Valley of Fire spectacular side trip from Las Vegas
February 17, 2010 ·
You’ve done your time in Las Vegas. You’ve given generously to the casinos, gorged on their food and overdosed on their glitz. You need an escape from the Strip. The Grand Canyon is too far. The Hoover Dam is too crowded. You crave space and air that isn’t tainted by cigarette smoke. And you can [...]
Washington wax museum pushing presidents, not pop stars
February 16, 2010 ·
Forget Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Washington visitors apparently want to see the likes of John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland and perhaps Chester A. Arthur. The city’s Madame Tussauds wax museum is preparing to rebrand itself as the only place with sculptures of all 44 U.S. presidents that visitors can see up close and [...]
Where was the first U.S. Mardi Gras held?
February 16, 2010 ·
The merriment and mayhem of Mardi Gras comes to a climactic end on Fat Tuesday. But where did the celebration begin? Despite the holiday’s rich history in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mayor Sam Jones of Mobile, Alabama, says the first Mardi Gras celebration in this country actually took place in his city, and most Mobile natives [...]
Winter a cool time to visit wine country
February 16, 2010 ·
Winter is quiet time in wine country. Which makes it a very good time for a visit. With harvest over and future bottles of wine resting peacefully in barrels and tanks, your chances of chatting with a winemaker when you visit a winery is higher. And as temperatures drop, so do crowds and prices, making [...]
Mexico sees 15 percent drop in tourism income
February 16, 2010 ·
Mexico’s revenue from foreign tourism dropped 15 percent in 2009 amid the global economic downturn and the swine flu epidemic. The Tourism Department says Mexico received almost $11.3 billion from foreign tourism in 2009, compared to $13.3 billion in 2008. In the wake of the swine flu outbreak, revenue plummeted 49 percent in May compared [...]
Reining in Rio: Not everything goes at Carnival
February 12, 2010 ·
The World’s Greatest Party opened Friday, but the everything-goes atmosphere of Carnival that turns Rio into a giant oceanside den of debauchery is under assault. The mayor’s year-old, zero-tolerance campaign against petty crimes and disorder is on full display at the first Carnival since Rio won its bid to host the 2016 Olympics. Those who [...]
Colorado ski towns enforcing rental lodging taxes
February 12, 2010 ·
Colorado mountain towns whose lodging tax collections have suffered along with the travel industry are trying to make sure homeowners who rent out rooms pay their fare share to the government. “They are essentially hotels, and they need to be paying taxes like hotels,” said Telluride Town Manager Frank Bell. One of Bell’s employees trolls [...]
