GO ESCAPE Winter 2021

COVID-19: HEALTHY HOTEL HABITS

WI N T E R 2021

INSIDE GALLOP & EXPLORE AT RANCH RESORTS

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BIRD-WATCHING, BALLOONING & MORE TRAVEL IN STYLE IN THESE RETRO RIDES

Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Acadia National Park, Maine

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WINTER 2021

SEA SENSATIONS

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Discover these beautiful and deep destinations

Bimmah Sinkhole, Oman

3

WINTER 2021

FEATURES 16

VEHICULAR VIEWS

24

VINO LATINO

30

GIDDYUP AND GO

Tour your favorite destinations in these retro rides

Hispanic-owned wineries take root Enjoy winter activities at Western-style ranches

72

58 UP FRONT

60

9 10 12 14

n WEST 64 Tamron Hall’s 66

n NORTHEAST 38 Phillipa Soo’s Brooklyn, N.Y. 40 New England states offer

n PACIFIC 70 Lisa Vanderpump’s

n SOUTHEAST 44 Yaa Gyasi’s Huntsville, Ala. 46 Florida’s drive-in 50 52

A beautiful sunset at Bass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA PHOTOGRAPH

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Dallas-Fort Worth Behold beautiful birds in Arizona’s parks

REGIONS

awesome adventures

ON THE COVER

See magnificent murals in Des Moines, Iowa

movies delight Enjoy a day of socialdistancing at these Tennessee attractions Journey to these great Georgia sites

n MIDWEST 56 Leroy Garrett’s Detroit 58 Soar over South Dakota in a hot air balloon

72

Los Angeles Reach new heights in California

DESTINATIONS n MEXICO 76 Let Campeche transport you to another time

n CARIBBEAN 78 Spice things up in Grenada

n ONE FOR THE ROAD 80 Wind through the Blue

Ridge Parkway in winter

All prices and availability are subject to change.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR GERM-FREE JOURNEY GEN-Z TRAVEL SAFE STAYS

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS PREMIUM PUBLICATION EDITORIAL

DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes jbstokes@usatoday.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council jcouncil@usatoday.com

Sylvia A. Martinez is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared online, in print and on television. Former editor-in-chief of Latina magazine, she also writes for social media, newsletters and websites. The native Texan lives in New Jersey with her husband. In this issue, she explores regions where Latinos, whose ancestors once worked vineyards as laborers, are thriving as vintners who own their businesses (page 24).

Award-winning journalist and author Rosalind CummingsYeates specializes in cultural travel and lifestyle topics. Her work has been featured in The (London) Telegraph, Brides and United Airlines’ Hemispheres. She enjoys diving into the essence of a destination’s culinary traditions, especially extensive and flavorful ones like Grenada’s local spices and the hearty national dish, oil down (page 78).

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington mjwashington@usatoday.com ISSUE EDITOR Tracy Scott Forson ISSUE DESIGNER Lisa M. Zilka EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Harry Lister Deirdre van Dyk Debbie Williams DESIGNERS Hayleigh Corkey David Hyde Debra Moore Gina Toole Saunders CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Matt Alderton, Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, Abigail Dollins, Allison W. Entrekin, Mary Hance, Sarah Kay Leblanc, Sylvia A. Martinez, Shaena Montanari, David Oliver, Carli Pierson, Rebecca Plevin, Shameika Rhymes, Lydia Schrandt, Sarah Sekula, Curtis Tate, Julia Thompson

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Matt Alderton is a Chicagobased freelance writer, an avid traveler and an avowed city slicker. Although he’s more comfortable in a subway car than on a horse, the Colorado native channeled his Rocky Mountain roots to write about cold-weather cowboying for his story on winter respites at ranch resorts (page 30).

Giddyup!

Sarah Sekula was stoked to explore Maui in a 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster reproduction for her feature on touring scenic locales in classic vehicles (page 16). “Simply riding in a notso-typical vehicle with the top down drastically changed the trip,” she says. “It’s like all my senses were amplified.” Follow her adventures on Instagram at @sarahsomewhere.

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Vanessa Salvo | (703) 854-6499 vsalvo@usatoday.com

FINANCE

BILLING COORDINATOR Julie Marco Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved herein, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written consent of USA TODAY. The editors and publisher are not responsible for any unsolicited materials.

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5

Beautiful Outdoor Recreation Destination

New River Trail State Park

Galax is a Trailhead for this 57 mile hiking, biking and equestrian linear trail • New River Trail 10K Run in Spring • Autumn Days 5K Run • Fall Foliage Bike Ride Blue Ridge Music Center Hiking Trails Matthews State Forest Call 888-217-8823 for Free Visitor Guide!

World’s Capital of Old Time Mountain Music

Live Music at The Rex Theater - Live at the Rex each Friday night and online on WBRF FM98.1 Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention in August Blue Ridge Parkway Music Center Weekly Bluegrass and Old Time Jams HoustonFest in June

Galaxvirginia

Galax Visitors Center • 110 East Grayson Street • Galax, Virginia 24333

888-217-8823 or 276-238-8130 • www.VisitGalax.com

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UP FRONT I N T H E N O W, I N T H E K N O W

TRAVEL 10

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TRENDS 12

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LODGING 14

SERENE SCENE

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Beautiful parks and waterfalls are just some of the not-to-miss attractions in Georgia. Discover more sites to see in the Peach State (page 52).

Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville, Ga.

5

PLEASE TOUCH Experience the world’s most amazing animals in one app. WWF TOGETHER — the free app from World Wildlife Fund. Download it today. worldwildlife.org/together

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

MICHAEL FORSON

Issue Editor THE OUTBREAK OF and response to COVID-19 has affected our lives, Tracy Scott our livelihoods and the economy at the local, national and global levels.

Forson with And it has had a profound effect on the travel industry.

Santa in New As we grapple with the unprecedented scope of this pandemic, many York City in 2016, events, festivals and celebrations have been suspended or canceled. before social However, across the country, businesses that provide lodging, food distancing. and transportation are starting to reopen with varied stipulations and baseline measures that aim to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

The USA TODAY Network is committed to providing timely, engaging and accurate information in our coverage, but given the evolving nature of this health crisis, we realize that there will undoubtedly be changes to the accessibility of many of the locations, venues and services mentioned throughout this publication. Please check with businesses for the latest updates.

We also know that the travel and tourism industry is resilient. It has rebounded from natural disasters, economic recessions and other crises before, and while this pandemic is uncharted territory, it is our hope that national and international exploration will resume soon. In the meantime, we will continue to look beyond today and provide you with the amazing sights, sounds, tastes and experiences that await.

Tracy Scott Forson Issue Editor

9

UP FRONT | TRAVEL

Germ-Free Journey Be cautious of coronavirus during your travels B Y CURTIS TATE

TRAVEL IN THE middle of a global pandemic presents challenges, with each activity carrying its own level of risk for contracting the coronavirus.

Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Cleveland Clinic medical center, says many of his patients have questions related to travel activities.

“Every industry has interventions in place to make things safer,” he says.

The Cleveland Clinic has been helping United Airlines develop its coronavirus mitigation policies, including requiring face masks, installing touchless kiosks and encouraging physical distancing.

CRUISE SHIPS In spite of all the precautions now in place, Khabbaza says flying offers the most potential for exposure because of the nature of how planes are configured.

“You’re in relative closer proximity to people you don’t know.”

Surface transportation presents similar challenges, Khabbaza says.

“Distancing isn’t always possible to the extent you’d like,” he says. “That’s not going to go away as long as the virus is around.”

Like the airlines, Amtrak and intercity bus operators are requiring passengers to wear face masks. They’re also promoting physical distancing when possible and cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces more often.

ROAD TRIPS Take precautions every time you step out of the car, whether for gas, food or a rest break, Khabbaza advises.

Use hand sanitizer every time you’re at the gas pump and avoid using your phone while you’re doing it.

Adults and older children can visit convenience stores and eat in restaurants, says Khabbaza. With younger kids, take them to the restroom and then back to the car to eat, he suggests. That minimizes exposure to surfaces and items where infected droplets may have fallen.

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Although cruise ships were some of the original hot spots for the coronavirus, Khabbaza says when they resume sailing, their risk should be lower as long as passengers and crew members adhere to precautions cruise companies are putting in place.

“It involves buy-in from everyone,” he adds.

Cruise ship passengers can stay separate from other groups on the ship by staying in their rooms. Common areas of the ship offer space for distancing, and outdoor activities are inherently less risky for disease transmission, Khabbaza explains.

The elimination of buffet food service, a move under consideration by multiple cruise lines, would remove a point of potential transmission not only for the coronavirus, but also for the foodborne illnesses that have long plagued cruise ship operations, Khabbaza notes.

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PLANES, TRAINS AND BUSES

“Companies are bringing in outside health experts,” Khabbaza says.

“That can be a little bit reassuring.”

Khabbaza, who recently took a 500-mile road trip with his family to New York’s Long Island, offered his thoughts on the relative risks of different travel activities and best practices.

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UP FRONT | TRENDS

Travel Transformed How the pandemic is affecting the future of Gen Z travel

BY DAVID OLIVER

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of strangers for several hours is a pandemic nightmare scenario.”

Like others in Generation Z, she’s grown up with crisis after crisis, including 9/11 and devastating school shootings. Those born after 1996 are used to living in dangerous times and are expected to adopt extra safety precautions in the face of COVID-19.

Gen Z will approach travel differently, experts say. They will be much more cautious about stepping on a plane, will

wash their hands frequently and will take other measures to mitigate risks for themselves and their families.

GENERATION COVID “For all of their lives, they have been a worried generation quite different from millennials,” says Ann Fishman, a marketing expert who specializes in generational targeting, about Gen Z. “There’s a certain amount of selfreliance that is within these younger

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CLARISSA FISHER, 23, used to fly regularly to visit her boyfriend in the U.K., but she is not ready to hop on a plane in the near future.

In July, she noticed many people returning to their normal pre-pandemic activities like nothing ever happened, and it scared her.

“I’m afraid to board a plane, knowing that I might step off infected,” says Fisher of Frankfort, Ky. “Being trapped in a small space with a large amount

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generations, that they do have to take go on the trip. The data supports care of themselves because they feel her approach: 48 percent of 18- to like the adults have let them down.”

34-year-olds say they are more likely to They will be more inclined to stay stay with family or friends for their in hotels that offer good next vacation, according deals and with cleanlito a June poll by market Ann Fishman, ness standards, Fishman research firm Morning a generational predicts.

Consult. marketing expert, They will go camp“I don’t ever think defines Gen Z as those born ing and “glamping” that I’ll look at traveling between 2001 to 2019, while (camping with upscale the same for a long the Pew Research Center amenities) because time, if ever,” says Alexis marks Gen Z as born in 1996 with no defined those will be safer Fox, 21, of San Francisco. end point yet. environments, Fishman “As time goes on, I think adds.

I might relax a little, but I Generations may not think sanitizing frequently be so different, given that everyone and wearing masks on planes might is dealing with the pandemic. Edmund be a permanent thing for me.”

Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism, Gabby Beckford practically forgot says all generations are morphing into one: Generation COVID. “I think that what we’re seeing emerging now is more of a merger of all the previous demographics,” Bartlett says, explaining that destinations will have to demonstrate that they can meet the new health security needs of travelers.

However, Fishman says there are nuances to each generation’s reactions to COVID-19 and the future of travel.

She feels Gen Zers will take extra precautions to keep themselves safe and their families assured that they’re doing so.

Many baby boomers “haven’t seen their grandchildren in a long, long time” and “are torn between being afraid of getting coronavirus and tired of putting their lives on hold,” Fishman says. “Look for them to take safe travel ... cruise lines with great cleanliness records before coronavirus regulations or family trips to the great outdoors where social distancing isn’t hard.”

Fishman says millennials tend to have a more laissez-faire attitude about the virus; therefore, it won’t have as much of an impact on their travel plans.

there was a pandemic on her weeklong road trip in late June. Relaxing in the pool at her Cape Coral, Fla., Airbnb was a welcome moment of respite.

“Being able to be in the direct sun, outdoors, listening to the sound of that water, I could completely forget that the pandemic was happening for the first time in months,” the 24-year-old travel blogger from Fairfax, Va., says. “It was our own world.”

That’s not to say Beckford isn’t taking the pandemic seriously.

“The pandemic has me rethinking travel, and I won’t be traveling like before for the foreseeable future,” she says. “But I think with some sacrifices and care, it could be somewhat possible.”

‘THE PANDEMIC HAS ME RETHINKING TRAVEL’ Fisher would prefer to stay with friends or family if she traveled; if she couldn’t do so, she probably wouldn’t

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UP FRONT | LODGING

Stay Safe Hotels adopt new pandemic protocols to keep travelers healthy

AS TRAVELERS SLOWLY begin to get back on the road and in the air amid the coronavirus pandemic, they may be wondering if it’s safe to stay in a hotel.

Hotels have rolled out a slew of cleaning and safety programs, and in July, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the industry’s major trade group, released a checklist for guests who plan to stay in hotels.

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“Utilizing these best practices, including requiring face coverings and practicing social distancing in public spaces, will create an even safer environment for all our guests and employees,” Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA, said in a statement.

Dr. Keith Armitage, medical director of the University Hospitals Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine & Global Health in Cleveland,

commends hotels’ efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19.

“A lot of hotels are really taking steps to mitigate risk — having online check-in, cleaning the rooms, keeping people out of the lobby — but again, it’s indoors with strangers,” he says.

“If you’re walking through a hotel lobby, you want to have a mask on.”

Some hotels require masks and hand them out if guests aren’t wearing them.

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BY JULIA THOMPSON

THE AHLA TRAVELER CHECKLIST INCLUDES THESE TIPS:

GETTY IMAGES; DAVID OLIVER

uWear face coverings in all indoor public spaces and practice social distancing in all common areas. uChoose contactless options, where available, including online reservations, check-in and payment. uConsider daily room cleaning only if necessary. Ask the hotel about options. uRequest contactless room service delivery. uRefrain from traveling if you have, or recently had, any symptoms of COVID-19 or contact with anyone diagnosed with it.

Another thing to consider in public spaces: Armitage suggests not eating in a breakfast buffet area. “Take a mask, get your food and eat it in your room.”

Once you get to your room, be aware of high-touch surfaces.

Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Cleveland Clinic, says it’s a good idea to bring your own wipes to disinfectant surfaces in the room. Armitage agrees.

“In the room, there might be risk for higher-touch surfaces. You can wipe things down yourself, like the telephone and the doorknob and the most important thing, the remote

control,” Armitage says.

Some hotels sanitize and then seal items in rooms, such as remotes, coffee cups and glassware, and have eliminated minibars.

Other hotels offer daily housekeeping only upon request, though Khabbaza says the risk of contracting the coronavirus from housekeeping should be relatively low.

The same is true of the risk of the virus spreading from room to room. With proper air circulation in your room, Armitage notes, it’s unlikely the virus will spread through the hotel ventilation system.

COVID CONSCIOUS These three hotel brands have taken steps to keep you safe: HILTON It’s Hilton’s policy that all guests and employees wear face coverings in indoor public areas of the hotel. “CleanStay” labels are attached to doors to let guests know that rooms have been sanitized and sealed. Signs encourage guests to social distance. Hilton’s protocol calls for disinfecting many surfaces in the room such as light switches, handles and knobs, major bathroom surfaces and the remote control.

MARRIOTT Marriott provides disinfecting wipes in rooms and hand-sanitizing stations are available throughout the hotel, including in elevator banks on guest floors. Plexiglass barriers separate guests from front desk workers. Marriott is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization guidelines, as well as those from local health departments.

HYATT Hyatt’s policy requires masks in hotel indoor public areas and when moving around in outdoor areas. The company’s Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment includes an international cleanliness and training accreditation process and a trained hygiene and well-being leader or team at all locations. Hand-sanitizing stations are prominently placed throughout the hotels.

— David Oliver

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Bump up your coolness factor with a

retro vehicle

on your next vacation

BY SARAH SEKULA

ROBBIE MCCAY

oad-tripping on Hawaii’s island of Maui is a no-brainer: You’ve got hundreds of miles of coastline, jagged cliffs straight out of Jurassic Park and rolling lavender fields. It’s several microclimates all perfectly packaged on one small island.

Now imagine cruising along, taking in those scenes in an arctic blue, two-seat convertible.

More specifically, a 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster

reproduction. And voila, the trip is instantly more appealing. That’s what I’m banking on, at least, when I show up at Maui Roadsters (mauiroadsters.com) on the south side of the island.

On the outside, the flashy car, appropriately named Mano (Hawaiian for shark) is sleekly silver. In different lighting, however, it can appear blue. Inside, there’s a sporty red interior and a wood-grain steering wheel.

I am easily transported to a time before self-driving Teslas, backup cameras and

seat warmers were a thing.

It was all quite simple: I reserved the car online.

Then, I watched an orientation video explaining the quirks of the car and some entertaining new terms like “frunk,” for example. That’s a trunk in the front of the car where today’s engines normally would be.

Soon enough, three friends and I hit the open road: two of us in my SUV and two in the Speedster.

As we navigate the spellbinding twists of the famously scenic Road to

Hana, the swaying bamboo stalks look impossibly tall.

Not to mention the semi that passes us also looks larger than life. Why? Because Mano is very low to the ground, making every facet surrounding us look much more grandiose.

It occurs to me: Wouldn’t every vacation be that much better if you swapped out your typical mode of transportation? From vintage boats to classic camper vans, it’s all at your fingertips, you just have to choose the adventure. >

Volkswagen Samba Microbus, Monterey Touring Vehicles

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1957 Porsche 356 Speedster reproduction, Maui Roadsters

Ford Shelby Cobra tribute, Monterey Touring Vehicles

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Next thing I notice is that passersby tend to gawk, and I don’t blame them. You don’t encounter a car like this every day. It’s like bringing your most popular friend to a party knowing that subsequently, lots of strangers will want to chat.

“The view from the seat of a Speedster on the Road to Hana is nothing you can replicate in any modern car,” says Jérôme Bosch, co-owner of Maui Roadsters. “New cars have taken a lot of (the feel) out of driving.” In other words, things like automatic gearboxes, power steering and power braking take a lot of effort out of driving.

Lane-departure signals, monitoring for blind spots, air conditioning and cup holders surely make long trips more enjoyable. “Don’t get me wrong, all of these features are fantastic for the everyday drive,” Bosch says. “But for that one special day where you just want to really experience the road and open up all of your senses, there is nothing better than a classic car.”

ASHLEY SOLBERG; MONTEREY TOURING VEHICLES

Retro Roadsters

ROBBIE MCCAY; LOWELL A.; CHICAGO RETRO BOATS; GYPSY AIR TOUR; GETTY IMAGES

If you’re on the West Coast, exploring California’s Highway 1 Discovery Route is a solid road-trip option.

Just ask Thorsten Claus and his family. They recently took a weekend trip to the seaside city of Monterey, Calif. There, they happened upon a fleet of 30 classics — including a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette and a 1965 Shelby Cobra tribute — at Monterey Touring Vehicles (monterey touringvehicles.com).

There was even a DeLorean, a la Back to the Future.

Tempting, yes. But, it wasn’t until they spotted a deep blue 1970 Corvette Stingray cabriolet with gleaming side pipes that it turned into a must-drive-this-carimmediately situation.

“My 9-year-old son and I were in heaven; people waved at us everywhere,” he says. “Never did we feel like (we were) renting a car, but rather like being granted a wish. ... Everywhere we went we got thumbs-up and smiles. We ended up meeting several celebrities around Carmel who casually shared their car stories with us.”

Take the section of Highway 1 that cuts through San Luis Obispo County for 100 miles of coastline and worthy pitstops like Ragged Point, San Simeon and Cambria, a small town known for its antique shops.

With a national marine sanctuary, national estuary, 13 state parks, an elephant seal rookery, Monarch butterfly preserves, two historic lighthouses, five historic piers and acres of vineyards, it’s impossible to be bored in this county.

If you make it as far south as Costa Mesa, swap

your classic car for a surf mobile from Vintage Surfari Wagons (vwsurfari.com). Here, you’ve got a huge selection of Volkswagen pop-top campers that are between 1973 and 2002 vintage, each brimming with personality.

Known as the Airbnb for motorcycles, Twisted Road (twistedroad.com) offers motorcycle-sharing services for a flat, daily fee. Take your pick from rides like a 1976 Honda CB550 or the Ural Retro bikes that come complete with a sidecar.

Tip: Wear vintage goggles and a scarf to really get into character.

Twisted Road

Wind and Water

If you’d rather spend a day on the water, take a vintage boat for a spin at Chicago Retro Boats (chicagoretroboats.com).

Choose from a whole fleet of boats, made between 1955 and 1969, that have been retrofitted as electric.

If you’d like to play captain for the ride, you must be at least 21 years old and have a driver’s license.

However, if you prefer to be a passenger, you can request a captain for an additional charge. Either way, you’ll have a perfect view of the Chicago skyline to capture amazing photos. Note: Since the boats are electric, you’ll only go about 5 to 8 mph, so it’s more about the experience and less about speed.

In Brodhead, Wis., head to Gypsy Air Tours (gypsyairtours.com) and soar through the sky in a 1930s WACO Taperwing, believed to be one of only seven still flying in the world.

The engine on this rare plane is an original Wright

Chicago Retro Boats

Gypsy Air Tours

Whirlwind that is similar to the engine in Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis when he flew across the Atlantic. Sit in the open cockpit as the engine roars to life with a puff of smoke and a whirling propeller. You will have a bird’s-eye view of the circuitous rivers, the orchards, barns and people coming out of their houses to look up and wave.

Roll into yesteryear by taking an Amphicar for a spin at Disney Springs

(disneysprings.com) in Orlando, Fla. Originally created during the 1960s, the vehicles, combination boat and car, are available for tours around the lake.

Only about 3,200 of these were made. Today, there are likely about 300 or so left.

Afterward, grab a bite to eat at The Boathouse, where oysters, lobster and the legendary baked Alaska top.

End your day at one of the three outdoor bars for a craft cocktail. l

19

PROCEED WITH CAUTION TO THESE STUNNING SINKHOLES

BY LYDIA SCHRANDT

Sometimes, what looks like solid ground suddenly collapses to create some of the world’s most spectacular natural sights: sinkholes (cenotes) and blue holes. USA TODAY’s 10Best.com selected these fascinating natural phenomena as some of the most alluring:

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• MEXICO • The Mexican Caribbean is known for its cenotes and aquatic caves, and the Ik Kil cenote is perhaps the most beautiful of them all. Vines drape from the ledge of the 200-foot-wide opening above, and a staircase leads visitors down to the edge of the water where you can swim with the black catfish that call the pool home.

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• BELIZE • The nearly perfect circular sinkhole known as the Great Blue Hole has become one of the world’s top dive sites. The 1,043-foot-wide hole was formed after an above-ground cave collapsed some 15,000 years ago. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and a great spot for novice divers.

• OMAN • Considered one of the most beautiful on the planet, this sinkhole serves as a swimming hole for local residents and tourists who come to see its azure waters. Groundwater gradually wore away at the limestone until it collapsed to create this beautiful and dramatic scene.

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• THE BAHAMAS • This blue hole, the world’s second deepest known saltwater sinkhole, plunges 663 feet into the bay on the coast of Long Island. Its calm waters make it a popular spot for divers.

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• EGYPT • Known as an “underwater cathedral,” this sinkhole is 394 feet deep and is lined by gorgeous coral. Deceptively deep and disorienting, several experienced divers have tested their limits here. It’s considered one of the most dangerous diving spots in the world.

• PALAU • Found next to the beautiful Blue Corner in Palau, Blue Holes is a large, deep Pacific Ocean cavern beloved by adventurous divers. There are four holes in the reef that enter the cavern, which is home to wire corals, sea fans and leopard sharks.

• ARIZONA • Located in Montezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Well was formed by the collapse of a limestone cave. Today, more than a million gallons of water flow through the sinkhole each day. The landmark’s most fascinating feature is its unique ecosystem created by highly carbonated water with high levels of arsenic.

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• VANUATU • Also known as Jackie’s Blue Hole, this secluded lagoon oasis in the jungle is reachable via a two-hour paddle up a tidal river during an incoming high tide. It’s also accessible by car.

10Best.com is your source for what’s tops in travel, food and culture, providing inspiration to explore the world around you.

23

Latino H i s p a n i c - o w n e d v i n e y a r d s t a k e r o o t i n U. S .

BY SYLVIA A. MARTINEZ

Cรณria Estates vineyard

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U.S. wine industry. Bottle labels that read Mi Sueño, a nod to the American dream come to fruition, or that feature a stylized ballet folklorico dancer, also reflect the proud Latino lineage and heritage.

The name bearers, however, have long been a part of the industry, working the land, growing and harvesting the grapes for larger, more established, mostly white, winemakers for generations. >

CÓRIA ESTATES

T

he names — Chavez Family Cellars and Cubanisimo — speak to the changing landscape of the

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Guillermo Herrera

Guillermo’s daughter, Mia Herrera

“Our heritage is rooted in this valley.”

— GUILLERMO HERRERA, OWNER, HERENCIA DEL VALLE

26 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

and tourists to U.S. wine regions may want to add smaller Latino-owned wineries to their itineraries.

Harvest season is a good time to visit and observe the winemaking process from grape to crush. Passionate vintners will happily ply oenophiles with stories of the art, agriculture and the science of winemaking.

N A PA VA L L E Y, C A L IF. Herrera, who’s owned Heritage Vineyard Management Inc. since 2007, purposefully chose the name Herencia del Valle when launching the family wine business in 2012 as an homage to Mexican migrants.

“It’s a tribute to the parents that made it possible for all of these Mexican American vintners to make wine,” he says. “Our heritage is rooted in this valley.”

He is also part of the newly opened Braceros Tasting Lounge, a name taken from the Braceros Program, which ran from 1942 to 1964, when the U.S. opened its southern border and welcomed migrant agricultural workers due to a labor shortage during World War II. The lounge offers tastings and events promoting five smaller Latino labels under one roof.

What the winemakers lack in quantity, they make up for in quality that showcases their agricultural expertise and experience, the vintners say. Herencia, for instance, produces only 150 bottles per varietal per year. The wines are sold in limited series, which have received critical acclaim, including from Wine Enthusiast and The Tasting Panel Magazine, and range in price from

HERENCIA DEL VALLE (3); RHODA STEWART

Guillermo and his mother, Antonia

For decades, Latinos have been “the vineyard whisperers,” says Guillermo Herrera, owner of Herencia del Valle winery and president of the Napa Sonoma Mexican American Vintners Association (MAVA).

“We’re the backbone of this industry. We’ve been making wine for a long time — since Mexican laborers came to the U.S. during the 1920s. We grow it. We pick it. We crush it. ... It was inevitable for the children of the initial pioneers to make their own wine.”

The fruits of Latino labor have led to award-winning, critically acclaimed varietals from the Napa, Sonoma and Willamette valleys. The number of Latinos in the business is growing,

Herencia del Valle vineyards

MALDONADO FAMILY VINEYARDS

$100 to $250 for three-bottle packages.

Considered a premier wine region, Napa is home to many winemakers of Italian and French descent and wealthy American vintners who bought wineries after earning fortunes in finance or other industries. By comparison, many Latino vintners have toiled the soil worked by them or their immigrant parents. Skyrocketing land prices in Napa have made it particularly difficult for Latinos to buy land for vineyards and wineries.

Despite the odds, the number of Mexican American vintners is growing. In the last 20 years, “we’ve gone from a handful of wine labels to 30, 40, 50 wine labels between Napa and Sonoma,” says Lidia Maldonado, who owns Maldonado Family Vineyards with her husband, Hugo. “I want to call it an explosion almost.”

Herrera, too, has witnessed that growth. “It was only a matter of time that Latinos got so good at winemaking and making their own wine. It’s the next step in this evolution in the wine story that we’ve been involved in for decades,” he says. “I’m happy to see people making that leap.”

The Maldonados started making wine from grapes planted by family patriarch Lupe, a Mexican immigrant who, after decades of laboring in others’ vineyards, was able to buy 10 acres and plant one of his own.

In 2009, the Maldonados opened a wine cave on land they purchased in Calistoga, Calif., and are now responsible for creating their wines from start to finish,

says Lidia. In addition, they do custom crushing for her two brothers who own boutique wineries, lawyer Rafael Rios III’s Justicia Wines and Rios Wine Company, owned and operated by Manuel Rios.

Currently, Maldonado has its own tasting room and produces 7,000 to 9,000 cases per vintage, including the Farm Worker, a red wine meant to pay tribute not only to their family’s history, but also that of other industrious migrants.

“Farmworkers are who we are, how we ended up here,” Lidia says. “The hard work of our fathers allowed us to get an education and create a better life. They planted the seed. It’s our turn to produce a crop, >

Lidia Maldonado and the Rios brothers

“Farmworkers are who we are, how we ended up (in Napa Valley).”

— LIDIA MALDONADO, OWNER, MALDONADO FAMILY VINEYARDS

Hugo and Lupe Maldonado

Maldonado Vineyards

27

Mauricio and Debra Collado

and hopefully our kids can take it further.”

W I LLA M E T T E VA LLE Y, O R E .

Cubanisimo Vineyards

“My passion for wine allows me to celebrate health and life.”

— MAURICIO COLLADO, OWNER, CUBANISIMO VINEYARDS

28 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

Mauricio Collado fell in love first with pinot noir and then Oregon, where the fertile Willamette Valley was becoming known as a wine producer of his favorite varietal.

“It is one of the most mysteriously magical, wonderful things that could have happened with me,” says Collado, who speaks with equal passion about making vino. “You do it because it comes to you, because you’re good at it.”

The Cuba native planned to build a wine cellar and fill it with pinot noir. In 1986, however, the practicing neurosurgeon instead purchased 20 acres on which to build a vineyard. Collado sold his vineyard grapes to other wineries for years, but in 2004, he decided

to keep half of the harvest and began producing wine under the Cubanisimo label.

Cubanisimo, meaning very Cuban, produces 3,000 cases of pinot gris, three tiers of pinot noir and 300 cases of rosé pinot noir each year. While the label has won numerous awards, Collado says his customers “are the ultimate judges of my wines.”

Collado has no plans to give up either neurosurgery or winemaking. “I can’t. I love people,” he says. “With my medical skills, I help people go from illness and pain to health. My passion for wine allows me to celebrate health and life.”

Aurora Cória worked in public health in Portland and had no plans to enter the wine business, despite her parents owning a 50-acre vineyard. That changed when her mother suggested they start their own wine label.

“I grew up in the vineyard, but I didn’t always know I wanted to go into winemaking,” she says. In addition to studying viticulture, she interned at Oregon wineries, including Cubanisimo, where she worked in the tasting room.

Cória vineyards’ first crops were planted in 2013, yielding a harvest in 2014. A “modest wine club” was started the following spring, followed by Cória’s very first crush on the estate, a Mexican-style hacienda, in 2017. Today, Cória Estates produces nearly 5,000 cases annually.

This millennial winemaker is now solely responsible for all of the vintages produced by Cória Estates, the family winery just 14 miles across the Willamette River from Cubanisimo. Her parents, Luis and Janice Cória, later acquired two other farms, increasing their vineyard to 100 acres. Cória Estates includes a tasting room with outdoor space that offers views of multiple mountaintops on a clear day.

CUBANISIMO VINEYARDS

Cubanisimo Vineyards

“I fell in love with the chemistry side of winemaking,” Cória says. “Wine is a craft and an art, and because it’s also farming, you get to use all sides of your brain.” She credits her success to her father who came to Oregon from Michoacán, Mexico, to “live the American dream.”

SONOMA CO UNTY, C A LI F. Carlos Chavez, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Sonoma County, estimates there are 10 to 12 Latino vintners in that area, including two of the first and longest operated Latino-owned wineries, Ceja and Robledo. The pioneering families are well known and championed throughout the Sonoma and Napa valleys by most, if not all, Latino vintners.

Chavez, a native of El Salvador, and his wife, Linda, who is Mexican, launched their business in 2006. As owners of Chavez Family Cellars in Healdsburg, they produce gold medal-worthy cabernets from a small leased vineyard.

As is the case for many small Latino vintners, Chavez’s wine label is a much-loved side project and produces 750 cases a year. His full-time job is owner of Safety & Environmental Compliance Associates, where the health and safety specialist helps other Sonoma vineyards and wineries with Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance. Being in the vineyards and wineries spurred his “everyday passion for grapes,” he says. Linda Chavez is a full-time human resources professional.

“You have to have a huge amount of passion to do it the way we’re doing it. … The poor man’s way,” Chavez jokes before he explains that “wine is made in the vineyards; great grapes might make great wine but bad grapes will never make great wine.” He views himself as “the keeper of the grapes as they take their journey to become wine.”

Like other small labels, Chavez sells primarily online and through wine clubs, building relationships with customers. “The persons who share your wine share your story,” he says.

CÓRIA ESTATES

TE XAS HIL L COUN T RY After earning an MBA in wine marketing at INSEEC-Bordeaux, France, Miguel Lecuona started Wine Marketing Guide LLC, a business dedicated to helping Texas-based wineries market and grow their businesses. Now he has a winery that pays homage to his family’s Cuban ancestry. He, his wife, Barbara, and business partners, Bill and Mary Anne Waldrip, recently broke ground on a 52-acre site for Siboney Cellars’ winery, vineyards, tasting room and production facility.

Siboney, which takes its name from the famous Cuban song written by Lecuona’s great uncle Ernesto Lecuona, begins outdoor tastings this fall, and the tasting room will open next year.

Meanwhile, they’ve been selling their red and white

wines by co-locating with Hawk’s Shadow Winery & Vineyards and by sourcing grapes from other vineyards located in the Hill Country and Texas High Plains.

Siboney started producing 600 to 700 cases in 2017 and ramped up to about 3,000 cases to be bottled from 2019 vintage harvests. The new facility near Johnson City, along what is known as Wine Road 290, is expected to generate 5,000 cases, but could eventually produce as many as 15,000 cases a year. Siboney is one of the first Latino-owned vineyard in the Texas Hill Country wine region, which is home to about 50 wineries.

Like other agricultural work, the Texas wine industry is more mechanized. “We don’t have the labor history that other wine regions, such as Spain, Germany and France, or even Napa, have where the same families have been picking grapes from the same vineyards for decades,” Lecuona says.

“In Texas, you size a vineyard for John Deere, not necessarily handpicking labor. It allows us to produce wine in sizable volume.” Technology and sophisticated machinery aside, good wine will be produced, he says.

“You don’t make wine because you’re going to get rich. You make wine because you love it,” Lecuona adds. “Wines express the history and the culture of the people making it.”

“I fell in love with the chemistry side of winemaking.”

— AURORA CÓRIA, WINEMAKER, CÓRIA ESTATES

Cória Estates

Luis Cória and daughter, Aurora

Cória Estates dog, Maya

29

GOODBYE,

HELLO,

For ski-resort fun without the crowds, pony up to a winter respite at a working ranch

30 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

BY MATT ALDERTON

C LAZY U RANCH

ike tomatoes and sweet corn, cattle ranching ripens in summer, when cowboys and cowgirls spend long, hot days galloping between pastures on horseback counting and herding cows before shipping them to market. But ranchers’ work doesn’t cease come winter — least of all in the Rocky Mountains, where extreme weather demands constant vigilance from the ranch hands who care for land and livestock.

Nikki Morrow is one of those ranch hands. As stables manager at Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa in Tabernash, Colo., she oversees the year-round equestrian program on a 6,500-acre working ranch, whose occupants include approximately 250 head of wagyu cattle.

“Our work doesn’t stop just because it’s cold, windy or snowing.

In fact, we go twice as hard in the wintertime as we do in the summertime,” says Morrow, who spends colder months feeding hungry animals bale upon bale of hay. “Our horses don’t care if it’s 30 or 40 degrees below zero; they’re waiting for their food.”

When they’re not feeding livestock, ranch hands in the winter >

C Lazy U Ranch

31

32 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

Snowboarding

BLUE SKY RANCH WANSHIP, UTAH efore it was home to an elite luxury resort — The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection — Blue Sky Ranch was the site of a working cattle ranch and a horse rescue foundation, Saving Gracie’s Equine Healing Foundation. Now, all three coexist on 3,500 acres outside of Salt Lake City.

For downhill skiers, the property has its own ski lounge at the base of nearby Park City Mountain Resort, which affords Blue Sky guests the chance to carve Park City powder while foregoing Park City crowds. And yet, guests needn’t leave the ranch at all thanks to onsite activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, sporting clays, fly-fishing, snowmobiling and dogsledding. There’s even heli-skiing, where a helicopter transports guests to private ski zones in the Uinta and Wasatch mountain ranges, or natural horsemanship lessons in the style of legendary “horse whisperer” Buck Brannaman.

“People naturally go into a more inward, introspective state during the winter season,” explains Henry Hudson, Blue Sky Ranch general manager. “Being outdoors in the elements, working with animals and exploring the peace of our land is a very powerful conduit for putting one back in touch with oneself.” aubergeresorts.com/bluesky

GETTY IMAGES

typically are removing snow, repairing fences or conducting health checks.

And on some properties, winter is calving season. “Our calving season starts in January,” says Jennifer O’Donohue, brand and communications director at Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Mont. “We have about 250 cows that will usually drop about 200 or so calves.

Taking care of those cows and calves is a full-time job.”

Although ranchers don’t get winters off, their burden is travelers’ benefit, as these lands serve as superb backdrops for seasonal getaways — now, more than ever. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, traditional winter retreats like ski resorts might not sound as appealing as they once did.

“Ranches are very well positioned for people who want to escape large mountain towns and crowded ski resorts where you have really big hotels and a lot of commingling,” explains Brady Johnson, director of sales and marketing at C Lazy U Ranch in Granby, Colo. He says ranches are ideal for social distancing because they’re typically small, remote, self-contained and designed around outdoor activities in wide-open spaces. Plus, many guest ranches have made operational changes — reducing capacity limits, for example, and offering private instead of group activities — to mitigate coronavirus risks even further.

“Even without COVID, a lot of people just don’t want to deal anymore with the hustle and bustle of ski resorts,” Johnson continues. “Ranches are easy.

You don’t have to make reservations and book activities and rent a bunch of gear. You just show up.”

What you find when you show up might surprise you. Instead of manure and manual labor, modern-day guest ranches offer unique experiences that marry personal service and opulent amenities with rustic recreation and authentic agrarianism. In wintertime, especially, the result is a vacation that feels familiar enough to be comfortable but novel enough to be exciting. Case in point: The following guest ranches, each of which will have you dreaming of stables this winter instead of ski lodges:

BRUSH CREEK RANCH SARATOGA, WYO. yoming is quintessentially Western, and all-inclusive Brush Creek Ranch is quintessentially Wyoming. Homesteaded since 1884, it encompasses 30,000 acres across three separate properties: The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek, which occupies the original 6,600-acre ranch; Magee Homestead, which offers private group buyouts; and French Creek Sportsmen’s Club for hunting and fishing.

In winter, activities include not only outdoor staples like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice skating, ice hockey and ice fishing, but also indoor options like shooting at the ranch’s state-of-the-art gun club; culinary classes at The Farm, an epicurean Eden that has its own greenhouse, creamery, brewery, distillery and wine cellar; and horseback riding at its 28,000-square-foot riding arena.

If you ask chief operating officer Mike Williams, however, the ranch’s most exciting winter amenity is Green Mountain. Located 20 minutes away, the private ski mountain opened in 2019 and hosts just 12 skiers a day, who are transported to the mountain’s summit via snowcat.

“Until last year, you could do everything here but ski,” Williams says. “Now, there’s really nothing you can’t do here.” brushcreekranch.com Fly-fishing

DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH RESORT & SPA

BRUSH CREEK RANCH: GETTY IMAGES: DEVIL'S THUMB RANCH RESORT & SPA

TABERNASH, COLO.

oasting solar power, geothermal heating, electric vehicle charging stations, waterefficient plumbing and 80 beehives to cultivate homegrown honey, Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa specializes in conscientious cowboying.

Here, protecting nature necessitates communing with it. In summer, that means fly-fishing, zip lining, mountain biking, archery and hatchet throwing. In winter it means cross-country skiing, fat biking, snowshoeing, ice skating on the property’s seasonal ice rink and swimming — even when it’s snowing — in its heated outdoor swimming pool. Downhill skiing is available just 10 minutes away at Winter Park Resort, and horseback riding is a year-round endeavor.

If you’re not comfortable riding in the snow, you can still enjoy an equine

experience courtesy of the property’s signature sleigh rides, during which guests learn about horses by feeding them. “We take 700 pounds of hay with us. The guests get to help us kick it off the sleigh, and then the horses come over and introduce themselves,” Morrow says. “It’s not your traditional sleigh ride. It really showcases the ranch lifestyle.” devilsthumbranch.com

Ice skating

C LAZY U RANCH GRANBY, COLO.

L

ocated 86 miles northwest of Denver is the familyoriented C Lazy U Ranch, an all-inclusive property that dates back to 1919.

“I would compare it to an African safari,” Johnson says.

“You’re paying one price to have an awesome experience that you’ll never forget, doing things that are unique to the area that you can only do by going to a property like ours.”

Chief among those activities in winter is horseback riding through what Johnson calls a “winter wonderland.” There’s also ice skating on a frozen pond, tubing on a natural hillside and snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling on a vast network of groomed trails that traverse the ranch’s 8,500 acres.

“There are a lot of nice ranches out there, but when you come to ours, you realize that someone actually chose to homestead this land 100 years ago,” Johnson continues. “It’s truly authentic.” clazyu.com

Fat biking

33

THE RESORT AT PAWS UP GREENOUGH, MONT.

Dogsledding

he Resort at Paws Up claims to have coined the term “glamping” and is best known for its private camps with over-the-top tent accommodations. Those come down in winter, but guests still interface with nature by cross-country skiing, tubing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, as well as curling, dogsledding and electric fat biking. There also are horse-drawn sleigh rides, and even skijoring — a winter take on water skiing where skiers are pulled by a horse or dogs.

What aspiring cowboys and cowgirls enjoy most, however, is the resort’s 29,000-square-foot indoor arena, where there are equestrian classes for kids, horse whispering workshops, horsemanship lessons and

rodeo sports like cow croquet and team penning. In the former, teams compete on horseback to steer cattle through gates as if hitting croquet balls through metal hoops in the backyard. In the latter, participants must “cut out” three randomly chosen cattle from a herd of 15, corralling them as quickly as possible from one side of the arena to the other.

“Of course, we also do outdoor trail rides,” says Jackie Kecskes, equestrian manager. “One of my favorite things is riding through the trees when a breeze comes through, blowing big puffs of snow off the branches. It looks like glitter floating through the air as you’re riding. It’s magical.” pawsup.com

TRIPLE CREEK RANCH n all-inclusive, adults-only guest ranch that’s surrounded by 4 million acres of national forest, Triple Creek Ranch encompasses 28,000 acres across three noncontiguous parcels, the largest of which is home to the 26,000-acre CB Ranch, Triple Creek’s working cattle operation.

In winter, however, most of the action takes place on the other two parcels: the main ranch, where there is year-round horseback riding, and nearby Lavene Creek, where there’s a 15-mile looped trail system for guided snowshoe hiking, snowshoe running, fat biking, cross-country skiing and skate skiing, which combines cross-country skiing with inline skating.

For downhill skiing, staff whisk guests 30 minutes north to Lost Trail Powder Mountain, a familyowned ski hill that’s perched atop the Continental Divide.

“It’s not a flashy, Aspen-type experience; it’s where the locals ski, and it very much feels that way,” O’Donohue says. “It’s old and rustic, but the skiing is fabulous, and you never have to wait in line for a lift.” triplecreekranch.com

34 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

Snowshoe hiking

RESORT AT PAWS UP RANCH: TRIPLE CREEK RANCH

DARBY, MONT.

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38 My Town: Phillipa Soo’s Brooklyn, N.Y.

44 My Town: Yaa Gyasi’s Huntsville, Ala.

56 My Town: Leroy Garrett’s Detroit

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50 Try these Tennessee daytrips 52 Enjoy Georgia

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37

NORTHEAST | M Y TOW N

PHILLIPA SOO’S

New York City Phillipa Soo, who originated the role of Eliza in Broadway’s Hamilton, has lived in New York City since attending The Juilliard School. “The best thing about living in New York, and having been here now for 12 years, is I’ve found that I’m never bored,” says Soo, who’s called Brooklyn home for the last four years.

— TRACY SCOTT FORSON

BEST PLACE TO

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

THEATER

BEST

RESTAURANT “My favorite restaurant is definitely Lilia in Williamsburg.

They have fabulous pasta, but also delicious sweets, seafood and appetizers. The whole experience — I’ve always had such an amazing time going there.” lilianewyork.com

“

It’s not necessarily exactly where I live, but two of my favorite neighborhoods in Brooklyn are Greenpoint and Park Slope.”

— PHILLIPA SOO

nycgo.com

“I’ve seen some really great new theater at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

It’s a little melancholy to talk about now (because we don’t know when they’re coming back). ...

I saw The Jungle there — beautiful play.

St. Ann’s does such a great job of transforming that space.” stannswarehouse.org

BEST

MUSEUM “I love the Brooklyn Museum. They’ve got some great exhibits that are always coming through. It’s a really great place.” brooklynmuseum.org

38 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

bbg.org

BEST PLACE FOR

N.Y. PIZZA “Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint. That’s a great place to get a slice of pizza. They’re famous for hot honey that you can put on your pizza. It’s the same concept as chicken and waffles.

It’s savory and sweet.” pauliegee.com/ greenpoint

JORDAN GEIGER; PAVEL ANTONOV; PAULIE GEE’S; LILIA

BEST

“Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Go to the museum, garden and then the park. It’s a short distance for the three of those — really fun, really beautiful.”

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Adventure Awaits

T

here are plenty of ways to enjoy the New England states, and USA TODAY’s 10Best.com relied on readers to select some of their favorite areas to explore the region’s rivers, mountains and parks.

40 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

Cape Cod Central, a heritage passenger railroad that re-creates routes and scenes of historic train travel, provides narrated rides of the cape. Massachusetts’ woodlands, cranberry bogs, salt marshes, sand dunes and canals set the scene, whether aboard a shoreline excursion or brunch or dinner train.

DAN LOWE

Find thrilling ways to explore New England

The tree-to-tree adventure park at Ramblewild encompasses more than 10 acres of pristine Massachusetts forest divided by a ravine. A central platform serves as the starting point for eight aerial obstacle courses with features like high wires, zip lines, balancing logs, cargo nets, rope ladders and suspension bridges.

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

Located in Jeffersonville, Vt., ArborTrek Canopy Adventures takes visitors on guided zip line tours through the canopies of northern Vermont throughout the year (even in the snow).

The Treetop Obstacle Course features more than 85 elements where visitors can climb, swing, jump, zip and balance their way from tree to tree.

Zoar Outdoor pioneered whitewater rafting on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts. Today, rafters enjoy trips from the West River in Vermont to the Millers and Concord rivers in Massachusetts.

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NORTHEAST | N EW ENGL A N D

True to its name, Three Rivers offers rafting trips on the Kennebec, Dead and Penobscot rivers in Maine, with rapids ranging from family friendly Class III to intense Class V filled with chutes, drops and holes. Thrill-seekers can combine a day of rafting with a skydive from 11,000 feet above the ground.

Those aboard the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire can enjoy a three-hour tour to the peak of Mount Washington. The first cog-driven train made the climb on July 3, 1869, and 150 years later, the railway is a National Historic Mechanical and Civil Engineering Landmark.

10Best.com is your source for what’s tops in travel, food and culture, providing inspiration to explore the world around you.

42 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES (2); GETTY IMAGES

The U.S. Rafting company operates along three Maine Rivers. The Kennebec River — the most rafted in Maine — offers Class III and IV thrills, while the Dead River features 16 miles of continuous white water.

For a big-water adventure, take on the rapids of the Penobscot River, nicknamed the Beast of the Northeast.

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YAA GYASI’S

Huntsville, Ala. Originally from Ghana, author Yaa Gyasi’s family emigrated to the U.S. when she was 2, eventually making a home in Huntsville, Ala. Gyasi’s intercontinental background inspired her New York Times bestselling novel Homegoing, which follows two African sisters’ very different journeys as their country is forever changed by the slave trade. Growing up in a city that once boasted the state’s most Ph.D.s per capita also influenced her. “(Huntsville) had this bustling intellectual life that people don’t often associate with Alabama,” says Gyasi, whose second book, Transcendent Kingdom, features a protagonist from Huntsville. “It’s this unique little jewel in Alabama.”

— TRACY SCOTT FORSON

NEIGHBORHOOD “I always like going into Five Points. It’s one of the older, more historic areas. When I was younger, one of my friends liked to go into the town and get coffee. That was a neighborhood I thought was quaint.” fivepointshistoricdistrict.org

“

We always would walk the trail at Aldridge Creek (Greenway).

I know now that there’s a place called Lowe Mill that does a lot of outdoor concerts.

I think right now they’re doing a drive-in.”

— YAA GYASI

huntsville.org; lowemill.art

RESTAURANT “I’m going to say Little Rosie’s, which is a Mexican Taqueria that was pretty close to my high school.

That’s where we’d go most often when I was in high school. When I go home, I try to eat there at least once.” littlerosiestaqueria.com

BEST BEST

MUSEUM “We went to the (U.S.) Space and Rocket Center.

It has a space history portion that perhaps counts as a museum. It has the history of space travel in the United States. Outside, there’s sort of an amusement park. ... It also has a space camp.” rocketcenter.com

44 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

BOOK SPOT “I did go to the library a lot. The Bailey Cove branch was the closest to my house. I spent a lot of time there.” hmcpl.org/ branches/bcove

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In Columbus, Mississippi, beauty and excitement abound. The morning sun dances on the Tennessee-Tombigbee River, a sight best admired from the Columbus River Walk Bridge, and gives a glimpse of the splendor of the day ahead. From here the playbill is packed with grand entrances and friendly faces around every corner. Experience Southern sophistication while exploring the place we call home. When you visit Columbus, plan a tour of the first home of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Tennessee Williams.

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Save the Date: Art, Wine & Wheels : April 30 - May 2, 2021

Drive In Enjoy classic movie fun from a safe social distance

BY SHAMEIKA RHYMES

46 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

T

ransport yourself back in time to when families and couples on date nights loaded into cars and parked in rows facing a 50-foot screen lit up with the current action, drama, romance or comedy flick at a drive-in theater. This nostalgic entertainment touchstone, which largely faded over time from

many parts of the country, has returned to vogue as COVID-19 forced movie theaters to close and customers quarantined and social distanced to stem its spread.

If you’re looking for a safe escape from the confines of your home for a few hours, make your way to one of the approximately 400 drive-ins that remain in the U.S., down from about 4,000 in the late 1950s.

In Florida, only seven

active drive-in theaters remain. Operators of those that managed to survive the ebb and flow of trends and technology say movie lovers flocking to the venues are lured by the same factors that drew people to the drive-ins of yesteryear: family fun and a good bargain.

Prices at drive-ins across the state vary, but on average a family of four can see a double feature for $25 or less, including snacks. >

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SOUTHEAST | FLOR IDA

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parking space that allows rience she treasures. “I not just 6 feet, but as much want my kids to have as 12 to 14 feet” for social this too, so we go as distancing. much as possible,” she As an alternative to the wrote in a review on walk-up concession stand, the drive-in’s Facebook Watzke added a feature page. to the drive-in’s website Watzke says the “where people could order drive-in experience is Silver Moon Drive-In their food and have it something that lasts delivered to their vehicle.” longer than a double Watzke claims Ocala feature.

Drive-In has the largest screen in the state.

“If they see that movie at a drive-in “It’s 65 feet tall, 90 feet long and you can ... they will tell you what drive-in they see it from two blocks away,” he says. saw it at, what kind of vehicle they were Visitors have traveled up to three hours driving, who was with them and even what to watch the silver screen under a starry the family ate,” Watzke says. “That’s the sky. “I came from the Daytona Beach area difference between a walk-in theater and just to experience the (Ocala) drive-in, a drive-in. A walk-in theater is a movie. A and it was well worth it. Can’t beat the drive-in is a memory.” l

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GO OUT TO A DRIVE-IN Here are seven drivein theaters across the Sunshine State:

1

OCALA DRIVE-IN Ocala ocaladrivein.info

2

FUNLAN SWAP SHOP AND DRIVE-IN Tampa floridaswapshop.com/ new-tampa

3

JOY-LAN DRIVEIN THEATRE & SWAP SHOP Dade City joylandrivein.com

4

RUSKIN FAMILY DRIVE-IN THEATRE Ruskin ruskinfamilydrivein. com

5

SILVER MOON DRIVE-IN THEATRE & SWAP SHOP Lakeland silvermoondrivein.com

6

FORT LAUDERDALE SWAP SHOP Fort Lauderdale floridaswapshop.com

7

LAKE WORTH SWAP SHOP & DRIVE-IN Lake Worth floridaswapshop.com/ lake-worth-1

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

The American drive-in era began in 1933 price (and) the concessions were good when the first theater opened for business and reasonable,” wrote Frank Smith in a in Camden, N.J. While it only survived three Facebook review. years, the concept caught on, and by the Sun South Theatres owns and operates early 1960s, more than 4,000 drive-ins were the Silver Moon Drive-in Theatre & Swap filled with moviegoers.

Shop in Lakeland and the Joy-Lan Drive-in Eventually, drive-ins fell prey to the Theatre & Swap Shop in Dade City. Silver ubiquity of movie theaters, and VCRs Moon offers films on its two screens seven allowed for viewing in the days a week, and situprivacy of homes. Today, ated an hour west of they compete with Netflix, Orlando, it’s the closest Hulu and other at-home drive-in to the family movie-streaming serattractions in central vices. Some drive-ins are Florida. Both Silver experimenting by hosting Moon and Joy-Lan also nonmovie events such as operate swap shops, Ocala Drive-In concert viewings, graduaso you can make an tions, church services and entire day of shopping even weddings. and watching movies.

Florida’s Ocala Drive-In Chip Sawyer, is one of the oldest in the president of Sun South state, and its screens have Theatres, says people gone dark just twice in come from as far away its 64-year history. This as the Space Coast year, owner John Watzke to catch a flick. “It is says the drive-in was the really neat to see avid Ocala concessions only one still operating fans of the movies, or and showing first-run younger people that movies at the start of have never even seen the pandemic. He says the classic movies, coming from a long line come enjoy the of projectionists, he knew shows.” the show must go on, so Pamela Womack he made changes for the grew up in Lakeland safety of his customers. and says going to the Lakeland Drive-In, 1956 “I roped off every other Silver Moon is an expe-

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Daytrip Destinations These Tennessee locales offer socially distanced fun

BY MARY HANCE

HISTORIC RUGBY “Quaint” is the best word to describe this historic village, which features a smattering of 1880s buildings nestled in what was envisioned as a “new Garden of Eden” community, about 70 miles northwest of Knoxville.

Step back in time at the lovely wooden 1887 Christ Church Episcopal church,

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with original lamps, handcarved pews and stained glass from Germany; the 1882 Thomas Hughes Library, containing more than 7,000 volumes published before 1899; a two-story schoolhouse built in 1907; and Hughes’ 1882 Kingstone Lisle English rural-style cottage, with mostly original furnishings.

Tours start in the Visitor Centre & Theatre with a short film. A guide then takes you to the various buildings, offering commentary along the way.

Make sure to budget time to explore the natural area around Rugby. Trails are open at Rugby State Natural Area and Big South Fork.

TENNESSEE SAFARI PARK This quirky drivethru zoo, with more than 80 species and 1,400 animals, offers an affordable family

adventure in Alamo, Tenn., about 80 miles northeast of Memphis.

The park has seen a surge in popularity during the pandemic because visitors don't have to leave their cars; simply drive along the roadway to see, pet and feed the animals that approach.

Some of the park's residents will even duck their heads inside the car windows in search of food, so keep human food out of reach.

Park officials say weekday visitors can expect a wait of 45 minutes to an hour to enter, and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the wait could be two to five hours.

The admission gate only accepts cash, but the gift shop takes credit cards. Be sure to bring enough money to buy buckets of “exotic animal food” for the park's inhabitants, which include zebras, camels, antelope

and llamas.

The park has a petting zoo in addition to the 5.5mile drive-thru portion.

TOUR AMISH COUNTRY Ethridge in Lawrence County, about 80 miles south of Nashville, is home to more than 250 Amish farms, where owners live and work without electricity or running water.

Horse-drawn wagon tours are offered from several locations, and a guide will provide interesting commentary during your 6-mile excursion, which will take you to up to five farms.

On the tour, you can also purchase Amish baked goods, such as fried pies and breads, and canned goods, including beets, peppers and jellies.

— Mary Hance writes for The Tennessean.

GEORGE WALKER IV/THE TENNESSEAN; MARY HANCE/THE TENNESSEAN; LARRY MCCORMACK/THE TENNESSEAN

S

tay-at-home orders have lightened up a bit, so it is a good time to safely explore some interesting places not far from major Tennessee cities. Load up the family for a day out, while keeping social distancing mandates in mind. Wear masks, wash your hands and enjoy these family-friendly destinations:

SOUTHEAST | GEORGI A

Check these spectacular sites off your Georgia bucket list

A

tlantic beaches, historic small towns, coastal marshlands and northern mountains — the state with the largest land area east of the Mississippi River is a study in contrasts. There’s the rural Old South with its moss-draped oaks and grand plantations. On the other side sits metropolitan Atlanta, arguably the capital of the New South.And everywhere in between are opportunities to commune with nature, expand your cultural and artistic horizons and immerse yourself in the Peach State’s history. These attractions, recommended by USA TODAY’s 10Best.com, provide those pursuits and more:

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Recorded history of this city begins in 1733, the year when Gen. James Oglethorpe and the good ship Anne made landfall along the Savannah River and the colony of Georgia was established. Considered America’s first planned city, Savannah still has 22 of its 24 original public squares, thanks in part to the Historic Savannah Foundation, which helped forge one of the country’s largest historic landmarks, Savannah’s Historic Landmark District.

THE BIG HOUSE MUSEUM In 1969, legendary guitarist Duane Allman formed the Allman Brothers Band, known for its rock-fueled blend of blues, jazz and country music. The Big House in Macon was the center of the band’s activities during their early years, and today, the Tudor-style house serves as a museum filled with guitars and other memorabilia.

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Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

OCMULGEE MOUNDS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK Some 17,000 years of continuous human occupation are in evidence at this prehistoric Native American site in Macon. Nomadic hunters of the ice age were the first people to pass through this 700-acre park, followed by groups who began cultivating corn and beans. By 900 A.D., the Mississippian people arrived and began building the earthen mounds for which they’re famous.

CUMBERLAND ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE Cumberland Island is for nature

enthusiasts. Picture-perfect oaks dripping Spanish moss serve as trail sentinels here, living estuaries bubble with life, and the skies are filled with egrets, storks and other resident birds. Native American, Spanish and English history abounds, and the ruins of the Thomas Carnegie family’s mansions now serve as reminders of some of the island’s long-lost residents.

CALLAWAY RESORT & GARDENS This 14,000-acre property in Pine Mountain offers activities such as Halloween tennis; organ concerts in the memorial chapel; lessons

on beekeeping, photography and basketweaving; live music and more.

OKEFENOKEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Established in 1937 as a sanctuary and breeding ground for migratory birds, this refuge protects a swath of the Okefenokee Swamp at the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys rivers just above the Florida state line. Popular among bird-watchers for the chance to spot wood storks and red-cockaded woodpeckers, the refuge also provides a habitat for fish, amphibians, reptiles and more than 600 species of plants.

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54 GO ESCAPE | WINTER 2021

GETTY IMAGES; NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (2); GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (2); CALLAWAY GARDENS

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LEROY GARRETT’S

Detroit

Leroy Garrett has been traveling the world competing with fellow reality TV stars on MTV’s The Challenge for 11 seasons, but he calls Detroit home.

“I try to go back at least once a year, mainly at Christmastime. The majority of my family is there,” says Garrett, who’s lived in Nevada since he first appeared on MTV’s The Real World: Las Vegas in 2011. “I’ve been living in Vegas for so long, I can appreciate Detroit’s four seasons. I’m so deprived of seeing trees and grass. You don’t appreciate it until you actually leave.”

— TRACY SCOTT FORSON

MUSEUM “Every year, in January, we have the (North American) International Auto Show. It’s like a museum. Detroit is the Motor City.

Everybody wants to take pictures in front of the cars. We always look forward to going, once the wintertime hits.” naias.com

“

Greektown — that’s where all the casinos are. Detroit has all these different casinos, including MGM and Greektown. We’re big on gambling.”

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“American Coney Island is a restaurant that serves hot dogs.

Detroit is real big on Coney Islands, which is a chili dog. When you think of Detroit, you think of a Coney.” americanconeyisland. com

“In downtown Detroit, there’s Hart Plaza.

They do a lot of free concerts. They have all these Detroit artists and major artists — the whole city comes out.” detroitriverfront.org

— LEROY GARRETT

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DATE NIGHT SPOT “Belle Isle is an island (on the Detroit River). (Belle Isle Park has) the Giant Slide. It’s really tall. You slide down the slide in a potato sack and try not to get killed.” michigan.org/property/belle-isle-park

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Ron Oppold packs up the balloon after landing in July near Sioux Falls, S.D.

TAKE FLIGHT These companies offer hot air balloon rides that soar through South Dakota skies: 605 BALLOON RIDE Sioux Falls Duos, trios and quartets are welcome to enjoy these flights, offering views of the state’s picturesque landscape. u605balloonride.com

Enjoy aerial views of South Dakota in hot air balloons

BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS

R

on Oppold casts a long silhouette against a technicolor backdrop.

The hot air balloon pilot is focused on the task at hand: filling up his 90,000-cubic-foot balloon with air.

Crowds gather as pilots and their crews prepare to take off from Tuthill Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. Kids stare with excitement as one by one balloons lifts from the ground and rise above the trees. Oppold and his passengers disappear beyond the horizon.

Nearly 10 years ago, Oppold entered the hot air balloon world through the

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invitation of a friend. He began as a crew member, with duties that included holding onto the mouth of the balloon as the envelope filled with hot air. He was hooked. It wasn’t just about the balloons; it was about the people he met.

“The thing that drew me to it, besides the love of watching things float in the air and land, was the camaraderie,” Oppold says.

He earned his commercial pilot license and is a members of the Sioux Falls Ballooning Association.

The association, started in 1982, grew out of a desire to connect with others in the hot air balloon world, according to founding member Orvin Olivier.

The modernized hot air balloon holds special significance to the association because it was invented by Raven Industries in 1960 in Sioux Falls. The earliest iteration dates back to 18th-century France.

“We’re a very connected association,” Olivier says.

“And when someone is thinking about flying, we enjoy flying in groups and together.”

And the ride is always a memorable experience.

“It’s something fun to share with the passengers,” Oppold says. “It’s almost indescribable.”

— Abigail Dollins is a photographer and videographer at the (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader.

PRAIRIE SKY Sioux Falls Drift gently over South Dakota’s prairies and farmland during a panoramic adventure. uflyprairiesky.com WESTERN HORIZONS Hot Springs Families may spot deer, antelope, wild turkeys and other wildlife while adrift over the state’s vast plains. uflywesternhorizons. com BLACK HILLS BALLOONS Custer Enjoy a sparkling wine toast on this one-hour flight over the Black Hills. ublackhillsballoons.com

ABIGAIL DOLLINS/(SIOUX, S.D.) ARGUS LEADER

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My Heart Belongs to Des Moines

Des Moines on Display Discover the city’s artistic side through street murals

etween buildings, above cars and towering over pedestrians are walls of color in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The city and its suburbs are home to dozens of murals created by local artists to give life to an otherwise inanimate landscape.

As the global coronavirus pandemic tries to keep you indoors, an opportunity awaits to explore art in the city. The murals are ideal for sightseeing, selfies or an afternoon out with family.

A walking (or driving or biking) tour of some of downtown Des Moines’ best murals can be done in an hour or an afternoon.

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THE PUZZLE OF LIFE High Street between 8th and 9th Streets Past Centro and Starbucks and up 9th Street ,The Puzzle of Life appears on the west wall of the PACE Center. This mural was created by Barri Lester in 2003 with the help of students at PACE. The largerthan-life mural reflects the journeys and successes of teenagers as they complete their education, according to the Des Moines Public Art Foundation.

OLIVIA SUN/THE DES MOINES REGISTER

B

BY SARAH KAY LEBLANC

MY HEART BELONGS TO DES MOINES 7th Street and Park Street The message of this mural serves as the unofficial welcome to downtown Des Moines. My Heart Belongs to Des Moines was scrawled across the west side of the Parker @ Seventh building in 2018 by Jenna Brownlee. The large white letters stand out on a black background and are surrounded by brightly colored flowers.

BETTER TOGETHER 401 Locust St. One of Des Moines’ newest murals covers the entire west side of the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel. Better Together was painted in 2019 by Ben Schuh and features the many hallmarks of Des Moines. Each letter contains an image that represents Des Moines and Iowans. The “E” in “Moines” displays the colors that swim across the Gray’s Lake bridge in the evening, the “I” shows a bicyclist, and the “M” is an image of the Japanese pagoda in the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens. The mural was created in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. A block away is Mars Sidebar, a good place to stop for a drink or a snack.

GARDEN OF BLESSINGS 412 E. 5th St. Garden of Blessings, located in an East Village alley, was painted by Patrick Faris to add a little bit of the wild to his neighborhood. Faris’ mural has colorful flowers of all types, shapes and sizes climbing up the south-facing wall of 412 E. 5th St. The art also features windows that give viewers a glimpse of a Christmas tree in a home, a sunset and outer space.

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MIDWEST | IOWA

PEARL CLUTCHER/ SNATCHER

CHEERS FROM DES MOINES

REUNITED, WITH BEES

Exile Brewing Co., 1514 Walnut St. It’s possible to begin anywhere along the route, but the Cheers From Des Moines mural is on the Exile Brewing Company’s building, where the beers and burgers can set you up for an afternoon of exploring or serve as a reward for finishing. The mural, painted by Schuh in 2016, adorns the building’s west wall and features the Iowa state Capitol, a flight of beer and bicyclists.

808 Des Moines St. The mural’s artist, Frank Hansen, calls Reunited, With Bees a “beautiful eyesore.” Painted on the side of an apartment building, the work shows two children playing with bees. To add to the quirkiness of the piece, two of the bees are wearing top hats.

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— Sarah Kay LeBlanc writes for The Des Moines (Iowa) Register

OLIVIA SUN/THE DES MOINES REGISTER

309 Locust St. Splashed across the wall of a downtown building is the shocked face of a woman with blond hair painted by Jordan Weber. She represents “the overall American consumer,” or a “more traditional” Des Moines resident, reacting to downtown’s rapid growth, Weber told the Des Moines Register in 2015. Next door to the mural, the Splash Seafood Bar & Grill’s oysters, caviar and charcuterie platters serve as a gustatory complement to the visual tour.

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WEST | M Y TOW N

TAMRON HALL’S

Dallas-Fort Worth When the time came to have her infant son baptized, talk show host Tamron Hall headed home to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With her mom, brother and nieces and nephew living there, family is the local attraction that draws her the most. “The air tastes different.

It smells different. The texture just feels different. It’s home,” she says. Hall’s broadcasting career began at the local KBTV station, which now airs her nationally syndicated Tamron Hall show.

“Last summer, I returned to promote my talk show. It’s so surreal,” she says.

— TRACY SCOTT FORSON

A SWEET TREAT “Cake Bar Dallas. They make cakes from scratch. It’s right near the Trinity River. Take a walk, so you don’t feel so guilty. I never met a cake I didn’t like.” cakebardallas.com

“

Bubba’s is across from Southern Methodist University. They serve yams and fried okra. They have an apricot fried pie. I love that. That’s one of my favorite spots to remind me that I am from the South.”

— TAMRON HALL

bubbasdallas.com

SHOP “NorthPark Center is where you shop. It’s the premiere shopping destination.

The first time I ever bought an expensive anything was at NorthPark. It’s fine shopping.

It’s incredibly glamorous.” northparkcenter. com

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DATE NIGHT “I like going to have a nice drink at Hotel ZaZa. It’s trendy and fun. They have cute bungalows there.

People will book a bungalow and have an overnight stay.” hotelzaza.com/dallas

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FAMILY OUTINGS “I do like Harry S. Moss Park and the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve for walking, hiking, jogging. My son is refusing to walk, but we do bike. I have a baby seat now attached to my bike. He loves it. He has his little toddler helmet. My husband loves it as well. When the three of us go out together, it’s a blast.” dallasparks.org; oak-cliff-nature-preserve

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WEST | A R IZONA

Best Birding Hot spots, species to watch for throughout Arizona

Elegant trogon

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GETTY IMAGES

BY SHAENA MONTANARI

A

rizona is known as one of the top birding destinations in the United States.

The diverse range of ecosystems — from desert lowlands to mountainous “sky islands,” where peaks and surrounding lowlands have drastically different environments — provides habitat for the more than 560 species found on the birding checklist for the state.

Arizona has 48 designated Important Bird Areas, habitats that are critical nationally and globally to the conservation of bird biodiversity.

If you are interested in seeing some of these species for yourself, grab a pair of binoculars and head out to these prime birding destinations around the state:

Gambel’s quail

crowned night heron

SOUTHERN ARIZONA One of the most visited birding destinations in the country, southern Arizona is famous for its sky islands, which create habitats for a wide variety of bird species not found in the surrounding desert.

“If you’re one of those birders that wants to see as many birds as possible in the United States, sooner or later you need to come to Southeast Arizona because there are birds here that are not found

anyplace else,” says Tom Wood, director of the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory.

Wood says that southern Arizona is the northernmost migratory point for many birds from Mexico, making it a unique area for birding in the U.S. Chiricahua National Monument, about 35 miles southeast of Willcox, is one place where you can find sky islands. More than 200 bird species have been documented in this area, including the sought-after elegant trogon. While this bird is rare, you are more likely to spot hairy woodpeckers, turkey vultures and Mexican jays.

There are numerous birding hot spots south of Tucson. At Patagonia Lake State Park, water birds like the great blue heron and black

Mexican jay

Vermilion flycatcher (center)

are common around the manmade reservoir.

The San Pedro River near Sierra Vista is a prime location to spot birds that nest there, including Gambel’s quail and vermilion flycatchers.

Madera Canyon in Coronado National Forest is an extremely popular spot for birders who want a chance to see the elegant trogon or an elf owl among many other more common species like the painted redstart and warblers. Madera Canyon is also a good place to see multiple >

67

WEST | A R IZONA

Peregrine falcon

PHOENIX The Tres Rios Wetlands is a nearly 700-acre wetland created by reclaimed water from a wastewater treatment plant and a great place for spotting water birds such as the blacknecked stilt, double-

crested cormorant and American white pelican.

The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area is the home of the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center. More than 200 species of birds have been spotted in this wetland restoration area that is just 2 miles south of downtown.

The Hassayampa River Preserve, northwest of Phoenix in Wickenburg, is a Sonoran Desert habitat near the water.

Species like the greater roadrunner and cactus wren are two of nearly 300 species that can be spotted in this preserve. Gray and redshouldered hawks have also taken to nesting in cottonwood trees in the preserve.

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American white pelican

Acorn woodpecker

Black-necked stilt

Black-chinned hummingbird

Mallard

Sedona and the Verde Valley are great destinations for birding.

The area has a mix of desert habitats and water features that support a diverse community of birds from cedar waxwings to black hawks.

Dennis Tomko, vice president of the Northern Arizona Audubon Society, recommends Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood and the Sedona Wetlands Preserve off State Route 89A as easy-access birding destinations in this region.

The Kachina Wetlands Preserve just south of Flagstaff is a great year-round birding location to see ducks, rails and potentially even a bald eagle.

Watson Lake near Prescott is an important refuge for birds in the winter and is a good place to see multiple species of ducks like mallards and wood ducks.

Grand Canyon National Park is a designated Important Bird Area of global importance. More than 400 species have been spotted here. One reason this area is so important is that it is part of the migratory corridor for raptors like osprey. Peregrine falcons nest on the steep canyon walls. Rare birds like the California condor and Mexican spotted owl also call the Grand Canyon home. l

GETTY IMAGES (5); CHERYL EVANS

NORTHERN ARIZONA

species of hummingbirds in the summer — 15 different species have been spotted there.

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is a wetland near the town of McNeal with a multitude of species to spot. In the winter, it becomes a roosting site for more than 20,000 sandhill cranes.

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PACIFIC | M Y TOW N

LISA VANDERPUMP’S

Los Angeles Born and raised in London, Lisa Vanderpump now calls the Los Angeles area home. It’s the headquarters of her growing empire which, to date, includes Bravo TV’s hit reality series Vanderpump Rules, five restaurants, a wine company, a lighting collection, a dog boutique and an animal-rescue center. It’s also the location of Villa Rosa, the sprawling Beverly Hills estate where she and husband, Ken Todd, reside with a menagerie of dogs, horses and swans. “My life is full and can be exhausting, but I’m passionate about it,” Vanderpump says. “I’m very proud of where I live.”

— ALLISON W. ENTREKIN

BEST

SHOP “I have to say that my dog boutique, Vanderpump Pets, is great. It offers such a different experience, with chandeliers, sofas and jazz music playing. The profits from the products we sell support our nonprofit rescue center.” vanderpumppets.com

“

Having grown up in London, I think the real luxury of living here is to have the ocean so near. I like to drive people to Nobu (restaurant) in Malibu to eat by the water.”

— LISA VANDERPUMP

noburestaurants.com

BEST PLACE TO

GET INSPIRED “I like to ride my horse, Prince Tardon, up and down the Los Angeles River. It’s wonderful to have that kind of solitude.” lariver.org

santa barbara ca.com

BEST PLACE FOR A

DATE NIGHT “Ken and I enjoy romantic little garden restaurants like e. baldi in Beverly Hills. I always sit outside, so I can bring my Pomeranian Giggy.” ebaldi.com

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“I love to go to Montecito.

It’s a really gorgeous little village on the ocean with beautiful European architecture.”

TOMMY GARCIA/BRAVO; GETTY IMAGES (2); VANDERPUMP PETS

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PACIFIC | C A L IFOR N I A

Rock On! California offers premier destinations to climb and boulder

BY REBECCA PLEVIN

Yosemite National Park

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I

GETTY IMAGES; IAN GARGLE/SPECIAL TO DESERT SUN MAGAZINE

n October, rock climbers’ palms start to sweat in anticipation. Knowing cooler temperatures bring better conditions, they dream up epic trips to California’s world-class climbing destinations. Their fingertips tingle as they plot out the routes they want to climb from Yosemite National Park to the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Other Western states like Colorado might be better known for their mountains, “but when a Colorado climber has a month off, they come to California,” says Seth Zaharias, co-owner of Cliffhanger Guides in Joshua Tree. The Golden State’s diversity of climbing locations, topography and elevation is “unparalleled worldwide,” he says.

Of course, climbing outdoors comes with risk and responsibility. Always take precautions and commit to protecting the environment. The Access Fund, which works to keep climbing areas open and conserve the

climbing environment, reminds people to park and camp in designated areas, dispose of human waste properly and stay on trails when possible.

Whether you’re chasing more difficult climbing grades or trying to complete a project you’ve been attempting for months or years, California offers a wide range of destinations. While in no way exhaustive, here’s a list of some of the state’s most iconic areas to rock climb and boulder:

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Considered the international mecca for modern rock climbing since the early 1900s, Yosemite National Park has remained in the limelight in recent years, thanks in part to the jawdropping feats of professional climbers like Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell. Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson scaled El Capitan’s Dawn Wall, widely considered to be the most difficult successful climb in the world — all captured in the

documentary The Dawn Wall.

But you don’t need to be a pro to appreciate the huge multipitch routes of El Capitan and Half Dome, which require multiple stops at belay stations (where climbing devices have been placed in the rock) and sometimes take days to complete. As Yosemite has gained worldwide attention, however, the park has also grown more crowded. “The irony is that people want that magical Yosemite experience, but also don’t want to be part of the crowd,” says Graham Ottley of Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, which leads people through less-traveled parts of the park.

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK Between October and April, climbers from around the world head to Joshua Tree National Park to climb in an other-worldly landscape. Joshua Tree has “a little bit of everything,” says >

Joshua Tree National Park

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PACIFIC | C A L IFOR N I A

BISHOP Climbers from across California and the world flock to the small city of Bishop on the east side of the Sierra Nevada because, “there is just so much climbing out here,” says Todd Vogel, a longtime climbing and mountain guide and co-owner of Wilson’s Eastside Sports in Bishop. The Bishop and Mammoth areas offer climbing “all year, most of the time,” Vogel says.

“If you come here and it’s super hot, you just need to go to higher elevation,” he adds.

LAKE TAHOE Lake Tahoe may be best known for activities like skiing and snowboarding, but the region’s high concentration of excellent climbing, scenery and sunshine also make it an attractive warm-weather destination, says David Polivy, CEO of outdoor gear retailer Tahoe Mountain Sports in Truckee, Calif. He often jokes: “You come for the winter, but you stay for that first summer and

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Bishop

then you’re really hooked.”

Donner Summit, named for the group of pioneers who got stranded in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846-47 and resorted to cannibalism to survive, is one of Tahoe’s most iconic climbing areas, with hundreds of traditional, sport and multipitch routes, while 90 Foot Wall, which overlooks the shimmering Emerald Bay, might be its most picturesque. D.L. Bliss State Park, meanwhile, offers dreamy granite boulders.

If you go, Polivy recommends camping at Donner Memorial State Park on the shores of Donner Lake.

IDYLLWILD Between late spring and late fall, climbers travel to the idyllic community of Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains to scale hundreds of feet of stellar-quality granite at Tahquitz and Suicide rocks. The two crags are “really historical for North American rock climbing,” says Julie Jeszenka, store manager at the outdoor gear shop Nomad Ventures in Idyllwild.

Boulderers, meanwhile, head to Black Mountain, known for

challenging problems on granite rocks that often loom more than 20 feet tall.

SONORA PASS Avid climbers who visit the crags and boulders along Sonora Pass, one of the highest highway passes in the Sierra Nevada, might feel as if they have struck gold. During the winter, people head to lower-elevation areas like Gold Wall and Jailhouse Rock, which Sonora resident Trevor Shumaker calls, “one of the hardest crags in California.”

Because the walls are curved at such steep angles, he says, the routes stay dry during the rain.

People can also scale the limestone boulders in Columbia State Historic Park and on the campus of Columbia College in the Gold Rush-era city of Sonora.

In the summer, those in the know travel up Highway 108 to steep, hundreds-foot-tall crags, like the Lost World, for “granite climbing without the crowds” of other popular destinations like Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, Shumaker says.

— Rebecca Plevin writes for The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

IAN GARGLE/SPECIAL TO DESERT SUN MAGAZINE

Aron Stockhausen, owner of guiding company Stone Adventures, noting the park’s world-class crack, slab and face climbing, as well as iconic boulders, such as Slashface, an R-rated V3. (The V-scale rating system determines the difficulty of a climb, while guidebooks sometimes use movielike grades to indicate danger level.)

Among the park’s limited camping options is the firstcome, first-served Hidden Valley Campground, which Zaharias calls “probably the best climber campground in the world.” With thousands of climbing and bouldering routes within walking distance of the campground, you can park your car at your campsite for up to two weeks during the peak season and “never be bored and never repeat a route,” he says.

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MEXICO | C A MPECHE

Uncommon Campeche Yucatán’s neighbor is the lesser-known jewel of southeast Mexico

BY CARLI PIERSON

T

San Francisco de Campeche

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GETTY IMAGES

here is a destination on Mexico’s southeast coastline that’s worth daydreaming about. It’s the UNESCO heritage fortified city of San Francisco de Campeche in the state of Campeche.

In this city there’s all the history, culture, relaxation and archaeological activities that draw tourists to neighboring Yucatán, but with fewer crowds.

Edzná

The streets of Campeche

Jorge Manos Esparragoza, the state’s secretary of tourism, suggests getting to know Campeche and its history on an iconic trolley that weaves through the city’s narrow streets, offering views of colorful, architecturally significant buildings, picturesque coastline and historical landmarks, such as Fuerte de San Miguel, an 18th-century structure that now houses Mayan artifacts.

Esparragoza also recommends taking a walk on the 2.2-mile-long oceanfront boardwalk where many Campechanos like to exercise. Tourists can walk, cycle or skate along the shoreline while enjoying art installations.

Archaeology lovers will want to tour the ancient Mayan ruins of Edzná (about 37 miles from the city and well worth the drive). Dating back to the

Preclassic era, Edzná is believed to have been a major city.

Campeche’s historic downtown (centro historico) has more to offer than classic buildings. Shoppers can buy silky hammocks and other exquisite items from the area’s craftspeople.

Browse the hand-embroidered cotton shirts and dresses and support the indigenous Mayan women who made them.

In the centro, take a stroll down Calle 59 and admire the colonial architecture. Stop in for a cup of hot or cold chocolate spiced with chili, or what are purported to be the world’s best chocolate and strawberry crepes at Chocol Ha — a café tucked away at the end of the street.

If it’s elegance and exclusivity you’re

Casa de los Murmullos

seeking, then make reservations at

Casa de los Murmullos — where you can savor the creations of chef Patrick Cros, a transplant from France. Enjoy a seven-course, private candlelit dinner in Cros’ magnificent 17th-century colonial home and private restaurant in the historic neighborhood of Guadalupe. Cros has garnered national and international fame for masterfully fusing French and local cuisine with hand-sourced ingredients, like his emblematic mole sauce with cashew apples.

When he has visitors, Cros likes to take them to a favorite nearby outdoor restaurant, Los Portales, where “guests can experience traditional, local cuisine,” he says. Try the iced tea, lime soup and cazón (shark) empanadas.

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CARIBBEAN | GR ENA DA

Good Fun in Grenada Experience splashes and spices on this nature lover’s isle STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSALIND CUMMINGS-YEATES

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he island of Grenada stretches about 20 miles between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. But there is so much natural beauty packed into this small space that it feels like it’s an unending green landscape, just waiting for you to explore it. Whether it’s waterfalls or locally grown spices, Grenada offers unexpected natural fun.

by banana, mango and papaya trees and topping off at 70 feet, it’s also one of the country’s tallest. A brief walk through a river valley reveals the falls descending into an emerald pool. The standout adventure at Annadale is the lower falls, which flow from the upper falls over smooth rocks that form a natural waterslide.

THE SPICE

Concord Falls

Home in the rainforest

THE SPLASH When you land at Maurice Bishop International Airport in the capital of St. George’s, you’ll immediately notice pristine beaches and lush mountains.

That’s because no hotels or buildings are permitted to be taller than the island’s fully grown coconut palm trees, so Grenada’s verdant vistas are front and center.

Dive into that scenery with a trek to Concord Waterfall. Located on the western side of the island, “it’s the easiest waterfall to access,” says Darron McPhail, a local tour guide. Unfolding at the bottom of a soaring rainforest, Concord actually features three falls, with each one taking you deeper into the jungle. A paved road leads to the first, where there’s a platform for viewing. The falls cascade down to a shallow pool where many visitors wade and swim.

Nutmeg

But the falls are just a few of the highlights. “You can see nutmeg trees.

You can see the Mona monkey (with distinctive chubby cheeks to store food), and you can watch locals jump off the highest point of the falls at 60 feet,” says McPhail. The second and third falls can only be reached by crossing the Concord River on stones, so a guide is recommended.

Annandale Waterfalls is surrounded by a vibrant garden of heliconias, anthuriums, orchids and cashew, sapodilla and breadfruit trees. It’s a small waterfall flanked by ferns and hanging shrubs. Located on the southwest side of Grenada, Annandale is popular with cruise ships and tour buses.

For a more serene excursion, Royal Mount Carmel Waterfalls is on the east coast of the island and is one of the least visited waterfalls. Encircled

Grenada earned the nickname, the Spice Isle because it’s one of the world’s largest producers of nutmeg and cinnamon. Clove, allspice and ginger also grow in the island’s rich soil. An important part of exploring Grenada is strolling through St. George’s spice market, which provides a fascinating sensory experience. Bright blue, yellow and red umbrellas block the sun from piles of fruits like mangos, star fruit, soursop and coconuts. Vendors sell freshly ground nutmeg, clove, turmeric and ginger. You can taste samples or savor the seasonings at local restaurants like Country Kitchen Restaurant & Bar on St. John’s Street.

With butter-colored walls and a large chalkboard menu, the homey restaurant is a Grenadian favorite. Try the lambie souse, which is flavorful stewed conch, or the national dish of oil down, a hearty stew of meat, fish, callaloo, carrots, breadfruit and lots of turmeric.

For an interactive view of Grenada’s significant nutmeg production, check out Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station. Rows of nutmeg on drying racks and spilling out of burlap bags greet you. A guide walks you through the history of nutmeg on the island, and you can watch workers sort through some of the 3 million pounds of nutmeg that the plant processes each year.

With the spicy fragrance of nutmeg in the air, visitors can browse the gift shop for some of the more unusual nutmeg products, including pain relieving lotion, insect repellent and candles. The more traditional jellies, cookies and pure nutmeg are available too. It’s a great way to take away memories of Grenada’s natural riches.

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ONE FOR THE ROAD

Snow Bound Wind through a wintry wonderland

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GETTY IMAGES

he Blue Ridge Parkway was the second most visited national park in 2019, welcoming nearly 15 million travelers. Take this 469-mile route in autumn for views of colorful fall foliage. In winter, it can offer spectacular snow-capped scenes from the Shenandoah Valley National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina.

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