Men's Traveler

PLAN NOW FOR AFFORDABLE FAMILY REUNIONS AT OHIO STATE PARK RESORTS

Resort’s Popular Reunion Package Allows Families to Plant a “Family Tree” in Ohio State Parks

OHIO STATE PARK RESORTS, Ohio, November 18, 2008 – Extended family groups hoping to enjoy a multi-family vacation next year should begin making plans now, and the first decision to make is to choose the destination. Ohio State Park Resorts operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts are located throughout the state of Ohio and are within an easy drive of all of Ohio’s major airports as well as major metropolitan areas throughout the Midwest.

Groups booking 15 or more lodge rooms or 15 cabins for two or more consecutive nights are eligible for the popular “Family Tree” program at all seven resorts. The package includes a tree – donated by Xanterra – to be planted by the family group. A member of the Xanterra staff will take a digital photo of the family and send the photo along with the tree’s GPS coordinates by e-mail to all of the participants. Returning guests can use those coordinates to return to the tree and observe its progress year after year. Families staying between May and October also receive a family bonfire with complimentary s’mores, the family favorite campfire dessert. During the cold-weather season from November through April, family groups will receive a private movie night with popcorn. Plus, the family reunion planner will receive a resort T-shirt and discounted room rate.

Each resort’s sales staff helps family groups choose accommodations, activities and group meals, including family-friendly buffets as well as elegant sit-down meals in private dining rooms. Planners can also set up group hikes with naturalists, children’s games and special family events such as geocaching trips into the woods or golf tournaments.

“Each family has a different style, and it is our job to help a family create a reunion that will result in long-lasting memories for everyone in the family,” said Dianna Rom, regional director of sales for Ohio State Park Resorts. “Our resorts are not cookie-cutter, and we don’t think family reunions should be cookie-cutter either. Our experienced sales staff is happy to assist family groups plan any event or activity.

Rom said Ohio State Park Resorts are likely to be particularly popular this year because they are both affordable and accessible. Xanterra operates lodges at Burr Oak, Maumee Bay, Salt Fork, Mohican, Hueston Woods, Punderson Manor and Shawnee State Park Resorts. The resorts offer a lineup of activities that includes swimming, playing tennis and basketball, boating, fishing and hiking, volleyball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, playgrounds, game rooms and more. Banquet rooms are also available for private meals. Special children’s activities such as supervised crafts and water games are available at most resorts during the summer.

To make arrangements for a family reunion, call 1-888-275-5017 or send an e-mail to sales-aap@xanterra.com.

Complete information about the facilities at each of the seven Ohio State Park Resorts operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts is available online at www.atapark.com or by calling 1-800-AT-A-PARK (1-800-282-7275).  Xanterra also operates the marina and facilities at Geneva Marina State Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake in northeastern Ohio.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA IS A GREAT SUMMER GETAWAY

Serious nature travel in Virginia

By Robert J. Nebel

Editor, Men's Traveler

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK OFFERS ACTIVITIES RANGING FROM PURE RELAXATION TO BEYOND EXTREME

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, November 19, 2008 – Death Valley National Park is a land of extremes, and a trip there can be as relaxing as you want it to be. Or it can be active. Or it can go beyond extremely active into surreal.

With some 3.3 million acres, Death Valley National Park offers hiking options that are practically unlimited for both the casual and seasoned walker. Although formal trails do not exist, paths carved out by past travelers are easy to follow.

Relaxing

The Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort is the best location in the park from which to base explorations, and both the Inn and the Ranch offer plenty of easy activities. Both feature outdoor swimming pools that are naturally fed by warm springs that keep the pools' temperature at a comfortable 82 degrees (27.7C). In addition to the pool, guests can enjoy a casual game of tennis or take in an early morning walk, jog or hike.

Easy hikes include those to the Harmony Borax Works and Golden Canyon ranging from one to three miles with minimal elevation gain. The Borax Museum provides the history of the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort and key figures involved in the development of Death Valley. The museum offers a pictorial history and showcases artifacts from the past, such as antique stagecoaches, mining tools and a railroad steam locomotive in the museum courtyard. The museum is open to the public seven days a week, and admission is free.

One of the most popular and most lavish sites in Death Valley is Scotty's Castle, located 55 miles north of the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort. Folklore has it that Walter "Scotty" Scott, an alleged prospector, convinced Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson to build a spectacular Moorish-style castle. Speculation continues as to whether Scotty discovered a secret gold mine that financed the castle's construction or if Johnson's fortune funded the project. The castle consists of more than eight buildings that house beautiful furnishings and spectacular tile work created by artisans, architects and crafts people from Spain, Italy and throughout the United States. Rangers outfitted in period clothing provide historical information about the structure and offer little known facts about the castle, the Johnsons and Scotty. The castle is open year-round and offers tours every hour between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Visitors can also explore the natural wonders of Devil's Golf Course, an expansive salt field caused by evaporated bodies of water. Almost as pure as the table variety, the salt forms one grain at a time. Close inspection into one of the salt domes reveals the actual crystallization process at work. Other points of interest include Dante's View at 5,475 feet above sea level and overlooking Badwater at 282 feet below sea level, Mushroom Rock, the overlook at Zabriskie Point and the ruins of the Harmony Borax Works.

October through May, the National Park Service conducts interpretive programs at the Visitor Center located next door to the Furnace Creek Ranch. Guided walks and naturalist talks are conducted daily and illustrated talks are presented each evening.

Active

Just south of the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort, reachable from Highway 178, is Artist's Drive, a one-way road that meanders eight miles through magnificent washes and mud hills with breathtaking colors and natural rock formations. Continuing south is the region of Badwater. Originally a salt-crusted pool of water, the area contains four to five times the salt content of the ocean. Badwater is home to the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level.

The polished marble walls of Mosaic Canyon can be reached by a 2.5-mile drive up an alluvial fan. The Sand Dunes, east of Stovepipe Wells, are ideal for either a casual stroll or an all-day excursion. For the more seasoned hiker, a climb up to Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet, the highest spot in Death Valley, can be a challenge. Steep inclines make for a strenuous, all-day hike to the top.

At 214 feet below sea level, the Furnace Creek Golf Course is the world's lowest golf course. The course dates back to 1927 when one of the date-palm caretakers set up an informal three-hole golf course in what was then called the Greenland Ranch. Ranch operators expanded the three holes into a nine-hole course in 1931, and another nine holes opened in 1968.

The Furnace Creek Golf Course is a par-70 course measuring 6,236 yards. Water comes into play on nine of the holes. The fairways are lined with date palm trees and 60-year old tamarisk trees. The surrounding Panamint and Funeral Mountains can be seen from everywhere on the course.

Greens fees for the Furnace Creek golf course are $55, and cart rentals are $25 for 18 holes and $14 for nine holes from early September through mid-May. Rates drop to $30 including the cart in the summer. Guests at the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort can purchase room and golf packages as well. For more information about the Furnace Creek Golf Course, call the golf shop at 1-760-786-3373.

Furnace Creek Golf Course recently achieved the designation "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS), the educational division of Audubon International.

Beyond Extreme

The Badwater Ultramarathon is held in mid-July ever year and is a grueling 135-mile foot race that begins 282 feet below sea level and ends at the Mt. Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet above sea level. Along the way, the race course covers three mountain ranges for a total vertical ascent of 13,000 feet. The winners take nearly 24 hours to complete the race.

The Furnace Creek 508 is held in early October. This 508-mile bicycle race begins in Santa Clarita north of Los Angeles and continues across the Mojave Desert through Death Valley to Twenty Nine Palms, CA. The race is called "The Toughest 48 hours in Sport" and is billed as the world's premier ultramarathon bicycle race. The course has a total elevation gain of more than 35,000 feet and crosses 10 mountain passes.

The Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort has been welcoming guests since the 1930s. Open from mid-October through mid-May, the Furnace Creek Inn is an AAA Four Diamond-rated property featuring 66 rooms and two suites with a full array of amenities, fine dining, tennis courts and a spring-fed pool. Open year-round is the Furnace Creek Ranch. Situated adjacent to the golf course, the Ranch features 224 rooms in a casual setting, general store, spring-fed swimming pool, tennis courts, horseback riding and the Borax Museum.

For more information about facilities in Death Valley National Park or to make reservations at Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort, call toll free at 1-800-236-7916 or 1-303-297-2757 or go to www.furnacecreekresort.com

The Natural State is booming from the Ozarks to Little Rock

By Robert J. Nebel 

Editor, Men's Traveler

In the past, Arkansas has been associated with an image of swamps and humidity. Fortunately, that negative reputation isn't the least bit true. Arkansas' climate is mild and its scenery is beyond graceful. From north to south and east to west, from cosmopolitan Little Rock to Hot Springs and all the outlying areas, Arkansas is an affordable summer trip that is filled with impressive sites worth seeing.

An unspoiled natural wonder

A trip through the Ozarks in northern Arkansas will show you that the state is full of natural wonders. One, the Buffalo National River, is so alluring it has merited a "National Geographic" piece. The river cascades through geological rock including sandstone, chert and limestone.

Speaking of limestone, the Blanchard Springs Caverns in the Ozarks National Forest is buried beneath layers of it. The caverns are formed in a three-level system, but only two are accessible to the public. If you're seeking a respite from the summer sun, a visit to the caverns will do the trick.

A region fit for a president

The Timberlands Region, which is on the opposite side of the state from the Ozarks, is a pine-covered area that includes Hope, Ark., former President Clinton's boyhood home. Today, you can visit Clinton's home in Hope, which is a two-and-a-half story wood frame house. Even though it has been out of the Clintons' possession for more than 30 years, it's interesting to see the house where Clinton spent the first four years of his life.

Just around the corner from Hope is the Old Washington Historic State Park - a study in how to preserve a state's history. The town of Washington played a vital part in Texas' war for independence in 1835-36. Historians say Sam Houston plotted his strategy for revolt while staying in a town tavern in 1834. Washington, Ark., also became the capital of the state when Union forces captured Little Rock in 1863. Guests truly experience the 19th century when they visit the Old Washington Historic State Park.

Also in the Timberlands is the historic town of El Dorado. Its churches, courthouse and many buildings are designed in a 1920s and '30s motif. An eclectic town, El Dorado offers fine dining, shopping and theater. The Rialto Theater is Arkansas' only working art deco movie house.

Where agriculture thrived

A tour through Arkansas' Delta Region along the Mississippi River reveals an area that took cotton production to unprecedented levels. Once known as a region filled with wild prairie land and wet woodlands, the Delta Region began to thrive with the rise of cotton manufacturing. At the Arkansas Post State Museum, you can learn how the state transformed itself to become an economic player in the South. The museum offers an exhibit devoted to the first European settlement in the Mississippi River's lower valley, as well as many other exhibits and guided walking tours.

The story of the Delta Region is told at the Parkin Archeological State Park. The Parkin site on the St. Francis River is a preserved 17-acre area where a Mississippi Period Native American village was located. Historians study the site for its importance in understanding historic and prehistoric times in this part of Arkansas.

A River Valley region worth visiting

Lakes, rivers and streams nestled between the Ouachita and Ozark mountain ranges help lend a graceful beauty to the River Valley region. Small-mouth bass swim around in the South Fourche River while others are being weighed at the new visitor's center at Lake Dardanelle State Park.

Where else in Arkansas can you get as good a take on the Old West as places like the Fort Smith National Historic Site? Fort Smith showcases what's left of two frontier forts and the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas. The restored jail and courthouse, as well as the visitor's center, have exhibits devoted to Fort Smith's military history, federal Indian policy and other topics.

Ouachitas Region shines on

Did you ever want to go on a hunt for diamonds? At the Crater of Diamonds State Park in the Ouachitas Region, it's possible. Diamond hunters can search more than 37 acres of plowed field for their prizes. The park has a "finders keepers" policy where, if you're lucky enough, you might be able to leave with some jewels of your very own. A new aquatic, mining-themed playground includes a wading pool, spray geysers, waterspouts, jets, two water slides and waterfall hideaways.

The heart of the state

Little Rock's culture, nightlife and genteel attitude among its 600,000-plus residents make this city a pleasant destination. Even though there are many attractions in the city, the one that stands out is the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park. Just after it opened, the Clinton Presidential Center is featured an exhibit honoring Clinton's love of music. "A World of Music" includes Elvis memorabilia, lyrics by pop singer and activist Bono and a signed Beatles LP.

Photo by Robert J. Nebel 

The Clinton Center has put Little Rock even more on the map.

Memorablia at the Clinton Center-Photo by Robert J. Nebel

Limo that protected the president. Photo by Robert J. Nebel

With the announcement of the plans for the Clinton Center in 1997, the downtown area has seen $1 billion in development.

"Our convention business is booming as well," the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau stated.. "The combination of the Clinton Center anchoring our downtown River Market District and our increase in hotel supply has drawn new conventions to our city."