Give Grandma's house a break this season

By Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

The countdown to the holiday season has begun, and it's time to start planning your holiday getaway. Instead of the usual get-together at Grandma's house, grab Grandma and round up family and close friends and go over the river and through the woods to an exciting destination. It will be a Christmas to remember—and no one will have to worry about decorating elaborately, cleaning the house, or cooking the meals.

• An Ozark Mountain Christmas Celebration

• Holiday Magic in Orlando

• Winterfest in the Smoky Mountains

• Eureka! It's a Victorian Christmas

Labels: Arkansas, Branson, Christmas, Eureka Springs, Florida, Gatlinburg, Holiday, Missouri, Orlando, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

By Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

Nestled in the Ozark Mountains in northwest Arkansas, the Victorian Village of Eureka Springs provides a picture-postcard setting for Christmas celebrations. The winding streets and historic buildings lined with twinkling white lights set the stage for a whirlwind of holiday activities.

The festivities begin in November with Santa’s appearance at historic Basin Spring Park and the lighting of the town Christmas tree. A Christmas parade, candlelight tour of homes, tea party, and several concerts in the historic City Auditorium stoke the holiday spirit. The Pine Mountain Jamboree and Ozark Mountain Hoedown, longtime local country music shows, both offer special Christmas productions throughout the season. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, just south of town, offers special services to bless the beasts and the children.

Perched high on a hillside, the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa overlooks Eureka Springs. This historic hotel’s annual Christmas at the Crescent includes brunch with Santa, special concerts, and the traditional New Year’s Eve gala. Book a room there, or just stop by for a meal, a drink, or a tour.

If you’re exhausted from all the holiday hustle and bustle, visit the New Moon Spa (newmoonspa.com) on the garden level of the Crescent Hotel for a relaxing massage, facial, or manicure—a holiday gift for yourself!

The historic Palace Hotel and Bathhouse (palacehotelbathhouse.com) is another popular choice. The spa has been restored to its original 1901 condition and is like a step back in time. Other lodging options are abundant and range from rustic cabins to quaint bed-and-breakfasts to modern motel chains. There are more than a dozen spas, designed to pamper your mind, body, and spirit.

Allow plenty of time to wander through the heart of the downtown area, stopping in the one-of-a-kind boutiques, gift shops, and art galleries.

Only a scenic two-hour drive apart, it’s easy to visit both Branson and Eureka Springs during one vacation.

Labels: Arkansas, Christmas, Eureka Springs, Holiday

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge Rescues Big Cats and Other Animals

By Ron W. Marr

People are crazy. Large daily doses of anecdotal evidence give credence to the hypothesis. Consider the lack of forethought that walks hand-in-hand with the decision to acquire a pet. At birthdays and Christmas, after a couple of years of listening to their children swear they'll take care of it, parents give in.

They purchase Timmy and Tammy a puppy or kitten. All is well and good for a few weeks, but then the lure of Scruffy and Snowball begins to wane. Sometimes Scruffy and Snowball are simply ignored. Sometimes they are shut in a room or chained up outdoors. Sometimes they are dumped along the road or left on the doorstep of the closest animal shelter.

The same thing happens at Easter. Timmy and Tammy want ducks and geese and bunnies. The attention span expended on these creatures is even less than that afforded to dogs or cats because ducks and geese and bunnies don't tend to return affection. After spending some time in a hutch, bunnies run off and “join the circus.” The ducks and geese, as far as the pre-pubescent children know, simply grew up and decided to fly south for the winter. These are much nicer explanations than that the critters tasted a lot like chicken.

Yes, people are crazy. But, the addled manner in which some of our human race acquire and deal with small animals doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. Some folks like to think big. Some folks like to think that a cat is a cat is a cat. They like to think that, no matter the size, a massive feline will make the perfect companion. This line of faulty reasoning applies to those who live in the country, those who live in the suburbs, and those who live in apartments the size of a shoe box.

People are crazy. Some of them like to buy lions and tigers. In fact, more of them like to buy lions and tigers than you would ever believe possible.

"We had to turn away more than one hundred big cats just last year," says Tanya Smith, a founding member of the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, located seven miles south of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, on Highway 23. "Right now we have over one hundred big cats, five black bears, monkeys, deer, and all sorts of birds. If it wasn't for the refuge, most of these animals would have been destroyed. A lot of them are endangered species."

The mission of Turpentine Creek is to rescue exotic cats nationwide and to provide a lifetime refuge for abandoned, abused, and neglected "Big Cats," with emphasis on tigers, lions, leopards, and cougars. Situated on 450 acres, the refuge, a non-profit organization, was founded in May 1992. The need for such an operation was proved immediately.

"We have rescued big cats from seventeen states, and most of them come from people who tried to raise them and didn't know what they were getting into," Tanya says. "We are a lifetime refuge, and we work with other refuges. There is no breeding, buying, or selling involved." Females are spayed, and males are chemically neutered, as traditional neutering makes the males lose their manes. "Before long," Tanya says, "we realized that we had to be open to the public, both so we could educate them and so they could see the plight of these animals. Education is the key to everything we do here."



The idea of saving big cats was not a snap decision. The practice runs in Tanya's family and began in 1978. Her father, Don Jackson, happened to rescue a lion cub that year. It really wasn't his intent; he was simply going to see some people who owed money on a car. However, when he arrived at their home, he found the pitiful little cub chained to a cinder block. Don had worked with the Fort Worth/Dallas zoo for a time, and when he couldn't find anyone else to take the cub, it entered the Jackson household.

"Four or five years later we ended up with another lion," Tanya explains. "This one was being raised in an apartment by some people who were also raising a baby. So, we got a second lion."

Don, mother Hilda, brother Clif, Tanya, and her late brother Robert continued to try and save and care for the animals on various pieces of property. The Eureka Springs location became available at an appropriate time, just as the family was introduced to a woman from Texas who had thirty-eight lions and tigers in three cattle trailers that were in need of a home.

But it takes money to operate a facility whose primary residents eat over a ton of meat per day. Thus it was that Tanya, Hilda, and Tanya's husband Scott not only began offering tours, but also opening the refuge as a bed-and-breakfast.

Or as they call it, "Bed and Big Cats."

Tanya says that all of the income acquired from tours, the bed-and-breakfast, donations, and sponsorships is poured back into Turpentine Creek in one way or another. "Most of these animals came to us with very sad stories, but they are safe and happy here."

The northwest Arkansas location helps in the feeding of the cats. Chicken is a staple of their diet, and the heavy poultry production of northwest Arkansas, along with the mild climate, were two reasons that led to locating the refuge in that area.

Qualified biologists and zoologists give tours of the nineteen habitats that now house more than one hundred big cats. Almost all of the staff of Turpentine Creek are interns from colleges and universities around the nation. Out of many applicants, up to ten interns are accepted at any one time. Some of these young men and women have gone on to work at such renowned
facilities as the Disney Animal Kingdom and the Memphis and Little Rock zoos.

The Call of the Wild Bed and Breakfast offers what could be the most unique lodging option in the United States. A treehouse bungalow, modeled on those in Africa that allow people to safely view exotic animals, is located in the midst of the refuge. It sleeps two to four and includes a full kitchen with refrigerator, sink, stove, microwave, bathroom, and shower. A loft features two double futon pallets, and a double futon sofa is in the main living room. A wraparound deck with safety rail surrounds the treehouse, and should you tire of listening to the big cats, you can always catch a Marlin Perkins rerun on cable TV.

The treehouse is completely safe and secure and rents for $125 per night for two people. The cost is $15 per person for extra guests over age five.

Also, several fully remodeled Call of the Wild suites offer a living area roughly the size of a motel room, and a separate bed area of roughly the same size. Each has a large bath with separate tub and shower, sofa bed, table and chairs, small refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker. You can watch the lions and tigers playing through your window, and prices per night are $100, with a $15 charge for extra guests over age three.

Included in the price of both the treehouse and the suites are full admission price for a tour of the refuge. An RV Park of ten spaces, with both 30- and 50-amp power, is adjacent to Turpentine Creek. Again, all the cats can be viewed from this area. The cost is $25 per night but does not include the refuge admission fee.

A new replica, an authentically detailed Zulu camp, is being built on the refuge to offer an African experience.

While the bed-and-breakfast does help defray costs, donations and sponsorships are always both needed and welcomed. Moreover, the goal of Turpentine Creek remains the same … to save the big cats from horrendous conditions and provide them with a lifelong home. All the animals are well-fed and cared for, and Tanya praises Dr. Ron Eby of the St. Francis Veterinary Clinic in Green Forest, Arkansas, for his invaluable assistance.

"For whatever reason, people will get these cats when they're young and cute. They think, ‘when I get tired of it I'll just give it to a zoo,' " she says.

"What they don't understand is that the zoos don't want them. There is no genetic history on the animals, and most of the ones we've had here have been bred in captivity for thirty to forty generations."

People are crazy.

Luckily for countless big cats and exotic animals, Tanya Smith isn't.

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The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is open daily, except for Christmas. Tours are given every hour on the hour from 11 AM to 3 PM and visitors are welcome to stay until 4 PM and watch the big cats tear into their dinner.

For tickets and information, call 800-590-4410 or visit www.ReserveEurekaSprings.com. Purchase tickets to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge here.

To reserve a stay at the Call of the Wild treehouse or suites, call 479-253-5841 or visit www.turpentinecreek.org. The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge at www.turpentinecreek.org features photos, an online store, and information for those who might wish to serve an internship or contribute a donation.

Labels: Arkansas, Eureka Springs, Turpentine Creek

15 summer thrills for adventurers of all ages

By Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

This isn't your grandma's vacation! Push the envelope this year and try something new, something exotic. We’ve scouted five popular destinations — Branson, Missouri; Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; and Orlando, Florida — for thrilling experiences that will refresh and rejuvenate.

Sleep With the Sharks

Sharks to the right of you, sharks to the left of you, sharks all around — that's how you'll feel at the shark lagoon at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg (www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com). You'll come face to face with twelve-foot sharks and thousands of other fish as you walk through the underwater acrylic tunnel on a moving glide path.

Although you can pet stingrays and hold horseshoe crabs at the aquarium, you can't swim with the sharks — but you can sleep with them. Designed for a group of at least fifteen children (but not more than one hundred), the fun-filled overnight package includes a dive show, scavenger hunt, snack, late-night activity, and camping in the shark lagoon tunnel. Instead of counting sheep, you can count sharks as you drift off to sleep.

Snorkel With the Manatees

If spending the night with the sharks isn't the ocean adventure you're looking for, try swimming with the manatees. Citrus County, Florida, is the only place in the United States where you can legally swim alongside manatees. These large, gentle marine mammals like the warm waters of the spring-fed, seventy-two-degree Crystal and Homosassa rivers. The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for the endangered manatees and is home to more than one-fourth of the nation's manatee population.

Snorkeling is the best way to observe manatees at close range. It's a thrill to swim alongside a one-ton manatee and her newborn calf. Excursions should only be made with the assistance of a guide or tour company. For a list of recommended companies, visit www.visitcitrus.com/manateelist.asp. The web site also posts an up-to-date count of the number of manatees in the waterways. The numbers rise in the winter when the West Indian manatees leave the Gulf of Mexico and flock to the Crystal and Homosassa rivers to join the resident manatee population.

For the non-swimmers in the group, there's an underwater observatory at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park where you can watch manatees and other fish as well as listen to underwater manatee sounds via telephones.

Swim With the Dolphins

For more encounters of the watery kind, spend a day at Discovery Cove in Orlando (www.discoverycove.com). The main feature at this all-inclusive tropical hideaway is swimming with bottlenose dolphins, but you can also snorkel amid rays and exotic fish through coral reefs and grottos. In free-flight aviaries, you can touch and feed tropical birds. You may choose to simply relax on the beach or at the pool. All resort activities are included in the one-day price.

For a more intense experience, there's the trainer-for-a-day program. It includes expanded dolphin interaction and training, feedings at the coral reef, feeding and care of exotic birds in the aviary, behind-the-scenes small-mammal interaction, animal food preparation, and animal behavioral training class.

Scuba Dive in a Lake

Learn to scuba dive with “Diver Dick” Dalager at the State Park Marina on Table Rock Lake at Branson (www.stateparkmarina.com). Try a three-hour Discover Scuba mini-course, or go for a complete certification course. Dalager has been teaching scuba on Table Rock Lake for eighteen years. While at the marina, check out the boat rentals, wave runners, parasailing, bass fishing, and daily cruises.

Near Eureka Springs, head to C&J Sports at Beaver Lake (www.candjsports.com) for introductory or certification courses, or if you already know how to scuba, for shore diving or boat rides to select scuba spots on the lake. Carol and Jim Butler, owners of C&J Sports, also offer camping, lodging, and archery.

Ride the Ducks

If you'd prefer to stay on top of the water rather than getting wet and wild, ride the Ducks. You don't have to have any special athletic skills. Just climb aboard and start quacking on your souvenir Wacky Quacker, which comes free with every admission. The ducks are amphibious vehicles based on the famous World War II DUKW amphibious design. The company's vehicles are built to order in a factory near Branson, and are U.S. Coast Guard certified and tested. Many people think the vehicles are called ducks because they can go in and out of the water. Actually, DUKW is a military acronym that indicates the 1942 vehicle was designed (D) for utility (U) and amphibious purposes, with front wheel drive (K), and two rear driving axles (W).

The seventy-minute sightseeing tour of Branson takes you along The Strip on Highway 76, up Baird Mountain, and past Table Rock Dam. The highlight for most is the splash into Table Rock Lake for a short cruise, during which kids may get to steer. The driver offers a running commentary about the history and sights of Branson, complete with zany tour-guide humor.

Purchase Tickets Here for Ride the Ducks in Branson, Missouri. You can also board on the Branson Landing or, during the holidays, experience the new Holiday Land & Light Ride the Ducks Tour at both the Classic Highway 76 location and the Branson Landing.

Boat Through a Swamp

Experience the everglades of central Florida with an airboat ride through the wetlands. You'll see birds, turtles, and alligators, while the boat idles through the canals and flies through the swamps. Airboats can travel up to forty-five miles per hour. Boggy Creek Airboat Rides and Black Hammock Airboat Adventures let you get up close and personal with scenic outdoor Florida.

Raft the River

White-water rafting is always popular, and some great rafting is available in and near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Pigeon and Nantahala rivers, with outfitters near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Many of the runs are suitable for family outings, while others are more difficult. To help you select an outfitter, visit Appalachian Outdoors, providing the outdoor enthusiast with recommended vendors for the southern Appalachian region. Look for tips not only on white-water rafting but also for backpacking, bird-watching, fly-fishing, skiing, orienteering, and much more.

Purchase Tickets to Appalachian Outdoors / Whitewater rafting.

Fly Like a Bird

If you prefer the birds of the air to the fish in the sea, take the Gatlinburg Skylift (www.gatlinburgskylift.com) over Gatlinburg and the Little Pigeon River to the top of Crockett Mountain for a panoramic view of the town and the surrounding Smoky Mountains. Enjoy the scenery during the five-hundred-foot ascent in the open chairlift, and take time to hike or soak in the views at the top.

Or climb aboard the 120-passenger Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway, one of the country's largest aerial cable cars. It departs every twenty minutes from downtown Gatlinburg to the Ober Gatlinburg All Seasons Amusement Park on Mt. Harrison. The park offers skiing in the winter and outdoor fun year-round.

Soar Above It All

Escalate your air adventure by taking either a tethered or a free-flight hot-air balloon ride. Floating above the earth in the quiet atmosphere of the balloon basket, you're able to hear dogs barking down on the ground. The bird's-eye views are inspiring. You might even snap a photo capturing the shadow of your balloon below you. Most flights leave early in the morning and provide a sunrise vista. Once back on land, many air excursion companies offer a champagne toast, celebration picnic, and commemorative photos with the pilot.

There are plenty of ballooning options in and around Orlando, including established vendors such as Blue Water Balloons, Bob's Balloons, Magic Sunrise Ballooning, or Orange Blossom Balloons (www.orlandoinfo.com).

If you'd like to fly but stay a little grounded, too, check out Branson Balloon (www.bransonballoon.com), the largest tethered helium balloon in the country. Unlike the free-flight balloon rides, this balloon goes straight up and down, reaching an altitude of five hundred feet in a scenic ascension. The balloon is huge — more than ten stories tall — and the basket can carry thirty
passengers.

Daytime rides offer a panoramic view of Branson, Table Rock Lake, and the surrounding Ozark hills. At night, the sparkling city lights provide a magical vista, and the balloon offers a perfect bird's-eye vantage point for viewing the closing ceremony fireworks at nearby Celebration City.

Glide Like an Eagle

For an over-the-top experience, try aerotow hang gliding at Wallaby Ranch Hang Gliding Flight Park near Orlando (www.wallaby.com). Aerotowing is where a hang glider is towed aloft with a specially designed, ultra-light tow plane. Wallaby Ranch offers aerotow tandem instruction as an easy, safe, and quick way to learn how to hang glide. Although foot launching and mountain flying are important aspects of traditional hang gliding, aerotowing makes the sport accessible to almost anyone, year-round.

Fall Like a Rock

For sheer excitement, nothing compares to sky diving.

But you can break the bonds of gravity without having to jump out of an airplane — just let yourself be lifted up and away by the wind flow in a tunnel. Consider a company like Flyaway (www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com) in Pigeon Forge or SkyVenture (www.skyventureorlando.com) in Orlando, both of which offer an indoor sky-diving experience through a supercharged wind tunnel. It is designed to give beginners the sensation of free fall and body flight in a safe environment. The experience is so realistic that it is used by sport sky divers, competition teams, and military units for training.

If you want to try the real high-flying adrenaline sport, most sky diving schools can have visitors airborne in just one day. To find a U.S Parachute Association-affiliated sky-diving center, click the online Drop Zone Directory at www.uspa.org/dz/index.htm. There are sky-diving schools near such popular vacation destinations as Branson, Eureka Springs, Gatlinburg, Orlando, and Pigeon Forge.

Hop On a Bike

More of a landlubber? The hilly Ozarks surrounding Branson offer cycling opportunities for riders of different ability levels. Although there are no mountains tall enough for extended downhill coasting rides, there are plenty of scenic, hilly rides. Craig Erickson, owner of Downhill Bikes (www.downhillbikes.biz), a retail and rental outlet, offers directions for area rides on his web site and in person. He's also knowledgeable about hiking and kayaking in the area.

A great ride for any age or skill level starts at Table Rock State Park near the marina and runs alongside the lake past the Branson Belle showboat and on to the Dewey Short Visitors Center next to Table Rock Dam. The paved path is about eight feet wide and about two-and-a-half miles long and offers great views of the lake.

City officials are working on a trail system that would incorporate roads and trails into an eighty-nine-mile system, but no completion date is set.

Crawl Through a Cave

Caving is available at three caves close to Eureka Springs: Cosmic, War Eagle, and Onyx.

Both Cosmic Cavern in nearby Berryville and War Eagle Cavern (www.wareaglecavern.com) between Eureka Springs and Rogers offer an off-trail wild cave tour in addition to the usual guided tours. At Cosmic, the off-trail tour includes a one-thousand-foot passage and lots of climbing. At War Eagle, the wild cave tour goes straight back into the mountain through a horizontal cavern so there's not much climbing, but there are many side passages and the opportunity for plenty of crawling. In either case, you'll get really dirty, so bring a change of clothes for the ride home.

A highlight of the regular tour at Cosmic is the pristine and delicate Silent Splendor section discovered in 1993. The cave has several underground lakes, one of which is stocked with rainbow trout. The rare Ozarks Blind Cave Salamander lives in the cave.

At War Eagle, you enter the cavern through the natural entrance on the shores of Beaver Lake. You can also arrive by boat, if you wish. The cave is home to more than one hundred thousand bats, one of North America's largest colonies. The cave was used for a scene in the movie, “Frank and Jesse,” and there's a display of props from the movie set. Aboveground, you can hike the nature trails or stay overnight in the secluded lodge.

At both caves, you can try your hand at panning for gemstones; you get to keep what you find. Cosmic Cavern also offers fossil digging. Authentic fossils are cemented in the ground and covered with sand. Diggers are supplied with brushes and shovels, plus an identification sheet to help them identify the fossils they discover.

Onyx Cave (479-253-9321), just outside Eureka Springs, was discovered in 1891 and is the oldest show cave in Arkansas. The living cave offers easy access on a non-strenuous trail with self-guided headphone tours.

In Branson, Silver Dollar City presents a new yet old way to visit its original attraction, Marvel Cave — by lantern light. Visitors step back in time as they explore the cave with only the light from lanterns showing the way. For decades, guests have explored the cavern with the help of electric lighting, and most tours are still done that way.

The theme park began offering special lantern tours last year to reenact the early days. Guides dressed in period costumes tell the history of Marvel Cave and some of its legends. Marvel Cave first opened for visitors in 1894. In 1950, the Herschend family took over the cave operation, and it became the foundation upon which Silver Dollar City, the amusement park, is built.

Zorb Down a Hill

Be the first on your block to try Zorbing! Created in New Zealand, Zorb opens its first North America location in Pigeon Forge this spring (www.zorb.com/smoky/index.html). Called Zorb Smoky Mountains, it's a new type of action ride. Zorb is eleven feet high and eleven feet wide; it's round and bouncy. You jump inside and roll down a hill. The wildness of the ride is up to the Zorbonaut — that's the term coined to describe riders of this crazy attraction.

There are two types of Zorb rides, hydro (wet) or harnessed (dry). The hydro Zorb has a single small door and no harness. The rider slides in through a tunnel, then about two gallons of water (cool in summer, warm in winter) are added to the outer sphere. The Zorbonaut is loose inside the Zorb and is free to slip and slide around inside as it rolls downhill, making the ride as easy or as wild as desired. The hydro Zorb is described as a slippery ride that's a cross between a waterfall and a car crash.

Hydro-Zorbing can be done with one, two, or three people at a time. Because the weight inside the hydro Zorb remains at the bottom, the Zorb can achieve high speeds without bouncing and can be done safely down steep or gentle slopes and with downhill or uphill winds.

Dry-Zorbing is a completely different experience than hydro-Zorbing, and you may want to try both. The Zorbonaut is strapped into a harness attached to the wall of the inner sphere. The rider revolves with the Zorb as it rolls downhill, giving a unique sensation of alternating G-forces as the rider tumbles head over heels and the sky and the ground go spinning past.

Ride a Hurricane

In the Disaster Zone at WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge (www.wonderworksonline.com), you can experience the fury of a hurricane or what the 1989 San Francisco earthquake felt like. You can try rock climbing in the Challenge Zone or design your own roller coaster and experience it on a virtual ride on the WonderCoaster. Billed as an amusement park for the mind, WonderWorks offers 150 interactive exhibits. There's also a WonderWorks in Orlando with slightly different exhibits.

Labels: Arkansas, Branson, Eureka Springs, Florida, Gatlinburg, Missouri, Orlando, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee