Travel briefs: Experimental travel
By: Associated Press | ∞
OAKLAND -- If you're feeling uninspired about where to go or what to do on your next vacation, pick up a copy of "The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel" ($18). The 276-page hardcover, by Rachel Anthony and Joel Henry, just might get you out of your rut.
Games, ideas and strategies from the book designed to shake up your travel plans include:
Welsh mining museum
BLAENAFON, Wales -- A Welsh mining museum called Big Pit has won a prize for the United Kingdom's "Museum of the Year."
The Gulbenkian Prize carries a $120,000 award that makes it the largest monetary arts prize in the United Kingdom.
Big Pit is a real coal mine where visitors descend 300 feet underground for a tour led by a retired miner. It is part of the Blaenafon Industrial Landscape, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site for its role in the development of Britain's Industrial Revolution.
The Big Pit shaft was sunk in 1860, bringing together a number of mines that dated back to the early 19th century. It was the oldest surviving coal mine in Wales when it ceased production in 1980.
It reopened as a tourist attraction in 1983 and became the National Mining Museum of Wales in 2001, attracting nearly 150,000 visitors a year.
To get there from London, take a 90-minute train ride from Paddington to the Welsh city of Newport, and then a bus from Newport to Big Pit, about 15 miles away.
Entry to the site is free. Big Pit is open every day through the end of November, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with tours running between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Children must be 39 1/2 inches to go underground.
Whale sculptures
NEW YORK -- Chicago had "Cows on Parade," San Francisco had hearts, Seattle had pigs, and Jacksonville, Fla., had sea cows, which are related to manatees.
Now the whaling and maritime heritage of southeastern Connecticut is being celebrated with "The Whale Trail." More than 50 Fiberglas beluga and sperm whale sculptures, whimsically decorated by artists in a variety of themes from angels to flowers, will be on display throughout the area from July through October.
Locations for the whales include Mystic, Norwich, Groton, New London and Old Lyme, Conn., plus Westerly, R.I., and one each in Boston -- at the Ciao Bella restaurant on Newbury Street -- and in New York City, at the aquarium in Brooklyn's Coney Island.
Sculptures from "The Whale Trail" will be auctioned for charity when the display is over.
For details, visit www.thewhaletrail.com.
Taj at night
NEW DELHI -- When India threw open the Taj Mahal to visitors at night, expectations were that ticket counters would be overrun by tourists eager to see the fabled monument in the moonlight.
But the Taj by moonlight, romantic as it sounds, has found few takers. Tourists have been kept away by a combination of poor visibility from the viewing platform and bureaucratic hurdles in getting tickets.
Last November, India's Supreme Court ruled that visitors could view the monument for five nights each month around full moons, in groups of 40 for 30 minutes at a time, with a maximum of 400 people each night.
Although daytime visits have been allowed all along, it was the first time night visits were permitted since 1984, when a ban was imposed due to fears of an attack on the monument by Sikh separatists.
But according to figures published by the Archaeological Survey of India, only 3,233 visitors have gone at night in the six months since moonlit viewing began -- about a fourth of the number permitted.
Those who have gone at night have complained of poor visibility. The viewing platform is about 300 yards from the monument, and on foggy winter nights, all visitors can make out is a hazy white structure looming ahead.
"Tourists should be allowed at least near the water tank in front of the monument so that they can have a clearer view," A. K. Lal, a member of the Tourism Guild in Agra, was quoted as saying recently in The Hindustan Times newspaper.
Tourists are also required to undergo at least three security checks before they reach the platform. Tickets are expensive as well -- $23 for foreigners -- and must be bought at least a day in advance, which means visitors have to spend two days in the area.
Daytime visits, where tourists can see the interior's ornate friezes and walls inlaid with precious stones, require a separate ticket.
July events
HUNTER, N.Y. -- Golf carts on parade, a celebration of mountain culture and a festival about the old-fashioned soft drink Moxie are just a few of the outdoor events attracting travelers this July.
In the village of Hunter in the northern Catskill Mountains, the annual Mountain Culture Festival celebrates music, crafts, farming and other aspects of the area's heritage on July 9 and 10. There's a quilt show, a wood products fair and a family activity tent where kids can learn to tie a trout fly or make a flower garland. For details, visit www.catskillmtn.org.
Bald Head Island, N.C., has an unusual July 4th tradition -- a golf cart parade. Golf carts are the preferred mode of transport on the island, and residents and visitors compete to transform their carts into elaborately decorated floats. For information on visiting the island or seeing the parade, go to www.baldheadisland.com.
The annual Moxie Festival -- www.moxiefestival.com -- is held July 8 to 10 in Lisbon Falls, Maine, and includes a parade, canoe race and foot race. The local Kennebec Fruit Store doesn't actually sell fruit, but it does sell Moxie memorabilia and homemade Moxie ice cream. The old-fashioned soda was invented by a Maine native and its strong aftertaste turned its trademark name into a slang synonym for nerve or perseverance.
Shopping trips
NEW YORK -- Attention, outlet shoppers! Looking for a worthy destination for a weekend trip?
The premier issue of Weekend, a new publication from Hearst magazines, lists eight outlet malls worth traveling to, many of which have "Shop & Stay" packages in conjunction with local hotels.
They are Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, about an hour north of New York City; Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, 35 minutes south of Boston; Orlando Premium Outlets, five minutes from Walt Disney World; Opry Mills, 15 minutes from Nashville; Grapevine Mills, 25 minutes from Dallas; Las Vegas Premium Outlets, five minutes from the Las Vegas Strip; Gilroy Premium Outlets, 40 minutes south of San Jose, Calif.; and Desert Hills Premium Outlets, 20 minutes from Palm Springs, Calif.
Europe guide
NEW YORK -- If you're heading to Europe for the first time and feel overwhelmed by trip-planning details, a new book from Rough Guides called "First-Time Europe" might help.
The $14.99 paperback by Doug Lansky is especially useful for students heading off for several weeks or months, and for anyone veering off from the standard itinerary of Western European capitals.
The book explains everything from travel insurance to how to use Internet cafes securely -- without taking the risk that a high-tech pickpocket will sit down after you and access your accounts.
The book also offers advice on what to bring, from a clothing pack list to small but important extras like earplugs and a spoon you can use for readymade food bought in grocery stores.
Lesser-known travel options -- like Snowflake, a budget branch of Scandinavian Airlines -- and flight passes that let you visit various destinations for a flat rate per flight -- are listed too, along with basic must-sees and events for more than 28 countries.
Houston
HOUSTON -- Visitors to Houston will want to pick up the Space City Savings Book, which includes a variety of discounts to attractions around the city.
The booklet includes coupons for half-off admission to the visitors center of NASA's Johnson Space Center; a two-for-one admission to the Museum of Fine Arts; discounts to Six Flags Astro World; and other deals for theater, ballet and symphony performances.
You can pick up the coupon booklet at the Houston Visitors Center, on the first floor of City Hall, 901 Bagby St. Or check out the Web site for Houston's convention and visitors bureau, at www.visithoustontexas.com, for "e-coupons" you can print out at home.
And while you're in Houston, don't miss the "Baseball as America" exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts through Aug. 14, or "The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: The Exhibition," at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, through Aug. 28. The science museum will also host "Diana: A Celebration," a traveling exhibit that is a tribute to the late Princess Diana, beginning Oct. 21.
Best B&Bs
NEW YORK (AP) -- An Austrian B&B took top international honors in awards given by BedandBreakfast.com based on 18,000 votes cast by inn-goers.
The Sallerhof, in Salzburg -- www.sallerhof.com -- was lauded for its tour packages, good service and beautiful surroundings.
The award for best overall B&B in the United States and Canada went to the Woolverton Inn, in Stockton, N.J., a stone manor with cottages in a secluded country setting near New Hope and Lambertville. For more information about the Woolverton, call (888) 264-6648 or visit www.woolvertoninn.com.
Runners-up were the Eastman Inn -- www.eastmaninn.com -- in North Conway, N.H.; the Jackson House Bed and Breakfast --www.jacksonhousebandb.com in Railroad, Pa.; the Twin Gables Inn --www.twingablesinn.com -- in Saugatuck, Mich.; the Garth Woodside Mansion -- www.garthmansion.com -- in Hannibal, Mo.
In themed categories, winners included Lake La Quinta Inn -- www.lakelaquintainn.com -- in La Quinta, Calif., for the most romantic inn, and for most pet-friendly, Traveler's Rest -- www.travelersrestbb.com -- in Montezuma, Ga., and the Lazy Dog Inn -- www.lazydoginn.com -- in Chocorua, N.H.
For a complete list of regional winners and winners in other categories, visit www.bedandbreakfast.com.
Ski season
DENVER -- Ski resorts in the southern and central Rockies, California and New England enjoyed good snow and healthy crowds last winter, but the drought-plagued Pacific Northwest suffered through a disastrous season and lowered total skier numbers nationwide.
New Mexico led the way with an 18 percent increase in skier numbers while Washington state suffered the biggest decline, 74 percent.
"We were thrilled. We had a super winter in terms of moisture and snowfall and we saw a lot of people come back to us," said Steve Lewis, spokesman for Ski New Mexico.
On the other extreme, Scott Kaden, president of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association, called it "the worst year ever in the history of Washington snow sports."
Nationally, 56.4 million skier visits were reported by the National Ski Areas Association, down from 56.8 million the previous season.
Utah was up 12 percent, reporting record numbers for the second straight year. Kit Pitou, president of Ski Utah, said the Olympic games of 2002 are paying off and the state benefited from the drought in the Northwest.
Mammoth Mountain in California has so much snow -- still 6 to 8 feet and runs open from top to bottom -- that it will be open until the Fourth of July.
Colorado was up 5 percent to 11.8 million. More importantly, the weak dollar helped bring 28 percent more international visitors, who spend more money and stay longer.
New England's numbers were up 6 percent. New Hampshire had its second-best year ever, 2.2 million, up almost 10 percent from the year before.
The Southeast region was down about 1 percent, the Midwest 3 percent and the Pacific West region, including California, 13.9 percent.
More Stories
Advertisement
- OCEANSIDE: Killer may be granted parole (5722)
- SOLANA BEACH: Pregnant woman, fetus killed in I-5 hit-and-run (4452)
- CHARGERS: Sproles carries Bolts to playoff win over Colts (4119)
- ENCINITAS: Carlsbad has questions about Encinitas shopping center plan (3452)
- Game face: Neil Strauss is back with another pickup book (2897)
Advertisement