Maryland releases updated guide

Maryland releases updated guide

BALTIMORE — A new edition of a map-guide to 41 places and programs related to the Underground Railroad in Maryland is now available in the state’s 11 Welcome Centers.

The guide, “The Underground Railroad: Marylands Network to Freedom,” describes places where you can learn about the personal stories of slaves who tried to outrun slave catchers and civil authorities in the decades before the Civil War.

All of the sites in the Maryland guide are associated with the National Park Services National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, a program mandated by Congress in 1998.

Copies of the guide are also available through the Maryland Office of Tourism Web site, www.visitmaryland.org, or by calling (800) 719-5900.

San Diego County attraction plans hotel

CARLSBAD, Calif. — San Diego County’s Legoland theme park is seeking permission to build a Lego-themed hotel outside its gates.

The park’s British-based owners, the Merlin Entertainment Group Inc., says it will ask Carlsbad’s planning commission to approve a change to the amusement park’s parking requirement, among other preliminary steps to construction, the North County Times reported.

The 250-room hotel would replace an recreational vehicle parking lot next to the park’s main entrance.

The hotel, which would have Lego building block-themed rooms, would follow last year’s addition of an aquarium at the amusement park site.

Park spokeswoman Beth Downing says it is all part of an effort to keep visitors at the attractions for multiple days.

Callaway Gardens offers free admission

PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A west Georgia resort is opening its gates free of charge for the next two months.

Guests at Callaway Gardens won’t have to shell out the $13 admission for adults and $6.50 ticket for children until March, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Gardens spokeswoman Rachel Crumbley said the move is to give visitors a little extra padding in their pocketbooks as the nation’s economic slumps worsens.

Callaway Gardens opened in 1952 as a five-mile scenic drive.

Today it is a sprawling resort with a golf course, rental cottages, miles of walking trails and acres of lush gardens.

Philadelphia museum receives ‘Big’ piano

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia museum has received a musical gift for children and “Big” kids alike.

The 16-foot piano Tom Hanks walked on in his 1988 film “Big” will be on display this month at the city’s Please Touch Museum.

The instrument is a gift to the children’s museum from a couple in suburban Merion who bought it after the movie’s release.

In the movie, Hanks and actor Robert Loggia jump on the giant piano and play a duet of tunes that included “Chopsticks.”

It was built in Philadelphia by Remo Saraceni who called his invention a Walking Piano.

Associated Press