Cross Country International Offers Two New Horseback Riding Vacations

Cross Country International (CCI) is offering two exciting new riding vacation packages in California – the California Northern Coast Trail and the California Wine Country Trail Ride. rn rn“After a day of riding along the beautiful California Coast, there is no better way to spend the evening than returning to a good meal, fine wine and the conversation of friends,” said Cross Country International President Karen Lancaster. “That is exactly what our visitors can look forward to with either of these new vacation packages.”rn rnThe California Wine Country Trail Ride incorporates sun drenched vineyards with exquisite vintages and regional cheese. Who says you need to learn French to revel in the pleasures of Vin et Fromage? rn rnOn this ride, guests will ride great horses and tour the sumptuous wine regions north of San Francisco – Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino Counties – while enjoying the gracious hospitality and luxurious accommodations of the 750 acre Cowboy Hideaway Ranch. Nestled at the top of a hill in the heart of wine country, Cowboy Hideaway Ranch offers spectacular views of Clear Lake, California’s largest natural lake.rn rnThis ride offers the chance to travel to Seabiscuit’s Ridgewood Ranch where jockey Red Pollard brought the famous horse back to winning form.rn rnGuests will ride along the Mendocino coastal bluffs, wind through vineyards, explore redwood forests and ride the banks of the Tule Lakes while enjoying the cuisine and wine of the area, including the spectacular Ceago del Lago, Jim Fetzer’s new vineyard and Rosso & Bianco, Francis Ford Coppola’s new winery.rn rnIn addition to riding and winery tours, other things to do on this include are hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, kayaking, spa, antiquing and sightseeing.rn rnThe California Wine Country Trail Ride Includes:rn• Six nights accommodations rn• Five days guided trail riding rn• Most meals rn• Transfers from San Francisco airport at pre-set times rn• Winery tours rn• Horse, guides, tack and tax rn• Available in 2008 from April-October rn rnThe California Northern Coast Trail Ride is a five-day, five-night ride located just one hour south of San Francisco, along the undisturbed California Coast. Long before maps and diaries were inked on Spanish galleons, the indigenous people, the Ohlones, sang the name of this place: “Dancing on the brink of the world.” The host and horses are located on site at a picturesque seaside inn which overlooks a spectacular stretch of rugged bluffs surrounded by endless acres of wilderness, rolling coastal hills and secluded beaches. This provides a great base camp for the first half of this spectacular horseback trail ride vacation. The final day crosses through backcountry wilderness to a charming turn of the century Inn for a night in a coastal town that still retains pristine its 19th century atmosphere.rnrnGuests will ride through wilderness areas that are accessible to few travelers. The ride traverses coastal grassland, seasonal wildflower filled meadows and stands of Redwood trees and crosses creeks where guests will encounter wildlife ranging from herons and hawks to deer and possibly coyote and bobcats with the spectacular Pacific Ocean as a backdrop. After a full day of riding guests can experience the relaxation of the “California outdoor hot tub” under the stars. rn rnOther sightseeing excursions include the coastal towns of Pescadero, Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz to sightsee and shop for handcrafted gifts. Another possibility is a tour of Harley Farms, a local organic goat farm that produces excellent goat cheese and where guests can make their own cheese to take home. Another option is a visit to the local Bonny Doon Winery in the coastal hills nearby.rn rnOther amenities include a spa, yoga, mountain bike riding, hiking and kayaking, as well as visits to Ano Nuevo State Park, Santa Cruz Board Walk, historic Pigeon Point Light House and Bib Basin Redwood State Park.rn rnThe California Northern Coast Trail Ride Includes:rn• Five nights hotel/B&B accommodation rn• Breakfast, lunch, dinner day of arrival rn• 50 minute massage rn• Five days guided trail riding rn• Horse, tack, and tax rn• Available Sunday to Friday, April – November rn rnFor information on these or any of Cross Country International’s numerous other vacation packages, please contact Cross Country International by phone at (800) 828-8768, via e-mail to or by visiting

Opening Day for Two Major Exhibitions at Atlanta’s High Museum

“Inspiring Impressionism,” the first comprehensive survey to explore the influence of Old Master painters on Impressionist artists, opens at the High Museum of Art on October 16, 2007. This groundbreaking exhibition juxtaposes works by such artists as Monet, Cézanne and Degas with those by Titian, Rubens and Fragonard to explore the impact that 17th-century Dutch and Spanish Schools and the French Rococo style had on 19th-century French Impressionism. “Inspiring Impressionism” features 86 works, including paintings and works on paper, drawn from more than 40 museums, some of which have never traveled to the United States. Organized by the Denver Art Museum, the exhibition will remain on view in Atlanta through January 13, 2008, and subsequently will travel to the Seattle Art Museum.

This exhibition features masterpieces from the founding cultures of Western civilization and will include more than 70 works from the Louvre’s unparalleled Egyptian, Near Eastern and Greco-Roman antiquities collections. Showcasing works dating from the third millennium BC through the third century AD, the exhibition will examine the rise of the museum and its collections of antiquities under Napoleon, the discoveries and decipherment of hieroglyphics and cuneiform and the Louvre’s leading role in excavating the cradle of civilization at the end of the 19th century and during the 20th century. A special installation will showcase the colossal, ten-foot-long “Tiber”—one of the largest sculptures in the Louvre’s collections. The statue, which has not left the museum since it was acquired in 1803, personifies the Tiber River, Rome’s main trade artery. rnrn“The Eye of Josephine,” on view through May 18, 2008, will reassemble more than 60 masterworks from the collection of Greco-Roman and Egyptian antiquities that were installed by the Empress Josephine Bonaparte at Malmaison, her residence located on the outskirts of Paris. In 1801 Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, gave Napoleon Bonaparte a collection of antiquities unearthed at Herculaneum and Pompeii as a peace offering, which Napoleon in turn gave to his wife, Josephine.

The exhibition, which will reunite Josephine’s antiquities for the first time since their dispersal among the Louvre’s various collections in 1814, will feature fragments of frescoes, bronzes, marbles, an extensive group of Greek vases and a small number of Egyptian sculptures. rnrnContact: Two big exhibits are coming out today in Atlanta’s renowned High Museum: Inspiring Impressionism, a survey of Old Masters from Monet to Rubens, and The Louvre and the Ancient World, the second installment of the phenomenal partnership between the High and the Louvre.rnrnThe Impressionist exhibit lasts only until Jan. 13 but is still a great activity for your people when they’re having a free day, and the $12 (senior citizen) ticket price includes a free audio guide. The Louvre exhibit still has some time for planning, running through September 2008. rnrnFor more information, click the button or go to

Finding something fun to do in February is not hard in Hampton

Look no further than Hampton, Virginia for a healthy dose of seasonal fun this February. Whether it is strapping on a pair of skates at Downtown Hampton on Ice (located at the Virginia Air & Space Center)- browsing the colorful tapestries at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival- or checking out a show at The American Theatre- there are a wealth of activities for the entire family this winter in the city at the center of it all!rnrnThe Virginia Air & Space Center is host to a number of activities this month, including a brand new traveling exhibit entitled Candy Unwrapped! This exhibit (February 1- May 4) examines the sweet and sour of candy, including the numerous uses of sugar and the energy produced by one sugar cube. Take the “Super Sour” challenge and see what it really means to “pucker up!” And while at the center, don’t forget to strap on a pair of skates and enjoy Downtown Hampton on Ice, the Virginia Air & Space Center’s seasonal outdoor ice skating rink, or check out a movie at the Riverside 3-D IMAX® Theater.rnrnThis February 21-24, 2008, the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival will once again return to the Hampton Roads Convention Center. The festival, now entering its 19th year, is expected to draw upwards of 10,000 attendees from up-and-down the Eastern Seaboard. Presented by Mancuso Show Management, the event features a fabulous vendors mall showcasing quilt, wearable, textile, and fiber arts. Other highlights include juried quilt and wearable art competitions, workshops, lectures, and eighteen special exhibitions and demonstrations. For information on the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, visit rnrnOn February 22, The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center will present Artists Who Teach and Linda Carrey: Recent Pastel and Drawings. The exhibition, which continues through March 23, contains over 115 works of art including drawing, watercolor, painting, printmaking, photography, crafts, and sculpture. Linda Carrey, the featured artist, currently teaches at the College of William and Mary.rnrnThe American Theatre, Hampton’s thriving performing arts center located in Phoebus, will play host to several incredible performances this February, including: The Heritage Hall Jazz Band with Jewel Brown (Feb. 2), Arlo Guthrie: The Solo Tour- Together at Last (Feb. 8), Peru’ Negro (Feb. 9 & 10), and the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (Feb. 13 & 14). The Ethos Percussion Group with Bernard Woma, Ghanaian Gyil, and Glen Velez will play the theatre on February 17. Touted as “one of America’s finest percussion quartets” by Percussive Notes, this highly anticipated performance is sure to leave audiences begging for more.rnrnFor more information on these and other Hampton events, check out or call the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau at 1-800-487-8778.

Shebby Lee to Explore the Past of the West on 7-day journey

Shebby Lee Tours comes out with a new leg of their Vanishing Trails Expeditions program again, this time for summer 2008. Visit the site of Custer’s Last Stand,” stroll the same storied streets of Deadwood Gulch once inhabited by Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok and Poker Alice, view awe-inspiring mountain carvings, and walk in actual Oregon Trail wagon ruts which have survived more than a century of sun, wind and weather. Dates for the Old West Trail are July 12-18, 2008, beginning and ending in Denver.rnrnLike all Vanishing Trails Expeditions, the Old West Trail features living history, special speakers and events, authentic meals, interpretive centers, historic sites and other activities specifically related to the theme of the tour. These programs allow participants to experience first-hand the sites where the pivotal events of the history of the West actually took place.rnrnShebby Lee Tours’ Vanishing Trails Expeditions honoring America’s westward expansion movement were introduced in 1993 with the Oregon Trail, and have grown to include the Lewis & Clark Trail, Teddy Roosevelt’s Dakota, Custer’s Trail, Santa Fe Trail, American Legacy, Nez Perce Trail, Nevada’s Living Ghost Towns, Siouxland: the Dakota Conflict, and Bleeding Kansas: Where the Civil War Began.rnrnAll programs are led by professional tour directors trained in the historical background for every tour. They conduct the onboard discussions, provide necessary information for every stop and activity, and are there to augment the primary interpreters and re-enactors who make the subject come alive. Contact: 800-888-8306, “”"

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