Huffington Post | At least 135 new attractions are coming to America's theme parks this summer, a trade industry group says, with new roller coasters, water rides and a Legoland among the highlights.
The thrill rides and attractions will touch 24 states and more than 50 theme parks, museums and other destinations represented by the IAAPA, an industry group representing more than 4,000 members.
This morning, T+L's digital projects editor, Sarah Spagnolo, launched a new series on the Weather Channel, Get Up and Go with Al Rocker. Twice a month, we'll feature weekend getaways from a U.S. city. First up: Miami.
Just an hour and 40 minute drive west of Miami, the Everglades is a 1.5 million acre National Park on the southern tip of Florida—it’s the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. WHERE TO STAYIvey House Inn, a modern eco-lodge that dates back to the 1920’s, when outdoorsmen came to the area to build the Tamiami Trail (the 275-mile route is still a great road trip). PRICE Less than $200 a night.
Austin’s
roots rock veterans the Gourds are no strangers to the road. For seventeen
years they’ve toured the U.S. and abroad with their sweet and spicy brand of
southern country-blues-rock. With a new record out, Old Mad Joy,
and a whopping nine other studio albums under their belt, the band shows no
signs of slowing down. The Old Mad Joy tour takes the Texans
from San Francisco to Philadelphia and dozens of towns in between. Frontman
Kevin “Shinyribs” Russell calls the live show “kind of a cross between a
revival, a house party, a pep rally and a pow wow.” We connected with the guys
to ask about their time on tour and tips for would-be road warriors.
Q: You hail from Austin, which has been an indie hotbed for
some time now (here’s looking at you, SXSW). Have you noticed a shift in the
city’s music scene over the course of your careers?
A: Yes,
the scene has been constantly changing for decades now. The biggest change has
come from the economic boom of the last 15 years; dot com bubble/high tech
expansion and real estate bubble. Also the focus of the city on encouraging
downtown residential occupancy and a ridiculous sound ordinance has transformed
live music into a migratory population in search of affordable leases and
appropriate neighborhoods. The musicians and service workers sort of gravitate
nearer to these places. So, lots of them are now in east Austin. The styles
have become much more diverse and the talent level much more exceptional.
The Bollywood blockbuster of the summer, Zindagi Na Milegi
Dobara(You Only Live Once) is a cinematic love letter to Spain, following
three buddies on an epic bachelor trip that takes them from Barcelona to
Seville and beyond. But lest you jump to the inevitable comparisons, the Indian Hangover it is not—ZNMD (as it's now called) has a lot less raunch, a lot more soul, and plenty of beautifully shot musical sequences.
For megastars Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, and Abhay
Deol, filming was an epic adventure all its own—they spent three months on the
road and even re-created Buñol’s famed Tomatina festival (with 16 tons of tomatoes!)
and the running of the bulls, in Pamplona. Granted, these events don’t appear in
the film in chronological order, but this is Bollywood after all, so defying logic goes
with the territory—especially if it creates scenarios "ripe" for spectacular
song-and-dance productions.
The holy month of Ramadan, which involves fasting from sunrise to sunset for 30 days, began on Monday. While this may sound grueling, most Muslims have created their own cultural ways to celebrate. But a pair of New Yorkers have managed to come up with one of the most quintessentally American ways yet: a road trip, of course!
