Travelsmartplanet

Hold on to you hats racing fans, February is the return of Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. This nine-day motorsports adventure offers devoted race fans with an action-packed schedule of six of the most exciting races, culminating with the Daytona 500 which will showcase 59 years of history in the world’s only motorsports stadium.

Sat, Feb. 18: Lucas Oil 200 and the Clash at Daytona -Prepare for the ultimate doubleheader with action from the ARCA Racing Series & NASCAR presents a driver pool of experienced veterans and young up-and-comers, while NASCAR rolls out a star-studded lineup to open their season.

Sun, Feb. 19: Daytona 500 Qualifying By Kroger -Every second makes a difference in the group qualifying format that determines the front row for the Daytona 500.

Fri, Feb. 24: NextEra Energy Resources 250 – Annually one of the most exciting races at Daytona International Speedway, this race is well-known for its long list of close finishes.

Sat, Feb. 25: PowerShares QQQ 300 – Young drivers look to make a name for themselves, while established veterans seek to gain momentum before Sunday’s showcase event.

On February 26th, The Daytona 500, also known as “The Great American Race,” is NASCAR’s signature event. Fresh off of a sold-out crowd witnessing the closest finish in Daytona 500 history,  it’s sure to be another for the record books. At a place where the timeline unfolds like the pages of history, a proud new chapter is set to be written at the “World Center of Racing.”

Location: Daytona International Speedway,
1801 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32118
Dates: Sat Feb 18 – Sun Feb 26, 2017
Times: Various
Tel: 800-PIT-SHOP
daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Events/2017/Speedweeks-At-DAYTONA/Speedweeks-At-DAYTONA.aspx

For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: daytonabeach.com

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This city throws a birthday party every year for its famous first citizen, George Washington, who lived here most of his life (when he wasn’t off leading a war or being first president of United States). He was born February 22. 1732 in Virginia and Alexandria commemorates with  George Washington-themed events throughout the month each February.

In the spirit of the old cherry tree tale, from now until Feb 11th, Alexandria restaurants are challenged to a very cherry culinary contest. At participating restaurants diners are encouraged to vote for their favorite cherry drinks, starters, entrees and desserts.
(703) 829-6640 For participating restaurants and more info: washingtonbirthday.com/events-1/2017/1/29/cherry-challenge   Photo Credit: Tisara Photography

How about a Walking with Washington Tour. Walk in George Washington’s footsteps through his hometown, historic Alexandria. View some of the sites connected to the General, like where he filled his prescriptions or slept overnight. FREE
Begin your journey: Ramsay House Visitors Center, 221 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Dates: Sun. Feb 5, 12, 19, 2017
Time: 2 -3:30pm
washingtonbirthday.com/events-1/2017/2/5/walking-with-washington

Historic Alexandria “Open House” : In honor of the birthday of George Washington admission is FREE to the following sites on Parade Day.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (134 North Royal Street, Alexandria, Virginia), 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Friendship Firehouse Museum (107 S. Alfred St., Alexandria, Virginia), 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Old Presbyterian Meeting House (323 South Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia), 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Lyceum (201 S. Washington St., Alexandria, Virginia), 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Carlyle House (121 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, Virginia), 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (105-107 S. Fairfax St., Alexandria, Virginia), 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Christ Church (118 N. Washington St., Alexandria, Virginia), 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
Date: Mon, Feb 20, 2017
Time: 9am – 4pm
washingtonbirthday.com/events-1/2017/2/20/historic-alexandria-open-house

Throughout the weekend, participate in public wreath-layings at the Washingtons’ Tomb, see 18th-century dancing demonstrations and character performances, and enjoy birthday cake with “General and Martha Washington.” Feb 18 & 19: Included in admission. Photo Credit: Mount Vernon

On February 20, see the Official Observance Ceremony of George Washington’s Birthday, a special military demonstration, and a musical salute to the first president. The Pioneer Farm will also be open on this day. Admission is FREE
Photo Credit: Mount Vernon

The celebration continues on February 22 as Mount Vernon offers FREE admission on George Washington’s actual birthday.
Dates: Feb 18, 19, 20, 22, 2017
Time: 9am – 4pm
mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events/celebrate-washingtons-birthday-on-presidents-day/

For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitalexandriava.com

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National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force – Wow, right in the middle of their combat gallery you can watch volunteers restore the fuselage of a WWII B-17 bomber. It was unnerving to find out that the aluminum is so thin that your finger can make it wiggle.

Hear first-hand stories of brave men and women who were not only pilots, but navigators, ground crew, radio operators or even POW’s from 1942-1945. You can set the stage watching a 20 min. movie depicting the perils of a World War II strategic bombing mission over Nazi Germany, where at times 60% of the flights were one way (now that’s bravery).

Find the story about Tyre C. Weaver, who was so badly wounded that he asked to be thrown from his plane to parachute into enemy territory hoping to receive medical
treatment, and of the 10-year old girl who found him.

Learn about Jacqueline Cochran who founded the women’s air force and flew every plane, and Nancy Harkness Love, who delivered planes, tested them and towed targets, and Ann Baumgartner Carl, the first woman to pilot a jet.

Peer into a MIG 21 nose section. See if you can find the dollar bill signed by Clark Gable or what tora tora tora means. There’s a museum store, and outside you can view an F-4C Phantom, MiG-17A and B47 bomber.

Location: National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force,
175 Bourne Ave, Pooler, GA 31322
Hours: Opened Daily 9am–5pm
Tel: 912-748-8888
mightyeighth.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: poolerchamber.com

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If you like to dip your toes into casino waters, head to the Hollywood Casino Perryville, the first gaming facility to open in the state of Maryland. Smaller in size, not too noisy  and a friendly atmosphere makes for a pleasurable experience.

With over 850 slots, there is a good mix of classic favorites and some of the newest technology. including the Ellen (Degeneres) video slot machine. There are also 20 tables highlighting classic casino games. They also offer off-track betting.

If you’re like us and prefer to do a little shopping instead of trying your luck, step inside the Rodeo Drive Gift Shop for a good selection of Maryland souvenirs, collectibles from Hollywood’s classic movies , unique gifts and souvenir Hollywood Casino items.

As for eats, the Celebrity Bar and Grill, casual dining venue, features a variety of entrees each with its own special flair. Celebrity Bar and Grill offers FREE live entertainment every Saturday night and weekly trivia contests and karaoke nights.

Guests must be 21 Years or older to enter the Casino, restaurants and shops.

Location: Hollywood Casino, 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Pkwy, Perryville, MD 21903
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Tel: 410-378-8500
hollywoodcasinoperryville.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: seececil.org

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If you are an animal lover, this show is for you. Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is a family-oriented blend of the unique comedy and juggling skills of Gregory Popovich, and the talents of his furry costars.

Featuring European-style circus extravaganza including physical comedy, juggling, acrobats from the Moscow Circus, along with mimes, contortionists and jaw dropping juggling by internationally acclaimed award winner Gregory Popovich. There are more than 30 pets in the show, including highly intelligent dogs, house cats, a variety of birds and a miniature horse, each one has been rescued from animal shelter. The animals show off their dexterity in a variety of unbelievable stunts and skits, including “The Dog Classroom,” “The Amazing House-Cats,” and “The Animal Train Station.” 

Popovich, a fifth generation circus performer who learned early on how to develop strong bonds with animals, has rescued a majority of his performers from shelters all over the country, and has transformed them into Las Vegas stars. He is a gold medal winner in Paris, France and a special award winner in Monte Carlo. Gregory and his pets were finalists on “America’s Got Talent”, were guests on TV shows with Jay Leno, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson and was a feature on Animal Planet. Do not miss this opportunity to see this unique family-friendly show featuring this legendary circus entertainer and his furry friends.

Location: Carolina Civic Center Historic Theater, 315 North Chestnut St., Lumberton, NC 28358
Date: Thurs., Feb 2. 2017
Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Tel: 910-738-4339
carolinaciviccenter.com/event/popovich-comedy-pet-theater/#.WEg1Rn2rHfc
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: lumberton-nc.com

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Monster Jam® brings high-octane entertainment to fans around the country, offering a most action-packed live event on four wheels.

Celebrating 25 years of adrenaline-fueled family amusement, Monster Jam combines spontaneous entertainment with the ultimate off-road, motorsport competition.   World-class drivers compete in front of capacity crowds in both monster truck racing and freestyle competitions.

Monster Jam features some of the most recognizable trucks around including Grave Digger®, Max-DTM, El Toro Loco® and Monster Mutt®, Bad News Travels Fast, Aftershock,  Krazy Train and Mechanical Mischief.

These Monster Jam scenes leave you on the edge of your seat, with competitors performing jaw-dropping displays of gravity-defying feats,  thrilling fans with freestyle, racing, donuts, wheelies and exhilarating action.

For the ultimate Monster Jam® motorsports experience, consider the Pit Party which provides unprecedented access to the Monster Jam trucks and drivers – you can meet the drivers, get their autographs, take photos and see the trucks up close. Pit Passes are sold separately in addition to your admission ticket and is available for the Saturday, February 4th 1 pm performance only.

To buy tickets: ticketmaster.com/venueartist/114999/1542376?brand=florencecc&camefrom=cfc_florence_website_MonsterJam17

photo credit: Feld Entertainment

Location: Florence Civic Center, 3300 West Radio Dr., Florence, SC 29501
Dates & Times: Friday, Feb 3rd: 7pm, Sat, Feb 4th: 1 pm & 7pm
Tel: 843-679-9417
florenceciviccenter.com
monsterjam.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitflo.com

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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

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Why not stay at a hotel that has embraces a piece of Southern history –   Inn at Mulberry Grove. Mulberry Grove was the name of the plantation where Eli Whitney arrived as a tutor for widow Mrs. Nathaniel Greene’s children. Her hubby was 2nd in command to Washington, and had been given The Mulberry Grove Plantation as a gift from the spoils of the Revolutionary War.

Whitney was no average tutor. A Yale graduate, he tinkered with inventions, and recognized the need to speed up the process of separating cotton seeds from cotton fibers. He gained worldwide recognition for inventing the cotton gin, which revolutionized the South’s cotton industry. During the Civil War, General Sherman burned down Greene’s original house, but now you can stay in this Inn on the same land.

There’s a touch of European elegance here, with gilded mirrors and dark wood furnishings. The hot breakfast with sausage, biscuits, grits and waffles can be taken in the courtyard. There’s a guest laundry, and it’s budget friendly.

Location: Inn at Mulberry Grove, 101 O’Leary Road, Port Wentworth GA 31407
Tel: 912-965-9666
innatmulberrygrove.com
For Regional Information, Restaurants & Attractions: visitsavannah.com

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It’s been a local favorite for almost 25 years, Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival still has legs; frog legs that is. Bring your family and friends and enjoy live music, crafters, midway rides, games, bull riding, petting zoo, pony rides and the main event – the Frog Legs and Gator Tails. 

Fellsmere has been proclaimed Frog Leg Capital of the World and The Frog Leg Festival holds 2 Guinness Book World Records for The Most Frog Legs served in the course of one business day and the Largest Frog Leg Festival in the world. With over 80,000 attendees serving over 7,000 pounds of frog legs and 2,000 pounds of gator, the Frog Leg Festival has come a long way from its humble roots of 400 dinners.

There’s something for everyone. Money raised at this event goes towards the recreational needs of the children of Fellsmere.

Free Admission. Free Parking. Free Shuttle Parking at MESA park Saturday 1pm – 11:30pm and Sunday 1pm – 6:30 pm.

Location: Fellsmere City Complex, 22 South Orange St., Fellsmere, FL 32948
Dates: Jan 19th – 22nd, 2017
Hours: Thurs, Fri 4pm – 11pm, Sat 10am – 11pm, Sun 11am – 6pm
Tel: 772-571-0250
froglegfestival.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: indianriverchamber.com
sebastianchamber.com

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If you’re a fan of architecture and design you’ll want to check out The Gropius House. Walter Gropius, the founder of the highly influential Bauhaus School and one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century designed this striking home in 1938 after moving from Germany to Massachusetts to teach at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Modest in scale, the house was revolutionary in impact. It combined the traditional elements of New England architecture — wood, brick, and fieldstone, with innovative materials rarely used in domestic settings at that time: glass block, acoustical plaster, and chrome banisters, along with the latest technology in fixtures.

At the Gropius House, Bauhaus ideals remain alive, and throughout Gropius’s life, he and his wife Ise continued to add newly designed furnishings that reflected their belief in the marriage of design and industry.  In keeping with Bauhaus philosophy, every aspect of the house and its surrounding landscape was planned for maximum efficiency and simplicity of design. 

Two years after Mrs. Gropius’s death in 1983, the Gropius House opened as a historic house museum. The house contains a significant collection of furniture designed by Marcel Breuer  and fabricated in the Bauhaus workshops. The house also contains works by Eero Saarinen, Joan Miró, and Herbert Bayer that were given as gifts to Walter Gropius. With all the family possessions still in place, the house has an cohesiveness rarely found in house museums.

All images are “Courtesy of Historic New England.”

Location: Gropius House. 68 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, Mass. 01773
Dates: Sat and Sun, until May 31
Hours: 11 – 4pm, Tours on the hour
Tel: 781-259-8098
historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/Gropius%20House
For Regional Information, Restaurants & Attractions: merrimackvalley.org

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