Travel tip: New Mexico’s White Sands now a national park
Travelers who like to visit America’s national parks now have an added destination — White Sands National Park near Alamogordo, N.M. Previously a national monument, the world’s largest gypsum dunes area — covering 275 square miles — was designated the nation’s 62nd national park on Dec. 20, 2019. Visitors will...
Latrobe chamber offers group tour of Ireland
A journey of discovery from Westmoreland County to the Emerald Isle is less than a year away, in the first-ever foreign travel package offered by the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce. There is no limit to the number of chamber and community members who can sign on for...
Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau releases destination guide
If you’ve got some free time and enjoy exploring the Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties region, the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau is releasing a free, 72-page brochure packed full of ideas for everything from winter fun to dining, hiking to history. The bureau’s 2020 Destination Guide serves to promote the...
Massive Harry Potter store to open in New York City
And you thought the books and movies were big. Warner Bros. has announced that the first Harry Potter-themed store — Wizarding World — will open for business in New York City this summer. It’s set to be massive. Located next to the iconic Flatiron building at 935 Broadway, the three-story,...
San Francisco’s Beefeater doorman retires after 43 years
Another bit of old, quirky San Francisco will be no more when Tom Sweeney finally hangs up his white pressed collar and signature Beefeater jacket this weekend after more than four decades of opening doors at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel downtown. Sweeney has taken the luggage of movie stars...
Carnival Cruise Line’s new dress code bans ‘offensive’ clothingVideo
Carnival Cruise Line has expanded its dress code policy to include a ban on “offensive” clothing. The new rules state “items worn during the cruise should not contain any message that may be considered offensive or contain nudity, profanity, sexual innuendo/suggestions,” according to the company’s website. “Clothing/accessories should not promote...
Want to know snow, ice conditions at a Pennsylvania state park? Here’s how
Winter is upon us, and despite the occasional warmup, snow- and ice-related activities are out there. Let’s say you’re in the mood to head out to a nearby Pennsylvania state park for a day of, say, cross-country skiing. How would you check on the conditions? Well, the state has made...
Pa. resorts offering January ‘Learn to Ski and Snowboard’ specials
It’s official: January is “Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month” in Pennsylvania, by a declaration from Gov. Tom Wolf and a proclamation from the state senate. For the entire month, members of the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (SkiPA) are offering special discounts on learn-to-ski packages, encouraging first-timers to hit the...
Headed to Orlando? Check out these 8 new attractions in 2020
Orlando’s theme park enthusiasts may not have new Kylo Ren or Harry Potter-based attractions to look forward to in 2020. But Disney has a not-so-secret weapon: Mickey Mouse. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first-ever ride-through attraction for the iconic rodents, is set to open March 4 at Disney’s Hollywood...
Travel tip: Philly Home Show offers DIY workshops, pet market
Billed as one of the state’s largest such events, the Philly Home Show returns to the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 10-12 and 17-19. In addition to vendors offering everything needed to build or remodel a home and make it livable, inside and out, the show offers such...
Staycation: The Grand Resort in Warren, Ohio
Looking to get away without going far? Consider The Grand Resort in Warren, Ohio — located just outside Youngstown and about an hour northwest of Pittsburgh. It has something for most everyone: fine dining to pub fare, golf, swimming and an array of spa services. The resort is popular for...
Las Vegas: What you will (and one thing you won’t) miss in 2020
Las Vegas is all about the new, but some places disappear, fading away quietly or exiting with a bang. Travelers who have a favorite dining spot in Vegas would do well to check in at Eater Las Vegas’ comprehensive list of 2019 restaurant closures. Here are some of the highlights...
Woman sues TripAdvisor after falling off runaway camel
DEDHAM, Mass. — A woman is suing TripAdvisor after a runaway camel tossed her to the ground during a tour in Morocco. Breanne Ayala, 24, is accusing Massachusetts-based TripAdvisor and its subsidiary Viator of negligence and breach of contract for failing to ensure the camel tour company was operating safely,...
Flight attendants, employees sue Delta Air Lines after new uniforms allegedly cause health problems
More than 500 Delta Air Lines employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against Lands’ End, alleging that the uniforms provided by the clothing company are “toxic” and causing some workers health issues. The new duds worn by thousands of flight attendants and maintenance workers “pose an ongoing, unreasonable risk of...
Carnival cruise ship dumped 5,900 gallons of gray water into the ocean at Port Canaveral
MIAMI — Carnival Corporation again has found itself in the spotlight for pollution, this time for discharging untreated gray water into the ocean while at Port Canaveral. On Thursday morning, while the company’s Carnival Elation cruise ship was docked, a gray water valve “failed and unintentionally discharged gray water from...
Winter is perfect time for Outer Banks oyster roastVideo
The beaches are uncrowded, lodging is cheaper and, for one day, oysters are being roasted outdoors in the Outer Banks. Take an off-season trip to North Carolina for the Hatteras Island Oyster Roast on Saturday, Feb. 1. A fire will warm visitors feasting on fresh oysters, seafood chowder, corn bread...
Travel tip: Keep your car winter-ready with salt, shaving cream
Slow down, increase following distance, steer into a skid — everyone knows these winter driving rules. Here are a few perhaps lesser-known tips from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” for staying safe when you’re on the road in cold and snow: • To prevent snow and ice from sticking, gently rub...
Health officials warn of possible measles exposure at 3 airports after infected traveler’s holiday flights
A person who traveled through multiple U.S. airports during the holidays was infected with measles, officials said. Health officials have warned travelers that an unidentified flier, who contracted measles in Europe in late November or early December, had flown on United Airlines from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas,...
Outer Banks island split by Hurricane Dorian is reformingVideo
Campers and surf anglers have had a hard time accessing the popular North Core Banks — known as Portsmouth Island — since it was cut into pieces by Hurricane Dorian in September. But the sea has been restoring the island and has stitched the pieces back together to create a...
Travel tip: Holiday travel delays more likely at certain airports
From overbooked flights to weather-related complications, holiday air travel can be stressful. AirHelp, a website with information on air passenger rights, says these airports experienced the most disruptions — such as delays, cancellations and overbookings — during Christmas 2018: 1. Chicago O’Hare International Airport 2. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport 3....
White Sands monument re-designated as US national park
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — President Donald Trump’s signature on defense legislation enacted by Congress means White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico is now White Sands National Park. White Sands became the 62nd designated national park Friday with Trump’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020,...
EU top court: Airbnb not subject to real estate agent rules
BRUSSELS — Airbnb scored a big win in its long-standing fight with French hoteliers as the European Union’s highest court rejected Thursday an argument that Airbnb should be subject to the strict rules that govern French real estate agents. The case was submitted by a French court after a major...
Laurel Highlands lands on Travel Lemming’s Top 5 list
What do the Laurel Highlands; Lausanne, Switzerland; Prince Edward Island, Canada; McLaren Vale, South Australia; and Nova Scotia, Canada, have in common? They are the five winners of the travel site TravelLemming.com’s annual Reader Awards, following an online competition among 30 emerging travel destinations on the site’s annual list of...
Travel tip: Visit Santa’s ‘official hometown’ in Rovaniemi, Finland
Where is Santa on the 364 nights of the year when he’s not delivering gifts? At home in Rovaniemi, Finland, the self-proclaimed “Official Hometown of Santa Claus.” Travelers to the remote Arctic Circle city, capital of Finnish Lapland, will find themselves immersed in a winter wonderland where snow falls from...
Travel tip: Kennedy Space Center planning ‘Holidays in Space’ event
If your December travel plans includes a trip to Florida, stop at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island for Holidays in Space. This year, the annual event harks back to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space missions of the 1960s. Guests will enter the complex through an...
