Shenandoah National Park announces activities for 2010

by Kraig Becker on

Shenandoah National Park has announced that it will play host to a wide variety of activities for the 2010 season, which is set to begin soon. Those activities include events for the whole family, ranging from fun filled games for the kids, as well as culinary events and special festivals for the big kids too. All the events will be held at Big Meadows Wayside, Skyland Resort or Big Meadows Lodge, which open for the season on March 19, April 1 and May 20 respectively.

Things get underway with an Easter Egg Hunt scheduled to take place on April 4 at Skyland Resort. Children ages three to ten years of age are invited to explore the historic lower-level of Skyland Resort, where dozens of colorfully painted Easter Eggs will be waiting to be discovered. Hunting Easter eggs is just the start for the kids however, as the park will have plenty of other activities to keep them occupied throughout the year, including games, crafts, storytelling, and ice cream socials.

Those Easter egg hunting skills will come in handy later in the year as well. Starting on May 3rd at Skyland Resort and on May 24th at Big Meadows Lodge, visitors to Shenandoah can compete in scavenger hunts from 9 AM to 11 AM on every Monday and Wednesday. The hunts will take place along one of the many trails in the park, and visitors will search for hidden natural and historic treasures to earn certificates of achievement.

Those looking to experience fine dining while visiting Shenandoah National Park should consider the Vintner Dinners, which feature gourmet four-course meals paired with fine wine from one of the wonderful Virginia wineries. Or better yet, consider joining the park’s Executive Chef, or one of the visiting guest chefs, as they lead culinary workshops exploring the tastes of fine foods and wines as well. Both options cost $295, and include overnight stays, as well as the fine dining experience. For a much less expensive culinary option, the Rainy Day Cooking Demos are a mere $10, and offer diversion when the weather turns sour, and the trails are too wet to hike.

These are just a taste of the many activities and events that Shenandoah will host this year, but there are many more to discover as well. For instance, on May 15, Skyland Resort will welcome the arrival of spring flowers with music and food, as part of their Wildflower Spring Celebration.For even more events, check out the complete list of activities and book reservations at VisitShenandoah.com.

Woman’s body found inside a motel bed frame

by Melanie Nayer on

The body of a Memphis mother of five was discovered stuffed inside a hotel bed frame, according to local Memphis news services.

Sony Millbrook, 28, was first reported missing in late January. News reports say Millbrook was staying at the Budget Lodge hotel and was last seen on Jan. 27. A missing persons case was opened a few days after her disappearance, and family members had later come to clean her belongings from the motel.

The case ended abruptly today (March 17) when Millbrook’s body was inside the bed frame in the room she was occupying.

According to MSNBC.com, “Millbrook’s room had been cleaned many times since Jan. 28, workers told police. The room also had been rented out several times since her disappearance.

On Monday, motel staff called detectives after a foul odor coming from the room led to the discovery.

Police said Millbrook’s body had been stuffed in the metal box frame, which sits on the floor. The box springs and mattress also set inside the metal frame.”

[via The Commercial Appeal, Memphis]

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk 005: Khmer Rouge Tourism, Scottish banknote woes, China on dog meat, and fun in the Californian sun

by Stephen Greenwood on


GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 5 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Spring is here! The sun is out! GadlingTV’s Travel Talk heads to Santa Cruz, California for an action-packed episode.

This week we discuss Cambodia’s efforts to turn the Khmer Rouge legacy into tourist attractions, why traveling the UK with Scottish banknotes could be problematic, China’s unrelated plans for a new London-Beijing connection and a ban on the sale of cat & dog meat.

We’ll show you how to brew a special tea from Argentina; Sheila recounts tales from England and dating around the world, Melanie from Germany shows Aaron how to cook bratwurst and we go on a massive beach adventure.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links:
Yerba Mate – buy Maté and learn more!

Your money’s no good here, Scotland – the Everywhereist.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll – try saying this five times fast.
Hosts: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special guests: Sheila & Melanie from Germany.
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special thanks: Todo Mate, Capitola.
Music by:

“High Life No. 2”

“Sweeny’s Polka”
.Caledonix
http://caledonix.de
“Evolution”
the Pacific
http://myspace.com/thebixbyknolls

Poll of the Week!

%Poll-43056%

Last week’s results:
Should a pilot that flew illegally for 13 years be given a chance to get licensed?

Yes – he’s adequately proven that he can fly! (54.4%)

No – he’s a criminal and should be put in jail. (35.1%)
Only if we can monitor his conversations in the cockpit! (1.8%)
Only if he has the looks and charm of Leonardo DiCaprio. (8.8%)

Holland America cruise line director to Alaska: stop driving us away

by Scott Carmichael on

The very excellent USA Today Cruise Log reports on some stormy waters around Alaska.

In recent years, the state has been making the lives of cruise lines quite miserable. New taxes, fees and regulatory requirements are slowly turning ships away, and some lines have already resorted to moving their Alaska ships to new routes.

Obviously, when a state starts taking too much advantage of tourism dollars, they run the risk of scaring people away, but the Alaskan cruise industry has been expanding for years, and may have simply reached the point of overcapacity.

Holland America CEO Kruse had some stern words for Alaska – “we can, and we will pull ships out of the region”. Alaska has become one of the costliest cruise regions in the world, with new fees like a $46 per person “head tax” and taxes on shipboard casino earnings.

Alaskan cruise traffic is down 17% in 2010, and for a state that relies this heavily on tourism, this is going to have a huge impact.

Sixteen-hour LAX to JFK “flightmare” fueled by four Pringles

by Laurel Miller on

Virgin America flight 404, bound from LAX to JFK, took a bit of a detour Saturday, reaching its destination in sixteen hours, instead of the usual six.

Due to 60-mph winds in New York, the plane was forced to circle JFK before it was diverted 90 miles north, to Stewart Airport in Newburgh. The plane then sat on the tarmac for approximately seven hours (until midnight), according to irate passengers.

Things got really ugly when frazzled, snappish flight attendants were forced to ration food and drink; each passenger was allotted a half-cup of water and four Pringles. The angry mob threw cookies and cursed the “flight from hell.” One passenger had to be escorted off the plane by police, due to a panic attack.

A mutiny was averted when rival airline JetBlue — who have facilities at Stewart Airport — arranged for buses to take the passengers to JFK, two hours away. The “flightmare” ended at 3am.

One of the passengers, the CEO of a social marketing firm, kept the world updated on the situation via deadpan Twitter posts and videos of the ordeal.

Virgin America issued a statement apologizing for the debacle: “After reviewing the particular circumstances of this diversion, we agreed that we needed to have done a better job with communicating a difficult situation to our guests.”

Big Brother may not be watching, but there’s no hiding from social media.