Times Square Visitors Center n NYC Free Attractions

The newly renovated Times Square Visitor Center in New York City now includes a free mini-museum with unique exhibits that tell the story of Times Square.

Not only that, there's a fun display featuring the New Year’s Eve Centennial Ball and confetti Wishing Wall, Broadway theater memorabilia, and peep show booths with videos on the history of Times Square.

Housed in the landmarked Embassy Theater, which was the world’s first newsreel theater, the Visitor Center is a one-stop shop for tourists and New Yorkers to buy tickets to Broadway shows, or get information about the TKTS Discount Ticket Center nearby.

(You can read more about introducing kids to live theatre at this review.)

Also, at the Visitors Center, families can book a Gray Line/Circle Line bus or boat sightseeing tour, pick-up free brochures on city attractions from NYC & Company, and get a free map of Times Square from the Times Square Alliance.

The Visitor Center is located at 1560 Broadway.  Enter on 7^th Avenue between West 46^th Street and West 47^th Street.  It is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 8am to 8pm.  For more information, visit www.TimesSquareNYC.org.

The Beatles 50th Anniversary Celebrated in Hamburg

On August the 17th 1960, The Beatles played their very first concert at Hamburg, Germany's music club Indra.That club, like most of the city's music scene then and now, was located on the infamous Reeperbahn that coursed through the Red Light District.

Since the 50th anniversary in August 2010 of that momentous performance, the city of Hamburg has been celebrating The Beatles` very first concert and the band`s exceptional contribution to the history of pop music.

It is said the band began what came to be called the `Hamburg Sound` with 281 gigs played over 2 1/2 years. These live shows laid the foundation for their enormous, worldwide popularity and a decades-long career.

Hamburg has a lot of family-friendly attractions for the visiting family, and even the refreshed Reeperbahn, once the center of illicit after-hours activity, has become a must-see destination.

This fun video chronicles some of the Beatles honorary events that took place in Hamburg, Germany, where many monuments to their career still exist.. 

Disneyland Hotel Suite for Winners & Princesses Only

Imagine laying your heads down in the Disneyland Dream Suite in Disneyland Park and watching the nightly fireworks from a private balcony. Any family of four interested in a surprise trip to southern California on Southwest may want to enter this sweepstakes.

In addition to winning airfare, plus a 3N stay and a 4D park Hopper ticket, you will be able to spend one of those nights in the beautiful and wildly themed Disneyland Dream Suite located above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride  (see below).

As part of your one-night stay in the suite, experience 24-hour concierge service, select food and beverages, and so much more. The morning following your stay, the whole family can enjoy a Character Breakfast with beloved Disney Characters at the Plaza Inn.

This suite is fit for royalty, and it can all be yours for the night by entering the Southwest Airlines Vacations Disneyland Dream  Suite Getaway!  For complete details, and to enter this sweepstakes, visit: http://www.southwestvacations.com/dreamsuite

Some of the fine print:
Enter by March 31, 2011 for a chance to win a Southwest Airlines Vacations package for four to the Disneyland Resort and a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite, which includes:

• Roundtrip flight via Southwest Airlines to Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT), Orange County (SNA), or Burbank (BUR), CA
• One-night stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite at Disneyland Park
• Two-night stay at a Disneyland Resort Hotel
• Concierge service and welcome basket at the chosen Disneyland Resort Hotel
• $500 Disney Gift Card
• Four-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Tickets
• Full-size car rental for four days

Please note that travel dates must be from October 14, 2011 through October 17, 2011. Good luck!

Traverse City Serves Flights of Easter Chocolate with Wine

Where does spring arrive in May and summer end in August?  Michigan. With so little good weather, this state just loves to host festivals and weather themed events. We've heard that April, the month most people associate with spring, is known to local residents as “mud season.” But in Traverse City, they make the most of it by celebrating a more fun kind of mud: chocolate. Here's an event that's well suited to a family vacation with those hard-to-convince-to-come-along college kids who are home for a break.

The third annual Traverse City Chocolate Festival is being held April 10 at Traverse City, Michigan’s historic City Opera House. Participants can sample offerings from the region’s chocolatiers and chefs, choose wine pairings, and fill their Easter baskets by doing some chocolate-themed shopping. 

“It’s a celebration of all things chocolate,” says Barbara Disborough, author of "The Guide to Chocolate in the Grand Traverse Region," who is organizing the Traverse City Chocolate Festival. 

The region's involvement in chocolate confections dates back to the 1880's when a local shipbuilder began selling his homemade chocolate fudge to tourists on Mackinac Island. (You can read more about making your kids 'fudge judges' in this Mackinac Island Family Vacation blog.)

But whatever its origins, chocolate seems to fire the locals' imagination and consume their daily caloric intake.

“It’s kind of bizarre that all this is happening here in little old Traverse City,” conceded restaurateur Phil Murray, of the Traverse City bistro, Phil’s on Front (pictured above.) Phil's on Front features a "chocolate lounge" where handcrafted chocolates are paired with wines and spirits, including several variations on the ever-popular chocolate martini. Kids under 21 can enjoy the chocolate to go selection.

The Traverse City Chocolate Festival takes place April 10 from 1pm - 4pm; admission is $15 in advance and includes all tastings, live entertainment, comedians and an Easter Egg Hunt. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to their web site at www.gtChocolateLady.com.  

Of course there's more than a day's worth of activity in this popular resort area, even if it's Mud Season.
For more information on chocolate-makers and other culinary artists in the Traverse City area, and for information about lodging and dining choices and other activities, contact the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau or call them at 800/872-8377.

Cheap Flights to Haneda - Tokyo's Hip New Nearby Airport

The buzz in Tokyo is about the new Haneda Airport, the former domestic-only Tokyo airport that began receiving international flights a few months ago. Among the 13 international destinations connected directly to Haneda, three US (American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines) and two Japanese (Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways) carriers serve non-stop routes from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Honolulu and New York's JFK Airport.

What really counts for now:  ANA, Delta, JAL and other airlines and tour operators are introducing special rates and air - hotel - transportation packages in honor of the new route. 

In addition to value, here are 7 good reasons to fly into Haneda instead of the long popular Narita.

• Haneda is more conveniently located for most tourists to Japan, because it's near the heart of Metropolitan Tokyo.
• On arrival, instead of investing in a whopper taxi bill or waiting for a group bus, you  can hop on the futuristic Tokyo Monorail, which provides a bird's-eye view of Tokyo Bay as you travel to Hamamatsucho Station in just 13 minutes.
• Using the monorail is quick, easy, fun and green, because it's powerwed by solar energy
• Haneda provides the easiest access to continuing domestic travel within Japan without any inter-airport transit time.
• It's new and traveler-friendly with fun attractions and shops, like a cool observation deck
• Haneda has the world's first airport planetarium, Starry Café Planetarium, where you can eat and watch 40 million stars.
• The airport's 4th floor Edo Market is designed like Old Tokyo with narrow alleys and stores offering Japanese souvenirs, crafts, noodles and more.

Visit JapanTravelInfo's Haneda Specials for more information and discounts offered by various airlines flying this new route.

Huge Zipline Straddles Ohio - Fun and Educational Adventure

Ozone Zipline Adventures is the largest zip line canopy tour in the Midwest and it’s getting bigger. This April, Ozone will open two 1,500-foot-long lines which will be 200 feet above the Little Miami River.

“Each 1,500-foot-long line is longer than any single line on our existing course," said Jeff Merhige, Executive Director of YMCA Camp Kern which operates Ozone Zipline Adventures. YMCA Camp Kern, located just outside Cincinnati, Ohio, was founded as “Camp Ozone” in 1910 by Carl B. Kern on the shores of the Little Miami River.

The Ozone Zipline Adventures project is unusual because it is nestled alongside The Little Miami State and National Scenic River in Southwest Ohio, a hub of outdoor activities such as the Little Miami Bike Trail and  Morgan’s Canoe Livery and Fort. It is directly across from the North Watch of Fort Ancient, a world-renowned historical site that encompasses an enormous network of earthen mounds built by American Indians nearly 2,000 years ago. (There's a museum where you can learn more.) And of course Cincinnati is packed with fun family activities for all ages.

The combination of natural surroundings and sites (see the Google Maps image above) makes for a scenic, educational and adventurous fly-over. In fact, most of the out-of-town guests attracted by the current zipline have stayed overnight, says Merhige, and added canoeing, a visit to the Kings Island theme park or other attractions to their vacation.

What was already a fun day's outing is getting bigger and 'funner'. The first 1,500-foot-long line will start at the top of Ozone Tower, a multilevel platform tower where all tours begin. The zip line will connect to a platform on a designated tree on the Fort Ancient side of the river. From this platform, riders will connect to the second 1,500-foot-long zipline and zip back across the river.

The new lines will allow Ozone Zipline Adventures to offer three, hands-free, guided tours beginning April 1, 2011. The “Traditional Tour” will include seven zip lines and seven sky bridges. The new “River Tour” will include nine zip lines, nine sky brides and the nature trail. The new “Extended Tour” will include 11 zip lines, nine sky bridges and the nature trail. Educational displays about the area run throughout the tour.

Parents should note that riders must be at least 10-years old and weigh at least 80 lbs. because proper fit of the harness, gear and helmet is essential for safety.  All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian on the tour.  Reservations are required, so plan ahead as the season is April 1 through December 12, 2011, seven days a week  (weather permitting).

The three-hour Zipline Adventure package costs $79/rider. Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year, kids under 16 pay only $40 per child. Military members and their families can take $10 off. For more information visit www.ozonezips.org or call 513-932-3756.  For local area hotel packages, check in with Warren County Tourism Bureau.