Disney’s Hollywood Studios: That’s Entertainment!

When I have a few days to kick back and explore the Orlando area, there’s nowhere I’d rather go than Walt Disney World Resort. Of its four theme parks, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is my nominee for personal favorite.

With doses of classic Disney fare, Tinseltown fluff and nostalgia for the good old days of show business, along with pyrotechnics, roaming entertainers and just enough thrill rides to keep you on edge, it wins my vote. Palm-lined streets accent the laid-back California atmosphere, evoking Hollywood’s heyday in the 1930s and ’40s.

Like most destinations that draw us back, Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers time-tested crowd-pleasers that never go out of style, plus new attractions that keep things fresh. My recent trip there was my first since 2002 (when it was called Disney-MGM Studios). Some things have changed in nine years, but much hasn’t.

Immediately, I felt like I knew my way around the place. That brings up one big plus for Disney’s movie/TV-themed park—it’s relatively compact. Since I visited on an uncrowded winter day, I got to see most of what I wanted but still ran out of time and missed a few things. Compared to Epcot and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, it’s a little more manageable for those with mobility or stamina issues and conveniently fits into a Central Florida itinerary with slots that don’t allow a morning-to-bedtime day at a theme park.

If I could offer one tip for Hollywood Studios-bound guests, I would say make a beeline to “Toy Story Midway Mania!” as soon as you enter the gate. The wildly popular 3-D ride, introduced in 2008, is inspired by Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story films. When you arrive at the high-tech ride, unless the line is short, insert your admission ticket in a Fastpass machine and come back later at the time stamped on your pass. (Or ride twice—once now, once later with a Fastpass.) The Fastpass will save you up to an hour or more waiting in line for the chance to launch darts at balloons, toss rings at aliens and enjoy other carnival-style games as you ride through and rack up points for the animated targets you hit with a spring-action shooter. My daughter had been to the park a week before and recommended the Fastpass. If we hadn’t followed her advice (and that of others), we wouldn’t have made “Toy Story Mania!”

Anyone who wants to be a contestant in “The American Idol Experience,” another great new addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, also needs to think ahead. Guests 14 and older who would like a shot at stardom should head to auditions early in the morning to get a performance time at one of several daily shows held in an indoor theater. No one in our party wanted to belt out any tunes, but we had fun watching three contestants put their singing talents on the line at a noon show. (Don’t be afraid to boo the most caustic of the three judges.) The winner of each show, as determined by audience members voting on armrest keypads, is invited to perform at the nightly final competition. (A chubby bearded guy singing “Sweet Home Alabama” walked away No. 1 at the show we attended.) The daily winner gets a guaranteed reservation for a regional audition for TV’s “American Idol.”

“Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show” is another hot ticket at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. See cars, motorcycles and watercraft careening and jumping across a Mediterranean village set as the director explains how death-defying movie stunts are made. You’ll feel the heat from the balls of fire. The half-hour show is held in an open-air theater with 5,000 seats, so you shouldn’t have trouble getting in, but arrive 20 minutes early just in case.

You’ll also witness flames and other special effects in “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular,” a half-hour action show, and “Studio Backlot Tour,” a 35-minute walking/tram tour through moviemaking magic.

Thrill ride enthusiasts head to the park’s Sunset Boulevard neighborhood, home of the “Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith” and “The Twlight Zone Tower or Terror,” where elevator passengers in the creepy old Hollywood Tower Hotel plummet 13 stories. The drop lasts about two seconds but seems a lot longer.

For a tamer experience, walk through the doors of a replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and take “The Great Movie Ride,” a journey through classic Hollywood movies. With film clips (from Casablanca to The Wizard of Oz) and animatronic characters like John Wayne and Gene Kelly, the 22-minute ride appeals to all ages and has always been a favorite of mine.

Live musical productions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios include “Voyage of the Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.” A nighttime laser-light spectacular, “Fantasmic!,” is staged in an amphitheater on selected evenings. With fireworks, Disney characters, fountains and animation scenes projected onto water screens, it’s a magical way to end a day at Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort.

—Randy Mink

Nebraska. Where Your Vacation Opportunities Are Endless

Welcome to Nebraska—the land of contrasts. From urban sophistication to small-town charm and bustling attractions to the quiet beauty of wide-open spaces, a bounty of sites and activities awaits your group.

Nebraska boasts a diverse landscape—rolling sandhills, pine-studded buttes, rich prairie lands, and rugged river valleys—that provides the perfect playground for adventure and outdoor recreation. Along the way, enjoy lodging that ranges from rustic ranches to luxury hotels. You’ll discover home-style cafes, quaint dinner theaters, and unique local specialties. And we haven’t even mentioned the winery tours, wildlife viewing, and Heartland hospitality.

If you’re searching for a metropolitan setting, head to Omaha or Lincoln. In both cities, you’ll find revamped historic districts, outstanding restaurants, popular shop­s, and top attractions.

So what are you waiting for? Find out more about a group getaway to Nebraska. It could be just the adventure you’re looking for.

Get out and play

The best of both worlds does exist. Tallgrass prairies and fertile farms neighbor bustling cities and world-class attractions. Stroll through fine museums. Float down scenic waterways. Embark on a historical journey. Nowhere is the juxtaposition of city and country so compelling as in Nebraska.

Urban times

Ranked the best zoo in America by Reader’s Digest, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo offers visitors some of the most advanced, engaging animal exhibits in the world. The zoo is home to several of the world’s largest indoor habitats including a rain forest, a desert, and a nocturnal exhibit. The zoo also features a state-of-the-art gorilla habitat, orangutan forest, walk-through shark tank, and an overhead tram that provides sky-high views of the zoo grounds and exhibits.

Just north of the zoo is the city’s newly revived downtown area. Enjoy some of the Midwest’s most acclaimed restaurants, soak up the atmosphere in the Old Market while you shop an array of unique stores, or cruise the scenic Missouri River on the River City Star Riverboat.

Need a break from the hustle and bustle? Although only a short drive from downtown, hiking in Bellevue’s Fonentelle Forest will make you feel like you’re a million miles from the city. In nearby south Omaha, El Museo Latino highlights the important contribution the Hispanic population has had on the history, culture, and development of Omaha.

On the western side of the metro area, you can catch the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Kansas City Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, in action at the brand-new Werner Park stadium.

Heralded for its ideal blend of small-town appeal and urban bustle, Lincoln offers art galleries, history museums, the State Capitol, and the world-class International Quilt Study Center & Museum.

Nestled between Omaha and Lincoln, Ashland has a charming downtown district with cool, funky shops and restaurants. It’s also the gateway to three stellar attractions: Strategic Air and Space Museum, Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Conservation Park and Safari, and Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.

A grape escape

It’s not surprising that a state with a knack for growing things is fast becoming known as a hot spot for wineries. After all, the jump from breadbasket to wine cellar isn’t such a big one.

Across the state, more than 200 vineyards take advantage of fertile soil and ideal growing conditions to produce some very tasty varieties. Spend a pleasant afternoon touring the vineyards, tasting a variety of award-winning wines, and purchasing a bottle or two of your favorites. Whether you prefer red or white, semisweet or dry, you’re sure to have a wonderful time.

Experience the outdoors

Spine-tingling outdoor excursions can be found across the state, so be prepared for an awe-inspiring escapade whatever adventure you choose. Your group will appreciate the beautiful scenery and winding trails of Chadron State Park and Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. At Nebraska’s largest state park, Fort Robinson near Crawford, enjoy buffalo stew cookouts, theatrical presentations, and Jeep rides through the majestic buttes.

Even without a coast, Nebraska claims an abundance of wet and wild fun along its waterways. The Niobrara National Scenic River is one of the most versatile destinations for water recreation. Explore the river via tube, kayak, or canoe. Try navigating the snaking Loup River the good old Nebraska way: a floating livestock tank filled with friends and fun. Or hit the eastern stretches of the Platte River via airboat for a fast-paced adventure along picturesque shores.

If you’re really looking to get away from it all, there’s no better place to be than Toadstool Geologic Park. In fact, you may have to blink twice before realizing you’re still on the same planet. Travelers consider the peculiar lunarlike landscape a perfect spot for exploration.

The sandhill cranes – a natural phenomenon

Every spring for about the past 10 million years, one of the most impressive wildlife events has occurred right here in Nebraska. Between mid-February and mid-April, half a million sandhill cranes gather along the Platte River Valley as they make their annual migration north.

To give your group a bird’s-eye view of this breathtaking phenomenon, you’ll want to head to Grand Island, Kearney, and Hastings. In addition to cranes, your group can see more than 10 million ducks and geese, majestic bald eagles, and possibly the endangered whooping crane.

The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cutltural History boasts the largest whooping crane display in the United Sates. The Rowe Sanctuary and Iain Nicolson Audubon Center near Gibbon has exceptional educational displays and an indoor viewing area. Your group can also experience the beauty of the Platte River at the 12,000-square-foot interpretive center at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center near Grand Island.

Step back in time

Nebraska truly is pioneer country. And when your group travels to Nebraska, you can see firsthand the geological formations that guided waves of pioneers across the prairie.

Genuine wagon ruts and remnants of the Oregon Trail at Scotts Bluff National Monument enable you to trace the steps of settlers who came before you. An even more recognizable landmark is Chimney Rock. Visible from more than 20 miles away, the towering spire let weary travelers know they were on the right path.

In addition to natural landmarks, Nebraska boasts a large number of historically rich attractions. One such spot—the Great Platte River Road Archway near Kearney—walks visitors through America’s westward journey, bringing the pioneer road to life through multimedia exhibits including film, computer graphics, life-size dioramas, and more.

The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island, too, recognizes the importance of our past with a living history experience like no other. In the summer months, Railroad Town—the museum’s own 1890s village—is buzzing with townspeople dressed in period clothing. The town depicts pioneer life with more than 60 original structures including shops, homes, and barns.

One of the state’s most outstanding attractions is near Beatrice. Homestead National Monument of America brings to life the homesteading story and the importance that the Homestead Act of 1862 had on the settlement of Nebraska. You can travel west along the Heritage Highway to visit the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather, who wrote about life on the Great Plains.

Of course, you can’t talk about the Old West without mentioning cowboys. At the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park in North Platte, you’ll learn all about the life of one of the most famous cowboys, including his stint as a Pony Express rider, his famous Wild West Show, and his scouting experiences.

Dig right in

Nebraska also has some bragging rights when it comes to ancient history. Case in point—Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park. Check out the Rhino Barn to see fossils of barrel-bodied rhinos, camels, horses, saber-toothed deer, and more, all which are being carefully uncovered within full view of the visiting public.

In addition, Nebraska is home to the world’s premier collection of mammoths and mastodons. Lincoln’s University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History, also known as Elephant Hall, wows visitors with its massive fossil structures, the largest being a 14-foot male mammoth. Jurassic dinosaurs and prehistoric rhinos and horses are also on display.

Two more great spots to get the dirt on paleontological finds are Agate Fossil Beds National Monument near Harrison and the Hudson-Meng Research and Education Center near Crawford. If you’re in the area and wanting to do a little digging yourself, make a stop at High Plains Homestead. The unique guest ranch offers guided and unguided fossil hunting excursions.

Possibilities . . . Endless

Planning a group getaway to Nebraska is easy, so get started today. Simply check out the Group Travel Planner at VisitNebraska.gov, or contact individual destinations for information on group packages and planning.

Contact Information:

Paula Bohaty, Group Travel Manager, Eastern Nebraska Tourism Consultant
Nebraska Travel & Tourism
301 Centennial Mall South| P.O. Box 98907, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509
402 471-3744 |  402 471-3026 fax |  800 228-4307
Paula.bohaty@nebraska.gov

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Captivates Groups in Nashville

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is a dream destination for groups — a museum without the stuffiness, an attraction that appeals to different ages, with different tastes, and for very different reasons. Interactive exhibits, films featuring country music’s biggest stars, live performances, and incredible architecture along with our famous Southern hospitality turn a day at the museum into memories of a lifetime. With all we have to offer, the museum is the true Music City experience.

In addition to thousands of priceless artifacts, images and video, a day at the museum includes access to special limited engagement exhibits. Don’t miss your last chance to experience Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy, Presented by SunTrust, open now through December 31, 2011. The Hank Williams family saga is one of great accomplishment and great heartache. This exhibit illustrates both aspects of their remarkable lives. Held over by popular demand, the exhibit has been expanded with the addition of new heirlooms from the family.

Also, don’t miss Tammy Wynette: First Lady of Country Music, Presented by Great American Country Television Network, open now through June 2011, and Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player, opening August 2011 in the museum’s east gallery.

Learn more about Nashville’s rich musical heritage and how it has shaped today’s popular music by including a visit to Historic RCA Studio B, “The Home of A Thousand Hits,” nestled in the heart of famed Music Row. Add this one-of-a-kind Nashville attraction to your Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum® itinerary and experience the music industry as it was 50 years ago or just last week.

Customize Your Experience with one of our Unique Group Packages

Star for a Day*

This itinerary begins on Nashville’s famed Music Row with a tour of Historic RCA Studio B. Here your group can get an up-close look at the studio once used by legends Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and many other American music icons.  Studio B recording in 1996, and artists such as Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, Carrie Underwood and indie rock group My Morning Jacket have recorded there. Tours conclude inside the actual studio where the group will work with a professional sound engineer in a recording session that they will be able to purchase as a keepsake CD. The package also includes the option of lunch or dinner at either the world-famous Wildhorse Saloon or Hard Rock Café, where groups enjoy the special surprise of hearing their newly recorded “hit” come alive over the restaurant’s state-of-the-art sound system.

The Stories Behind The Songs: Group Songwriter*

After touring the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, your group can participate in a 45-minute private session with one of Nashville’s accomplished songwriters. Visitors are given insight on the craft of songwriting from concept to hit. These up-close and personal sessions give guests a rare opportunity to hear recognizable hits in their original forms. Sessions conclude with a meet and greet with the writer (who has his or her recordings available for purchase) and autographs.

Sharing the Art of Songwriting*

Your group joins one of Music City’s premier writers for an hour-long session of songwriting. By offering personal insight and direction, the writer guides your group in composing an original song. Guests are encouraged to offer lyric ideas in an improvisational and unpredictable style that keeps the fun rolling. And before the hour is over, our songwriter delights the group one more time by performing their finished song that they can purchase as a keepsake.

Music City Showcase

For choirs and ensembles of 20 to marching bands of up to 100, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum provides an excellent opportunity for performance groups of all levels to showcase their talents.

Celebrity Audio Tour*

Bring history to life with this guided museum tour. Bill Cody, WSM-AM radio personality and GAC Master Series host, takes your group on a tour through the different eras of country music. Along the way, popular country music artists, including Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, and Dolly Parton, provide behind-the-scenes stories, insider tips, personal memories and more.

*These special packages and programs can be added to your museum itinerary for an additional fee.

Group rates available. Please inquire with your group sales specialist for more information.

Contact Info

Phone: 615.416.2001 or 1.800.852.6437

Mailing Address: 222 5^th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203

E-mail: info@countrymusichalloffame.org

Web: www.countrymusichalloffame.org

Chicago Picture Palaces: Majestic Shrines That Steal the Show

Some of us are old enough to remember when merely entering a movie theater—striding across the grand mirrored lobby and bounding up the marble staircases—was a magic carpet ride into a world of sheer enchantment, a foray into fantasyland alone worth the price of admission. With their crystal chandeliers, red-plush décor, murals, statuary, acres of gold-leaf plasterwork and “mighty Wurlitzer” pipe organs, these monumental edifices transported us to another place and time. One historian labeled the old-time movie palace “an acre of seats in a garden of dreams.”

The sumptuous auditoriums of yesteryear, many of them actually fashioned after European or Asian palaces, were as escapist as the motion pictures being shown on their big silver screens. Though critics considered these temples of modern culture to be garish and extravagant, theater architects reveled in the artistic freedom they were allowed. Cinema mogul Marcus Loew, who formed MGM Studios in 1924 and headed the Loew’s theater chain, insisted: “We sell tickets to theaters, not movies.”

Sadly, many of the palatial downtown movie houses from Hollywood’s heyday in the 1920s and ’30s have been plowed under to make way for parking lots and office buildings. But some have survived and been turned into performing arts centers. Whenever I travel to a new city, I like to poke my head into one of those restored picture palaces—to grab a peek, see a show or take a tour.

Last weekend I took a short drive from my suburban home to downtown Chicago for the weekly “Historic Theatre Tour” offered by Broadway in Chicago. The 75-minute walking tour of two Loop theaters is offered every Saturday at 11 a.m., but it can be arranged for a group at any time. Conveniently, the theaters usually visited—the Oriental and Cadillac Palace—are right down Randolph Street from each other. Sometimes the Bank of America Theatre (formerly the Shubert and LaSalle Bank theaters) is substituted, but it’s only three blocks from the other two.

On my tour of the Oriental and Cadillac Palace, our guide pointed out architectural flourishes, shared staging and seating secrets, and regaled us with celebrity lore, but we were not taken on or behind the stage.

The Oriental Theatre, officially the Ford Center for the Performing Arts since its 1998 renovation funded by Ford Motor Co., opened in 1926 as a movie house operated by the Balaban & Katz chain. Decorated in Asian motifs, from lantern-like chandeliers, stained glass and lotus blossoms to intricately carved figures of goddesses, slaves and Buddha, the cavernous space was designed by George and Cornelius Rapp, who built other grand movie theaters in Chicago and elsewhere. It was in the balcony where we could best admire the gaudy decoration—almost every inch of the walls and ceilings are covered in gold-painted reliefs.

The theater was built for 3,300 people and boasted an average daily attendance of 7,800. During a program that would last two or three hours, patrons would see cartoons, a newsreel, movie shorts, a song and dance revue and a feature film. In summer, many found the Oriental a cool refuge as movie theaters were among the first public places to offer air-conditioning. According to our guide, Richard, wallets and purses tossed by pickpockets were found in the air-conditioning vents during the restoration.

He noted that the columns and walls resembling antique marble were actually done in scagiola, a paint job that imitates the real thing. Some of the lighting fixtures are original, but others were added in the $28-million renovation in 1998 (after being shuttered since 1981). “If it looks like Home Depot,” Richard said, “it is Home Depot.”

The renovation resulted in the theater losing 1,000 seats—more lobby space was needed to accommodate crowds during intermission between acts. The dark red seats have been replicated with the original fabric, but they are now wider because people are.

Richard pointed out that the box seats closest to the stage, on the Dress Circle level, are hardly the best seats in the house. Because of the limited view, they are sold last. But the boxes, considered prestigious for well-to-do families, were a place to be seen. Everyone seated in the Dress Circle could enjoy the exclusive lounge just outside the doors. Now the area is just an upper lobby space to mill about.

On the main floor we had a chance to peer into the orchestra pit, and Richard described the stage’s three basement levels. The theater’s original organ (not in working order) is on display in the lobby’s lower level, which now houses the bathrooms.

Among the stars who graced the Oriental’s stage were Al Jolson, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and the Three Stooges. During the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair, the marquee advertised the “3 Glumm Sisters,” misspelling the last name of singer Frances Gumm (later Judy Garland) and her sisters. The theater manager suggested a more inviting name, so the group became the Garland Sisters.

The Cadillac Palace Theatre, born as the New Palace Theatre in 1926, also was a movie house for many years but started as a vaudeville venue, attracting such stars as Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Mae West and Jack Benny. Like the Oriental, it was designed by the Rapp Brothers. But instead of Asian splendor, they went for a lavish French Renaissance and Baroque look, taking features from the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau. The marble here, imported from Italy, is real. When the Palace opened, one critic wrote, “This is the most ideal theatre I’ve yet seen in this country or abroad.”

In the late 1950s the Palace was the only theater in the Midwest set up for Cinerama (like the IMAX of its day). In the 1970s the theater (known as the Bismarck) was used for banquets and conferences and became a concert venue in 1984. (The attached Bismarck Hotel is now the Hotel Allegro.) After a $30-million makeover the grand auditorium reopened in 1999 with the world premiere of Elton John’s and Tim Rice’s AIDA.

The Cadillac Palace and Oriental theaters today showcase Broadway in Chicago shows like Mary Poppins, Wicked and The Lion King, creating a vibrant North Loop theater district. Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Miserables plays the Cadillac Palace Feb. 2-27. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles brings 1960s nostalgia to the Oriental Feb. 8-13, while the rock musical Hair begins a two-week engagement there on March 8.

For information on shows and theater tours, contact Broadway in Chicago at 312-977-1710 or groupsales@broadwayinchicago.com. (www.broadwayinchicago.com)

—Randy Mink

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