WTVS News

Archive for July, 2010

Miami is a wild and crazy place filled with endless entertainment and things to do. The city is always alive with lots of energy and activity. Some days it is nice to get out into the unique nature that surrounds this cultural city. Whether by land or sea, you going to have a great time with the local nature.

The Everglades is really special to Florida. There are some Everglade terrain in other gulf states but Florida prides itself on their Everglade Park. To truly appreciate this park your going to want to get a guide. They will be able to point out all that makes this mix of water and land special. There are many endangered species and is highly protected by the state and government.

You can learn some of the less known facts such as that the Everglades is not just swamp land. It is actually a slow moving river that only moves south to west at a quarter mile each day. There are many ways to see the area with hiking, kayaking or by canoe. You want to keep your eyes open for all the birds as well as the fish and other water species. Ask the staff at one of the four star hotels miami has waiting for you about the best tour to take of the Everglades Park.

South Florida is known for so many different attractions. There are the Florida Everglades, largest North American swampland; Fort Lauderdale, home of spring break; and Miami, a city that sometimes can be a literal “Urban Jungle”. While you can bet there is plenty of wildlife you can see along the beaches and inside the clubs in the form of weight-lifters, ladies in the latest fashions, and even the occasional transvestite or drag queen showing off their most eye-catching dresses there is even more interesting wildlife of the animal variety at hand.

Looking for something a little more tame than the Everglades and only a quick drive from the best Miami resorts ? You should definitely check out Monkey Jungle or Parrot Island. On Parrot Island you can watch Macaws and other tropical birds flying free and interacting with the visitors or watch the trained bird shows. Parrot Island is even home to a liger, tiger/lion hybrid, that hold the Guinness Record for “largest cat on earth”. Monkey Jungle is the zoological park that lead the way in the current trend of free range animal parks where visitors are the ones limited by cages, or in this case tour vehicles. Home to approximately 400 apes and monkeys, most are allowed to run free on the 30 acres occupied by the reserve. Monkey Jungle is the only protected primate habitat that allows visits from the general public in the Unites States so not a treat to miss.

Relatively soon, the end of October will be approaching and bringing with it the year’s spookiest holiday, complete with families dressed in child and adult Halloween costumes , walking from house to house, which are, in turn, decorated with fake spider webs and cardboard skeletons and pumpkins carved into Jack O’ Lanterns.

How and when did the custom of Jack O’ Lanterns come to exist? It began centuries ago in Ireland, with a myth about a man known as “Stingy Jack.”

The story tells how Stingy Jack invites the Devil to have a drink with him, but as his name implies, Jack doesn’t want to pay. Instead, he asks the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack might use to make the purchase. When the Devil agrees, Jack changes his mind and keeps the coin beside a silver cross, keeping the Devil from transforming back. Eventually, though, Jack frees the Devil with the condition that he not claim his soul when he dies. Throughout the years, Jack continues to trick the Devil and lives in an unsavory manner.

At the end of Jack’s life, he finds that God doesn’t want to let him into Heaven, and the Devil refuses to let him into Hell. Instead, the Devil sends Jack out into the night with a piece of burning coal.

People from Ireland and Scotland simulated Jack’s fate by carving frightening faces into turnips or potatoes, placing them in windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack . By the time this custom came to America, pumpkins became the favored fruit to ward off wandering spirits like Stingy Jack.

The mile high city is full of incredibly fun and exciting features that contribute to the overall atmosphere and reputation of this great Colorado city. And the Denver Broncos are one of the main passions for residents not only in Denver but throughout the state. Orange crush signs, clothing and other gear is extremely popular across the state and Denver is known as one of the nation’s biggest football oriented cultures. And of course that’s not intended to imply that every person who lives in Denver is a football fan, though undoubtedly a major percentage of the population is. And Invesco Field, popularly known as the Mile High Stadium, is almost always filled to capacity on game days.

Attending a Broncos game is an incredibly exciting event and is even popular for tourists who are staying in one of the best Denver hotels . In addition to being a major part of the city’s culture the Broncos have produced three Pro Football Hall of Fame players, John Elway , Gary Zimmerman and Floyd Little. John Elway is not only famous in Denver but is also one of the most well known and favorite sports stars in American history. He played his entire professional career in Denver, though that did not stop him from being popular with and respected by people from across the nation. He is the most famous quarterback the team has ever had and his career spanned from 1983 to 1998.

Few people ever wonder what they’re going to do when they arrive in Boston. This is due to the fact that Boston is so full of important historic buildings, landmarks and monuments and this is one of the primary reasons people visit the city every year. Check any travel directory and you’ll see that there are numerous contemporary attractions and entertainment options, it’s difficult to imagine visiting every place you would like to rather than trying to decide what there is available. But regardless of why people visit Boston, the city is incredibly vibrant and progress while also remaining attached to its amazing history and the role it played not only in this country’s establishment but also its development. Boston is and always has been a great American city.

So, with that incredible introduction, what all do people do when they visit this New England city? Well, the short answer is that they do a lot. Of course that’s also extremely in-descript. So, a slightly more elaborate answer is that most of the people who visit Boston pay a trip to some of the significant historic landmarks. These include Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church where the historic lantern signals took place. The sight of the famous tea party and the cemetery where Paul Revere was buried are also major stops on the historic landmark tour.

And for people who want a more formalized tour of the historic Boston, that is available too. There are Old Town Trolley Tours that will guide guests staying in the Boston 4 star hotels on a narrated tour of much of the city. The tour is over an hour and a half long and stops include Fenway Park , which is the home of the Boston Red Sox. The Old State House Museum is another popular spot and there are plenty of options for shopping and enjoying some of the city’s fine cuisine along the way.

However you tour Boston, there is a great deal to do and see. And to fully experience the city you will want to combine some of the historic locations with some of the contemporary cultural aspects.

Oyster Bay has an aura that’s impossible to forget, but very difficult to describe. It’s related to the atmosphere of Long Island in general, where there’s the same cosmopolitan perception that exudes from the big boroughs, but something else much stronger. Here, there’s a proximity that’s convenient to big city life, but a decided concentration on creating a local community. It’s also still small enough that the neighborhoods are manageable, and the stress on the other island simply doesn’t exist here.

Visitors, then, have all the benefits of the city’s night life, but can enjoy the hotels Oyster Bay offers with a sense of abandon to the luxury and relaxation. It is certainly very relaxed, most of the time, and for any tension, the beach is right there. There are also initiatives in place that help keep the community tight, and enjoying life here. From the first week in July to the first week in August, the city sponsors a Music Under the Stars series.

Every night, except for Tuesdays and Sundays, they host events at ten different locations. They start at sunset, and the events are marvelously varied. There are talent shows from children in the community, local school bands, and other special events. There are also showings of recent movies that the whole family can enjoy. But the big attraction here is probably the concerts. Their line-ups every year are really rather impressive. Past year’s have seen the likes of the Gin Blossoms, Petula Clark, and Bobby Vinton . In 2010, the stars on show are disco greats like the Tavares, Aisha, and Maxine Nightingale, as well as Gary U.S. Bonds, and the Gatlin Brothers. There are also special tributes, and of course, one of these is to the King of Rock and Roll.