Sunday, September 23, 2007
Maker’s Mark opens
a new visitor center
LORETTO, Ky. — The bourbon company Maker’s Mark is opening a new $2.5 million visitor center.
The Loretto distillery now gets 70,000 visitors each year for its free tours and it hopes to triple that number with the new center, according to The Courier-Journal of Louisville.
The Maker’s Mark distillery is a National Historic Landmark, and the company was careful to protect the appearance when it expanded the tourism facilities.
Inside the rack house, sofas and bar stools are scattered across a sunken lounge that was patterned after the Maker’s Mark bar at 4th Street Live in Louisville.
Take a trip with Tauck
NEW YORK — If you’d like to take a trip to see fall foliage but prefer to leave the driving to others, Tauck World Discovery offers tours of New England and Canada as well as Michigan and Colorado.
Tauck trips range from seven to 14 days, and run from $1,990 to $4,040.
Details at www.tauck.com or (800) 468-2825.
The Connecticut-based company has been offering upscale motorcoach tours since 1925.
Circle Line logo to last
a little longer in N.Y.
NEW YORK — The ferries that take sightseers to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are keeping their familiar Circle Line logo a little longer.
The handover of the boats to new operator Statue Cruises LLC has been postponed from Oct. 2 to Jan. 1, the National Park Service announced.
The new switch date will allow the companies to implement their transition during the chilly months, when fewer tourists brave the icy weather to wait in line for the ferries and visit Liberty and Ellis islands, the NPS said in a release.
Hornblower Yachts Inc., the California-based owner of Statue Cruises, has plans to reduce wait times and offer free podcasts and multimedia presentations on immigrant history when it takes over the service.
Tourists currently wait on a first-come, first-served basis for security screening and a spot on a ferry. With the new system, visitors will be able to make reservations for specific departure slots, print tickets at home and then arrive at a set time 30 to 60 minutes before their embarkation.
Circle Line held the job, one of the most lucrative concession contracts in the national park system, for more than a half-century. The ferry route brought in more than $35 million from 4.2 million passengers in 2005.
‘Harvest Moon Ball’:
a weekend of dance
Way before “Dancing With the Stars” swept America off its feet, ballroom dancing held center stage at The Osthoff Resort during its annual “Harvest Moon Ball” getaway, this year slated for Oct. 26-28.
The weekend’s dance card lists the Howard Schneider Big Band on Friday night and the Bob Kuether Band on Saturday night, plus ballroom lessons Saturday taught by dance pro Beverly Projansky.
Both beginners and experienced hoofers are welcome.
The “Harvest Moon Ball” package starts at $469 per couple, plus tax and tips, including accommodations, Saturday night dinner, Sunday breakfast buffet, receptions, evening dances and most dance instruction.
An advanced class in the American Tango and The Hustle costs an additional $25 per couple.
The Osthoff Resort is in southeast Wisconsin on the shores of Elkhart Lake, about three hours from Chicago.
For more information, call (800) 876-3399 or visit www.osthoff.com.
Combined dispatches