location: south ❖ KENTUCKY City Taste Tours, new on Louisville’s culinary scene, dishes up local history with stops at some of the city’s best food establishments. Lucky for the Louisville tourist, there is a lot of history in the city’s food, from the hot brown and Benedictine sandwiches to Kentucky bourbon, mint juleps and the chocolate chip-walnut Derby Pie®. The company’s “Kentucky Foods and Flavors Tour” lasts three to four hours and is aimed at those interested in a full culinary history of the city. The “City Sights and Kentucky Sweets Tour” is two-and-a-half to three hours and hits historic highlights like Churchill Downs, with stops for treats along the way. The “Brew-Ha-Ha Tour” offers a sampling of Louisville’s microbreweries. City Taste Tours will also create a custom tour or progressive dinner for groups. (citytastetours.com) On the “Duncan Hines Culinary Tour” in Bowling Green, groups learn about this native son who wrote travel books and went on to create a packaged foods brand that became a household name. To book a tour, groups only need to contact the Bowling Conven-
TV cook Paula Deen has made The Lady & Sons a Savannah landmark. 28 April 2010
Derby Pie®, made at Kern’s Kitchen, is a scrumptious Louisville tradition.
tion & Visitors Bureau and ask for the group sales and services director, Duncan Hines (a distant relative, believe it or not). At the city’s Kentucky Museum, groups can tour the Recommended by Duncan Hines exhibit and conclude with a live cooking demonstration and lunch or just dessert. The full-scale exhibit of Duncan Hines’ kitchen contains such personal items as his stove and ice bucket, plus cabinets filled with artifacts bearing the Duncan Hines name, such as spices, cutlery, Stetson dinnerware and cookbooks. Other reminders of Hines’ legacy include his home/office built in 1940, gravesite at Fairview Cemetery and the 80-mile Duncan Hines Scenic Byway. (duncan@visitbgky.com, visitbgky.com) LOUISIANA Good food, with the emphasis on Cajun and Creole, is reason enough to travel to Louisiana, where a gumbo of flavors makes every meal an adventure. Even before culinary travel became a buzz term, people have been going to Louisiana to eat. For information on the state’s seven designated culinary trails, see the Louisiana Office of Tourism’s special website (louisianaculinarytrails.com). For each trail, there are tips on regional foods, restaurants and sightseeing, plus recipes.
To learn how to make Louisiana specialties like gumbo, jambalaya and pralines, private demonstration classes can be arranged for groups of 25 or more at the New Orleans School of Cooking, housed in an early 1800s molasses warehouse in the French Quarter. Generous samplings are included. Hands-on classes are available as well. The school’s Louisiana General Store is one of many souvenir emporiums in the Quarter that sells hot sauces, seafood seasonings, pralines and other Louisiana-made products. (nosoc.com) Two tourist attractions in New Iberia, the heart of Cajun Country, provide a peek into how food specialties are made. At Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory and Jungle Gardens at Avery Island, tours show how the little red peppers are crushed into a paste and fermented for three years. A viewing gallery overlooks the bottling and packaging operation for the world-famous hot sauce made by generations of the McIlhenny family. Don’t miss the Tabasco Country Store, where guests can buy Tabasco logo items and sample the brand’s flavored hot sauces (like teriyaki and Worcestershire) along with Tabasco mustard, mayonnaise and various dips. Not far away, on the grounds of America’s oldest rice mill, tours starting at the Konriko Company Store spotlight the milling process. Groups can watch Conrad Rice Mill workers LeisureGroupTravel.com
Plenty of excitement
IN ONE BEAUTIFUL PLACE
COMFORT INN SOUTH FOREST BEACH 800-522-3224 843-842-6662 comforthiltonhead.com DAYS INN HILTON HEAD 843-842-4800 daysinn.com/hotel/15527 HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS HOTEL & SUITES 843-757-2002 866-757-2002 BlufftonExpress.com HOLIDAY INN OCEANFRONT 800-423-9897 843-785-5126 hihiltonhead.com
The Hilton Head and Bluffton area offers a variety of activities to please just about any group. Adventure out on the water for a dinner or dolphin cruise or explore the numerous charming marina villages with boutique shopping and water-view dining. Learn more about our Gullah culture and our vibrant arts community. Day trips within easy reach include the historic areas of Savannah, Beaufort and Charleston. Learn more at HiltonHeadIsland.org
RESORTQUEST HILTON HEAD ISLAND 800-826-1649 843-785-1181 resortquesthiltonhead.com SHELTER COVE HARBOUR & MARINA SHOPS/DINING 888-568-9555 palmettodunes.com
Contact Brenda Ciapanna, Sales Manager at our Visitor & Convention Bureau. grouptour@hiltonheadisland.org, 800-523-3373 ext. 368
on location: south ❖
MISSISSIPPI How many legs does a shrimp have? On the famous Biloxi Shrimping Trip, a Gulf Coast fixture since 1955, groups learn everything they ever wanted to know about catching, cooking and eating this Southern seafood delicacy. On the 70-minute shrimping expedition in calm waters between the Biloxi shoreline and Deer Island, guests watch as the crew drops a 16-foot trawl and drags the bottom of the Mississippi Sound for shrimp and other creatures. The boat accommodates up to 49 passengers (group rates from $13 per person). Dockside, the group can enjoy a traditional shrimp boil, complete with fresh shrimp, red potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage and mushrooms—finger food at its best. The meal ($25 per person) also includes drinks, dessert and Zydeco music. From March to May, groups can substitute crawfish for shrimp and learn to suck the heads and pinch the tails like a true South Mississippian. (biloxishrimpingtrip.com) Another group culinary program in coastal Mississippi is a “Beer and Food Pairing Experience” offered by Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company, Missis30 April 2010
(i.e. shrimp and grits, hushpuppies, sweet tea), “Sweet Indulgence Stroll” (truffles, cupcakes, ice pops), “Brews Cruise” and “Market Tour and Cooking Class.” (tastecarolina.net) At the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, visitors enjoy 75 acres of indoor and outdoor specialty shops selling fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and gift products from across the state. Farm-fresh produce from the market is found in the Southern dishes prepared at State Farmers Market Restaurant, which promises “A Little South for Grilled tuna with seafood garnish: A palateYour Mouth.” pleaser in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Later this year Harrah’s Cherosippi’s only microbrewery. Following a kee Casino & Hotel opens Paula complimentary tour of the brewery in Deen’s Kitchen, the property’s first new Kiln, groups can dine at a Gulf Coast restaurant in part of a $633-million, restaurant and sample such beers as the three-year expansion program. Serving Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale, the a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner, only beer made with whole roasted the celebrity chef ’s full-service, 404-seat pecans; Southern Gold, made from local eatery will be reminiscent of her home honey; and Reb Ale, an American-style and kitchen in Savannah, Ga. (Deen’s pale ale. (lazymagnolia.com) restaurant at Harrah’s Tunica Casino is a buffet.) A retail shop will offer Paula NORTH CAROLINA Deen cookbooks, food items, cookware A great way for groups to explore the and logo wear. Harrah’s is located 50 flavors of Greater Raleigh is to sign up miles west of Asheville at the entrance with Taste Carolina Gourmet Food to Great Smoky Mountains National Tours. Its “Whole Hog Barbecue Tour” Park. (harrahs.com) visits five restaurants in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill that serve SOUTH CAROLINA North Carolina’s most famous food, ofFood festivals are a big deal in South fering a chance to taste various styles, Carolina. They happen throughout the from Eastern Vinegar and Western Dip year, so chances are that your group can to Southern Mustard and Texas-style. catch one. These fests draw heavily on The journey allows groups of 10-20 to local culture and produce. compare sauces and cooking processes Did you know South Carolina is secwhile chatting with chefs and experts. ond only to California in peach producWalking tours of six to eight eateries in tion? June and July is peach festival Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill/ month in several locations. Outside of Carrboro cover two to three miles and McBee, McLeod Farms, a big operation focus on innovative food sourced locally with more than 100,000 peach trees, will from farm-to-table. Specialized tours feature cooking contests, tours of the include the “Southern Comforts Tour” South Carolina Peach Museum and New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau/Carl Purcell
package rice and make rice crackers. (tabasco.com, konriko.com) In Baton Rouge, Tony’s Seafood Market & Deli is not a restaurant stop, but the Gulf South’s largest seafood market does give group tours of its Louisiana Fish Fry Products plant and crawfish processing operations. You’ve probably seen the brand of jambalaya, dirty rice, hushpuppies and other mixes in grocery stores. The fast-food counter sells fried snack items like boudin (“boo-DAN”) balls—a crispy pork sausage and rice mixture. Tony’s is strictly carryout—there is nowhere to sit. (tonyseafood.com)
LeisureGroupTravel.com
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on location: south ❖ TENNESSEE Group-friendly restaurants across the state satisfy travelers looking for the best of traditional Southern cooking, from catfish and hushpuppies to country ham and angel-soft biscuits with red-eye gravy and fried apples. The buttery cornbread is crisp, yet crumbly, warm and savory. Another tasty tradition: a fried apple or peach pie. Of course, you can’t mention Tennessee eats without mentioning barbecue, which is almost a religion in these
cornbread, collard greens, sweet potatoes and chicken-fried steak. For a true taste of Tennessee in Nashville, groups like the Loveless Cafe, which serves country ham and red-eye gravy, fried chicken and scratch biscuits with homemade preserves cooked right in the kitchen, located in a barn in its backyard. (lovelessbarn.com). In Pigeon Forge, Old Mill Restaurant dishes up the best in hearty Southern fare. House specialties include chicken and dumplings, fried catfish and pot roast and gravy, plus treats like corn fritters, corn grits, pancakes and biscuits prepared with flour and corn products next door at the historic Old Mill. (oldmillsquare.com)
S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism/Anne McQuary
peak-season roadside market shopping at its annual Peach Festival July 10. On the coast, oyster festivals hold sway during the “r” months. Traveling in South Carolina, you’ll also find celebrations that showcase grits, rice, okra, sweet potatoes, watermelons, chitlins, catfish and shrimp. And don’t forget a whole subcategory of its own – barbecue. Unlike most parts of the country, where barbecue is a verb – down there it’s a noun. It means pork smoked over an open flame and served up in myriad
Food is half the fun at October’s Loris Bog-Off Festival in Loris, S.C.
ways, and there are competitions yearround to decide who’s best. For details on special events and agritourism, see the state’s culinary website, savorsouthcarolina.com. Food fans await the June grand opening of the new South Carolina State Farmers Market, southeast of Columbia. Three times larger than the previous venue, the visitor-friendly market will feature retail and wholesale vendors, a farmers’ shed, amphitheater, 150-seat exhibition kitchen, specialty food shops, an RV park and restaurants. (scstatefarmersmarket.com) 32 April 2010
parts. Cooked low and slow, it satisfies the soul and sets off arguments. Do you prefer it sweet or hot? Wet or dry? A vinegar, mustard or tomato sauce? Pork or beef? The month-long Memphis in May International Festival has the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, but all year groups can enjoy BBQ ribs and sandwiches at Memphis favorites like The Rendezvous, Corky’s, Interstate and Neely’s. BBQ spaghetti, a Memphis specialty, started at Interstate. Memphis also is known for home cookin’ and rich, buttery soul food—think platters of
VIRGINIA For a true taste of Virginia history, get thee to an 18th century tavern. Colonial Williamsburg offers several choices for group lunches and dinners, from Christiana Campbell’s, where George Washington dined, to the simpler Shields Tavern. Groups can feast on fried chicken and roast turkey, fresh seafood and Brunswick stew. Peanut soup, seafood chowders and sherry-spiced sweet potatoes are other palate-pleasers. Dessert might be peanut or rum cream pie, or perhaps syllabub, a wine-laced cream whipped to a froth, seasoned with lemon zest and garnished with berries. (colonialwilliamsburg.com) Michie Tavern Dining Room, a group favorite for lunch in Charlottesville, is not far from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. A rustic setting and servers in period attire enhance the ambience. The buffet features colonial fried chicken, black-eye peas, stewed tomatoes, biscuits, cornbread and a variety of hot and cold dishes. Tours of the oldest part of the tavern (1784) include games and entertainment. (michietavern.com) The historic seaport of Smithfield, LeisureGroupTravel.com
on location: south ❖ in the Hampton Roads region, is home of world-famous Smithfield ham. The town’s motto: “Hams, History and Hospitality.” Visit the charming main street and shop before heading to Smithfield Station Waterfront Inn for fresh crab cakes made with Virginia ham, of course. Stop at the original Genuine Smithfield Ham Shoppe and buy a pig
collectible, stock up on Virginia peanuts or ship home a ham from the “Ham Capital of the World.” (smithfieldhams.com, smithfield-virginia.com) WEST VIRGINIA In the New River Gorge area of Southern West Virginia, Gourmet on the Gorge is a new one- or two-day of-
fering for groups from JMCatering. The one-day event ($174 per person) features a cooking class and brunch, a onewoman play about Julia Child, a tour of the New River Gorge Bridge and a jetboat ride on the river, plus food and wine tasting at several Fayetteville restaurants. The two-day event ($219) also includes a cooking class and meal with a Greenbrier-trained chef at Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia in Beckley, along with a tour of Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. (gourmetonthegorge.com). Tamarack, a favorite with travelers looking for Appalachian crafts and entertainment, offers many special cooking events. Its Taste of West Virginia Food Court is managed by The Greenbrier, the classic White Sulphur Springs resort renowned for fine dining. West Virginia-made jams and jellies, salad dressings and mustards, and locally raised trout and catfish are incorporated into daily menus. Breakfast specialties include buttermilk biscuits, fried green tomatoes and cheesy stone-ground grits. (tamarackwv.com) The Greenbrier’s newest restaurant is Prime 44 West, a steakhouse that honors basketball legend and West Virginia native Jerry West. With rich burgundy walls, soft suede textures and rich brown leathers, it showcases over 100 pieces of West’s memorabilia. (greenbrier.com) For information on Southern cuisine, Southern chefs and Southern recipes, log on to the Travel South USA website—http://flavours.travelsouth usa.com.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Leisure Group Travel has prepared an online chart listing new tour attractions and major art exhibitions debuting in the months ahead in each Southern state. For a look at what’s on the Southern horizon, log on to LeisureGroup Travel.com and scroll down to “Online Exclusives” on the home page. 34 April 2010
LeisureGroupTravel.com
American Mountain Theater
Historic Bramwell
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on location: west ❖
elana andersen
CURTAINS UP IN
CALIFORNIA The Golden State’s theater scene, vibrant with classic, quirky and cutting-edge fare, captivates groups with show-stopping appeal
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Contact an area’s visitor bureau for a guide to local theater companies and their playbills. To help get you started on a California theatrical journey, here are the state’s Tony Award-winning theaters, plus other crowd pleasers: TONY WINNERS Each year, the Tony Awards Committee honors one theater company for its superior productions, programs and efforts in elevating quality regional theater in America. The following seven California theaters have earned the coveted Regional Theatre Tony Award:
© Berkeley Repertory eatre
Mark Davidson
umming a favorite Broadway tune. Miming Juliet in her plaintive call “wherefore art thou, Romeo.” Bursting into laughter during a superbly crafted comedy. These and other spontaneous responses are a sure sign of happy audiences. When traveling in California, there are thousands of opportunities to enjoy great theater. From the small town playhouse to regional performing arts centers, the diversity of theater experiences is abundant, from dinner theater and festivals to summer stock and best of Broadway series.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre offers a varied bill of crowd-pleasing fare. 36 April 2010
American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco opened in 1967. In addition to productions that receive rave reviews, the company operates the ACT theater arts training program. Its playbill features classic works and those by contemporary playwrights. The September-June season of 10 shows will close with Round and Round the Garden (April 29–May 23) and The Tosca Project ( June 3–27). Group tickLeisureGroupTravel.com
Copyright © e Old Globe eatre / Photo by Craig Schwartz
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at San Diego’s Old Globe.
A mature cast struts its stuff in Fabulous Palm Springs Follies productions like the Route 66 musical Get Your Kicks!
ets (15 and more) for its annual A Christmas Carol (Dec. 3-27) are now available. Contact: Eddy Budworth at 415-439-2473, ebudworth@act-sf.org. (Box office: 415-749-2228, act-sf.org) Berkeley Repertory Theatre was founded in 1968 in a converted storefront and has grown to be the cornerstone of Berkeley’s Downtown Arts District. With two theater locations and the dynamic Berkeley Rep School LeisureGroupTravel.com
of Theatre, the company is best known for producing an adventurous combination of new and refreshed adaptations of seldom-seen classic work. Groups of 10 and more qualify for special services and ticket pricing. (Box office: 510-647-2949, berkeleyrep.org) La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Hollywood stars Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer and has built a reputation for qual-
ity theater. Offering a mix of plays, musicals and new works from August through June, it is a professional theater-in-residence company located on the UC San Diego campus. The 2010-11 season opens with Surf Report, Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, Notes from the Underground and Ruined. (Box office: 858-550-1010, lajollaplayhouse.com) April 2010 37
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Support America’s Theaters heaters and arts programs been hard hit with the downturn in the economy. Because of dramatic national, state and local cuts in arts funding, some theatrical organizations have had to take drastic measures to keep their doors open. Many groups have shortened their season or cut down on the number of productions. Some theaters have closed. Do your part in helping to keep performing arts alive and vibrant by featuring theater in your group’s travel plans.
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Photo by Erik Tomasson
Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre comprise the Los Angeles Music Center, which is operated by the Center Theatre Group. It also has the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. The Music Center opened in 1964 in partnership with the County of Los Angeles and offers a diverse selection of dramas, musicals, comedies and classic revivals. The Taper has received virtually every theatrical award for its productions, including two Pulitzer Prizes in Drama. A 2010-2011 schedule for all three theaters is available at centertheatregroup.org. Old Globe Theatre in San Diego’s Balboa Park is California’s oldest professional theater. The company produces 15 plays and musicals year-round and a Shakespeare Festival ( July-September). Performances are held at three venues: Old Globe Theatre, modeled after its London namesake; Arena Stage at the Museum of Art; and the outdoor (Shakespeare) Festival Theater. (Box office: 619-234-5623, oldglobe.org) San Francisco Mime Troupe was founded in 1959 as a project of the legendary Actors’ Workshop. The troupe’s stage is the city’s public parks and other California venues where it performs for free. Each year a new program is created and includes an original musical comedy that combines mime, melodrama and farce with political themes. (415-285-1717, sfmt.org) South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, established in 1964 as a professional resident theater company, has won acclaim on many levels, including nurturing the best American playwrights through its annual Playwright’s Festival, and production of new works. It’s also hailed for its Children Theater training and performance programs and for a theater design that places audiences within 13 rows of the stages. The company’s season offers
American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco just featured Phèdre, a tale of political intrigue and sexual jealousy. Above: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.
nine plays on two stages, one dedicated to classics, modern plays and hits from New York and London, and the other to new works, contemporary hits and premieres. (Box office: 714-708-5555, scr.org) CABARET & SUCH San Francisco’s Beach Blanket Babylon is the longest-running musical revue in theater history, dating back to 1974. With the cast decked out in extravagant costumes and large chapeaus, the show’s plot follows a zany view of Snow White’s quest to find Prince Charming. Her path travels through a
series of whimsical spoofs that feature people and events found in current news headlines. The company’s holiday show, Nov. 17-Dec. 31, celebrates the season with added highlights, including a chorus line of tap-dancing Christmas trees and parodies on traditional Christmas carols. Beach Blanket Babylon performs year-round Wednesday through Sunday. Adults only. (415421-2222, beachblanketbabylon.com) Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is preparing to celebrate its 20th season (Oct. 27- mid-May 2011) with its most extravagant season yet of dance, song and comedy featuring Broadway-caliber LeisureGroupTravel.com
production numbers, renowned guest artists and its chorus line of Long Legged Lovelies and handsome, toetapping Gentlemen. The cast of seasoned Broadway and Hollywood performers (56-86 years young) dressed in glitz and glamour will present an exciting program showcasing music and dance from the 1930s through the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50s. Impresario and master of ceremonies Riff Markowitz has welcomed more than three million patrons to the Follies. (Box office, 760-327-0225; groups, 800-967-9997; psfollies.com) Gourmet Detective has two dinner theater locations in Southern California: Balboa Inn in Newport Beach and Avila Terrace Theatre in Riverside. This professional company has been sleuthing for two decades with the cast playing out scripted intrigues while guests enjoy an elegant dining experience. The company has premiered eight comedic murder mysteries, and currently Murder at the Cave Noir and Darling You Slay Me! are performed on Friday and Saturday evenings. (866-992-5424, gourmetdetective.com) A good melodrama makes for great theater. At the All American Melodrama and Music Hall at Shoreline Village in Long Beach, guests are treated to an old-fashioned barn-like setting complete with sawdust floors, honky-tonk piano, a comedy melodrama and vaudeville revue. The current playbill has Idaho Smith and the Drinking Fountain of Youth and Robin Hoodwink. Special occasion performances include a holiday extravaganza, improv LeisureGroupTravel.com
comedy shows and musical concerts. The theater pub offers a selection of casual dining and beverages. (562-4955900, allamericanmelodrama.com) Another top-notch professional company is found at the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville Theater on the Central Coast in Oceano near Arroyo Grande. It performs year-
round, Wednesday through Sunday, offering comedies, musical and melodrama productions, and vaudeville revues. The current program includes The Crock of Gold, The Tavern, Trudy and the Beast and The Holiday Extravaganza. The theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pub offers light meals, snacks and beverages. (805-4892499, americanmelodrama.com) LGT
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April 2010 39
on location: west ❖
melinda hughey
Top Texas
&EvEnts FEstIvALs
From food fests to Western lore, each of the state’s travel regions boasts a jam-packed calendar of annual celebrations
Christmas festivities take center stage during the popular Fiesta de las Luminarias, a San Antonio tradition.
San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau
I
t’s been said that “everything’s bigger in Texas.” Even the state’s tourism slogan likens the Lone Star State to “a whole other country.” Granted, it is as big as some other countries and this largesse is not limited to land mass. It also extends to the overwhelming “to do” list of Texas events and festivals, which average in excess of 3,350 throughout the year. With the state divided into seven travel regions, ferreting out the “best-ofthe-best” is a daunting task and a subjective one. To be sure, fairs, rodeos and roundups still reign supreme in this, the 40 April 2010
capital of all things Western-flavored. But wandering off the traditional path can yield some delightful, off-beat and well-attended surprises, like the Great Texas Mosquito Festival staged every July in Clute, the Watermelon Thump each June in Luling, the World’s Largest Rattlesnake Roundup every March in Sweetwater and Marshall’s famous Fire Ant Festival in October. Broken down another way, Texas events celebrate everything from cultural heritage (with festivals devoted to Czech, German, Irish and Scottish traditions, not to mention major Cinco de
Mayo celebrations) to cuisine (seafood on the Gulf Coast, the Chili Super Bowl in Buffalo Gap). Sports star in longstanding mainstream events like football bowl games (think Cotton and Sun) to more specialty genres, such as the Great Texas Balloon Race in Longview or the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred Bicycle Event in Wichita Falls. Several major NASCAR and Indy Car events heat up the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, while the PGA tour swings through Texas each May. Music and drama certainly aren’t overlooked, with some events so longLeisureGroupTravel.com
Panhandle Plains The Texas Panhandle Plains region offers beautiful canyon lands and plenty of Old West heritage. Major cities include Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, San Angelo and Wichita Falls. Chili Super Bowl XXIX, Buffalo Gap, Sept. 3-5. See and sample the world’s largest bowl of chili. Enjoy live music, concessions and nightly dances. (325-675-8412, chilisuperbowl.com) Western Heritage Classic, Abilene, May 6-8. A parade, ranch rodeo, nightly dances and more preserve the heritage of the ranch cowboy. (325-677-4376, westernheritageclassic.com) TEXAS, Canyon, June 4Aug. 25. Enjoy an evening of music, dance and entertainment provided by 80 professional performers from around the country. Come early to explore the nation’s second largest canyon. (806-655-2181, texasshow.com)
hill Country Known for its spirited people, gorgeous wildflowers and lush hills, the Texas Hill CounThe Texas Folklife Festival spotlights try has a laid-back charm that San Antonio’s rich cultural makeup. makes everyone who visits want standing and large that they transcend to stay forever. regional boundaries and are known and Bluebonnet Festival, Burnet, secbeloved statewide. For example, the ond weekend in April. Burnet, recogsummertime musical drama TEXAS, nized by the state legislature as the staged in an amphitheater in Palo Duro “Bluebonnet Capital of Texas,” celeCanyon State Park, is entering its 45th brates the blooming of the wildflowers season in 2010. with an air show, antique and classic Here is a region-by-region look at cars, parades, music and a street dance, some of the top offerings to consider for plus a Wild West Show & Shootout. 2010 and beyond: (512-756-4297, burnetchamber.org) LeisureGroupTravel.com
37th Annual World Championship BBQ Goat Cookoff, Brady, Sept. 3-4. On the agenda are a goat cook-off, mystery meat challenge, arts and crafts, horseshoe tournament and live music. (325-597-3491, bradytx.com) 14th Annual Texas Book Festival, Austin, Oct. 16-17. Established in 1995 by First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian and an ardent advocate of literacy, the festival has quickly evolved into one of the premier literary events in the country, annually hosting over 200 Texas and nationally known authors at the State Capitol. (texasbookfestival.org)
Gulf Coast There are more than 624 miles of coastline arching southward from the Louisiana border to the Mexican border near Brownsville. The warm water of the Gulf beckons visitors who want to swim, fish, sail, sunbathe, build sand castles or just take a relaxing stroll on the beach. 41st Annual Texas Rice Festival, Winnie, Oct. 16-17. Honoring the region’s rice farming, the festival includes a carnival, two parades, livestock show, longhorn show, open horse show, BBQ cook-off, nightly street dances, antique car show and rice cooking contest. Typical fare includes rice balls, gumbo, étouffée, pistolettes, blooming onions, crab balls, boudain balls and funnel cakes. (409-296-4404, texasricefestival.org) 63rd Annual Texas Shrimporee, Aransas Pass, June 11-13. Touted as “the largest shrimp festival in Texas” and staged in the self-proclaimed “Saltwater Heaven” of Aransas Pass, the Shrimporee attracts 50,000-60,000 people April 2010 41
on location: west ❖ from all over the state. Attendees enjoy arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, carnival rides and music, plus shrimp cooked more ways than you can imagine. (800-633-3028, aransaspass.org) Texas Gatorfest, Anahuac, Sept. 10-12. Anahuac, where alligators outnumber humans by almost 3 to 1, is recognized by the state legislature as the Alligator Capital of Texas. This celebration offers carnival rides, arts and crafts, and unique attractions like airboat rides and Trinity River boat tours. The Great Texas Alligator Roundup, the premier event of Gatorfest, invites alligator hunters to bring in their “harvest” to compete for cash prizes. The festival coincides with the opening of Texas’ 20day alligator season. (409-267-4190, texasgatorfest.com)
life of Sam Houston and frontier heritage. Events on the 18-acre Sam Houston Memorial Museum complex include craft demonstrations, living history re-enactors, and musical and historical entertainment. (samhouston folkfestival.org)
BiG Bend Country Rugged mountains. Breathtaking sunsets. Skies that go on for miles. For a true Old West experience, Big Bend Country is like no other region.
Piney Woods Explore the historic towns and then get back to nature. The great outdoors doesn’t get much greater than 12 state parks and four national forests. From towering pines to expansive lakes, the Piney Woods is a nature lover’s paradise. Great Texas Balloon Race, Longview, July 30-Aug. 1. Morning balloon flights, evening balloon glows, arts and crafts vendors, plenty of food and live concerts make this a full weekend of fun. (903-753-3281, http://greattexasballoonrace.com) Fire Ant Festival, Marshall, Oct. 9. This zany, fun-filled festival is complete with a fire ant calling contest, arts and crafts booths, food vendors, live entertainment, chili-cooking contest, Tour de Fire Ant Bike Race, 5K run, ugly face making contest, rubber chicken chunking and domino tournament. (800-9537868, marshall-chamber.com) General Sam Houston Folk Festival, Huntsville, late April/early May. The festival’s mission is to increase visitors’ appreciation for Texas history, the 42 April 2010
Alligators steal the show at the annual Texas Gatorfest in Anahuac.
24th Annual Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Alpine, late February/early March. Created in 1987 on the campus of Sul Ross State University, the Gathering is the oldest of its kind in Texas and second oldest in the United States. In addition to traditional and contemporary cowboy poetry, the event includes cowboy music and storytelling. (800-361-3735, cowboy-poetry.org) 35th Annual Permian Basin Fair & Exposition, Odessa, Sept. 10-18. This old-time, no-holds-barred, weeklong family event has it ALL, from bull rides, rodeos and Wild West Shows to talent showcases, dog shows and various eatLeisureGroupTravel.com
HYATT, Grand Hyatt,® names, designs and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. ©2010 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.
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on location: west ❖ ing contests, plus the usual midway and exhibits. (permianbasinfair.com) 44th Annual Terlingua International Chili Exposition, Terlingua, Nov. 4-6. The world-famous Frank X. Tolbert - Wick Fowler Memorial Championship Chili Cook-off is held behind White’s Store, just east of downtown Terlingua. Nightly musical entertainment. (abowlofred.com)
south Plains A rich history, unparalleled birding and an abundance of Mexican culture make the South Plains a truly unique destination. 120th Fiesta San Antonio, April 717, 2011. For 11 days each spring, this colorful extravaganza stages more than 100 events, including the Battle of Flowers Parade, one of the biggest in the nation, and two other parades. With more than 3.5 million people attending, the celebration of San Anto-
The show TEXAS soon begins its 45th season at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
nio’s diverse cultures really is one of America’s truly great festivals. (877723-4378, fiesta-sa.org) 39th Annual Texas Folklife Festival, San Antonio, June 11-13. Located on the grounds of the Institute of Texan Cultures on the UTSA HemisFair Park campus, the Space to Work. event showcases more Room to Relax. than 40 cultural groups through a variety of ethnic food, music, dance, arts and crafts. (210458-2224, texasfolklifefestival.org) Fiesta de las LumiGalveston is the place for family and military narias, San Antonio, reunions, educational field trips and seminars. Dec. 3-19. Warmly Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham at The Victorian Resort is a favorite glowing candles in destination for those planning reunions, church and school events. sand-filled bags line the Our staff has the expertise to meet your expectations for meeting facilities and to provide options for your groups’ outings to the city’s famous River Island’s world-class attractions. Walk to symbolically Over 10,000 square feet of of indoor and outdoor meetings areas, for groups of 12 to 300. mark the “lighting of the way” for the Holy Family. This centuriesold holiday tradition 6300 Seawall • Galveston begins at dusk Friday, www.hawthorn.com Saturday and Sunday 800.231.6363 Tava Matzke #2231 tmatzke@viccondo.com only. (210-227-4262, ® We proudly welcome Wyndham Rewards members. Sign up today at hawthorn.com thesanantonior iverand we’ll reward you with points or miles...every time you stay with us. © 2010 Hawthorn Suites Franchising, Inc. All rights reserved. walk.com) DW 7KH 9LFWRULDQ 5HVRUW &RQIHUHQFH &HQWHU
All Hawthorn Suites hotels are independently owned and operated.
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Prairies & lakes Big cities, big attractions and big fun fill the 47,000-square-mile Prairies and Lakes region. With hundreds of annual events in this one region alone, there is assuredly “something for everyone.” Here are just three examples: 48th Annual National Championship Pow-Wow, Grand Prairie, Sept. 10-12. Held at Traders Village, a sprawling flea market and festival complex, this event features colorful tribal dance contests, cultural heritage demonstrations, teepees and Indian food. Native American artists and craftsmen from across the country showcase their wares. (972-647-2331, tradersvillage.com) State Fair of Texas, Dallas, Sept. 24-Oct. 17. This 24-day event in historic Fair Park offers big-name entertainment, exhibits, great food and the largest auto show in the Southwest. (214-565-9931, bigtex.com) 24th Annual GrapeFest, Grapevine, Sept. 16-19. The largest wine festival in the Southwest invites you to sample Texas wines and enjoy nonstop entertainment, not to mention a grape stomp, vintners auction and carnival midway. (817-410-3149, grapevine texasusa.com LGT LeisureGroupTravel.com
West on our radar
From the Rockies to the Pacific, new attractions and exhibitions emblazon the tour horizons Here are just a few of the developments creating a buzz: CALIFORNIA The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Lego-themed water park will open in June at Legoland California in Carlsbad. The water park will be a separate-admission attraction located at the north end of Legoland behind Fun Town. The 5.5-acre water park will feature a Build-A-Raft river where visitors can custom build their own LEGOÂŽ raft, several water slides, a 45-foot-tall tower playground and two sandy beach wading areas. (legoland.com/california) COLORADO Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, a touring exhibition featuring more than 100 treasures from the tomb of the celebrated pharaoh King Tut and other ancient sites, will make its sole Rocky Mountain West appearance at the Denver Art Museum from July 1, 2010, to Jan. 2, 2011. The exhibition will feature objects from some of the most important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, from the 4th Dynasty into the Late Period (about 2,600 B.C. to 660 B.C.). Derived from a variety of contexts, including temples and both royal and private tombs, many of these artifacts have never before visited the United States prior to this exhibition tour. Featured are the largest image of King Tut ever unearthed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 10-foot statue of the pharaoh found at the remains of the funerary temple of two of his high officials. (877-546-2888, tutgroups@denverartmuseum.org, denverartmuseum.org) OKLAHOMA Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Cherokee Nation offer a new group tour package that features overnight stays at the Hard Rock Hotel Tulsa and
a tour of Cherokee cultural attractions. The one- or two-night package includes complimentary breakfast at the Wild Potato Buffet, free $10 play per guest in the casino and authentic Cherokee dining on the heritage tour. The hotel features 350 rooms and suites; more than 125,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 2,100 electronic games and 65 poker and table games; five dining venues including Toby Keithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I Love This Bar & Grill and McGillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on 19, a fine-dining penthouse restaurant; and five nightclubs and entertainment venues including the 2,500-seat event center scheduled to open this summer. (918-384-7887, cherokeetourismok.com) TEXAS Several cities have created a regional
website (westtexastrip.com) to help tour operators plan their tours to West Texas. The cities are Abilene, San Angelo, Midland, Odessa, Lubbock, Visit Big Bend, Fort Davis, El Paso, Fort Worth, Granbury and Denton. Also involved are four heritage trail partnersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lakes Trail, Forts Trail, Mountain Trail and Plains Trail. The initial itinerary, titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cowboy Country,â&#x20AC;? was created to enable tour groups to experience cowboy heritage and the diverse landscape that provided a home to Native Americans. Itineraries can also be customized to fit the needs of each group. A calendar that highlights top cowboy events in these areas is also included. WestTexasTrip.com evolved from a previous partnership between Midland, Fort Davis and the Texas Mountain Trail, but the scope has expanded to include all of West Texas.
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on location: midwest ❖
randy mink
MINNE SOTA A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT Scenic viewpoints, historical treasures and great shopping captivate groups traveling along the mighty Mississippi
M
ake a list of Mississippi River cities, and places like New Orleans, Memphis and St. Louis immediately come to mind. Or you might think of Natchez and Vicksburg, Miss., or Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Mo. But what about Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Red Wing and Winona? While Minnesota may be the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the Mississippi also plays a key role in the state’s geography, history and economy. In fact, the river’s source—a tourist attraction in its own right—is in Northern Minnesota. Tour groups, especially those from overseas and outside the heartland, want to see America’s most famous river, and they have many chances on the Great River Road National Scenic Byway, which winds its way from the Bemidji area to Southeastern Minnesota. Minneapolis grew up on the river as a lumber and grain milling center. Though downtown’s riverfront factories 46 April 2010
have closed, the flavor of yesteryear lives on at the Mill City Museum. Housed in the ruins of a limestone building where General Mills made Gold Medal Flour until 1965, the museum offers nostalgic exhibits and vintage TV commercials that spotlight products like Bisquick, Wheaties and other staples of the American diet. The Baking Lab whips up bread and other goodies to sample, and the Flower Tower elevator ride sheds light on the milling process. Minneapolis’ once-blighted downtown riverfront is now a trendy place to hang out. Industrial buildings along the cobblestone streets in the St. Anthony Main district, easily reached from the Mill City Museum by the Stone Arch Bridge, have been converted into loft apartments, restaurants and clubs. A platform at Water Power Park makes a good perch for viewing the river and St. Anthony Falls, which settlers harnessed to turn the wheels that ground the wheat
into all that flour. Also on the downtown riverfront is the nationally acclaimed Guthrie Theater, which opened its new three-theater complex in 2006. Minnehaha Park, on limestone bluffs above the Mississippi, has many hiking trails including one that leads to Minnehaha Falls, made famous in Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha. Above the falls is a statue of Hiawatha and Minnehaha. (meetminneapolis.com) Saint Paul, the other half of the Twin Cities, also lies on the Mississippi. In fact, it boasts more miles of riverfront—26—than any other city along the entire stretch of Ol’ Man River. At Harriet Island, across from downtown Saint Paul, visitors can go back in time on a paddlewheeler cruise or at a melodrama staged at the Minnesota Centennial Showboat. On bluffs above the juncture of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, costumed soldiers and settlers make frontier days come to life LeisureGroupTravel.com
Padelford Packet Boat Company/Pat Laurel, Saint Paul CVA
Tour groups in the Twin Cities find plenty to do along the Mississippi River. Options include a Padelford Packet Co. cruise, the Guthrie Theatre and Historic Fort Snelling, where costumed interpreters portray life at an 1820s Army post.
Minnehaha Falls, made famous in Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha, and Stone Arch Bridge are Minneapolis landmarks. Winona is renowned for its stained-glass studios. The Cathedral of Saint Paul graces the Summit Avenue historic district.
at Historic Fort Snelling, a reconstruction of an 1820s U.S. Army post. While its friendly rival, Minneapolis, is viewed as more cosmopolitan and has more skyscrapers, Saint Paul prizes tradition and lures the history-minded traveler with pockets of Old World charm. Many of its heritage sites are conveniently clustered in a small geographical area close to downtown. On Summit Avenue (the country’s longest street of Victorian architecture at 4.5 miles), the cavernous, domed Cathedral of Saint Paul is a block from the 1891 James J. Hill House, the brooding, Romanesque Revival mansion of the builder of the Great Northern Railway. Down the street are the Governor’s Mansion and home of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. (visitsaintpaul.com) Many groups come to the Twin Cities with one destination in mind— Bloomington’s Mall of America. The nation’s largest retail and entertainment LeisureGroupTravel.com
complex under one roof continues to thrive and is building a four-level addition connected to the existing mall. Besides more than 520 stores and 50 restaurants, MOA boasts Nickelodeon Universe, the nation’s largest indoor amusement park, and Underwater Adventures Aquarium. The mega-mall is just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Nearly 40 hotels lie within a 10-minute drive, and all offer complimentary shuttle service to MOA. (bloomingtonmn.org, moainformation.com) In Saint Cloud, Munsinger and Clemens Gardens provides an idyllic setting along the Mississippi. One garden features more than 1,100 rose bushes, while an all-white garden blooms with white flowers and flowering shrubs. Known as Granite City USA, Saint Cloud is home to Monumental Sales’ granite works, where tours showcase the making of cemetery me-
morials and garden ornaments. (granitecountry.com) Grand Rapids, an old lumber town in Northeast Minnesota’s tall timber country, was built on the Mississippi River, which carried logs to mill. Get in touch with lumberjack heritage at the Forest History Center, where costumed interpreters breathe life into a 1900 logging camp. The Judy Garland Museum celebrates a Grand Rapids girl who made good. Attached to the museum is the white frame house where Frances Ethel Gumm ( Judy’s real name) grew up. Valuable pieces include a Gold Record awarded for Over the Rainbow, a “test dress” made for (but never used in) The Wizard of Oz and a black carriage from the 1939 movie that later was found to have been owned by Abraham Lincoln. (visitgrandrapids.com) Bemidji, just over an hour from Grand Rapids and 100 miles south of April 2010 47
on location: midwest ❖ the Canadian border, bills itself as the “First City on the Mississippi.” Close to the river’s headwaters in Itasca State Park, it’s situated where the Mississippi passes through Lake Bemidji. (The Indian word “Bemidji” means “cross waters.”) At the lakefront visitor center in this northwoods town, tourists have fun posing next to the giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Groups enjoy the factory tour and outlet shopping at Bemidji Woolen Mills, which has made warm clothes for loggers and outdoorsmen since 1920. Paul Bunyan Playhouse features theatrical productions in summer. (visitbemidji.com)
good place to try Minnesota foods like walleye and wild rice. On narrated lake cruises aboard the 55-passenger Chester Charles, groups will see deer, herons and the common loon, the state bird. (dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca) Small, old-fashioned towns along the Great River Road in Southeastern Minnesota provide plenty of attractions and shopping opportunities for groups. From blufftop lookouts, they also offer panoramic views of the Mississippi River Valley and, in winter and spring, great eagle watching. Historic Red Wing, best known for shoes and pottery that bear its
tional Eagle Center. Besides interactive exhibits, the center has several injured eagles that star in classroom presentations. (wabashamn.org) Downtown Winona is crammed with vintage buildings, and the region’s past comes alive at the excellent Winona County Historical Museum. The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, on the banks of the Mississippi, displays nautical and folk art. Groups also like the Watkins Heritage Museum at the headquarters of the venerable home products company that makes everything from spices and seasonings to liniment oil, foot cream and body oils.
Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox provide photo ops in Bemidji. Groups in Northern Minnesota also flock to the Judy Garland Museum (right) in the Mississippi River town of Grand Rapids.
An obligatory stop at Itasca State Park is the Mississippi Headwaters, the point where a humble stream flows out of Lake Itasca on its 2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. A trail leads from the Mary Gibbs Headwaters Visitor Center to the Headwaters Post, a tree trunk sign that signifies the river’s source. Some people wade across; others negotiate the stepping stones. The park’s Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center, a fascinating museum, explodes with lore of the region. Exhibits in the log-beamed building cover Ojibwe culture, flora and fauna, and the park’s history as a resort. Nearby are the rustic buildings of the 1905 Douglas Lodge and cabins. The lodge restaurant is a 48 April 2010
name, abounds with antique shops, art galleries and one-of-a-kind specialty stores as well as places to buy Red Wing Shoes and Red Wing Pottery. The Red Wing Shoe Museum opened last year on Main Street and features the world’s largest boot—a size 638½ D that stands six feet tall. The store attached to the museum sells the sturdy shoes and work boots the company has been making since 1905. Groups at the St. James Hotel enjoy Victorian charm and lunch in the Veranda restaurant, which overlooks the Mississippi and offers seasonal outdoor seating. (redwing.org) Wabasha, another historic town full of yesteryear charm, is home to the Na-
Winona, located on an island in the Mississippi, is known as the “Stained Glass Capital” for its cluster of stained glass studios, and tours allow groups to see artisans at work. (visitwinona.com) Whether their tour starts in the Bluff Country of Southeastern Minnesota, the Twin Cities metro area or Paul Bunyan’s northwoods, groups will find a cornucopia of options within a stone’s throw of the Mississippi River— in the state where it begins. LGT
PLAN IT ! Explore Minnesota: 800-657-3600, exploreminnesota.com
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The hee Place Pla for for
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Bloomington, MN
S H O P • P L AY • F U N Mall of America® – over 520 stores, 50 restaurants and the nation’s largest indoor Nickelodeon® theme park - Nickelodeon Universe®! Experience world class shopping, spine-tingling rides and leading attractions including:
Enjoy no sales tax on clothing and shoes! Take convenient Light Rail Transit to MSP International Airport and downtown Minneapolis. For more information, contact Millie Philipp in Mall of America Tourism at 952.883.8843, mphilipp@mallofamerica.com or visit www.mallofamerica.com
The region offers tour planners a number of new attractions that will freshen up their itineraries
Midwest on our radar
Here’s a quick look at what is going on in America’s heartland: ILLINOIS The International Walldog and Mural Museum is set to open this summer in the downtown historic district of Pontiac. Dedicated to the history and art of outdoor advertising signage, the museum is inspired by the Walldogs, a loosely knit group of muralists and sign painters who gather each summer to paint large murals in a selected town. During a four-day span last summer they painted 18 new murals in Pontiac, a town rich in Route 66 heritage. The museum will recognize outdoor advertising art found along the iconic highway. Also included will be a public art gallery where members of the Walldogs can sell their preliminary sketches and finished works. Pontiac, home of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, also has plans to install, by mid-summer, several new outdoor interpretive wayside exhibits dealing with local history and Route 66. (800-835-2055, visitpontiac.org) Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry just unveiled Science Storms, a new permanent exhibit that reveals the science behind some of nature’s most powerful phenomena—tornadoes, light-
Science Storms just blew into Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
ning, fire, tsunamis, sunlight, avalanches and atoms in motion. Inside the 24,000-square-foot exhibit, guests can immerse themselves in a 40-foot tornado to experiment with air pressure and wind speed inside a towering vortex of vapor; create a highvoltage lightning storm by discharging volts of energy from a giant Tesla coil to discover electricity and magnetism; trigger a 20-foot avalanche to reveal the beauty of granular dynamics; and discover the power and motion of waves
Missouri’s newest gaming center is River City Casino in St. Louis County. 50 April 2010
by unleashing a tsunami across a 30foot wave tank. The exhibit is part of an overall plan by the Museum of Science and Industry to change or update nearly 90 percent of its exhibit space by 2011. (msichicago.org) Chicago Pizza Tours is a new company that offers a three-hour bus tour with stops at four pizza restaurants. Along the way the guide discusses Chicago deep-dish and other varieties of pizza while pointing out the sights. Guests receive a slice of pizza at Gino’s East in River North, Edwardo’s in Printers Row, Coalfire in West Town and Marcello’s in Lincoln Park. Private tours can be arranged for groups up to 15. (630-842-0372, chicagopizzatours.com) INDIANA The Indianapolis Zoo opens its newest exhibit on May 29—Cheetah: The Race for Survival. Admired for their speed and grace, cheetahs face an uncertain future as their numbers are dwindling. Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund, is working with the zoo on the exhibit, which will LeisureGroupTravel.com
illustrate the fund’s work in saving wild cheetahs. (indianapoliszoo.com) The Fort Wayne Museum of Art just reopened with the addition of 10,000 square feet of new gallery space. The expansion allows the museum to exhibit more of its collection of American art and provide more space for traveling exhibitions. (fwmoa.org) Interactive and high-tech experiences help visitors connect with Indiana’s heritage in the new Indiana Experience at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in Indianapolis. Its “You Are There” element features threedimensionally reconstructed historic photographs that include first-person interpreters. “Destination Indiana” includes stories from all 92 counties in Indiana, featuring eight “drive yourself ” time-travel stations with seats for six persons and a curved, 10-foot-by-24foot screen that plays select journeys. In the renovated Cole Porter Room, designed to evoke the style of New
York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, guests immerse themselves in a 1940sinspired, cabaret-style setting featuring a digital grand player piano, photographs of the famed composer born in Peru, Ind., and an elegantly dressed interpreter performing Porter standards. (indianahistory.org) MISSOURI River City Casino just opened in the south St. Louis County community of Lemay. It includes a 90,000-squarefoot casino with more than 2,000 slot machines and 50 table games. The suburban complex also features Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Great Food Exposition buffet (with seating for more than 350), a tavern, contemporary cafe and classic burger joint. Judy’s Velvet Lounge is the 75-seat entertainment hub of the casino. The development is operated by Pinnacle Entertainment, which owns casinos in Nevada, Louisiana, Indiana and Argentina. (888-578-7289, rivercity.com)
COMING AUGUST 24 – 29, 2010
This lively maritime event showcases magnificent ships, and features on-deck tours, entertainment, activities and nightly fireworks! Book your group today at navypier.com
LeisureGroupTravel.com
Navy Pier is Chicago’s top-visited, year-round attraction, featuring restaurants, rides, shops, dining cruises, free entertainment and so much more!
April 2010 51
on location: northeast ❖
chris p. peters
NewYork Must-See Museums Across the state, world-class repositories showcase a myriad of subjects, from art and history to pop culture and sports
Metropolitan Museum of Art
W
hether it’s of scientific, artistic or historical importance, the museums of New York present group travelers with a wide range of collections for all interests. Empire State offerings range from big-time museums in New York City to intimate institutions in small towns. Here are some must-sees: Corning Museum of Glass, Corning. Every aspect of glass, including its science, technology, art and design, is explored in this Finger Lakes Region museum. The “world’s most comprehensive collection of glass” includes more than 45,000 glass objects, across 3,500 years of glassmaking history. A hands-on exhibit allows for daily glassmaking workshops and narrated demonstrations. The Glass Collection Galleries spotlight glass and glassmaking from ancient times through today, featuring New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest museums in the world.
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and inventor of roll film. Daily demonstrations of trades, crafts, cooking and agriculture are given. The John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art, Genesee Country Nature Center, Carriage Museum, Silver Baseball Park and Heirloom Gardens can also be found on the museum property. (585-538-6822, gcv.org) Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake. Located on the site of the Blue Mountain House, a historic summer resort hotel, this museum preserves the history of the Adirondack mountain range while informing the public of its
and perpetuates their legacy of laughter. Located minutes from Lucy’s childhood home and her final resting place, the center features costumes, photos and other memorabilia of the iconic comedians. In the screening area, I Love Lucy video clips refer to her Jamestown roots and characters in the show named after hometown friends. The Desilu Playhouse, a block away, has recreations of the show’s most famous sets. (716484-0800, groupsales@lucy-desi.com, lucy-desi.com) National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown. Widely known as the
Adirondack Museum
objects from America, the Near East, Asia, and Europe. A history of glass creation is presented, from a full-scale model of an Egyptian furnace to the small-scale furnaces that fueled the Studio Glass movement of 1960s America. (607-974-2000, tours@cmog. org, cmog.org) FDR Presidential Library & Museum, Hyde Park. As the first presidential library built in the United States, this Hudson Valley attraction was constructed under the direction of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and serves as a museum of the life and times of FDR. Exhibits showcase such dramatic events as the Great Depression and World War II. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt has her own gallery, and a special exhibitions gallery hosts changing FDR exhibits. The museum also displays items that depict political and cultural life in the 1930s and ’40s. Included are stamps, books, coins, drawings and other collectibles. (800-337-8474, fdr library.marist.edu) Nearby is the Hudson River estate where FDR was born and lived his entire life. The graves of President and Mrs. Roosevelt are in the rose garden. Another Hyde Park attraction is ValKill, the main cottage at the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Mrs. Roosevelt’s weekend home and holiday retreat became her permanent home after FDR’s death in 1945. Genesee Country Village & Museum, Mumford. This living history museum preserves architecture from upstate New York to depict 19th century life in New York State. With the third largest collection of historic buildings in America, the 700-acre property’s Historic Village has 15,000 artifacts in its 68 buildings. The village includes the home of Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, a solider of the American Revolution and founder of the Rochester settlement, and the childhood residence of George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak
The Adirondack Museum presents a special quilts exhibit May 28-Oct. 10.
past and future well-being. Constructed in 1876, high above Blue Mountain Lake, it includes 22 exhibits and galleries with photographs, artifacts and fine art. Museum collections include a Pullman railroad car, guide boats, a racing sailboat, steam locomotive, blacksmith shop and one-room schoolhouse. North America’s largest public assortment of rustic furniture is on display. In addition, the site features its original Sunset Cottage and Log Hotel, which are on the National Register of Historic Places. (518-352-7311, adkmuseum.org) Lucy-Desi Museum, Jamestown. This museum celebrates the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
hub for the history of baseball in America, “Cooperstown” presents artifacts and exhibits, and honors players and managers who have excelled in “America’s pastime.” The Hall of Fame’s collection has over 35,000 three-dimensional artifacts. On the second floor, the Cooperstown Room exhibit examines the history of the Hall of Fame. The Baseball Experience is a 13-minute presentation about baseball’s past in the 191-seat Grandstand Theater. Baseball’s historic moments are shown in 20th Century Baseball Timeline. On the third floor, Sacred Ground examines past and present ballparks.
NEW YORK CITY MUSEUMS Planning a New York City itinerary? Group tour organizers will want to consider the following museums: American Folk Art Museum 212-265-1040 grouptours@folkartmuseum.org folkartmuseum.org American Museum of Natural History 212-769-5100, amnh.org Brooklyn Museum 718-638-5000, brooklynmuseum.org
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum 212-849-8351, chtours2@si.edu cooperhewitt.org Federal Hall National Memorial 212-825-6990, nps.gov/feha Fraunces Tavern Museum 212-425-1778 2education@frauncestavernmuseum.org frauncestavernmuseum.org Frick Collection 212-288-0700, groupvisits@frick.org frick.org Guggenheim Museum 212-423-3774 groupsales@guggenheim.org guggenheim.org International Center of Photography 212-857-0005 grouptours@icp.org, icp.org Jewish Museum 212-423-3225, info@thejm.org thejewishmuseum.org Lower East Side Tenement Museum 212-431-0233, groups@tenement.org tenement.org MOMA (Modern Art) 212-708-9685 groupservices@moma.org, moma.org Museum of American Finance 212-908-4110, moaf.org Museum of Jewish Heritage Christopher Lopez 646-437-4304 clopez@mjhnyc.org, mjhnyc.org
Metropolitan Museum of Art/Brooks Walter
China Institute 212-744-8181, info@chinainstitute.org chinainstitute.org
Museum of the City of New York 212-534-1672, info@mcny.org, mcny.org National Jazz Museum in Harlem 212-348-8300, jazzmuseuminharlem.org National Museum of the American Indian 212-514-3705, nmai.si.edu New York Hall of Science 718-699-0301, nysci.org New York Historical Society 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org South Street Seaport Museum 212-748-8600 southstreetseaportmuseum.org Sports Museum of America 212-837-7970 groups@thesportsmuseum.com thesportsmuseum.com The Cloister 212-570-3711 mettours@metmuseum.org metmuseum.org Whitney Museum of American Art 212-671-8350 grouptours@whitney.org, whitney.org
on location: northeast ❖ The Records Room presents active and alltime statistical leaders in numerous categories that are updated throughout the season. Baseball Cards is a sampling of the museum’s 135,000-card collection. (607547-0312, community.baseballhall.org) Madame Tussauds New York, New York City. Meet celebrities up close in this 85,000square-foot, five-story wax museum. It showcases about 200 lifelike wax figures in six interactive environments. Figures range from New York’s most notable personalities to world-renowned stars and political leaders. In an elaborate Italian garden setting, The Opening Night Party features such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey, Woody Allen, Nicolas Cage and Donald Trump. Madame Tussaud’s Story displays figures throughout 200 years of history, including Napoleon’s lover Josephine and Marie Antoinette. Visitors see the process of creating the wax figures in Behind the Scenes, a multimedia exhibit. The Gallery, set as a meeting of the United Nations, shows John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama and Albert Einstein among others. Celebrities of the 20th century, including Babe Ruth, The Beatles, John Wayne and Bill Gates, are on display in Popular Culture. The city’s history is celebrated in the form of a “midnight ride” in It Happened in New York. (888-923-0334, groupsales@ madametussaudsny.com, madametussauds. com/newyork) Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York City. This military museum features a collection of floating and flying craft at the Hudson River berth of the decommissioned aircraft carrier Intrepid. Among items on display are the USS Growler submarine, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-12 Blackbird supersonic jet and helicopters. The Exploreum is an interactive hall that educates visitors about life on an aircraft carrier. Other exhibits feature multimedia displays and historical recreations such as Kamikaze: Day of Darkness, Day of Light.
see the city from THE TOP. Every building, bridge and borough is waiting for you.
THIS IS YOUR NEW YORKâ&#x201E;˘
TOP OF THE ROCK OBSERVATION DECK 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues Open daily from 8am to midnight For tickets call 212-698-2000 | topoftherocknyc.com
on location: northeast ❖ Take a tour of the supersonic Concorde, the world’s fastest commercial airplane, ride in the A-6 Cockpit Simulator and visit the Virtual Flight Zone. (646-381-5010, groupsales@intrepidmuseum.org, intrepidmuseum.org) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. “The Met” is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, containing more than two million works of art separated into 19 departments. The collection features works from classical antiquity, ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from Europe, and American and modern art. Art from Africa, Asia, the Near East and Oceania are showcased as well. Because the museum is so vast, it’s best to concentrate on a limited number of areas. (212-570-3711, mettours@metmuseum.org, metmuseum.org) LGT
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Northeast on our radar
The region brims with fresh new ways to enhance your group tour itineraries
Below is just a sampling of what’s current in the Northeast: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, the first major memorial on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall to be dedicated to an African-American, is expected in the fall of 2011. It will be located on the Tidal Basin, near the Jefferson and FDR memorials, and will be the first National Mall memorial not dedicated to a president or war hero. The design features a crescentshaped granite wall inscribed with excerpts of Dr. King’s sermons and public addresses. The centerpiece of the memorial, the “Stone of Hope,” will feature a 28-foot likeness of the civil rights leader. More than 200 cherry trees will be planted. Major infrastructure work began in February. (mlkmemorial.org) NEW YORK Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs returns to New York City after more than 30 years, opening April 23 at Discovery Times Square Exposition. The exhibition of priceless artifacts from ancient Egypt will run through Jan. 2, 2011. Among the 130 artifacts in 10 galleries will be the boy king’s golden canopic coffinette (which contained his mummified organs) and the crown found on his head when the tomb was discovered. The exhibit is more than twice the size of the King Tut exhibition that took New York by storm in the 1970s. (discoverytsx.com/exhibitions/kingtut) New York City Vacation Packages (NYCVP) offers “New York Yankees Baseball Vacations” that include hardto-get tickets for games at the new Yankeee Stadium. Selected game dates are from July 1-Sept. 4. A licensed New York City tour guide and Yankee insider accompanies LeisureGroupTravel.com
the group from midtown Manhattan. During the motorcoach ride to Yankee Stadium, he lets guests in on hidden secrets of the Yankees and their home, and fields questions about the Bronx Bombers, the reigning world champs.
Longwood Gardens is a popular group attraction in the Philadelphia countryside.
The package includes accommodations at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers or Wellington Hotel. Options include sightseeing tours, museum visits, Broadway plays and dinner at restaurants like the Russian Tea Room and World Yacht. (nyctrip.com) PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes Region (PGLR) has produced a new version of its multi-county group tour guidebook, which targets group tour companies searching for itinerary ideas. The 44-page guide includes sections on Attractions, Entertainment & Dining; Shopping and Heritage; Accommodations; Events; Itinerary Suggestions; and information on topics such as handicap accessibility and deposit and comp policies. The updated guidebook is ideal for groups of students, active adults (seniors), sports teams, shoppers or special
interests. The close proximity of the four counties allows tour operators convenient and easy access to a large number of attractions. The majority of group travel comes from the tri-state region and Canada via Interstates 79, 80 and 90. Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes Region is comprised of Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Venango counties. The group travel guide is available online at pagreatlakes.com. Longwood Gardens in the Philadelphia countryside welcomes spring with a new exhibition, Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance. Embracing the intoxicating scent of gardens and glamour of perfumes, it will run through Nov. 21. Visitors can delve into the history, science and power of fragrance in Longwood’s conservatory and have a chance to make their own personalized scent card. (longwoodgardens.com) The Philadelphia Phillies and Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) are teaming up to launch a Phanatic Around Town public art project. The tourism and fan initiative features the Phillie Phanatic mascot, one of Philadelphia’s favorite icons, and ties into GPTMC’s “With Love, Philadelphia XOXO” tourism marketing campaign. This is the first time a Major League Baseball mascot will be molded into a public art project. On display from April through August, the 20 fiberglass Phillie Phanatic statues will stand six feet tall. Statue locations include Betsy Ross House, Citizens Bank Park, Franklin Institute, Independence Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing, Independence Visitor Center, John F. Kennedy Plaza/LOVE Park, National Constitution Center and Philadelphia International Airport. (phillies.com/phanaticaroundtown) April 2010 57
on technology ❖
john kamm, ctp
Turn Your Website Into a Money Machine I’LL ADMIT IT—I do it frequently, maybe more often than I should. You’ve probably done it, too. Amazon, TigerDirect and even my electric company have made it very easy to pay online for goods and services with a credit card. If you haven’t done the same for your customers, maybe you should. After implementing an online credit card payment portal on their website, Brad Rosenbaum of Hemisphere Educational Tours reported, “We were amazed at how much staff time was freed up
enter their name, address and credit card information. When finished, the information is processed by an Internet payment gateway. The card and the user address information are checked for a match with the account information on file; the card number, expiration date, card ID and balance are checked. If everything is copacetic, the gateway returns some data to the user and to your website server. The user will see the receipt page, print it and the web server will grab some of the data and store it.
Let customers make online payments and watch your bank deposits grow. once we started taking online payments. Cash flow improved immediately, we virtually eliminated problems with late payments, and the volume of mail dropped considerably.” In order to understand the online credit card transaction process, let’s trace the path that your customer’s money takes from the web page on their computer to your bank account: The transaction usually starts with a user clicking a button on a web page and being directed to a secure page where they can
Meantime, and this is my favorite part, the gateway has queued up a transaction in your merchant account to move the money into your bank account. The following are the parts you will need to assemble your own money machine: Your web host can provide database services; you will need to capture and store some of the information about the credit card transactions that occur and you will want to run daily reports. You will need a Domain SSL certificate.
Become a fan of ours on Facebook and we’ll keep you informed of the latest news in the industry by sending you Facebook updates when news breaks. Simply search for “Group Travel” and look for the Premier Tourism Marketing logo! Leisure Group Travel is also joining the Twitter craze. Go to Twitter.com/LeisureGroup to get the latest “tweets” from the Leisure Group Travel staff.
58 April 2010
This is a bit of web code that places the “lock” icon in the frame of a web browser and lets your customers know that the information they are entering is safe from prying electronic eyes. There are two accounts you will need to arrange—an Internet payment gateway account and a merchant account. You already have the latter if you are accepting credit cards. A good to place to start for the gateway account is with AuthorizeNet. They can also help with the merchant account. Fees for the gateway and merchant account are usually in the form of a small percentage of the transaction amount plus a transaction fee. Do shop around for the merchant account, but you will find the AuthorizeNet gateway fee structure is reasonable and according to EJ Sexton, director of web technologies for TourTech Systems, “They offer a straightforward web payment portal that can save you development time, which means you save programming dollars.” The last aspect of credit card processing that you need to be aware of are the requirements imposed by the Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standard (PCI_DSS). There are strict guidelines that must be followed for collecting, managing and storing credit card data. Implementing a credit card payment portal on your website is a win-win scenario for your customers and staff. John Kamm is CEO of TourTech Systems, Inc., developers of TourTools®, the most popular tour reservations solution in North America. Visit www.tourtools.com for more information.
LeisureGroupTravel.com
Vol. 20, No. 2 April 2010 Editorial & Advertising Office
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NEWS AS IT HAPPENS • PERSPECTIVE • TOOLS
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Publisher – Jeffrey Gayduk jeff@ptmgroups.com Managing Editor – Randy Mink randy@ptmgroups.com Senior Editor – John Kloster john@ptmgroups.com
hank you for making LeisureGroupTravel.com the #1 website in the group travel community. We have totally reengineered the online experience to make it easier to research and plan your next group trip. Hop online today and get cozy with the latest edition in digital format, see more news & updates, enjoy the expanded gallery of Online Exclusives and InSite e-zine features. And don’t miss our expanded Education Center with seminars, fam trips and industry conferences!
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What’s Coming Up Down South? ur editorial team has compiled an extensive list of upcoming museum exhibitions and attraction openings in the Southern states, now through next summer. Check out for yourself in our Online Exclusives section.
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Who Needs Insurance – You Do!!! ut not just any insurance, BETTER insurance. More group travel planners are switching their travel insurance provider to Our Travel Protector because OTP offers great net rates for groups and you don’t have to wait for a commission check! OTP also has an easy online booking option and good earnings on the individual plan for when you don’t have a group of 10 or more travelers. Learn how easy it is to switch your insurance provider to OTP by clicking on the Plan It! link.
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