Leisure Group Travel April 2015

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VOL. 25, NO. 2 • APRIL 2015

contents

16

COVER STORY

ON THE COVER: A tropical retreat in Nicaragua: Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa. (Photo by Ryan Forbes)

16 Hotels of Latin America: Four Sparkling Gems

BY LANCE HARRELL

OUR BAD

Special spots in Chile, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Easter Island could be just right for your group

In the February 2015 issue of Leisure Group Travel, we made an error in the “Top Casino Picks” article. The correct name for Scioto Downs in Columbus, Ohio is Scioto Downs Racino.

FEATURES

13

San Francisco: A City Like No Other

BY VANESSA DAY

18

A Storied Past: Historical Minnesota

BY RANDY MINK

22

Yellowstone: A Park for All Seasons

BY SUE ARKO

26

Exploring America’s Civil Rights Sites

38

Kansas City: West of the Border

40

Museum Hopping in Philadelphia

44

Top Theater Choices

BY DAVE BODLE

BY LAUREN REINIGER

BY DAVE BODLE

BY LAUREN REINIGER

COLUMNS

6

On My Mind

26

BY JEFF GAYDUK

8

On Tour

BY MARTY SARBEY DE SOUTO

10

On Family Travel

BY NANCY SCHRETTER

50

On Marketing

BY DAVE BODLE

4 April 2015

Freedom Singer Rutha Mae Harris in Albany, Georgia

22

NUMBER CRUNCHING

50 Miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama

ON LOCATION Unique Sighting at Travel South: This year Travel South USA welcomed a new state to its annual showcase, a four-day event in Shreveport, Louisiana. Missouri showed up in full force, including Sight and Sound Theatre’s Jonah Mobile, pictured here alongside Dave Bodle, Cheryl Rash and Eric Moore from Premier Travel Media.

260 Average number of inmates at Alcatraz at a given time

WHAT’S ONLINE?

W

hile each print issue of Leisure Group Travel brims with articles, there’s even more content posted on our website, www.leisuregrouptravel.com, and we add to it almost daily. At the top of the home page, go to the tab “Exclusively Online” and browse the menu.

Click the category “Online Exclusives,” and you’ll find features based on managing editor Randy Mink’s recent trip to England: “Royal Sights Crown a London Visit,” “London Pass Makes Sightseeing Easy” and “Discovering Manchester.”

Staff writer Lauren Reiniger has been busy gathering information on hotels with spruced-up facilities. See her online reports “13 Bar-Raising International Hotel/Resort Renovations” and “18 Renovated and New Hotels in the Northeast.”

Also under “Exclusively Online,” you’ll see “Take Five” interviews with travel industry leaders like Matt Grayson, executive director of the Receptive Services Association of America.

Yellowstone Lake, a highlight at America’s oldest national park Wyoming Travel & Tourism

1872 Year that Yellowstone became the first national park

33½ Hours it took Lindbergh to fly the Atlantic in 1927

7 Active volcanoes in Costa Rica

1,556,000 Population of Philadelphia

6 Driving lanes on the Golden Gate Bridge

O N MY M I N D

By Jeffrey Gayduk

Your Next Niche Market Awaits YOU KNOW US AS Leisure Group Travel magazine which arrives in your mailbox six times per year, along with our weekly InSite e-newsletter and website. But did you know that we also publish a series of niche travel guides?

These niche markets have been a boon to our business, and probably should be to yours as well. We’ve been talking about diversification in the group travel market for over a decade and these markets all provide opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to serve them.

In the last three months we’ve released three new niche market guides.

Religious Resources Readers received a copy of Religious Travel Planning Guide along with their February edition. This “bonus guide” included articles about planning retreats, spiritual journeys to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, top youth destinations and profiles of faith-based tour operators. The information and advice in this guide can help build your confidence in working with church groups and provide motivation to develop this segment of your business.

The religious market opportunity is enormous with some 40,000 churches having some type of organized travel program as part of their mission. For example, senior adult ministries take traditional group trips that incorporate a visit to a religious shrine, cathedral, spiritual performance or play. Youth ministries love theme parks, theme restaurants and nature-based activities. Women’s ministries like retreat trips including pre-arranged transportation, a resort stay, memorable dining experience and maybe a sightseeing cruise.

Men’s ministry is apt to participate in a fellowship weekend that might also include a round of golf. And large congregations are candidates for fundraising cruises.

Planning Family Affairs Our guide for family travel, Reunions Workbook, is a step-by-step publication that helps groups organize their best reunion ever. While family reunions are normally planned by a committee, celebration vacations require coordination and negotiation beyond what novices are typically capable of or interested in handling. From dude ranches to cruises to once-in-a-lifetime European vacations, family patriarchs are quasi group leaders you can hang your hat on. In this edition, our family travel expert Nancy Schretter talks about how families are making the world their classroom.

Winter Sports Vacations It’s not fun to ski by yourself. Small groups–think 10-20 people–is all you need to organize a group ski/snowboard vacation. They need someone to scout destinations, book hotels & resorts, flights and group transportation for them. You’ll find them at park & rec departments, school clubs, community groups, adult social and activity clubs, ski shops and church youth groups.

All of these guides, plus whitepapers, special reports and more, are available online at GroupUniversity.com, free of charge to our community. Or if you’d like to learn more, visit LeisureGroupTravel.com and click on the Niche Market Guides tab.

Pick the right one, or mix and match two of your personal preferences and you’ll likely have a new base of business in short order.

Happy traveling,

Vol. 25, No. 2 April 2015 Editorial & Advertising Office 621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406 Willowbrook, IL 60527 P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 info@ptmgroups.com

Publisher – Jeffrey Gayduk jeff@ptmgroups.com

Associate Publisher – Dave Bodle dave@ptmgroups.com

Managing Editor – Randy Mink randy@ptmgroups.com Director of Online Media – Lance Harrell lance@ptmgroups.com

Staff Writer – Lauren Reiniger lauren@ptmgroups.com Director, Design & Production – Robert Wyszkowski rob@ptmgroups.com

Vice President – Theresa O’Rourke theresa@ptmgroups.com

Regional Business Development Managers Northeast & Eastern Midwest/Canada – Harry Peck P 330.830.4880 • F 630.794.0652 harry@ptmgroups.com

Mid-Atlantic/New England/ Wisconsin/Arkansas – Ellen Klesta P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 ellen@ptmgroups.com

Southeast/West Coast – Cheryl Rash P 563.613.3068 • F 815.225.5274 cheryl@ptmgroups.com

Frontier & Mountain West/ Illinois/Minnesota/Southwest – Linda Ragusin P 630.794.0696 • F 630.794.0652 linda@ptmgroups.com

Southeast/Texas – Eric Moore P 352.391.3314 eric@ptmgroups.com The publisher accepts unsolicited editorial matter, as well as advertising, but assumes no responsibility for statements made by advertisers or contributors. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information published, but the publisher makes no warranty that listings are free of error. The publisher is not responsible for the return of unsolicited photos, slides or manuscripts.

Leisure Group Travel (ISSN-1531-1406) is published bi-monthly by Premier Travel Media, 621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406, Willowbrook, IL 60527. The magazine is distributed free of charge to qualified tour operators, travel agents, group leaders, bank travel clubs and other travel organizations.

Other travel-related suppliers may subscribe at the reduced rate of $12.00 per year. The regular subscription price for all others is $18.00 per year. Single copies are $4.95 each.

Send Address Change to: Premier Travel Media 621 Plainfield Road, Suite 406 Willowbrook, IL 60527

A

Jeff Gayduk Publisher 6 April 2015

publication

All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

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O N TOU R

Make Your Trip a Traveling Classroom a positive travel experience that

an eye out for what’s new in the

combines comfortable hotels,

travel and tour industry. You’re

tasty menus, camaraderie and

looking to see what your com-

social events.

petitors are offering, what new products

Two years ago I took my

major tour operators and cruise lines

annual Ladies’ Tour to Holland

are coming up with, and above all, what

and Belgium. Of course, we did

new trends are showing up (or being

all the usual things – from the

forecast for the future).

windmills on down. But in addi-

It seems that recent phases such as

tion, my overseas operator was

adventure travel, family travel, and travel

able to arrange a visit to the

programs designed for the boomers,

European Union headquarters

generation X, and now the latest, the

in Brussels, where we were

millenials, whiz past us. As soon as we

graciously received and enjoyed

become used to tailoring our trips to the

a two-hour briefing and Q&A

newest focus market, we’re told that one

session with an EU official.

is now blasé and we have to adjust to

Another day in Brugge, we

trips that please those of us who aren’t

visited the Belgian chocolate

getting enough education in our lives.

museum and then our tour group

Notice the tours with a learning focus that are now becoming all the rage. Of course, learning was always an integral

enjoyed a private hands-on chocolate candy making class.

©iStock.com/4774344sean

I

f you’re like I am, you may keep

Behind-the-scenes peeks of craftsmen at work inject a learning element into tour itineraries and set them apart.

Another year when we toured

subliminal part of virtually any trip, but

England, the dean of one of the colleges

to master the fine art of tango dancing

now operators are touting it as one of

making up Oxford University invited my

on that trip, at least they went home with

the most important, if not THE most

group to her living quarters for afternoon

a greater understanding of this intricate

important part of a trip. Note Viking

tea and a lively discussion on the role

art form.

Ocean Cruises’ referrals to its “Cultural

of a woman dean in this staid academic

Curriculum onboard offering depth and

institution. At least it was lively until I

into your trips? Consider asking an expert

insight.” Elder Hostel is cornering the

discovered one of my tour members

from a local university to act as tour

market with its wonderful “Road Scholar”

drooping with eyes closed and faintly

leader/en route lecturer on the area to

programs. Even the descriptive verbiage

snoring. I had to spend the rest of the

be visited. Consult your tour operator

in trip brochures has changed; they no

visit periodically pinching her to keep

to see if he/she could arrange for some

longer talk about “sightseeing.” Rather

her awake and not put us all to shame.

private entrée to a festivity, business

they allow you to “gain a window into

And a couple years ago in Buenos

So…how can you introduce education

school or other entity that your travelers

Aires, home of the tango, I arranged

might especially appreciate – particularly

through our Argentine operator a private

something that stands your group apart

new wave and do something good for

tango class for my tour group, complete

from the rank-and-file tour group.

your trip participants in the bargain, why

with lecture, demonstrations and individ-

not try offering a trip with educational

ual training. Never again will I confuse

content? I’ve been doing it for years,

the rough canengue tango style of the

and the learning/academic aspects of

barrio dance halls with the elegant,

the day-to-day activities can be skillfully

breathtaking tango of the theater and

woven among other features, making for

salons. If my tour members didn’t learn

antiquity.”

So if you would like to ride today’s

8 April 2015

Marty is a Certified Travel Counselor who designs and leads tours. Her travel industry consulting and educational firm is Sarbey Associates (sarbeyassociates.com). Her e-book How to Plan, Operate and Lead Successful Group Trips can be ordered on groupuniversity.com.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

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By Nancy Schretter

O N FAM I LY TR AVEL

Families Make the World Their Classroom Through Group Travel

T

oday’s parents and grandpar-

surroundings early on, and who gain an

bookings have shown double-digit

ents want to have fun and create

understanding of the world around them,

increases over last year, according to Dan

lasting memories with their

will have a certain advantage when it’s

Austin, president of Austin Adventures.

families when they travel as a

time to enter the workforce,” said Up-

group. Increasingly, though, their travel goals are including something else –

church.

Rainer Jenss, founder and president

“Hands down, Yellowstone is our #1 most popular destination for family and multigenerational learning vacations for a

education. Travel is being viewed as a

of Family Travel Association, has also

lot of reasons,” said Austin. Alaska, the

key way to supplement children’s school-

observed this trend. “Grandparents, in

Canadian Rockies and Costa Rica round

ing and help them learn about the world

particular, are aware of the fact that travel

out Austin Adventures’ top four family

in an experiential way.

is not just recreational, but transforma-

learning vacation destinations. Top guides

tional,” he said. “They have the time and

make all the difference on these kinds of

vast majority of parents surveyed believe

resources to plan vacations for their

educational group trips.

it’s important to take an educational family

extended families that focus not just on

vacation. Last year’s Virtuoso’s survey

having fun, but sharing quality time

Colorado to Costa Rica are detecting this

also confirmed this trend, calling it the

together – which includes opportunities

family and multigenerational group travel

“Journey to Global Citizenship.” According

for education and learning.”

trend, too. One of the keys to success for

According to American Express, the

to Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew

Leisure group travel providers are

Destinations from Grand Junction,

these educational trips is offering a wide

Upchurch, parents and grandparents are

responding to increased market demand

range of unique and authentic activities

utilizing travel as a way to help children

for educational family travel. Austin

for all ages and interests, something at

learn and get ahead.

Adventures has noticed this trend build-

which Costa Rica excels.

“Kids who have the insight into these

ing over the last four to five years. The

“From volcanoes to howler monkeys

cultures, who learn to adapt in unfamiliar

company’s levels of interest and 2015

and sea turtles, Costa Rica offers families

Austin Adventures

Austin Adventures books many families on trips to Yellowstone National Park.

10 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Kayaking is popular with family groups on Austin Adventures’ trips to Wyoming’s Teton Country.

a myriad of opportunities to explore, learn, and get close with nature,” said Alejandro Castro-Alfaro, the Costa Rica Tourism

Austin Adventures

Board’s director of marketing. Some of

children and grandchildren using the

of these trips have been life-changing.

Costa Rica’s many family-friendly educa-

world as their classroom,” said Pamela

says Ben Bressler, founder and president

tional activities include rainforest hikes,

Lassers of Abercrombie & Kent USA.

of Natural Habitat Adventures. “We’ve

whale watching, visits to coffee and cacao

Some of the company’s top spots for

had parents send us letters about how the

plantations, and trips to volcanoes.

educational family group vacations include

polar bears inspired their kids to become

the Galapagos, Africa and Antarctica.

climate change advocates.”

Gaining Global Understanding

College and university alumni travel pro-

Family reunions, milestone multigener-

and New Skills

grams and affinity organizations such as

ational celebrations and heritage trips can

National Geographic also offer these kinds

also be triggers for group family learning

of family-friendly learning expeditions.

vacations. Destinations can range from

The fact that adults now want to leave their children with enriching experiences – not things – may be contributing to the

Conservation, wildlife biology and

stronger interest in learning-oriented family

ecology are strong areas of interest for

travel.

family and multigenerational groups,

“Many of our guests talk about the

Colorado’s YMCA of the Rockies to halfway around the globe.

“I have never seen such a huge

according to Natural Habitat Adventures.

increase in family and multigenerational

educational value of travel and a desire to

The company’s journeys attract families

trips to my homeland Uzbekistan and

share the life lessons of travel with their

with teens and young adults – and some

Central Asia Stans before,” says Zulya

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O N FAM I LY TR AVEL

New York’s historic Mohonk Mountain House attracts family groups.

Rajabova, founder and president of Silk Road Treasure Tours.

of public relations. Since art education in the United States

Other family groups choose their

has become more limited, Wind-

destination to acquire specific skills.

jammer Landing in St. Lucia

“Everyone has a different reason

has responded with a unique ed-

for choosing a ranch vacation,

ucational program that introduces

but learning is a big part of it,” said

renowned local St. Lucian artists

Tyler Beckley, owner of Three

to families and multigenerational

Bars Ranch in British Columbia,

groups.

Canada. Learning together gives

Educational enrichment for

family and multigenerational

families can be also gleaned

groups something memorable to

through an appreciation of history,

bond over and share.

nature and service. Nisbet

“Learning is how we grow, but

Plantation on the Caribbean

how we learn is what we’ll remem-

island of Nevis offers Heritage

ber,” said Beckley. “Ten years from

Trail tours and excursions to

now guests won’t remember what

historic points of interest and an

I taught them about riding a horse,

active voluntourism program in

but they’ll remember who they

concert with local schools.

learned it with – and anything spe-

Jeanne Pena, social gathering

cial that happened along the way.”

specialist at New York’s Mohonk Mountain House, said the

Cruise and Resort Opportunities Almost every sector of the travel industry, both on land and sea, has noticed and responded to this educational family travel trend. Due to strong demand,

property’s designation as a National

“Learning is how we grow, but

Historic Landmark and its Junior Naturalist

how we learn is what we’ll remember.

program also attracts families and multi-

Ten years from now guests won’t

generational groups.

Educational family group travel can

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has

remember what I taught them about

take place across the globe or around

almost tripled their multigenerational

riding a horse, but they’ll remember

the corner through visits to Washington,

family-friendly dates and itineraries for 2016. CroisiEurope is seeing more

who they learned it with – and

D.C., Colonial Williamsburg or top-ranking children’s museums. The Children’s

demand for group bookings and does not

anything special that happened along

Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s

have age minimums for children on its

the way.”

biggest children’s museum, engages

river cruises.

Based on its research, industry giant Carnival Cruise Lines is adding more

— Tyler Beckley Owner Three Bars Ranch British Columbia

learning experiences to its fun family programs.

“One item that consistently shows

family groups with enriching exhibits on China, dinosaurs, and even the impact of children in shaping history.

No matter where they happen, families

Resorts and hotels are noticing

have discovered that these educational

growing interest in educational group

group travel options create stronger family

up is that parents want their kids to have

family travel as well. The Four Seasons

bonds, memorable experiences and

a good time during their cruise but at the

Resorts Lana’i has developed enriching

transformational learning opportunities

same time learn something new,” said

experiential programming, such as its

that last a lifetime. LGT

Sarah Reno, vice president of entertain-

Ho’okipa Cultural Program, complimentary

ment for Carnival Cruise Lines. “Our

Kids for all Seasons program, and a

Camp Ocean program is a result of this

wealth of family activities so families and

research with more than 200 fun, educa-

multigenerational groups can learn about

tional games that immerse children in

Hawaiian culture and the history of the

the wonders of the sea.”

island of Lana’i, said Lori Holland, director

12 April 2015

Nancy Schretter is the founder and managing editor of the Family Travel Network (familytravelnetwork.com), founder of Together for Good (togetherforgood.org) and an industry consultant in family and multigenerational travel.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

on location: west ❖

A City Like No Other Charm and beauty… history and hills… food and wine

This Is San Francisco

By Vanessa Day here must be hundreds of yards left until the top—at least that’s what it feels like. I take a quick break to catch my breath before continuing up the steep gradient, my shoes gripping the loose sand and dirt of the makeshift path in Buena Vista Park as best they can.

This experience is nothing new in San Francisco, infamous for its precipitous hills. These mini mountains, sprinkled with an

T

eclectic mix of architecture and people, are part of what makes San Francisco so different from anywhere else in the country.

Apart from my knowledge of San Francisco’s topography, I was unsure what to expect on my first visit. I had been told to see a variety of sights, and there are so many noteworthy attractions that it is tough to decide which ones take priority. The solution?

A city tour.

San Francisco Travel Association/Scott Chemis

San Francisco Travel Association/Jack Hollingsworth

Pier 39

Tourists converge on San Francisco’s historic waterfront to indulge in seafood favorites like Dungeness crab and shop at group-friendly Pier 39.

Down at Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, groups can sign up for any number of city bus, bike, Segway or walking tours. For something fun and wacky, hop aboard an upgraded WWII vehicle

trails, the proximity of the metropolitan area drifted from my mind —I was in a completely different world.

If you have the time, plan a full- or half-day excursion outside

(called a DUKW and pronounced DUCK) and quack your way

San Francisco. Tower Tours offers three-hour tours to Muir Woods

through the city. Ride the Ducks San Francisco hits some of the

National Monument, as well as “The Grand City,” “Wine Country,”

city’s well-known areas, including Union Square, North Beach

and “Monterey and Carmel.” Tam Hiking Tours designs educa-

and Chinatown, giving you some background on the role these

tional hiking tours on Mount Tamalpais, located just 15 minutes

districts played in the city’s history. After your excursion on land,

from the city. Groups interested in learning about the trails, history

your group will splash into the bay to get a water view of the city

and geology of the area will thoroughly enjoy this tour.

and AT&T Stadium.

Extranomical Tours offers a variety of city bus tours that show

Getting in touch with nature isn’t difficult in San Francisco.

You don’t need to go far to find it. If your schedule doesn’t

visitors not only San Francisco’s hot spots, but its hidden gems

permit a side trip to neighboring regions, simply guide your group

and neighborhoods, too. For an off-beat experience, book an

to Golden Gate Park. The 1,017-acre park holds gardens, lakes,

adventure aboard Magic Bus San Francisco. Groups will explore

picnic groves, trails and monuments, providing a true oasis for

the city in the present, while periodical video projections showcase

city dwellers. Stroll through the world-renowned collection of

San Francisco’s iconic history. When the windows are covered

orchids and water lilies at the Conservatory of Flowers, or admire

with screens displaying archival videos, you’re instantly teleported

a classic arched drum bridge and pagodas at the Japanese Tea

back in time.

Garden.

Tour groups can get their cardio fix with Blazing Saddles Bike

Amid the long list of must-see sites on my list was Alcatraz,

Rental & Tours, where they can pedal along the shore and across

the notorious, spine-tingling old prison representative of America’s

the Golden Gate Bridge (a truly incredible experience I highly

dark side. “The Rock,” as it’s called, sits just a mile and a half off

recommend). Or explore the city with active tours from Sports

San Francisco’s shore. Some of the most infamous criminals were

Basement, offering customizable running tours, and Urban Hiker

incarcerated there. Hear all the escape attempts and legendary

SF, helping travelers explore the trails, hills and stairways of

stories on a recorded cell-house tour, taking you through the prison

San Francisco.

buildings and grounds. The night tours are the most popular

Outside the city limits, there is even more to discover.

and sell out quickly, so be sure to book early. Groups can also

A quick drive took me to the stunning landscape of Muir Woods,

opt for a day trip to the island or combine a visit with one of the

a national monument every nature-lover can appreciate. Here, I

city tours.

strolled among 1,000-year-old redwood trees soaring to heights of 260 feet, the tops barely visible. As I walked the jagged dirt

San Francisco is known for its wide variety of cuisines, classic dishes and top restaurants. Go back in time to the San Francisco of

Signature San Francisco sights include clattering cable cars scaling steep hills and the colorful streets of Chinatown, a beehive of commerce.

Visit California/Carol Highsmith

Visit California/Carol Highsmith

the past at John’s Grill, a landmark restaurant opened in 1908 in the Union Square neighborhood. Enjoy bowls of Seafood Cioppino and plates of Grilled Pacific Red Snapper in one of the restaurant’s private dining areas, perfect for small or large groups.

Enjoy seafood favorites like Dungeness crab and fresh oysters at Franciscan Crab Restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf. The restaurant offers spectacular views of the Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz.

Groups can dine in a contemporary gastropub at Urban Tavern; enjoy delicious Peruvian-style seafood dishes at La Mar; or taste French, Spanish and Basque cuisine at Piperade.

Of course, no trip to San Francisco would be complete without wine. The city’s proximity to Napa Valley allows locals and visitors to sip some of the best wines in the country. If there’s no time in your schedule for a day trip to Sonoma or Napa, fear not. You can still satisfy your palate at Bluxome Street Winery, located in the heart of the historic SoMa (South of Market) district. Opened in 2010, the winery is located in a large warehouse, where the dedicated team of vintners produces wines with balance and finesse. Groups can visit the tasting room to sample pinot noir and chardonnay while watching the varietals being made. Bluxome also takes groups on a bus tour of the Urban Wine Trail or on a private yacht for a paired tasting dinner.

Another great option for wine: the San Francisco Wine Group, a collection of urban wineries located on Treasure Island. There are five different wine brands with separate tasting rooms. The setting is ideal for a walk-around wine tasting, and groups can spend the day sipping and socializing, and even enjoy a game or two of bocce ball.

On the last day of my visit, I venture to Buena Vista Park, the oldest official park in the city.

I make my way up a steep dirt path, silently cursing the hill and wondering why I put myself through this. I see an opening in the trees and soon emerge onto a tailored lawn. San Francisco spreads out in every direction, and I take in the view of this grand city. Every step was worth it. LGT LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 15

Hotels of From the lush rainforests of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, to the deserts of Chile and isolated Easter Island, Leisure Group Travel spotlights exceptional hotels that could be just right for your group

By Lance Harrell

Alto Atacama – Chile Located in Catarpe Valley of the Salt Mountain Range, the Alto Atacama’s design was influenced by local village architecture and conceived to blend seamlessly into its environment, appearing as a part of the terra cotta-colored ridge that rises behind it. The setting, the sweeping views, the tranquility and silence, and the hotel’s wonderful outdoor lounge spaces make the Alto Atacama a destination unto itself.

Environmental sustainability, a strong connection with the local culture and its “Andescape” concept of decorative flora, combined with a stable of friendly llamas and alpacas, local cuisine and Leave No Trace-schooled guides, make Alto Atacama an experience like no other.

Alto Atacama seeks to open a traveler’s eyes, get them off the beaten track, interact with the local indigenous culture and explore the desert’s varied and eerily beautiful landscapes by foot or bike.

Geysers, hot springs, volcano climbs, mountain biking through desert canyons, horseback riding on a sand dune, and exploring ancient Incan ruins and petroglyphs are just a few of the adventurous excursions offered, always led by highly trained local guides. (altoatacama.com)

Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa – Nicaragua For the group that is calling for world-class pampering, exclusivity and luxury all wrapped inside a pristine tropical sanctuary, Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa has answered. Sprawling across this 1,670-acre private beach community, Mukul offers your group no shortage of opportunities to relax, explore or play.

Start your day with a stroll along the four miles of private beach, then head over to the Guacalito Golf Course for 18 holes before grabbing a snack at the Mukul Beach Club and dropping off the kids at the Kul Kids Club, where trained nannies will watch over them while you slip away and rejuvenate in one of the six spacious spa sanctuaries… and that is just day one.

With seven-and-a-half miles of nature trails, tennis courts, surfing, pools, lounges, deep sea fishing and numerous tour and excursion options, everyone in your group can find something to suit their desires.

Mukul Resort is true to its creed, “The Nicaragua you’ve never known is the one you’ll never forget.” (mukulresort.com)

16 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Latin America —Four Sparkling Gems

Villa Buena Onda – Costa Rica Nestled into the quiet hillside on the outskirts of Playa del Coco, Villa Buena Onda is one of the best kept secrets of Costa Rica. This boutique hotel outshines others by focusing on two characteristics, quality and service, making it the perfect choice for a girlfriend getaway.

As has been said many times, good things come in small packages, and with a capacity of only about 22, the Villa adds significant credence to that axiom. Every one of the spacious, stylishly appointed rooms provides a breathtaking view down the hillside, with an unobstructed vista that skims across the top of the jungle canopy all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Even with all this to offer, one of the best qualities that Villa Buena Onda has to offer your girlfriend getaway is privacy. Located at the perfect distance away from the town to escape the clamor of the nightly festivities but close enough to quickly head down and join in, these private grounds are enclosed by jungle on three sides, so you need not be concerned about prying eyes or unwanted interruptions. (villabuenaonda.com)

Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa – Easter Island, Chile Many journey to Easter Island to view the iconic Moai statues built by the Rapa Nui and learn about the history and culture of this unique people. Designed to reflect the architecture of the destroyed village of Orongo at the peak of the Rano Kau volcano, and operated with the Kaniga philosophy of the Rapa Nui in mind, Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa devotes itself to the guardianship of the local cultural and natural resources.

Fostering programs to educate and maintain the island’s cultural heritage and environmental treasures, Hangaroa utilizes solar and wind power, water reclamation and waste recycling, native landscaping, and local ingredients at both the spa and in the restaurants.

If your group is looking for a culturally exotic, educational experience with a low environmental impact, while still having all the comforts of a top-notch quality hotel and spa, Hangaroa has you covered. (hangaroa.cl) LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 17

on location: midwest ❖

Minnesota’s

Storied

Minnesota Historical Society

Past

There’s more to the state than water and trees

By Randy Mink

Minnesota’s Greatest Generation exhibit, Minnesota History Center in St. Paul

18 April 2015

Minnesota Historical Society

R

eminders of Minnesota’s history and heritage—from opulent mansions and humble houses to state-of-the-art museums—can lend depth and touches of nostalgia to any tour itinerary. Take your group back to frontier days on the Mississippi River or expose them to Minneapolis’ past as a flour milling capital. Revisit the gangster era, delve into the early logging industry or see how small-town Minnesotans went on to become big names.

Aviator Charles Lindbergh and his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic are remembered at his boyhood home in Little Falls.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Minnesota Historical Society

The film Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat, a lighthearted take on city history by local humorist Kevin Kling, entertains visitors to the Mill City Museum.

St. Paul, the state capital, brims with historical tours and

two-hour “Saint Paul Gangster Tour.” Offered by Down In History

attractions. It’s also the location of the Minnesota History Center,

Tours and led by characters in gangster garb, this premier

headquarters for the Minnesota Historical Society and a popular

crook’s tour explores the sites of nightclubs, kidnappings and

tourist attraction that provides the perfect starting point for an

gun battles associated with 1930s gangsters like John Dillinger,

overview of Minnesota’s heritage. Permanent exhibits include

Ma Barker and Babyface Nelson. For groups of 25 or more,

Minnesota’s Greatest Generation, a look at those who grew

Down In History has other themed tours, such as the “Mill City

up during the Depression, came of age in World War II and

Mobs Tour,” “No Blarney Tour” (Irish history), “Uff Dah! Tour”

participated in the post-war boom. Visitors view classic film clips

(Scandinavian history) and “Rivers & Roots Tour” (growth of the

in a 1930s-style movie theater, get behind the counter of a soda

Twin Cities along the mighty Mississippi). It also offers 45-minute

fountain from the era, watch a re-creation of a WWII combat

tours of the Wabasha Street Caves, three manmade sandstone

flight and join a Rosie the Riveter-style assembly line packing

grottoes carved into the side of a Mississippi River bluff in

ammunition shells. In Then Now Wow, a hands-on exhibit for kids

St. Paul. A hangout for mobsters during Prohibition, the caves

of all ages, you can ride a Twin Cities streetcar and peek out

housed a speakeasy and today are used for mystery dinners,

the windows as different times and places go by, descend

music shows and private events.

underground into an Iron Range mine and drill the ore, sit in a

On bluffs above the confluence of the Mississippi and

tipi and learn about Dakota history and culture, and learn what

Minnesota rivers in St. Paul, costumed soldiers and settlers bring

life was like in an 1870s sod house. For some recent history, see

frontier days to life at Historic Fort Snelling. There are cannon

the emergency exit door from the school bus in the I-35W bridge

and musket drills, cooking and blacksmith demonstrations, and

collapse (2007) signed by all the children and adults aboard.

a short orientation film.

The Minnesota State Capitol, neighboring the Minnesota

In downtown St. Paul, Landmark Center, a former courthouse

History Center, boasts one of the world’s tallest marble domes

noted for its grand Richardsonian Romanesque architecture,

and is known for its gilded horses, murals, stenciled ceilings, and

offers free tours and houses five museums, including a gallery

lavish use of granite, marble and limestone. Highlights of a guided

of wood art. The Schubert Club Museum shows the evolution

tour include the Governor’s Reception Room and chambers of

of the piano, features musical instruments from around the

the Senate and House of Representatives

world and has original letters from composers like Mozart and

One of the most entertaining city tours in Minnesota is the LeisureGroupTravel.com

Beethoven. Group meals at Landmark Center can be arranged April 2015 19

Minnesota Historical Society

Cannon and musket drills are part of the living history program at Historic Fort Snelling on the St. Paul riverfront.

Down In History Tours

in Anita’s Cafe or in one of the historic

can combine their tour with a Swedish

rooms ornately decorated with marble and

meal and/or a session that involves

carved wood.

making a Swedish-inspired craft.

The riverfront in downtown Minneapolis has a historical attraction that recalls

country’s longest street of Victorian

the city’s flour milling heyday. Mill City

architecture, sits another imposing

Museum is built on ruins of the Gold

mansion, the 1891 James J. Hill House.

Medal Flour mill, once the largest flour mill

A gem from the Gilded Age, the red

in the world. The Baking Lab whips up

sandstone mansion, once the largest and

goodies to sample, lending a delicious

most expensive residence in Minnesota,

aroma to the place. Everyone likes the

was home to the man who built the

Flour Tower, an elevator that takes seated

Great Northern Railway.

riders to different floors, each with a Saint Paul Gangster Tour

Mining & Mushrooms, Gangsters & Ghosts!

On Summit Avenue in St. Paul, the

While James J. Hill is not exactly a

milling scene described by a “worker.”

household word, several historical sites in

Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat, a movie

Minnesota preserve the legacies of names

in the museum’s theater, provides a

we know. In the Mississippi River town of

humorous, fast-paced glimpse of the city.

Little Falls, north of St. Cloud, groups can

The American Swedish Institute

tour the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic

occupies Minneapolis’ only castle, the

Site, the boyhood home of the famous

Give us a call or look us up on the web –

former Turnblad Mansion. Tours of the

aviator. The Lindbergh History Center next

1908 home of a wealthy publisher/civic

door shows a film of his life, and visitors

leader showcase hand-carved mahogany,

can climb inside a replica of the Spirit of

651-292-1220

ornate plasterwork and 11 porcelain-tile

St. Louis’ cockpit to relive Lindbergh’s

stoves from Sweden. Some rooms host

1927 trans-Atlantic flight.

WabashaStreetCaves.com 20 April 2015

Nordic art and culture exhibits. Groups

Sauk Centre remembers a native son at LeisureGroupTravel.com

Obtain Minnesota visitor guides and itineraries and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

the Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center, where exhibits and a

re-enactors who portray life in a replica 1900 logging camp. A

10-minute video shine the spotlight on the first American to win the

traditional lumberjack meal is served in the cook house. The mini-

Nobel Prize for literature. Lewis’s Main Street sold millions of

theater shows films on the state’s timber industry and a video about

copies in the 1920s, striking a nerve in the American middle class

forest fires. Visitors can climb the fire tower for panoramic views.

by portraying small-town life as provincial, smug and dull. Gopher

A northeastern Minnesota itinerary also can follow the early life

Prairie, the town in his book, was based on his experiences

of Bob Dylan, who grew up in Hibbing. Highlights include his

growing up in Sauk Centre. He also wrote 22 other novels,

childhood home (where he lived from 1948-1959), high school and

including Babbit, Arrowsmith and Elmer Gantry. On display are

places he frequented. Dylan haunts also can be visited on tours of

his writing desk, typed manuscripts and framed Nobel Prize.

Duluth, where he was born Robert Zimmerman in 1941. LGT

The Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home on Sinclair Lewis Avenue is open from June through August.

Judy Garland, the actress/singer best known for her role as Dorothy in the movie Wizard of Oz, grew up as Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids. Today her life is enshrined at the Judy Garland Museum, which is attached to the white frame house where she and her sisters grew up in a musical/theatrical family that was considered a curiosity in this northeastern Minnesota logging town.

Grand Rapids’ Forest History Center offers

Visit Saint Paul/Dan Anderson

customized group tours featuring costumed

The sumptuous Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul

LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 21

on location: west ❖

Yellowstone A Park for All Seasons Wildlife viewing, outdoor recreation and eye-popping natural phenomena keep groups engaged in America’s first national park

By Sue Arko

P

owerful natural forces, including furious volcanic

hydrothermal features, erupting 18-22

explosions, crashing waves, grinding glaciers, shuddering

times each day and normally reaching

earthquakes and strong winds, created the diverse land-

maximum heights averaging 130 feet

scape that has become Yellowstone National Park. Since its

for about 20 seconds. The eruption ends

designation as a national park in 1872, Yellowstone has been a

with a few puffs of steam. Additional

cherished part of Wyoming's rich landscape and has served as a

highlights include the Norris Geyser Basin

sort of living museum, its wonders portraying an up-close-and-

and Mammoth Hot Springs area. Some believe

personal glimpse of what North America was like in the days

Norris Geyser Basin to be the most exciting area

before recorded history.

in the park, as it is the most compact thermal

With 2,219,789 acres of wilderness in Wyoming and Montana,

area with hundreds of geysers, pools and hot

it’s truly a wonderland of natural beauty and geological oddities.

springs. The area can be viewed on a walk of

America’s first national park remains one of the most popular,

less than two miles. The Mammoth Hot Springs

welcoming almost four million visitors a year.

area includes the Minerva Terrace, comprised of

Sitting on top of a dormant volcano, Yellowstone is a mysterious land of steaming geysers, fumaroles and bubbling mud pots.

Over 50 percent of the world’s geysers, including Old Faithful,

colorful travertine terraced formations that continue to change and grow.

Other iconic spots include Lower Falls,

are preserved here and are the main reason the park was

Yellowstone Lake, Mammoth Falls, Fountain Paint

established. Home to grizzly bears, wolves, and herds of bison

Pots and the awesome, 1,200-foot-deep Grand

and elk, the park is the core of one of the last, nearly intact

Canyon of the Yellowstone, which offers great

ecosystems in the earth’s temperate zone.

views from Inspiration and Lookout points. Lesser

Old Faithful is the centerpiece of the natural attractions in Yellowstone. It is the most consistent of Yellowstone’s 10,000

known than the Grand Canyon of Arizona, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Photos courtesy Wyoming Travel & Tourism

22 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Yellowstone Lake (at 7,733 feet) is the largest lake in North America at so high an altitude.

is equally as spectacular.

Lamar Valley for an up-close-and-personal look at bears and

The best way to discover

wolves. A naturalist guide serves as your safari tracker as you

its diversity is on foot; your

learn about the habits and habitats of bears and wolves on the

hike will reveal the immen-

drive into the wilderness.

sity of the canyon and river below as you stop at various viewpoints.

Yellowstone attracts groups of all

Just outside the park in West Yellowstone is the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, where you can gain further insight into the lives of Yellowstone’s two top predators. A naturalist offers a guided tour of the attraction followed by free time to wander

ages, and activities vary from mild to

through the exhibits and enjoy presentations on bears, wolves,

wild. They include boating, camping,

birds of prey and more. Admission also includes the IMAX

canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and wildlife viewing.

The park’s vast network of trails takes

theater’s Yellowstone, which spotlights the park's history and grandeur.

Yellowstone National Park is open year round. And while summer is obviously the most popular time to visit, the solitude

hikers to hundreds of secluded places where

of Yellowstone in winter is so compelling that it defies words.

vehicles are prohibited. Wildlife is abundant

Yellowstone wrapped in a blanket of snow is something every

and can be seen everywhere from the trails.

group should experience. Pillars of steam drift across the snow-

Yellowstone’s legendary wildlife includes

crusted earth to creating a scene of fantasy. With the crisp cold

grizzly and black bears, gray wolves,

air, clear blue sky and everything dressed in white, all the

buffalo, elk, pronghorn antelope, trumpeter

thermal features of the geyser basins are magnified in size and

swans and eagles.

number. The scene is accentuated by the stillness of winter

Take a wildlife safari in Yellowstone's

LeisureGroupTravel.com

and accompanied by wildlife that gathers in the basin to take

April 2015 23

Obtain Wyoming visitor guides and itineraries and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

advantage of the warmth provided by hot springs, geysers and fumaroles. If you want to experience Yellowstone with fewer people, more opportunities to view wildlife and the adventure of traveling in unique snowcoaches, then consider a winter trip.

Yellowstone National Park will be front and center during the National Park Service Centennial in 2016. Based on the theme “Find Your Park,” the goal is to have guests of all ages visit and fall in love with our national parks. Yellowstone, along with all the other national parks and monuments, will hold special celebrations throughout the year; advance planning for your group is mandatory.

NPS and the National Park Foundation are working jointly with partners across the country to ensure that the centennial is more than a birthday. The goal is for every American to embrace, explore, learn, be inspired or simply have fun in their national parks. The centennial will celebrate the achievements of the past 100 years, but it is really about the future. It’s about kicking off a second century of stewardship for America’s national parks. The two-year effort begins this year and runs through 2016.

Saying there is truly something for everyone to explore in Yellowstone is not a tired cliche but a proven fact. These suggestions and more await your group’s arrival. Yellowstone is all you can imagine – and more! LGT

Photos courtesy Wyoming Travel & Tourism

Dramatic thermal activity gives Yellowstone National Park an other-worldly aura. The geyser Old Faithful (right) is its signature attraction.

24 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Live the Legend of Cheyenne!

July 17-26, 2015 July 22-31, 2016 ) Top Name Entertainers ) 9 Pro Rodeos ) USAF Thunderbirds ) Free Pancake

Breakfasts and Parades ) Indian Village and More!

www.cfdrodeo.com 800-227-6336

Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Old West Museum Historic Cheyenne Depot and Museum Wyoming State Capitol and State Museum Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley Western Shopping Galore Big Boy Steam Engine Terry Bison Ranch Bit-O-Wyo Horse Barn Dinner Show

Plus NEW Turnkey Group Experiences!

At the I-80 and I-25 Intersection ~ www.cheyenne.org ~ 800-426-5009

LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 25

on location: south ❖

EX PLOR ING AMERI C A’S

CIVIL RIGHTS SITES Landmarks commemorating the fight for racial equality enhance group tour itineraries in the 12 states that make up Travel South USA

By Dave Bodle

Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama was the scene of clashes between police and voting rights demonstrators on “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965.

or many Americans the turbulent 1960s were defined as

F

gation. Fast forward to January 2015 when the convictions of the

“sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.” The social taboos of sexism

Friendship Nine, jailed for 30 days in 1961 after a sit-in protest, were

and racism were being challenged and relaxed. Even be-

vacated.

were being confronted.

sites of the civil rights movement located throughout the Southern

fore the 1964 Civil Rights Act was signed, racism and discrimination

Although civil rights challenges continue today, there are historic

A 1948 executive order by President Truman called for the equal

states. Each pays tribute to the history, people and events that took

treatment of all in the Armed Services. The 1954 Supreme Court

place there. Whether your trip is a walk in the footsteps of civil rights

ruling overturning the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson separate but equal

activism or simply a stop on a Southern tour, plan to explore these

educational facilities decision opened the door for school desegre-

historically significant attractions and experience the stories they tell.

26 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Alabama Tourism Department

Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit (top right) at the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis. Kelly Ingram Park sculptures recall riots in Birmingham.

ALABAMA

center and point of origination for the 1963 Children’s Campaign

Possibly the epicenter of the civil rights movement, Alabama is

for Human Rights. This direct action was a challenge to segregation

home to more than a dozen significant sites. The Dexter Avenue

in Birmingham by putting pressure on merchants through marches.

Baptist Church was headquarters for the 1955-1956 Montgomery

On September 15, 1963 a Ku Klux Klan bombing of the church killed

Bus Boycott that was sparked by the arrest and jailing of Rosa

four young girls and injured 22 church attendees. The action sparked

Parks. Her crime was a refusal to give up her seat for a white pas-

a series of protests. Tours of the church are available.

senger on a crowded city bus. The church’s young pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr., was thrust into the national spotlight.

In Birmingham the 16th Street Baptist Church was the training LeisureGroupTravel.com

Diagonally across from the church, Kelly Ingram Park became the gathering spot for protesters and the scene of Birmingham police turning them back with dogs and fire hoses. Sculptures in the park reApril 2015 27

Museum of Native American History, Bentonville

Crater of Diamonds State Park, Murfreesboro

YOUR TRIP BEGINS HERE

Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, Van Buren

#VisitArkansas

Johnny Cash boyhood home, Dyess

Group tours in Arkansas can start in a microbrewery and end in a real diamond mine (where you can keep what you find). Or maybe go from canoeing to a presidential library. Or from a paddlewheel cruise to Arkansas’s tallest Native American mounds. The adventures just never stop here. FIND OUT MORE BY VISITING ArkansasGroupTravel.com OR CALLING 1-800-872-1259.

HAVE FUN IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

WELCOMING THE WORLD. Since opening its doors in 2004, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center has welcomed more than three million visitors from around the world. The Clinton Center is a world-class educational and cultural venue offering a variety of special events, exhibitions, educational programs and lectures throughout the year.

2015 Exhibits “Pigskin Peanuts” & “Heartbreak in Peanuts” • January 17 – April 5 “Dinosaurs Around the World” • April 25 – October 18 “Coca-Cola: An American Original” • November 7, 2015 – February 14, 2016

CLINTONPRESIDENTIALCENTER.ORG Little Rock, Arkansas 501-374-4242

Let Julie Pennington show your group all of Northwest Arkansas – Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Clinton House Museum, Botanical Garden, Terra Studios and much more. Her enthusiasm for Fayetteville is contagious. Experience it for yourself.

Forty Two Full Service Restaurant 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. • Mon. – Sat. Clinton Museum Store Official Store of the Clinton Center 10 a.m – 5:30 p.m. • Mon. – Sat. 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. • Sun.

experiencefayetteville.com jpennington@experiencefayetteville.com 800-766-4626

e r o px l CENTRAL ARKANSAS

E

We’ve got great group travel options.

Discover Little Rock and North Little Rock. Nestled on the banks of the Arkansas River, with great attractions and museums such as the Clinton Presidential Center, the USS Razorback World War II submarine and the Old Mill, famous for its appearance in “Gone with the Wind.”

Both cities share a vibrant arts and culinary scene, and offer year-round festivals and events.

TO LEARN MORE VISIT HEARTOFARKANSAS.COM LITTLE ROCK.COM • NORTHLITTLEROCK.ORG Ad paid for with State and Heart of Arkansas funds.

The Heart of Historic Hot Springs National Park

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call the 1963 riots. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, across from the park and church, chronicles the civil rights movement’s struggles and victories. The Birmingham Civil Rights District includes these attractions and others.

The Brown Chapel AME Church and First Baptist Church in Selma both played significant roles in the Selma marches and ultimately the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The former housed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for three months in 1965. Pastors Martin Luther King, Fred Shuttlesworth of Birmingham and Charles Steele of Tallahassee, Florida founded SCLC in 1957. First Baptist Church housed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) march planning committees.

In early March 1965 SCLC’s Hosea Williams and SNCC’s John Lewis began their march from Selma to the state capital, Mont-

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and 16th Street Baptist Church

gomery. At the Edmund Pettis Bridge, six blocks from Brown Chapel, the protesters were halted, abused and arrested. Two days

MISSISSIPPI

later Rev. King led a symbolic march to the bridge. The Selma-to-

In 1955 a 14-year-old black Chicago youth is visiting family in

Montgomery National Historic Trail & All-American Road was

Mississippi. Emmett Till is kidnapped, beaten, murdered and

created in 1996 and commemorates the March 7 and 9 marches

dropped in the Tallahatchie River. In June 1963 NAACP Field Sec-

and the March 21, 1965 march that began with 3,200 and arrived

retary Medgar Evers is murdered in Jackson. In summer 1964 three

in Montgomery with 32,000 marchers.

civil rights workers are arrested and later that evening released to the Ku Klux Klan and murdered. During this period of violence Mississippi emerged as a leading force in the civil rights movement.

During the ’50s and ’60s predominately black Tougaloo College was central to the civil rights movement. From its campus 10 miles away, students traveled to Jackson, the state capital, and protested against racial discrimination. Boycotts were organized and many students were arrested for protesting at businesses that refused to serve blacks. Resistance to the students’ activities culminated in drive-by shootings into faculty housing. In 1964 the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was successful in having Tougaloo College President Dr. Adam Beittel removed. The com-

ALL NEW and free breakfast too!

Our newly renovated hotel warmly welcomes group tours with special rates and complimentary hot breakfast.

Free bus parking and a great location off I-10 near all the a ractions of New Orleans.

mission was created by state legislation with the sole purpose of challenging what was believed to be federal encroachment.

All James Meredith wanted to do was go to school. However, during the fall of 1962 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford his wish was met by riots and violence. President Kennedy called in 5,000 federal troops, but when it was over there were two deaths and hundreds of injuries. This key event in the civil rights struggle clearly showed the strength of local resistance to integration and the length the federal government would go to enforce the law.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson® Metairie (New Orleans), LA 2713 N Causeway Blvd Metairie, LA 70002 (504) 835-4141 countryinns.com/metairiela

Today there’s a monument to James Meredith that shares his story.

Nearby in the library are cases with artifacts from this turbulent time.

Created in 2011 the Mississippi Freedom Trail commemorates the people and places that were important to Mississippi’s role in the civil rights movement. The Trail will be further enhanced in 2017 with the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson.

30 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

NORTH CAROLINA

ARKANSAS

During early 1960 Woolworth’s Five & Dime in Greensboro

In September 1957, three years after the Brown v. Board of

became the site of a unique protest that would empower student

Education Supreme Court decision that ended public-school segre-

activists throughout the ’60s. Four freshmen from historically black

gation, a federal court issued an order requiring Little Rock to com-

Agricultural & Technical College of North Carolina sat at Wool-

ply. Governor Orval Faubus defied the order. Central High School

worth’s segregated lunch counter and ordered coffee. The wait-

and “The Little Rock Nine” were thrust into the national spotlight.

ress and manager ignored them. The next day the four young men

The governor called on the National Guard to prevent the nine

returned. This time 19 supporters had joined them. On the third

African-American students from entering the high school. After meet-

day 85 students from neighboring colleges participated. Within

ing with President Eisenhower, Faubus promised to use the National

a week there were 400 white and black students demonstrating in

Guard to protect the students, but upon returning to Little Rock the

shifts. This simple protest sparked sit-ins at nine other North

troops were dismissed. Violence erupted, several reporters were

Carolina cities and demonstrations as far away as Nashville,

beaten and bricks crashed through school windows. Local police

Tennessee.

evacuated the nine students. Order was not restored and Eisen-

Part of the Downtown Greensboro Historic District, the F.W. Wool-

hower dispatched the 101st Airborne. Under protection The Little

worth Building now houses the International Civil Rights Center

Rock Nine completed the school year. The Central High School

and Museum. The exhibits take visitors on a journey through time

National Historic Site is located within walking distance of the

and help build an understanding of the injustice of African Americans

school, which is still educating students of all races.

during segregation and Jim Crow laws. A particularly moving exhibit is the film re-enactment of the four students during the evening pre-

SOUTH CAROLINA

ceding their historic sit-in. Their thoughts, concerns and commitment

“Jail No Bail” was the position of The Friendship Nine, students

are presented. An authentic F.W. Woolworth lunch counter serves

from Friendship College, when in 1961 they were arrested and sen-

as a background for a film that shares the six-month protest that

tenced in Rock Hill for a sit-in demonstration at McCrory’s lunch

eventually integrated the restaurant. Guided tours are available.

counter. The students were most likely inspired by the Greensboro, North Carolina sit-ins.

The Modjeska Monteith Simkins House in Columbia was the residence of a leading civil rights advocate. The home also served as her office, meeting place and lodging for civil rights leaders when hotels were closed to blacks. After 10 years in the public health field as the director of Negro Work for the South Carolina Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Simkins lost her position due to her increasing involvement with the NAACP. Continuing her involvement with both the local and state NAACP, she worked tirelessly towards racial equality. The Historic Columbia Foundation manages the house and it’s open for visiting.

The passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was certainly not the end of the struggle. In 1968, protests by students from South Carolina State College in Orangeburg resulted in a police-student clash at the All-Star Bowling Lanes. The Orangeburg Movement focused on desegregating public facilities. A few days later violence again broke out, but on campus this time. After a patrolman was hit in the face, others began firing into the students. Three died and 27 were wounded. The South Carolina State College Historic District consists of 10 academic buildings constructed between 1917 and 1969.

32 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

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LOUISIANA

MISSOURI

Although Louisiana did not experience

The state’s civil rights timeline stretches

the violence that plagued other Southern

to 1936 when the University of Missouri

states during the civil rights movement,

Law School refuses admittance to Lloyd

there were protests, boycotts, sit-ins and

Gaines, a black college graduate. He’s of-

marches. Baton Rouge was the site of the

fered a “scholarship” to attend a school out-

first bus boycott in June 1953. The “free

side Missouri, but Gaines chooses to file a

ride” system, designed to get African-Amer-

lawsuit. Although the suit is lost, the appeal

icans to work and supported by churches,

to the Supreme Court is successful.

was the model for the Montgomery Bus

A modest residence in St. Louis be-

Boycott three years later. The Capitol Park

came the centerpiece of a family’s struggle

Museum has a display on the Baton

to live in a home of their choice. The Shel-

Rouge Bus Boycott and other significant

ley House was the choice of J.D. Shelley

events in the fight for freedom.

and his wife, who purchased the home

In New Orleans a visit to The Cabildo

from an owner that agreed not to enforce

reveals rare artifacts of American history. In

the restrictive covenants permitting a sale

1853 The Cabildo became headquarters for

to Caucasians only. A neighbor sued to en-

the Louisiana State Supreme Court. The

force the covenants, but Shelley won the

landmark 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson

case. The verdict, however, was over-

originated here. The Amistad Research

turned in the Missouri Supreme Court. An

Center, located on the Tulane University

appeal went to the U.S. Supreme Court,

Campus, is home to the largest collection of

which in 1948 ruled in favor of Shelley.

manuscripts about African- Americans in the country. Race relations and civil rights are a

VIRGINIA

significant part of the collection. Although not

Robert Russa Moton High School in

exhibited for public viewing, the center is a

Farmville was typical of all-black schools

central point for both researchers and those

in Prince Edward County and much of the

tracking family history information.

South—overcrowded, no gym or cafeteria and the highest paid teachers being paid

GEORGIA

34 April 2015

less than the lowest paid in all-white

Three students from Mt. Zion Baptist

schools. Barbara Jones, a 16-year-old stu-

Church in Albany became the Freedom

dent, took action. In the spring of 1951 she

Singers and a unifying force in the civil

convinced her classmates to go on strike

rights movement. One of the original

to demand a better school. An NAACP or-

singers (and still in marvelous voice), Rutha

ganizer convinced families to address

Mae Harris is available to tell her story and

segregation head-on through the courts.

share her music. The Albany Civil Rights

Although the Brown v. Board of Education

Institute, adjacent to the church, tells both

case was won at the Supreme Court level,

a national and Albany story.

the Commonwealth of Virginia led the re-

To fully understand the civil rights move-

sistance to the decision by closing its pub-

ment, a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr.

lic schools in Prince Edward County from

National Historic Site in Atlanta is a must.

1959-1964. A National Historic Landmark

It includes King’s birth home, Ebenezer

there is an ongoing effort to convert the

Baptist Church (where he shared the pulpit

school into a civil rights museum.

with his father) and his gravesite. The Mar-

With many of the most notorious civil

tin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent

rights events in the Deep South, Virginia’s

Social Change, Inc. is across the street

role is often overlooked. The Civil Rights

from the church. The National Park Service

Movement in Virginia exhibit at the Virginia

operates a visitors center that features ex-

Historical Society in Richmond is a must

hibits about King’s life and the movement.

do.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

KENTUCKY

WEST VIRGINIA

The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Birthplace in Simpsonville is open

Elizabeth Harden Gilmore was a civil rights advocate and busi-

to groups by request. An educator and civil rights leader, Young

ness leader. Her commitment to integrate her state’s schools, hous-

became president of the National Urban League at age 40 and

ing and public accommodations was characterized as “ongoing and

started “Street Academy” to prepare high school dropouts for

steadfast.” The Elizabeth Harden Gilmore House in Charleston

college and “New Thrust” to assist leaders in identifying and solving

was her home from 1947 until 1986. Visitors are welcome.

community problems.

Gilmore’s accomplishments are considerable. Along with a group

Lincoln Hall, Berea College in Berea can trace civil rights

of Charleston women she established an integrated daycare center

activities to 1855. The college was founded to educate black and

before school desegregation was mandated. She co-founded the

white students together. However, the forward-thinking program

local chapter of Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and her push

came to a halt in 1904 when state legislators passed a law dictat-

to amend the state’s civil rights law was a path for her to sit on the

ing mandatory segregation. Berea College fought the law all the

higher-education Board of Regents. The first African-American on

way to the U. S. Supreme Court, but lost. The ruling was overturned

the board, she served as vice president and then president.

in 1954 after Brown v. Board of Education.

Top left: Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis. Right: Elizabeth Harden Gilmore House, Charleston, WV.

TENNESSEE On the eve of his assassination Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous and prophetic “Mountaintop” speech at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ, Memphis. King, Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Rev. Andrew Young had come to Memphis to support the striking sanitation workers who held regular meetings at the church. Mason Temple is open to the public.

It was at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968 that Rev. King was assassinated. The Lorraine was a black-owned business and had among its guest’s prominent entertainers. It was due to this historical importance to the community that King chose to stay there during the sanitation workers strike. It just seems appropriate that The National Civil Rights Museum at The Lorraine Motel is located here. The museum offers artifacts, oral history, films and interactive media that guide visitors from slavery and the Civil War through Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the events that drove people to stand up (and sit down) for equality.

A few of the National Park Service sites are not open to the public, but are worth sharing here due to their importance to the civil rights movement.

Most, though, are accessible to the public. Begin your planning with the state tourism offices and local DMOs for memorable experiences of this important time in our history. LGT

36 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

on location: midwest ❖

Kansas I

City West of the

Border

f you didn’t already know,

built on the Delaware Indian Reserve

Kansas City spans two states. KC,

may be the oldest farmhouse in

Missouri lies on the east side of

Kansas.

the Missouri River, while KC, Kansas

get in on Kansas City’s action.

not only has its own impressive

Lakeside Speedway’s half-mile

lineup of group activities, lodging and

asphalt oval track features USRA

restaurants, but is also part of the

Modifieds, Grand Nationals, USRA B-

Kansas City metropolitan area, mak-

Mods and Factory Stocks in addition

ing it a perfect location for a hub-and-

to seasonal national touring series

spoke tour.

and racing events. Kansas Speedway

Kansas City was established in

is a 1,200-acre complex that hosts

1858 as the town of Wyandotte. By

NASCAR races twice a year, as well

the 1870s, railroads and stockyards

as the Grand-Am Series annually,

fueled its rapid growth. In 1886, four

on its 1.5-mile, tri-oval track. Kansas

municipalities—Armourdale, Arm-

Speedway also hosts special events

strong, Kansas City and Wyandotte—

and two driving schools including The

consolidated to form what today is

Richard Petty Driving Experience.

much of the Kansas portion of the

Hollywood Casino at Kansas

greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark

Kansas City, Kansas —KCK, The Dot, Heart of America— whatever you call it, discover what this groupfriendly destination in the Sunflower State has to offer By Lauren Reiniger

Once you’ve learned its history,

is on the west. Kansas City, Kansas

Speedway sits on Turn 2, giving you some of the best views of the track

Expedition arrived at Kaw Point,

as you play any of the 2,000 slot

where the Kansas and Missouri rivers

machines and 52 table games. Try

meet. Today, Kaw Point is the focus

your luck some more at the 24-hour

of a riverside park that has an open-

7th Street Casino, which offers more

air education pavilion with interpretive

than 600 slot machines in a historic

signs about the expedition and an

building.

amphitheater for performing arts and special events.

Wyandotte County Historical

Wyandotte County Lake Park provides 1,500 acres of wooded area, a 400-acre lake with marina,

Society and Museum houses one

as well as picnic shelters, a large

of the nation’s remaining Native

playground, boat rentals, concessions

American dugout canoes, as well as

and fishing. The park’s Cricket

a rare 1903 American LaFrance

Wireless Amphitheater has been

Steam Fire Engine. Exhibits cover

showcasing live music for more than

county history from the Stone Age to

20 years.

the present. New to the site is the

Rowe Ridge Vineyard & Winery,

N.A.A. Bomber Builders Monument

family owned and operated since

honoring those employees who built

1951, has 2,900 vines and offers a

6,608 B-25 bombers in the Fairfax

large selection of locally made wines.

district during World War II.

Wine Barn Winery & Vineyard

Grinter Place State Historic Site

features Kansas-grown grapes and

is the former home of Moses Grinter,

fruit wines in addition to live bands

an early settler who established the

during the summer and special

first ferry across the Kansas River.

events throughout the year.

The 1857 Georgian Vernacular home

As you stroll the streets of Kansas

Legends Outlet is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark (above) offers lazy rivers, beaches and the world’s tallest waterslide.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Obtain Kansas visitor guides and itineraries and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

Presidents Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter to his restaurant. Locally owned and operated, Breit's Stein and Deli is known for its sandwiches, especially its Reuben. At Fritz Family Restaurant, serving local favorites since 1954, order your food by telephone and watch your meal get delivered to your table by an overhead train.

Dine at T-Rex Café, located at Legends, and experience a prehistoric adventure, including face-to-face encounters with life-size dinosaurs, geysers, ice Kansas Speedway hosts NASCAR races and the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

caves, a waterfall and even a dinosaur dig.

If you’re looking for an ideal hub-and-

City, Kansas, admire the Avenue of Mu-

one-stop shop for fresh vegetables,

spoke destination that offers everything

rals Project, which includes eight murals

antiques and other goods.

from fast-paced thrills to tranquil relax-

in a four-block corridor along Minnesota

Cabela’s is a must for the outdoorsy.

ation, look no further. The Kansas City,

Avenue downtown. Each mural celebrates

Browse a huge selection of hunting,

Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau

the history and culture of Kansas City,

fishing and outdoor gear, then check

is eager to help with your group planning.

Kansas and the unique groups within the

out its Mule Deer Country Museum with

Check out their website, www.visitkansas-

community.

the world’s largest collection of life-size

cityks.com. LGT

CommunityAmerica Ballpark is

trophy mule deer, including two world

home to the Kansas City T-Bones minor

records. Don’t miss Cabela’s famous

league professional baseball team. Cheer

African Diorama and come face-to-face

on Sporting Kansas City, the city’s

with a giant catfish in the aquarium.

professional soccer team, at Sporting

Cabela’s also includes a laser arcade,

Park Stadium.

archery range, art gallery, furniture

Adventure Zip KC offers views of

department, gun library, restaurant,

downtown Kansas City and the Kansas

general store, fly fishing store, bargain

River as you zip across 143 acres,

cave and gift shop.

reaching speeds up to 45 mph! Splash

Legends Outlet is an open-air lifestyle

down the world’s tallest waterslide at

center offering outlet stores, retail,

Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark,

entertainment and dining venues. The

where groups can also enjoy shared

fountains, open-air corridors and a yellow

experiences on more than a mile of

brick road provide a peaceful atmosphere

interconnected river or relax on beaches,

for shoppers. Famous Kansans are

in private cabanas or a heated pool with

showcased in a variety of art forms

a swim-up refreshment bar.

throughout the shopping center; free

Kansas City, Kansas offers every-

educational audio walking tours and

thing for the shopaholics in your group,

scavenger hunts are available. Plaza at

from big-brand department stores to

the Speedway, another retail magnet,

charming boutiques. But, if you want to

is located across from Legends.

shop off the beaten path, Boulevard

Kansas City is known for its mouth-

Drive-In Theatre & Swap N’ Shop was

watering beef. At Arthur Bryant’s

not only the first drive-in theater in the

Barbeque, indulge in the famous sauce

world to install digital sound (and is still

created by Arthur Bryant himself—a sauce

a working drive-in), but doubles as a

that has attracted the likes of former

LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 39

on location: northeast ❖

Some major upcoming exhibitions will enhance the experience for gallery-going groups

MUSEUM

By Dave Bodle

Whether it’s a day trip or an extended visit to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia museums are a must. Our founding fathers would have appreciated a break from their challenging task to visit one of these gems.

THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE Appropriate for all ages, the 12 galleries of this

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART The Philadelphia Museum of Art houses one of the largest collections

dynamic science museum, an august institution at the

of art and architecture from the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin

forefront of national science museums, is filled with

America. More than 227,000 pieces are part of the museum’s collection.

interactive displays. New and special exhibits are introduced each year.

Through Sept. 6, 2015 The Art of the Brick displays the interaction of art and science through

Recently, the museum acquired paintings by Cezanne, Manet, Pissarro, Morisot and Duchamp and the Sachs Collection of Contemporary Art. The one-acre Anne d’Harnoncourt Sculpture Garden extends the museum’s significant galleries to the outdoors.

LEGO® masterpieces. From May 9, 2015 to January 3,

Opening June 14 and continuing through Sept. 13, 2015 will be the

2016 Genghis Khan will be attacking The Franklin. A

exhibition Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the

significant exhibit, Vatican Splendors, is slated from

New Painting. Scheduled from Sept. 12 through Dec. 6, 2015 is The Wrath

Sept. 19, 2015, to Feb. 14, 2016. It will be on display

of the Gods: Masterpieces by Michelangelo, Titan, and Rubens. The

during the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis’s

exhibition Audubon to Warhol: The Art of American Still Life is set for

visit to Philadelphia.

Oct. 27, 2015-Jan. 10, 2016. In summer 2016 the museum will present a

Enhancing the visitor experience are the Fels Planetar®

ium, IMAX Theater and Franklin 3D Theater. Programs

significant exhibition devoted to the Sachs Collection.

Group rates are based on a minimum of 15 with additional costs for

for adult groups and student field trips are detailed online,

guided tours, audio tours and special exhibitions. School groups are

including group-dining options. Due to the demand for

encouraged and teacher resources are available. Sample menus are

special exhibitions, tickets guaranteeing a particular date

available for the museum’s restaurant Granite Hill. Casual dining is

and time should be purchased far in advance.

available at Gallery Cafe at Perelman and The Cafeteria.

40 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

See a historic telescope in the Franklin Institute’s Space Command exhibit.

Opposite: A marble statue of Benjamin Franklin.

HOPPING

Photos courtesy The Franklin Institute

IN PHILADELPHIA RODIN MUSEUM Administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art since open-

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY The National Museum of American Jewish History, a Smith-

ing in 1929, the Rodin Museum, set along the Benjamin Franklin

sonian affiliate, is dedicated to preserving and sharing the 360-

Parkway in an iconic Beaux Arts-style building, offers a unique

year American Jewish experience. The Core Exhibition is a story

setting for experiencing the sculpture of Auguste Rodin. It

told on three-and-a-half floors of the museum.

houses the largest collection of Rodin’s work outside Paris.

The group admission fee includes a recorded audio tour.

From the social and religious to the political and economic, Jewish life is shared through more than 30,000 artifacts, covering

Guided tours is a few dollars more. A variety of subjects are

art, charity, childhood, immigration, civic service, religion, sports

connected to Rodin sculpture, and teacher resources are avail-

and work.

able for K-12.

On display now is the exhibition Richard Avedon: Family Affairs from the Collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

This exhibit of striking photography will remain until Aug. 2, 2015. Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and Friends: The Art of Bernard Waber arrives in late August and runs into October 2015. In spring

Academy of Natural Sciences

2016, Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism explores Jewish designers and architects and their contributions to the American landscape.

Groups of 15 or more receive group pricing with advance booking. Kosher box lunches for groups require at least a twoAnimal Grossology will be at the Academy of Natural Sciences this summer.

LeisureGroupTravel.com

week notice.

April 2015 41

Obtain Pennsylvania visitor guides and itineraries and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF DREXEL UNIVERSITY The New World’s oldest natural science museum is the world’s leader in freshwater science and biodiversity research. More than research, the Academy is dedicated to education and public engagement in the environment. Signature exhibits include Butterflies!, which is set in a lush tropical garden with live butterflies from Central and South America, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Hands-on activities are part of Outside In and The Big Dig. The Dinosaur Hall, 35 dioramas and What Eats What and Marveling at Mollusks should all be enjoyed.

The exhibition Animal Grossology, based on Sylvia Branzei’s children’s book series, will be at the Academy May 16-Aug. 30, 2015.

Clearly Beautiful: Photographs by Adam Summers arrives June 6 and continues to Oct. 4, 2015. Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly begins Sept. 26 and continues through Jan. 10, 2016.

For adults, the Academy welcomes groups of 10+ and offers extended group packages, library tours and behind-the-scenes guided tours. For students, there is a Field Trip Planner with both self-guided visits and a variety of enhanced museum experiences.

The list of upcoming exhibitions at other Philadelphia’s museums is considerable. The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia will be featuring The Dream of Wonderland Alice Turns 150 and Alice in Philly-Land: The True-Life Adventures of A.S.W. Rosenbach, Alice Liddell Hargraves, and the Manuscript that Made Them Famous from Oct. 10, 2105 through March 27, 2016. From Oct. 14, 2015 to May 15, 2016, the Rosenbach will exhibit Why Is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

Lewis Carroll’s Riddles, Puzzles, and Games.

Guided group tours of the historic Rosenbach home are available.

The Barnes Foundation also has an impressive list of upcoming exhibitions. May 16-Aug. 3, 2015 brings Mark Dion, Judy Pfaff, Fred Wilson: The Order of Things, a presentation of largescale things. Wrought Iron from the Musee Le Secq Tournelles, Rouen collection will arrive Sept. 19 and continue to Jan. 4, 2016. Accompanying the exhibit will be Ellen Harvey: Metal Painting. Premiering at the Barnes in February 2016 will be Picasso and the Great War. The exhibition continues into May. Find the Philadelphia museum that’s just right for your group at visitphilly.com/museumsattractions/philadelphia-museums. An experience like no other is awaiting you. LGT 42 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Top Theater Choices

By Lauren Reiniger

hy do we go to the theater? There are many reasons this form of entertainment has been around for thousands of years—and is still thriving, especially as a staple in group tour itineraries. Whether you’re in the mood for music, laughs, or even to enjoy a meal while you watch, we present 16 outstanding theater options.

W

Cast from West Side Story Suite Photo by Paul Kolnik

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre

Indianapolis

Fort Myers, Florida

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, Indi-

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, cel-

ana’s only year-round professional dinner

ebrating its 21st season, entertains over

theater, has been serving up entertain-

170,000 guests annually on Florida’s

ment since 1973. Enjoy a dinner buffet,

Gulf Coast. The facility includes a 450-

full fruit and salad bar, gourmet desserts,

seat dinner theater; a 100-seat "black-

coffee, tea and lemonade, and discounts for groups of 20+. Each

box" theater called The Off Broadway Palm Theatre; a 120-seat

season presents professional Broadway shows, plays and children's

dining room called Café Cabaret; and The Art Café, a 30-seat space

theater productions that draw more than 155,000 theatergoers

just off the main lobby. 2015’s performances include Seven Brides

annually. This season’s lineup includes The Drowsy Chaperone,

for Seven Brothers, Church Basement Ladies, Footloose, Some

Peter Pan, Smoke on the Mountain: Homecoming, South Pacific,

Enchanted Evening, Million Dollar Quartet and A Wonderful Life.

The Addams Family, A Beef & Boards Christmas and A Christmas

(239-278-4422, broadwaypalm.com)

Carol. (317-872-9664, beefandboards.com)

Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre Blue Man Group Las Vegas Las Vegas

Nashville, Tennessee In its 49th season, Chaffin’s Barn Din-

Blue Man Group's show at Monte

ner Theatre is a top Nashville attraction

Carlo is an energetic and innovative com-

with more than a million in total atten-

bination of music, comedy and multime-

dance. “The Barn,” established in the

dia theatrics. For years, guests have been

early 1960s, is the second oldest profes-

drawn to Blue Man Group’s unique form of entertainment. Exploring

sional dinner theater in the nation. The facility features a magic stage,

themes of community, collaboration and creativity, groups leave the

seats 296 and includes the Backstage Theater for smaller groups of

theaters feeling connected and energized by their shared experience.

up to 60. This year, you can see Good Ol’ Girls, Cliffhanger, Nobody’s

Whatever the purpose or size of your group, Blue Man Group can

Perfect, All Shook Up, Arsenic and Old Lace, Alone Together,

accommodate your needs or even customize the show specifically

Yule Ta’ll and Murder at the Howard Johnson’s. (800-282-2276,

for you. (702-697-1655, blueman.com/lasvegas)

dinnertheatre.com)

44 April 2015

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LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 45

Das Dutch Village Inn

Maine State Music Theatre

Columbiana, Ohio

Brunswick, Maine

Inspired by the Pennsylvania Dutch,

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is

nestled in the hills of northeastern Ohio,

a professional summer theater celebrat-

Das Dutch Village Inn is a charming Colo-

ing 57 years of Broadway-quality musi-

nial-style hotel with a year-round profes-

cals at the Pickard Theater on the

sional dinner theater on site presenting musicals, mysteries and

Bowdoin Campus. See a show at MSMT and enjoy all that the

stories of faith and joy. This season, Das Dutch Village Inn’s dinner

Southern Midcoast Maine Region can offer, including miles of coast-

theater will present No Clue, The Jesus Stories, A Laughter, Music

line with sandy beaches. MSMT’s group concierge helps you plan

and Mystery Tour with the Walking Roots Band, Dove Tail, Boogie

lodging and dining options, recreational add-ons and more. 2015’s

Woogie Baby, Broadway Memories and Michael Sonata’s Tribute to

season presents The Full Monty, Sister Act, The Music Man and

Ol’ Blue Eyes. (866-482-5050 ext. 310, dasdutchvillage.com/theater)

Young Frankenstein. (207-725-8769, msmt.org)

Derby Dinner Playhouse

New York City Ballet

Clarksville, Indiana

New York

Derby Dinner Playhouse is known for

New York City Ballet is one of the fore-

its professional productions of Broadway

most dance companies in the world.

musicals and lighthearted comedies.

Founded in 1948, it’s world-renowned for

Productions feature a live orchestra,

its athletic and contemporary style. At

earning Derby Dinner Playhouse national

Lincoln Center for the remainder of the

recognition for its new musicals. The 2015-2016 seasons present

2015 season, see Balanchine’s Black & White ballets, the 2015

Social Security, Peter Pan, Church Basement Ladies in The Last

Spring Gala featuring Bournonville’s La Slyphide and Bournonville

Potluck Supper, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None,

Divertissements, West Side Story Suite, Symphony in C, Balan-

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Southern Fried Funeral, Into the

chine’s Sonatine pas de deux, Martins’ Symphonic Dances and, to

Woods and Legally Blonde. (877-898-8577, derbydinner.com)

finish off the season, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (212-870-4071, nycballet.com)

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre Lancaster, Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, in its

Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Theatre Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

27th year, provides top-quality produc-

Canada’s award-winning and longest-

tions and award-winning food to over

running dinner musical, Oh Canada Eh?

150,000 guests annually. Located in the

Dinner Show, has entertained over

heart of the Amish Country in southeast-

600,000 guests from around the world

ern Pennsylvania, the 380-seat theater has a simple yet sophisti-

since opening in 1994. The 236-seat log

cated charm. 2015’s season features Funny Girl, Les Miserables,

cabin theater is located 10 minutes from the brink of Niagara

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Church

Falls. Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show performs April through October

Basement Ladies: A Mighty Fortress and A Christmas Story.

each year. Also showing this year is The Rocky Horror Show,

(717-898-1900, dutchapple.com)

Holiday Season Musical and Cabar-Eh? New Years Celebration.

(800-467-2071, ohcanadaeh.com)

Jackson Hole Playhouse Jackson Hole, Wyoming Jackson Hole Playhouse is an inti-

Pines Dinner Theatre Allentown, Pennsylvania

mate, charming, 362-seat theater. Situ-

Pines Dinner Theatre, the Lehigh

ated in the heart of Jackson's original

Valley's premier professional dinner

town site, the playhouse is the oldest

theater, offers mouth-watering food,

building in town at 99 years old. Before

spectacular shows and a down-home,

the curtain rises, dine at the Saddle Rock

country-casual atmosphere. The 2015

Saloon and be served by a gun-slinging singing waiter from the

season is presenting Breaking Up Is

show. This season presents Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Steel

Hard To Do, Phantom of the Opry: An Interactive Hillbilly Who-

Magnolias, The Bikinis, Ghost Stories at the Playhouse and Snowed

Dun-It, The Andrews Brothers and Grease. (610-433-2333, pines-

in for Christmas. (307-733-6994, jacksonholeplayhouse.com)

dinnertheatre.com)

46 April 2015

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Art In Motion

Abi Stafford and Aaron Sanz Photo by JR © 2013

SPRING 2015 April 28 – June 7 FALL 2015 September 22 – October 18 GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER ™

November 27 – January 3 WINTER 2016 January 19 – February 28 SPRING 2016 April 19 – May 29

Group Adventures with NYCB Dancers Groups Save up to 30%* (212) 870-4071 groupsales@nycballet.com nycballet.com/groupsales

*Excluding George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™

LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2015 47

Rainbow’s Comedy Playhouse

The Fireside Dinner Theatre

Paradise, Pennsylvania

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

Rainbow’s Comedy Playhouse is America’s only all-comedy dinner theater. Owned

Since 1964, The

and operated by a witty husband and wife,

Fireside Dinner Theatre has been a leading

Rainbow’s Comedy Playhouse has been

Midwest destination for musicals featuring

producing Broadway and original comedies since 1984. Dinner includes a salad served

cakes and pies. This year’s performances

Broadway performers, fine dining and bou-

upon arrival and a choice of four entrees.

include The Hallelujah Girls, Too Many

tique shops in a unique setting. In its 51st

For dessert, choose from a selection of

Cooks, Over the River and Through the

year in the restaurant business and 38th

Woods and Good Night Mrs. Puffin. (800-

season of professional theater, The Fireside

292-4301, rainbowcomedy.com)

runs seven shows weekly year-round with a variety of menus. The Fireside this year

Skylight Music Theatre

will be presenting All Shook Up, Guys on

Milwaukee

Ice, Pump Boys and Dinettes, West Side

A night spent at

Story and A Wonderful Life. (800-477-9505,

Skylight is an ex-

firesidetheatre.com)

citing and fulfilling

The Palace Theater

experience that is great to share with

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

others. Perfect for gatherings, group tours, social and

The 800-seat Palace Theater—Wiscon-

business outings,

sin Dells’ newest professional theater—pre-

or any special oc-

sents classic Broadway musicals and Disney

casion, Skylight offers benefits to groups

favorites. The theater will produce an annual

of 10 or more to ensure a memorable

subscription series of three to four family-

musical experience. Located in Milwaukee’s

friendly shows, while serving a sumptuous

Historic Third Ward, Skylight has been

meal or snack included in every ticket price.

internationally recognized as a producer

Additionally, The Palace will host nationally

of the full spectrum of musical theater for

known bands and comedians for concert en-

over 50 years. This year, see Tosca, My

gagements. 2015’s season presents Pinka-

Fair Lady, Powder Her Face, Crowns and

licious, The Little Mermaid, Ring of Fire,

Pirates of Penzance. (414-299-4964, sky-

Lombardi, A Christmas Carol and The Nut-

lightmusictheatre.org)

cracker. (608-253-4000, dellspalace.com)

A R I Z O N A

A R I Z O N A

ndta.us

THEATERS ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE

P E N N S Y L VA N I A

T E N N E S S E E

W Y O M I N G

W I S C O N S I N

I N D I A N A

P E N N S Y L VA N I A

THEATERS ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE

ndta.us

By Dave Bodle

O N M AR K ET I NG

Tips for Coping with Information Overload

A

good friend blames the Golf

litically correct, stay in the box. If

Channel for everything that’s

your responsibility is social media,

wrong with his game. From

stay away from sales tutorials.

the tee box to the last putt, if it

©iStock.com/PeopleImages

More about this later. Second, determine

Premier Travel Media, my destination

doesn’t go well it’s the fault of that

where advice could be most helpful. In

management company and odd projects

television channel. He claims that with

other words, where do you need game

fills my days. Last December as Christ-

their continuous lessons, it just messes

improvement?

mas approached and things slowed down,

him up. Today they tell him to hit the

Allow me to use my destination

I realized how many e-newsletters, blogs

driver this way. Tomorrow it will be a

management company as a case study.

and social media posts filled my inbox

different message.

We’ve developed a fairly significant list of

and cell phone. Some were filling my

e-newsletter subscribers from our website.

inbox daily. Obviously my inability to say

every golfer, his main interest is game

Now, we need to develop a program.

no had caused this overload. I had emails

improvement. My friend will keep taking

Even with my travel writing experience, it

from four months back and posts I didn’t

tips from the Golf Channel. So, what

was necessary to learn what e-newsletter

know how to delete! It was time to clean

does my friend’s story have to do with

subscribers wanted to read. A quick

house and unsubscribe.

marketing?

Google “enewsletter advice” search

Of course, he says this all in jest. Like

Were a half dozen social media and

The Golf Channel understands and

returned 1.2 million results. On the first

blogs and a couple of sales e-newsletters

programs to their viewer’s need for game

page alone we found insightful articles,

really necessary? The message is simple.

improvement. For your business there

examples and free subscriptions to advice

Stay focused on your immediate need

is a plethora of online marketing advice

columns. Our e-newsletter program will

and purpose. Sales input? Important.

promising to help you advance. The

be better for the effort.

Social media input? Important. My short-

challenge is to sort through the mix of websites, e-newsletters, blogs, social

term need, though, was doing a good Avoid overloading your inbox.

e-newsletter for my subscribers. Once I

We are inquisitive when it comes to

have that under control, I’ll move onto

media and tutorials, each promising the

2

game improvement we seek.

looking at ways to improve our business.

Looking for tips on how to maximize

There’s certainly enough information

other areas of need.

Both of these tips deal with selecting

your sales team’s production? No problem,

available to help us. Sources come

online resources that provide game

there’s plenty of info available. Need

recommended to us from trusted friends

improvement for a single business focus.

some direction on streamlining your

and colleagues. Social media encourages

Our suggestion does not imply you can

customer service? You’ll be overwhelmed

us to join groups that fit our interests

eliminate multi-tasking. Our advice is

with suggestions. It’s a cluttered “informa-

and follow the discussions. Aggressive

simply to take a look at where game

tion marketplace,” one that can definitely

marketers of online advice present

improvement is needed and use just one

foster information overload.

captivating offers of their services. That’s

or two online resources to avoid informa-

exactly where the problem often exists

tion overload.

Here are two tips for weeding through the clutter.

and what we need to avoid.

Let me share my own story. I’m not the

Do not ask me which information

1

busiest guy in the world, but what I do for

Contact Dave at 843-997-2880 or email dave@ptmgroups.com.

source is the best. Frankly, I

Looking Ahead To Our

have no idea. I’d require knowledge and understanding of your specific needs.

I don’t have that background, but you do. Here’s where to start. Take an honest inventory. First, look at your defined area of responsibility. Although not po50 April 2015

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Request Advertiser Info ❑ Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism

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❑ Fayetteville Area CVB, NC

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❑ Kansas City CVB, KS

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❑ Maine State Music Theatre, Brunswick, ME

❑ Country Inn & Suites, Metairie, LA

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❑ U.S. Tours

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❑ Virginia Beach Tourism, VA

❑ Derby Dinner Playhouse, Clarksville, IN

❑ North Myrtle Beach Chamber, SC

❑ Visit Cheyenne, WY

❑ Down in History Tours, Saint Paul, MN

❑ Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Theatre, Niagara Falls, ON

❑ Visit Laramie, WY

❑ Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, Lancaster, PA

❑ Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs, CA

❑ Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, WI

RESPOND BY M A Y 15

❑ Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA ❑ Sea Life Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN ❑ Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee, WI ❑ St. Cloud CVB, MN ❑ St. Genevieve Welcome Center, MO ❑ The Fireside Dinner Theatre, Fort Atkinson, WI ❑ Turkey Hill Experience, Columbia, PA

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THERE’S A JUDITH IN EVERY GROUP. She’s happy to join in, but she wants options. ® Luckily for you and Judith, “The Waterpark Capital of the World! ” is a crowd-pleaser.

With countless group and individual activities from live shows to scenic boat rides, Wisconsin Dells will keep the Judith in your group smiling – something everyone can get behind. Contact one of our destination specialists for complimentary planning assistance.

MeetInTheDells.com | sales@wisdells.com | (800) 223-3557