At first glance, sightseeing itinerants on Sunshine State getaway won’t believe Ripley’s Believe it or Not’s oddly off-kilter Orlando Odditorium isn’t slipping into a Florida sinkhole! Once you’re convinced it’s a clever illusion, move inside-if you dare-and embark on a self-guided, self-paced tour of 16 intriguing galleries filled with unexpected, original objets d’art, unique menageries, authentic artifacts, and rare-to-repulsive treasures from around the globe, with all displays inspired by legendary artist, entrepreneur and founder Robert Ripley’s unbelievable personal collections of natural and man-made oddities obtained on his fantastic lifetime of expedition to over 200 countries! The 10,000 square foot museum, open 365 days a year, is chock full of unconventional exhibits, many interactive, of the strange and outrageous; sights, sounds and illusions sure to engage the inquiring mind beyond comfortable limits, satisfy any craving for the weird and unusual and taunt, terrify and maybe even trip a gag reflex or two! From the mild: a balloon powered chair that flew up and away over the Rocky Mountains, a Rolls Royce built entirely of matchsticks and a portrait of Beyonce crafted from candy, to the wild: a seven legged sheep, a genuinely gruesome shrunken human head, a Medieval Torture Chamber filled with terrifying implements, eerily lifelike wax figures and scores of creepy curiosities that must remain undisclosed – the element of surprise is part of the fun – a tour of Orlando’s most bizarre attraction may not be what you expected, might inspire freakish nightmares, but will definitely give you and your travel companions something to talk about for the remainder of your trip, Believe It or Not!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > Orlando Tours

You and your group on Orlando escape have been soaking up the sun, playing in the sand and exploring the local scene, big time, ever since landing; you’re down to just a day or two of vacation left and it’s your turn to choose the evening’s fare. You’re determined to wow your travel companions with entertainment unlike any they’ve experienced so far; why not choose the royal treatment at none other than King Alphonso’s table? Guests partake of a fine, four-course ringside feast at Kissimmee Castle, Orlando, where serving serfs and wenches attend your every need while you dine on a splendid traditional repast. The kicker? No silverware allowed! The popular Kissimmee, FL dinner theatre and tournament attraction is the flagship location, open since 1983; the arena seats 1100 guests and offers exciting traditional Medieval performances every evening, featuring thrilling competition between 6 dashing and daring Knights of the Realm. The show begins with a greeting from the beloved King and his lovely daughter, Princess Esperanza; obedient guests support their Knight’s colors as he participates in an array of thrilling events of the day – such as falconry, jousting, ring piercing and foot combat – by donning a color-coded crown; enthusiastic cheering and boisterous booing is heartily encouraged-demanded, even! Be sure to tour the Village outside Kissimmee Castle to complete your Medieval Experience, where you will discover an intriguing collection of period crafts, tools and… authentic torture devices! Feeling social after the show? Keep the torch of Dark Age ambiance alive and burning with a stop in at the Knight’s Club, for a truly Royal meet-and-mingle!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > Orlando Tours

“Titanic, The Experience!” Is there anything about a guided tour of this legendary, ill-fated cruise ship that WOULDN’T appeal to a group of  romantic historians on Orlando holiday? Upon arrival at this fabulously recreated exhibition-don’t forget your jacket-you are whisked back in time  and slapped by a chilly blast of Arctic air as you step aboard; you are now a passenger on Titanic and your time travel begins! Venture out on your own, or accompany remarkably trained actors resplendent in fine period dress along an hour’s tour of an astonishing array of hundreds of authentic ship artifacts and displays, all housed in Premier Exhibitions’ 17 gallery, 20,000 square foot interactive Titanic museum. Fabulous full-scale recreations abound: stroll the elegant Promenade Deck as you scan the horizon and steal a peek inside a luxurious First Class Cabin. Imagine whooshing down the Grand Staircase dressed in the style and splendor of the day or ponder taking your afternoon tea with “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” in the charming Veranda Café. In the Underwater Room, you will marvel at an 8’ scale replica of lost-at-sea Titanic, as she now lies, the tragically famous ghost ship evermore, deep beneath the chilly waters of the unforgiving Atlantic.  Perhaps your seagoing group wishes to dine with the Captain, mingling and conversing with famous guests, reveling in all the period merriment and splendor of the Ship? Reserve your place Fridays at the “First Class Dinner Event,” and experience to the last, perfect detail the night she embarked on her maiden voyage! Saturdays, the “Titanic Dinner Event” celebrates the stalwart Captain’s retirement that fateful eve in April with an amazing cast of notable passengers – dance and dine the night away in grandest fashion right up to the moment the great ship meets the iceberg!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > Orlando Tours

Your tour group is a trendy blend of movie buffs, celebrity spotters and hotspot seekers; big-time, big-shot fun is your expedition’s focus. Universal, Orlando, the world’s premier movie theme park housing a real, working production facility takes you beyond the big screen and behind the scenes, and plops you smack-dab the midst of all the action you’d ever care to order up! With dozens of mind-blowing,  ultra-fantastic movie, cartoon and television themed, state-of-the-art 4-D attractions and rides to experience, over 50 great restaurants (character dining options abound!)  and a fabulous selection of casual to classy, glitzy to ritzy  shops and  countless themed attractions  Universal Orlando offers a great escape and big screen entertainment  genres to appeal to everyone of every age in your group. Men In Black Alien Attack pulls you right into an action-packed REAL alien shoot–out! “Twister, Ride it Out” –the name speaks for itself! Will you survive ferocious F-5 winds as you’re battered with flying debris, like…trucks and road signs? Slip behind the screen and see just what goes into-and comes out of-those hideously terrifying monstrosities you know and love to fear-Universal Orlando’s “Horror Make-up Show” provides an interactive experience you won’t soon forget! Does fear leave you famished? Grab a great burger at Hard Rock Café Or Mel’s Diner, or go full service with casually elegant Lombard’s Seafood Grill, the park’s flagship waterfront restaurant, where you may watch the uncatch of the day swimming with grateful abandon in an elegant restaurant aquarium while you enjoy the freshest seafood menu around!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > Orlando Tours

Venerable space historians and die-hard sci-fi fans alike will want to make sure their travel group’s agenda includes a visit to iconic Kennedy Space Center in sunny Orlando, Florida: Home and hub of incredible projects, thrilling experiment and discovery, every manned space mission and the main stage for American space adventure on the FL Coast since 1962; come see history in the making! Stroll through the fascinating  Rocket Garden: learn about the historic space program and view or even step aboard a few of the retired vehicles that hurtled through darkness in the early days of space exploration. A Maximum Access Pass buys your group an unforgettable foray into NASA’s operational facilities, launch headquarters, visitor complex exhibits and admission to shows, magnificent IMAX movies and the stirring  U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. For the ultimate Kennedy Space Center experience, upgrade to a “Space Pass” featuring an exclusive Discover KSC Today and Tomorrow  tour and lunch with an astronaut, who will answer all aspiring space travelers’ questions as well as provide fascinating insight into “a day in the life.” Don’t forget to drop by Space Store for an out of this world souvenir or two; Kennedy Space Center is an awe-inspiring attraction you and your group won’t want to miss!

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > Orlando Tours

Caravans of summer sun and fun seekers on Atlanta escapades will want to incorporate a refreshing splash-fest at Six Flags White Water park into their Peach State agenda! In 2012, this 69-acre water park located northwest of Atlanta hosted 505,000 visitors, grabbing it the #12 spot on the list of top water parks in North America. An exciting variety of popular and unique thrills, family and kiddie rides and attractions treat waterdogs of all ages and propensities to a rip-roaring summer cool-off session; Thursday nights, June 12 through July 31st, new Special Feature “Dive In Movies” afford late-night pool partiers the best seat in the “Atlanta Ocean” – catch a flick while you float beneath the stars! Plenty of snack shacks and food carts tender famished floaters and tired tubers a plethora of refueling options-pizza and pretzels, nachos,  funnelcakes, foot long corn dogs, burgers and chili cheese fries, Chinese and Mexican, smoothies and waffle cones-feast til you can feast no more! Whatever you do, don’t go home without a souvenir or two- surely, someone back home will wish they’d come along on your wet and wild Six Flags White Water extravaganza!

After the wild success of his original Six Flags park in Texas, founder Angus Wynne began his quest for the ideal location for a second park and ultimately settled on a parcel of land situated along the Chattahoochee River just west of the sunny Peach State city of Atlanta. In 1964, the new entertainment complex broke ground and in 1967, the 290-acre theme park opened – replete with a supporting cast of popular cartoon and super hero characters – and Six Flags became the first multi-gate theme park operator in the United States. Groups of die-hard adrenaline junkies and coasterheads on Atlanta excursion jonesing for the ultimate terror tear  to break up a “safe” itinerary of feasting, shopping and sightseeing need look no further than Six Flags Over Georgia for an outrageous roundup of the most heart-pounding, hair-whipping, stomach-dumping rides-some of the fastest, tallest and wildest in the country. A complete range of tamer rides and quintessential “family” entertainment caters to those less intrepid types tagging along to keep them out of your hair while you feed your need for speed and crush your crave for crazy; a smorgasbord of fun, classic choices- All-American fare, healthy snacks, delectable sweets and a “world” of culinary delights – ensure foodies their perfect fuel. Word to the adventurous grasshopper: ride first, eat later! Don’t forget to grab a souvenir or two before you call it a day; you’ll find an awesome assortment of merchandise, memorabilia and fun ride photo ops for a perfectly personalized commemoration of your group’s Six Flags Over Georgia adventure.

No Peach State hiatus would be complete without a visit to Atlanta’s wonderful Sweet Auburn District, a mile-and-a-half long historic neighborhood concentrated along Auburn Avenue, just east of bustling Downtown Atlanta-an area rich with the history, heritage and achievements of Atlanta’s prominent black citizens. Wander and explore the streets where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born and raised and where many African Americans established flourishing businesses, congregations, and social organizations despite enforced restrictions of the day. The six-square block, traditionally black neighborhood housed Atlanta’s affluent and educated African American community from the turn of the century through the ‘60s; today, it is home to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site which includes a captivating visitor’s center allowing guests to explore MLK’s crucial role in the Civil Rights movement, the restored King Birth Home, burial sites of the beloved Dr. and his wife, the Ebenezer Baptist Church Museum, where he co-pastored with his father and the International Walk of Fame – an interactive memorial created from the bronzed footprints of influential Civil Rights activists. Hungry historians will be delighted to find an authentic taste of the old South at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market – one of Atlanta’s premier farmer’s markets since 1918, tendering health-conscious shoppers fresh produce, meats and dairy from local and organic farms as well as classic Southern delights from Sweet Auburn Barbecue. Annually, a vibrant neighborhood arts community hosts Springfest – the South’s largest African-American heritage festival – and the National Black Arts Festival which attracts nearly 500,000 people over the course of an exciting, three-day celebration.

Exploring America > U.S. Cities > Atlanta Tours

This magnificent institution, founded in 1905 and located in Midtown Atlanta’s vibrantly diverse arts and business district,  houses a fabulous display of more than 14,000 prominent multi-genre works of art include important 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, decorative, modern and contemporary art , African and Folk art and fine photography. Its permanent assemblage includes works by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Claude Monet, Martin Johnson Heade, Dorothea Lange, Clarence John Laughlin, and Chuck Close; in 1929, 29 Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculptures from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation were donated, establishing the elegant core of the High Museum of Art’s European art collection. Notable highlights of the Kress benefaction include Tiepolo’s Roman Matrons Making Offerings to Juno, Giovanni Bellini’s Madonna and Child and Tommaso del Mazza’s Madonna and Child with Six Saints. The High places special emphasis on supporting and collecting pieces by Southern self-taught artists, such as Howard Finster, and showcases a contextual installation of sculpture and paintings from his Paradise Gardens. Visitors wishing to dine at the High are treated to menus from CJ’s Coffee Cart, High Café-serving fresh cafeteria fare and Table 1280-a full service restaurant featuring local, farm-to-fork offerings for everyone to enjoy.

When your adult group visits Baltimore, you should check out a game at the Baltimore Oriole Ballpark. It became the official home of the Baltimore Orioles on April 6, 1992. The location is close to several attractions including the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum. Visitors can enjoy a game and purchase souvenirs as part of the experience.

 

In the course of the visit, group members will have the opportunity to walk around the ballpark. You will see areas such as the club level suites, the press level and the Baltimore Orioles dugout. Visitors will learn about how the park has continued to change the baseball fan’s experience since it opened in 1992. The group will also be treated to a historical perspective of the Camden Yards area which includes the ballpark and surrounding area. Group members will learn about the history of the B and O Railroad, Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor and baseball legend Babe Ruth.

 

The B and O Warehouse is a landmark located beyond right field. It is the longest building on the East Coast. The eight story building provides unique office space for the Orioles and other tenants. A 432-foot home run drive will reach the Warehouse if it hugs the right field line.

 

The group will also have the opportunity to visit the Orioles Legends Park. There are six larger-than-life bronze sculptures of the six greatest Orioles of all-time. There are individuals such as Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. The sculptures range from seven to eight feet in scale.