The Group Travel Leader September 2020

ICONIC ART MUSEUMS

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LEADERS NEEDED

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Other historical attractions explain the what.

We also shine a light on the why.

COMI N G 2 0 2 1 P HILAD EL PHI A , PA To learn more, call 215.309.0316 or visit faithandliberty.org/grouptours.

Handheld lamp guests receive to interact with immersive American history exhibits, giving visitors an experience that’s informed, inspired and personalized like never before.

Enter a Portal to Oklahoma’s Past Oklahoma is a mecca for museums, with 500+ to explore. First up, visit the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It’s a wonderland of Western and American Indian culture. While you’re there, check out Liichokoshkomo’, 100,000 square feet of interactive fun. At the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, bask in the beauty of its peaceful gardens and art galleries. Then, tour the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler to learn about the history of America’s beloved Mother Road.

Discover attractions, itineraries and more at TravelOK.com/Group.

CONTENTS

GROUP TH E

TRAVEL LEADER

CHARTING THE EVOLUTION OF GROUP TR AVEL

COLU M NS

N EWS

6 Editor’s Marks

8 Family Matters 18 Tourism Navigator

O N T H E COV E R

A couple enjoy sunrise in California’s Yosemite National Park.

Photo by Swiss Media Vision

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VOL 30 | ISSUE 7

ISSUE

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I CON I C ART MUS EUMS

O UTDO O RS IN CA L I FORNI A

These institutions showcase some of the world’s best artwork.

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Leaders’ Perspectives

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How We’re Restarting

K E LLY T Y N E R 888.253.0455

MAC T. LACY CHARLES A. PRESLEY BRIAN JEWELL HERBERT SPARROW DONIA SIMMONS KELLY TYNER

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Founder and Publisher Partner VP & Executive Editor Senior Writer Creative Director VP, Sales & Marketing

KYLE ANDERSON ASHLEY RICKS ELIZA MYERS MELISSA RILEY CHRISTINE CLOUGH

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The Golden State’s parks and scenic areas are worth the journey.

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Alternative Dining Ideas

kelly@grouptravelleader.com

Director of Advertising Sales Graphic Design & Circulation Associate Editor Accounting Manager Copy Editor

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Holiday Destinations

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America’s State Parks

The GROUP TRAVEL LEADER is published ten times a year by THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Inc., 301 East High St., Lexington, Kentucky 40507, and is distributed free of charge to qualified group leaders who plan travel for groups of all ages and sizes. THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER serves as the official magazine of GROUP TRAVEL FAMILY, the organization for traveling groups. All other travel suppliers, including tour operators, destinations, attractions, transportation companies, hotels, restaurants and other travel-related companies may subscribe to THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER by sending a check for $59 for one year to: THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Circulation Department, 301 East High St., Lexington, KY 40507. Phone (859) 2530455 or (859) 253-0503. Copyright THE GROUP TRAVEL LEADER, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial or graphic content in any manner without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited.

M6ake Waves2

in Myrtle Beach

Myrtle80Bea0.4chGroups.com 88.8998

With 60 miles of beautiful coastline, two state parks, and exciting venues offering diverse experiences, you’ll find no better place to bring your group together than in Myrtle Beach. Let our award-winning CVB staff help you plan your next event to meet today’s new safety standards.

Contact Sandy Haines at Sandy.Haines@VisitMyrtleBeach.com.

EDITOR’S MARKS

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BY BRIAN JEWELL

his was supposed to be the summer of George!”

The 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld” was never meant to teach us life lessons. Its creators determined from the beginning that the show would have “no hugging and no learning.” And yet now, in the late summer of 2020, I can’t help but relate to George Costanza.

In one particularly memorable episode from 1997, the hapless George discovers he’s about to receive three months’ income without having to show up at work. So he proclaims that for those three months, he’s going to do whatever he wants.

It’s going to be, as he says, “the summer of George.”

But George’s time off doesn’t work out the way he hoped. Through a series of comically absurd accidents, George ends up in the hospital with two broken legs, and a doctor tells him that he may never walk again.

At the end of the episode, he cries out in frustration, “This was supposed to be the summer of George!”

Like George Costanza, I think a lot of us in the travel community have been haunted recently by what was supposed to be.

It was supposed to be a year of amazing adventures. It was supposed to be a year of new ideas and innovations. It was supposed to be a year of growing our businesses and expanding our horizons.

It was supposed to be our best year ever.

Instead, it became a year of panic and isolation.

My travel calendar for 2020 was jam-packed with exciting plans. But like you, I haven’t gone anywhere since early March.

Coronavirus was supposed to be a Chinese prob-

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lem. Lockdown was supposed to last two weeks. Travel was supposed to rebound over the summer. We were supposed to be done with this whole mess by now.

In this moment, it would be really easy to go full Costanza and start screaming at the universe.

Here’s the thing, though: From the first episode of “Seinfeld” to the last, George was always a victim. And he was always pathetic.

It’s easy to laugh at the absurdity of George Costanza. It’s much harder to laugh about anything going on in our world today. But if the travel community doesn’t get busy changing the narrative, we risk becoming the Costanza of this year’s story.

There’s no way around it: The travel industry is among the chief victims of the pandemic. But just because we’re victims doesn’t mean we’re hapless. And we don’t have to be pathetic.

We can’t choose everything that will happen in the rest of 2020, but we can choose how we react to it. We can shake our fists at the sky and yell about what was supposed to be. Or we can stand up, square our shoulders and confront our challenges head-on.

There will come a day when COVID is our past, not our present.

People will be ready — maybe even desperate — to travel again. When that day comes, will we be ready to take them?

The road to readiness begins here. Recovery requires choosing to be underdogs instead of victims. And the choices we make today will determine how well we bounce back tomorrow.

Forget about what was supposed to be. Focus on what can be.

Then don’t give up until it comes to be.

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REDISCOVER ATLANTIC CITY

The Story Continues Entertainment and excitement await in Atlantic City, including our world-famous Boardwalk, the ultimate in tax-free shopping, award-winning dining, live entertainment, and great attractions, like the Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey. Experience an exciting getaway and create a lifetime of memories in Atlantic City.

Atlantic City Expert Heather Colache is available at 609-318-6097 or hcolache@meetac.com to make sure you enjoy Atlantic City as it was meant to be experienced. Call today to book your Atlantic City Experience.

Meet AC received funding through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.

TourAtlanticCity.com

FAMILY M AT T E R S

OV E R C O M I N G C OV I D -1 9 R E Q U I R E S L E A D E R S H I P N OW

CHARLIE PRESLEY

JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT

AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN

Plan your trip today.

SALEM, Ohio — Readers of this publication are well aware of the impact COVID-19 has had on the travel industry.

And most everyone has a personal story of struggle, from group leaders keeping their followings together to DMOs making difficult decisions in staffing and marketing.

However, there will be a single deciding factor in who emerges intact and maybe even grows stronger.

Those organizations that open their doors, welcome groups and operate trips sooner rather than later will be the first to rebound.

Group leaders: You have built a following of loyal travelers who look to you not only for travel, but also for human interaction. Those travelers are now missing that in their lives, and they have a pent-up demand for you to take them on trips.

It might take a little courage, but have faith in yourself as their leader.

After all, you earned their respect as the leader. Getting your travel program back on track may take a few new ideas, so make the effort to attend a travel conference soon to meet travel industry representatives and network with fellow group travel planners.

DMOs: Figure out how to continue marketing your destination out of this mess. You must invite groups to visit you, or someone else will invite them to their destination.

Group leaders will operate trips, and they will visit the destinations that invited them. Be one of those destinations.

Today more than ever, groups are open to new destinations and seeking hospitality. To survive, you need groups to return. So, touch them in-person at a travel conference, invite them via online communication, and even pick up a phone and call.

Hotels, attractions, museums and other travel suppliers: Begin work today seeking any and all group bookings possible. Throw out the rule book on group size, deposits and all other barriers standing in the way of a group crossing your threshold. In short, welcome any group leader that can put a head in your bed.

Why be so lenient with the established rules? Because these group leaders are storming the beachhead of tourism on your behalf. They are the ones convincing their group members to join the tour, even in light of social opposition, and the travel industry must do everything possible for them to succeed.

The importance of your participation at travel gatherings such as the American Bus Association, the Select Traveler Conference, the African American Travel Conference, Boomers in Groups and the Going On Faith Conference goes without saying. Yes, it takes effort and even a little bit of faith, but your attendance at these key group travel conferences builds the relationships that will lead to your successful rebound.

Group travel leaders, DMOs, receptives, hotels, attractions, restaurants and museums: Make the decision today to attend a group travel conference and begin rebuilding your future.

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VIDEOS STAR IN

GROUPS ON DEMAND SALEM, Ohio — As the travel industry gets its feet established again, The Group Travel Family has developed an online platform that delivers much needed destination information to thousands of group travel planners and leaders across America. Groups On Demand is an online portal dedicated to serving group travel planners with new and welcoming information on destinations that welcome groups.

Groups On Demand began as a way for DMOs and hotels to reach travel groups in light of travel restrictions. However, the program began to take on a life of its own when an increasing number of group travel leaders started asking for more videos to review, helping them to make destination decisions for their groups.

“We were surprised at how many travel groups started using Groups On Demand as a primary source of information” said Jennifer Ferguson of The Group Travel Family.

Groups On Demand is based on a short interview about the featured destination, receptive, attraction or hotel that is focused on how it works with the travel planner.

“A great example is the Groups On Demand interview by the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, opening 2021 in downtown Philadelphia,” said Ferguson. “That Groups On Demand video placed a new travel destination to over 10,000 group travel planners in less than a week.”

Groups On Demand is a free travel service to all group travel planners, meeting planners and group leaders and includes a free full-access feature that allows groups to interact directly with the destination or venue, To view Groups on Demand, visit demandgroups.com or call 800-628-0993.

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Washington’s National Gallery of Art

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Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” is among Texas Bluebonnets many famous paintings on display at blanket the fields around the Art Institute of Chicago.

Burnet in the spring.

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Ancient Eastern artifacts on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

An exhibition of Washington Color School works at the National Gallery of Art COURTESY NGA

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“Nighthawks” at the Art Institute of Chicago COURTESY AIC

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Philadelphia Museum of Art

ARTS &

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ISSUE SOME OF THE WORLD’S G R E AT E S T W O R K S R E S I D E H E R E

BY RON BLUNT, COURTESY NGA

BY BRIAN JEWELL

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merica’s art museums rival the best institutions in the world.

You don’t have to travel to Europe to see breathtaking painting and sculpture. And right now, you can’t visit Europe even if you want to. So, as you think about where you’ll take your groups in the coming months, consider treating your art lovers to some of the best museums on this side of the Atlantic.

In cities around the country, your travelers can find artwork that will awe and inspire them. Some of these art museums offer free admission, and many have special tours and programming that will make them especially appealing to groups.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Possibly the most famous art museum in all of North America, the Metropolitan Museum of Art — or the Met, as it is popularly known — is legendary in the art world. Founded in 1870, this grand dame of New York museums now has two sites — the Met Fifth Avenue and the Met Cloisters — and a collection that spans more than 5,000 years of art from around the world.

The Met is perhaps most famous for its Egyptian art, which includes more than 26,000 objects from ancient Egypt. Among visitor favorites are mummies and an Egyptian temple that was reconstructed inside the exhibit. The museum’s American wing houses a collection of some 20,000 works by African American, Native American, Latin American and other American artists. At the Cloisters, groups will find beautiful garden spaces, as well as a collection of art and architecture from the Middle Ages.

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Art Institute of Chicago C H I C AGO

Visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago get to see some of history’s most famous artworks. Established in 1878, the museum is the cornerstone of Chicago’s cultural scene and features dozens of well-known paintings. Groups can find works such as Vincent van Gogh’s self-portrait, “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper, “The Old Guitarist” by Pablo Picasso, “American Gothic” by Grant Wood, Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” and the larger-than-life “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat.

The museum’s collection goes far beyond painting, however. Popular galleries focus on Native American, African and Japanese art. In 2009, the museum debuted the Modern Wing, a 264,000-square-foot space that houses its 20th- and 21st-century art, architecture, design and photography. The new wing also features two restaurants, a sculpture terrace and beautiful views of adjacent Millennium Park.

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Philadelphia Museum of Art PH I L A D E LPH IA

Even if you’ve never been there, you’ve likely seen the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Its grand stairway and exterior feature prominently in the film “Rocky,” and today thousands of visitors flock to the museum to re-create Rocky’s famous triumphal pose overlooking the city.

Even without this cinema cameo, though, the Philadelphia Museum of Art would be famous.

Established for the nation’s Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the museum soon moved to its iconic home on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It houses an encyclopedic collection of more than 240,000 works. Departments are devoted to American art, contemporary art, costumes, decorative arts and

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Chrysler Museum of Art

A modern gallery at the Chrysler

BY ED POLLARD, COURTESY CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

Asian art. The museum also features a collection of Rodin sculptures, Chinese porcelain and famous paintings such as Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.” Groups can arrange special tours that focus on particular themes in art and history.

Photos at right, top to bottom: Art Institute of Chicago’s “American Gothic,” Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, National Gallery of Art and “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” at the Art Institute of Chicago

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J. Paul Getty Museum LOS A N G E LES

There are breathtaking sights to behold both inside and outside the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Established by a wealthy philanthropist and art collector in 1997, the Getty Center campus sits on 110 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains and features the Getty Museum, as well as related research and conservation organizations. The Getty Museum offers free admission to more than 1.5 million visitors each year.

It features more than 125,000 works of art, including European paintings, illuminated manuscripts, photography from around the world and sculpture from the 12th century to the present day.

Outside the museum, the Getty Center features 86 acres of landscaped gardens and terraces, including the Central Garden, which is a work of art in its own right. There are several museum stores on-site, and the campus features two restaurants, a café, and food and beverage carts.

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High Museum of Art ATL A NTA

One of the South’s most lauded art museums started as a private home. Established in 1905, the Atlanta Art Association found a permanent home when Mrs. Joseph High donated her family’s Peachtree Street residence to the organization. The renamed High Museum has grown significantly in the century since 12

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then, acquiring more than 17,000 works of art. In the 1980s, the museum moved into a 135,000-square-foot building designed by noted architect Richard Meier.

A 2005 expansion brought three more buildings and doubled the museum’s square footage.

The museum’s collection is international in scope, featuring American, African and European art.

Groups will find significant exhibitions of decorative art and design, as well as artwork by folk and selftaught artists from the American South. Modern art, contemporary art and photography galleries round out the visitor experience.

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I N D IA N A PO LI S

Since its founding in 1883, the Indianapolis Museum of Art has been the cornerstone of Indianapolis’ cultural life. The museum sits on a 152-acre campus that includes a park, gardens, performance areas and a historic home, as well as undisturbed wetlands and woodlands. In 2017, the entire complex was renamed Newfields: A Place for Nature and the Arts, but the museum remains its anchor attraction.

When they visit the museum, guests will find a collection of more than 54,000 works spanning 5,000 years of art history. Highlights include numerous neoimpressionist paintings, Rembrandt’s earliest-known self-portraits and Robert Indiana’s original “LOVE” sculpture. The museum staff offers overview tours for

BY DENNIS BRACK, COURTESY NGA

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BY ED POLLARD, COURTESY CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

groups and can also arrange tours to fit specific art or historical interests. Tours of the garden, the Lilly House and the Art and Nature Park are also available.

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National Gallery of Art WA S H I N GTO N

Many art museums begin as a private individual’s gift to a city. But the National Gallery of Art in Washington was one man’s gift to an entire nation.

The gallery was created as a gift to the people of the United States by Andrew Mellon, a financier and art collector who served as secretary of the treasury from 1921 to 1932. Mellon donated his art collection and built the museum with his own funds. It opened in 1937. Today, it contains more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, photographs, prints and drawings that span the history of Western art.

Thanks to Mellon’s gift, the museum is open to all visitors free of charge. The National Gallery has grown substantially since its inception, both in physical size and the size of its collection. An addition to the original gallery building, the East Building, was built in 1978 to house the gallery’s collection of modern and contemporary art.

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Chrysler Museum of Art N O R FO LK , V I RG I N IA

The citizens of Norfolk, Virginia, founded the Norfolk Museum of Art and Sciences in 1933. The small institution got a giant transformation 38 years later when Walter Chrysler, heir to the Chrysler automobile fortune, donated his collection of more than 10,000 pieces of artwork to the museum. In honor of that gift, the institution was renamed the Chrysler Museum of Art. It offers free admission year-round.

Today, the Chrysler Museum collection features 30,000 objects and continues to grow. The works are spread among 50 galleries that highlight a variety of media, time periods and artistic styles. In 2011, the museum added its Perry Glass Studio, where visitors can watch glass artists create fanciful sculptures in a working hot shop. A renovation completed in 2014 expanded the museum’s gallery space and added numerous amenities for visitors.

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NOTE: Before planning your visit, you should contact these museums directly for information on their opening hours and any restrictions that may be in effect.

VAN GOGH, MONET, DEGAS,

AND THEIR TIMES:

THE MELLON COLLECTION OF FRENCH ART FROM THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS The 17th presentation in the Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial Exhibition Series The presentation of this exhibition in Jackson, Mississippi is sponsored by the ROBERT M. HEARIN SUPPORT FOUNDATION and

NOW ON VIEW

BOOK YOUR VISIT TODAY Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, model executed ca. 1880 (cast in 1922). bronze, cloth skirt with tutu and satin hair ribbon, 38.5 x 14.5 x 14.25 in. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, State Operating Fund the Art Lovers’ Society, 45.22.1. Image © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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GROUP TR AVEL LE ADER

MSMUSEUMART.ORG 380 SOUTH LAMAR STREET • DOWNTOWN JACKSON • @MSMUSEUMART13 G R O U P T R AV E L L E A D E R . C O M

California’s Big Sur coast near Monterey offers exciting drives and incredible scenery.

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WEST COAST SWING C A L I F O R N I A’ S G R A N D E U R IS WORTH A TRIP

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BY JILL GLEESON

t takes some time to get to know the Golden State, even if groups are interested solely in focusing on its famous, fabulously diverse natural splendors.

About 770 miles long, California is, admittedly, as svelte as one of its Hollywood starlets, with an average width of 250 miles. But that still gives it plenty of room to offer a stunningly varied topography that no other state in the country can match, which makes it a particularly good destination for nature-loving groups. No matter the landscape travelers seek, chances are it can be found within Cali’s borders.

BIG SU R Encompassing an astonishingly scenic slice of the celebrated Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur unspools for 90-some miles along California’s central coast, between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hearst Castle. Its rugged beauty historically drew creatives such as Jack Kerouac and Ansel Adams and, today, is still mostly isolated and undeveloped, Big Sur pulls in a whopping 5.8 million visitors annually. Parks fill some of the region, among them 3,000-acre Garrapata State Park, which boasts two miles of beachfront, coastal hiking and redwood groves.

But it’s that mythic twisty, turning drive that groups will want to experience first.

“It’s so remote and has these rocky, dramatic cliffs that plunge into the Pacific Ocean for a big portion of the drive,” said Rachel Dinbokowitz, public relations manager at the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And with its redwood forest and waterfalls, it’s just so stunning. There are so many pull-offs with vistas for people to stop and take pictures, and some can accommodate tour buses.”

After groups have gotten their fill of the region’s magnificent views, Dinbokowitz recommends they take in some of the county’s other nature-based attractions located mere minutes from Big Sur. The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers private tours to groups, which can then step outside for an amble along the shores of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, keeping an eye out for otters and sea lions. Princess Monterey Whale Watching is open to groups year-round, though gray, humpback and blue whales are seasonal visitors. And for sand-and-surf aficionados, lovely Carmel Beach is always a wise choice.

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Sunset at Joshua Tree National Park

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Sequoia National Park

BY BRAD SUTTON, COURTESY NPS

Still famed for inspiring the title and album art of rock band U2’s mega-successful 1987 release “The Joshua Tree,” this Southern California national park draws visitors from around the world for plenty of other reasons, too.

“The thing that really stands out for me about it is that there is a sense of the desert ecosystems that come together here, and that’s the Mojave and the Colorado systems,” said Hannah Schwalbe, the park’s public information officer. “That leads to a fascinating variety of plants and animals that make their home here. The dark night skies are really spectacular.

And there’s a really rich cultural history, some cool geological formations and a ton of wilderness.”

Schwalbe suggests that groups head to Intersection Rock or Cap Rock; both have parking available for motorcoaches.

Cap Rock offers not only eye-catching granite formations, but also a forest of the Dr. Seuss-looking agave plant from which the park takes its name. The easy, half-mile Cap Rock Trail will allow groups to stretch their legs and wanEd Z’Berg Sugar Pine der among the Joshua trees. Birders will want to walk the Point State Park half-mile nature trail located off the Oasis of Mara Visitor Center to spot year-round avian residents like the greater COURTESY SIERRA STATE PARKS FOUNDATION roadrunner and the phainopepla, as well as migrating birds such as warblers, western tanagers and indigo buntings.

Joshua Tree periodically offers stargazing programs, often in conjunction with park partner Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center.

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YOSE M I T E NAT IONA L PA R K

NATURE, ART, CULTURE

Rock climbing famously got its start at Yosemite’s famed Camp 4, but groups don’t need to scrabble up granite to fall in love with the park.

“In Yosemite, with every turn of the head, you see something incredible and inspiring,” said Frank Dean, president and CEO of the Yosemite Conservancy. “Its exceptional natural and scenic beauty can be seen comfortably from overlooks, accessible viewing areas and easy walking trails. There are many ways to experience and learn about the park, whether you want to relax by a river or lake, take a custom art class or go for a stroll on your own or with a naturalist guide. You never forget a visit to Yosemite.”

Ranging almost 1,200 square miles through the High Sierra and boasting some 4 million visitors annually, Yosemite was named a national park in 1890. Among its most beloved spots is Mariposa Grove, graced by more than 500 massive sequoia trees, including the 3,000-yearold Grizzly Giant. There are hiking paths for all skills levels throughout the area, including the .3-mile Big Trees Loop Trail.

Although the best viewing spots for some of Yosemite’s famous waterfalls are accessible only following an arduous trek, a few can be seen with ease, like 2,425-foot-tall Yosemite Falls.

Groups can catch it from motorcoach-friendly Yosemite Valley Lodge, which is near its base, or from an easy one-mile loop trail.

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626-405-2240 | Pasadena-adjacent Tours@huntington.org

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E D Z ’ BE RG SUG A R PI N E P OI N T S TAT E PA R K

SEQUOI A A N D K I NGS C A N YON NAT IONA L PA R K S

For groups that want to experience fabled Lake Tahoe as it was when the Washoe tribe of Native Americans visited its shores to hunt and fish, there is perhaps no better destination than Ed Z’Berg Sugar Pine Point State Park. Encompassing 2,000 acres, it includes two miles of shoreline, as well as untrammeled pine, fir, juniper and aspen forests. There are plenty of challenging trails available farther inland, but casual walkers will enjoy the shorter paths winding around the historic Hellman-Ehrman Estate, also known as Pine Lodge.

Located in the Sierra Mountains at some 6,300 feet above sea level, Lake Tahoe became a getaway for California’s wealthy. More-action-oriented group members can rent kayaks during the warm-weather months on the beach.

There’s a lot to do in the park, which is why it’s great for groups, according to Heidi Doyle, executive director of the Sierra State Parks Foundation.

“What’s so nice about Sugar Pine Point State Park and the historic area around the mansion is that there is something for everybody,” she said.

Groups can double their fun at Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, which sit adjacent to each other in the southern Sierra Nevada. In 1890, Sequoia became the second national park established, after Yellowstone; Kings Canyon was created a half-century later. Together, they encompass 1,353 square miles, 97% of which is designated wilderness, soaring from 1,370 feet in elevation to 14,494 feet.

“We are able to offer so many types of experiences; for example, we have hundreds and hundreds of miles of trails,” said Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, public affairs officer for the parks. “But for people coming up on motorcoaches, I think going to the General Sherman Tree and the General Grant Tree, going on the Big Trees Trail and to our Giant Forest Museum, those are the keystone experiences that people are looking for when they think of Sequoia and Kings Canyon.”

The Giant Forest is home to the General Sherman Tree, the world’s largest, which stands a jaw-dropping 275 feet tall and has a diameter of 36 feet at its base. Giant Forest Museum, which tells the story of the sequoias, is also in the area. Big Trees Trail, a great walk for groups, starts from the facility, circling around a lovely meadow in just three-quarters of a mile. The General Grant Tree, second only to the General Sherman in size, rises from Grant Grove. The area offers a number of hikes, including the General Grant Tree Trail, a .3-mile-long paved trail.

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N P S .G OV/S E K I

PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM

One of California’s most beautiful and unique destinations!

Ask about our docent-led group tours - Two restaurants available with tour group options For information on our FBI and WWII exhibits visit ReaganLibrary.com

Tour Through Air Force One 27000

View a Full Scale Replica of the Oval Office

Touch an Authentic Piece of the Berlin Wall

Once reopened, the Reagan Library will follow all CDC COVID health guidelines and cleaning procedures.

17 G R O U P T R AV E L L E A D E R . C O M 40 Presidential Drive • Simi Valley, CA 93065 • ReaganLibrary.com

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Restart Your Travel Plans with Tourism Navigator

I

f you’re ready to plan group trips again, Tourism Navigator is the place to start.

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting government regulations have made group travel planning a complicated mess.

Tourism Navigator helps you find critical information to plan successful trips to the places you want to go. And best of all, it’s 100% free.

Created by The Group Travel Leader, Tourism Navigator is a one-stop source for important opening and operational information from hundreds of destinations, hotels, attractions and restaurants around the country.

The coronavirus crisis brought a lot of upheaval to the tourism industry. Many sales professionals who worked at CVBs, hotels and attractions for years are no longer there, and the tour operators and group leaders who relied on them for help planning group trips are not sure who to turn to now.

Additionally, pandemic-related restrictions have been implemented at state and local levels, which means there is no uniformity for travel planners. And for those organizing trips to multiple destinations, finding current information on what is open and available is difficult, if not impossible.

“We’ve been talking closely with tour operators and other travel planners since the crisis began in March,” said Kelly Tyner, vice president of sales for The Group Travel Leader.

“Many of them are interested in restarting their travel programs, but they’re having trouble finding current group sales contacts or deciphering which destinations are open or closed. Tourism Navigator solves both those problems.”

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“The organizations that have uploaded information on Tourism Navigator are the ones who are most eager to welcome groups back.”

— K E LLY T Y N E R

When you visit Tourism Navigator, you’ll be able to search for information from the leading group tour destinations and attractions in the country. For each one, you’ll get current contact information, including the name, phone number and email address of the person there responsible for group sales.

The Tourism Navigator listings also have up-to-date information on openings, closures and travel restrictions that apply to destinations, attractions, cruises lines and other travel companies. In addition, many detail the steps they are taking to keep visitors safe.

“The organizations that have uploaded information on Tourism Navigator are the ones who are most eager to welcome groups back,” Tyner said. “They have done a lot of work to put health and safety protocols in place, and they want to make sure you have all the tools you need to start bringing your travelers back to visit them again.”

To access this critical information and begin planning your group’s return to travel, visit Tourism Navigator at grouptravelleader.com/navigator.

Travel industry representatives who want to include information to Tourism Navigator can submit information at grouptravelleader.com/listing. .

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ASSOCIATION HEADS CONFRONT AN UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS CARYLANN ASSANTE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STUDENT AND YOUTH TRAVEL ASSOCIATION (SYTA) TERRY DALE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNITED STATES TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION (USTOA) CATHERINE PRATHER, PRESIDENT, NTA PETER PANTUSO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION (ABA) After several years of surging sales, the group travel industry started 2020 collectively expecting a banner year. But by mid-March, the coronavirus pandemic had halted travel worldwide, putting intense pressure on every organization and company in the tourism community. That pressure continues as unpredictable infection spikes keep travelers grounded. The Group Travel Leader spoke with the heads of four tourism industry associations to get their perspectives on these unprecedented challenges and how the industry is working together to overcome them.

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he travel industry has been particularly hard hit by pandemic closures and quarantines. How has your association responded, and what are your priorities for the end of this year and the beginning of 2021?

PANTUSO: Since March, it’s been nonstop government affairs at our end. It’s been seven days a week. We know the industry across the board — motorcoach, tour, travel and suppliers — are all struggling right now. So we’re communicating with Congress and the administration on a daily basis. We have almost 40 people working trying to get more funding for the industry.

On May 13, we had a bus rally with 800 companies from all 50 states represented.

That helped generate a lot of media, national and local. We were able to get a lot of messages into hometown newspapers, which members of Congress read. We need everybody behind us. We need them to keep communicating to Congress and to the media.

We also put together a toolkit to help all of our members come back. What do they need to do to help assure the customer that they’re going to be traveling safely? It’s all up on our website.

PRATHER: We did a crisis plan when all this started. We quickly identified that our members needed advocacy, information, education and strong member services. So NTA has advocated for our members, particularly our small businesses, for financial relief, and this work is ongoing. We’ve also held multiple webinars and Zoom meetings to bring together our members to have conversations about on-theground concerns and possible solutions.

From now until the end of the year, we plan to introduce some health and safety guidelines that we’ve had in development, based on our tour operator COVID task force. And we’re going to continue to advocate for our members. This fall is going to be a critical time so they can ensure a successful start to 2021.

TERRY DALE

“If we want to instill confidence in our customer base, we have to define health and sanitation guidance for our members.”

Courtesy SeeMonterey.com

DALE: The first thing I did was to reach out to all the major travel associations — ASTA, SYTA, ABA, NTA — and asked them to join me in our nation’s capital on March 19. This was just before everything closed down. We had a meeting of 11 travel associations, and we met to make sure our small businesses were represented in the stimulus package.

The second thing is that if we want to instill confidence in our customer base, we have to define health and sanitation guidance for our members. I reached out to the THE EVENTS OF 2020 HAVE LEFT THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY REELING, BUT EXPERTS SEE A PATH BACK TO VIABILITY.

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DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS, SUCH AS JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK (TOP) AND STATE PARKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA (MIDDLE) AND MONTANA (BOTTOM), WILL LEAD THE WAY IN TOURISM’S RECOVERY.

Canadian Association of Tour Operators and the European Tour Operators Association and said, “Let’s do this together.” So the three associations worked on guidance that we shared with our members.

Moving forward, we have to figure out how we work with our DMOs. USTOA has over 160 DMOs from around the world that are associate members.

How do we work with them and their governments in opening up at the right time?

ASSANTE: Our first priority was to assist our members who were being bombarded with requests for refunds, and being attacked by the media if they were unable to process refunds in a timely manner. We quickly learned that there was a serious lack of knowledge about the tour operator working process and about the chain of events that has to occur for refunds to be processed.

We quickly produced a COVID-19 Response Toolkit for our members to help them to respond to the media and to their clients — school administrators, teachers and parents.

Our second priority has been to focus on health and safety for travelers now, and once student tours begin to pick up again. Safety is the most important consideration for travel to recover, and so we have spent the past several months developing a comprehensive Safety Resource Guide for school travel.

This will be available in the all.

There has been a lot of speculation about pentup demand for travel. Have you seen any indication of that? Do trends in bookings, refunds and credits give you any insight into how travelers might respond when they get the go-ahead?

DALE: We’ve done three surveys of our active tour operator members. In the first one, we learned that 57% of all 2020 bookings were successfully transferred to 2021. That’s a healthy number. The others were either issued refunds or travel vouchers for sometime in the future.

Since then, in our most recent survey, we’ve asked if they have had bookings for travel in the third and fourth quarter of this year and the first and second quarter of next year. Seventy-eight percent had bookings for the first and second quarter of 2021.

“Depending on where a tour operator is located and where they’re traveling to, we hear different

responses

about

when people expect to be traveling again. There are some tour operators taking

CATHERINE PRATHER

multiday companies are doing one-day tours just to keep things going.”

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Courtesy Makoshika State Park

trips right now. Many of our

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SOUTHEAST INDIANA

Courtesy NPS

PRATHER: I have anecdotal information. There is absolutely pent-up demand for travel. I feel it myself, and I hear it from travelers. Our tour operators indicate that many trips planned for this year have been rescheduled for 2021.

Depending on where a tour operator is located and where they’re traveling to, we hear different responses about when people expect to be traveling again. There are some tour operators taking trips right now. Many of our multiday companies are doing one-day tours just to keep things going.

Ready When You Are

ASSANTE: The majority of our members’ business is student group travel, and therefore we are at the mercy of the decisions about school openings around the country. Once schools open, and school orchestras, choral groups, etc., begin to function normally again, we are hopeful that our business will rebound.

Our members are seeing inquiries from teachers who want to travel in 2021 and for sure in 2022, so we are optimistic that once the schools and the venues open, we will see a solid rebound.

If you’ve visited us in the past, or plan to visit us in the future, thank you.

When you’re back on the road again, remember, we are ready with history and hands-on fun adventures!

PANTUSO: I don’t think there is any pent-up demand in 2020. Travel isn’t going to go away — we’re going to see demand. But everybody is waiting for that silver bullet — a vaccine — before they’re out and moving again.

When that happens, you’ll see tremendous demand again.

People get out and see people and visit places. That’s what we do as humans. Once everybody has the green light, I’m sure we’re going to see a huge demand.

Courtesy Huntington Island State Park

What should the group travel industry’s messaging say right now? What should we be telling our customers, our employees and the public at large?

Hillforest Victorian House Museum

PRATHER: The health and safety of employees, customers and the traveling public at large is first and foremost. We have to exemplify this to rebuild consumer confidence. Let’s adhere to science-based health and safety protocol while also delivering great experiences.

McCabe’s Greenhouse

OHIO Indianapolis

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Courtesy Beach Plum Farm

KENTUCKY

TRAVEL ORGANIZATIONS ARE FINDING CREATIVE WAYS OF ACCOMMODATING GROUPS IN SPITE OF PANDEMIC CONDITIONS.

Louisville

Lexington

South of I-74 & west of I-275, 20 minutes west of Cincinnati

www.TOURSoutheastIndiana.com 800-322-8198

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MASKS, CLEANING PROCEDURES AND SOCIAL DISTANCING MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR GROUPS TO BEGIN TRAVELING IMMEDIATELY.

It’s possible. it’s not easy, and its absolutely not preferred. But it’s necessary to get people traveling again, curb the spread of the virus and get the industry going again.

ASSANTE: Don’t give up hope. Keep dreaming and start planning now.

Have faith that the travel industry has never worked harder on your behalf to make travel safe, healthy and sustainable for you.

We appreciate the freedoms we had so much more now, and we hope that once you are back on the road again, every traveler will be a more responsible traveler and help ensure that our favorite places will be there for all generations to follow us.

PANTUSO: Part of the message is that it is safe to travel. With the precautions being taken by motorcoach companies, restaurants, museums and everywhere else, the opportunities are certainly there, and it can be done safely.

The roadblock to this is that the states are limiting where people can come from. You might want to go to New York, but if you’re from Virginia, you have to self-quarantine for 14 days when you arrive.

DALE: The single most important word is confidence. We have to be able to instill confidence and back that up with the steps we’re taking. We also need to communicate that this is a shared responsibility. You as a traveler and customer have to recognize your role in protecting the people you travel with and the places you’re going.

Part of the education — and we need to do this more aggressively with our airline partners — is that we’re safe to fly. We still have a long way to go in that arena.

Courtesy Collette

Is there a silver lining in any of this? Are there innovations, creative ideas or new practices that will benefit the travel industry or improve the travel experience long term?

ASSANTE: Safety has rocketed to the top of every travel provider’s list, and safety protocols are being reviewed and changed at every level of the travel chain.

Associations, hotel and airline corporations, destination management companies, and individual companies are all focusing now on safety procedures. That can only be good for the traveler in the long term.

Also, travel providers have learned about the importance of transparency in their operations. Tour operators in particular have learned that they have to be upfront with clients about the cost of their services. The high demand for refunds that resulted from the pandemic left operators vulnerable. Clients are demanding the full cost of the trip be refunded, not understanding that anywhere from one month to one year of staff time is typically spent on the planning of these trips.

Courtesy Croswell Motorcoach

PETER PANTUSO

SOME TOUR AND BUS COMPANIES HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TAKING GROUPS ON SHORT TRIPS WITH NEW SAFETY PROCEDURES.

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“Part of the message is that it is safe to travel. With the precautions being taken by motorcoach companies, restaurants, museums and everywhere else, the opportunities are certainly there, and it can be done safely.”

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Courtesy Beach Plum Farm

DALE: Part of our value proposition since we were founded 48 years ago is that when you travel with a tour operator, we provide a safety net. If there’s a geopolitical event, if Mother Nature flexes her muscle, if there’s a terrorist attack — when you travel with a tour operator, there’s a safety net that will do everything they can to get you home safely. In the transition from COVID to post-COVID, people will get that message more today than they ever have.

We also see some members being creative. One member has health ambassadors who will be placed on tours to make sure mask wearing, hand sanitation and touchless solutions are in place. That’s their focus, separate from who is guiding the tour. There will be innovation that comes out of this.

PANTUSO: I’m seeing operators who are being really creative. They’re not only providing transportation but providing cleaning services to other bus companies. I saw a hotelier in the Midwest who is very well known. He was headed to another hotel in a different area to try to help them with their business plan.

How can we be the best at what we do and make the customer experience even better? How do I make sure that when things open up, they’re at the front of the line for everybody?

PRATHER: All the hyperfocus on cleanliness and sanitation is welcome. I hope a lot of that continues. This will not be our last pandemic.

What’s been most motivating to me is the collaboration. During the crisis, I’ve seen a lot of information sharing and openness. Everyone in this business has been hurt. It’s time to help one another and stand together. I hope this spirit of collaboration helps us be more like that in the future.

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CARYLANN ASSANTE

“The high demand for refunds that resulted from the pandemic left operators vulnerable. Clients are demanding the full cost of the trip be refunded, not understanding that anywhere from one month to one year of staff time is typically spent on the planning of these trips.”

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GROUP TRAVEL IS RETURNING WITH NEW PROTOCOLS

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By Eliza Myers

fter staying home for months on end because of travel restrictions, many people’s pent-up desire to explore has grown exponentially.

Despite the challenges of selling group travel postCOVID, tour operators report that they are booking future trips through travel credits from canceled tours and from new customers ready to hit the road. To give these enthusiastic customers a chance for a much-needed vacation, travel businesses around the globe have developed strategies for safety-focused group tours.

The challenging task of mitigating the risks of group travel during a pandemic have forced tour companies to think creatively. From group leaders venturing out for the first time since March to motorcoach companies developing technologies to mitigate virus risks, the group tour industry is ready to make travel dreams a reality once more.

RESPONDING TO A PANDEMIC

Principia Lifelong Learning’s director, Kelly Peticolas, scurried to figure out her next move after unexpected interruptions from COVID-19. Based in Elsah, Illinois, the alumni travel program offers international group travel.

“I sent out a survey in June to our past travelers,” said Peticolas. “We included the results in a marketing piece for the June issue of our alumni magazine. About 30% of our travelers are actively researching travel options but not yet booking. About 11% indicated they were actively booking travel in June. Then 44% said that when travel begins again, they would like to travel with a small group, such as Principia Lifelong Learning.”

Peticolas plans to resume marketing this September with a fall brochure for upcoming trips in 2021 and 2022. For the time being, the program is focused on email marketing and person-to-person communications.

Peticolas hasn’t given up yet: She recently returned from scouting out a future domestic trip to Buena Vista, Colorado.

Courtesy Collette

COLLETTE WILL FOCUS ON NATURAL ATTRACTIONS IN NORTH AMERICA, SUCH AS LAKE LOUISE IN ALBERTA, WHEN IT RESUMES TOUR SERVICE.

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“This trip will include adventure activities in rafting, kayaking, horseback riding and fly-fishing,” said Peticolas. “Colorado is requiring masks, and I found that the majority of people were following regulations.”

After seeing the safety precautions in person, Peticolas can now vouch personally that the trip will follow the advertised safety precautions.

TOUR OPERATORS RETHINK TRAVEL

A GLOBUS TOUR IN CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY

Courtesy Globus

Collette has seen the travel industry rise and fall repeatedly since its founding in 1918. The pandemic brought unprecedented difficulties for all travel companies, but that didn’t stop Collette from focusing on its travelers. Based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Collette specializes in group travel to all seven continents.

Despite some cancellations, many Collette groups have either kept their travel plans or rebooked their tours for a future date. Jeff Roy, executive vice president at Collette, believes this is partially due to the company’s worry-free cancellation policy where travelers can cancel up to 24 hours before a trip for any reason.

“We’ve been doing that for 30 years,” said Roy. “In an environment like this, when you have a pandemic, people are really happy they can cancel at any time.

That is a huge differentiation for us in the market.”

To continue to travel during the age of social distancing, Collette created the Traveling Well Experience. These tours offer safety protocols so groups don’t have to wait for a vaccine to travel. Some of the procedures include pre-tour health screenings, smaller groups, required face coverings, motorcoach sanitization practices and physical distancing measures during meals and sightseeing.

Globus Family of Brands has also developed a new vision for group tours during the pandemic. The company’s Small Group Discovery Tours will run in 2021 with social distancing procedures in place.

“We want guests to feel safe with us,” said Steve Born, chief marketing officer for Globus. “We are diligently cleaning the motorcoach at every stop.

We are also following social distance guidelines. If we get into a situation on a coach or attraction where social distancing is not feasible, we are asking that guests wear masks. We are also making sure our hotels are meeting our standards by disinfecting rooms and luggage.

“The heightened level of cleanliness will give our guests a feeling of well-being and ease. They can enjoy their destination while we have the safety procedures covered. We are removing the touch points that individual travelers would have to deal with, such as handling tickets to attractions.”

Globus has also introduced the complimentary Peace of Mind Travel plan that is included in all 2021 vacation bookings, so customers have the flexibility to move vacations to any other 2021 or 2022 date, destination or itinerary.

“The heightened level of cleanliness will give our guests a feeling of well-being and ease. They can enjoy their destination while we have the safety Courtesy Carolyn Cobb

procedures covered. We are removing the touch points that individual travelers would have to deal with, such as handling tickets to attractions.”

— STEVE BORN, GLOBUS

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A PLANTER’S BANK PASSPORT GROUP TRAVELING IN ALASKA

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VISIT

Natchez

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ONE OF COLLETTE’S DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS FOR 2021

Courtesy Collette

What to do!

TRAVEL PROTOCOLS

One of the most formidable hurtles to post-COVID group travel is ensuring safety aboard a motorcoach. Brent Maitland, vice president of marketing and product planning for Motor Coach Industries (MCI), believes he has found a way around this challenge through new disinfecting procedures. MCI manufactures motorcoaches for tour operators and group leaders.

“Once we got a beat on CDC guidelines, we have been in contact with customers for cleaning guidelines,” said Maitland. “We explained what disinfecting solutions work better with the interior of a coach so it doesn’t damage them. We also showed them how to apply these solutions.”

The company has also introduced new products to protect passengers, such as upgraded air filters, improved HVAC systems and ultraviolet lighting that can disinfect the air. Installed driver barriers can also help isolate the drivers from the rest of the passengers.

MCI has developed a safety checklist that customers can download and modify for their groups. Maitland wants these tour directors to share their procedures so travelers will feel safe on a motorcoach.

“We found that you have to focus on building customer confidence,” said Maitland. “You make sure they know you have a disinfecting protocol. Some of our customers have incorporated those procedures and run successful tours. A lot of people are still gearing up for upcoming tours. They are still going through the training and getting prepared. From what I have heard, the preparation they have done has made sure the passenger feels comfortable booking.”

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Where to eat!

Where to stay!

VISITNATCHEZ.ORG 800.647.6724 Lynsey Smith Director of Sales

lynsey@visitnatchez.org

601.446.6345

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In July, Planters Bank Passport 50, based in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, ventured out for the first time for a day trip to Grand Rivers, Kentucky. Program director Carolyn Cobb planned the precautions to take beforehand, such as limiting the size of the group, sanitizing the motorcoach according to guidelines and taking temperatures of group members before departure that morning.

“I encouraged masks to be worn at all times on the motorcoach, and everyone complied,” said Cobb. “I took a supply of extra disposable masks just in case they were needed. I also wore gloves and a mask while loading supplies onto the coach and handling bottled water.”

Cobb altered her typical policy of passing around a candy basket to preparing individual goodie bags for each passenger. The group ate dinner in a large separate dining room with tables spaced apart.

The evening’s highlight event was a production of “The Sounds of Memphis” at the Badgett Playhouse Theatre. The theater practiced social distancing with assigned seating spaced out across the theater. The staff wore gloves and masks and cleaned the venue between shows.

“The feedback I received from my group was all positive,” said Cobb. “They felt safe and were so glad to be back on the road again, even if it was just a short day-trip close to home.”

Other group travel providers, such as Cincinnati-based Croswell Tours, have reported similar experiences. Croswell Tours recently took a group from Cincinnati to Huntington, West Virginia, for a one-night trip that included a tour of the Greenbrier Resort. The Greenbrier Resort split the group in half to manage social distancing.

“We picked a trip that seemed close by so we wouldn’t have to go far or have too many stops,” said Susan Maham, owner of Croswell Tours. “We decided we would actually take seats out of the motorcoach. With 54 seats, even if you only put 24 people on it, it still seemed crowded for us. We’re taking six of our buses and configuring them with 30 seats. They are spacious. We put hand sanitizer in three locations on the bus.”

A LAKE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, PART OF GLOBUS’ UNDISCOVERED NORTH AMERICA SERIES

LOOKING AHEAD

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“About 60% of our travelers said that when they begin travel again, they would prefer to travel within the U.S. and Canada.”

— KELLIY PETICOLAS, PRINCIPIA LIFELONG LEARNING

Courtesy Croswell Motorcoach

With the continuously fluctuating travel restrictions and protocols, it can seem like an impossible task to plan ahead. However, some trends are already emerging from the pandemic, such as increased interest in domestic vacations.

“About 60% of our travelers said that when they begin travel again, they would prefer to travel within the U.S. and Canada,” said Peticolas of Principia Lifelong Learning.

Other companies have also reported the rising popularity of domestic travel, including Globus Family of Brands. The company recently released a new line of tours called Undiscovered North America.

“It features nine tours designed from the ground up to feature off-the-beaten-path destinations,” said Born. “The majority of travelers would not have seen these places on their own. Undiscovered North America is getting a great start with new bookings.”

Other planning considerations take safety into consideration. Maham of Croswell Tours has decided to eliminate any attractions that don’t already have a safety procedure in place. When crafting itineraries, she takes these protocols into consideration, as well as the shifting desires of post-pandemic travelers.

“It’s not about the big breakfast or the big buffet anymore,” said Maham.

“It’s really about the experience. If they can have a great experience, see something they’ve always wanted to see and make their life a little more interesting, then the food becomes a secondary thing.

“Our people are looking forward to going. It’s not the end of group tours. It may be the beginning.”

A CROSWELL MOTORCOACH GROUP AT KENTUCKY’S AVIATION HERITAGE PARK THIS SUMMER

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Courtesy Globus

R E Q U E S T YO U R

customized travel packet gochippewafalls.com

CHIPPEWA FALLS, WISCONSIN

Courtesy MCI

AN MCI DRIVER DEMONSTRATING NEW CLEANING PROCEDURES

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CULINARY CREATIVITY IS MAKING FOOD FUN AGAIN

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By Eliza Myers

obody wants to be worried about health and safety while dining out on vacation.

Traditional restaurants aren’t always optimized for social distancing. But creative travel planners can find innovative ways to deliver memorable meal experiences while also making guests feel safe.

For the sake of cost and expedience, many group meals have traditionally involved buffets or family-style service.

But in light of ongoing health and safety concerns, travel planners should avoid these dining styles for a while and think outside the box when feeding travelers. Outdoor venues, tables six feet apart and cleanliness protocols all work together to allow groups to focus on the food rather than their health.

Groups can feel at ease when dining together knowing that these organizations have done the safety prep work for them.

FOOD TRUCKS:

ROAMING HUNGER NATIONWIDE

Known for delivering meals on the go, food trucks stand out as a meal option ready-made for the pandemic. While other restaurants have struggled with creating a safe way to deliver their meals, food truck staff have transitioned with little effort.

“It’s actually easy to socially distance at a food truck, especially if you find the right location,” said Ross Resnick, founder and CEO of Roaming Hunger. “Many food trucks offer order-ahead options.

Taking advantage of these can help you skip lines altogether, minimizing your contact with strangers.”

Roaming Hunger is a food truck booking service that allows people to find food trucks in real time or book them for upcoming events. Founded in 2009, the company’s website and app display a map showing the current locations of more than 18,000 food trucks in cities and areas across the United States and Canada.

With the app, group leaders can use a food truck’s schedule, menu and contact information to plan a food truck meal. Beaches and other large outdoor areas with places for groups to spread out make great locations for food truck meals. Group leaders should check to make sure the food truck’s staff follow current health guidelines by wearing gloves and masks.

“Food trucks in general are actually among the safest places to eat, even during normal circumstances,” said Resnick. “Food truck kitchens are subject to the health department’s highest safety standards. Plus, the food is served from a self-contained kitchen accessible to only a small staff.”

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Courtesy Beach Plum Farm

GROUPS CAN AVOID THE CAPACITY ISSUES OF TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS BY EMPLOYING SOME ALTERNATIVE DINING IDEAS, SUCH AS OUTDOOR MEALS AT AGRITOURISM ATTRACTIONS.

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FARM RESTAURANTS:

BEACH PLUM FARM CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY

In the evenings, the setting sun casts incredible colors across the sky in Cape May, New Jersey. Guests can take in the spectacle unencumbered at Beach Plum Farm. Groups dining there enjoy the fresh farm-to-table cuisine while observing social distancing guidelines.

“We don’t serve anything here that we don’t grow,” said Krystina Kennedy, general manager of Beach Plum Farm. “In the summer, we have two seafood dinners a week. We work with local seafood providers that are in tune with our mission statement.”

Groups can opt for a family-style meal that can serve individual families or one that can serve everyone, depending on preference. The restaurant spaces tables apart and ensures that servers wear masks and gloves.

Though the restaurant opts for outdoor dining whenever possible, the site can also set up an enormous overhead tent with open sides. The restaurant plans to set up a screen in the fall that can hold in heat for chillier nights but still allow for plenty of air flow.

“Since we are not able to have cocktail hour the way we normally do, the cocktail hour food is already on the table when the guests arrive,” said Kennedy. “We traditionally serve everybody at one table. With everyone now sitting in individual groups, we have live music to fill in the sound gaps and enhance the experience.”

The farm offers guided tours, gardening classes and hiking trails for those looking to make a day out of the experience. Overnight guests are also welcome at on-site cottages that groups of up to 40 people can rent.

SAFE SERVICE FROM A ROAMING HUNGER FOOD TRUCK

B E A C H P L U M FA R M C A P E M AY.C O M

DINING WHILE GLAMPING If achieving a socially distant group trip sounds overwhelming, group leaders can simply drop guests off at the Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana, for a socially distant adventure that combines wilderness with high-end comfort.

“We are a 37,000-acre ranch,” said Alison Lewis, media relations manager for the Resort at Paws Up. “That is twice the size of Manhattan. Then, if we are completely booked, there are only 200 to 250 people maximum. Those numbers give you an idea of the wide-open spaces we have. Because of that, we haven’t really had to pivot from what we’ve normally done for guests.”

The resort had already offered outdoor dining in remote locations. Groups looking to isolate together could book a meal in the middle of a field of flowers or other scenic area.

SOCIALLY DISTANCED OUTDOOR DINING AT THE RESORT AT PAWS UP

Courtesy Resort at Paws Up

RESORT AT PAWS UP GREENOUGH, MONTANA

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Courtesy Beach Plum Farm

LANSING BREWING COMPANY

Courtesy Lansing Brewing Company

A NEW JERSEY BOUNTY AT BEACH PLUM FARM

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Courtesy Roaming Hunger

NEED A QUICK GROUP GETAWAY?

Accommodations are spread out as well, with stand-alone homes and glamping sites. Guests who want to isolate can order in-home barbecue or brick-oven pizzas or have traditional restaurant meals delivered. The resort also offers seven on-site restaurants, each with social distancing measures in place.

With few exceptions, the resort has been able to continue offering its numerous activities, among them hiking, cycling, horseback riding and fly-fishing.

“When I go, I never leave the property,” said Lewis. “It’s a place you do not leave because there is so much to do. People are doing activities at different times of day, but it never feels crowded.”

In 2021, the resort will open another resort on the property, called Green O. The luxury getaway will offer intimate retreats in contemporary homes that are designed to blend into the natural surroundings.

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SPACIOUS BREWERIES:

LANSING BREWING COMPANY LANSING, MICHIGAN

A spacious interior and innovative ideas helped make the Lansing Brewing Company in Lansing, Michigan, a stand-out among dining options. Pre-COVID, the brewery had event space for seated groups of up to 250 guests in one room, with additional indoor and outdoor seating. Though running at half capacity now, the brewery can still accommodate sizable groups.

“We are really blessed because we have a large venue,” said Jeremy McKowen, general manager of the Lansing Brewing Company. “We

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Ridgeland is ready when you are with safe, accessible outdoor shopping venues, a new Malco Theater, over 140 restaurant options and brand hotels. Our location just outside of Jackson, MS off the Natchez Trace Parkway (National Park) offers you a convenient escape.

For more information about visiting Mississippi, explore visitmississippi.org, #VisitMSResponsibly.

Eurofest Automobile & Motorcycle Show October 10, 2020

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can take advantage of that by really utilizing our space. To make people feel at ease, we made sure people had direct paths to the bathroom. We have also tried to take out all touch points. We have exceeded both the CDC and county health department guidelines in sanitation and cleaning.”

The brewery has hired one staff member just for sanitation. Every 30 minutes, the staff member sanitizes the bathroom. Twice a day, the bathrooms are shut down for a deep cleaning.

The staff also let guests know the brewery’s procedures so they know when to take their masks off and when to put them back on. The brewery also lets guests call before coming in, to find out when their table is ready. A host escorts newcomers to their table so that no one is wandering through the brewery.

Groups can learn how the brewery was rebooted after 101 years of closure. The new owners took an original beer recipe from the 1800s and revived it so guests could taste a beer flavor more than 100 years old.

“I love when people who are unfamiliar with the brewery scene get to experience what we have to offer,” said McKowen. “The ambiance here is amazing. It is a huge open-air space with a big fire pit outside. We have games we can provide and sanitize between uses. We are in the heart of the city, with a very community-oriented outlook.”

L A N S I N G B R E W I N G C O M PA N Y.C O M

LUXURY PICNIC:

OCEAN HOUSE WATCH HILL, RHODE ISLAND

Groups can walk up to a beachside dinner already laid out and waiting for them at Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The five-star beach hotel caters “luxury picnics” for visitors looking to dine without worry about wait staff, other guests or other interruptions.

“Now more than ever, travelers are seeking safety, trust, flexibility and the sense of escape,”

AN ELEGANT CAMP FIRE AT RESORT AT PAWS UP

318 Howard Street • Greenwood, Mississippi 662.453.2114 • thealluvian.com

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Courtesy Ocean House Resort

Courtesy Ocean House Resort

AN AL FRESCO MEAL AT OCEAN HOUSE

RHODE ISLAND’S OCEAN HOUSE

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said Laurie Hobbs, group director, public relations and marketing, for the Ocean House. “Groups are going to be looking months ahead to make plans.

They have to feel comfortable and safe in their decisions.”

The historic hotel has developed upscale picnics that follow current health guidelines to create that sense of ease. Groups can request these meals on one of the property’s Instagram-worthy lawns, beach areas or other private locations.

The hotel’s restaurant provides table spacing, hand sanitizers on the table, single-use menus and servers wearing masks and gloves.

For leisure time, the hotel offers wine, culinary and art classes with social distancing measures. Groups can also book a croquet clinic or screen a movie. For example, after a wine class, the group can sip their beverages while watching a wine-related movie in the hotel’s screening room.

Because the hotel is part of the Ocean House Management group, guests can also access activities at other nearby hotels owned by the company, including the nature-themed excursions at Weekapaug Inn, only seven miles away.

“We feel we have put protocols in place so people can feel trust in us and still have a good time,” said Hobbs. “We don’t want to take away from the experiences. We want to come up with creative options so travelers can still have an enjoyable getaway.”

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Courtesy Resort at Paws Up

“Now more than ever, travelers are seeking safety, trust, flexibility and the sense of escape,” — LAURIE HOBBS, OCEAN HOUSE

ON LOUISIANA'S NORTHSHORE

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By Rachel Carter

he Christmas Capital of Texas, Michigan’s Little Bavaria, America’s Christmas Tree City — there are some cities that just know how to do Christmas — places where the holiday cheer overflows, where the hot chocolate is richer, the lights are brighter, the fires cozier, the carols clearer, the trees taller.

As we look toward the end of a year that has been disastrous in so many respects, the holidays offer a glimmer of hope for travelers. With COVID in the rear-view mirror, outdoor holiday celebrations might make the perfect occasion to get your travelers on the road again.

These destinations have become holiday traditions for groups, who take in the cities’ light shows and live productions, Christmas parades and Christmas shopping, and end up taking home a lot more Christmas spirit.

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA

Virginia’s 100 Miles of Lights got its start over 20 years ago when a regional effort was launched to promote light shows and holiday events from Richmond to Virginia Beach — a distance of 100 miles — and in the cities in between: Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth.

“It’s a great hub-and-spoke itinerary for tour operators,” said Jim Coggin, tourism sales manager for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The light shows include both walk-through and drive-through events, and most run from mid-November through January 1.

In Richmond, the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens hosts the annual Dominion GardenFest of Lights, and Kings Dominion’s WinterFest shines bright with millions of holiday lights, a 300-foot Christmas tree and live shows. For Richmond’s Famous Tacky Lights Tour, the CVB can help direct tour groups to neighborhoods that work well for motorcoaches to explore Griswold-esque displays.

In Williamsburg, Busch Gardens’ Christmas Town lights up the theme park, and the Grand Illumination is an 18th-century-style fireworks show that lights up the sky over the Colonial capitol.

Newport News hosts the Celebration in Lights, and Norfolk is home to the Dominion Energy Garden of Lights at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Courtesy Grapevine CVB

THE GAYLORD TEXAN IN GRAPEVINE IS ONE OF MANY ATTRACTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT MOUNT SPECIAL SHOWS AND DISPLAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

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In Virginia Beach, groups can do the Bayport Credit Union Holiday Lights Merry Mile. As the bus drives along the boardwalk, groups can see holiday lights above them, on the beach and on green spaces.

“What’s really cool about our lights is that you can actually drive the motorcoach on our boardwalk,” Coggin said. “It’s the only time of year vehicles are allowed on the boardwalk.”

Groups can also catch the Holiday Parade at the Beach, shop at the Christmas Mouse store and stop for dessert at the Founders Inn, a Colonial-style property decorated with lights inside and out.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON THE VIRGINIA BEACH BOARDWALK

10 0 M I L E S O F L I G H T S .C O M

FRANKENMUTH, MICHIGAN

Frankenmuth is known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria, and it’s famous for two things: Christmas and chicken. The city’s Bavarian-style architecture and family-style fried chicken restaurants pair nicely with a year-round Christmas theme, which is thanks in large part to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland.

Bronner’s is an enormous Christmas store with a showroom equivalent to 2.5 football fields; it’s packed to the rafters with every imaginable ornament, stocking, wreath, tree and nativity. The day after Thanksgiving, nearly 30,000 people descend on Frankenmuth, a city of 5,500 residents, to visit Bronner’s, said Christie Bierlein, sales and marketing director for the Frankenmuth Convention and Visitors Bureau.

At Bronner’s, groups can also check out 25 Christmas Lane, a drive-through experience with 50,000-some lights that works well for motorcoaches. Near Bronner’s, Grandpa Tiny’s Farm welcomes groups for Christmas activities like sleigh rides, hot chocolate and pictures with live reindeer.

In downtown, horse-drawn carriages run year-round, but “in the winter, they deck them out in bells,” Bierlein said. “You can hear the bells all day, the horses jingling right down Main Street.” Rides are first-come, first-served, but with two different companies constantly running carriages, people don’t have to wait long for a ride — or they can opt to explore the bedecked downtown.

Frankenmuth is home to two famous chicken restaurants: Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth and the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. Both serve family-style fried chicken dinners, both offer group dining, and both typically have holiday shows. Zehnder’s is a bit more traditional, with additional entrees like fish and steak; the Bavarian Inn features German fare like schnitzel, sausage and sauerkraut. Groups can take a pretzel-rolling class at the Bavarian Inn, and the Frankenmuth Farmers Market hosts an annual Christkindl Market.

GRAPEVINE’S CHRISTMAS WINE TRAIN

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MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Myrtle Beach lights up for the holidays: both Christmas lights along the Grand Strand and marquis lights at the city’s live theaters.

The Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show puts on an epic holiday mashup that retells “A Christmas Carol” with Scrooge as a pirate hunting for hidden treasure. The show features aerial acrobats, sword fights and live animals, such as the camels that carry the Wise Men and the donkey on which Mary rides as she and Joseph walk across the water.

Throughout the year, the other theaters feature variety shows, “but during the holidays, it’s full-on Christmas,” said Sandy Haines, group tour sales manager for the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“The Carolina Opry Christmas Special” is a classical revue show that features Christmas music and comedy, and Legends in Concerts features lookalike artists for its usual tribute show but switches to holiday songs from famous singers after intermission.

The Alabama Theatre opens “The South’s Grandest Christmas Show” every year on November 1, and the GTS Theater offers two intimate Christmas shows: “The Motown Christmas Tribute Show” and “The Crazy Country

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Christmas Show.” The Asher Theater, the permanent home of owner James Stephen III’s “Man of a Thousand Voices” impersonation show, also puts on Christmas productions.

At Brookgreen Gardens, the annual Nights of 1,000 Candles illuminates the botanical garden, the sculpture garden and the nature preserve. The event features more than 2,700 candles and myriad twinkling lights strung above statues, outlining oak trees and draping from branches. Groups can walk the garden pathways while sipping cider, cocoa or wine and listening to strolling musicians, singing carolers and storytellers. Brookgreen also has an on-site tent where visitors can buy a catered dinner.

At Ripley’s Aquarium, the Festival of Trees features a Christmas tree for every state, and groups can do a Teas and Trees event with special Christmas refreshments.

HOLIDAYS AT ZEHNDER’S IN FRANKENMUTH

V I S I T M Y R T L E B E A C H .C O M

Courtesy Frankenmuth CVB

Courtesy Virginia Beach CVB

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS

Grapevine’s moniker, the Christmas Capital of Texas, is more than a nickname; it’s official. The Texas State Senate gave Grapevine the designation in 2009, and the city now boasts 1,400 Christmas events in 40 days.

“There are twinkling lights every year, Christmas decorations everywhere you turn, lots of selfies with Santa and mistletoe booths and holiday entertainment,” said Heather Egan, director of leisure and international sales for the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We even make it snow in several locations.”

The historic downtown is a holiday hub, with Christmas lights synced to Christmas music and plenty of shopping, dining and holiday activities. Group leaders can package Christmas activity tickets for people to ride on the vintage carousel, visit Santa’s live reindeer or one of several other downtown activities.

NIGHTS OF A THOUSAND CANDLES AT BROOKGREEN GARDENS IN MYRTLE BEACH

Courtesy Grapevine CVB

Courtesy Myrtle Beach Area CVB

NASA Visitor Center

See the world’s largest collection of space artifacts and explore the fascinating future of space travel!

Looking to stay a bit longer? Sign up for an inspiring experience at Space Camp! Two- to six-day Camps are available for all ages: children, families, adults and corporate groups.

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Huntsville, Alabama • (800) 637-7223 www.rocketcenter.com

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unlock the

History

Downtown’s historic Palace Theatre shows classic Christmas movies like “White Christmas” and “A Miracle on 34th Street” and offers reserved group seating and dollar popcorn. The theater also hosts live holiday entertainment, like the Texas Tenors, the Grapevine Opry and Elvis tribute shows.

The Texas Star Dinner Theater also puts on a Christmas murder mystery set in Grapevine in the 1800s. At the Nash Farm, groups can experience a Victorian Christmas on the historic-living farm and customize an experience, like learning how to bake on a wood-burning stove or playing games outside.

Groups can create their own glass Christmas ornaments at the Vetro Glassblowing Studio or take home a commemorative wine glass from the Grapevine Vintage Railroad’s Christmas Wine Train, which offers live entertainment aboard the decorated 1920s passenger cars.

A stop at one of Grapevine’s many winery tasting rooms is “another fun way to include some Christmas cheer,” Egan said.

The Gaylord Texan Resort puts on its annual holiday extravaganza; it includes ice skating, snow tubing, and holiday shows and activities like the “ICE!” exhibit.

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BRANSON, MISSOURI

Branson’s busiest time of year is November and December, but “we work on Christmas all year long,” said Lynn Berry, director of communications for the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The town puts on a show for the holidays — literally and figuratively — with deckedout decorations and a peck of Christmas productions.

Christmas kicks off with the annual Adoration Parade the first Sunday in December.

The parade aims to put Christ back in Christmas and begins with the lighting of the giant Nativity scene atop Mount Branson.

Motorcoaches can explore three drive-through light tours, and area businesses display over 700 Christmas trees in all shapes, sizes and forms, from traditional evergreens to trees made from go-kart tires, wine bottles and library books. The city is also adding more “landmark” trees as part of its efforts to become America’s Christmas Tree City.

Silver Dollar City transforms into a Christmas wonderland, ablaze with lights and boasting more than 1,000 Christmas trees, including Joy on Town Square, an 80-foot high-tech tree that’s “a digital masterpiece,” Berry said. The park also offers a live production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Dickens Christmas Carol!” musical.

More than a dozen Branson stages feature high-spirit holiday shows, including “Dolly Parton’s Stampede,” “A Brett Family Christmas” and “Andy Williams’ Ozark Mountain Christmas Show,” which has a new lineup this year. The Sight and Sound Theatre makes Jesus’ birth come to life during “The Miracle of Christmas,” which features over 45 actors, live animals and elaborate sets.

At the Shepherd of the Hills Homestead, the new production, “A Shepherd’s Christmas Carol,” includes a full turkey dinner and a pumpkin dessert. Shepherd also debuted its North Pole Adventure last year, a Christmas experience with a Trail of Lights, horsedrawn carriages, Santa’s workshop and real reindeer.

E X P L O R E B R A N S O N .C O M

Courtesy Branson Lakes Area CVB

A HOLIDAY STREETSCAPE IN BRANSON

T h e Key to t h e S o u t h

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HOP ABOARD AND TAKE IN THE SITES

BRING YOUR GROUP TOUR TO LIFE. Where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay, our coastal city offers uncommon access to nature’s wonders and hands-on experiences for your group to share.

Plan your group’s Live the Life Adventure at VisitVirginiaBeach.com/GroupTour.

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STATE PARKS ARE A GREAT OPTION FOR 2021

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By Rachel Carter

therworldly rock formations, thundering waterfalls, seaspray-speckled shores — the scenery varies, but the results are almost always the same: pure awe.

Across America, state parks offer more than just scenery; there are castle ruins to explore, historic lighthouses to climb and dinosaur fossils to touch. And in a season when everyone wants to be outdoors, state parks offer scenic alternatives to many of the national parks that are sure to be crowded with travelers.

In Montana, sculpted spires and canyon cliffs rise to meet the Big Sky. In Missouri, sinkholes, springs and collapsed cave systems typify the karst topography. In Michigan, chiseled bluffs define a stretch of Lake Superior’s shoreline. In these state parks, groups can’t help but enjoy the views — and be inspired to explore their surroundings.

HA HA TONKA STATE PARK CAMDENTON, MISSOURI

When Robert McClure Snyder bought Ha Ha Tonka Lake and Spring in Camden County, Missouri, in 1904, the businessman wrote, “Here I will spend my leisure, secure from the worries of business and the excitement of city life. I will fish and loaf and explore the caves of these hills, with no fear of intrusion.”

Those words still hold true nearly 120 years later, drawing visitors to what is now Ha Ha Tonka State Park, which sits on the Niangua Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. The park’s most popular attraction is the towering ruins of Snyder’s stone mansion, a European-style castle he started building in 1905. Though he died in an automobile accident in 1906, his sons were able to complete construction in 1920. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1942.

“Everybody comes to see the castle, but the real reason the castle is there is because of the outstanding natural features,” said park manager Ryan King. “Everybody comes to see the castle and just falls in love with the area.”

Today, groups can start at the visitors center to learn about the park’s unique karst topography and see photos of the castle in its heyday. Motorcoaches can park at the castle, and from there, visitors walk 600 feet to the ruins that overlook Ha Ha Tonka Spring, Missouri’s 12th largest. The Spring Trail, much of which is paved, with a bit of boardwalk as well, leads to the mouth of the spring.

Courtesy SCPRT

SOUTH CAROLINA’S HUNTINGTON ISLAND STATE PARK ALLOWS TRAVELERS TO EXPERIENCE NATURE’S BEAUTY IN RELATIVE ISOLATION.

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Visitors can also walk over or under the park’s 100-foot-wide natural bridge that the Snyder family originally used as a roadway to the castle. A viewing deck offers expansive panoramas, especially in spring and fall. The park also has two group shelters that can be reserved; one can hold 100 people and the other, 60.

M O S TAT E PA R K S .C O M

LETCHWORTH STATE PARK CASTILE, NEW YORK

MINNESOTA’S NORTH SHORE

Duluth, Minnesota, sits on the far western tip of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in North America. From Duluth, Highway 61 follows the rugged shoreline north, stretching through a line of state parks and protected natural areas.

“We call it ‘the string of pearls,’” said Cheri Zeppelin, northeast region information officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Those “pearls” include three state parks: Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse and Tettegouche, all within a 20-mile stretch.

At Gooseberry Falls, tea-colored water cascades through a series of waterfalls before reaching the lake. Gooseberry Falls is popular because it’s free and because the trail to the falls is both paved and short — not even half a block.

Groups can also explore the visitors center that has a small interpretive museum and a gift shop.

Just six miles north of Gooseberry Falls is Split Rock Lighthouse, perched atop a 160-foot cliff overlooking the lake. A fierce storm in 1905 damaged 29 ships on Lake Superior and prompted construction of the lighthouse, which was completed in 1910 and has been restored to its 1920s appearance. The lighthouse, grounds and visitors center are open for tours, often led by guides in period costume.

Tettegouche State Park’s 11,000-square-foot visitors center opened in 2014 and includes interpretive displays, an indoor fireplace, a gift shop and an outPrice Tower Artscan Center door amphitheater.

There, groups arrange for a naturalist to do a custom program for them at the amphitheater or walk a few blocks to a gravel beach where the Baptism River meets Lake Superior.

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A TOWERING ROCK FORMATION AT MAKOSHIKA STATE PARK IN MONTANA

A WATERFALL AT NEW YORK’S LETCHWORTH STATE PARK

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By Larry Tetamore, courtesy Letchworth State Park

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By Kristi Powell, courtesy Makoshika State ParkTonka State Park

Letchworth State Park is known as the Grand Canyon of the East. The 14,000-acre state park sits in the northwest part of New York, and the Genesee River roars through the gorge, creating three major waterfalls — as high as 600 feet in some places — surrounded by lush forests.

Many visitors are drawn to the southern end of the park to see the Genesee River. Archery Field Overlook near the Castile entrance gives groups exemplary views of the geography that earned the park its nickname. At Inspiration Point, visitors can take in views of the Upper and Middle falls, as well as the railroad bridge that spans the gorge, said park manager Douglas Kelly.

“The picturesque shot of the two falls and the railroad bridge — that’s kind of the grand view of the gorge,” he said.

Groups can dine at Glen Iris Inn, William Letchworth’s former country manor home that dates to 1828 and overlooks the Middle Falls. Across the road, a museum features exhibits about the area’s indigenous tribes, Letchworth’s history and local Civil War efforts. There’s even a mastodon skull that was found locally.

Groups can arrange guided bus tours with step-on interpreters and can schedule whitewater rafting trips with the park’s concessionaire.

The 5,000-square-foot Humphrey Nature Center opened in 2016 and provides interactive exhibits, a butterfly garden and a bird observation station and also serves as a hub for short hikes on surrounding trails. The park also has a brand-new sugar shack to demonstrate maple syrup production, typically during the last two weekends in March.

Brilliant fall foliage makes fall the park’s busiest season, and the Letchworth Arts and Crafts show is typically held around Columbus Day.

A SCENIC OVERLOOK AT HA HA TONKA STATE PARK

Groups can also view the sights of the shoreline during Vista Fleet’s narrated sightseeing and dinner cruises or on a North Shore Scenic Railroad train ride from Duluth.

D N R . S TAT E . M N .U S

Courtesy Ha Ha Tonka State Park

MAKOSHIKA STATE PARK GLENDIVE, MONTANA

With more than 11,000 acres, Makoshika is Montana’s largest state park, and its name —pronounced Mah-koh-shih-ka — is derived from a Lakota phrase meaning “bad land” or “bad earth.”

In addition to dramatic badland formations, the park is known for its dinosaur fossils. In the prehistoric era, the region was a tropical rain forest, and now it’s a badlands wilderness and high plains desert where “we have come across at least 10 different types of dinosaurs,” including Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops, said park manager Chris Dantic.

The visitors center features a revamped exhibit hall where guests can touch fossils, Dantic said. The park converted the basement’s fossil collection room into the Paleo Lab, giving visitors even more up-close access to fossils.

Every Saturday, the park offers a paleo experience with a tour through the visitors center and Paleo Lab. Park rangers can do the paleontology experience for tour groups but can also customize programs.

The Diane Gabriel Trail is a 1.5-mile loop that introduces visitors to the badlands’ geologic features, such as sod tabletops and sinkhole caves that form in the hillsides from erosion, and leads to a series of partially exposed Hadrosaur vertebrae.

Cap Rock Trail is also popular because it’s only a half-mile long and has a large natural rock bridge that people can walk across.

Motorcoaches can drive about two miles into the park but have to turn around in the parking area before the switchback. Group leaders can choose to arrange vans or minibuses to take their groups farther into the park to take in the panoramic views.

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HUNTINGTON ISLAND STATE PARK

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EXPLORING THE RUINS AT MISSOURI’S HA HA TONKA STATE PARK

Courtesy Ha Ha Tonka State Park

HA HA TONKA STATE PARK’S WOODLAND SCENERY

Courtesy Ha Ha Tonka State Park

By Emilio Portuondo, courtesy Huntington Island State Park

HUNTING ISLAND STATE PARK SOUTH CAROLINA

Hunting Island is a 5,000-acre barrier island on the coast of South Carolina, just east of Beaufort. The island has been designated as a state park since 1935, and its five miles of beaches, thousands of acres of marsh and maritime forest, a saltwater lagoon and an ocean inlet are among the park’s natural features that attract over a million visitors every year.

Groups are welcome, but they need to be navigated into the park on a separate route, so group leaders should contact the park directly before visiting.

One of the most popular attractions in the park is the lighthouse, the only one in the state that is publicly accessible. Visitors can climb 167 steps to the top of the 130-foot lighthouse, where the observation deck offers views of the barrier island, palm forests and surrounding seascape. Only six visitors may enter the lighthouse at a time; staggered entrance times are by reservation to help preserve the historic structure.

Groups can stop at the visitors center or explore the nature center, where people can walk on the pier and see animal exhibits featuring alligators, snakes and diamondback terrapins.

Coastal Expeditions offers boat tours from the nature center to St. Phillips Island, another South Carolina state park property. The naturalist-led ecotour cruises along the Story River to the St. Phillips Island dock, where a park ranger welcomes passengers before they board the tram to the beach. Once there, groups will have time to beach comb, hike interior trails or relax on the beach with a picnic. The outfitter also offers dolphin tours that explore the salt marsh estuary.

S O U T H C A R O L I N A PA R K S .C O M / H U N T I N G - I S L A N D

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TOUR OPERATORS DIRECTORY AdVance Tour and Travel LLC

PO Box 489 Ozark, MO 65721 800-346-7706 Kim Vance, CTIS, ACC kim@advancetourandtravel.com www.advancetourandtravel.com AdVance Tour & Travel is thinking outside the box. We specialize in customizing that itinerary with activities that are created just for your group, allowing you and your customers to truly Advance Beyond the Ordinary.

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Two Locations: St. Simons Island, GA and Wolverine Lake, MI 912-434-3088 Elaine & Tim Moulder elaine@brilliantedventures.com www.brilliantedventures.com Brilliant Edventures is a full service wholesale tour operator specializing in customized group tours for adults and students. No matter what your unique trip idea is, we can make it a reality. From themed adventures, mystery vacations to educational and performing tours, we have done it all! Make your trip memorable for your group with an exciting, one-of-a-kind itinerary, our signature Tour Tool Book and 24/7 tour support.

Call us today for a complimentary proposal.

Joy Tour & Travel

9674 Cincinnati-Columbus Road West Chester, OH 45241 513-777-8221 Greg Wingham info@joytours.com www.joytours.com We have specialized in domestic and international group travel itineraries since 1985. Let us plan your group’s travel with unique tours that are sure to please! Visit our website for custom, scheduled and guaranteed itineraries. Our affiliation with TAP gives us strength in numbers. Let us put “JOY” in travel!

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American Journeys International

Aventura World

Central Holidays Group Travel Experiences

Collette

250 Moonachie Road, Suite 300 Moonachie, NJ 07074 866-613-5599 Adam Greis groups@centralholidays.com www.grouptravelexperiences.com Since 1972, we have been custom-designing group tours to fulfill the distinctive needs of a special audience based on budget, the desired length of travel and the itinerary’s included features. Our experienced and knowledgeable destination specialists are ready to plan your next group program in Europe, Africa, West Asia, or Latin America.

180 Middle Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 800-222-5679 Jim Edwards jedwards@collette.com www.gocollette.com The experts in guided travel for more than 100 years, Collette is committed to giving you more of what makes guided travel special. TRAVEL PROTECTION THAT GIVES YOU YOUR MONEY BACK! With Collette’s Revolutionary Travel Protection Plan, you can “cancel for any reason” up to the day prior to departure and get your money back, Not vouchers!

Reformation Tours, LLC

Twin Travel Concepts

7120 Kendarbren Drive, Suite 722 Jamison, PA 18929 215-598-8690 Bruce Rickert br@amjourneysintl.com www.amjourneysintl.com/ American Journeys International assists Active Adults, Student, and International Inbound Groups with tours throughout North America. As a Receptive Tour Operator we provide full tour package trips, including: attraction, meals, tour guides, hotel accommodations and transportation (buses, trains, Airfare) for your group’s travel. Contact us for a no-obligation proposal today.

P.O. Box 854 Belleville, IL 62222 800-303-5534 Rowena Drinkhouse info@reformationtours.com www.reformationtours.com Reformation Tours specializes in Christian-history inspired tours to Europe. Our clients include churches, Bible colleges, Christian schools, travel agencies, and family groups. Our newest division is www.Mayflower400tours. com, with tours to the UK, Netherlands and New England to commemorate the upcoming 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower. We are members of NTA and the Faith Travel Association.

250 Moonachie Road, Suite 308 Moonachie, NJ 07074 760-212-0779 Ian Scott info@aventuraworld.com www.aventuraworld.com A valued leader in the group travel marketplace since 1972, Aventura World is focused on elevating group travel beyond traditional sightseeing to delivering culturally rich, interactive, and in-depth destination experiences every time. The company is known for providing excellent client service, destination expertise, and meticulously planned tour and travel packages.

451 Eichybush Road Kinderhook, NY 12106 917-575-6600 Nicholas Calderazzo, CTP nick@twintravelconcepts.com www.twintravelconcepts.com Creating effortless group travel experiences!

The Northeast is our backyard and playground - from NY City and throughout New England; From Pennsylvania and New Jersey down to Washington DC. Fun, affordable, and unique itineraries - checkout our website for ideas. We are also a TAP Partner!

Be Native Tours

One East Sheridan, Suite 100 Oklahoma City, OK 73104 405-767-8925 Morgan Prim morgan.prim@chickasaw.net www.benativetours.com Tour the very best of America’s heartland with Be Native Tours. Groups of all sizes can experience pre-built and customizable tours to America’s most exciting and thriving destinations. Rich in culture and natural beauty, don’t wait to book your trip to explore the south-central United States with Be Native.

Country Travel DISCOVERIES

13416 Watertown Plank Road, Suite 200 Elm Grove, WI 53122 855-744-8747 or 262-923-8120 groups@countrytraveldiscoveries.com www.countrytraveldiscoveries.com/groups Our unique, handcrafted, off-the-beaten-path tours give groups a stellar travel experience and leaders peace of mind. Discounts on dozens of land, rail, cruise, international, and agricultural tours, custom/private-label options for larger groups, insurance, coop promotions and other benefits make planning, selling and enjoying the trip of a lifetime a snap!

U.S. Tours

7000 Grand Central Ave Vienna, WV 26105 304/485-8687 Bob Cline Bob@USTours.Biz www.USTours.Biz U.S. Tours manage for brands USToursAmerica. com, SelectWorldTravel.com, VoyagesByUSTours and Tour Tennessee.com. We are an innovative full wholesale travel company providing tours and programs to Group Travel Planners.

TRAVEL INDUSTRY DIRECTORY ALABAMA

U.S. Space & Rocket Center

1 Tranquility Base Huntsville, AL 35805 800-637-7223 Sara Vowell sarav@spacecamp.com www.spacecamp.com Space Camp is a one of a kind experience at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, an Official Visitor Center for NASA. Each year, trainees of all ages travel from across the U.S. and 150 countries to participate in our astronaut training programs. Trainees learn space history, go on simulated space missions and learn what is really means to be an astronaut!

CALIFORNIA

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 626-405-2100 Jane Sandmeier tours@huntington.org www.huntington.org The Huntington is a world-renowned museum surrounded by 120 acres of breathtaking gardens, art galleries and library. Treasures include a Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare, Gainsborough’s newly restored Blue Boy, roses, desert, Japanese and Chinese Gardens. Enjoy Group Tours, Cafes & Tea Room.

Open daily except Tuesdays & Holidays.

CALIFORNIA

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

40 Presidential Drive Simi Valley, CA 93065 800-410-8354 Melissa Giller melissa@reaganfoundation.org www.reaganfoundation.org The Reagan Library is one of California’s most beautiful and unique destinations. Tour through the actual Air Force One that flew seven U.S. presidents.

View a full scale replica of the Oval Office. Touch an authentic piece of the Berlin Wall. Also home to President and Mrs. Reagan’s memorial site.

INDIANA

Dearborn County Convention, Visitor & Tourism Bureau

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Museum of Art

320 Walnut Street Lawrenceburg, IN 47025 800-322-8198 Sally McWilliams smcwilliams@visitsoutheastindiana.com www.toursoutheastindiana.com Located in Southeast Indiana along the Ohio River Scenic Byway, the Dearborn County Visitors Center provides itinerary planning assistance and tour coordination to the area. Activities include handson art & Gardening projects, historic site tours, progressive dinner, farm & markets tours. Tour for the Cure travel rewards program.

380 South Lamar Street Jackson, MS 39201 601-960-1515 Sarah Wade swade@msmuseumart.org www.msmuseumart.org Established in 1911, the Mississippi Museum of Art is committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion.

MMA’s permanent collection includes paintings, photography, multimedia works, and sculpture by artists across the world. The largest art museum in the state, MMA offers a roster of exhibitions, programs, partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year-round.

KENTUCKY

MISSISSIPPI

Bourbon 30 Spirits

130 South Water Street Georgetown, KY 40324 502-219-2551 Tricia Brill tricia@itsbourbon30.com www.itsbourbon30.com Bourbon 30 Spirits is a family-owned, family-run distillery in the heart of downtown, Georgetown, Kentucky. We are unique in that you have the opportunity to blend your very own bottle of whiskey and place the name of your choice on your label. Have a special occasion? Come create a unique whiskey, bourbon or rye just for it!

LOUISIANA

Louisiana’s Northshore/ St. Tammany Parish Tourist & Convention Commission

68099 Hwy. 59, Mandeville, LA 70471 800-634-9443 Tanya Leader, V.P. of Sales Tanya@LouisianaNorthshore.com www.LouisianaNorthshore.com/groups St. Tammany Parish, aka. Louisiana’s Northshore is one hour from New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Casinos. Explore the Honey Island Swamp on a guided boat tour, hold baby alligators at Insta-Gator, paddle the bayous, feed the giraffes at Global Wildlife Center, or have a tour and tasting at Abita Brewery.

Ridgeland Tourism Commission

1000 HighlandColony Parkway, Suite 6000 Ridgeland, MS 39157 601-605-5252 Mina Thorgeson mina@visitridgeland.com www.ridgeland.com Need a quick group getaway? Ridgeland is ready when you are with safe, accessible outdoor shopping venues, a new Malco theatre, over 140 restaurant options and brand hotels. Our location just outside of Jackson, MS off the Natchez Trace Parkway (National Park) offers you a convenient escape. #VisitRidgelandResponsibly

MISSISSIPPI

The Alluvian

318 Howard Street Greenwood, MS 38930 866.600.5201 (toll free); 662.453.2114 Forrest Hodge fhodge@thealluvian.com www.thealluvian.com Cross the sleek threshold of The Alluvian and enter a realm with a nouveau-chic ambiance normally reserved for world cities. Luxurious and intimate.

Elegant and eclectic. Created by world renowned architects and designers, this boutique hotel has claimed iconic status with its modern design. The Alluvian is an alluring alternative to the ordinary.

MISSISSIPPI

Visit Natchez

640 South Canal Street Natchez, MS 39120 601-446-6345 Lynsey Smith, TMP, CTIS lynsey@visitnatchez.org www.visitnatchez.org In this small Mississippi River town, history lives in our traditions, heritage, buildings, and people.

At Visit Natchez, we believe that a trip here feels like coming home. We invite you to explore the Southern hospitality of Natchez, MS. Please feel free to contact Lynsey Smith, Director of Sales.

MISSISSIPPI

Visit Vicksburg

1619 Walnut Street Vicksburg, MS 39180 800-221-3536, 601-883-9939 Ashley Gatian ashley@visitvicksburg.com www.visitvicksburg.com Visitors can relive history by visiting Vicksburg’s historic homes, churches, museums and the Vicksburg National Military Park. From four world-class casinos to some of the most fascinating historic sites, Vicksburg offers an authentic Southern experience you don’t want to miss.

Just be sure to leave some time to check out our live music scene, eat at one of our signature restaurants and browse our boutiques and antique shops.

NEW JERSEY

Tour Atlantic City

1 Convention Boulevard Atlantic City, NJ 08401 609-318-6097 Heather Colache hcolache@meetac.com www.touratlanticcity.com Atlantic City is a hidden gem along the New Jersey shoreline, offering visitors much more than a seaside destination. Our nine casino resorts have reopened with in depth health and safety guidelines along with additional restrictions following the Governor’s restart and recovery phased reopening.

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TRAVEL INDUSTRY DIRECTORY OHIO

Experience Columbus

277 W Nationwide Blvd., Ste 125 Columbus, OH 43215 614-222-6136 Roger Dudley rdudley@experiencecolumbus.com www.experiencecolumbus.com As the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, new things are always happening in Columbus. Groups who visit Columbus will find a growing city full of experiential tours offering hand-made souvenirs, great food for any taste bud, top-rated attractions and dedicated travel professionals to make planning easy.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department

900 N. Stiles Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73104 405-990-1087 Todd Stallbaumer todd@travelok.com www.travelok.com/group Oklahoma, land of what’s new. Visit the new Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center location in Oklahoma City and the OK POP Museum in Tulsa. In 2021, we’ll celebrate the opening of the Bob Dylan Center and the opening of the long-awaited American Indian Cultural Center and Museum.

PENNSYLVANIA

Faith and Liberty Discovery Center

101 N Independence Mall East Philadelphia, PA 19106 215-309-0316 Lisa Arrell larrell@faithandliberty.org www.faithandliberty.org Your groups will experience history in a whole new light at the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, a new immersive and interactive attraction opening May 1, 2021 on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, as they explore the inspiration that influenced individuals in key historical and personal moments from our nation’s founding through today.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Myrtle Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

1200 N. Oak Street Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 843-916-7248 Sandy Haines sandy.haines@visitmyrtlebeach.com www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/groups We are known for our wide sandy beaches and a wide variety of options to keep groups entertained.

Take advantage of live entertainment theaters, beautiful sculpture gardens and an assortment of other activities. Dining on the Grand Strand is easy, the difficult part is choosing from hundreds of fine restaurants offering a variety of flair.

VIRGINIA

Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

PO Box 1607, Williamsburg, VA 23187 888-868-7593 – Group Reservations group.reservations@jyf.virginia.gov www.historyisfun.org Take a journey of historic proportions to Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown – two living-history museums that tell the story of America’s beginnings. Discover the real people and events of America’s first permanent English colony in 1607 to the establishment of a new nation almost two centuries later.

WISCONSIN

Chippewa Falls Chamber / Go Chippewa Falls

1N Bridge Street Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 715-723-0331 Jackie Boos jackie@chippewachamber.org www.gochippewafalls.com There are some places where life is served best in small batches. Where the local ingredients include a heartfelt handshake and a friendly smile. Where the wind sweeps gently across the water and the trails go on for miles. This is us, this is Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

2101 Parks Avenue, Fifth Floor Virginia Beach, VA 23451 757-385-6642 Jim Coggin JCoggin@visitvirginiabeach.com www.visitvirginiabeach.com/group-tour Welcoming groups to Live the Life is a long-practiced tradition in Virginia Beach, giving visitors a chance to experience the genuine hospitality of a city with a lot to share. We suggest groups arrive ready to discover, like the original settlers who got their first glimpse of the New World on these shores.

Search for information from the leading group tour destinations and attractions in the country.

Plan your group’s return to travel at: GROUPTRAVELLEADER.COM/NAVIGATOR Travel industry representatives who want to include information to Tourism Navigator can submit information at grouptravelleader.com/listing.

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Columbus is a city that’s made for sharing. Tour the stirring National Veterans Memorial and Museum. Explore Adventure Cove, the brand-new sea lion exhibit at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Live it up at Schmidt’s Restaurant und Sausage Haus in iconic German Village. Our partners city-wide have taken the Live Forward Pledge to make health a priority so your group’s visit can be as safe as it is memorable. ExperienceColumbus.com/tours