West on our radar
Planners organizing group tours will find many new itinerary brighteners in the region Take a look at what’s happening in the West: ARIZONA Mission San Xavier del Bac, located nine miles south of downtown Tucson, is offering free guided tours for the first time in its 214-year history. Volunteer docents lead 45-minute tours Monday through Saturday and explain the mission’s rich history and ornate interior that includes painted murals and original statuary. Tours of the mission, a National Historic Landmark, are made possible through Patronato San Xavier, a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to promote the restoration, maintenance and preservation of the mission, which was completed in 1797. The tour schedule is subject to change because the mission is a working Roman Catholic Church. (520-294-2624, sanxaviermission.org)
CALIFORNIA Central Coast Food Tours has started guided walking tours through downtown San Luis Obispo. Focusing on the town’s culinary riches, the two-mile walk is on mostly flat-terrain city sidewalks that thread along creeksides, picturesque landscapes and historic city streets. There are typically six to seven pre-arranged food and beverage tasting destinations on each tour. Cost is $49 per person, including all food and wine tastings. There is a maximum of 12 people per tour, and private tours for small groups can be arranged. (centralcoastfoodtours.com) SeaWorld San Diego has unveiled Turtle Reef, an interactive attraction that gives guests an up-close look at more than 60 sea turtles as well as an immersion into the life cycle of these threatened and endangered species. The focal point of Turtle Reef is a 300,000-gallon aquarium featuring hawksbill and green sea turtles. Also included are interactive games, a touch-screen tracking map and a ride that takes passengers on a rescue mission of their own. (800-257-4268, seaworldsandiego.com) Previews have begun for a brand new Cirque du Soleil production, IRIS, A Journey Through the World of Cinema, at Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, home of the Academy Awards. Turtle Reef is the newest crowd-pleaser at SeaWorld San Diego. Directed by French director-choreograLeisureGroupTravel.com
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on our radar: west ❖ pher Philippe Decouflé and featuring a score by Grammy Award-winning composer Danny Elfman, IRIS brings together dance, acrobatics, live video, filmed sequences and animation, taking spectators on a voyage through the history of cinema and its genres. The premier is set for Sept. 25. (877-5047164 or la.sales@cirquedusoleil.com; cirquedusoleil.com/groups)
SHOWCASE Tulalip Resort Casino
SHOWCASE Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino For those who seek comfort, adventure and a connection to the natural beauty of the Southwest, Inn of the Mountain Gods, five-time recipient of AAA’s Four Diamond rating for luxury, accommodations and service, is the ultimate locale for a relaxing getaway. Located in Mescalero, N.M., near Ruidoso in the southwestern portion of the state and situated snugly in the heart of the Sacramento Mountains at 9,600 feet, Inn of the Mountain Gods is New Mexico’s premier mountain locale. From the moment you arrive, you’ll be enchanted by original works of art throughout the property, roaring fireplaces in the lobby and a tranquil setting that makes the everyday world feel a million miles away. Beyond that, discover an endless variety of activities, entertainment and escapes. From luxury rooms and suites, exciting casino games, a championship golf course and dozens of opportunities for outdoor recreation including fishing, hiking, biking and hunting, the Inn has it all. (innofthemountaingods.com)
Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum Located in downtown Oklahoma City, this shrine pays tribute to those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever by the April 19, 1995 terror bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Museum visitors can watch TV newscasts, witness heroic rescue and recovery efforts, listen to survivor accounts and click on a touch screen for reminiscences of victims by family and friends. Artifacts include twisted metal from the rental truck used by the perpetrator. In the Gallery of Honor, family and friends have remembered their loved ones with photos and such personal mementoes as a Secret Service badge, Marine Corps pin, stuffed animal or Precious Moments figurine. Videos show excerpts of funerals. Nearly 20 percent of OKC metro residents attended at least one funeral. The outdoor memorial includes a grassy area with a Field of Chairs overlooking a reflecting pool. Each of the 168 bronze-and-stone chairs represents one who died. (oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org) 48 August 2011
Tulalip Resort Casino is one of the largest and most distinctive gaming, dining, entertainment and event destinations in Washington State. Recognized with a AAA Four Diamond award and named to the 2011 Condé Nast Traveler Gold List, Tulalip Resort Casino offers a variety of award-winning dining choices, casino excitement, a world-class spa and a multitude of live entertainment and premium shopping options. Conveniently located between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., the resort is an ideal location to visit for a day or for a week, with 370 exquisite guest rooms and suites that feature premium pillow top beds, large separate walk-in showers with three body sprays and granite countertops. The guest experience is complete with 24-hour room service, a tropical indoor Oasis pool, a full service concierge to assist with any need, a fitness center and an on-site floral service. (tulalipresort.com)
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE To read more about Tulalip Resort Casino, see the article at http://leisuregrouptravel.com/p?=24602
Westfield San Francisco Centre Custom-made for girlfriend getaways, Westfield San Francisco Centre is one of the city’s top group travel attractions. The iconic destination, just two blocks from famed Union Square, occupies the site of the historic former Emporium Department Store, a structure built in 1896 and once hailed as the “Grandest Mercantile Building in the World” with its grand Beaux-Arts facade and elegant glass dome. Westfield San Francisco Centre boasts the West Coast flagship of Bloomingdale’s and the secondlargest Nordstrom in the United States. The more than 200 shops include Herve Leger by Max Azria, Hugo Boss, Vera Bradley, San Francisco’s first Michael Kors and the only Edition by Banana Republic. Westfield San Francisco Centre’s VIP Passport program entitles group travelers to hundreds of dollars in savings in special offers. Culinary programs for groups, including chef demonstrations, cooking classes and wine tastings, can be arranged at several of the restaurants and food purveyors. (westfield.com/sanfrancisco) LeisureGroupTravel.com
Napa Valley Ziplines, in the western foothills of Yountville, will open in October. The seven-zipline course will be constructed on 200 acres behind the Veterans’ Home of California. A portion of Napa Valley Ziplines proceeds will be donated to the home. The course is designed specifically for first-timers. The first two ziplines will be the shortest and slowest of the course, designed to ease participants into the adventure. Three of the next five ziplines will be over 1,200 feet, with the longest reaching 2,000 feet. (707-944-9947, napavalleyziplines.com) MULTI-STATE Brendan Vacations has five new itineraries in its just-released 20122013 USA & Canada brochure. New additions include the nine-day “Colorful Trails of the Southwest,” which starts in the resort town of Scottsdale and takes in Oak Creek Canyon, Monument Valley and Mesa Verde National Park, plus the history and culture of Taos and Santa Fe. Dining highlights include a cowboy barbecue with wine in Moab, Utah. The package is priced from $2,199 per person, land only, based on double occupancy. The new eight-day “National Parks Wonders” begins in Salt Lake City and travels through scenic Jackson, takes in the snow-capped mountains of Grand Teton National Park, explores the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park and includes a visit to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Price is from $1,850 per person. (800-421-8446, brendanvacations.com) TEXAS The Museum of the American Railroad just broke ground at its new 12-acre site in Frisco. The project will LeisureGroupTravel.com
relocate one of the nation’s finest collections of 20th Century railroad artifacts and exhibits from Dallas’ Fair Park. The first phase of construction includes installation of nearly one mile of trackage at the museum’s new site just south of Frisco Square. The trains will move in late 2011, with a soft opening in the works for mid-
2012. The new Frisco facility will allow the museum to greatly increase its footprint and showcase its 40piece assemblage of historic locomotives and rail cars, including the nation’s premier collection of Pullman first-class sleeping cars from the 1920s. (museumoftheamericanrailroad.org)
Luckier
Where heaven and earth meet, so can you. Incredible convention and meeting facilities are only the beginning of your experience at Inn of the Mountain Gods. From full casino action and award-winning dining to championship golf and unparalleled mountain scenery, even your keynote speaker will be speechless. > 273 luxury rooms and suites > 40,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space
> Championship golf course* > Fine and casual dining > Full casino
> Ski Apache* > Fishing* > Horseback riding*
InnoftheMountainGods.com 1-800-545-6040 | Mescalero, NM near Ruidoso Booking Info: jokazhe@innofthemountaingods.com FULL CASINO | CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF *Weather permitting. Must be 21 or older to enter casino. The Mescalero Apache Tribe promotes responsible gaming. For assistance, please call 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537).
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