How Reptile Gardens Blends Beauty and Beast

Reptile Gardens seems an oxymoron to me. I think of gardens as plant life, beautiful colorful flowers. The word “reptiles” brings to mind exactly that: snakes, lizards and alligators. How can the two possibly coexist in one attraction? The Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, South Dakota, does it well, combining a botanic garden with the largest collection of reptiles on the planet, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with 225 species and subspecies, over 1,000 animals altogether. Read more

Discover the Romance of Yesteryear’s Carousels at Sandusky’s Merry-Go-Round Museum

Connie Attractions & Events, Ohio March 22, 2015May 18, 2015antique carousels, Carousel museum in Sandusky, Merry-Go-Round Museum, Merry-Go-Round Museum Sandusky Ohio, Sandusky Ohio 9 Comments

One of the first amusement park rides you ever rode as a child was most likely the carousel. You chose the most colorful and bejeweled horse. Your tiny legs sprawled across the saddle, not nearly long enough to reach the stirrups. You squeezed the brass pole, one sweaty hand above the other, excited and nervous at the same time. Mom or dad stood next to you, holding you, reassuring you’d be safe. As the calliope music began and the carousel started to turn, your horse inched forward and at the same time began to rise and glide down again, over and over. The ride picked up the pace until you reached a smooth gallop on the twirling carousel, the world around you passing by in a blur. Read more

Driving through Petrified Forest National Park

Connie Arizona, Attractions & Events March 17, 2015April 20, 2016arizona petrified forest, National Parks, National Parks in Arizona, Painted Desert, painted desert and petrified forest, painted desert national park, petrified forest, petrified forest arizona, petrified forest az, petrified forest location, petrified forest national park, petrified forest national park arizona, petrified forest national park az, Petrified Forest National Parks, petrified forest np, petrified national forest, petrified national park, petrified trees, the painted desert 0 Comment

Mountains painted in stripes and trees turned to crystals in a rainbow of colors sound like something from a fairytale. They are as real as can be, though, in the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park in northeast Arizona. Read more

Indiana Caverns: Creating the Newest Show Cave

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana March 14, 2015November 19, 2015Caverns in Indiana, Caves in Indiana, Indiana Caverns, Indiana Caves 0 Comment

Gary Roberson was eleven years old when he first explored a cave and became hooked. I was about the same age when I first toured a cave and was captivated with the magical world beneath the ground. Today I visit caves whenever I get the chance, as a tourist. Gary, on the other hand, made a career of exploring, developing and owning caves. Read more

National Route 66 Museum, Elk City, Oklahoma: Four Museums, One Location

Connie Attractions & Events, Oklahoma March 10, 2015May 17, 2022Elk City, National Route 66 Museum, Oklahoma, old route 66, Route 66, Route 66 attractions, Route 66 Oklahoma, U.S. Route 66 0 Comment

We expected to see the National Route 66 Museum, But we visited these three other museums in the same complex—for one admission fee.

National Transportation Museum
Old Town Museum
Farm & Ranch Museum

iFly Chicago: Experience the Sensation of Freefalling

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois March 9, 2015December 30, 2015chicago ifly, chicago indoor skydiving, chicago skydiving center, chicagoland skydiving center indoor parachuting, flyaway indoor skydiving, iFLY, IFLY Chicago, ifly chicago - rosemont, ifly chicago indoor skydiving, ifly in chicago, ifly in rosemont, ifly indoor skydiving, iFLY Rosemont, ifly skydiving, Indoor skydiving, indoor skydiving chicago, indoor skydiving in chicago, indoor skydiving locations, indoor skydiving rosemont, inside skydiving, rosemont ifly, rosemont indoor skydiving, rosemont skydiving, skydive rosemont, skydiving rosemont, skydiving simulator, vertical wind tunnel, wind tunnel, wind tunnel skydiving 10 Comments

I believe in the “never say never” mantra. However, there are exceptions—like jumping out of an airplane. I can say with 99.9% certainty that I will never jump out of a plane, possibly even if my life depended on it. I did get a chance, though, to experience the exhilaration of freefalling, without the fear of crashing smack dab onto the ground, with the iFLY Chicago indoor skydiving experience. Read more