Thomas Edison and Henry Ford: The original American road-trippers
Author Jeff Guinn of Fort Worth, Texas, has written acclaimed biographies about some really bad dudes: Charles Manson, Jim Jones and Clyde Barrow. And, oh yeah, the guys at the O.K. Corral. To be fair, Guinn is also the author of “The Autobiography of Santa Claus,” which launched his career...
Tourist may have brought measles to Southern California
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A New Zealand teenager who visited Disneyland and other Southern California tourist spots last week brought along more than just her luggage. She brought measles. Public health officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties issued a warning Friday that people may have been exposed to the...
TSA: What not to bring on a planeVideo
From hammers to hatchets, miniature baseball bats to tire irons, camping forks to cat-eye knuckles, Transportation Security Administration agents have seen it all. And agents have probably confiscated it as well. Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the TSA, said as the number of travelers increases, so does the number of...
Travel tip: Living history train ride portrays Civil War clash
Experience the thrills and chills of a Civil War-era skirmish aboard a train on a Northern Central Railway Steam Into History trip. Five Great Southern Train Raid excursions will depart the station in New Freedom, York County, on Aug. 24-25 for a living history ride featuring Union and Confederate soldiers...
‘Chernobyl’ miniseries sends curious tourists to Lithuania
An HBO miniseries featuring Soviet-era nuclear nightmares has sparked global interest in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and boosted tourism in Lithuania. The Baltic country, which served as the filming location for “Chernobyl,” has become a destination of so-called atomic tourism since the program aired earlier this year. At Ignalina nuclear...
Security screener at NY airport fired after slipping ‘you ugly’ note to passengerVideo
A two-word note has gotten a New York airport security worker canned after it was given to a passenger. Neal Strassner, who says he regularly travels through the Greater Rochester International Airport, told NBC News that a security guard handed him a torn piece of paper with “You ugly!!!” scribbled...
Virgin Galactic reveals futuristic outpost for space tourism
UPHAM, N.M. — Spaceport America is no longer just a shiny shell of hope that space tourism would one day launch from this remote spot in the New Mexico desert. The once-empty hangar that anchors the taxpayer-financed launch and landing facility has been transformed into a custom-tailored headquarters where Virgin...
Erie Canal boating rivals vaunted European river cruises
Some folks dream of riding along canals in Europe, but we can do the same thing much closer to home. Two of my friends and I navigated a 41-foot packet boat for a round-trip voyage of 88 miles on the Erie Canal from Macedon, N.Y., near Rochester, to Holley, N.Y....
Travel tip: Ohio town hosts ‘Shawshank’ anniversary celebration
Fans of “The Shawshank Redemption” are invited to a 25th anniversary celebration from Aug. 16-18 in Mansfield, Ohio, where the classic prison break movie was filmed around the old Ohio State Reformatory. Cast members including Bob Gunton (Warden Norton) will attend, along with director/screenwriter/producer Frank Darabont and Turner Classic Movies...
Staycation destination: Westmoreland Heritage Trail
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail offers cyclists a chance to see the county’s natural beauty and rich history, all while getting some exercise. While a section connecting Export and Delmont has yet to be completed — that section presents the difficult problem of how to safely cross Route 66 — with...
Massive tarantula migration to start this month in ColoradoVideo
Why do thousands of tarantulas cross the road? To get to the side where their mates live. The annual spider migration is about to commence in southeast Colorado and Highway 109 south of La Junta is a good place to watch, according to the town’s tourism team. Large populations of...
Yellowstone officials warn of dangerous behavior with bison
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A man reaches over a railing to pet a bison on the head in yet another example of dangerous behavior by visitors to Yellowstone National Park. A video shows the bison stepped away from the man standing on a crowded boardwalk near a thermal area. Nobody was...
Police patrol Rome’s Spanish Steps to enforce sitting ban
ROME — Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn perched there without a care in the 1953 film “Roman Holiday.” But the Spanish Steps in Rome are no longer a place for sitting. Enforcing an ordinance that took effect last month, police officers patrolled the famed stone staircase Wednesday to tell locals...
Travel tip: Gettysburg Rocks festival helps kids with cancer
If Gettysburg has a soundtrack, it’s a fife, drum and banjo, right? Not during Gettysburg Rocks, scheduled for Aug. 9-11. Held in February and August, the semiannual music festival features about 150 bands playing a variety of music genres at 20 area venues. Founded in 2014, the event benefits Four...
Video: Shark sinks teeth into charter captain aboard boat in Outer BanksVideo
A charter boat captain was helping an angler land a blacktip shark on the deck when the fish bit into his leg and wouldn’t let go. Rick Caton’s group was having great luck with Spanish mackerel and bluefish on Tuesday when they headed toward a school of blacktip and sharpnose...
Get hooked on some great spots for fly-fishing
Take part in a family fly-fishing adventure and you’ll wake up in some of the country’s most pristine places. Here are five fabulous places to consider: 1. Jackson Hole, Wyo.: For an extraordinary angling experience, consider an overnight trip on the South Fork of the Snake River. On day one,...
Moscow’s Metropol: Elegance to revolution and back again
In 1991, as the Soviet Union collapsed around him, Alexander Mishakov was summoned to a place that was off-limits to most citizens — the Metropol Hotel. Newly graduated from a technical institute, the 24-year-old had scored an interview for a breakfast chef position. Catching the first morning train into central...
Travel tip: August brings blues, jazz and bicycles to Erie
Blues, jazz and bicycles will fill the streets of Erie during the first weekend of August. The Great Lake-side city will host the Lake Erie Cyclefest, featuring six rides for bicyclists of all ages and abilities, from Aug. 1-4. Rides include a sunrise circuit of the Presque Isle peninsula, a...
Hersheypark’s tallest, fastest coaster, Candymonium, coming in 2020Video
Another marquee roller coaster is coming to Pennsylvania. Following on the heels of the opening of Kennywood’s Steel Curtain roller coaster this month, Hersheypark announced Wednesday that Candymonium is coming next summer. Billed as the “World’s Sweetest Coaster,” Candymonium will open in summer 2020 as part of Hershey’s new Chocolatetown...
Travel tip: Allegheny National Forest named No. 2 camping spot
Western Pennsylvanians have one of the nation’s best spots for camping right in their own back yards, so to speak. According to Hipcamp, an online marketplace where people can find and book camping experiences, the Allegheny National Forest ranks second for 2019 in the top 10 most popular camping areas,...
Staycation destination: Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin
Need a break? Looking for new adventure? There’s no reason to leave Western Pennsylvania. In this occasional series, we highlight “staycation” ideas found in our own backyard. For those who want to see a part of Pittsburgh area’s heritage as the center of the nation’s steelmaking, there is no better...
Riders stuck for 2 hours on Six Flags coaster in Maryland
BOWIE, Md. — Roller coaster riders were stuck atop a hill for nearly two hours at a Six Flags amusement park in Maryland when the ride malfunctioned. News outlets quote Six Flags America spokeswoman Denise Stokes as saying the ride came to a stop at the top of the lift...
Preparation is key to a safe, happy car trip with your dog
We’ve always considered our pets to be members of the family, and now those pets — particularly dogs — are increasingly allowed out of the yard and into public spaces. That makes it easier to take them along when we travel. In fact, 45% of respondents to a recent OnePoll/Quaker...
Where are Western Pennsylvania travelers headed this summer?
Western Pennsylvanians love their summer beach vacations. According to data compiled from AAA East Central TripTik requests, “the beaches of the Carolinas are the most popular destinations,” says Jim Garrity, the region’s public and legislative affairs manager. The AAA East Central region includes Western Pennsylvania and parts of Kentucky, New...
Summer road trip — the quintessential American experience
Few things are more quintessentially American than the summer road trip. Whether it’s a trip to grandma’s, the beach or our favorite amusement park, we love to pack up our cars and hit the road. And we have a lot of road to travel. Our nation currently boasts about 47,000...
