2018 August Leisure Group Travel by Premier Travel Media

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LEISURE AUGUST 2018

NEW YORK’S

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Historic waterway overflowing with nostalgia

A Guide To Group-friendly Casinos North Carolina’s Mountain Playground A Premier Travel Media publication • LeisureGroupTravel.com

GROUP TRAVEL

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August 2018, Vol. 28, No. 4

LEISURE GROUP TRAVEL

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A GUIDE TO GROUP-FRIENDLY CASINOS Itinerary planners will strike it rich with these entertaining hotspots

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NORTH CAROLINA’S MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUND BY DAVE BODLE Outdoor recreation options, historical sights and scenic beauty abound

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BLUE RIDGE MUSIC TRAILS BY DAVE BODLE Mountain music culture thrives in small towns of western North Carolina

CENTRAL

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DISCOVERING THE BLACK HILLS & BADLANDS BY JASON PAHA Natural wonders and manmade monuments in western South Dakota

WEST

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A TRIPLE WARM-WEATHER RETREAT BY DON HEIMBURGER Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa serve up an array of desert delights

EAST

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WESTERN NEW YORK’S ERIE CANAL BY RANDY MINK Cruises and historical attractions spotlight a legendary waterway

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OUTDOOR ADVENTURES IN BUFFALO AND NIAGARA FALLS BY JASON PAHA Upstate New York is home to a world-famous wonder and a great city

INT’L

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SAMPLING THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF MOROCCO BY LANCE HARRELL Unforgettable experiences await your group in northwestern Africa

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ON MY MIND BY

JEFF GAYDUK

ON TOUR BY

MARTY SARBEY DE SOUTO, CTC

 Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

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August 2018

Visit Phoenix/Adam Rodriguez

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Desert Botanical Garden, a prime Phoenix attraction

  e partnered with the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) on its first-ever membership publication. IITA’s Inbound Insider is a beautiful 56page creation, written specifically for the Visit USA trade market. It debuted to rave reviews at IPW in Denver.

Featured Articles: IITA Focuses on Education, Advocacy and Inclusion; IITA Summit Draws Inbound Professionals to Portland; Beyond Yellowstone: 10 National Parks That Fly Under the Radar; Experiencing the Essence of America’s Heritage & History

Check out the online version or download a print copy at: bit.ly/2LcAZy1

        Check out our recent Online Exclusives at bit.ly/2uK063d • Lake Geneva: Newport of the West • How to Get Settled in a New City • Avalon Waterways Looks to the Future

et weekly digests of all the best online content with InSite, our free Friday e-newsletter, at: bit.ly/2nJBpje

LeisureGroupTravel.com <<

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ON THE COVER: Twilight on the Erie Canal at Fairport, New York (Photo courtesy Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor/Keith Boas, eriecanalway.org)

August 2018

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Vol. 28, No. 4 August 2018

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By Jeffrey Gayduk

 

     

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 

 

s business professionals, we like to think that we’re on top of our game. Understand our customers. Stand ready to squash the competition. Keep abreast of trends. Until, of course, we’re blindsided! My biggest worry is complacency. I’ve seen it take the legs out from seemingly solid companies that were caught up in their own hubris, or couldn’t get out in front of a trend before being run over by it. With as fast as business moves today, by the time you realize you have a problem, it’s probably too late. The best ways to stay on top of your business is being connected to your customers. By understanding their wants and needs and how your customer base is changing, you’re in a better position to predict future results and modify products or services to meet these new expectations. In all honesty, we would have never gotten out of first gear here if we didn’t listen to what was happening in the trenches of the tour industry. Armed with this knowledge, we built a brand around it. Having spent nearly 19 years publishing Leisure Group Travel, I think I have a fair assessment of what’s happening in the industry. But frankly, it’s been too long since I booked hotels in batches of 20, and I can’t tell you the last time I checked how many restroom stalls are inside a rest stop. I no longer haggle with airline group desks, futz with tour-pricing spreadsheets or dangle early-booking incentives in front of reluctant customers. I stopped vetting tour guides long ago (thank heaven!) and haven’t stuffed documents in two decades. I just might be slightly out of touch with what’s happening on the front lines.

HELP US HELP YOU If we’re going to produce a magazine that’s indicative of today’s group travel market, it’s important for all of us to understand what’s happening in your business. Trends you’re witnessing, new markets developing or old ones closing. Along with this edition of Leisure Group Travel you’ll find the 2018 Group Intentions survey. This is our third year compiling this study of the group marketplace, and we use the results to spot tendencies and help shape our editorial coverage in the coming year. We’ll compile these results and publish them in December’s edition so you can see how you stack up against others in the field. Completing the 2018 Group Intentions survey will take less than five minutes, and we make it easy to return. Scan and email your responses to Readerservices@PtmGroups.com, drop a stamp on the return side and put it in the mail, or take the online version at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018GISurvey. As an added bonus this year, we’ve partnered with Hard Rock Cafe to award $50 gift cards to 10 lucky readers who return their survey by September 15. As a winner, you can grab a bite to eat at one of their iconic restaurants or pick up some Hard Rock Cafe swag on your next visit! Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion. Happy traveling,

Jeff Gayduk Publisher

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           

 

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 

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    

      

   

  

      

    

                               

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   

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 

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August 2018

>> LeisureGroupTravel.com

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WITH IT’S YOUR CHOICE, CHOOSE THE EXCURSION THAT FITS YOU.

With Collette, your travelers can experience more of the great outdoors in the U.S. and beyond. Our passionate and knowledgeable Tour Managers guide travelers to some of the most breathtaking natural sites, including trips to Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon and the Icefields Parkway. For 100 years, we’ve been making travelers’ dreams a reality. Discover the beauty of our world with Collette.

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Marty Sarbey de Souto, CTC

Knowing how to delegate small chores periodically to various tour members, such as appointing someone to help elderly or distracted tour members cross a busy street, someone to round up tour member stragglers and so on.

Interfacing with local guides when you are first introduced to them, explaining any tour members’ special needs and particular interests.

Kzenon/Bigstock.com

    find that many times group leaders are assigned because they’ve “been there before” or perhaps because they “sold the most tour members to sign up for the trip.” But neither of these attributes necessarily makes them the most effective leader. So what should a good leader bring to your travel project? My expectations are the following:

Seeing to it that members rotate motorcoach seating as the trip moves along so that everyone gets a chance at the best nearthe-front seats as well as the worst back-ofthe-bus location. I like to keep the first seats for tour personnel: the local step-on guide, myself as the en route tour manager – in short, anyone who will need access to the microphone and to the driver as we roll along.

Giving equal time and attention to all tour members – never playing favorites. Sitting with different tour members and visible at all group activities: sightseeing, hotel check-ins and check-outs, special meals, parties, etc. You may not actually be doing anything, but just your presence makes the group feel comfortable and shows that you are observant.

Being knowledgeable about guide tipping protocol during the trip and at the end. Whom should they tip? How much? And when? Some tour operators like to charge each passenger a pre-determined package amount, payable to the leader at the outset for him/her to pay to the appropriate local guides, bellmen, dining room personnel and others serving your group. Some of the more deluxe all-inclusive tours may have already costed in all tips.

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Being present at all group activities. Sending the group off one morning with the local step-on guide while you get your hair done is not the best psychology. If something is going to go wrong, believe me, it will happen on the very day you decided you could “play hooky.”

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August 2018

Being able to handle en route emergencies, itinerary modifications, illnesses and other contingencies that may arise as the trip moves along, working seamlessly with local guides, coach drivers, hotel personnel, possible guest speakers and other providers.

Supervising and the writing up of any unusual happenings during the trip such as accidents, illnesses, group members’ disagreements, etc.

Ability to assess services being provided by personnel such as local step-on guides, airline personnel, motorcoach drivers, hotel employees, etc. I like to write a quick thank-you to these people, particularly commending outstanding employees who have interacted with tour participants.

Providing a warm, caring and friendly atmosphere – perhaps with particular attention to those members who are traveling alone and who, therefore, do not have a built-in friend on the tour from the outset.

Planning special festive celebrations en route for tour members whose birthday may fall during the trip.

If you are slated to lead another trip for this same organization/company next year to a different destination, feel free to mention it. If, on the other hand, you will be leading trips next year for a different organization or company, never publicize your future trip with this year’s tour members. It’s a fine line, but those you encounter in the industry who are “true blue” will appreciate the fine points of ethics. LGT

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ALL ROADS LEAD TO

MOHEGAN SUN Sign up your group for a bus charter today

BONUS $30 CASINO INCENTIVE PACKAGE* Monday – Friday Package consists of: One $15 Meal/Retail Credit and One $15 Free Bet Coupon Meal/Retail credit can be used in any restaurant, a full buffet or shop at Mohegan Sun.

BONUS $25 CASINO INCENTIVE PACKAGE* Saturday – Sunday Package consists of: One $15 Meal/Retail Credit and One $10 Free Bet Coupon Meal/Retail credit can be used in any restaurant, a full buffet or shop at Mohegan Sun.

Group Leaders receive an additional $30 PACKAGE Contact Stephen Olender at 860.862.8988 or solender@mohegansun.com or visit mohegansun.com/charter to get your next outing on the road today. * In order to receive package, bus group must stay for a minimum of 5 hours. Packages and offer subject to change without notice. mohegansun.com

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By Dave Bodle

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Regardless of your group’s ability level, you’re sure to find options that are a perfect fit

mid the majesty of the North Carolina mountains there’s outdoor recreation waiting in each of the state’s 24 westernmost counties. From soft to rugged adventure, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area has it all. Let’s begin with the stunning beauty of the mountains. The area is home to the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, and one of the oldest mountain chains in the world, the Appalachians. The North Carolina portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway are perfect for a windshield tour with scenic views all along the way. The North Carolina side of the park offers plenty of things to see. Two miles north of Cherokee is the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, where stories of Native Americans and early European settlers are told through exhibits. You’ll also learn about the development of the national park by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill feature log structures. Demonstrations are conducted seasonally, and two 1.5-mile walking trails are close by. Outside of Bryson City, fantastic views of Fontana Lake are found along the six-mile Lakeview Drive. A few short walks to waterfalls are worth a stop. The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina runs from the Virginia state line to Cherokee. Familiar names like Mount Airy, Blowing Rock and Asheville dot the map. In 2017 more than 17 million visitors were attracted to the scenic ribbon of roadway and nearby attractions. George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate in Asheville is America’s largest home. However, you may be surprised at the number of outdoor activities on the 8,000-acre property. On the water there are stand-up paddleboarding and river float trips. If you prefer something with wheels, you might lean towards carriage rides, biking, a Land Rover trip or a Segway tour. There are hiking trails, horseback riding and fly fishing, too. Recently named #3 for scenic views in a poll of Southern Living Magazine readers, Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park will not disappoint. From 1,200 feet above the valley floor visitors can see more than 75 miles. Although the elevator for accessing Chimney Rock is under repair at One popular trail at Chimney Rock State Park leads to a platform at the base of 404-foot-high Hickory Nut Falls.

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this writing, the Outcropping Trail stairs are wide, and there are landings every 12 feet. There’s not a bad view at any one of them. Groups enjoy a “meet and greet” welcome from a naturalist. Grandfather Mountain State Park has 11 trails with four noted as “Attraction Side Trails.” The Mile High Swinging Bridge offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Grandfather Mountain. If you favor a little profit from your outdoor experience, consider panning for precious gems and minerals at Doc’s Rocks Gem Mine near Blowing Rock, Little Switzerland’s Emerald Village and Gem Mountain Gem Mine in Spruce Pine. Elijah Mountain Gem Mine in Hendersonville promises the “Treasure Hunt of Your Life!” Pisgah Forest Gem Mine has locations in downtown Hendersonville and Pisgah Forest. The Hendersonville and Pisgah Forest mines are in Brevard County, the “Land of Waterfalls.” A number of qualified guides in Brevard and neighboring Transylvania County are available to lead your group on a waterfalls tour. Looking for more soft adventure? In Asheville the North Carolina Arboretum

features 65 acres of gorgeous gardens and 10 miles of hiking and biking trails. More than a half-million LED lights create a winter wonderland from mid-November through December. The Cradle of Forestry Historic Site tells the story of forest conversation through interpretive trails and interactive exhibits. Guided tours are available and the walk is relaxing. Great Smoky Mountains Railroad may be one of the most leisurely ways to enjoy the scenic beauty of the countryside. From the Bryson City depot a variety of excursions, from first-class dining cars to an open-air gondola, are offered. Blowing Rock’s Tweetsie Railroad shows off the countryside in a historic, steam-powered locomotive. At the end of the line there are entertaining shows, including mountain clogging, rides, panning for gold and shopping in North Carolina’s first theme park. For small groups wanting to explore the mountains at a leisurely pace, horseback riding may be their ticket. Saddle-Up Trail Rides stables are located between Asheville and Hendersonville. All trails in Pisgah National

Forest provide breathtaking views of the mountains and rivers. Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Hayward County features trails that travel though the ranch and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Your mile-high setting provides views that seem to go on forever. Elk viewing in the park’s Cataloochee Valley is a special treat. Start your day at the ranch with a hearty breakfast. There’s no questioning the beauty of the western North Carolina mountains, but beauty can be found underground as well. Linville Caverns, located just four miles off Milepost 317 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, has been welcoming visitors since 1937. Experienced guides share the history of the caverns and the pretty formations. If you’re looking to put a few rugged options on your itinerary, there are plenty available. Whether it’s fishing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking or tubing, you’ll find the right outfitter for your group’s ability. High Gravity Adventures in Blowing Rock provides the ultimate challenge. The zip line tour is a fixed start and finish. You’ll have access to both courses, consecutive

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rides on the giant swing and access to the Ninja Ground Course. About six hours should be enough time for the full experience. Nantahala Outdoor Center, a whitewater rafting outfitter, is true to its name. Operating out of Bryson City, it will provide your boat, paddles, gear shuttle and basic instruction. The intensity levels are intermediate, so some experience is recommended. There’s the eight-mile/three hour on the Nantahala

River, or you can step up for a full day with Nantahala Adventure Pass Raft, Zip Line and Mountain Biking experience. The day-long French Broad River Rafting includes lunch and some Class IV rapids. For a high-adventure whitewater kayaking experience, look to Green River Adventures in Saluda. The Upper Green River Adventure consists of continuous Class II-III rapids and two Class IV rapids. The guided trip through

TWO CASINOS

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MURPHY, NC

Must be 21 or older to enter casino floor and to gamble, and must present a valid state or federal photo ID upon request. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. ©2018, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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August 2018

Cataloochee Ski Area in western North Carolina beckons winter adventurers between November and early April.

unspoiled wilderness covers four miles in four hours. Fill the remainder of your day with more adventure at the Bid Bradley Waterfall Rappel, the Little Bradley Waterfall Rappel, Zip Line Canopy Tour or a Waterfall Trek. On the latter you’ll experience moderate/full activity during a guided experience that combines rappelling, swimming, sliding, hiking, boulder hopping and waterfalls. There are more than 900 miles of hiking trails in western North Carolina. Experienced hikers take the two-mile Grandfather Trail or the moderately rough seven-mile Profile Hike at Linville’s Grandfather Mountain. On Pisgah National Forest’s 30-mile Art Loeb Trail, hikers can view Neil Gap, Pilot Mountain and Deep Gap. Roaring Gap’s Stone Mountain State Park has more than 16 miles of hiking trails. Near Collinsville the 8.5-mile Harper Creek Falls Hike follows a hilly trail with very rugged conditions. There are easier ways for getting to the highest elevation east of the Mississippi, in Mount Mitchell State Park, but the 11.4-mile Mount Mitchell Hike gives the hiker a sense of “summiting” a superior peak. Ski season in western North Carolina is a special time of year. From November to early April eight venues welcome skier of all levels. Located in Beech Mountain, Eastern America’s highest town (5,506 feet), Beech Mountain Resort celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017. Sugar Mountain Ski Resort is North Carolina’s largest with 20 trails on 115 skiable acres. Appalachian Ski Mountain, Hawksnest Snow Tubing Resort, Sapphire Valley, Wolf Laurel, Wolf Ridge Ski Slopes and Cataloochee Ski Area each provide an adventure on the slopes of western North Carolina. Begin your outdoor adventure in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area online at blueridgeheritage.com. For assistance in developing an itinerary, call 828-2985330, ext. 303; or email amy@blueridgeheritage.com. LGT >> LeisureGroupTravel.com

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NORTH CAROLINA TOUR IDEAS

April’s MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Blue Ridge Music Trails North Carolina’s mountain music culture thrives in small cities and towns

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he rich music traditions of the western North Carolina mountains began with the early Scotch-Irish settlers. The music they brought with them was an important part of their isolated existence. Its distinct sounds are still heard in banjo and fiddle playing today. Throughout the Blue Ridge Heritage Area more than two dozen year-round venues are presenting mountain music. It gets even busier in the spring, summer and fall, when almost 100 additional venues join the list. Here are just a few to get you started. Possibly the best place to hear “traditional plus music” is late April’s MerleFest music festival in Wilkesboro. Four days and 13 stages feature the best performers. From spring through fall there’s a good chance a festival is happening somewhere in the mountains. From the Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention over Easter weekend in Union Grove to early October’s John C. Campbell Folk School Fall Festival in Brasstown, there’s music to be heard. The Elliott Family Farms in Lawndale hosts the Five String Fest “You Gotta Have a Banjo in the Band” in early May and comes back in mid-August with the Clear Mountain View Music Festival. Midway through its fourth decade, the North Carolina Bluegrass Festival in Marion is another mid-August event. In 1918 at the end of World War I, the Hendersonville Street Dance began welcoming home soldiers. One hundred years later they’re still clogging and square dancing to live traditional bluegrass music. The stage sits on South Main Street by the Visitor Center with dancing and entertainment Monday evenings early July through midAugust. If the dancing styles are new to you, no problem. Instruction is given on basic square dancing at 6:30 p.m. before the music begins at 7:00 and continues to 9:00. Hendersonville is a hotbed of good music year-round. LeisureGroupTravel.com <<

There’s more dancing to be had. Along with good old-time mountain music comes flatfoot, clog and square dance at the Alleghany Jubilee in Sparta every Tuesday and Saturday night. In Eden The Barn has dancers two-stepping, waltzing and flatfooting every Tuesday and the second and fourth Saturdays. Feed & Seed in Fletcher has bluegrass music Friday and Saturday nights in a fun atmosphere with dancing. If the truth were told, someone is going to get up and dance wherever good mountain music is played. On Saturday nights in Andrews, Jimmy’s Pick N Grin comes alive with good music and a 4,000-square-foot dance floor. Music at the Depot in Marshall brings the community together on Fridays for dancing and good times on the railroad tracks that once ran through the center of town. The Don Gibson Theater in Shelby is a 400-seat concert hall in a renovated historic cinema. Touring acts of all genres and special events are hosted. In Shelby, allow time for a visit to the Earl Scruggs Center, named for the legendary five-string banjo expert and Shelby native. In Mount Airy, there’s plenty of music happening at the Historic Earle Theatre, which hosts a good old-fashioned jam session on Thursday evenings. Saturday there’s the WPAQ Merry-Go-Round hosting live bands since 1948. Local and international artists perform regularly during the Blue Ridge & Beyond series. Good music events can regularly be enjoyed in Brasstown at the John C. Campbell Folk School Concert series. If you like a little music with your dinner, there are plenty of options. The Woodlands Barbeque and Pickin’ Parlor in Blowing Rock is one of North Carolina’s best barbecue restaurants. Dine and listen nightly to live entertainment provided by the best local musicians. On Friday and Saturdays, O’Henry’s Restaurant in East Bend is a good place to

eat and listen to music. There’s bluegrass and square dancing nightly at Sims Country Bar-B-Que in Granite Falls. It’s cash only at the all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet. On Thursday evenings the place to be is the Zuma Coffee Bluegrass Jam Session in Marshall. Grammywinning fiddling legend Bobby Hicks frequently hosts the festivities. If you just want to hear some music and get your toes tappin’, there are plenty of yearround venues to fill any itinerary. Here’s a unique one: at about 11 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the guys at The Barber Shop in Drexel put away their combs and scissors and grab their instruments for a few hours of pickin’. In Boone, stop by Jones House Community Center for jam sessions on Thursday evenings. In Lake Toxaway there’s a jam session going on at the Lake Toxaway Community Center on Fridays. Old Fort Afternoon Jams take place on Sundays at the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort. Another small venue is where they hold the Old Helton School Hog Stomp in Lansing. Arrive well before 7 p.m. on Thursdays since with up to 15 musicians it doesn’t take much to fill the small schoolroom. On Friday nights in Lansing, the Phipps General Store Jam opens its doors to a lively session. In Brevard, Thursday Night Jam at the Silvermont Mansion often attracts up to 18 musicians to this elegant setting. There’s so much more to see, hear and enjoy along the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. Begin your visit online at blueridgemusicnc.com. For assistance in developing an itinerary, call 828-2985330, ext. 303; or email amy@blueridgeheritage.com. The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina book and accompanying 26-track music CD can be purchased online at blueridgemusicnc.com. —By Dave Bodle August 2018

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t’s time to gather in the North Carolina Smokies. This Haywood County experience includes everything from fireside s’mores and craft whiskey to elk-watching and live theater. When you’re not on top of a mountain or in a national park, you can enjoy the local restaurants, shops and museums.

Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, Canton, and Clyde

Why the Elk Stay Anywhere Else? Day 1 Arrive by lunchtime in downtown Waynesville to explore an award-winning Main Street. For something local, stop by The Patio Bistro, Smoky Mountain Sub Shop or Trailhead Bakery & Cafe. Afterwards visit local shops and galleries and don’t forget to stop by Mast General Store to gear up for the adventures that await. Head over to the Shelton House for a personalized tour of the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts, a unique collection of traditional crafts and folk art created by some of North Carolina’s most renowned artisans. The charming farmhouse, built in 1875, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the evening, head up the mountain to an elevation of 5,000 feet for an authentic dinner at Cataloochee Guest Ranch. Finish by roasting s’mores at the campfire and listening to a storyteller.

Day 2 In partnership with Leap Frog Tours, head into Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see the elk and other wildlife in the Cataloochee Valley. While there, you can tour an old school, a church,

several homes and other structures dating back to 1910. There are numerous hiking trails and streams to explore before having a picnic lunch. Stop by the Elevated Mountain Distilling Company in Maggie Valley for a genuine whiskey experience. The 11,000-sq.-ft. facility includes the distillery, barrel storage, bottling area, product development and gift shop. In the evening, enjoy dinner at Harmon’s Den followed by a performance at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, known by locals as the “HART.” This year-round theater features productions from classics like MacBeth to Broadway musicals like Mamma Mia!

Day 3 It’s time to recharge at Joey’s Pancake House, a go-to breakfast spot in Maggie Valley since 1966. And when you are done you can grab a coffee mug or box of their pancake mix to take home. Before leaving, you need to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at WaterRock Knob for some amazing views, a short hike and a talk with a ranger at the visitor’s center. There are numerous overlooks along this section of the parkway for group photos.

VISIT NC SMOKIES Ben Wilder ben@visitncsmokies.com 800-334-9036 VisitNCSmokies.com

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August 2018

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Morgan Street Food Hall just opened in Raleigh. The 22,000-square-foot repurposed warehouse brings to life the vision of “cross meal ordering” to allow visitors to experience a mix of tastes from a variety of vendors in a shared common space. The hall features an eclectic selection of 20 stalls including local food retailers, specialty kiosks and bars. Fare includes Mediterranean, Argentinian and Thai flavors, with bubble tea and rolled ice cream among the dessert options. (morganfoodhall.com)

Groups looking to experience a quintessential taste of Kentucky will have that opportunity all in one place by next spring at Hermitage Farm, located 25 minutes from downtown Louisville. The farm’s creation of a world-class agritourism destination transforms the current horse farm to showcase Kentucky’s rich heritage. Plans call for a new farm-to-fork restaurant featuring menu items grown in the on-site garden, country store stocked with local farm products and picnic lunches, specialty bourbon retail and tasting rooms and an art walk installation. Groups will have the ability to dine inside renovated horse stalls. Current visitor experiences include tours of the main house, built in 1835. A thoroughbred “nursery” for mares and their foals, home to 75 horses as well as a stud barn, was recently renovated to give visitors a look at the daily activities of

   The Tennessee State Museum is set to open later this year at a new site located behind the Tennessee State Capitol on Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall, just steps from the Sounds stadium, the Farmers Market and Germantown. The 137,000-square foot facility will feature touchscreens, videos and traditional displays on the discoveries, accomplishments, personalities, legends, tunes and tales that define Tennessee. The “Tennessee Time Tunnel,” serving as the backbone of this experiential journey through the history of Tennessee, will combine artifacts, exhibits and stories from the permanent collection with engaging media and thought-provoking interactives for a multilayered experience. Side detours leading into six different galleries will allow visitors to explore specific periods and themes, including Civil War history, music, art and cultural issues of the day. (tnmuseum2018.org)

  Hermitage thoroughbred operations and the sport of combined carriage driving. The stud barn houses a carriage gallery, complete with an 1882 horse-drawn carriage used in the movie Gone With the Wind. (hermitagefarm.com)

Hermitage Farm

Tennessee State Museum

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Omaha plans to invest $290 million in its downtown convention district along the city’s riverfront. The new development will connect the convention district, downtown Omaha and the riverfront. Features of the 90-acre revitalization project include a substantial sprawling green space in the middle of downtown with a performance pavilion, botanical gardens, cascading waterfalls, park-side cafes, a sculpture garden, a water cove and a promenade that leads to cantilever overlooks suspended over the river. The enhancements continue with a boardwalk stretching along the river’s edge leading to Heartland of America Park Lake and continuing on to a brand new riverfront development that will include an urban beach, a one-of-a-kind children’s park, sports courts, a marina and home for a future Discovery Pavilion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities. Construction is expected to begin in 2019 and will be completed in 2022.

Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, an attraction that combines fun and education, just opened in Manitowoc. With farm tours and interactive exhibits exploring how cheese, fruits, vegetables and many other crops are produced, it will emulate some of the successful approaches employed by Fair Oaks Farms, an education center in Northern Indiana that hosts over 500,000 visitors each year. Exhibits will address six main themes: Wisconsin – America’s Dairyland; Wisconsin’s Diverse Agriculture –

  From Alfalfa to Zucchini; Feeding Your Family – Field to Fork; Common Ground – Balancing Farming and the Environment; Advances in Food Production – The Cutting Edge; and Agri-“Culture” – How are YOU Connected? Besides a 29,000-square-foot discovery center with educational displays and hands-on learning opportunities, the complex will include a Birthing Barn where visitors can watch calves being born and a cafe and country store featuring Wisconsin products. It may host gourmet dinners, pairings and other culinary events. (farmwisconsin.org)

Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center

Warner Winery and Tasting Room

There’s more to experience in

PAW PAW Paw Paw offers group travelers the perfect hub to Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan attractions. Find great value with a charming downtown and affordable lodging options. Explore the area and plan tasting trips to over 20 wineries, visit beachtowns along Lake Michigan, and enjoy authentic restaurants.

Learn more and arrange your group’s lodging at www.stayinpawpaw.org Oak Cove Resort

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The subterranean world of Jewel Cave National Monument dazzles visitors to the Black Hills.

CENTRAL

REGION

Discovering the

Black Hills Badlands & the

From mountains to caverns, explorers will cherish their time in western South Dakota By Jason Paha

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August 2018

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ertain sectors of the United States are exceptionally road tripfriendly, thanks to their majestic array of natural wonders and manmade monuments. South Dakota, and in particular, the state’s Black Hills and Badlands region, falls distinctly into that category, as it is home to national parks, monuments, memorials and historic sites. Those, along with the Black Hills’ more than five million acres of forest and mountain land, make the region a superb tourism haven. Here are a few of the area’s more popular destinations.

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL Mount Rushmore National Memorial, as you undoubtedly know, is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. Chiseled between 1927 and 1941, it features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The iconic memorial located near Keystone attracts nearly three million visitors annually and offers various activities, including free ranger programs; a Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Heritage Village, which explores the history of the Black Hills and the American Indian tribes who have populated the land; and a dazzling evening lighting ceremony in which the mountain’s famous faces are illuminated. If Mount Rushmore isn’t enough to satiate your desire for mountain carvings, Crazy Horse Memorial resides about 16 miles down the road. The monument, which began in

1948 and remains a work in progress, will depict the Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse riding a horse and regally pointing into the distance. The carving, when completed, will be 641 feet long and 563 feet high, with the head of Crazy Horse topping out at 87 feet high. The memorial is slated to become the world’s largest sculpture.

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site South Dakota Department of Tourism

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BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK Badlands National Park is a wonderland of rugged natural artistry, featuring 244,000 acres of pointedly eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the country. A land ravaged by wind and water for ages, the Badlands has been called nature’s surreal masterpiece, and President Teddy Roosevelt once described the park’s striking geologic deposits as being not from this planet. The park is home to bison and bighorn sheep and offers a variety of scenic overlooks for explorers, including a 39-mile loop byway featuring 16 designated overlooks.

Devils Tower National Monument NPS

MINUTEMAN MISSILE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Located on the edge of the Badlands park is Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, which contains two facilities that were once part of a Minuteman Missile field from 1963 through the early 1990s. For 30 years, 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert as the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union kept the world on edge. Minuteman’s purpose is to tell the story of missiles, nuclear deterrence and the Cold War, in the hopes visitors will understand one of the most important eras in American and world history. WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK Located 10 miles north of the town of Hot Springs, Wind Cave, named for barometric winds at its entrance, is one of America’s oldest national parks. Established in 1903 by Roosevelt, it is the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. Wind Cave is the sixth longest cave on the planet, with 140.47 miles of explored cave passageways, and is home to boxwork, a particular formation of thin blades of calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings. Wind Cave is more than just an exalted cave though, as a national park sits atop the cavern, featuring rolling prairie grasslands, forested hillsides and a slew of bison, elk and other wildlife.

JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT Twenty-nine miles west of Wind Cave resides Jewel Cave National Monument. The third longest cave in the world, with more than 195 miles of mapped and surveyed passageways, this underground wilderness features the splendor of fragile formations and resplendent color. Jewel Cave is open year-round and the park service offers three tours: a scenic tour, a half-mile loop through a paved and lighted portion of the cave; a historic lantern tour, a candlelight trek through the earliest discovered part of the cave; and a wild caving tour, through an undeveloped part of the cave near the scenic loop. DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT The country’s first national monument (declared by Roosevelt in 1906), Devils Tower is a striking geological wonder that rises 1,267 feet above the tree-lined Belle Fourche River Valley in Wyoming. The tower protrudes from the prairie surrounding the Black Hills and features hundreds of parallel cracks, making it one of the finest crack climbing locales in North America. The monument attracts 400,000 annual visitors, with about 1 percent of that number being climbers. Devils Tower’s wicked name stems from an expedition in 1875 when an interpreter mistakenly misunderstood the tower’s native name to mean “Bad God’s Tower.” The sobriquet soon evolved into Devils Tower and has stuck ever since. LGT

NPS

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olumbus is a delightful place to visit during the holidays. From millions of lights sparkling throughout the city to fulfilling all of your holiday shopping needs, Columbus is a must-stop to get in the holiday spirit.

Columbus, Ohio

Holiday Spirit in Columbus Day 1

Day 3

Evening: Join Columbus City Adventures on the Holiday Lights Tour and immerse yourself in the holiday spirit with a jaunt through Central Ohio’s twinkling winter landscape. Downtown will be alive with the festive energy of hundreds of thousands of lights.

Morning: Learn how chocolates are made at world-famous, family-owned Anthony-Thomas Candy Company. Everyone receives a freshly made chocolate. Lunch: Stroll brick streets lined with one-of-a-kind shops in German Village. Shop for gifts at The Book Loft, one of the nation’s largest independent book stores. Head to Schmidt’s Restaurant und Sausage Haus for lunch and don’t leave until you have one of their famous cream puffs. Afternoon: Enjoy dinner in downtown Columbus at M Restaurant, overlooking the illuminated Scioto Mile riverfront. Evening: End your evening at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens with Conservatory Aglow, decorated for the holidays with thousands of poinsettias, gingerbread houses and twinkling lights.

Day 2 Morning: Begin your day glass blowing and make your own ornament at Glass Axis. Then, head to the Jubilee Museum and Catholic Cultural Center to view the nativity scenes and holiday artifacts. Lunch: Enjoy one of the best views of Columbus’ skyline at The Boat House at Confluence Park. Afternoon: After lunch, head to Grandview Heights and stop into the many stores located on Grandview Avenue. Then, make your own holiday-scented candle at The Candle Lab. Or, discover the intricacies of vodka, gin and bourbon making at Watershed Distillery and sample its holiday specialty, Nocino. Evening: Enjoy dinner at Mozart’s then head to the Ohio Chinese Lantern Festival, with exquisite silk lanterns and nightly performances. Or, head to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for Wildlights and see millions of LED lights, animated musical light shows and other holiday festivities.

EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS

Day 4 Morning: Finish up your holiday shopping at Easton—Columbus’ premier destination for shopping, dining and entertainment in a unique village setting. Or, on the way out of Columbus, stop in Cambridge to celebrate the holidays 19th century-style. The popular Dickens Victorian Village brings to life Victorian society in 80 holiday scenes with 186 lifelike figures.

Roger Dudley rdudley@experiencecolumbus.com 614-222-6136 ExperienceColumbus.com

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    The Lunar New Year Celebration at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim will return in 2019. Year of the Dog festivities from January 26 to February 18 will include

Lunar New Year Celebration

a wide variety of foods, live performances and other events inspired by Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures. Popular favorites that are coming back: “Hurry Home,” an evening water show at Paradise Bay; Lucky Wishing Well, a special place to add your own wish for the New Year; an area for guests to try their hand at arts and crafts with local artisans; and Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, where you’ll have the chance to welcome the New Year with Disney warrior-princess Mulan. (disneyland.disney.go.com)

   A new outlet mall is under construction in the Denver metro area and will open this fall. Denver Premium Outlets will be located near the intersection of Interstate 25 and 136th Avenue in Thornton, Colorado, 15 miles north of downtown Denver. The open-air, village-style mall will feature about 80 stores and restaurants, with designer and name-brand retailers offering savings of 25 to 65 percent. It will be the first Premium Outlets location in Colorado and surrounding states. (premiumoutlets.com) LeisureGroupTravel.com <<

 Sky View Observatory, located on the 73rd floor of Seattle’s Columbia Center, just completed a relaunch that includes interactive technology, a new elevator experience, and enhanced food and beverage options. Guests now have a single, direct-access elevator to the observation deck from the newly remodeled 4th Avenue atrium entrance. This new pathway bypasses the tenant elevators and features a visual journey of the Pacific Northwest. The tallest public observatory in the region offers sweeping 360-degree panoramic views at 902 feet. Large-screen monitors highlight top Seattle attractions like the Museum of Flight, the Seattle Mariners and Ride the Ducks. New food items touch on regional trends like pork belly bao buns and gruyere mushroom puffs. Small sharing plates have been created to complement a selection of craft beers, wines Sky View Observatory

   Through January 2019, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is featuring one of Germany’s most famous exports in its exhibition The Porsche Effect. The exhibit follows the history of the car from its conception after World War II and how the brand’s style, development and growth evolved. Five main sections comprise the exhibit, which showcase various artifacts, cars and film. (petersen.org/porscheeffect)

   The Linq Promenade in Las Vegas, an open-air entertainment district anchored by Las Vegas’ tallest observation wheel (the High Roller), in 2019 will open Kind Heaven, an attraction featuring Southeast Asianthemed food stalls, music and shopping. It will use leading-edge technology and Hollywood-style storytelling to take visitors on a sensual, exotic journey. Mastermind behind the development is Perry Farrell, whose Lollapalooza franchise has revolutionized the modern music festival. Also coming to the Linq Promenade is the LINQ zipline, Vegas’ highest (122 feet). (caesars.com/linq)

and spirits. Included is Sky View Observatory's signature cocktail, the Seattle 73, which features Copperworks gin, lemon, huckleberry and sparkling wine. (skyviewobservatory.com)

       One of the largest expansions of a Houston museum in recent history will more than double the size of Holocaust Museum Houston when completed in spring 2019. The new Lester and Sue Smith Campus will make it the fourth-largest Holocaust museum in the nation. The enlarged museum will include a 200-seat theater, an expansion of the Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers permanent exhibit that includes testimony and artifacts from Houston-area survivors, and new exhibit space for the German World War II railcar and Danish rescue boat. (hmh.org)

The Linq Promenade

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By Don Heimburger

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Downtown Phoenix looms beyond Arizona Biltmore Golf Club. Below: Goldfield Ghost Town and Chicago Cubs baseball at Mesa’s Sloan Park.

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ith 330 days of sunshine each year, a vast array of outdoor sports and activities, a wide range of hotels and meeting venues, and the “draw of the West,” the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa area is a triple warm-weather retreat for groups. Situated in the heart of Arizona’s Valley of the Sun, these three growing cosmopolitan cities provide a sweeping diversity of excellent restaurants, upscale resorts, state parks, scenic landmarks and historic sites. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which serves the area, sees more than 43 million passengers each year, contributing $106 million each day towards the local economy.

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Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa serve up desert delights Visit Phoenix/2018d2prod.com Murphy/Scully

Don Heimburger

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Visit Phoenix/2015Kerrick James

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or more by scheduling private docent-guided tours. Adult tour group fees are discounted, and groups also have the option of adding a boxed bunch from the museum's Courtyard Cafe to their tour package. Phoenix's Musical Instrument Museum displays more than 6,800 instruments collected from 200 of the world's countries and territories. Many of the displays are enhanced by state-of-the-art audio and visual technology that permits guests to see, hear and watch the instruments being played. The museum also features an Experience Gallery that allows guests to actually play instruments. Instruments from music icons such as John Lennon, Taylor Swift, Elvis Presley and Carlos Santana are on display. The museum's staff can help groups that want to host special events there. Dining Tips: Rustler's Rooste, up the road a piece from the Arizona Grand Resort, is a downhome Western restaurant serving chicken, steaks, burgers, salmon, chops—and rattlesnake. It can accommodate 2,000 guests and often hosts both small and large group events. The restaurant, which features a live Western-style band every night, has been in the same family for 47 years. El Chorro in Paradise Valley, with great mountain views and an upscale menu, can host private events for groups and serves dinner and a tempting Sunday brunch. Accommodation Tip: The upscale Arizona Grand Resort & Spa (877-800-4888) features 644 newly renovated, residential-style, all-suite rooms, and 100 newly renovated one- and two-bedroom luxury resort villas. The resort encompasses a 20,000-sq.-foot athletic club and spa, six acres of water recreation, six pools, an 18-hole golf course, six restaurants and food emporiums, and 120,000 sq. ft. of

Tours are available of Scottsdale’s Taliesin West, the winter home, studio and school of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

meeting and function space. The resort is located next to 65 miles of hiking trails in the South Mountain Preserve. The resort's unique, innovative Activlab programs emphasize eight principles and a proprietary training system, and are available to individuals and especially groups, according to Brad Jarritt, manager. Besides a large indoor training facility, the Activlab utilizes the expansive Arizona Grand Resort campus for some of its programs. SCOTTSDALE SAVVY Whether in North Scottsdale taking in a game of golf or wandering the Arts District, Waterfront and Southbridge areas of Old Town Scottsdale, visitors discover the city has many faces. Each district has something for groups of all sizes. From the famous Waste Management Phoenix Open to fine art to museums and luxury accommodations, Scottsdale is a brand unto itself and often called “The West's Most Western Town.” Start with Scottsdale's Museum of the West, a Smithsonian affiliate, located downtown. This $11 million, 43,000-sq.-ft., twostory museum houses the Rennard Strickland

Group tours of the historic Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix can be combined with lunch at its Geordie’s Restaurant & Lounge.

Don Heimburger

PHOENIX FUN In the last few years Phoenix's “urban heart” has been transformed into a large downtown area called Roosevelt Row, a pulsating arts district that is gaining popularity. Groups of all sizes and interests can walk this urban core to discover galleries, boutiques, live music and the popular First Friday events staged from 6 to 11 p.m. Visitors can tour galleries and art-related spaces to view artwork, attend cultural events, and mingle with owners and artists. Inviting bookstores, coffee shops and restaurants are other crowd-pleasers. At the Wrigley Mansion, also known as La Colina Solana, group tours (Tuesday through Saturday) run about 45 minutes and can be combined with lunch packages at Geordie’s Restaurant & Lounge. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the landmark was built by William Wrigley Jr. of chewing-gum fame as a 50th wedding anniversary gift to his wife. It affords magnificent views from atop a 100-foot-high knoll. The house is operated as a club, with large and small groups welcome for conferences and meetings. Many weddings are held there. Of the many outdoor activities in and around Phoenix, scenic mountain preserves provide a vast acreage for hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, bicycling, fishing, or studying the fauna and flora. Papago Park, with about 1,500 acres and picturesque red butte formations, is known for its popular Hole-in-the Rock views. At 16,000-acre South Mountain Park, groups have 51 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking. Dobbins Lookout, at 2,704 feet the highest point in the park, is accessible to the public. Other major Phoenix attractions include the 140-acre Desert Botanical Garden, which features more than 50,000 plants on display, representing one of the most important documented collections of desert plants in the world. Discounts are available for self-guided groups of 10 or more, and the garden also offers private tours and educational activities. The Heard Museum in Phoenix is the world’s preeminent museum for the presentation, interpretation and advancement of American Indian art. Founded in 1929, the museum has grown in size and stature to become recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, world-class exhibitions, educational programming and festivals. The museum can accommodate groups of 10

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Accommodation Tip: The posh Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (480-585-4848), set against the backdrop of the McDowell Mountains, is an AAA Five-Diamond resort featuring 750 guest rooms and six heated swimming pools. It has a 44,000-sq.-foot wellbeing spa, championship golf at the adjacent TPC Scottsdale and four dining venues. MESA AND BEYOND If your group is primed for baseball, Mesa offers two spring training teams, the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland A's. Nearly 2 million fans watched the area's major league spring training games last year. At the Cubs’ Sloan Park, there are 15,000 seats and seven practice fields where Cub fans can watch their favorite players in action. The stadium features luxury suites and two party decks, and groups can find reasonably-priced tickets. A pathway between the locker room and stadium is where fans can see players up close as they enter the stadium. The 12,500-seat, state-of-the-art Hohokam Stadium, home of the A's, features the largest video board in the Cactus League and a party deck as well. The Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona, Arizona Museum of Natural History, IDEA Museum and Mesa Arts Center (for shows and concerts) are all open to group tours, classes and special events. On the Apache Trail west of Mesa, the rugged Superstition Mountains loom large and hold many group recreational possibilities. The 1890s Goldfield Ghost Town sports a steam train, saloon, gun fights, gold mine tour,

blacksmith shop, an active church, schoolhouse, brewery and museum. At Tortilla Flat Stagecoach Stop and Saloon (“the town too tough to die”) you can have a sarsaparilla on a bar stool saddle, grab a cowboy burger, visit the gift shop and walk down the boardwalk to witness cowboys in Western garb. On the Dolly Steamboat’s 90-minute nature cruises on Canyon Lake, passengers can see eagles, bighorn sheep, deer and other wildlife along the cactus-dotted shoreline. The boats are available for weddings, parties and team-building cruises. Accommodation Tip: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch (480-444-1234) encompasses 27 acres set amidst flowering cactus and framed against the McDowell Mountains. It features 493 rooms and suites with private balconies, 70,000 square feet of flexible meeting space for group activities, eight restaurants and bars, a 2½-acre water park, a 27-hole championship golf course and four lighted tennis courts. There is live evening entertainment in the lobby. Dining Tip: The Hyatt Regency's Wine Me, Dine Me experience, offered nightly with sous chef Juan Solorlo, is a journey into flavors of the Southwest where guests can enjoy a fourcourse menu with wines and tequila. Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar is located on the 18th hole of the TPC Scottsdale course. Complimentary shuttle service is available from the hotel. For more information on Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa, go to visitphoenix.com, experiencescottsdale.com and visitmesa.com. LGT Dolly Steamboat in Apache Junction offers sightseeing and dinner cruises on Canyon Lake, nestled in the Superstition Mountains.

Don Heimburger

Collection of Western film history featuring numerous, highly-collectible movie posters and lobby cards. In addition, ceramics from one of the finest collections of Hopi Indian pottery is on display, as well as an exhibition honoring Joe Beeler, a founding member of the Cowboy Artists of America. Numerous other exhibits of Western art, unique and common cowboy artifacts, a sculpture courtyard, Katsina dolls and Heritage Hall (honoring those who have made contributions to the American West) also engage museum goers. The Waste Management Phoenix Open Golf Tournament, held at TPC Scottsdale, is a highlight each year and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors—and many groups— to the area. Golfing in Scottsdale, which enjoys an average high temperature of 71 degrees between December and February, is a yearround sport, and golfing groups put the city on their bucket list of places to play. Taliesin West, the winter home, studio and school of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, welcomes groups to learn about Wright's design principles and how Wright conducted his school of architecture. The surrounding desert is a picture-perfect location to incorporate the architect's genius; Wright craftily hid the complex into the landscape. Today more than 100,000 visitors annually come to tour Taliesin, learn about Wright's ingenious ideas and discover how he united art and nature in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. Tours last 90 minutes. Scottsdale's self-guided walking art tour, which began in 1985, features 70 permanent and 30 temporary artworks encompassing a wide range of artistic expression. If your group likes to bike, Scottsdale offers a bikesharing program called Grid N Bike Share that lets you rent a brightly painted bike for as little as $10 a week. Several companies offer the convenient service. Scottsdale Stadium hosts the San Francisco Giants every season for Cactus League spring training action in downtown Scottsdale. Dining, nightlife and group activities abound within easy walking distance of the stadium. Dining Tip: FnB Restaurant in the 5th Avenue Shopping District features dark wooden tables, low lighting, and menu specials such as Macau-style African chicken, lamb manti and octopus. For dessert, order the tasty butterscotch pudding. Groups are welcome.

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Beyond Casinos: Outdoor Adventure in Atlantic City Group options range from beach action and thrill rides to fishing trips and dolphin-watching cruises tlantic City, New Jersey is known for its shimmering casinos, exciting nightlife and exquisite dining scene. These are the things that often draw people here. But what may surprise you is the array of activities in Atlantic City that take place outside the casino doors. The coastal climate breeds adventure. Take a surf lesson or spend the day kayaking on the ocean, or perfect your golf swing on one of the many award-winning golf courses. Step outside and embrace the many adventures you can have in Atlantic City.

Absecon Lighthouse Opened in 1857, the Absecon Lighthouse became a beacon for boats approaching the Jersey Shore. Today, it’s a treasured icon in Atlantic City and welcomes thousands of visitors every year. The 171-foot lighthouse is the tallest in New Jersey and third tallest in the country. Visitors can enjoy a stroll around the historic grounds, making a stop at the museum and gift shop. Those seeking a challenge can climb the 228 steps to the top of the lighthouse, where they can take in gorgeous 360-degree views.

Atlantic City Cruises Enjoy a sightseeing adventure with Atlantic City Cruises aboard its flagship vessel, Cruisn’ 1. Start the day with a Morning Skyline Cruise, where you’ll take in the stunning LeisureGroupTravel.com <<

panoramic views, while learning all about Atlantic City and its Boardwalk. Or cap off the day with a Happy Hour Cruise that takes you through the marinas and back bays as you sip your favorite drink. Animal lovers won’t want to miss the Dolphin Watching Adventure. Guests will experience commentary from a marine naturalist as they watch dolphins frolic around the boat and leap into the air.

Atlantic City Beaches It wouldn’t be the Jersey Shore without a bustling beach to enjoy. Grab a spot on the sand and soak in the sunshine as you dive into a good book or spend your time people watching. Great surfing can be found at Downtown Beach at Raleigh Avenue, Crystal Beach at New Hampshire Avenue or Delaware Avenue Beach. If kayaking or windsurfing are on your agenda, head to Jackson Avenue Beach for a fun day on the water. Toast to a great day of sun and sand at one of the great beach bars or open-air restaurants.

Atlantic City Boardwalk Steps away from beach action is the legendary Atlantic City Boardwalk. Started in 1870, the Boardwalk has grown into an American icon. Stop at a confectionary shop for a box of salt water taffy, pick up a souvenir or two at a boutique shop, or refuel with some grub from one of the many eateries.

You could spend the better part of a day on the Boardwalk and still not see everything it has to offer.

Steel Pier Located on the Boardwalk, the historic amusement park features over 20 thrill rides for guests of all ages. Take a ride on The Wheel, an observation wheel overlooking the city; or get your heart racing on The Slingshot, which will skyrocket you 225 feet in the air in just 1.5 seconds. Put your skills to the test at one of the many carnival games, from shoot hoops to squirt guns.

Highroller Fishing Highroller Fishing offers half-day sailing trips to the Back Bay for fishing, where you have the chance to catch fluke, striper, weakfish, blues and more. You’ll receive instruction from the crew, and spend the day bobbing your bait in the sea, waiting for a bite. If you do catch something—and most people do—the crew offers a fish-cleaning service, so all you have to worry about is showing off your immaculate catch.

MEET AC/ATLANTIC CITY CVB Heather Colache hcolache@meetac.com 609-449-7151

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rom extraordinary views and outdoor adventure to a unique museum and something for the sweet tooth, your time on the Adirondack Coast will be memorable.

Adirondack Coast, New York

Fun Days on New York’s Adirondack Coast Day 1 Arrive in Plattsburgh, NY and check into your group-friendly accommodations. Relax in your home away from home for the next three nights. Tonight’s dinner will be at Plattsburg Brewing Co., with its historically inspired ales, locally inspired menu and groups room. Join Greater Adirondack Ghost and Tour Company, the master of all things haunted, for one of its three 10 p.m. tours around some of Plattsburgh’s spookiest sites before returning to your hotel.

Day 2

THE ADIRONDACK COAST Alyssa Senecal groups@goadirondack.com 518-563-1000 GoAdirondack.com/groups

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Wake up with a hot breakfast at your hotel. You will kick-start your day with the incredible views at Ausable Chasm. On the “Classic Tour” wellgroomed nature trails lead you through Primeval Adirondack Forest past waterfalls, animalistic rock formations and caves. The second half of the tour you’ll see the Chasm from a different angle, on a scenic raft ride down the Ausable River through a maze of towering rocks. Option: Fulfill your adventurous spirit on the “Adventure Trail” or with a “Rappelling Tour.” Enjoy your pre-reserved lunch at the Chasm. Walk across the road to the North Star Underground Railroad Museum and learn about the hidden history of the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad. Return to your hotel for some relaxation before dinner. Make your way to Valcour Brewing Company, an 1800s U.S. Army barracks turned restaurant, inn and brewery. Enjoy a delicious menu featuring local ingredients in the groups room.

Tonight’s entertainment is at The Strand Center Theatre in the heart of downtown Plattsburgh. Built in 1924, this landmark is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Day 3 Enjoy breakfast compliments of your hotel. This morning we’ll drive 45 minutes to Wilmington, NY and explore the activities on Whiteface Mountain. First stop is the Cloudsplitter Gondola ride for an in-flight birds-eye view of Lake Placid and the Adirondack Mountains. Drive up Whiteface Memorial Highway and have lunch with a view at the Castle Restaurant. Option: While you’re in the area, add a stop at the Lake Placid Bobsled Experience or Olympic Jumping Complex for a real-life Olympic adventure. Visit Adirondack Chocolates and get a savory treat for the ride back to Plattsburgh. Enjoy some relaxation at your hotel before departing for dinner at Plattsburgh’s premier steak and seafood restaurant, Butcher Block Steak & Seafood. Return to your hotel after a fun, active day.

Day 4 Enjoy a hot breakfast before departure. On your way home, stop into Rulfs Orchard in nearby Peru, NY. Explore its bakery stocked with fresh apple pies and cider doughnuts, or wander through the greenhouses. From u-pick apples and pumpkins in the fall to u-pick berries in the summer, Rulfs Orchard is a can’t-miss stop. After a morning of exploring all the orchard has to offer, enjoy a hand-crafted lunch at its cafe before departing the Adirondacks Coast with great memories.

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antalize your taste buds with this exciting itinerary featuring the local flair of the area’s unique restaurants, breweries, micro-wineries, and other exciting culinary experiences and attractions. This tour includes a variety of stops that explore and celebrate the food culture and lifestyle in the Lake George Area

THE LAKE GEORGE AREA

Lake George Area, New York

Foodie Favorites in the Lake George Area Day 1 Your culinary journey begins with a delicious brunch or lunch aboard one of the touring vessels navigating “The Queen of American Lakes” daily. Cruise Lake George with either Lake George Steamboat Company or Lake George Shoreline Cruises. Dining aboard either the Lac du St. Sacrament, Horicon or Adirondac while cruising the scenic waters of the 32-mile-long lake will sure to be an experience your group will not forget. The afternoon can be spent exploring on your own or shopping at the nearby “Million Dollar HalfMile,” home to over 70 brand-name factory outlet stores. Just down the road you will find Martha’s Dandee Crème, a Lake George landmark for over 50 years. Famous for not only its soft-serve flavors but also its roadside rooster, Martha’s has been featured on The Today Show and is recognized by TripAdvisor as one of the top 10 ice cream parlors in the nation. What does evening have in store? Be entertained by one of the many theater options in the area. The Lake Theatre offers delicious meals and professional performances at The Holiday Inn Lake George in season. Laura Roth offers cabaret-style entertainment and dinner at The Georgian Resort and a Polynesian-themed dinner show can be found at the Tiki Resort’s Waikiki Supper Club.

Day 2 Enjoy a sumptuous lunch on the porch of a historic log cabin overlooking gorgeous Thirteenth Lake and the Adirondack Mountains beyond. Garnet Hill Lodge serves authentic, locally sourced dishes with an Adirondack twist. The outdoor center on-site offers year-round activities such as hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing for those groups that enjoy soft adventure. On your way back to Lake George Village, be sure to stop in to Oscar’s Adirondack Smokehouse to sample its famous smoked cheeses, meats, and selection of local products such as mustard, maple syrup, goat cheese and sauces. Familyowned and -operated for decades, Oscar’s is truly the hidden gem of the North Country and touted by foodie celebrities such as Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri. Evening free-time activities can include exploring all the Village of Lake George has to offer. The village is bustling with unique culinary experiences and venues. A must-stop is the Adirondack Winery & Tasting Room for a wine-making demonstration and souvenir wine glass. Drop in to the Adirondack Pub & Brewery and discover the unique process of making authentic, barrel-aged beers and grab a bite for dinner or just relax and enjoy the scenery with a cool drink on a lakeside deck.

Tanya Brand brandt@warrencountyny.gov 518-761-6575 VisitLakeGeorge.com

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September’s Tugboat Roundup in Waterford, gateway to the Erie Canal

DISCOVERING THE

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor/Haldor Sigurdsson

ERIE CANAL

Sightseeing cruises and historical attractions spotlight a legendary transportation artery that shaped the nation By Randy Mink

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o manmade waterway had a greater effect on the growth of the United States than the Erie Canal, an engineering marvel that transformed the wilderness of Upstate New York and opened up the American frontier for development. Following an east-west route through the heart of New York State, the canal extends 340 miles from the Hudson River near Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. When completed in 1825, it was the second longest canal in the world after the Grand Canal in China. In the beginning, the ambitious project spearheaded by New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton was decried as “Clinton’s Folly” or “Clinton’s Ditch.” But the artificial artery, carrying both settlers and cargo, eventually made it possible to travel from New York City on the Atlantic to the Great Lakes and beyond. The canal circumvented the Appalachian Mountains, a major transportation barrier between the East and Midwest. The Erie Canal observed its peak year in 1855, when 33,000 shipments of agricultural and industrial goods took place. Though the canal still has some commercial traffic, it is

now used mainly by recreational watercraft. Competition from railroads starting in the mid-1800s reduced its economic importance, which eroded further with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway a century later. Of prime interest to group tour planners, the towns along the historic canal abound with tourist attractions and activities. Waterfronts in the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (eriecanalway.org) lead to charming Main Streets filled with historic buildings and one-

of-a-kind shops. Canalside parks—many of them at lock sites—offer hiking and biking paths, and there are kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards to rent. Many popular sites are on towpaths where teams of mules and horses once pulled the canal barges. Several tour boat companies offer Erie Canal excursions from May to October. From the marina at Herkimer, for example, Erie Canal Cruises operates 90-minute narrated trips on the 48-passenger Lil’ Diamond II

Recreational opportunities abound on the Erie Canal. Here kayaks pass through Lock 35 at Lockport, New York.

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor/Thomas Fitzrandolph

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next to the Flight of Five and Locks 34 & 35, is the Erie Canal Discovery Center. The 15-minute movie Gateways East & West discusses the building of the canal and the Flight of Five and Deep Cutting – the massive project at Lockport. Part-way through the movie, museum-goers board a “packet boat” for a simulated nighttime ride through one of the 1820s locks. Interactive displays let visitors try their hand at moving a boat through these “liquid elevators,” hear from people who worked on the canal, explore the task of cutting through the bedrock and test their knowledge of the canal. Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, which covers a 36-mile section of the old canal, is home to both the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum in Chittenango and Canasota Canal Town Museum in Canasota. The former emphasizes boats, while the latter explains how the canal shaped the small towns along its banks. The Sims Museum at Camillus Erie Canal Park in Camillus is housed in the original Sims canal store and has authentic displays of items that would have been for sale. Four vessels offer 45-minute cruises, including dinner trips on the Iroquois on Wednesdays in summer. In downtown Syracuse, the Erie Canal Museum occupies an 1850 building where boats were weighed and tolls assessed. The former weigh station for boats is the only remaining weighlock building in the country. Exhibits chronicle the canal’s history and life in canal towns. Visitors can see a 65-foot-long reconstructed canal boat and an introductory film on the city. The Locktender’s Garden is a recreation of a Victorian-era canalside garden with plants authentic to the period. Going through the locks, walking along towpaths and perusing museum exhibits, travelers exploring the Erie Canal corridor can’t help being swept up in nostalgia. It’s a big swath of New York worth including in your next group tour. LGT

On the Canalway Trail at Bushnells Basin

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor/Keith Boas

and 100-passenger Lil’ Diamond III. The cruise includes a lockthrough experience in which water levels raise and lower the boat 20 feet at Lock 18, one of the last remaining locks operating with all of the original equipment. Designed for groups, the six-hour “Two Lock Living History Cruise to Historic Herkimer Home” starts with a tour of the home of Revolutionary War hero General Nicholas Herkimer, a BBQ feast under a tent on the grounds and an 18th century chocolate-making demonstration by costumed docents. Canal excursions also are available in the Greater Rochester area. From Pittsford, Corn Hill Navigation’s Sam Patch, a 40passenger packet boat replica, passes through a lock on 90-minute cruises. Lunch can be arranged on the noon cruise, and there are evening wine-tasting outings. The 149-passenger Colonial Belle, the largest tour boat on the Erie Canal, includes a lock passage on its twoor three-hour sightseeing, lunch and dinner trips from Fairport to Pittsford and back. From an 1840s stone warehouse in Lockport (20 miles east of Niagara Falls), Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises operates the 48passenger Lockview IV, 125-passenger Lockview V and 150-passenger Lockview VI, the latter a Mississippistyle sternwheeler. At the only double set of locks on the Erie Canal, the boat is raised 50 feet as three million gallons of water fill locks 34 and 35. Boats pass under Lockport’s Upside Down Bridge and its 399foot-wide Big Bridge, the widest bridge in North America. Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride, a 70-minute tour, involves a walk and boat ride through a limestone tunnel that once channeled hydropower from the historic Flight of Five (locks 6771) to a waterwheel that supplied three industries. Tour members see cave formations and remnants of artifacts left behind by miners in the 1850s. Inside an 1843 stone building,

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Niagara Falls State Park attracts millions of visitors per year.

NEW YORK TOUR IDEAS

Outdoor Adventures Await in Buffalo and Niagara Falls Upstate New York is home to a worldwide wonder and a city brimming with vitality

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ontrary to popular belief, the city of Buffalo is blessed with more than one season per year. While many unacquainted with Buffalo often associate the city with frigid phrases like “extreme snowfall” and “alarmingly icy roads,” they are overlooking the fact Buffalo is an outdoor haven during its warmer months, featuring a multitude of open-air activities. Groups looking to pay a visit to the secondlargest city in the state of New York will not only find a healthy array of buffalo wings to consume, they will also have an abundance of chances to burn off some of those wings’ calories. Here are a few invigorating spots your group can embrace during your next trip to The Nickel City. The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens opened in 1900 and is a National Historic Site, covering 11.57 acres. More than 100,000 people visit annually to revel in the gardens’ living plant collection that includes both indoor and outdoor gardens. Among the indoor gardens’ highlights are the Palm Dome, a 67-foot-tall structure filled with a diverse collection of palms and tropical fruit trees that originate from exotic locales around the world. The outdoor gardens, which generally flourish from March to October, feature thousands of spring bulbs and a masterful collection of annuals, perennials and shrubs. Founded in 1875, the Buffalo Zoo is the nation’s third-oldest zoo and is home to an assortment of wild and exotic animals, along with more than 320 different species of plants. Open year-round, the zoo welcomes approximately 400,000 visitors annually and is the second-largest tourist attraction in western New York, second only to Niagara Falls. The 23.5-acre zoo houses a wide variety of creatures, including African lions, Amur tigers, Asian elephants, bald eagles and a slew of amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles. The Erie Basin Marina is a lovely riverfront 

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park and marina situated on Buffalo’s downtown waterfront. Located next to the Erie Canal Harbor, the marina contains an extensive collection of boat docks, gardens and restaurants along with a public park and an observatory overlooking the city and waterfront. Groups looking to stretch their legs can survey the marina’s charming flower collections and an alluring rose garden set against the backdrop of a waterfront filled with boaters and kayakers.

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, dating from1900, is a National Historic Site that covers 11.57 acres.

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 structures (532 of which were completed) in his illustrious career. His organic architecture philosophy, in which he designed structures that were harmonious with their environment, has amassed a considerable following for their creativity. Buffalo is home to one of Wright’s imaginative designs, the Darwin D. Martin House Complex, which was built between 1903 and 1905. Wright designed this exclusive residential complex for wealthy Buffalo businessman Darwin D. Martin, and it is considered one of Wright’s finest achievements. The house is made up of six interconnected buildings designed as a unified arrangement and contains 394 examples of Wright-designed

art glass, including the famed “Tree of Life” window. While Buffalo’s city limits are filled with outdoor delights, perhaps the most impressive natural wonder in the country resides a scant 20 miles from the city: Niagara Falls State Park. Niagara Falls, recognized as the oldest state park in the United States, attracts millions of visitors per year, as its patrons marvel at the more than 750,000 gallons of water that flow over the falls each second. The falls, which consist of the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and a portion of the Horseshoe Falls, more popularly known as the Canadian Falls, surge alongside 400 acres of lush scenery. That landscape is dotted with a myriad of entertainment options, including the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, in which visitors can enjoy exhibits showcasing the falls’ colorful history; Seneca Niagara Casino, which offers more than 2,800 reel and video slot machines along with nearly 100 table games; Niagara’s Wax Museum of History and the Aquarium of Niagara. Those seeking an up-close view of the falls can take a ride aboard the historic Maid of the Mist boat tour. Operating since 1846, the Maid of the Mist is the only tour boat fleet whose captains have safely navigated the Niagara Gorge for more than 100 years. The boat transports up to 600 passengers and journeys into the heart of the falls, allowing patrons the chance to experience the breathtaking views in intensely close proximity. Another way visitors can savor the falls in intimate fashion is the Cave of the Winds tour, a guided journey in which sightseers don souvenir sandals and ponchos before descending 175 feet into the Niagara Gorge. Standing just 20 feet from the thundering waterfall on the appropriately named Hurricane Deck, visitors find themselves deluged by the falls on even the most tranquil of days. —By Jason Paha >> LeisureGroupTravel.com

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The Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House, the first ever purpose-built Guinness brewery in America, will open late this year at a site once occupied by the historic Calvert distillery. Located about 10 miles southwest of downtown Baltimore and four miles from BWI International Airport, it will brew Guinness Blonde American lager and other beers, but not the classic Guinness stouts. The brewery will include a visitor center and offer tours. It will have taprooms and serve food. The Test Taproom is now open ThursdaySunday, with food provided by food trucks. (newguinnessbrewery.com)

The exhibition Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture recently opened at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and continues through June 2019. It uses the story of Winfrey and her 25-year daytime talk show as a lens to explore contemporary American history and culture, especially issues of power, gender and the media. The exhibition probes the way America shaped its first self-made African American female billionaire and how her work shaped America. Featured are video clips on a range of subjects, interactive interviews with Winfrey, a Daytime Emmy Award for her show, the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to her in 2013, costumes from her films Beloved and The Color Purple, and artifacts from her childhood and Harpo Studios in Chicago, home of The Oprah Winfrey Show. (nmaahc.si.edu)

The Museum of Dog has opened in the Berkshires as an artistic tribute to man’s best friend. Located in a former hardware store in North Adams, the museum houses a private collection of dog-inspired paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and hundreds of dog-related collectibles, including dog hand puppets and rare dog collars that date back to the 1800s. Tours are available. A few blocks away is the country’s largest contemporary art museum, MoCA. (museumofdog.com)

Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House

Museum of Dog

   Manhattan’s second-tallest skyscraper, One Vanderbilt, will debut at the end of 2020 at more than 1,400 feet. In addition to a new 11,000-square-foot restaurant and cafe from top chef Daniel Boulud, the building will include an indoor-outdoor observation deck at 1,100 feet above street level, featuring stunning views of the nearby Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal below. Visitors will be able to access the perch through a direct entrance inside Grand Central Terminal, just steps from its main concourse. (onevanderbilt.com) LeisureGroupTravel.com <<

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A GUIDE TO

GROUP-FRIENDLY

CASINOS L

ooking for a destination that has it all? Look no further than these casinos. Complete with various forms of gaming, entertainment, nightlife, accommodations, spas and unique dining options, these casinos will have your groups never wanting to leave.

The Mohegan Sun complex, an enterprise of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, includes luxury hotel accommodations and three casinos.

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GROUP-FRIENDLY CASINOS

HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CASINO RESORT estled at the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just a mile from the North Carolina entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Harrah's Cherokee has everything your group needs. The Southeast's premier casino offers 3,800 slots and 100+ table games. Guests will enjoy pampering at Mandara Spa and have preferred access to Sequoyah National Golf Club. The 21-story hotel has 1,108 rooms, with access to an indoor and outdoor pool. Chef's Stage Buffet and Ruth's Chris Steak House are just a couple of the wide variety of dining options offered. (harrahscherokee.com)

Cherokee, North Carolina

MOHEGAN SUN ohegan Sun is home to three casinos, Casino of the Earth, Casino of the Sky and Casino of the Wind, that feature 5,000 slot machines and over 300 table games. Classic options include blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, Pai Gow, poker and state-of-the-art Race Book. Entertainment is always available at the Mohegan Sun Arena, which features concerts and sporting events. Nighttime comes alive with comedy shows and nightclubs. Enjoy your stay in the state-of-the-art hotel and spas. (mohegansun.com)

Uncasville, Connecticut ď&#x20AC; ď&#x20AC;&#x201A;

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POTAWATOMI HOTEL & CASINO he Potawatomi tribe’s thriving entertainment center has nearly 100 table games, over 2,500 slot machines and a fast-paced bingo hall, plus a luxurious hotel. Comedy shows and musical concerts are available for even more group entertainment. From sushi to the buffet to an award-winning steakhouse, groups will have plenty of dining options. Just blocks from the heart of downtown Milwaukee and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, it’s the perfect stop for your private group or bus tour. (paysbig.com)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

WIND RIVER HOTEL AND CASINO he largest gaming destination in Wyoming features over 800 gaming machines and numerous table games including poker, blackjack and roulette. Annual poker tournaments are held throughout the year. Groups will enjoy beautiful views of the Wind River Mountains while staying in the uniquely designed hotel. Satisfy the whole group’s cravings at several options including the Red Willow Restaurant, Buffalo Restaurant, Cee Nokuu’ Café and the Espresso Bar. (windriverhotelcasino.com)

Riverton, Wyoming

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Sampling the History and Culture of

MORO

By Lance Harrell

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orocco is a place like no other. Its long and diverse history was forged in the fires of religion, monarchy and colonization, and tempered by a spirit of cooperation, community and friendliness. Modern life and ancient traditions blend to create a unique medley of experiences in this not-to-be-missed destination. Morocco’s geographical variety is as diverse as its history. Ideally perched on the northwestern coast of the African continent, it is a mere nine miles from the Spanish 

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coast. Cradled by the rejuvenating hands of both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, it also is abutted by the harsh beauty of the Sahara in the south. It is one of the few countries on Earth where you could be surfing in the morning, alpine skiing in the afternoon and camping in the desert at nightfall. RESPLENDENT ARCHITECTURE While exploring, don’t be fooled by the plain, uniform facades of the buildings lining the streets. This is merely a cultural paradigm

to express humility and respect for those of varying means and reflects the humble attitude of the people themselves. Whether it is a riad (traditional house), palace, school or place of worship, behind some of those unassuming doors lies architectural opulence that defies photographic capture. Be prepared to spend a good amount of time just sitting and absorbing the intricate tile mosaics, carved wooden surfaces and impossibly detailed metalwork that took artisans months or even years to complete. >> LeisureGroupTravel.com

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OCCO Unforgettable experiences await your group in northwestern Africa Deep in the medina of Marrakech lie both treasures and knockoffs, so travelers should shop wisely. Expect to haggle over price.

Photos by Lance Harrell

Members of tour group get a taste of local culture at Agafay Desert Luxury Camp outside of Marrakech.

DIVERSE CULTURE A melting pot of indigenous Berber, Arab, African and European influences, Morocco boasts a comparatively forward-thinking and tolerant political and religious environment that sets it apart from some of its more turbulent and repressive neighbors. Not once did I feel threatened or unsafe, and like most cultures, if respect and courtesy are given, they are usually returned. Learning a few simple words in Arabic, such as sabah alkhyr (good morning) and LeisureGroupTravel.com <<

shukraan (thank you) will yield the grateful smiles that always cross language barriers. Moroccans are not short on hospitality either, so be prepared to drink a lot of mint tea, which is provided as a traditional greeting to guests (and is delicious by the way). THE CITY OF FEZ Oft overlooked by the independent traveler, yet not to be missed, Fez offers rich experiences and a deep cultural history. Founded in the 9th century and becoming the largest

The king’s impressive Heri Es Souani in the Moroccan city of Meknes once held food and stabling for over 12,000 horses.

city in the world between 1170 and 1180, Fez reached its height during the 13th and 14th centuries under the Marinids when it boasted the title of imperial capital. In this ancient epicenter for scholars, imams and artisans, it is possible to view glimpses of its honored past even today. In the heart of Fez lies the medina, one of the largest pedestrian-only zones in the world. Its twisted maze of bustling, narrow streets, houses and souks (shops) holds treasures around every corner. However, I recommend August 2018

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that you grab a trusted guide and adequately prepare your group before venturing inward. Even for experienced travelers, the assault on the senses can be overwhelming. The rich odors (both pleasant and foul), uncommon sights (from beautiful mosques to vendors selling severed goat heads) and the reduction in space (both total and personal) can leave you swimming gleefully through the ocean of cultural enlightenment or feeling drowned by it. The rewards for boldly venturing forth are numerous, however, so don’t shy away. Ancient cultural gems like the Jewish quarter, the magnificent imperial palace and the oldest continuously functioning university in the world await to be discovered, while impeccably skilled artisans use age-old techniques to produce some of the most beautiful pottery, textiles and metalwork to be found anywhere. For good or ill, the medina of Fez is like few other experiences in the world and is guaranteed to leave an impression on every member of your group. Travel Tip: Be on the lookout for cheap imitations in the medina—they abound. Also, Morocco is a haggling culture, so often the initial price is three to four times what you can get the item for. Here again is where an experienced guide is invaluable (mine saved me $50 on a leather bag).

THE CITY OF MARRAKESH Also known as the “ochre city” due to the reddish color of the sandstone historically used for construction, Marrakesh pulses with a chaotic mix of modern lifestyle and proud tradition. Founded in the 11th century and bolstered by the construction of numerous mosques, madrasas (Koranic schools) and palaces during the following centuries, Marrakesh served as the imperial capital multiple times during the last thousand years and is arguably the most cosmopolitan and economically important metropolis in Morocco. Here you will find broad avenues lined with high-end retail stores, upscale restaurants, purpose-built hotels and trendy clubs. These are countered by the leathery street vendors in their souks, traditional hand-made delicacies of all kinds, intimate lodgings in refurbished riads and family-owned cafes in which to enjoy an evening tea and soak in local life. For those seeking cultural enrichment, options abound. Experience the indigenous villages of the Berbers in the nearby Atlas Mountains, stroll up the rose-bordered courtyard to the beautifully ornate Minaret Koutoubia, marvel at the cultivated oasis of the Jardin Majorelle, visit the ruins of the once unrivaled Badia Palace and Saadian Tombs, or just wander around

Leisure Group Travel’s Lance Harrell makes a friend in the medina of Marrakech, one of Morocco’s top tourist destinations.

the backstreets of the medina. Travel Tip: While not as imposing as the medina of Fez, an experienced guide is recommended here as well. Not only to help you find trusted vendors and navigate the labyrinthine streets, but also to help with crucial decisions, such as which live snake to permit the charmers to put around your neck. TELL ME MORE The varied types of experiences and options available within those experiences for your group are so numerous and customizable that I suggest you do what I did, reach out to A&S Signature Journeys. Tell them what your needs and desires are and marvel at their ability to create a trip specifically tailored to your group. LGT             

A photo in front of the Koutoubia Mosque minaret in Marrakech is a must-do for any group touring the city.

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August 2018

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