Planners organizing group tours will find many new itinerary brighteners in the region
The hit musical Wicked returns to Chicago for the holidays and beyond.
from the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, which is National Trail Site #1 on the Lewis & Clark Trail. The Lewis & Clark Expedition departed from Camp River Dubois in 1804. Built in commemoration of the historic expedition, the 180-foot tower has three viewing platforms at 50, 100 and 150 feet connecting two towers that represent Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Each level tells stories about the area’s history, including the
Kansas City CVA
ILLINOIS Broadway in Chicago’s fall season will be highlighted by return engagements of Disney’s The Lion King (Sept. 29-Nov. 27) and Wicked (Dec. 1-Jan. 23, 2011). Also on tap is Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Dec. 15-Jan. 2, 2011). The new holiday musical, direct from Broadway, tells the story of two showbiz buddies putting on a show in a Vermont inn and finding their perfect mates in the bargain. Berlin hits include “Blue Skies,” “How Deep is the Ocean?” and the classic title song. Billy Elliot The Musical, a hot ticket since opening March 18, runs through Jan. 15, 2011. Early 2011 Broadway in Chicago shows include 9 to 5: The Musical (Jan. 18-31), based on the hit movie and featuring Dolly Parton’s Tony Award- and Grammy-nominated score; Burn the Floor (Feb. 1-13), starring 20 champion dancers doing everything from the Viennese waltz to the tango, samba and salsa; and Hair (March 8-20), a revival of the hippie-era rock musical. (312977-1710, broadwayinchicago.com) The Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower just opened in the Alton area. Located in Hartford, about 25 minutes from St. Louis, the tower is two miles
Joan Marcus
Take a look at what’s happening in the Midwest:
Midwest
The new Kauffman Center will energize Kansas City’s performing arts scene. 30 August 2010
on our radar
village of Hartford, the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, Lewis and Clark and the confluence of two great rivers—the Mississippi and Missouri. On a clear day, visitors can see the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis. A byway visitor center in the north tower has exhibits and videos. (618-465-6676, confluencetower.com) INDIANA The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) has opened 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. Located on 100 acres of woodlands, wetlands, lake and meadow adjacent to the museum’s 52-acre campus, it is one of the largest museum art parks in the country and the only one to feature the ongoing commission of site-specific artworks. The park has a LEED-certified visitor center and numerous walking trails that highlight the indigenous landscape. As with the IMA galleries, admission to the park is free. Inaugural installations include Free Basket, a Surrealist-inspired sculpture in the form of a basketball court LeisureGroupTravel.com
that invites recreational play, and Indianapolis Island, a floating island in the lake that will serve as an experimental living structure inhabited by one or two art students. Bench Around the Lake is a series of serpentine, vivid yellow benches. (imamuseum.org) MISSOURI The $414-million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, destined to change the downtown Kansas City skyline forever, is set to open in fall 2011. Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, famous for his use of dramatic curves, simple geometric patterns, and abundant windows and open spaces, the building will sit on a hill just south of the Kansas City Convention Center. It will be the home of the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera and other arts organizations. The facility will contain a 1,800-seat ballet, opera and theater hall; a 1,600-seat symphonic concert hall; and a multipurpose
LeisureGroupTravel.com
facility called Celebration Hall. OHIO Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, home of America’s largest indoor water park, recently unveiled its new Africanthemed Safari Outdoor Adventure Park, which features a zip line tour, ropes course and climbing walls. Known as an under-one-roof getaway, the resort marked its fifth birthday with its fourth major expansion. Safari Adventure Animal Park, which opened last summer, offers encounters with African animals including giraffes and zebras. On the zip line tour, guests sail 40 to 60 feet above the outdoor water park. The three-story ropes course, themed to resemble an African tree house village with thatched huts, spans over 750 feet of rope and includes 48 climbing elements. The two 32-foot climbing walls feature auto belaying and race timers for competitive adventurers. (kalahariresorts.com/oh)
August 2010 31