Travelsmartplanet

1919 was the centennial year of artist Colin McCahon’s birth so the Auckland Art Gallery set up an full exhibit of the breadth of his work, McCahon said of his work, “My painting is almost autobiographical. It tells you where I am at any given time” His type of art shifts as he moves to new locations. McCahon was a driving force for art in NZ; He helped run the Auckland CityArt gallery, installed exhibitions, taught art classes and painted too.

Discover the beauty of sheep, the warmth of wool and the delicious taste of lamb during a fun-filled weekend at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, 45 years of celebrating all things sheep, from hoof to handwoven.

With over 275 vendors, more than 800 sheep, and workshops, food, and entertainment, there is something for everyone. Check out the working sheep dogs or sheep shearing demonstrations, learn how to prepare lamb, cheese making, take a spinning class, or shop for a variety of fleece, yarn and roving.

The Parade of Breeds will introduce you to a large variety of sheep breeds, and the Sheep to Shawl Contest will demonstrate shearing, carding, spinning, and weaving a final product in just a few hours.

There are auctions and sales for sheep equipment, fiber equipment, and fleeces. You can get many new ideas from the beautiful products on display from the many competitions.

With workshops and seminars galore, special activities for kids, cooking demonstrations, food booths, musical entertainment, this festival is going to be a hit with the whole family.

Location: Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairgrounds Rd, West Friendship, MD 21794-9604
Date: May 5 & 6, 2018
Time: Sat 8:30am – 6pm, Sun 8:30am – 5pm
Tel: 410- 531-3647
sheepandwool.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visithowardcounty.com

Location: Secolari Artisan Oils & Vinegar, 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 3180, Columbia, MD 21044
Date: March 27, 2018
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Tel: 800-946-2077 0r 443-367-0010
secolarievoo.com

For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions:visithowardcounty.com

Feeling creative and want to embrace the holiday spirit? Tis’ the season to decorate! Why not add a fresh evergreen wreath to your home for the perfect festive touch this season. On Thursday, December 14th Moore Farms offers you the opportunity to create a dazzling garland to adorn the outside or inside of your home.

These handcrafted holiday garlands add natural beauty to your abode and in this class, you’ll learn how to create wreaths by using fresh unique greenery, such as, cypress, arborvitae, magnolia, berries and dried materials found at Moore Farms Botanical Garden while making them into beautiful pieces of festive cheer. Create a fragrant and decorative display for the season and with proper care, it can last for months.

All materials needed to create your festive decor is provided. Class registration is limited to the first 18 participants and costs $30 per person so register quickly.

A tasty lunch is included in the program. If you have any special needs or dietary restrictions, please let them know.

Please click the “Buy Tickets” button to reserve your spot:  Buy Tickets

As you enter the side door of the Surratt House Museum you are walking in the path of John Wilkes Booth the night he killed President Lincoln, since he came here to retrieve a rifle, field glasses and supplies for his run from the law.

Built in 1852, this was a tavern, an inn, a post office and a polling place. It was a safe house for the Confederate underground. The massive search for Booth led them here to Mary Surratt’s house, and as a result she was tried in a military court and convicted of conspiracy to assassinate the President. On July 7, 1865 Mary Surratt was the first woman to be executed by the federal government.

In your visit to this famous house, a docent in 1860’s period clothing walks you through the typical middle class home.  History buffs can make reservations for the 12-hour “Escape Route” bus tour. Many of the same roads and houses used by Booth are still in existence and are visited on this excursion which is narrated by nationally-recognized authorities on the Lincoln assassination and John Wilkes Booth’s flight.  Tour Dates for 2018: Apr 14, 21, 28 and Sept 8, 15, 22.

If you’re in the Clinton area Sat, Dec 2 – Sun, Dec 10, stop by the Surratt House Museum for their special Christmas program- An Old Fashioned Holiday: Bringing Christmas Past to Christmas Present, celebrating the Christmas of yesteryear amid period decorations, special exhibits and seasonal histories. On the weekend of December 9 and 10, return to enjoy special activities for all ages, cookies, cider, and holiday discounts in the museum’s gift shop.

Location: Surratt House Museum, 9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735
Hours: Wed – Fri 11am – 3pm, Sat -Sun 12 – 4pm
The Surratt House Museum is closed from Dec 12th to Jan 17th.
Tel: 301-868-1121
surrattmuseum.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitprincegeorgescounty.com

Nestled among fields of corn and soybeans, this dynamic 65-acre garden is set in the rural Pee Dee region near Lake City, South Carolina. Moore Farms Botanical Garden is the perfect learning environment. They also host classes and professional workshops.

Join Caroline Harper at Moore Farms Botanical Garden on Thursday, September 28, 2017 for an artful day in the garden at a workshop creating Eco Print Scarves.

Eco printing is basically a direct contact printing method, drawing out pigments from plants to make interesting and often surprising marks on protein (silk) fibre. In this class accomplished artist Caroline Harper will show you how to create 2 silk scarves with foraged leaves, flowers, vegetable skins and other objects found from the garden.

The unique colors and shapes that occur from these materials will make your scarf a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Silk and organic material will be provided but please bring anything you would like to add to embellish your dazzling scarves. Registration is limited to 20 participants. $60 per person

BUY TICKETS

Location: Moore Farms Botanical Garden, 100 New Zion Road, Lake City, SC 29560
Date: Thurs, Sept 28, 2017
Time: 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Tel: 843-210-7582
moorefarmsbg.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: lakecitysc.com/visiting visitflo.com

Decided it’s time to start looking and feeling better then this event is for you. On June 24, 2017, in Del Ray, Virginia (a neighborhood in Alexandria) “where Main Street still exists”, it’s the 4th Annual Well Ray Festival –  a community-wide effort to highlight resources for living healthily and happily.

Browse health and lifestyle inspired tents, take free exercise classes, and enjoy therapeutic massages, acupuncture, physical therapy consultations, chiropractic adjustments, nutritional counseling and blood pressure screenings. Check out wellness-inspired fashion from local fitness clothing designers, jewelers, and boutiques.

You will find the outdoor celebration of health and wellness at the following locations: the open field across from Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga, the 2200 block of Mount Vernon Avenue will have Fitness Demos and classes (2213 Mt. Vernon Avenue), the Del Ray Farmer’s Market for Cooking and healthy bites,  and the adjacent parking lot beside it (behind United Bank 2401 Mt. Vernon Avenue) and then the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center (2701 Commonwealth Avenue) for vendors, exhibitors, wellness presentations and more.

Win prizes and make sure to bring your mat and be prepared to move.  Enjoy free yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, Spin, Barre and dance classes led by fitness, health, and wellness experts. So much fun and the whole family can get involved in a healthy lifestyle.

Last year’s SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Location: Along Mount Vernon Avenue, Del Ray, VA
Date: Sat, June 24, 2017
Time: 9am – 1pm
Tel: 703-683-2228
wellraydelray.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitalexandriava.com

Named among the Top 10 criterium bike races in the country by USA Cycling, the Wilmington Grand Prix will celebrate its 11th anniversary May 19-21, 2017.

This international cycling event includes a free six-block street festival, a parade, a bucket-list recreational ride through a dozen world-class cultural attractions, sidewalk cafes, live music, demonstrations and a variety of free family rides and attractions.

The action starts Friday night (May 19) with the Monkey Hill Time Trial, a 3.2-mile race against the clock through Wilmington’s Brandywine Park. Saturday (May 20) will feature two amateur races in the morning, culminating with the Women’s Pro and Men’s Pro races in the afternoon. Sunday (May 21) will see the return of the Seventh Annual Governor’s Ride and the Sixth Annual Delaware Gran Fondo. Last year’s Gran Fondo attracted cyclists from 15 states and three countries by offering them a scenic tour through the Brandywine Valley and some of Delaware’s most-prized cultural attractions.

You do not have to be a cycling fan to enjoy Downtown Wilmington’s largest outdoor event. Visit website for more information and schedule. Enjoy lunch and watch the races with a table right on the course. This event is held rain or shine.

Location: Downtown Wilmington, 818 Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Dates: May 19-21, 2017
Hours: May 19 – 5 pm—8 pm, May 20 – 11 am —5 pm, May 21 – 8 am —5 pm
Tel: 302-655-6483
wilmgrandprix.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitwilmingtonde.com

This year marks the 55th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The competitive 24-hour continuous sports car race executed on the track’s 3.56-mile road course is a perfect battle between machine, driver and time. This race inaugurates the three weeks of race action for Budweiser Speedweeks with great racing, carnivals, car show and live bands and other entertainment.

Since 1962, racing legends from around the world have come to Daytona to compete in a grueling 24-hour marathon. The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is infamously relentless on both driver and machine as sleep-deprived crews perform mechanical phenomenons. From sunrise to sunset, fans will watch drivers compete against a brigade of  adversaries that span the auto racing universe in the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the season.

Each team is comprised of four drivers and no drivers are allowed to be in a car for more than four hours during a six-hour time frame. However, each driver must drive for at least four hours and 30 minutes throughout the 24-hour period. Crew chiefs and crew members will also rotate throughout the event.

When the 24-hour time span concludes, the team that has wheeled the most miles in each class of cars – Prototype, Prototype Challenge, GT Daytona, GT Le Mans – will win their respective divisions. The race begins at 2:40 pm on Saturday, Jan 28 and concludes on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2:40 pm, giving it the name “24 Hours of Daytona.”

For Schedule and Tickets: daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Events/2017/Rolex-24-At-DAYTONA/Schedule.aspx
Photo Credit:  Barberstock

Location: Daytona International Speedway, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32118
Date: Sat, Jan 28 – Sun,  Jan 29, 2017
Time:  Jan 28th -6:30AM Fanzone Opens – Jan 29th 2:40PM FINISH – 55th Rolex 24
Tel: 386-253-7223
daytonainternationalspeedway.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: daytonabeach.com

Pumpkins have many uses…as jack-o’-lanterns ,  for baking muffins or pies and believe it or not as a projectile at the signature pumpkin-launching event held each year since 1986. The World Championship Punkin Chunkin is where “backyard engineers” test the limits of pumpkin physics,  fueling innovative engineering and science-based ideas all through a three-day festival in Bridgeville, drawing thousands of visitors to the area and is aired on the Discovery Channel every Thanksiving.

Teams compete in divisions such as air cannon, centrifugal, catapult, human power, trebuchet, theatrical and torsion. The competition is divided into three classes: Adult (18 and older), Youth (11 to 17) and Youth (under age 10).

Each category shoots 1 of their 3 competition shots each day. The firing of machines starts at 8am each day and continues until dusk. There will be a Cookin’ contest,  a Punkin Chunkin Pageant, an Outlaw Punkin Chunkin Chili Cookin Competition and  awards ceremony, also local bands will provide live music on stage throughout the 3 days of the festivities.

Location: The Woodlands, 18598 Rd 591, Bridgeville, DE 19933
Date: Nov 4- 6, 2016
Time: Gates open at 7am until dusk
punkinchunkin.com