Elvis road trip has more stops than Graceland

by Chris Owen on

Themed road trips can take on a whole different meaning than simply loading up the car and heading out on the highway. Choosing to stop along the way at everything from each National Park for a photo by the entrance sign, every major sports venue and coming away with a home-team ball cap or all airports along the way just to watch planes take off can transform a simple drive into a memorable road trip of a lifetime. Whatever your interest, a well-planned and themed road trip can be a lot of fun. Even a tour devoted to Elvis Presley can work.

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona will be All Shook Up next month with the introduction of an Elvis Presley exhibit in the museum’s newly renovated Artist Gallery on August 6th.

Guests will get to experience The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll through a collection of personal items, clothing, and musical instruments. One highlight of the exhibit will be the priceless 1975 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar that Elvis played during his 1977 tours, including his last concert on June 26 in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to displaying it, MIM has been chosen by Elvis Presley Enterprises to restore the guitar to the condition in which Elvis last played it.The new Elvis exhibit, opening August 6, 2011, will also feature a collection of items on loan from Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee and is located at 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard in Phoenix .

Other choices for stops on an Elvis road trip might include a stop by Elvis’ favorite roller coaster, a classic wooden coaster known as the Zippin Pippin in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Earlier this year, Gadling’s Joel Bullock told us:

“It was known to be Elvis Presley’s favorite roller coaster as he often rented out the park so that he could ride it without being bothered by fans. Reports are that Presley rode Zippin Pippin eight days before he died. To support the ride’s history, Bay Beach Amusement Park is working on adding Elvis’ favorite food, peanut butter and banana sandwiches.”

Surely no Elvis road trip would be complete without a stop by Las Vegas to visit the city’s official Elvis, Jesse Garon. Garon sponsored rescued miner Edison Pena in 2010 after the music and movies of the King including the 1960s Elvis movie Viva Las Vegas and Jailhouse Rock were to pass the time and keep up the spirits of all the miners trapped underground. Stick around Vegas for a while too, Cirque du Soleil’s show Viva Elvis at ARIA Resort & Casino is worth the overnight.

Even Branson, Missouri has a Elvis stop to consider with their Elvis and the Superstars show where they throw in Tom Jones and Stevie Wonder (impersonators) for a two hour show that AOLTravel says “you will forget that the people on stage are not the real thing”.

As with any travel, planning is half the fun and a themed road trip is no exception.

I remember a high school road trip I took once: stopping at (what seemed like) every Ford dealership between Kansas City and St Louis for repairs. That wasn’t the original plan, a theme we had thought of in advance or realization of any dream but one we won’t forget any time soon.

Photo courtesy Elvis Presley Enterprizes

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Beatles cruise promoter asks: “What if Paul or Ringo came along?”

by Chris Owen on

Lately, the focus of themed cruises has been on popular musicians like rock star musician and reality TV star Bret Michaels, Taylor Swift and Kid Rock among others. Themed cruises appeal to groups of people varying from broad interests like “motorcycles” and “rock music” in general to smaller, more specific interests like Harley-Davidson motorcycles or a specific band like KISS. Gaining in popularity, promoters book huge blocks of cabins on existing sailings or charter entire ships to meet the demand and cruise lines are paying attention.

Beatles Tribute Cruise (BTC) 2012 is on sale now and filling up fast. That’s prompting offers from other cruise lines looking to woo the annual event away from Royal Caribbean and a call to invite one of the remaining Beatles along for the ride.

“It’s a bold move….what’s happened is that the cruise’s popularity has initiated some amazing–and I mean AMAZING—offers from other cruise lines to “jump ship” and sign on with them, and they are asking if we could get Ringo or Paul to join us!” BTC promoter Woody Lifton told Examiner.com.

What would cruise lines offer to get the Beatles cruise and Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr on board?”Basically anything they wanted, I suspect” said Lifton adding “With a private ship and (the) high quality cruisers we get on BTC, they would have a really nice time with the ability to interact with fans to the extent they wanted, in a safe atmosphere with whatever security they would need.”

An annual event, the 2011 Beatles cruise was a fundraiser for Thrive/Survive Los Angeles to support young adult cancer survivors. On-board, a raffle was held with close to 100 Beatles-related item given away during the sailing. Beatles Cruise 2012 sails from Ft Lauderdale on 2/4/12 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and set to coincide with the 48th Anniversary of The Beatles first U.S. Television appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

Will Beatles Tribute Cruise 2013 or 2014 be able to land the biggest fish of all, Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr?

“Yes we feel we could make this happen” concluded Lifton “and as with all of our past cruises I’m sure we’ll exceed everyone’s expectations”


Flickr photo by bluecherry74

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More downhill mountain bike race insanity

by Kraig Becker on

Remember that crazy downhill mountain bike race from Chile that we featured a few months back? Well here’s another one that is sure to have you questioning the sanity of the riders once again. It’s called the Megavalanche and this year it was held on the famed Alpe-d”Huez in France. The race gets underway at the 9840-foot summit, and features a mass start that has the riders scrambling, jostling, and crashing into one another as they careen down the side of the mountain. The chaos at the beginning is just part of the fun however, as the course features 6000 feet of vertical drop, spread out over 18.5 miles, through terrain that is as beautiful as it is treacherous.

It took this year’s winner, a man by the name of Remy Absalon, 40 minutes to complete the course, with other riders continuing to roll in over the next few hours. To truly appreciate what they had to go through however, you’ll need to watch the video, as it really is one impressive and scary ride.

This weekend, the cyclists competing in the Tour de France will roll into Paris and across the finish line after three weeks of racing. Those guys have nothing on the insane riders in this event.

[Photo courtesy Alpedhueznet.com]

Video of the day: Coney Island Mermaid Parade

by Elizabeth Seward on

THE 2011 MERMAID PARADE by PHiLLYK from PHiLLYK on Vimeo.

For all of the years that I lived in New York City, I am ashamed to say that I never actually made it out to Brooklyn’s Coney Island to witness (or participate in) the annual Mermaid Parade. As it was, I found myself traveling just about every summer while living in the city, and being that this is a summer event, the stars just weren’t aligned correctly. But a film-making friend of mine, Philip Knowlton, not only managed to make it out this year to the Mermaid Parade, but he also but together a pretty cool video featuring the event.

Have you ever been to the Mermaid Parade? Did you love it or hate it?

Samantha Brown joins Nature Valley’s Preserve The Parks initiative

by Kraig Becker on

Popular television personality and travel expert Samantha Brown has joined forces with Nature Valley in an effort raise awareness of their wonderful National Parks Project. This program, now in its second year, works to raise funds for the National Parks Conservation Association, an organization dedicated to ensuring that America’s national parks are protected for future generations to enjoy as well.

This year, Nature Valley will donate at least $400,000 to the NPCA with the potential of up to an additional $100,000 coming through a consumer outreach program at PreserveTheParks.com. Customers are encouraged to visit that website and enter UPC codes from specially marked packages of Nature Valley products. For each UPC code entered, the company will add another 10¢ to their already generous donation.

Brown, who is a big proponent of the national parks, is the latest celebrity to publicly support Nature Valley’s efforts. She has called the parks “some of the world’s greatest treasures,” and has lauded them for being fantastic travel destinations that don’t require visitors to journey to some far flung, exotic place to experience their beauty.

For those planing on visiting a park this summer, Brown has some good tips to consider before they go. She recommends calling the park, or visiting its website, ahead of time to get information on any activities and educational programs that they have to offer and adjusting your scheduling accordingly to take advantage of them. She also says that when visiting a park, be sure to dress appropriately by leaving the flip-flops behind and donning a good pair of hiking shoes. Tossing a spare jacket into your daypack is always a good idea as well, as the weather can change quickly in the backcountry.Samantha also notes that the parks are especially great destinations for young travelers, offering up experiences and memories that will stay with them for a lifetime. For families traveling with small children she suggests creating fun quizzes about what they see and do in the park during their visit. Those quizzes not only reinforce the experience, but they also helps to pass the time in the car on the way home as well.

Brown says adventure travelers will find plenty to love in the parks as well. She points out that they are a great place to challenge yourself physically with many of the parks offering fantastic opportunities for paddlers and backpackers. Those who want to take it a bit easier can hike shorter trails or rent a bike to experience the park at their own pace. Either way, they are great destinations for anyone looking to get outside, take in some fresh air, and enjoy a little physical activity this summer.

Find out more about the Preserve the Parks project at the official website, where you’ll also discover ways that you can get involved in helping to protect the parks. Nature Valley is also giving away a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park, which you can sign up to win as well.