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New York State Celebrates America’s 250th

January 29, 2026 krubin723

Painting on display at Fort Stanwix visitor center showing the October 17, 1777 surrender of General Burgoyn’s army to the Patriots after the Battles of Saratoga removed the threat of British invasion in northern New York © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Most Americans might not think of New York State first in context of the American Revolution and independence – Boston, Philadelphia are more top of mind. But it will surprise virtually everyone to know that more battles – and pivotal ones – of the Revolution were fought in New York than any other. In fact one-third of the battles and incursions were fought in New York, which the British considered vital to their conquest of the continent. Here are some of the places and events commemorating America’s 250th in New York State:

Fort Ticonderoga

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold realized that the British Fort Ticonderoga made an easy target for the American rebels. They captured the fort in 1775 with a band of Green Mountain Boys only weeks after Lexington and Concord, making it America`s first victory in the Revolution. Visitors can tour the restored fort, research library, museum galleries, and acres of beautiful land overlooking Lake Champlain and see artillery demonstrations and frequent reenactments. Fort Ticonderoga Real Time Revolution™ Event Series (Adirondacks): The iconic historic site continues honoring its role in America’s origin story with the Real Time Revolution™ event series, designed to bring the Revolutionary War to life on the very grounds it took place through reenactments of key events. One of the highlights takes place during Independence Day Weekend, with a signature reenactment, “Return of an Army,” depicting the Northern Continental Army’s retreat to Ticonderoga during the same period that the Declaration of Independence was being signed in Philadelphia (102 Fort Ti Road, Ticonderoga, NY 12883, 518-585-2821).

Saratoga National Historical Park (Saratoga Battlefield)

Two hotly contested Revolutionary War battles here ended in an American victory which some proclaim as one of the most important in world history. Visit the Saratoga National Historical Park (Saratoga Battlefield) visitor center with film, light map, museum exhibits; tour the scenic 10-mile auto and bike road and hike historic paths. The park also has four other sites located nine miles north of the battlefield around the villages of Victory and Schuylerville: Victory Woods where British General Burgoyne’s forces made their last stand, the 155′ Saratoga Monument with panoramic views of the Hudson Valley, General Philip Schuyler’s 1777 home and estate, and the Saratoga Surrender Site (648 Rte 32, Stillwater, NY 12170, 518-664-9821, x 2980, www.nps.gov/sara to plan your visit).

Fort Stanwix National Monument

Fort Stanwix National Monument offers a full-scale reconstruction of the original fort built in 1758 by the British during the French and Indian War (re-created from the original British plans) and occupied by Americans during the Revolutionary War, where you can engage with costumed interpreters and really appreciate the complex dynamics surrounding the War for Independence.

In August 1777, Fort Stanwix, under the command of Col. Peter Gansevoort, successfully repelled a prolonged siege by British, German, Loyalist, Canadian and American Indian troops and warriors commanded by British Gen. Barry St. Leger – becoming the only American post never to surrender to the enemy throughout the entire War of Independence. Significantly, the failed siege, combined with the battles at Oriskany, Bennington, and Saratoga thwarted a coordinated effort by the British in 1777, under the leadership of Gen. John Burgoyne, to take the northern colonies. The Americans’ success (after so many defeats) led to American alliances with France and the Netherlands. Troops from Fort Stanwix also participated in the 1779 Clinton-Sullivan Campaign and protected America’s northwest frontier from British campaigns until finally being abandoned in 1781.

At the Marinus Willett Center, explore centuries of history through interpretive exhibits and cases of artifacts unearthed on the site that put into context the colonials and the indigenous people who lived here (that will surprise you), and why New York State was so crucial to the Revolution – not just logistically, but as a critical source of food supplies for the troops. The park also collaboratively manages both the Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site and the Steuben Memorial State Historic Site, all three locations inexorably connected from the time of the American Revolution. (100 N James St, Rome, NY 13440, (315) 338-7730, https://www.nps.gov/fost/learn/historyculture/index.htm)

New York City Hosts ‘Sail 4^th’ Spectacular

New York City which celebrated its 400th anniversary throughout 2025, is where America’s entire history is on display – the indigenous people who lived here before the Europeans, the Dutch founding in 1625 with the establishment of Fort Amsterdam and how diverse cultures built the city and continue to be the hallmark – at the Museum of the City of New York (a superb film unrolls 400 years in 30 minutes) (1220 5th Ave, www.mcny.org). One of the more unexpected places to explore America’s Native American history is at National Museum of the American Indian, a Smithsonian Institution, housed at Alexander Hamilton’s Custom House on Bowling Green (right around where King George III’s statue would have been ripped down by patriots) (https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/ny).

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be featured in the International Aerial Review as part of NYC’s spectacular July4th celebration, before headlining the Jones Beach Air Show July 5-6 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York City will have its share of blockbuster events celebrating America’s 250^th. One of the most sensational is “Sail 4^th 250”, taking place July 3-9, 2026, with 30 Tall ships and 30 Grey Hull ships from 32 nations bringing 10,000 officers, cadets, crew and diplomats to parade down the East River on July 3rd up the Hudson River on July 4. Open to free public visits through July 9 (www.sail4th.org).

Macy’s 50^th anniversary fireworks on July 4^th will be especially spectacular with an International Aerial Review, headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

The Blue Angels will then headline the FourLeaf Air Show at Jones Bach State Park (date change from Memorial Day Weekend to July 5 – 6) to celebrate America’s 250th.

The New York Historical is opening its new Tang Wing for American Democracy on June 18, 2026, greatly expanding both the landmark building and The Historical’s wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programs. Dedicated to the history and future of the nation’s founding principles, the 71,000-square-foot Tang Wing will open as the United States launches the celebration of its 250th anniversary. On view now: Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence which features the documents that provided the ideological and philosophical underpinnings for the Revolution and the founding of a new kind of government (by the people) and that raised the rabble, forged a collective consciousness and identity, and inculcated the outrageous idea that a ragtag collection of colonial people of diverse race, ethnicity, religion and national origin could and should take on the most powerful empire on the globe (on view through April 12); also, Stirring the Melting Pot: Photographs from The New York Historical Collections. The New York Historical will present a slate of special exhibitions throughout the anniversary year. New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. (New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org)

NYC Revolutionary Trail: Echoes of Revolution will launch in June 2026 to celebrate America’s upcoming 250^th anniversary. Founded by The Gotham Center for NYC History at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, the multimedia 90-minute, 3-mile walking tour in downtown Manhattan reframes New York at the heart of the American Revolution. Partnering with Video Game Publisher Ubisoft and Creative Technology Studio Sugar Creative, the Gotham Center, Echoes of Revolution is a FREE, mobile, geo-located immersive walking tour that uses augmented reality to place visitors inside Revolutionary-era New York. Starting at the Battery and ending at Federal Hall via Bowling Green, Wall Street, and other pivotal sites, visitors will relive pivotal historical moments from the founding of the United States, uncover the stories that shaped the nation’s beginnings in the actual locations where they took place, and have a close-up experience of the “city at the heart of the Revolution,” with each stop providing audio narration with site information, character profiles, videos and links to Center’s Library. Echoes of Revolution is a new version of Gotham’s original NYC Revolutionary Trail App and will also partner with the Museum of the City of New York for the upcoming exhibit, “The Occupied City,” to ring in New York’s 250^th celebration (https://nycrevolutionarytrail.org)

Follow Washington’s Culper Spy Ring Trail on Long Island:

A Christmas gathering in colonial-era Schenck House at Old Bethpage Village. Though Long Island was occupied by the British during the American Revolution, there were patriots who helped George Washington, even serving as spies © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Culper Spy Ring was an intelligence network that George Washington himself credited as crucial to the American victory over the British Empire. Largely following Route 25A (Long Island Heritage Trail), President George Washington traveled this route in 1790 by horse-drawn carriage on a mission to thank his Long Island supporters and the ‘Culper Spy Ring’ for their help in winning the American Revolution (hence the many places that boast “George Washington slept here”).

Indeed, Long Island in 1778 was largely occupied by the British (as was New York City) but there were Patriots who risked their lives to get intelligence to General George Washington. You can visit the houses where secret messages were written in invisible ink and follow the Washington spy trail map. (The AMC series TURN: Washington’s Spies, now airing on PBS was based on actual events involving the Culper Spy Ring on Long Island, focusing on farmer Abe Woodhull and his childhood friends gathering vital intelligence for the Continental Army.)

Roslyn, Long Island, on the Culper Spy Trail, where a colonial-era Grist Mill is being restored, is one of the places boasting “George Washington slept here.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Among the Revolutionary War sites: Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay, where Robert Townsend became a part of the spy ring; the Arsenal in Huntington; the Conklin House’ Joseph Lloyd Manor, the Brewster House in Stony Brook where American patriot Caleb Brewster spied on British soldiers; and Sherwood-Jayne Farm, home of Loyalist William Jayne aka “Big Bill the Tory”. See where the Battle of Setauket was fought near the Setauket Presbyterian Church on Caroline Ave.; Strongs Neck Road, where Anna Smith Strong and Abraham Woodhull lived, a key location for the spies; Thompson House where spies’ names are in the doctor’s book. On the South Shore, Sagtikos Manor in Bay Shore is where President George Washington stayed here during his Long Island tour in 1790. See: https://www.discoverlongisland.com/plan-your-trip/famous-long-island/george-washingtons-spy-trail/; find more Long Island 250 events: https://www.discoverlongisland.com/longisland250/.

Westchester’s American Revolutionary Trail

Once the volatile “Neutral Ground” between British and Patriot forces, Westchester County was where generals strategized, spies swapped secrets and ordinary people found themselves at the crossroads of independence. Follow the American Revolutionary Trail to discover Westchester’s most compelling historic sites, among them:

Jacob Purdy House (White Plains): Washington’s wartime headquarters during key moments of the Revolution.

John Jay Homestead (Katonah): Home of a Founding Father, tracing early American politics, antislavery roots and family life.

*Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, one of Historic Hudson Valley properties, is decked out for Halloween © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Philipsburg Manor (Sleepy Hollow): A powerful look at slavery in the Colonial North, complete with hands-on demonstrations, one of the Historic Hudson Valley properties.

St. Paul’s Church (Mt. Vernon): A 1704 parish turned field hospital after the Battle of Pell’s Point.

Square House Museum (Rye): A historic tavern where John Adams, Samuel Adams and George Washington once stayed.

Thomas Paine Cottage (New Rochelle): Last home of the legendary pamphleteer, filled with rare artifacts.

*Van Cortlandt Manor, a patriot family’s post war home, is the setting for historic Hudson Valley’s annual “Blaze” Halloween event © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Van Cortlandt Manor (Croton-on-Hudson): A patriot family’s post-war home revealing the challenges of building a new nation.

Visit https://www.visitwestchesterny.com/things-to-do/history/american-revolutionary-trail/

Some of New York’s other America 250events:

Genesee Country Village & Museum (Finger Lakes) explores early American life through costumed interpretation, working trades and educational programs that illuminate the nation’s evolving identity. The museum, now in its 50^th year, spotlights its “Seeking Freedom” initiative, highlighting stories of enslavement, freedom-seekers and abolitionists while hosting special cross-century exhibits and events tied to the national 250-year commemoration.

Commander in Cheers Augmented Reality Experience (Hudson Valley):Running through 2026, restaurants, pubs and other locations in the region offer an augmented reality experience that brings a pint-sized George Washington to life, sharing stories of Dutchess County’s Revolutionary past, by scanning a specialty coaster. Participating locations include Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie, The Tavern at Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic and Treasury Cider at Fishkill Farms. More information will be announced soon on additional programs as part of Dutchess County’s Commander in Cheers celebration.

Orangetown and the Bicentennial 1776-1976: From Democracy to Disco (Hudson Valley): On view through 2026 at the Orangetown Historical Museum’s DePew House, this exhibition highlights Rockland County’s crucial contributions during the Revolutionary War and showcases the historical and cultural impact of the 1976 Bicentennial. This spring, the Spirits of ’76 Wine Tasting companion event will feature historically inspired wines curated by Grape d’Vine, honoring Orangeburg and Tappan’s Revolutionary War legacy.

RevCon 2026 (Hudson Valley): Dutchess County hosts RevCon on June 13 at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park. The Revolutionary War reenactment and history fair brings the era to life with weapons demonstrations, military drills, camp displays and Q&A sessions with reenactors.

(See a full calendar of New York State’s America 250 events: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/america-250/)

Revolutions Beyond Independence

America’s Revolution did not end with the War for Independence. New York State has made it a mission for its America 250 commemoration to review America’s many revolutions in striving to realize the “more perfect union” the Founders could barely imagine.

“One of directives in New York State’s America 250^th is to make it broad and diverse and think of the American Revolution as incomplete because it didn’t include all residents,” said Devin Lander, NYS State Historian.

Many of these revolutions were sparked or furthered in New York State, and as you travel across the state, you can see them unfold: women’s suffrage, abolition, civil rights, voting rights, environmental protection.

To see how America came to be, join Parks & Trails NY’s annual eight-day Cycle the Erie trip that takes place each July, and travel 400 miles and 400 years of history from Buffalo to Albany- 356-miles of them along the Erie Canalway. (In addition to Parks & Trails NY, bike tour operators offer guided and self-guided trips.)

*Camping out on the grounds of Fort Stanwix during the Parks & Trails NY Cycle the Erie eight-day, 400-mile tour through 400 years of American history © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

You see how the Industrial Revolution unfolded, how the Canal was the ‘Mother of Cities” like Rochester and Syracuse, and birthed canal towns, united the American continent, and turned New York City into a financial capital of the world; at the Canal Museum in Syracuse, you see how immigrants used the canal to settle the West, turn the Midwest into America’s breadbasket, and unite the nation, and how the canal spurred the innovation and entrepreneurism that made the Industrial Revolution possible; how Native Americans and colonists lived side by side at Fort Stanwix and the Indian trading post at Schoharie established 400 years ago and how knowing the Oneida women influenced Melinda Gage’s zeal for women’s equal rights. You see the context for the Women’s Rights movement at Seneca Falls. (https://www.ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-canal-bike-tour/).

*Biking to the Canal Museum in Syracuse, one of New York State’s cities birthed by the Erie Canal, on the Parks and Trails NY Cycle the Erie tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The 356-mile Erie Canalway is part of New York State’s 750-mile Empire State Trail network, from Buffalo to Albany and the tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to the Canadian border. It will ultimately be expanded and connected to a Long Island Greenway Trail Expansion – 200 miles of new greenspace from Montauk to Manhattan. With construction expected to begin this winter, the Long Island Greenway will connect 27 communities and 26 existing park – a route that is also rich in America’s history, from indigenous times (so many of the towns still have their names), through the American Revolution (George Washington’s Spy Trail), to the Shinnecock Indian Nation, in Southhampton.

New York State will be paying homage to its many revolutions in which the state played such a pivotal part, including linking “Freedom” to the theme of “Independence.”

Cayuga County, in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes, is Harriet Tubman’s chosen home. Auburn is where Tubman lived for more than 50 years, continued her activism, and established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. Today, visitors can explore this powerful legacy through nationally significant historic sites, museums, and landscapes that speak to freedom, abolition, and the ongoing pursuit of equality. This makes Cayuga County a particularly meaningful place to reflect on America’s 250th anniversary.

Cayuga County will be hosting several commemorative events and experiences in recognition of America 250, with more details continuing to take shape. Among those that have been scheduled:

The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park is planning programming under the banner “Freedom 2026,” which will serve as a lead-in to “Freedom 2027,” marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in New York State.
Cayuga County is also looking to the anticipated opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Scenic Byway and its first leg, which will connect Buffalo with Tubman’s chosen hometown of Auburn.
In 2026, the Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail will feature an America 250 theme, with several sweetly patriotic offerings highlighted along the itinerary.
Each year, the Town of Ledyard hosts a well-attended reenactment and ceremony that includes replica parchment printings of the Declaration of Independence, a full-costume public reading, and a horseback rider arrival with classic “Hear ye, hear ye” flair.
July 4th fireworks on Little Sodus Bay in Fair Haven and at Emerson Park in Auburn are always community highlights, and is expected that 2026 to be especially memorable in honor of the 250th anniversary.

In the next few weeks, a full America 250 schedule from several of Cayuga’s historic and cultural partners, including the Seward House Museum, Schweinfurth Art Center, Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn Public Theater, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, Willard Memorial Chapel, Frontenac Museum, and the Equal Rights Heritage Center, will be available. See more at www.tourcayuga.com.

Urban Civil Rights Museum (New York City):Located within the National Urban League’s new Harlem headquarters, the Urban League Empowerment Center, the museum will be the first institution solely dedicated to the American Civil Rights Movement, when it opens later in the year. (https://urbancivilrightsmuseum.org/)

Underground Railroad & Abolitionist Movement: Saratoga in 2027 will mark the 200^th anniversary of abolition of slavery in New York State; there will be exhibits at the State Museum in Albany, and state parks.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls: New York’s America 250 commemoration includes acknowledging the ongoing revolutions, such as for women’s right. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Women’s Suffrage: visit Seneca Falls, dubbed the “Birthplace of Women’s Rights” where you can visit the National Women’s Hall of Fame in addition to the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Elizabeth Cady Stanton Home, plus :”It’s a Wonderful Life” Museum.

A former knitting mill in Seneca Falls now houses the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Women were not included among those winning “inalienable rights”in the American Revolution © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York’s role in the Environmental Movement is on display at Tanglewood Nature Center Canopy Treetop Walkway opening in the Finger Lakes in late spring/early summer. This ADA-accessible forest canopy path climbs 70 feet high, offering sweeping views. Designed in collaboration with world-renowned scientist “Canopy Meg” Lowman, this treetop walkway is only the second of its kind in New York State (the first is the Wild Walk at The Wild Center). Also, travel to the Adirondacks State Preserve (at 5 million acres, the largest tract of publicly protected land in the Lower 48) and enjoy the newly opened Adirondack Rail Trail (34 miles from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake).

“As we commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup, there’s no better time to explore New York State – where every corner tells a story. From the historic grounds of Fort Ticonderoga and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, to the Statue of Liberty and the thundering power of Niagara Falls, visitors will discover experiences as iconic and unforgettable as the milestones we’re honoring throughout 2026,” I LOVE NY Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levisaid.

See a full calendar of New York State’s America 250 events: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/america-250/)

See also: 11 Ways to Experience America 250 in New York State, https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/ways-to-experience-america-250-in-new-york-state/

An excellent source of all things historic in New York State is the Passport to History site, which can steer you to 700 destinations across the state. You can choose from themes to create your own Path Through History: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/

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© 2026 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com, longislandpress.com/category/vacation-travel.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near. X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures. Send comments/questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com.

Attractions, Christmas holiday travel, Cultural travel, Festivals and Events, Holiday Travel, Holidays in New York, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Holiday Celebrations, Cultural Attractions Turn NYC Into Winter Wonderland

November 25, 2025 krubin723

*Winding up Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa officially ushers in the holiday season in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Compiled by Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

New York City’s holiday season festivities officially kick off with the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, heralding in a cornucopia of festive performances, winter exhibits, holiday light displays and general good cheer. Join the anticipated 8 million local and global visitors engaging in the city’s Winter Wonderland.

“New York City comes alive during the holidays like nowhere else in the world, and this year the excitement is even greater as we celebrate the city’s 400th anniversary,” said New York City Tourism + Conventions’ President and CEO, Julie Coker.

Here are some of the festive performances, winter exhibits, holiday light displays to celebrate the holiday season in New York City:

Holiday Enchantments

*The 99^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade officially ushers in the holiday season in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 27: The annual New York City celebration is returning for its 99th edition, featuring impressive helium balloons, creative floats, clowns, mesmerizing performance groups, popular Broadway musicals, celebrity appearances and much more. The parade begins at its traditional starting point on West 77th Street and Central Park West, ending in front of Macy’s Herald Square flagship store.

*The night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade thousands line up for an opportunity to see the Great Balloon Inflation © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

But the enchantment begins the night before the big event with the Great Balloon Inflation: queue up with thousands of others on 79^th and Columbus Avenue to see your favorite characters.

*Puppeteers with illuminated animals bring special delight to the Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights, Select Nights, select evenings (Nov. 21-23, 28-30, Dec. 4-7, 11-14, 18-23, 26-31, Jan. 2-4). Holiday Lights is a walk-through event where you journey through six immersive wildlife lantern trails featuring geographic-themed regions and the magical Forest of Color. More than 400 lanterns representing 100 animal and plant species connect visitors to the real wildlife and wild places that the Wildlife Conservation Society works to protect. Enhanced this year with Freeze Zone, featuring massive snow tube slides, talking snowmen, and a snowball wall, and more interactive elements, puppetry in The Enchanted Sea. There are also music and light performances, nightly ice-carving demonstrations, Wildlife Theater puppet adventures, festive treats including s’mores roasting and holiday drinks, bug carousel and holiday train,. Tickets are required for entry and must be reserved in advance. Ticket sales for Holiday Lights start at 3pm. Lights go on and lantern trails open at 4:30pm. Tickets available online at BronxZoo.com/Holiday-Lights, information at bronxzoo.com/holiday-lights. (See: Wander the World With Wonder and Joy at Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights)

Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Nov. 21–Jan. 4, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn:Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden returns this holiday season, transforming the Garden into a glittering winter trail and an enchanted forest in the heart of Brooklyn. Now in its fifth year, the event features dazzling light installations, reimagined art, music and special attractions, highlighting the Garden’s winter beauty.

Holiday Train Show, Nov. 15-Jan. 11, Bedford Park, The Bronx:Now in its 34th year, the New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show fills the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with 200 twinkling landmark replicas made from natural materials, as model trains weave through iconic New York City scenes and over bridges. Visitors can also enjoy an illuminated outdoor mountainscape. Special Holiday Train Nights are a magical after-dark experience.

*Holidays at Rockefeller Center © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Holidays at Rockefeller Center, December: From seeing the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree; ice skating at The Rink at Rockefeller Center Presented by Chase Freedom; enjoying a sweet treat at Glace or Ralph’s Coffee; or finding a gift at retail destinations including Catbird, McNally Jackson and FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Center is a holiday destination. Visit the Top of the Rock observation deck for 360-degree views and photo opportunities with Santa.

Holiday Performances

*Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular turns 100 this year © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, Nov. 6–Jan. 4:The beloved holiday tradition returns to the iconic stage of Radio City Music Hall for its 100-year anniversary. One million people come each holiday season to experience its stunning costumes, joyful music, precise choreography and innovative performances. Multiple shows daily.

ROB LAKE MAGIC with Special Guests The Muppets, Nov. 6–Jan. 18:Renowned illusionist Rob Lake brings his jaw-dropping magic to Broadway this holiday season, joined by Kermit the Frog and friends, who add their signature humor and charm to the spectacle. Together, they promise a one-of-a-kind holiday performance blending astonishing illusions with beloved Muppet magic.

A Christmas Carol at PAC NYC: Nov. 23–Dec. 28:PAC NYC presents an immersive, intimate staging of A Christmas Carol, crafted by Tony Award-winning artists playwright Jack Thorne and director Matthew Warchus. This magical retelling wraps the audience around the action as Ebenezer Scrooge journeys through past, present, and future, brought to life with dazzling staging, moving storytelling and beloved Christmas carols.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet, Nov. 28–Jan. 4:Experience the classic George Balanchine The Nutcracker, from the glowing Christmas tree to swirling snow and enchanting characters set to Tschaikovsky’s iconic score. The season concludes on Jan. 4 with a special sensory-friendly performance featuring adjusted lighting and sound designed for audiences with sensory processing challenges such as autism.

Spotlight: The New York Nutcracker, Dec. 18 & 19: Lincoln Center’s holiday lineup features Spotlight: A Night at the Atrium, a playful twist on The Nutcracker blending burlesque, puppetry, comedy and dance for a dazzling offbeat celebration of the season.

Holidays with the New York Philharmonic, Dec. 10–Dec. 20:Conductor Jane Glover leads the chorus of Music of the Baroque and a stellar cast of soloists in Handel’s Messiah. Families enjoy the holiday favorite Home Alone on the big screen as John Williams’sscore is performed live. Plus, the Philharmonic’s beloved Sounds of the Season matinees return, offering a family-friendly sampler of festive music.

The Magic Flute, Dec. 11–Jan. 3:A holiday tradition, Mozart’s enchanting fairy tale returns in the Met’s abridged, English-language production by Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor. With some of opera’s most beloved melodies, colorful sets and costumes and dazzling puppetry, this family-friendly staging offers a magical experience for audiences of all ages. On Dec. 14 ticketholders are also invited to a free Holiday Open House before the performance, featuring special activities for families.

Festive Concerts at Carnegie Hall, December:Highlights include the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble performing Corelli and Vivaldi, the Princeton Nassoons’ seasonal program, the Oratorio Society of New York’s 151st consecutive Messiah, the Christmas Night Opera Gala with stars like Sondra Radvanovsky and Thomas Hampson and Concert of the Future: A Christmas Dream, a candlelit immersive blend of classical music and meditative sounds.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center, Dec. 3–Jan. 4:Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the leadership of new Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack. Audiences is presenting classic works from the Ailey repertory including the touchstone of inspiration Revelations, an anthem to resilience and joy.

The Brooklyn Nutcracker Presented by the Brooklyn Ballet at The Theater at City Tech, Dec. 6–7 and 13–14:The Brooklyn Nutcracker reimagines the classic ballet through the lens of Brooklyn’s diverse cultural tapestry, blending iconic characters with hip hop, pop and lock and bohemian flair. This vibrant journey travels from Victorian Flatbush to modern-day Brooklyn, with stops at landmarks like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a Flatbush Avenue subway platform.

Holiday Festivities at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, Dec. 13–Dec. 31, Morningside Heights:St. John the Divine presents a rich lineup of concerts, including the Joy of Christmas concert featuring Bach’s Magnificat and beloved carols and its traditional New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace, this year featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Additional musical highlights include organ recitals, special evensong performances and seasonal programs that blend world-class artistry with the Cathedral’s cherished holiday traditions.

Winter Exhibitions, Cultural Happenings

Holiday Celebrations in Historic Richmond Town, throughout December, Staten Island: Historic Richmond Town’s holiday season kicks off with a free tree lighting celebration on Dec. 5, followed by “Christmas in Historic Richmond Town” Dec. 6–7, with festive shopping, live history demonstrations and seasonal treats; Candlelight Tours on Dec. 12–13, showcasing centuries of yuletide traditions; and a Holiday House tours on select dates throughout Dec..

*Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection on view at The New York Historical © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection, through Feb. 8: The New York Historical displays its traditional model trains, toy stations, and miniatures are illustrating the design evolution from the early 20th century to the era of World War II. Families can explore the objects with a special scavenger hunt, and train-themed storytimes take place on select dates.

The Origami Holiday Tree, Nov. 24 throughout the holiday season: An annual New York City tradition for decades, the American Museum of Natural History’s Origami Holiday Tree showcases 1,000 hand-crafted origami models created by local, national and international artists.

*The Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Creche on view at The metropolitan Museum of Art © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche, Nov. 25–Jan. 6: A New York City tradition, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche display showcases a beautifully adorned tree with a nativity scene at its base. The display features 18th-century Neapolitan figures, generously donated in 1964 by American artist and collector Loretta Hines Howard.

A Christmas Carol: The Manuscript, Nov. 25–Jan. 11:Every holiday season The Morgan showcases Charles Dickens’s original manuscript of A Christmas Carol in J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library. Bound in red goatskin leather, the manuscript was originally given to Dickens’s solicitor, Thomas Mitton, before being acquired by Pierpont Morgan in the 1890s.

Holiday Lights, Markets, Ice Skating, Activities

Holiday Under the Stars and Broadway Under the Stars at The Shops at Columbus Circle, throughout the holiday season:The Shops at Columbus Circle sparkle with “Holiday Under the Stars,” a breathtaking display of 300,000 lights and 44 glowing stars. Guests can also enjoy “Broadway Under the Stars,” a series of free performances from some of Broadway’s most celebrated shows, complete with intimate cast Q&As.

Hudson Yards presents its 6th annual spectacular lighting display, “Shine Bright at Hudson Yards Presented by Wells Fargo” featuring 2 million twinkling lights, with 115 miles of string lights, 725 evergreen trees, and the iconic 32-foot hot air balloon centerpiece suspended in the Great Room of The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards. NEW: ten 11-foot-tall Toy Soldier statues lining The Shops on Level 1 and six free, pop-up performances. Nov. 28 – Dec. 23: Take photos with Santa.Dec. 1- 11:Festive Holiday performances by the Youth Orchestra of St. Lukes.

Chelsea Market and Pier 57 are decked out in holiday décor, offering festive photo ops, holiday gift wrapping, and gifts from diverse vendors such as Chelsea Market Baskets, featuring gourmet gift sets; Posman Books, perfect for literary gifts and unique stationery; and Pearl River Mart, with an array of eclectic home goods, cultural items, and one-of-a-kind treasures. . Platform by the James Beard Foundation (Platform by JBF), a state-of-the-art show kitchen, event space, and educational hub for outstanding culinary arts programming, will host a series of festive dinners including Dinner: Feast of the Seven Fishes with James Beard Award Winner® David Standridge (12/10), Oh, Hanukkah! Eden Grinshpan’s Celebration of the Festival of Lights (12/11), Collab Dinner: A Winter Solstice Celebration Featuring Chef Nasim Alikhani with Nilou Motamed (12/17), and Collab Dinner: Navidad Boricua: The Puerto Rican Holiday Table (12/18).

*Festive shopping at new York City’s Holiday markets like the Winter Village at Bryant Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Festive shopping at New York City’s Holiday Markets, Throughout the holiday season, Manhattan & Brooklyn: Sip hot cocoa and shop for holiday gifts at the city’s signature outdoor markets: Union Square Holiday Market, the Holiday Shops at Winter Village at Bryant Park and the Columbus Circle Holiday Market. Opt for indoor browsing at the Grand Central Holiday Fair, Brooklyn Flea and Chelsea Flea. On the Upper West Side the Grand Holiday Bazaar offers indoor and outdoor shopping, while the Brooklyn Borough Hall Holiday Market in Downtown Brooklyn features 100 vendors showcasing locally made goods.

Wollman Rink, through March, Central Park: Wollman Rink celebrates a landmark 75 years with special programming, family-friendly activities and celebratory events.

*The rink at Bryant Park is New York City’s largest free-admission rink © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Rink at Bryant Park, through early March:Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is New York City’s largest free-admission ice-skating rink, where you also enjoy a vibrant holiday market with 180 shops, cozy rinkside bar and food hall at The Lodge, holiday tree.

The Rink at Rockefeller Center, Rockefeller Center b/w 48th and 51st St. the iconic rink beneath the city’s most famous Christmas Tree.

Winterland Rink at The Rooftop at Pier 17, 89 South St. is New York City’s only outdoor rooftop ice rink. The day-to-night venue offers panoramic views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, and East River.

New Year’s Festivities

*Seeing the iconic Ball Drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is something that everyone should do once © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball Drop: The Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop is an iconic New York City experience – watching its descent in person on New Year’s Eve is a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime way to ring in the New Year.

New Years Eve concert at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, Morningside Heights presentsits traditional New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace, this year featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

New York Road Runners Clubs New Years Eve party at the bandshell in Central Park features a Midnight Run with fireworks *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

NYRR Midnight Run in Central Park: Kick off 2026 with the NYRR Midnight Run, welcoming the new year with energy and excitement. As 2025 draws to a close, the countdown starts at 11:59 pm, and a spectacular fireworks display at midnight signals the start of the four-mile race.

Coney Island Polar Plunge, Coney Island, Brooklyn:Every New Year’s Day, the Polar Bear Club and daring participants dive into the icy waters at Coney Island. Spectators are welcome to watch as hundreds of thrill-seekers plunge into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. The event is free to attend, though participants are encouraged to make donations to support local community organizations in place of an entry fee.

Seasonal Tours

The NYC Christmas Holiday Tour with Free Dessert, created by Empire Tours & Productions, is a two-hour guided walk that begins at 764 Doris C Freedman Pl, under the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument, and ends at Bryant Park Winter Village (42nd St & 6th Ave), winding through Fifth Avenue’s luxury storefronts, Rockefeller Center’s iconic Christmas Tree, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall. Along the way, hear captivating stories from expert local guides and emkpu a complimentary festive dessert from Myzel Chocolates. The tour captures the warmth and wonder of New York at Christmas, blending sparkling lights, historic tales, and film-famous stops like the Home Alone 2 locations at the Plaza Hotel and Gapstow Bridge. Tours daily, Nov. 24-Jan. 4, at 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. Prices start at $35 for adults (13–64), $34 for seniors and military, $29 for youth (7–12), and children under 6 join free. (https://tourofnyc.com/christmas-holiday-walking-tour/)

Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour with On Location Tours, Nov. 28–Dec. 31: Discover iconic landmarks and hidden spots seen in beloved holiday films such as Elf, Home Alone 2 and Scrooged with On Location Tours. Departing from Columbus Circle, the tour features festive stops at Bloomingdale’s, Rockefeller Center and the famous ice-skating rink at Bryant Park.

Christmas in New York with Romancing Manhattan Tours, November–December: This custom tour features a private guide on Fifth Avenue, a two-hour Rockefeller Center visit, and a sunset trip to the Top of the Rock. Optional add-ons include ice-skating with an instructor, a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall, premium Rockettes tickets and a luxury dinner, curated by a concierge.

For all there is to do and see in New York City, visit nyctourism.com.

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Festivals and Events, Holiday Travel, Holidays in New York

Wander the World With Wonder and Joy at Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights

November 20, 2025 krubin723

The Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights celebration, which runs on select evenings from November 21, 2025, to January 4, 2026, features millions of lights and 400 lanterns representing with extraordinary realism and artistry 100 fauna and flora species that inhabit the Zoo as well as the global conservation projects the Wildlife Conservation Society supports © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wander the world with wonder and joy at the Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights, one of New York City’s premier seasonal events.

The Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights celebration, which runs on select evenings from November 21, 2025, to January 4, 2026, features millions of lights and 400 lanterns representing with extraordinary realism and artistry 100 fauna and flora species that inhabit the Zoo as well as the global conservation projects the Wildlife Conservation Society supports.

*Walk along six different Lantern Safari trails to see 400 lanterns representing with extraordinary realism and artistry100 fauna and flora species © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Each year the event is enhanced and this year’s includes new interactive and sensory experiences: the Freeze Zone features massive snow tube slides, an illuminated ice throne photo opportunity, talking snowmen, and a snowball wall where you get to toss virtual snowballs. Enchanted Sea returns with more interactive elements and new captivating puppetry, immersing visitors in a magical underwater world brought to life through play and performance.

The signature experience is the Lantern Safari – a truly enchanting journey on immersive trails through six geographic-themed regions – Africa, Latin America, Asia, North America, Ocean and the magical Forest of Color – where you encounter some 400 lanterns representing 100 animal and plant species that inhabit the Zoo as well as the real wildlife and wild places that the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the Zoo, works to protect.

*The Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights makes for a great date night! © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

You are amazed at the incredible artistry of these lantern animals, creatures, flowers, insects, in uncannily realistic (if whimsical) poses and configurations (some even have moving elements).

*Explore the marine life of the Oceans ons one of six Lantern Safari trails © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As you walk the trails, you hear the sounds of animals, insects and birds, while there is festive music as you walk along the zoo paths.

*Wander with Wonder: one of the educators is ready to answer questions with hands-on materials © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There are even “Wander with Wonder” educators available to answer questions, labels so you know what you are looking at, and field notes, frequently with tactile displays, when your curiosity is piqued.

Take a ride on the Bronx Zoo’s Bug Carousel, the first and ONLY carousel featuring an all-insect lineup. Choose from 64 different types of insects that you can mount — including fireflies, beetles, grasshoppers, and ladybugs. There are also two stationary chariots: a monarch butterfly (wheelchair accessible) and a dung beetle. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.c

There are also many opportunities for entertainment and engagement – a towering holiday tree with music and light performances (look for the animals that appear on the tree!), nightly ice-carving demonstrations, Wildlife Theater puppet adventures, s’mores roasting over fire pits, holiday treats and drinks, an amazing Bug Carousel (64 different insects to ride!), and a Holiday Train. (The Holiday Train ride is an extra $3).

None of the zoo’s live animals are out and about (they are sleeping), then again, you might count the illuminated stilt performers and puppeteers who bring added delight among the “live animals” who inhabit the zoo.

*Illuminated stilt walkers entertain and are happy to pose for photos © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*The Bronx Zoo’s Victorian structures provide a perfect backdrop for Holiday Lights © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Holiday Lights occupies 12 of the Bronx Zoo’s 265 acres of hardwood forest – an oasis of wilderness amid the Bronx’s urban landscape – and is home to 10,000 animals. I love wandering and seeing the Victorian vestiges of the zoo’s glorious history, dating back to Nov. 8, 1899.

“Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights has become a New York tradition, where people come out to experience and enjoy the zoo in a different way at night,” Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and EVP of WCS Zoos & Aquarium, says as he switches on the lights. “The annual tradition is a meaningful way for us to engage community members with WCS’s mission while celebrating the season together.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“We’re proud to be a holiday destination for so many families and to offer an even bigger Holiday Lights program this year,” said Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and EVP of WCS Zoos & Aquarium, switching on the lights on opening night. “Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights has become a New York tradition, where people come out to experience and enjoy the zoo in a different way at night. The annual tradition is a meaningful way for us to engage community members with WCS’s mission while celebrating the season together.”

He thanked Con Ed’s partnership and support. “We wouldn’t be able to do this without ConEd as a partner,” he said.

*The Holiday Train is a favorite added attraction at Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

You can visit in one hour, but to really enjoy, expect to spend two or three (especially if you visit when crowded, when some of the activities might involve queuing up like for the carousel. (Note: there are no special tickets or cost for the special activities except for the festive Holiday Train ride, an extra $3.)

Event dates: Nov. 21-23, Nov. 28-30, Dec. 4-7, Dec. 11-14, Dec. 18-23, Dec. 26-31, Jan. 2-4

The event is rain or shine and tickets are date-specific, but you can pay extra for an “any night” ticket. Take advantage of a 20% discount through November 21. (Members get 40% off the ticket and discount on any night tickets).

*Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights offers many ways to interact and engage © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Tickets: General public tickets start at $26.95, with flexible Any Night ticket options available. General admission is $41.95 for adults, $36.95 for seniors, and $26.95 for children ages 3–12. Tickets are available on line, BronxZoo.com/Holiday-Lights ,

Ticket sales for Holiday Lights start at 3 pm. Lights go on and lantern trails open at 4:30 pm. If you arrive at the zoo before 4:30 pm, you have some time to visit animal exhibits before they close for the day, promptly at 4 pm. You can then stay to see the park transform and light up during the sunset transition (but you need the separate Holiday Lights ticket to stay). The Bug Carousel, Dancing Crane Cafe and Bronx Zoo store are all open to enjoy from daytime through night.

Holiday Lights and other special seasonal events like Boo at the Zoo, Harvest Glow, Brew at the Zoo, not only help educate visitors in such a fun, engaging and accessible way about the animals in WCS care at the zoo, but inform about the importance of conservation of biodiversity to our own preservation and help fund WCS’ important conservation efforts well beyond New York City’s borders.

WCS Members enjoy exclusive benefits, including 40% off special event tickets throughout the season and three free preview nights. Conservation-level Members receive free admission to Holiday Lights (a 20% discount on memberships going on now has been extended past November 30).

Membership packages also include year-round admission to all five WCS parks – Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Bronx Zoo, and New York Aquarium) while supporting wildlife conservation efforts worldwide. View membership options.

The Bronx Zoo, located on 265 acres of hardwood forest in Bronx, NY, opened on Nov. 8, 1899. It is world-renowned for its leadership in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary care, education, science and conservation. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the flagship park of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which manages the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium. Curators and animal care staff work to save, propagate, and sustain populations of threatened and endangered species. WCS has educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors at its zoos and aquarium and host some 4 million guests, including 500,000 students, at the parks each year. The Bronx Zoo is the largest youth employer in the borough of the Bronx, providing opportunity and helping to transform lives in one of the most under-served communities in the nation. The Bronx Zoo is the subject of THE ZOO, a docu-series aired world-wide on Animal Planet.

Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Blv.d, Bronx, NY 10460, 718-220-5100, https://bronxzoo.com

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Attractions, Biking Tours, Cultural travel, Historic Places, International Travel, Monuments, Places of History

Discovery Bicycle Tours Vietnam Trip: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Brings New Clarity to a Cloudy Past

October 1, 2025 krubin723

*Visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ 12-day Vietnam trip is a profound experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi is a profound experience – revelatory, even. I had not expected to see the great liberator of Vietnam’s actual body, lighted from above. And shortly after, standing outside the Soviet-built mausoleum, I realize as we listen to our guide, Nguyen Hong Phong, that I had no actual understanding of who Ho Chi Minh was. Combing the recesses of my mind, I realize I saw Ho Chi Minh simply as the enemy and likely a brutal dictator (more like China’s Mao Tse-Tung). And even though I had lived through the Vietnam War (known here as the American War), I really hadn’t understood that either.

But here in Hanoi on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Vietnam tour, I can see how Ho Chi Minh is justifiably venerated as a hero to his people – George Washington, Lincoln and FDR rolled into one. Visiting is like a pilgrimage with rules that accord him maximum respect. We walk up the stairs into the mausoleum, and slowly walk around his actual body, lit from above, as if he is merely sleeping – the still sleeping Liberator.

Ho Chi Minh, Phong tells us, “is the most respected in Vietnam. People changed their name to Ho. He is worshipped like a god in homes. He overcame the French, Japanese, Chinese and Americans for independence and freedom. Now we live in a peaceful country because of Ho Chi Minh.”

*Our Discovery Bicycle Tours group at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum*

Coming back to the front of his mausoleum (built by the Soviets), Phong relates that Ho Chi Minh was born in 1890 into an educated family – his father was a Mandarin, working for a royal family. In feudal society, only men went to school and women stayed at home. He and his brother went to a French school.

He attended college in Saigon in 1911, studying culinary arts and applied to work as a cook in France. He wound up working on a ship, traveling to America, Britain, France, Russia and in 1928, went to China. Seeing the world in this way is what cultivated his revolutionary ideology and zeal to liberate Vietnam from foreign imperialists. On Feb 3 1930, he gathered party leaders and set up the Communist party.

“What he really learned was the importance of making Vietnam independent. He left Vietnam to learn enough about the French to kick them out,” Phong tells us.

*The Founding Fathers of the Republic of Vietnam © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

He returned to Vietnam in 1941, having been away for 30 years. In 1944, Ho Chi Minh and General Japp (also a national hero) set up the Viet Minh, to resist foreign occupation by theFrench and Japanese during World War II.

When the Japanese and the French (who had occupied Vietnam since 1868, introducing Roman alphabet to replace Chinese characters the people used for 1000 years) left in 1945 at the end of World War II, on Sept 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam. But after only one year, in 1946, the French attacked, forcing Ho Chi Minh into the mountains and retaking control.

“He wanted peace and agreed to divide the country in two for two years. They agreed to divide along the 17^th parallel. It was supposed to be temporary. Five million people (mostly Catholic), fled south while one million southerners moved north. Then there was supposed to be national elections.”

But the US blocked the election (claiming concern for a “domino effect” of Chinese-led Communism spreading across IndoChina) and set up a puppet government in the south

*Ho Chi Minh is still the most venerated hero to the Vietnamese © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

When the war ended in 1975, Vietnam was united under the Communist regime.

The South Vietnamese who worked for the Americans were terrified of retribution and left (they were the “boat people”)

But Vietnam was still not at peace. China set up a new government in Cambodia that attacked South Vietnam. Fighting continued from 1979-1988.

Vietnam has only had real peace since 1988.

In 1986, the government implemented a “revision policy”: “We close the past, and look to the future,” Phong tells us. “The state still owned industry but allowed people to own their own businesses, allowed private enterprise and open markets. The rice fields were divided so you worked for yourself.”

*Ho Chi Minh shunned the Presidential Palace, built by the French © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

From the mausoleum, we visit the complex where he lived – the Presidential Palace taken over from the French (Ho Chi Minh refused to live in it and only used the palace as an office and to receive dignitaries). Instead, from 1944-48 he insisted on living in a modest one-bedroom house, then moved to a house on stilts (reminiscent of where he lived with a Thai family), which again, was absolutely beautiful, but very modest.

Looking through the window into *Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In 1967, Ho Chi Minh became sick with lung cancer and was moved into another house, steps away from his house on stilts. This one looks camouflaged like a bunker, and was connected to underground bunker because by then, the US was bombing Hanoi. When he died in 1969, at the age of 79, the location of his body was kept secret and moved multiple times. His body was kept inside a cave until 1973, when the US left, and then asked Russia to build a complex. Until 1977, they moved his body nightly, keeping the coffin hidden underground. Peering through the windows of his homes provides a window into who Ho Chi Minh was in life.

*A house built like a bunker where Ho Chi Minh lived his last years © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Before we leave the complex, we visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which dates back to 1049. The French destroyed it in 1954, but the Vietnamese rebuilt it in 1955. There is a billboard that lays out the moral “do’s” and ”don’ts” of Buddhist/Confucian/Taoist society.

*The One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

If I had questioned how Americans would be received in Vietnam, I soon get my answer standing in front of a monument to John McCain at the lake where McCain’s plane was shot down in 1967. McCain began six years as a prisoner in the dreaded Hoa Lo Prison, infamously known as the “Hanoi Hilton” – famously refusing to leave until his comrades were also freed. (We don’t get to visit but today it is a historic museum which has an exhibit devoted to the American prisoners, but is mostly showcasing French colonialism, see “Museum Hopping and Shopping in Hanoi”). The monument dates from 1992, when John McCain became one of the first Americans to come to Vietnam to heal relations; President Bill Clinton established relations in 1993 and helped revive Vietnam’s economy.

*The John McCain Monument in Hanoi © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In December 1972, American B52s bombed Hanoi, surrounding villages and hospitals. As we look around Hanoi today, there is little evidence of that.

If Vietnamese still resent Americans you do not feel it at all. When I ask our guides about that, I am told “We are a Buddhist country. We do not look to the past; we look to the future.” If anything, though, there is still resentment between North and South Vietnamese, similar to the cultural divisions that remain between north and south since America’s civil war.

“The Vietnamese love Bill Clinton, the first US president to visit after the war, and we love John McCain. The United States is one of seven countries with the best relations,” Phong says – US, France, Australia, and Russia. “We close the past and look to the future.” Interestingly, considering one of the excuses for the US to enter the Vietnam War – the “domino theory” that China would take over IndoChina – is that Vietnam is wary of China, which had dominated Vietnam for 1000 years. “Local people feel cautious about China’s ambition to invade.”

*Our Discovery Bicycle Tours guide Calista Phillips with Mr. Trung, Vietnam’s national champion cyclist, where we get our rental bikes © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

It is our second day on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ 12-day Vietnam tour, and we’ve come to the Mausoleum after stopping first at the bike rental shop owned by Mr. Trung, a 70-year old former national champion and president of the Giant UNCC (he poses with us and shows magazines that feature him), where we are fitted for bikes that we will use in Ninh Binh, Hue and Hoi An.

*Our Discovery Bicycle Tours is rowed into the Thung Nham bird sanctuary © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

From here, we drive a couple of hours to the Thung Nham Ecotourism Zone (I enjoy looking out to the scenery, how soon we find ourselves amid rice paddies and farms). It is sunset when we are taken by traditional boat into a bird sanctuary. Flocks of birds – storks, herons, teals, tropical starlings – take their positions in the tree tops over the Thung Nham wetland. There is a stunning resort set within the preserve, all the more gorgeous as lights and lanterns come on as the sun sets.

It’s another 45 minutes drive to Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort, a fabulous five-star resort where we will stay for two nights.

*The luxurious Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort where our Discovery Bicycle Tours group will stay for two nights. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Discovery Bicycle Tours, 2520 W. Woodstock Rd., Woodstock, VT 05091, 800-257-2226, 802- 457-3553, info@discoverybicycletours.com, www.discoverybicycletours.com

Next: Ninh Binh: A Boat Ride Through Caves, Bike Ride To Temples

DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS VIETNAM TRIP: HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM BRINGS NEW CLARITY TO A CLOUDY PAST

DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS’ VIETNAM: A BOAT RIDE THROUGH CAVES, BIKE RIDE TO TEMPLES IN NINH BINH

CRUISING BAI TU LONG BAY ON THE DRAGON LEGEND

DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS’ VIETNAM: HUE’S CITADEL, “CITY OF GHOSTS” & THE CHALLENGE OF BIKING THE HAI VAN PASS

DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS’ VIETNAM: HOI AN’S DAZZLING LIGHTS, TRANQUIL COUNTRYSIDE

A RENDEZVOUS WITH PROGRESS OF THE PRESENT, HORRORS OF THE PAST IN HO CHI MINH CITY

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Adventure Travel, Attractions, Camping/Glamping/RVs, Camping/Hiking/Outdoors, Nature and Wildlife, Outdoors Adventures

Safari West Brings Immersive Animal Adventure to California’s ‘Sonoma Serengeti’

August 5, 2025 krubin723

*Safari West’s Classic Safari provides close encounters with animals like the Cape Buffalo © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It isn’t a surprise to see zebras grazing, giraffes ruminating, a rhinoceros with her 2700-pound baby, or sleeping in a luxurious safari tent and awakening to see a herd of antelope dashing in unison, when you go on safari in Africa. What is extraordinary is that this is in the backyard of Sonoma, California, better known for wineries, vineyards and winetasting. This is Safari West, which since its founding in 1993, affords an extraordinary authentic experience that makes you feel you are in Africa – the Sonoma Serengeti! – no passport, vaccinations or jetlag required.

Eric and I start our Safari West visit with the three-hour Classic Safari, consisting of about 2 ½ hours driving through three habitats across the vast, 400-acre landscape on which some 1000 animals (almost 100 different species), reside and a half-hour walk to visit mammals and birds.

*Safari West’s Classic Safari provides an authentic safari adventure on the “Sonoma Serengeti”© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

During the course of my 24 hours here, I will follow the Classic Safari with a Behind-the-Scenes tour with our toddler (children need to be at least four years old for the Classic Safari, though families with younger children can arrange a Private Safari) where we get to feed a variety of animals; a 5 pm buffet dinner, followed by a walk-about through a zoo-like setting.

*Even our toddler gets to feed a warthog on Safari West’s Behind-the-Scenes tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Then, after the rest of the family leaves, I stay over for a Glamping Among the Wildlife: A Safari West Experience in one of their 30 authentic Botswana safari tents tucked into the trees, enjoying evening activities including s’mores and a movie (“Jungle Book”). Since overnight guests have no curfew, I am able to explore more at dusk, into the dark of night (borrowing a flashlight from reception), and again in the early morning when the animals are most animated. I follow the included breakfast buffet with more exploration before reluctantly leaving Safari West.

*One of the 30 glamping tents tucked into the woods at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Safari on the “Sonoma Serengeti”

For our Classic Safari, we ride in vehicles that are open on the sides and have four seats on top (reminding me of my tiger safari in India). The guides – invariably friendly, humorous, knowledgeable and unscripted so they respond to their guests’ interests (and terrific drivers) take us on rough gravel trails over hills and plains, coming incredibly close (without barriers or fences) to giraffe, antelope, ostrich, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, zebra, elands, addax, aoudad and others among the 97 species in residence.

Our guide for our 1 pm. three-hour Classic Safari, Alex Killian, invites our questions and observations which she gleans to stay in an area longer. We are riding in “Bender”, a 1950s Dodge Power wagon (it seems Safari West has bought up the fleet of Dodge Power wagons from 1940s to 1970s). About 2 ½ hours are spent driving, with about 30 minutes on a walking portion to see the primates, porcupines and birds.

You can read about these different animals and see photos but seeing them up close, in their habitat provides a whole different dimension of understanding and appreciation for behaviors and evolutionary adaptations.

We go into the vast field with the giraffes– Killian tells us they are 5-6 feet tall at birth (they are delivered while the mother is standing up and are dropped six feet to the ground); 9 feet tall by one year old, and grow up to 19 feet tall. These sweet creatures – literally gentle giants – are distinguished by the fact every giraffe has a unique pattern of sports, like human fingerprints, but these spots also help in thermoregulation (at night, the giraffes walk themselves into their barn to protect from hypothermia).

Giraffes, Killian says, “speak” but in a pitch that can barely be heard by a human but sounds like a moo and use various sounds like moans, snores, hisses, and grunts, they mainly communicate with body language. Killian tells us they sleep standing up for 20 minutes at a time– only half their brain sleeps at one time – for a total of about two to three hours in the course of a day; the rest of the time they are eating or ruminating. (Later, during the Behind-the-Scenes tour, we get to meet them close up and feed them).

Killian points to “Mango,” the only male giraffe, here, noting that the animals mate and breed naturally here; the caretakers only insuring they are healthy, and adds that Safari West will “buy, sell, trade, borrow and loan” animals with other zoos and conservancies to increase genetic diversity.

Addax, a white antelope that is critically endangered, whose horns have extra twists, which Killian explains helps cool the animal; we see one with only one horn, and she explains that if they break off, they do not grow back. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In this plain, we also see Dama Gazelle; Gemsbok; Greater Kudu; Roan antelope and Addax, astonished at how magnificent they are with their horns and coloring.

Leaving this area through the double-fence system, we see an ostrich which seems to be “flirting” with the safari vehicle ahead of us. This is “Lucille Ball,” “She is more flirtatious when she is about to lay an egg,” Killian explains. Ostriches, Killian tells us, lay the largest eggs among the birds, equivalent to 12-24 chicken eggs in size and lay 1-3 eggs a week.

*An ostrich gets flirtatious with one of the safari vehicles © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Ostriches are surprisingly large and amazingly fast – she tells us they can run 12-35 mph and though they have a brain the size of a walnut, “they are not dumb.” “It’s an ‘in the moment’ animal,” she explains. “But you don’t need to outwit a predator when you can outrun it.”

*A pregnant Southern White rhinoceros with her baby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see a Southern White Rhinoceros mom with her two-year old baby that already weighs 2375 lbs. She is pregnant again (rhinoceros gestate for 16-18 months) and is due to deliver at any time (you can follow her progress on social media). But because the pheromones at the end of pregnancy and when she is in labor are the same as when she is in heat, they have to separate the male, who is in an adjacent area. In the wild, she says, “They spend a week together and then don’t see each other again” but the mom is very maternal. “She is very connected to her baby.” She can nurse two babies at a time. The female rhinoceros can weigh 4000-7000 lbs. A herbivore, the rhinoceros consumes 150 lbs of grass or 60 lbs of hay a day.

*The zebra’s stripes are unique from zebra to zebra and even left and right sides* *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We drive through more gates and come to an open area with zebra gathered around where they have just been provided grass. Like the giraffes, the zebra’s stripes are unique from zebra to zebra and even left and right sides of the animal, except for its face.

*The Common Eland depends on pheromones to mate © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Close by are the Common Eland and we see a baby less than one month old (it’s been named “Nova”, consistent with the space-themed names given the herd). The Eland (“it means ‘moose’ in Dutch) is a kind of antelope, the biggest of the species (the tallest is the Kudu).

*“Nova” is a one-month old Common Eland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“They depend largely on pheromones – it’s how they identify the others in their unit, and how they take a mate. They urinate and others take in the pheromone.”

*Our guide stops to tell us about the herd of eland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We drive into the third habitat, the largest of the three at 100 acres.

*Stunning views of antelope at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see the African Cape Buffalo, one of the Big 5 – that is, the 5 most dangerous animals to encounter in Africa, she tells us (lion, leopard, Black rhinoceros, African Bull elephant are the others). The Cape Buffalo are dangerous, she says, because they protect each other. “If one of their group is threatened, even if they just think it is threatened, they will still protect.”

*The African Cape Buffalo is one of Africa’s “Big 5” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We meet the Blue wildebeest from Southern Africa which Killian calls “a spare parts animal” because it has hair and horns resembling the female African Cape buffalo; stripes like a zebra; a long face like a baboon; and a heavy build in front but slender legs like an ostrich compared to its bulky front build.

*“Spare parts animal” wildebeest are well adapted for their habitat © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

These are adaptations to the environment, and as we watch one nuzzling a baby, Killian tells us that its long face helps the wildebeest detect humidity – and impending disaster, and that the herd in the wild, 1-5 million of them, migrate or escape danger moving together. Other animals have learned to follow their lead.

*Mother and baby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

In the wild, they somehow synchronize the births to the month, timed for migration. Some 8,000 babies could have been born on the last day before migration, so wildebeest have evolved to move as fast as 55 mph, from Day 1. Here at Safari West, they somehow synchronize births to the season (rather than a month, as they might in the wild) and ‘migrate’ on property (moving down the hillside).

“Animals here mate naturally,” she adds. “We only make sure they are healthy.”

We spot Aoudad on the forested slope, and Killian says that while other species take a mate by showing dominance (brawn), Aoudad males pee on their beard and the ‘best’ smell gets the lady.

*We spot Aoudad on the forested slope © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

(Insiders tip: if photography is important to you, bring a decent SLR camera with a decent zoom lens that can capture moments and movements (cell phone cameras are good for scenics and landscapes and have their merit in difficult lighting situations). Safari photography is just as interesting a sport as hunting – only you are hunting and shooting with a camera. For avid photographers, Safari West offers a Private Photography Safari Workshop.)

After the drive portion of the Classic Safari tour, we have a walking tour of about 30 minutes, to see the porcupines, primates, mammals and birds.

*Nicobar pigeon in Safari West’s aviary © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We walk through one of the aviaries, chock full of bird varieties – crane, sacred ibis, scarlet ibis, spoon bill, cattle egret, black swan, Nicobar pigeon, to list but a few. (We will soon return to help feed the birds during our Behind the Scenes tour).

*The Caracal is a master of hunting and hiding © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We see the Caracal, a master of hunting and hiding that can jump 6-10 ft to capture a bird, take down prey 2-3x its size and when they hunt as a group, they can take down an impala.

*The Patas Monkey is said to have been the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Lorax© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I especially love watching the Colobus Monkey and the Patas Monkey (said to have been the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’ Lorax), ring-tailed lemurs (two “old men” in their bachelor pads), and (my favorite) the Red Ruffed Ringtales. All have various forms of enrichment – like puzzles and toys, obstacles and constructions. (There is an immersive Enrichment Tour, also on my list for my next visit.)

*One of the two older ringed tail lemurs lounges © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Behind-the-Scenes

Our Classic Safari ends just in time to meet up with Sarah and our 16-month old toddler to enjoy the Behind the Scenes tour where we get to feed the animals – one of Safari West’s most popular programs for good reason.

Our guide, Zoey, tells us she was part of Safari West’s Junior Zookeepers program for 12-16 year olds.

*Feeding the Crested porcupines on the Behind-the-Scenes tour at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Even our toddler gets a chance to feed the Crested porcupines, Spike and Norton – notably, they don’t have the prickly quills, their quills are a softer material.

*Birds flock to whoever has the blue latex glove on the Behind-the-Scenes tour at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We go next to feed the birds in the aviary and Zoey warns us that it can be intimidating because there are so many birds and they get pushy when they see the blue latex glove and know there is food to be had. She adds that to stop the birds from rushing at you, take off the blue glove. I find it fascinating that there is such a learned behavior.

Sure enough, it is quite an experience that as we walk in, the birds swarm around us. We get to fling pieces of chopmeat (that surprises me) and watch as the biggest ones catch pieces in the air.

*Flamingoes, the oldest animals at Safari West, were brought here when Marine World closed © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

We go to where there is a huge flock of flamingoes in a small pond. These, Zoey says, are the oldest animals at Safari, many came when Marine World closed in 1969. They can live to 30 years old in the wild, but can reach 60-70 years in captivity (the oldest known is 85).

We next go to the Giraffe Barn to feed “Mabel.” Coming so close to the giraffe is truly an experience.

*Even our toddler gets to help feed “Mabel,” the giraffe, during Safari West’s popular Behind-the-Scenes tour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

With eating being the giraffes’ main activity, their tongues are the most distinctive feature – they can be up to 18 inches long and are prehensile to grasp and manipulate objects, so they can strip leaves from branches and maneuver around thorns and rugged bark to reach their food. Also, the front of their tongues are dark, with melanin, to protect from sunburn. They eat the leaves but leave the roots, so that their food source will renew. During the course of a day, they will consume 100 lbs of foliage.

*Giraffes are notable for their prehensile tongue © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The giraffes come when the keeper calls them to go into barn overnight, to prevent hypothermia

We finish our Behind-the-Scenes tour by feeding the warthogs “Lucy”, Vigeri and Fig Newton

And now it is time for our feeding.

Dining Out, Staying Over

Safari West offers a fixed menu buffet dinner (two seatings, at 5 and 7 pm) which is marvelous.

The meal is superb – chicken (paprika seasoning), steak (perfectly cooked over fire), rice, mac/cheese, salad (we are invited to have seconds until they run out), fresh fruit and a cheesecake dessert.

Guests who stay for dinner can wander the property until 8:30 pm; overnight guests (like me) can wander without any curfew.

(There is also a very pleasant deli where you can pick up sandwiches and such (good selection and very reasonable cost.)

*Watching Addax in the field at Safari West © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Even when I go around at 7:30 pm when the sunlight is a rich golden color – I am surprised that it seems as if the animals have grabbed their coats and lunch buckets for quitting time (the porcupines are curled up), but several are very active.

*The Red Ruffed lemur is the second loudest primate. I get to hear their chorus © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The three Red Ruffed Lemurs, with stunning, fluffy red fur, black faces and bright, piercing yellow eyes, are really active at this time. Earlier in the afternoon, when I came upon them, they were making extremely loud shrieks – indeed, the guide says they are the second loudest primates and can vocalize very high and low pitches at the same time, that can be heard up to a half-mile away. Found only in Madagascar, they are matriarchal and the keeper explains that one of the three is being bullied, kept from being groomed and from eating,

*A family of ring tailed lemur live on a small island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There are S’mores at 8 pm and then they show “Jungle Book” (one of three animal-themed movies they present each night) at 8:30 pm. (Overnight guests can help ourselves to coffee, tea, chocolate an fruit as we like

*From my tent, I watch the giraffes walk themselves into the barn for the night © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

After the movie, I borrow a flashlight from the reception desk, and go into the darkness. I am especially interested to see if I can observe activities of nocturnal animals, but alas, it is too dark and the animals, if they are active, are too far into the darkness to be observed (perhaps on a night with a full moon it would be better and even more magical.)

By now pitch black (and grateful for the flashlight), I walk up the hill to my tent, delighted to find a luxurious, spacious room accommodating a queen bed and two cots, sufficient for a family of four, with beautiful wood floor, an enormous tile-floor bathroom stocked with the necessary toiletries like a deluxe hotel; giant screened windows on two of the walls so I can see out to a gorgeous view of the lake; and a patio where, when I walk out in the pitch black night, it seems the Big Dipper is right in front of my face close enough to touch. If it gets cold, there is a space heater and an electric blanket.

*My glamping tent has all the comforts of a hotel room, but with canvas walls © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I am surprised that I do not hear more animal sounds in the night, and do not need to use the ear plugs they supply.

But I awake to the sounds of birds and mooing, and look out from my porch to see the herd of antelope running together across their field.

*From my glamping tent, I watch antelope running together in the early morning © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The best part of overnighting at Safari West is being here at early morning when the animals become really active knowing they are to be fed.

*Going out in the morning, I can take my time watching animals close up © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Each place i come upon, if there is a keeper, they are happy to share more information about the animals in their care.

*A caretaker explains how she gives special attention to the Red Ruffed lemur which is being bullied by the matriarch © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I watch the Red Ruffed lemur being fed – one is being bullied by the matriarch, so the keeper goes in, entices two of them into a separate compartment, and gives the third special attention (she doesn’t get groomed, so the keeper pats her and feels for any health issues).

*In the early morning, I get a good view of the cheetahs which eluded me the day before © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I get to see the cheetahs, pacing their enormous enclosure (they eluded me the previous day); and the hyenas devouring a thick chunk of red meat

*A hyena with its breakfast of red meat © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

As appropriate, the keepers incorporate enrichment into their feeding methods so the animals have to work for food. (“Most creatures are bribable with food,” our guide Killian had told us on the Classic Safari. “Food is a prime motivator.” (Safari West offers a new Enrichment Tour Experience to see how they use puzzles, toys and activities like hiding treats, to stimulate the animals’ natural behaviors and keep them mentally and physically active.)

*A Patas monkey plays with one of its enrichment toys. Safari West now offers an Enrichment Tour where you can help create toys © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I go into the Elephant room for breakfast (included for overnight guests and served from 7-10 am) – eggs, oatmeal, cereals, yogurt, muffins, toast/bagels, fresh squeezed OJ – before going for another walk-through the animal enclosures.

As an overnight guest I need to be out of the tent by 11, but I am welcomed to stay and wander about as long as I want.

Overall, with all these encounters over the past 24 hours, I must have made some 10 tours through the animal enclosures and each time, the experience is different – I see animals that eluded me before, or doing different behaviors, or in different light, or just happening upon a guide providing information I hadn’t known before.

Mission to Promote Conservation

I am really impressed in how well Safari West fulfills its declared mission to actively promote conservation and environmental education.

“At Safari West it’s all about the animals. Always has been, always will be.” These animals become ambassadors for their species, promoting understanding and appreciation to help each person make well-informed choices for environmental protection and wildlife conservation.

Over the past decades, Safari West has evolved into a top-tier wildlife destination.

Safari West began in the late 1980s when Peter Lang purchased 400 rolling acres in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. He relocated his small but growing collection of exotic wildlife, converting a former cattle ranch into a world-class conservation breeding facility.

As Peter set to work establishing captive breeding programs for the varied and often critically endangered species in his collection, he worked closely with local zoological facilities including the San Francisco Zoo where he met the lead curator, raptor-specialist and his future wife, Nancy Lang. After four years of operating their conservation breeding facility behind closed doors, Peter and Nancy opened their home to the public on July 4th, 1993.

*Safari West opened glamping tents to give visitors a whole new experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Then, in the late 1990s, Peter looked to expand the activities available to guests and built the Safari West Tent Camp, importing custom-built tents from Lobatswe, Botswana. With the Watusi Pond as the center, the tent camp sits between the Gazelle Pasture, the Hundred Acres, and the Vista habitats, overlooking the antelope and giraffes. The 30 glamping tents are mounted on raised platforms, with hardwood floors, electricity, running hot and cold water, and even en suite bathrooms.

The Langs’ devotion to their animals was tested and proven during the horrific Tubbs wildfires that struck in October 2017.

When I ask our safari guide about how they managed during the wildfires, she replied, “We didn’t save the animals, they saved us. They graze so there was nothing for the fires to catch onto, and the oak trees are resilient.”

She relates that when sheriffs came to order an evacuation at around 11 pm, the 90 guests on the property just grabbed their keys and left within 15 minutes.” Helicopters fighting the fires used water from the lake.

But she seems to have understated what happened because it was horrific – 250 out of Safari West’s 400 acres were scorched and the osteology lab operated by the Safari West Research, Education, and Conservation Department burned completely. Though conservation organizations were ready to help evacuate the animals, no one was allowed up the twisting mountain road, so they couldn’t have evacuated the animals.

The animals were saved because Safari West owner Peter Lang, then 76 years old, after driving through fire to evacuate their home which burned to the ground, stayed behind and for the next 10 hours, fought the fires alone. In the next couple of days, some volunteers and staff were able to come and help put out the brush fires that erupted.

All 1000 animals were saved. For his heroic efforts, Peter Lang received the 2018 American Red Cross Animal Rescue Hero Award. (Read the thrilling story by Paige Peterson reported in the New York Social Diary, https://safariwest.com/2017/11/life-after-fires/).

Safari West is ideal for family gatherings and special events – I am already planning to bring our bi-coastal family together for an overnight stay as soon as the little ones are old enough to appreciate the safari. I’ve earmarked the Enrichment Tour and Private Photography tour, especially.

Safari West, 3115 Porter Creek Road Santa Rosa, CA 95404, 800-616-2695, 707-579-2551, safariwest.com

Travel planning help is available from Sonoma County Tourism, https://www.sonomacounty.com.

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Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Cultural travel, Museums and Exhibits

Summer in the City Offers Cornucopia of Mostly Free Cultural Happenings, Festivals, Events

May 31, 2025 krubin723

*The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a centerpiece for the annual Museum Mile Festival © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

*The annual Museum Mile Festival is one of the biggest block parties anywhere © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New York City’s summer cultural season kicks off with the 47^th Annual Museum Mile Festival – the Big Apple’s “biggest block party”–on Tuesday, June 10, from 6 to 9 pm, rain or shine. Walk the mile on Fifth Avenue between 82nd Street and 104th Street and visit eight of New York City’s finest cultural institutions, open free during these extended hours: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (82^nd St); Neue Galerie New York(86^th St); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (89^th St); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (91^st St); The Jewish Museum (92^nd St); Museum of City of New York (mcny.org,103^rd St.); El Museo del Barrio (104^th St.); and The Africa Center (109^th St). Neighbohood partners participating include the New York Academy of Medicine, the Church of the Heavenly Rest, Asia Society, and AKC Museum of the Dog join in this celebration. Arrive early and target your priority museums first because this extremely popular event draws huge crowds, which makes the fabulous street entertainment all the more appreciated. Children’s activity guides (and chalk for street art!) available. (https://www.nyctourism.com/events/museum-mile-festival/)

*Body art outside the Guggenheim Museum, one of the street happenings during the Museum Mile Festival © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*There are two weekends of opportunity to get into the swing of the Gatsby-esque Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, June 14-15 and August 9-10. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island (11 am-5 pm, June 14-15 and August 9-10. 11 am-5 pm), starts with a magical ferry ride from Battery Park or the Brooklyn Navy Yard. People come dressed to the 9s in 1920s/Gatsby-style outfits, bringing picnics and take part in the music and zeitgeist of the 1920s. With music and dancing led by festival founder and host Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra and a score of other entertainers. Entertainments are interspersed with fun events like dance lessons and a period bathing suit contest. This isn’t free. Tickets and info at https://jazzagelawnparty.com. (Reserve a ride on the ferry, from South Street or Brooklyn to access the location, https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry)

One of the most popular and iconic of New York City’s rich summer cultural calendar is The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, taking place this year June 4-7 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, take place June 4–7, 2025. Gustavo Dudamel leads the series for the first time. Dudamel conducts the NY Phil in four free outdoor concerts at the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan (June 4); Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 5); Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 6); and Cunningham Park, Queens (June 7); program to be announced. These performances begin at 8:00 p.m. and conclude with fireworks. (Following the Concerts in the Parks, New York Philharmonic musicians perform a free indoor concert,on June 8, at 4 p.m., at St. George Theatre in Staten Island.)

Lincoln Center’s fourth annual Summer for the City, offers hundreds of free and Choose-What-You-Pay performances and cultural activities from June 11–August 9, including performances of the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center at Choose-What-You-Pay prices. (Schedule, https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-the-city.

Public Theater’s cherished Free Shakespeare in the Park, returns to the iconic, revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park after a nomadic season, performing ‘Twelth Night” August 7-Sept. 14. The star-studded cast includes stars b (Antonio), Bill Camp (Sir Toby Belch), Khris Davis (Orsino), Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Andrew Aguecheek), Junior Nyong’o (Sebastian), Lupita Nyong’o (Viola), Sandra Oh (Olivia), Daphne RubinVega (Maria), and Moses Sumney (Feste). Famously, tickets are available for that day at distribution points in Central Park and the boros, a daily digital lottery (TodayTix), and standby line at the Delacorte. But you can get a reserved seat by becoming a Supporter Plus with a gift of $300 or more (with year-round benefits). To learn more, or to make a contribution: 212.967.7555 or visit publictheater.org, https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2425/fsitp/twelfth-night/

The Delacorte reopens in July with a full schedule of tours, special events, and performances (For a full list of reopening events, visit publictheater.org/about/forever-public.)

In June 2025, the Public Theater’s Mobile Unit will tour a new production of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Rebecca Martinez, across all five boroughs. From August 28 – September 1, Public Works will present an adaptation of PERICLES, with music and lyrics by Troy Anthony and directed by Carl Cofield at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

A very different Shakespeare-in-the-park experience comes from New York Classical Theatre, which creates and reinvigorates audiences for the theater by presenting free productions of popular and forgotten classical plays in public spaces throughout the City. This season, see Shakespeare’s “All’s Well that Ends Well”. Free performances are Tuesday-Sunday, 7 pm, at Central Park (June 3-22, with special evenings June 4, Bring Your Dog Night at 6:30; Family Nights, June 12, 21, 26, July 1; Pride Night, June 20); Carl Schurz Park (June 24-29), and Battery Park (July 1-6). Tickets are free, but you need to reserve. Nyclassical.org, info@nyclassical.org.

City Parks Foundation’s 2025 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival, is bringing more than 70 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 13 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. Returning for its 39th year, the festival showcases established and emerging artists, highlighting an expansive array of talent, from diverse performances from across the globe to artists serving as curators to iconic DJs showcasing cultural sonic journeys and features a multitude of genres including jazz, hip-hop, indie-rock, salsa, reggae, Afrobeat, soul, pop, global, contemporary dance. Performances are free and open to the public, with the exception of ticketed benefit concerts in Central Park (www.SummerStage.org).

Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances, presented by Bank of America, is a free summer concert series May 30-Sept. 13 featuring music, dance, theater performances and movie screenings offering a diverse lineup of artists and performances from NYC cultural institutions (https://bryantpark.org/activities/picnic-performances)

Highlights:

New York City Opera (June 26 & 27, Opera Goes to Hollywood; Sept. 4, 5, Carmen)

Contemporary Dance (June 5-Limon Dance Company; June 6, 13; )

Jazz Mobile (June 14)

Emerging Music Festival (June 20, 21)

New York Guitar Festival, July 3 & 4

Carnegie Hall Citywide (July 11, 18, 25, Aug 1, 8

World Music Institute (Aug. 15)

New York City Circus Festival (Aug. 16)

Belongo (Aug 22)

Accordians Around the World (Aug 29)

The Town Hall (Aug 30)

American Symphony Orchestra (Sept 12)

Free seating is first-come, first-served, so arrive early (performances start at 7 pm) and bring your blanket to sit on. Food is available for sale. (https://bryantpark.org/activities/picnic-performances for schedule, bryantpark.org)

*The Highline is not only a stunning art-filled garden affording incredible views of the city’s skyline, but is also a concert venue © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The High Line isn’t only one of the city’s most enchanting places – an elevated garden trail lined with art installations that zigs and zags amid modern windowed high rises – it is also an open-air theater, music and events venue (Star Gazing, Vinyl Nights, docent-led High Line Tour), throughout the year. A perpetual “happening.” (https://www.thehighline.org/art/performances/) or doNYC

Hudson River Park turns its four-mile riverfront into a cultural mecca with hundreds of free and exciting events, from sunset dance parties and live music to hands-on science and waterfront workouts. Expanded offerings this summer include six nights of Broadway-caliber performances with Broadway By The Boardwalk at Clinton Cove, and the debut of Science After Dark, a new series that invites curious adults to explore local ecology and learn from experts while socializing in unique Park settings. The crowd-favorite series, Jazz at Pier 84 presents star-studded musicians bringing smooth tunes to the Park at sunset. Pier 45 offers Dance Is Life! in July hosted by The Ladies of Hip Hop. Sunset Salsa returns to Pier 76 in July with lessons led by world-renowned dancers, offering instruction to everyone, from novices to advanced dancers, followed by an open dance party. https://hudsonriverpark.org/, https://hudsonriverpark.org/the-park/piers-and-places/

*The magical Little Island in Hudson River Park is a concert venue during the summer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Little Island is a magical place that must be experienced (really recommend you listen to the free audio tour describing its landscape design). From June through September, Little Island presents over 110 performances across dance, music, theater, dance and opera ($25 tickets at littleisland.org and https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/category/little-island). In addition, there are free concerts Wednesday-Sunday in the Glade. With over 110 performances across music, theater, dance, opera and more, it’s the ultimate outdoor stage for New York’s best artists. (Tickets, https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/category/little-island)

*The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is presenting the New York premiere of Passengers, a theater, circus and dance experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is presenting the New York premiere of Passengers, a theater, circus and dance experience written, directed and choreographed by Tony Award® nominee Shana Carroll (Water for Elephants). Performances begin June 12 with an opening on June 15, for a limited run through June 29, 2025. Montréal’s acclaimed contemporary physical theater troupe The 7 Fingers express their hopes and dreams through an astonishing blend of cirque, music, and dance, telling human stories with superhuman skills. Poetic goodbyes. Anticipatory reunions. Fateful encounters. Each moment unfolds with breathtaking wonder and heartwarming storytelling. Performances are at PAC, 251 Fulton St. Tickets start at $30 and are available online at PACNYC.org or by calling 212-266-3000. (PAC NYC offers $30 ticket savings programs for audiences under 30, responders and educators. Student discounts of up to 50% are also available.)

Not-to-Be-Missed Exhibits

No surprise that in response to overwhelming demand, the Anne Frank House is extending its world premiere presentation of Anne Frank The Exhibition at the Center for Jewish History in New York City through October 31, 2025. Originally scheduled for just three months, tickets sold out within one week of opening on January 27, 2025, demonstrating the demand for this extraordinary experience. Anne Frank The Exhibition is the first time the Anne Frank House presents a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in a full-scale recreation of the Annex rooms, fully furnished (unlike Amsterdam), where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture. Four exhibition galleries immerse visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography and animation; and more than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Anne Frank The Exhibition shows Anne Frank not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. This is a story inspired by one of the most translated books in the world. Timed entry tickets are available at AnneFrankExhibit.org. Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y. between 5th and 6th Avenues, https://goingplacesfarandnear.com/landmark-anne-frank-the-exhibition-in-nyc-personalizes-holocaust-as-never-before/

Opening June 13, The New York Historical highlights the intersection of politics, art, and culture that shaped America’s Red Scare in Blacklisted: An American Story, on view June 13-October 19, 2025 (credit: Civil Rights Congress, America’s “Thought Police”: Record of the Un-American Activities Committee, 1947. Courtesy of the Unger Family)

The New York Historical’s newest exhibit, Blacklisted: An American Story, an Exhibition Examining the Red Scare, the Hollywood Blacklist, and Its Impact on American Culture, on view June 13 – October 19. Blacklisted captures the tensions of the domestic Cold War, revealing how global politics infiltrated America’s entertainment industry in the late 1940s and 50s through a government crackdown on artistic expression. New York’s first museum, New York Historical (formerly New-York Historical Society) is a leading cultural institution covering 400 years of American history. A museum of museums and a collection of collections (the Tiffany lamps are exquisite), it is home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West (77^th Street), New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.

*The Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History transports to other worlds © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The American Museum of Natural History is presenting Apex: The Largest Stegosaurus Ever Discovered, one of the largest and most complete stegosaurus fossils ever found, a 150-million year old stegosaurus measuring 27 feet long and 11.5 feet tall, discovered in Dinosaur, Colorado, through 2028. A destination that takes you to other worlds, Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History offers fabulous innovative exhibitions. Admission by timed entry, reserved online. Open daily, 10 am–5:30 pm. American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, 212-769-5606, amnh.org.

The week before the start of the US Tennis Open in Flushing Meadows. Queens, you not only can see exciting qualifying rounds, but watch tennis greats practicing, like Rafael Nadal © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

If Summer in the City starts with the Museum Mile Festival, for me, it finishes with the US Open Tennis Championships, the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. The tournament dates back to 1881, and since 1978, the tournament has found its home at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park, a magnet for the best tennis talent worldwide .The tournament takes place August 24–September 7. Insiders tip: the week before, it is free to watch the thrilling play of the qualifiers’ tournament, and see the tennis stars practice. (usopen.org, https://tickets-center.com/search/US-Open-Tennis-tickets/)

For more to do and see in New York City, including information on free museums and exhibits and walking tours and arts and entertainment on a budget, visit nyctourism.com.

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Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Family Travel, Summer Vacations, Tips for Travel, Uncategorized

Smart Tips to Save Money, Beat the Lines at Summer Attractions

May 26, 2025 krubin723

*Universal’s Epic Universe, Orlando, is opening May 22 (photo: Universal Orlando Resort).*

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Families are gearing up for trips to attractions from world-famous theme parks to local treasures. With shifts in consumer confidence, economic factors, and the general climate for travel, here are tips for saving and getting the most for your time and money and discovering memorable experiences.

“Summer is the perfect time for families to explore a variety of attractions, from world-class theme parks to hidden gems. Plan ahead, take advantage of special promotions, and consider weekday visits for a more relaxed experience,” advises Jakob Wahl, CEO of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). “Whether you’re seeking thrills, interactive museums, or refreshing water parks, there’s something for everyone this season.”

The outlook for attractions in 2025 is strong, headlined by the much-anticipated opening of Universal’s Epic Universe in Orlando and many other investments in attractions and parks around the country. While large-scale themed entertainment and immersive experiences continue to captivate audiences, there is also growing demand for more budget-friendly options. Family entertainment centers, science centers, aquariums, and museums are becoming increasingly popular as affordable alternatives for family summer fun. Additionally, we’re seeing a surge in interest for interactive attractions, seasonal events, and family-friendly entertainment, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy, he says.

*Memberships in regional and local attractions like the VIA Aquarium in Schenectady are seeing a surge in interest © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Among the trends is a strong interest in smaller, regional attractions. “With shifts in consumer confidence and economic factors, many families are looking for experiences closer to home that offer great value and immersive entertainment. Attractions such as family entertainment centers, aquariums, and science museums are capitalizing on this trend by introducing special pricing, seasonal events, and interactive exhibits that appeal to a broad audience. This growing focus on affordability and accessibility is helping drive attendance and engagement across the industry.”

Here are more of Wahl’s tips and recommendations:

Money-Saving Tips: Planning ahead is the best way to save money. Booking tickets online, taking advantage of bundled packages, and visiting during off-peak seasons can lead to significant savings. Many parks also offer discounted evening tickets or multi-day passes that provide better value. Guests should also explore dining plans and bring their own essentials, like water bottles and rain ponchos, to avoid extra expenses. Loyalty programs and annual passes can be a great investment for those who visit frequently.

[Here’s another tip: many local and regional attractions offer annual membership passes that pay for themselves with just two visits, and in some cases include free or discounted admission to other partner attractions. For example: The annual family membership to the Museum of Science and Technology (MiSci) in Schenectady, NY includes six guest passes plus free or reduced admission to 300 museums and science centers nationwide through the ASTC Passport Program and the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program. An annual membership to the New York’s Wilderness Conservation Society provides admission (and many other benefits) to the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium (wcs.org). Also some attractions let you return the next day on the same ticket, offer multi-day tickets or tickets that provide admission to multiple area attractions. Also consider the various multi-day city-passes that bundle attractions.]

The New York Historical is part of The Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program which brings together museums, art galleries, historic sites, and other great institutions from across New York State to share the benefits of membership. When you join one, your benefits extend to all. The New York Historical highlights the intersection of politics, art, and culture that shaped America’s Red Scare in Blacklisted: An American Story, on view June 13-October 19, 2025 (credit: Civil Rights Congress, America’s “Thought Police”: Record of the Un-American Activities Committee, 1947. Courtesy of the Unger Family)

Best Times to Visit: The best way to avoid crowds, enhance your experience and save money is to plan visits during off-peak times. Weekdays, especially Tuesdays through Thursdays, tend to be less busy than weekends. For seasonal attractions, early spring and late fall often offer fewer crowds and more pleasant weather. Arriving early in the day or later in the afternoon is also a way to enjoy popular rides with shorter wait times.

Smart Ticketing & Shorter Lines: Many theme parks now offer online reservations, mobile ticketing, and virtual queue systems, so you can secure your spots ahead of time. Purchase tickets in advance and take advantage of early entry programs when available. Express passes or skip-the-line options can be worth the added expense to maximize your day, particularly during peak seasons. Also, start your visit to the park from the back because most guests start getting on lines for the rides in the front of the park. Also, visit the most popular, busy rides during the peak lunch hour, when lines may be shorter.

*Make massively popular attractions like Le Louve in Paris accessible and affordable by purchasing a pass like the Paris Paris © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

[Another tip: When visiting destinations in the USA and abroad, check out whether there are city passes that provide admissions and entry to a score of attractions, experiences and tours. You can pre-purchase a city-sightseeing pass that provides admissions to the most popular attractions and experiences in cities like Prague (PragueCoolPass.com); Paris (parispass.com); Amsterdam (iamamsterdam.com); Berlin (citypasses.eu); Dresden (getyourguide.com). The added advantage is that the passes help organize the itinerary, provide info on hours, exhibits, save the time of waiting on line and the anxiety of being shut out and even save money over purchasing admissions individually. Go City sells passes in 25 destinations from major metropolises like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Singapore, London and New York to oceanfront oases like Sydney and Oahu – 1,500 attractions, tours, and activities worldwide, saving money over purchasing individual tickets, connected on your smart phone (GoCity.com, 800 887 9103). CityPass (https://www.citypass.com/) has pass programs in numerous US cities and Toronto. like the Paris Pass, Prague Cool Pass.]

Maximizing the Experience: At themeparks, planning ahead is key. Prioritize must-visit attractions, download themepark apps for real-time updates, and take advantage of mobile ordering for food to save time. For families, incorporating a mix of thrill rides, entertainment, and downtime ensures everyone stays engaged and energized. Taking breaks in shaded or indoor areas and staying hydrated can also help extend the fun throughout the day.

Staying Safe & Comfortable: Staying hydrated and wearing comfortable clothing and shoes are essential for an enjoyable visit. Bring refillable water bottles, wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and dress in layers for changing weather conditions. Have a light, foldable rain poncho. Many parks now offer shaded rest areas, cooling stations, and even heat-tracking technology to help visitors stay comfortable. Additionally, being mindful of personal health and recognizing when to take breaks can make a significant difference in the overall experience.

Special Events & Milestones: This year is filled with exciting anniversaries and celebrations across the attractions industry. Dollywood is marking its 40th anniversary with special events and limited-time experiences, while Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, celebrates 50 years of innovation and growth as a family-run destination. Many parks are also expanding their seasonal offerings, from immersive Halloween and holiday celebrations to vibrant food festivals that highlight both local and international flavors.

Trends Shaping Visitor Experiences: Families are increasingly drawn to parks and experiences that bring beloved characters and stories to life. A great example is the expansion of Peppa Pig Theme Parks, which cater specifically to younger audiences by offering immersive, character-driven attractions beyond traditional theme park experiences. These parks create an emotional connection with guests, making visits more engaging and memorable for families.

Another key trend is the evolution of on-site accommodations. Parks are expanding beyond a day-trip experience by providing themed lodging that enhances the overall visit. Silver Dollar City’splans for the new Heartland Lodge & Campground is a prime example, giving guests the opportunity to stay immersed in the park’s special atmosphere while enjoying added convenience and exclusive experiences.

[Also, many major camping resorts are located near (even within) themeparks, national and state parks and attractions, and offer glamping, cabins and RV rentals. Visit campspot.com; koa.com; www.spaciousskiescampgrounds.com, glampinghub.com and www.jellystonepark.com.]

Exciting New Attractions

This season brings a wave of groundbreaking attractions, from next-generation roller coasters to immersive themed lands. Among the highlights: Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, new family areas for Kentucky Kingdom and Lagoon Amusement Park, new roller coasters for Lost Island Theme Park, Six Flags over Georgia, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags New England, and Six Flags Great America and unique Tilt Coasters for Cedar Point and the new Cotaland Park. Water parks are also unveiling innovative slides and experiences, such as Columbus Zoo, the new Okana Resort in Oklahoma, the new Bavarian Blast Indoor Waterpark and new Great Wolf Lodges in Foxwood and in Florida, keeping up with the growing demand for year-round aquatic fun.

Here’s what’s happening at some of the most popular themepark attractions:

Universal

Universal Epic Universe, opening May 22, promises to be one of the most immersive and innovative theme parks ever created. With a total of more than 50 experiences that range from groundbreaking attractions to captivating entertainment to themed dining and shopping, guests explore five astounding worlds: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe.

Universal Orlando Resort has launched a variety of products to help guests maximize their visit including theme park upgrades like Universal Express (to bypass lines), VIP Experiences, My Universal Photos, and bookings for Dark Universe’s Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience.

In addition to a 1-Day Universal Express Pass valid at Epic Universe, guests can also purchase a multi-day Universal Express Pass valid at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, and one-day at Epic Universe. (For information and to purchase upgrades, visit www.universalorlando.com/epicuniverse.

Additionally, Universal is enhancing seasonal events and themed experiences across its parks worldwide.

A major addition this year is Universal Horror Unleashed, a year-round horror-themed attraction set to open in Las Vegas in August 2025. This marks Universal’s first permanent horror experience, catering to the growing demand for horror-based attractions and expanding on the success of Halloween Horror Nights.

Universal Studios Hollywood is offering its Buy A Day, Get A 2^nd Day Free ticket online through August 13, 2025 which allows returning for a second day free on select dates, with all visits completed on or before December 17, 2025.

Disney

As part of its evolution, Disney is bringing new attractions and entertainment to its parks, including:

A reimagined Test Track at EPCOT, set to offer a fresh take on the classic attraction.
- A brand-new Little Mermaid musical at Hollywood Studios, bringing the beloved story to life in an engaging new format.
- An all-new parade in Walt Disney World, adding to the lineup of must-see entertainment.
- The Zootopia 4D movie experience, coming to Walt Disney World, immersing guests in the world of the hit animated film.

Walt Disney Company is undertaking a $30 billion, multi-year expansion of its theme parks and cruise line. This includes:

Disney’s expansion of its theme parks includes the largest-ever addition to Magic Kingdom, featuring new areas inspired by the movie “Cars.”
Disney currently has seven ships in development, doubling the capacity of its cruise line business.

“We have more [projects] being designed, developed, and built today than at any other point in the 70 years we’ve been in the theme park business,” CEO Bob Iger stated.

Six Flags

Six Flags has expanded food and beverage offerings, enhanced park theming, and cutting-edge ride experiences. Popular seasonal events like WinterFest and Holiday in the Park will also return,

Georgia Gold Rusher (Six Flags Over Georgia) – A spinning splash coaster that enhances the park’s storytelling and guest experience.
- Seven new roller coasters debuting in 2025, reinforcing Six Flags’ reputation for coaster innovation.
- All-Park Passport Add-On Launching in 2025, this pass allows unlimited access to all 42 amusement and water parks in the Six Flags portfolio, offering unmatched flexibility and value.
- Expanded dining & beverage options across all parks, featuring new signature menu items and upgraded facilities.

2025 Season Passes are now available at the lowest price of the year to lock in a full year of thrills, entertainment, and seasonal celebrations.

Busch Gardens

Renowned for its world-class coasters and immersive animal encounters, Busch Gardens continues to evolve with thrilling new attractions and captivating guest experiences including:

The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge Busch Gardens Williamsburg (2025)

Busch Gardens’ all-new family-friendly inverted coaster.

Wild Oasis at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (2025)

An all-new immersive experience coming to the park’s Jungala area, featuring:

Tree Top Drop – A 35-foot drop tower with dynamic multimedia jungle scenes.

The Habitat Hideaway – A playful retreat for guests to explore.

The Canopy Climb – An elevated adventure through lush treetops.

The Rainforest Quest – A thrilling journey through exotic landscapes.

The Enchanted Falls – A serene yet exhilarating water attraction.

Hershey Park

Hershey Park continues to expand its thrill ride lineup and immersive dining experiences while focusing on guest comfort and entertainment.

Coming Summer 2025: Twizzlers Twisted Gravity giant swing. The high-thrill pendulum attraction will be thetallest Screamin’ Swing in the world when it opens – a giant swing ride reaching 137 feet, with speeds of 68 MPH and zero-G moments that defy gravity and provide breathtaking views of the park.

Hersheypark offers aone-price admission with three sweet experiences featuring more than 70 rides and attractions, weather and maintenance permitting, including the most coasters in the Northeast with 15; The Boardwalk At Hersheypark water park (open Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend) with one million gallons of water among 16 water attractions; and ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, an 11-acre walk-through zoo included with admission only by entering through the Hersheypark bridge during posted Park hours.

Save on tickets and Season Passes when purchasing them online. All tickets include the Preview Plan program (an incredible value unique to Hershey), which allows guests to enjoy two free hours of extra fun before closing on a night before their full-day visit if Hersheypark is open the preceding day. Hersheypark also offers ticket add-ons that allow guests to save on parking, dining and drinks and get to the thrills faster with the Fast Track program. Visit Hersheypark.com/tickets-and-passes to view the current offers.

Plenty of Amusement to be Found in New York State

*Iconic, historic Coney Island in Brooklyn was the site for a Bernie Sanders campaign event in 2016 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New York State is loaded with amusement parks – some historical and world renowned, like Coney Island in Brooklyn. The editors at ILoveNY.com blog (https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/amusements/amusement-parks/) zone in on these: Hudson Valley is home to the largest LEGOLAND theme park in the world, with seven lands to explore, 50 rides, shows, seasonal events, and attractions on 150 acres. Six Flags Darien Lake, outside of Buffalo, is a hot-spot for all forms of entertainment, offering thrills like the Blast Off tower that simulates a NASA launch, a waterfront boardwalk, light shows, and concerts.

Seabreeze Park is the fourth oldest amusement park in America with more than 70 attractions, including a full water park, near the breezy shores of Lake Ontario. By Chautauqua Lake, Midway State Park is a treasure trove of kid-friendly rides, games, and lakeside views. Sylvan Beach Amusement Park on Lake Oneida has all the favorites from bumper-cars to spinning teacups. Brave the pulse-pounding roller coasters and water rides at Six Flags Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom near Lake George. While you’re in the Adirondacks, visit Santa’s Workshop Amusement Park where the magic of the North Pole lives year-round. Rye Playland in the Hudson Valley and Adventureland on Long Island reflect the charm and enchantment of classic theme parks.

(See more at https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/the-top-amusement-and-water-parks-in-new-york-state/)

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Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Cultural travel, See America, US Destinations

A River Runs Through It: Discovering Spokane, Washington

February 1, 2025 krubin723

A river runs through it: Spokane, Washington, is a marvelous synthesis of city and wilderness, historic and contemporary that makes it a delight to visit as well as live © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

My long-held desire to bike the award-winning Route of Hiawatha rail trail in Idaho provides the opportunity to discover the enormous appeal of Spokane, Washington, where the Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails bike tour begins. I cleverly arrange to come in three days early to give myself time to immerse, staying at the exquisitely grand and historic Hotel Davenport, so connected to Spokane’s story and walking distance to most everything I want, and even taking advantage of their bicycles to get a jump on the Centennial Trail which figures so prominently in the bike tour, too.

This is all new territory for me.

The first delightful surprise is how easy it is to navigate Spokane International Airport (if you’ve been through JFK and LaGuardia in New York, you will appreciate what I mean) – a few steps to the door, and a few steps more to a wonderfully convenient public bus that takes me steps from the Davenport’s door (the bus driver and fellow travelers are so helpful! – something I find throughout my stay in Spokane) – just $2 for the fare (which you can use to transfer or return within 2 hours; $4/day or $12 for three-days).

It doesn’t take long for me to realize why Spokane, with its natural and cultural appeal, isn’t just a great place to visit, but a great place to live.

*Walk over the bridges that connect the several islands of Riverfront Park to get a dramatic view of the rapids © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Imagine strolling over America’s largest urban waterfalls, walking 15 minutes from downtown to a rafting trip on a river that cuts through evergreen forest, and getting on a bike in the downtown city park – the site of the 1974 World’s Fair, appropriately themed for environmental protection – and biking 58 miles on the trail to Coeur- d’Alene in Idaho. This is Spokane, Washington – and even though it is 95 degrees outside, it doesn’t feel hot.

Spokane is this vibrant city organized for its people. Of course, it wasn’t always that way, but the same reasons it developed into a hub of the West – railroads, commerce and mining – Spokane was an early adopter of sustainability and environmental protection while transitioning into the 21st century by holding on to what was best about the past.

For me, the mark of a place that takes pride in itself and has community spirit is one that has historic markers and plaques and its respect for historic and cultural places.

You feel it especially in the historic Davenport Hotel – a truly grand dame that is very happy to share its stories.

So I begin my exploration with a tour of The Historic Davenport Hotel (see Historic Hotel Davenport Puts You into Spokane’s Story)

*The grand dame historic Hotel Davenport has helped spark Spokane’s downtown renaissance. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

From there, the concierge directs me to the public bus (the central depot is across the street), for a ride to visit the magnificent Manito Park. (1702 S Grand Blvd). This is a spectacular 90-acre oasis in the in the South Hill neighborhood that features five distinct gardens: the Duncan Garden (a formal garden where I notice the fountain is dedicated to Louis Davenport who built the Davenport Hotel), Rose Garden, Perennial Garden, Lilac Garden and (my favorite) the Japanese Garden. (If you come in the afternoon, save the enchanting Japanese Garden for last; if you come in the morning, see it with the morning light.)

*The Japanese Garden in Manito Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Most wonderfully, the Manito Park, is really a neighborhood park – much like Central Park in New York City, and Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco – grand and yet neighborly. Besides the gardens, Manito Park has spacious manicured lawns, playgrounds, walking trails and biking paths, topiary shrubs, a greenhouse conservatory, a conservatory and a duck pond. It gets some 150,000 visitors a year. (Best viewing May-October, http://www.manitopark.org/)

An absolute highlight for me – almost a homebase during my stay in Spokane – is Riverfront Park. Just a few minutes walk from the Historic Davenport Hotel, I found myself wandering into the park two, even three times during the day.

It is actually one of the rare successes in urban renewal: once a blighted space, the city seized on the opportunity to host the 1974 World’s Fair (notably the first expo themed around environmental conservation) to make major, lasting improvements serving the community in myriad ways. There is so much here, and it is so pleasant being here that I find myself coming to the park at least twice each day (morning and evening) of my visit.

*Numerica SkyRide gondola gives a birds-eye view of Spokane’s waterfalls © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Riverfront Park was opened by President Nixon (who made an eloquent speech about the importance of environmental protection and resigned by the time the Fair closed). It is pure delight for residents and visitors alike: stroll over bridges for spectacular views of the falls; be carried over the falls on the Numerica SkyRide gondola, channel your inner child on the historic Looff Carrousel, fantastic playgrounds and rides (slide down The Red Wagon, a giant Flyer), and feed the Garbage Goat (a clever way to encourage composting).

*Families enjoy the Red Wagon in Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Enjoy a concert at the United States Pavilion which was saved and repurposed as an outdoor performance venue seating as many as 6000 (there was a concert there during my visit) – the roof replaced by steel ribbings that are lighted at night.

*The United States Pavilion, built for the 1974 World’s Fair, is now a performance venue accommodating 6,000 people © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The park actually is composed of several islands connected by bridges. One of the islands pays tribute to Spokane’s indigenous heritage. There is a totem pole and story board stations.

The bridges pass over the rapids and falls, for dramatic views you would never expect in an urban landscape. The pathways weave throughout – you come upon a fantastic playground; sculptures, attractions.

*The Garbage Goat is an iconic sculpture in Spokane’s Riverfront Park with a message of envirionmentalism © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I stop into the Riverfront Park Visitor Center (actually the Visit Spokane tourist center), where I learn about the Great Fire of 1889 that destroyed 90 percent of the downtown – the only surviving buildings were those made of brick by the railroad company. What was left became the historic district (but there are some modern skyscrapers that seem so out of place, that were built before the new rules were put into place).

Also going through the park is the Centennial Trail, a biking/pedestrian/recreational trail that extends for miles into Idaho, which I will take from beginning to end the end on my upcoming Idaho Trails bike tour.

It is an interesting experience to be walking distance of a rafting experience in a major city – the Spokane River that goes through the city gives the city its special beauty and quality of life (as well as its hydroelectric power). It can be said that the river energizes the city – and this confluence of nature, urbanity and livability is what makes Spokane such a hot place for people to put down roots.

*Enjoying a pleasant float down the Spokane River © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Within minutes, we embark from the Peaceful Valley neighborhood on a two hour-long scenic Spokane River Float with Wiley Waters. (Wear water-shoes and a bathing suit; a dry bag is provided, as well as drinks). It’s the end of the season so is a very gentle glide – towards the end, we hop off the raft for a brisk dunk. The season runs May-September (Wiley E. Waters, riverrafting.net, 888-502-1900).

In the evening, I return to the Riverfront Park to once again stroll about as the sun set.

*The view from the Centennial Trail © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The next morning, I take advantage of the Davenport’s bike rental (two hours are included in the resort fee), to bike on the The Centennial Trail in Riverfront Park. I ride west, toward Riverside State Park, where the Centennial Trail begins. The trail in this direction goes along the high ridge that follows the Spokane River well below – just beautiful – and passed these beautiful housing complexes that are wonderfully designed, sharing the trail with families out for a stroll, runners, walkers, and cyclists. (Again, pointing to the livability of Spokane).

I bike up to the point where the trail has a sharp descent which I would have ride back up (with a three-speed city bike) so I leave that for the bike tour which will start at the very beginning of the trail and ride to where it ends, 58 miles away, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Instead, I cycle the trail in the other direction, going back through Riverfront Park, toward Gonzaga University campus in search of the famous singer/actor Bing Crosby’s childhood home, which is actually on the campus and now a museum.

*Bing Crosby’s childhood home is now a museum on the Gonzaga University campus © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I knew that the museum would be closed when I arrive. I later learn that the museum has a Norman Rockwell painting of Bing Crosby, based on a promotional photograph from the 1949 movie musical “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

There is also a statue on the campus in front of the Bing Crosby Hall (Crosby made major donations to the university and though he quit school to pursue his career in music, the university gave him an honorary degree in 1937.)

(Crosby House, 508 E. Sharp Avenue, Spokane, WA 99258, 509-313-4064).

In the afternoon, I head to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

To get there, I could easily hop on the purple City Line lightrail from just across the street from the Davenport and get off in Browne’s Addition, but I prefer to walk the mile.

*Spokane is still a cultural hub with theaters like the Fox Theater, which dates from 1931© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The walk takes me passed the Bing Crosby Theater, the Fox Theater (1931), gorgeous Art Deco buildings that exemplify Spokane’s importance as a cultural center for the Northwest, its legacy as an important commercial hub on the railroad line, and its wealth from nearby Idaho mines.

Strolling through the Browne’s Addition neighborhood enroute to the Northwest museum of Arts and Culture, you see some of the fabulous Victorian mansions reflecting Spokane’s wealth from commerce, mining and railroads © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I pass stunning Victorian mansions – most of them now inns or museums – but none more magnificent than the Campbell House, which is now part of the museum and a “must visit” (be aware of the opening hours).

Founded in 1918, the Smithsonian-affiliated Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture presents an extensive, permanent collection of Plateau Tribal art and artifacts, Pacific Northwest art, regional historical objects and archives. It really offers a synthesis of the history and heritage here, with appropriate respect for the tribal people.

Having spent time in Riverfront Park, I am particularly fascinated to see the special exhibition, “It Happened Here: Expo ’74 Fifty Years After.”

A 50th anniversary commemoration exhibit of Spokane’s 1974 World’s Fair shows how the fair proved one of the most successful urban renewal projects, leaving behind Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In 1974, Spokane was the smallest city ever to host a world’s fair. During its six-month run, the fair presented exhibits from ten countries, featured a star-studded events calendar, sponsored three environmental symposiums and attracted 5.6 million visitors. “Fifty years later, Expo ’74 remains one of the single most transformative events in Spokane’s history, radically reshaping its natural and built environment. Expo ’74 ushered in a new era for the city – one centered on urban renewal, commercial growth, and political progress,” the notes state. The fair also kindled a community spirit.

*Liberace’s costume from Spokane’s 1974 World’s Fair © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

There are fantastic artifacts (Liberace’s bejeweled denim costume, Sister Paula Turnbull’s model for Spokane’s now iconic Garbage Goat, and an original Sky Ride gondola), but particularly interesting were the videos – Nixon’s speech on opening day extolling the virtues of environmentalism, which was the theme of the fair and how Spokane was a model and inspiration to emulate (Nixon had resigned by the time the fair closed 3 months later), and a video from the Soviet Union showing how the country is “enforcing” environmentalism. (The exhibit has since closed, but is indicative of what is presented.)

*The Northwest Museum of Culture & Arts hosted a riveting exhibit, ;1924: Sovreignty, Leadership, and the Indian Citizenship Act” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

I am fortunate to visit when the museum is presenting a riveting exhibit,”1924: Sovereignty, Leadership, and the Indian Citizenship Act.” 1924 was the year that American Indians were declared citizens and ostensibly entitled to vote (though the equivalent of Jim Crow laws prevented most from voting until the 1965 Voting Rights Act).

Shortly after Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act, granting citizenship to all American Indians born in the United States, on June 2, 1924, Spokane announced it would host the first American Indian Congresses in 1925. These were some of the first events where tribal leaders, government officials, and community members from around the United States gathered to formally participate in talks on rights and advocacy. 1924 commemorates this 100-year anniversary, centering on early local tribal leadership as they and their people navigated the sometimes-conflicting nature of being both U.S. citizens and citizens of their own sovereign nations. One of the photos shows the Congress taking place in the Davenport Hotel’s ballroom.

*The Campbell House at the Northwest Museum of Culture & Arts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Be sure you leave enough time to visit The Campbell House and its carriage house (admission to the house closes an hour before the museum, so in retrospect, should have done it first.).

The Campbell House is an absolute jewel with exquisite architecture, interior decoration (some of the furnishings are original to the house; others are appropriate period pieces). The mansion was designed in 1898 for the Campbell family by architect Kirtland K. Cutter (who also designed the historic Davenport Hotel). Cutter incorporated all the modern technologies available – indoor plumbing, hot and cold running water, electricity, central heat and even a telephone.

*At the carriage house of the Campbell House, you get to know who this family was and what life was like in Spokane © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The carriage house holds the personal story of the Campbells and the Spokane community of the time – artifacts and photographs, a car that would have been very much like the one the Campbell’s had. It is so interesting to have such a personal look at this family.

Campbell made his fortune investing in the mines of north Idaho (that I will be visiting soon on the Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails trip). The Campbell family (his wife was a school teacher) lived here for 26 years and in 1924, after both parents had passed away, their daughter, Helen, donated the house to the Eastern Washington Historical Society which started the museum. Now it is under the auspices of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

(Open Tuesday-Sunday, 12-4 pm, admission included with museum ticket)

Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W First Avenue, Spokane 99201, northwestmuseum.org (give yourself at least 2 hours, more like 3)

In the evening I return again to the Riverfront Park (after dashing to REI before closing to buy bike gloves before my trip). The setting sun casts a pink glow in the sky and I am once again awed by the dramatic view over the falls – the largest urban falls in the country, apparently. And I finally get my chance to ride the Looff Carrousel.

*Riding the Looff Carrousel in Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The beloved, iconic attraction of the park was hand-carved by Charles Looff in 1909 as a gift for his daughter and her husband. Looff, an immigrant from Germany, arguably was America’s first great carousel carver having made wooden animals for Coney Island’s carousel. This carousel was set in an amusement park, Natatorium Park, for many years before the park closed in 1968.

When Natatorium Park closed, in 1968, the carousel was put up for auction. Spokane’s parks manager was determined to save the carousel for the city, enduring criticism from those who felt he wasted money because there was no place for it, so it was put into storage. But then the 1974 Expos came, and the carousel was taken out and placed in the park, where it has remained.

*The Looff Carrousel in Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

It is magical enough to ride the carousel, but I get to ride the carousel as night is falling, the colorful lights coming on – the kids grabbing for the brass ring and tossing it to try to win a free ride. The original organ – its 300 pipes equivalent to a 60-piece band – still operates but is used only for special occasions. As we ride, we hear the original music as it was recorded and digitized.

Equally exquisite is the view of the carousel reflected in the water from outside.

To plan your visit: Visitor Information Center, Riverfront Park, 6y20 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201, 888-SPOKANE, Visit Spokane, www.visitspokane.com.

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Attractions, Heritage Travel, Jewish Heritage Travel, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Landmark Anne Frank The Exhibition in NYC Personalizes Holocaust As Never Before

January 27, 2025 krubin723

Standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room in The Annex where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, personalizes the Holocaust. This immersion into a full-scale re-creation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is part of a landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is surreal, extraordinarily intimate, overwhelmingly emotional to find yourself standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room exactly as she had lived in it, in secret hiding for two years, just before she was taken away by Nazis to the concentration camp where she died just a few months before she would have been saved.

There are the photos she clipped from newspapers to put on her wall, to preserve some connection to a normal life, her life before the Nazis took over Germany, then invaded the Netherlands, where her family had sought refuge. You see the plaid-cloth covered diary she began to write the day she received it, on her 13^th birthday, who she sometimes wrote to as “Dear Kitty” and treated as her closest friend and confidant, revealing things her father later admitted he never knew about his daughter despite being close and living in such constant proximity.

As you stand in this space, the tiny bedroom where she sat at this desk to write, you hear her words, “When I write, I can shake off my cares, my sorrow… my spirits soar…. But will I ever be able to write something great? Will I ever be able to be a journalist or writer? Oh, I hope so.” And then, “Writing allows me to record everything – thoughts, ideals, fantasies.”

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, lets you know her story in a new, more personal way © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This is the remarkable Anne Frank The Exhibition, opening at the Center for Jewish History in New York City on January 27, coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp where one million Jews were exterminated.

For the first time, visitors outside of Amsterdam will be able to experience the Anne Frank House, one of the most visited historical sites in Europe, but in a very different way: whereas in Amsterdam, the rooms are empty as they were after the Nazis left it, here, visitors are immersed in a full-scale re-creation of the complete Annex, furnished as it would have been when Anne and her family and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.

You see the pictures clipped from newspapers she put on her wall – a semblance of normalcy of a teenager. You hear her words from her diary as you walk through those rooms.

But there is another important difference: before and after you roam through this meticulously re-created Annex, you are immersed in her life and the lives of millions of others as you see the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, how the Holocaust was set into motion and what it was like to live with such terror– giving a broader context and meaning to Anne Frank’s story, resonating with chilling effect today.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, puts her story into context of the rise of Hitler, Nazism and the Holocaust© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Created in partnership between the Anne Frank House and the Center for Jewish History, this astonishing, Anne Frank: The Exhibition kicks off the Center‘s 25^th anniversary season.

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the Anne Frank House on this landmark exhibition,” said Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History. “As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in January, Anne Frank’s story becomes more urgent than ever. In a time of rising antisemitism, her diary serves as both a warning and a call to action, reminding us of the devastating impact of hatred. This exhibition challenges us to confront these dangers head-on and honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust.”

The exhibition, he said, “dovetails with CJH’s mission. We don’t just preserve Jewish history, we mobilize to address today’s challenges. Public programs foster understanding in a world that needs it more than ever.”

*Anne Frank in 1935 in her kindergarten class. Of the 32 students, 15 were Jewish Holocaust © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.*

“When students learn to identify hate, learn to confront with empathy, critical thinking, they will champion justice and equality,” Ronald Leopold, the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, said at the press preview. “An exhibition like this serves as powerful reminder of the importance of confronting hate through education and understanding.

“The exhibition is a beacon of remembrance, of education, of awareness. It arrives at a very critical moment. We are living in a time when antisemitism and other forms of group hatred are on the rise, not only in this country, but my country, the Netherlands, and around the globe.” He referred to terrible incidents as recently as the day before, in Sydney, Australia.

“Anne Frank’s story is known to many but what you will experience at this exhibition goes beyond her tragic fate. The exhibition hopefully will also offer a deeper, multifaceted view of who Anne Frank was- not just a victim of the Holocaust, but just a girl, a teenager, a writer, and an enduring symbol of resilience and strength.”

The Anne Frank House, was established in 1957 in cooperation with Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, as an independent nonprofit organization entrusted with the preservation of the Annex and bringing Anne’s life story to world audiences in order to serve as a place for teaching and learning about the Holocaust. Each year, the Anne Frank House, welcomes 1.2 million visitors, but many are turned away (you have to reserve tickets weeks, even months in advance), and requires visitors to come to Amsterdam.

“This exhibition is not just about the past,” Leopold said at a press preview. “It is important to learn about the past, but more important to learn from the past. That is the educational mission Anne’s father, the only one of the 8 Jews in hiding at the Annex who survived, gave us when Anne Frank House opened to the public in 1960.”

Ronald Leopold, the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, holds up a photo of Anne Frank, whose story is known because of her diary, with a boy was born on the same day as Anne, who lived a block away, but except for his name, David Spanyeur, birthday and the day he was murdered, February 12, 1943 in Auschwitz, nothing is known. They are among the 1.2 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Leopold held up two photos, side by side. One is easily recognizable: Anne Frank. Next to her on the page is a photo a boy no one has heard of. He was born June 12, 1929, the same day as Anne, lived one block from where she lived, a 3 minutes walk. Their paths might have crossed – we don’t know. We know everything about this little girl, Anne Frank, we think, but there is no one in the world today who knows anything about this young boy except for his name, David Spanyeur, his date of birth, address and when and where he was murdered, on February 12, 1943 in Auschwitz.”

“If we bring Anne Frank to New York, and we go to remember her on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we also bring, David Spanyeur to New York, and remember him, as we will remember 1.5 million Jewish children’s lives cut short by human beings for the single reason they were Jewish. This is the message we try to bring, that goes beyond Anne Frank.

“We will remember David Sponyeur, we will remember Anne Frank, may their memories be a blessing. As we stand in presence of Anne’s legacy, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to carry this message forward.”

Philanthropic support has made it possible for the Anne Frank House to subsidize visits for students from New York City public schools and all Title 1 public schools throughout the United States. A special curriculum has been created for distribution to 500,000 children, and there is a 28-minute film at the center that is geared to school children.

So far, tens of thousands of already purchased tickets in advance of the opening; 150 schools have already scheduled visits from as far as California.

A Normal Teenager

Anne Frank was one of 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust – who, like Anne, had dreams, talents, hopes that were snuffed out. Anne is the one who is most and best known because of the sheer miracle of her keeping the diary and her journals being saved, Miep Gies, one of the people who protected the Franks in the Annex, finding it after the Nazis had ransacked their rooms, and keeping Anne’s writings safe because she knew how much writing meant to her, then reconnecting with Otto Frank, who was determined to fulfill his daughter’s dream of becoming a published writer, then a publisher recognizing how important the diary was because too many did not see the commercial value, or perhaps, the political correctness.

There is so much that is astonishing about this exhibit – certainly being able to stand in this exact, full-scale re-creation of Anne Frank’s secret hiding place furnished as if they had just left, before the Nazis stripped everything out. Indeed, that is how you experience The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, totally empty. (The people from Anne Frank House in Amsterdam remarked how strange it was to see the rooms they know so well as empty, now furnished. “But we have the original diary, you have a facsimile!”) Also, it is what the exhibit is wrapped around with – the context surrounding Anne Frank’s experience and the experience of the 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children exterminated in the Holocaust.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, includes 100 artifacts rarely if ever shown in public that put Anne’s life into context © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

The exhibit features some 100 artifacts – some rarely if ever viewed in public – including an extraordinary exhibit of the family’s personal effects from their comfortable life in Frankfurt where Otto was a banker, before the Nazis and the Holocaust – even their china, a wooden desk from 1796, and Anne’s first photo album (1929-1942). You see family photos and photos of a normal life, a playful child with a fetching smile. There is even a video of a wedding couple leaving their apartment building that happened to capture Anne peering out from a second-story window.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, includes 100 artifacts and family photos rarely if ever shown in public that put Anne’s life into context © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

This exhibit wraps Anne Frank’s personal story with context: the rise of Hitler, democratically elected Chancellor, and the Nazi domination of Germany, the invasion of the Netherlands, France and Belgium, and the implementation of the Final Solution – systemic genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust.

Walk through the bookcase into the Annex, the secret place where Anne Frank hid with her mother, father, sister, and four others for two years hoping to escape the Nazis © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

We walk through the bookcase, and are in the hiding place in the Annex. Throughout the exhibit, you have an audio guide that you can activate, but here, in the hiding place, is where what you hear is most affecting – not just the description of the place and what their lives were like for the two years they hid away, but Anne’s own words from her diary.

“When I write, I can shake off my cares, my sorrow… my spirits soar…. But will I ever be able to write something great? Will I ever be able to be a journalist or writer? Oh, I hope so.” And then, “Writing allows me to record everything – thoughts, ideals, fantasies.”

Striving for some normalcy, Anne Frank decorated her tiny room with pictures of Hollywood celebrities and royalty; on her desk is the plaid-covered diary which immortalized her experience hiding away in The Annex for two years © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Anne decorated her tiny cramped room with pictures – Hollywood and Royalty, like any 13-year old. But by the time she was 15, her interests shifted and deepened -she favored art and history and more serious things.

We visit all their rooms – you feel you are intruding, actually – even the bathroom, where you hear that at the stroke of 8:30, there could be no running water, flushing toilet, walking around, no noise whatsoever.

The kitchen, where the Pels slept, served as the communal kitchen and living room, and is where they played games at night and celebrated holidays like Yom Kippur and Chanukah.

Anne describes how one moment they are laughing at the comical side of their hiding, the next, feeling frightened. “Fear, tension and despair can be read on our face.”

Then, on a fateful day, the audio guide relates, a man came up the stairs with a revolver and told them to “pack their bags, you have to leave.” They were taken to prison and on to the camps.

In the next rooms, you see how the Holocaust unfolded – photos of Jews pulled from their homes, crowded into the streets and loaded onto cattle cars, deported to labor, concentration and death camps. You see soldiers shooting masses of Jews in pits dug by the victims themselves.

*Photos depict the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust as you stand over a map of Europe demarking the places of Jewish genocide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.*

This room has a glass floor over a map of Europe with red flags denoting where the death camps and places of genocide were and hear names recited. As you come to the end, most affecting of all, is a projection of the 1935 photo of Anne Frank in her kindergarten class of 32 students, of whom 15 were Jews, which you saw in the first gallery. As you hear their names ticked off, one by one these adorable, innocent faces are disappeared from the photo and you hear their age when their lives were snuffed out: 12, 13, 14, 15. Only 5 of the 15 survived – by going into hiding or escaping. Anne was 15.

*The photo of Anne Frank in her kindergarten class, as one by one, she and her Jewish classmates are eradicated © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.*

The next part follows Otto’s improbable journey from the camp when it was liberated in January 1945. Otto was the only one to survive of the eight who hid in the Annex, though he had yet to learn the fate of his family. All of his worldly possession fit into a tiny canvas bag the size of a book.

For Otto, it was just 10 months after being arrested that he returned – all of those who helped them in the Annex survived, though two men were arrested and sent to concentration camps but survived.

Miep Gies in a video explains how she found and protected Anne Frank’s diary and notebooks, and presented them to Otto Frank upon his return to Amsterdam, the only one of the eight Jews she protected in The Annex to survive © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You actually see a video of Miep Gies, one of the Dutch citizens who hid and protected the Franks in the Annex (she lived to 100 years old), relating how she went into it after the Nazis ransacked it and found Anne’s diary and notebooks, keeping them safe because she knew how important her writing was to her. She re-creates how she reached into her desk and presented Otto with Anne’s volumes.

In an interview, Otto related that at first it was difficult for him to read the diary because of his grief, but when he started reading, he couldn’t stop. To honor her wishes of becoming a published writer, he set out to find a publisher – you see his letters and the replies from editors.

“Anne Frank’s diary, ‘Untergetaucht,’ [The Annex] impressed me deeply,” one editor writes back, “a monument to the sufferings of all people in Holland during the war…. If conditions were more nearly normal, I would recommend that we undertake an English translation…”

The first U.S. edition of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.” Otto Frank was determined to realize his daughter’s dream of becoming a published writer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

But ultimately Anne’s diary was published in English, “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” – you see the first edition which includes a forward by Eleanor Roosevelt – and translated into 70 languages, selling 35 million copies – and made into a play and movie (winning Shelly Winter’s an Oscar for her performance as Auguste van Pels).

The exhibition closes quoting Anne Frank, “I’ll make my voice heard, I’ll go out into the world and work for mankind!”

*“Anne Frank: The Exhibition: at the Center for Jewish History features copies of her book translated into 70 different languages © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Otto Frank is quoted saying in 1973, “Anne’s Diary made you think about the cruel persecution of the Jews during the Nazi regime, but I want to stress that even now there is in our world a lot of prejudice leading to discrimination and everyone of us should fight against it in his own circle.”

Michael S. Glickman, CEO of jMUSE, a former director of the center, said, “This institution, one of the great Jewish archives and libraries in the world, will house singularly the most important Jewish exhibition presented in this country. It is such a privilege, honor to be involved in this exhibition that carries the memory, legacy, and future of the Jewish people in such a powerful and poignant way…. As we open, we do so in memory of 6 million Jews and the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered.”

The exhibition is designed for children (ages 10 and older) and adults. All general admission tickets include the exhibition audio guide. Plan to spend two hours.

Individual tickets: Timed entry tickets, Monday through Friday: $21 (17 and under, $16); Sunday and holidays: $27 (17 and under, $22); Flex tickets, Monday through Friday: $34; Sunday and holidays: $48

Family tickets (2 adults + 2 children under 17 years): Timed entry tickets, Monday through Friday: $68 (additional 17 and under ticket, $16); Sunday and holidays: $90 (additional 17 and under ticket, $22) Flex tickets, Monday through Friday: $95 (additional 17 and under ticket, $18); Sunday and holidays: $135 (additional 17 and under ticket, $25).

Hours: Sunday through Thursday: 9:30 am-7:30 pm, Friday: 9:30 am-3:30 pm; closed Saturday.

Educational visits to the exhibition, as well as Individual and Family ticket purchases, can be scheduled by visiting AnneFrankExhibit.org.

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a limited engagement, scheduled to close on April 30, 2025. For a list of upcoming programs, visit https://www.cjh.org/.

Genealogy, Holocaust Records at the Center

The Center for Jewish History also has Geneology Research Center, with genealogists on hand who can help you trace your family’s history, has formed a new-multiyear partnership with Ancestry® to open the Ancestry Research & Reflection Room, a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share family histories of Jewish communities worldwide.

Ancestry®, which is committed to preserving the memories of Holocaust victims and survivors and ensuring that these records are freely accessible to future generations, together with the Arolsen Archives, one of the world’s leading institutions for Holocaust documentation, expanded its Holocaust-related resources by adding 7.5 million more documents to its resources, including Germany, Incarceration Records, 1933–1945.

Ancestry enables free searches of Holocaust documents. These records can be searched for free at a newly opened Ancestry Research & Reflection Room at the Center for Jewish History – a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share the family histories of Jewish communities worldwide. (Photo provided by Ancestry)

These records can be searched for free at a newly opened Ancestry Research & Reflection Room at the center – a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share the family histories of Jewish communities worldwide. It is opening to the public on January 27, coinciding with the opening of the Anne Frank exhibition, International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, New York, 212.294.8301, cjh.org, info@cjh.org.

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Attractions, Culinary travel, Cultural travel, Food & Wine

Wine-Tasting Exemplifies Art, Nature & Neighborhood in Sonoma, California

January 16, 2025 krubin723

*Enjoying a wine-tasting at Dry Creek Vineyard, a staple experience of a visit to Sonoma, California, one of the great wine-producing regions of the world © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Karen Rubin with Eric Leiberman and Sarah Falter, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

A staple of a visit to Sonoma, California, where nature and art come together in a perfect blend, is a tasting at one of the picturesque wineries and vineyards. It is always so fascinating to learn about the art and science of winemaking, and to immerse in joy of discovering, sharing and savoring the fruit of that creative enterprise, the wine.

This trip, we return to the charming town of Healdsburg, where we have thoroughly enjoyed visiting its galleries and restaurants and the lovely town square (like Sonoma), to visit Dry Creek Vineyard. Family owned and run by second generation owner and president Kim Stare Wallace, it is also one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries of Sonoma County that consistently produces coveted 90+ point wines.

*Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries of Sonoma County that consistently produces coveted 90+ point wine*s *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Dry Creek Vineyard, we learn, is responsible for many of the “firsts” in this rich wine-producing valley. Established in 1972, it was the first winery to open in Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition. Founder David S. Stare paved the way for a viticultural rebirth in the valley. Inspired by his trips to France, he modeled his winery after a Loire Valley chateau – making for a delightful setting in which to enjoy the wines.

Dry Creek Vineyard makes the claim of being the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the Dry Creek Valley and the first to label a wine with the “Dry Creek Vineyard appellation. A pioneer of Bordeaux-style blending, the winery was also the first to use the term “Meritage” (with its 1985 vintage) and the first to coin the term “Old Vine” to describe pre-Prohibition-era Zinfandel vineyards.

They make a claim of being the first to introduce the concept of Sustainable Agriculture in California, in 1998, providing a model for and an inspiration to others.

Indeed, it was during the years leading up to Dave’s retirement in 2006, that second generation owners Kim Stare Wallace and her husband, Don Wallace, began to lay the foundation for their vision for the winery’s future based on sustainability. “Their ‘no compromises’ philosophy required a complete re-invention from the inside out, including new winemaking techniques, vineyard management methods and winery upgrades on their 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards.”

This shift in philosophy led to dramatically reducing production while increasing quality and sharpening the focus on crafting appellation-driven terroir-focused, varietal-defining wines that have come to rival the best in California and the world. In 2015, Wine & Spirits Magazine selected Dry Creek Vineyard as one of its “top 100 Wineries.”

Its sustainable methods have worked: this year Dry Creek’s Sauvignon Blanc was crowned Best in California, and the Cabernet Sauvignon earned a stellar 95-point rating.

Dry Creek Vineyard is known for its Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage blends, as well as a portfolio of limited, single-vineyard selections. Prices are moderate, ranging from $18 to $125.

We sit at lovely wooden picnic tables on the lawn outside the stone chateau, as Darrin Abel, the concierge and Wine Educator, introduces the wines for us to taste.

We start with a 2022 Dry Chenin Blanc, a staple of Dry Creek since its founding in 1972. This is a classic Loire Valley-style wine that is versatile and food friendly, especially when paired with fresh oysters and seafood. Fermented in 100% stainless steel barrels, this wine is wonderfully bright and consistent vintage after vintage. The first swirl brings aromatics of honeydew, white peach and jasmine with floral notes of citrus blossom, watermelon rind and pineapple. On the palate, the wine has refreshing flavors of peach, grapefruit and jasmine with hints of mandarin, cucumber and lemon curd. It feels soft in your mouth, with a twang of acidity. These grapes, grown in Clarksburg, “like heat” which makes it dry.

*Darrin Abel, the concierge and Wine Educator at Dry Creek Vineyard* *© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Abel, who has been at Dry Creek for 12 years, explains the difference between a wine that is meant to be consumed early, and one that is meant to age and mature in the bottle. “White wine is meant to be drunk immediately (the screw cap). A cork is for aging – the oxygen penetrates cork and slowly ages the wine. A screw cap has no permeability, is not meant to be aged. Our philosophy : to make wine that can be enjoyed now but can age.”

Our second wine is 2022 Taylor’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, produced from a vineyard on the western bench of Dry Creek Valley and named after Kim and Don Wallace’s daughter, Taylor. According to the winemaker’s notes, the Sauvignon Musqué grape is a unique clonal selection of the Sauvignon Blanc variety and a delicious interpretation of the classic varietal. Fermented in stainless steel tanks you taste plump flavors of peach, lemonade and orange blossom with subtle notes of grapefruit and Mandarin orange. Full of complexity and depth, the crafted Musqué clone produces a creamy feeling in the mouth. It has a nice, even flavor, good structure and body.

*Darrin Abel, the concierge and Wine Educator, introduces the wines for us to taste*.© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The 2020 Farmhouse Vineyard Zinfandel is the sixth vintage of Zinfandel produced from its Russian River Valley vineyard, where the cooler temperatures allow for complex aromas and flavors to develop. This was the second Zinfandel property of Dry Creek’s estate vineyards to be planted with its Heritage Clone. The winemaker’s notes explain that the vines were planted using the Heritage budwood concept to preserve the heritage of iconic old vine Zinfandel vineyards. Cuttings from a pre-Prohibition era vineyard were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock to create a “young vine” wine with “old vine” Zinfandel characteristics. Initially, the aromas show fruit-forward tones of black and red cherries, cranberry and blackberry. Subtle notes of mocha, rose and earthy nuances come forward after several minutes of airing. On the palate, flavors of plum and strawberry mix with soft undertones of coriander, toffee, toasty cedar and roasted almonds. The wine is supple with tremendous complexity and silky tannins. The finish has a slight spiciness and refined elegance.

We next taste the 2020 Somers Ranch Zinfandel from grapes grown on two small parcels planted on adjacent hilltops overlooking the valley. The eastern-facing hillside vineyards provide optimum sun exposure for balanced and juicy grapes. This distinctive property was one of the first vineyards in Dry Creek Valley to be planted utilizing the Heritage Clone over 20 years ago, Abel explains.This bold Zinfandel is luxurious and fresh, with ripe fruit flavors of blackberry, cherry and cranberry, with aromatic undertones of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg and firm tannins and structure.

Dry Creek Vineyard’s 2019 Meritage “Alluvial Gap,” which has been rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast, highlights a microregion in the Dry Creek Valley known as Lytton Springs district© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The last wine we taste is our favorite: 2019 Meritage “Alluvial Gap,” which has been rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and highlights a microregion in the Dry Creek Valley known as Lytton Springs district. The Meritage blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon with three additional Bordeaux varietals to add complexity and depth. It was inspired by decades of working with Bordeaux varietals planted in the different districts and vineyards of Dry Creek Valley, including its Endeavour Vineyard, where the soils are gravelly, clay loam. “Five decades of experience have provided the knowledge of which properties can provide the best fruit our region can offer.” We learn that the wine spends 11-17 days in fermenters at 82-88 degrees F, then 19 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels (43 percent new oak) – such detail that I find fascinating, along with the precise “recipe” of the different grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon (60 percent) with three additional Bordeaux varietals (Merlot 20%, Petit Verdot, 16%, Cabernet Franc, 4%). “The grapes are crushed and fermented separately, then blended,” Abel tells us. “It really shows off the artistry of the wine maker.”

At first swirl, the wine displays powerful aromas of black currant, plum and blueberry. Several more minutes reveal hints of black and white pepper, fennel and rose petal. The palate is full and rich with flavors of black cherry and blackberry, with notes of coriander, thyme and fine leather. The tannins are fine yet firm, with a round, plush texture and a rich, lingering finish – what I would describe as ”full bodied.” Not surprisingly, this is also the most expensive bottle of the day, $70.

After our winetasting, we go to explore.

Dry Creek Vineyard has an Insectary Garden which you can walk through and learn how it is the basis of sustainable agriculture, designed to attract beneficial insects like ladybeetles, bees, ground beetles, hoverflies, minute pirate bugs, lacewings and wasps. The plants provide an environment attractive to natural enemies of crop pests, a natural means of controlling harmful pests like include leafhoppers, spider mites, leafrollers and mealybugs. This natural means of controlling harmful pests also assists beneficial insects in pollination and creates a balanced growing environment, the notes explain. Other animals that are considered beneficial include lizards, spiders, toads and hummingbirds. Beneficial insects are as much as ten times more abundant in insectary gardens.

“In addition to the garden being a beautiful focal point for the winery, our goal is to have this insectary further enhance our sustainable farming practices. Its contribution to a balanced ecosystem in the vineyard will be a key for years to come,” the panel explains.

The list of plants here include black eyed Susan, butterfly weed, California fuchsia, Chinese Fringe Flower, coneflower, Sunflower, Echinacea “Ruby Star”

Other sustainability techniques are described: solar panels help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 tons a year, the equivalent of planting 3,400 trees a year; bluebird houses, bat houses, owl boxes and raptor perches provide specialized housing and shady platform perches to encourage birds of prey to adopt the Dry Creek vineyards as their feeding ground – a natural control for pests such as insects, voles and gophers, without the need for chemical deterrents; a habitat enhancement project provides habitat for endangered Coho and Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout; deficit irrigation uses state of the art equipment to measure specific moisture needs of each individual block of vines, monitor soil conditions and adjust levels of irrigation to conserve water – virtual dry farming; growing cover crops like alfalfa and bell beans between vines to help rebuild depleted soil by increasing the available nitrogen and organic material, while minimizing the need to utilize fertilizer and using special seed blends that flower at different times to attract beneficial insects to help control pest populations.

*Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the pioneers and leaders in sustainable viniculture © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Second generation winery partner Don Wallace, the driving force behind sustainable farming practices at Dry Creek Vineyard, has established Dry Creek Vineyard as a leader in the sustainable agriculture movement in Dry Creek Valley and the industry. The winery and its 185 acres of estate vineyards are 100% certified California Sustainable.

Also among its other notable firsts, Wallace also founded one of the first wine clubs in the U.S. “with a vision of creating a family of wine lovers united in their passion” for handcrafted wines. Events like its recent Holiday Winemaker dinner, where longtime members gather together, help to realize that vision.

Dry Creek has an excellent website that makes it easy to explore the different wine offers, arrange shipping, give as a gift, enroll in their club, or gift a club membership.

Visit 10 am-4 pm. Reservations Recommended.

Dry Creek Vineyard, 3770 Lambert Bridge Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, cheers@drycreekvineyard.com, drycreekvineyard.com.

Art & Nature & Neighborhood

Wine tastings are the perfect metaphor for Sonoma County, where art and nature intertwine just about everywhere you go in the most marvelously energizing, invigorating, vitalizing and inspiring ways.

The towns of Healdsburg and Sonoma are like that – exquisite architecture, history, culture, intrinsically blended together with vineyards, farms and fields, wilderness.

*Porchfest at Sebastopol © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Sonoma is a place of community and festivals. We visit Sebastopol for its fall Porchfest – really a giant multi-blocks party where people’s porches turn into stages for folk and rock music (you feel you have been dropped into the 1960s), the streets are full of art and food stalls and there is just a lot of good will and neighborliness, where people bump into friends and meet new ones.

*Artist Patrick Amiot recycles junk into whimsical sculptures that populate Franklin Avenue in Sebastopol © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

A particular street in Sebastopol, Florence Avenue, is famous for the whimsical sculptures out of recycled junk by artist Patrick Amiot, painted in bright colors by his wife, that decorate just about every home. The Sebastopol Center for the Arts hosts Sonoma County Art Trails – Juried Open Studios – Sebastopol Center for Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol, CA 707-829-4797, SebArts.org

*A family festival at the Bavarian-heritage Tourist Club of San Francisco © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Sonoma is just 30 miles north of San Francisco, and we have a marvelous time at an annual family festival, one of the public events at the otherwise private hiking club that dates from 1912, Tourist Club of San Francisco (we hike to get to it), delightfully Bavarian themed (even beer, pretzels and oompah band and dancing, people in Bavarian dress, and wonderful games (touristclubsf.org).

*A scene that evokes “Sound of Music”: hiking to the Tourist Club of San Francisco for its family festival © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

From there, we hike down a trail into Muir Woods National Park, go through the park and connect with the utterly magnificent Canopy View Trail back up to where we parked.

*Hiking the Canopy Trail from Muir Woods National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Sonoma has some phenomenal state and county parks. One of our favorites is the extraordinary Jack London State Historic Park (also known as Beauty Ranch) in the town of Glen Ellen (which also hosts marvelous street festivals). Beauty Ranch was the famous novelist’s home and ranch where he pioneered and experimented with sustainable farming and ranching techniques. There is an outstanding museum in the stone House of Happy Walls that his wife, Charmian, built in 1919 to serve as a museum after Jack London died (she lived there from 1935 until 1945). We visit the ruins of Wolf House, London’s 26-room dream house (mansion) which was in its final stages of completion when it burned down. We walk the trail to see where Jack London’s ashes are buried in a tiny, totally unpretentious gravesite. On previous visits we have walked trails through the ranch and farm area, through a redwood forest to a small lake.

At Jack London State Historic Park, visit the ruins of Wolf House, London’s 26-room dream house which was in its final stages of completion when it burned down © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The historic park, a national historic landmark, introduces visitors to the historical and natural features of Jack London’s lifestyle, his contribution to American literature (I am inspired to re- read “Call of the Wild” with new perspective and “White Fang”), his efforts to develop and demonstrate sustainable agricultural techniques and his love for the natural environment. There are gorgeous hikes through redwood forest. (2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, 707-938-5216, www.jacklondonpark.com)

*Enjoying the view with a whimsical animal friend at Sonoma Botanical Garden © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Also in Glen Ellen, we discover the Sonoma Botanical Garden, which provides lovely trails through the different ecosystems – California Oaks, Asian Woodlands, Rose Garden, Stewartia Grove, a Nepalese Prayer Flags section (at the summit), terraced lawn, picturesque ponds with Japanese statuary and seating areas. It offers the opportunity to see rare and endangered plants and conservation in action. The paths are lined with whimsical sculptures of animals. (12841 Hwy 12, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, 707-996-3166, info@sonomabg.org, sonomabg.org)

For pampering, there is Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary (a member of the Green spa network), in the historic village of Freestone, on the scenic Bohemian Highway. A gorgeous Japanese-style building and stunning gardens, the spa features the Cedar Enzyme Bath, a therapeutic body treatment from Japan “found nowhere else on this continent.” This is a fermentation bathing ritual where you immerse in a mixture of soft and fragrant ground cedar and rice bran pulsating with enzyme activity to stimulate your metabolism. This warm and stress reducing treatment offers health benefits, from improving circulation to relieving joint and muscle pain, cleansing skin (707-823-8231, osmosis. com).

The spa is just up the road from the incredibly popular Wild Flour Bread and the Freestone Artisan Cheese shops, an amazing artisanal jewelry shop and a farm stand, before making our way up a winding road to an old growth forest where the redwoods rival Muir Woods.

We also visit one of our favorite restaurants, Salt & Stone (9900 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452, 707 623 4125, SaltStoneKenwood.com)

Sonoma County Tourism, 800-576-6662, info@sonomacounty.com, www.sonomacounty.com.

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

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