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Top 5 Dream Days of 2018, On the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
In November, I visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with my friend, Dan, a great admirer and collector of bourbon. We toured 5 distilleries during our time in Kentucky Bourbon Country. We really enjoyed the tasting at Heaven Hill (where we purchased coveted Old Fitzgerald 14-year-old bottles to bring home) and doing the hard hat tour at the 1930s industrial complex still in use at Buffalo Trace. Yet, it was hard to top our visit to Wild Turkey in serene bluegrass country outside Lawrenceburg. One look at those rickhouses blackened on the outside from evaporation and you can sense the history. In fact, a distillery has been operating at this same site since 1869. We had a wonderful guide, Edwina, who showed us the whole process of making bourbon, from seeing the mash bills and fermentation tanks to walking inside one of those old rickhouses and eyeing all those barrels stacked to the ceiling. Outside, the rolling hills led to a bridge over the Kentucky River and the countryside was aflame in late fall foliage.
Marriott Marquis Set to Open in Washington, DC On May 1st
Fans of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York, will want to know that a new Marriott Marquis will make its debut in the nation’s capital on May 1st. Minutes from the National Mall, the $520-million, four-star property will house 1,175 rooms, five restaurants and bars, and a state-of-the-art bi-level fitness center. To celebrate the opening, the hotel is offering a number of deals for folks visiting DC this spring and summer. From June 1 through September 1, Marriott Marquis is offering a Summer Weekends Deal that promises 40% off 2-night stays and 50% off 3-night stays. Reservations must be purchased in advance and include a Friday and/or Saturday overnight. 2-night stays start at $108 per night, with 3-night stays starting at $90 a night. This summer is an exciting time in DC with the debut of the CityCenterDC, a $700-million luxury retail center that The New York Times dubbed the “Rockefeller Center of DC.” Visitors can cool down from shopping with a stroll through the “American Cool” exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery (through September), or the Degas and Cassatt display at the National Gallery of Art, which will be the only US stop for the blockbuster show.
Whitewater Rafting in West Virginia
Five hours west of Washington, DC, in the heart of West Virginia, families go whitewater rafting on West Virginia’s New River. Bordered on both shores by lush oak, hickory, and black cherry trees, this Class III-IV waterway cuts through a gorge of sandstone, shale, and coal, bumping into rapids with names like Surprise and Greyhound Bus Stopper. Minimum age is 10 years old. The truly intrepid rafter should take their chances on West Virginia’s Upper Gauley. This adrenaline-pumping Class V run drops 650 feet over a twenty-seven mile course. Located in Beckley, West Virginia, on the New River Gorge, Class VI-Mountain River has been taking shrieking families down the rivers of West Virginia since 1978. They also offer canopy tours and lodging in cabins.
Botswana, Villas in Europe, and Family Trips to New York in October ActiveTravels Newsletter
There was a moment on our second day of safari in Botswana where our guide, Kebby, spotted a leopard. We drove up to a leafless tree where this exquisite animal was perched on a branch, looking intently at the impalas nibbling on grass in the distance. We all grabbed our cameras and binoculars to take in the spectacular sight. After 15 minutes, I was ready to move on, but our guide stayed put. Giraffes passed by, an elephant came close to the land cruiser, startled to find us there, and the leopard moved to another branch. At last, the leopard jumped off the tree and sauntered away in the tall grass.