Grand Hotel Central Barcelona is located next door to El Born, Barcelona’s most fashionable area with its boutique shops, designer bars and restaurants scattered throughout its narrow streets. Las Ramblas, Plaza Cataluña, the museums and the sea front are just minutes walk away.

To learn more about the Grand Hotel Central Barcelona and the SkyBar visit http://www.epoquehotels.com/h.php/barcelona-hotels/boutique-hotel/h/centralgrandhotel/l/en.

The stories of a house possessed, a disappearing body, and a woman in fear for her life will unfold in the intimacy of President Harrison’s Victorian mansion. Guests will experience salon-style, one-of-a-kind theatre staged in three different rooms of the home.

The seven performances are scheduled for April 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and May 1 at 8 p.m., plus a matinee on Sunday, May 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 per person; $15 for members and seniors. Since seating is limited, reservations are required and can be secured by calling 317-631-1888.

About the three one-act plays

An eccentric keeper of exotic animals is suspected in the death of a woman. Her sister appeals to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for help as she believes she faces a similar fate. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Speckled Band,” adapted by Glenn Carlson and Scot Crisp, will be portrayed in the ballroom of the Harrison Home.

Sir Roderick Usher and his sister are suffering from a mysterious and virulent ailment. He sends for a childhood friend who is drawn into investigating the horrifying mysteries of the House of Usher. Edgar Allan Poe’s classic “The Fall of the House of Usher,” adapted by Robert Lanier, is presented in the back parlor of the mansion.

A man is preparing to commit the perfect crime, including an extraordinary plan for making the victim’s body disappear. Lord Dunsay’s macabre story, “Two Bottles of Relish,” adapted for stage by Edward Darby, will intrigue theatre guests in the Harrisons’ dining room.

Plan your visit

The three-level landmark President Benjamin Harrison Home contains many of Harrison’s paintings, furniture, and decorative arts including unique political memorabilia. More information is available on the home’s web site: http://www.pbhh.org.

The three day, two night package starts at $399 per couple and is available March 26-June 17. The Spring Stories Package showcases the breadth of Colonial Williamsburg’s interactive offerings, from golf and fine dining, to the Historic Area’s gardens. The package includes:

· Accommodations at the Williamsburg Lodge

· Daily breakfast at the Lodge Restaurant

· Length-of-stay admission to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and Art Museums

· Garden Program Tickets

· $100 activities card

For a family getaway corresponding with school vacation, the Spring Getaway Package is best. Available March 26 – April 11, the Spring Getaway Package starts at $499 for a family of four and includes:

· Four days/three nights at the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites

· Daily breakfast at the hotel

· Length-of-stay admission to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and Art Museums

· $100 activities card

The activities card may be applied toward the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg, dining in Colonial Williamsburg taverns or restaurants, or shopping at an official, on-site Colonial Williamsburg-owned store. When booking a Spring Package, guests have the opportunity to upgrade their Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket to a Flex, Bounce or Historic Triangle Ticket.

Colonial Williamsburg’s spring offerings, from the Historic Area and golf to dining and the Art Museums, will engage and appeal to a wide range of ages. With two value-loaded packages, there is no better time to be part of the story.

Learn More

Visit http://colonialwilliamsburg.com/ to discover exciting getaway options and attractions to enjoy on your journey back in time at Colonial Williamsburg.

This diverse program will showcase familiar and popular classical works as well as symphonic arrangements of contemporary hits by pop and blues artist John Mayer and alternative British rock band Coldplay. The concert will include Hackman’s own orchestral arrangements of John Mayer’s “Heart of Life,” “Heartbreak Warfare,” “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” and “Stop This Train,” plus Coldplay’s “Fix You” to complement excerpts from popular classical works such as Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Major, Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Brahms’ Second and Fourth Symphonies and Beethoven’s Third Symphony to round out the program.

This is the third of four Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony programs scheduled for this season which are meant to introduce new audiences to orchestral music and for young professionals to gather, network, and enjoy an entertaining program. The final Happy Hour at the Symphony concert of the 2010 season will feature the ISO’s ensemble-in-residence, Time for Three, on Thursday, May 6 with Steve Hackman on the podium. Repertoire will be announced in the near future.

Tickets are $20 each with general admission seating. The Theatre opens at 5 p.m. with complimentary food and drinks available from Starbucks Coffee Company, Adobo Grill, Shula’s Steakhouse, White Castle, The Chef’s Academy, Maggiano’s, New Amsterdam Gin and Stella Artois. Following the concert, FORTE will host a party at Harry & Izzy’s featuring drink specials and opportunities to mingle and meet with professional peers and ISO musicians.

Learn More

Call the ISO Box Office at (317) 639-4300 or Toll Free – (800) 366-8457 or order tickets online at http://www.IndianapolisSymphony.org.

With over 30 sessions available, registration is not required for any of the programs. However, keep in mind that some programs have limited space and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. And, tickets must be purchased for the birding boat tours.

Join the Welcome Reception that will be held on Friday, April 23 from 6-7 p.m. at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary. The reception will feature keynote speaker Kristin Stanford, “The Island Snake Lady,” from 7-8 p.m., who is the resident researcher at Ohio State’s Stone Lab, located on Lake Erie’s Gibraltar Island. As featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” with host Mike Rowe, Kristin will talk about her experiences with the endangered Lake Erie water snake.

Kristin will present “A Slithering Success” on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Raffle tickets can be purchased Friday night at the Welcome Reception. Also on Saturday, a barbeque at Mohican Outdoor School will be followed by a Barn Dance and star gazing, both held at Malabar Farm State Park. Saturday evening’s unforgettable events are always a sell out.

Program sites include:

· Gorman Nature Center
· Malabar Farm State Park
· Mohican State Park & Resort
· Ohio Bird Sanctuary
· Mohican Outdoor School
· Cooke Family Wildlife Conservation Area

Participating organizations are:

· Greater Mohican Audubon Society
· Ashland County Park District
· Mohican Fly fishermen
· Richland County Master Gardeners
· Richland County Solid Waste District
· Mansfield City Outdoor Education

Join The Fun

To learn more about the Wildlife Weekend schedules visit http://www.mohicanwildlifeweekend.com.

Plan Your Getaway

To make getaway plans for the Wildlife Weekend and future trips visit the http://www.mansfieldtourism.com or call (800) 642-8282 for area attractions, lodging, and current event information.

Downhill Skiing at Sugarloaf – Ski Free Week: March 21- 25, 2010. Families can take advantage of free lift tickets this week. Kids age 6-18 receive free lift tickets with a minimum stay of three mid-week nights. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-THE-LOAF.

Sunday River – The 20th Annual Eat the Heat Chili Cook-off and Firefighters’ Race is held on Sunday, March 28, 2010. Teams of five firefighters ski in full gear while carrying a fire hose as they compete to raise money for Maine Handicapped Skiing. At the Chili Cook-off, the best cooks in the state vie for the “Best Chili Cook” prize.

Saddleback – On March 27, 2010 there’s the 6th Annual Cardboard Box Race; this year’s theme is cartoon characters. Participants create sleds out of cardboard boxes and attempt to race down the mountain.

Shawnee Peak – On March 20, 2010, Shawnee Peak hosts the 25th Annual Spring Fling Beach Party. This event celebrates the beginning of spring with live entertainment, BBQ, the Slush Cup and a snow volleyball tournament as a few of the highlights.
March 27, 2010 is the 3rd Annual America’s Mattress Race at Shawnee Peak as well. Contestants race decorated mattresses down a course and the fastest mattress wins a brand-new Queen-sized mattress and box spring set.

Black Mountain of Maine – On March 28-29, there is a Family Fun Weekend in Rumford.

Camden Snow Bowl – On March 6, 2010 the Camden Snow Bowl has a Family FUN Race.

In April, Maine ski resorts still plan fun and excitement:

Sugarloaf- On April 15-18, 2010, Sugarloaf has its 22nd Annual Bud Light Reggae Festival, with music, food and more.

Sunday River – The annual Parrot Head Festival is a weekend-long event, April 9-11, 2010. Jimmy Buffett cover bands, pond-skimming contest, a Key lime pie-eating contest are all part of the festivities. All proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Saddleback – On April 3, 2010 Saddleback hosts its 7th Annual Pond Skimming contest to see who can skim over the icy waters without falling in. Then on April 10, 2010 there is the 3rd Annual Park Shark Challenge.

For more ski event information, please visit http://www.skimaine.com, and to learn more about all events and activities happening in Maine this spring, log on to http://www.visitmaine.com.

The featured oyster is the “Oakie,” which is farmed in the Indian River Lagoon in Volusia County. All proceeds will fund the Society’s mission to restore healthy oyster beds to Volusia County’s Intracoastal Waterway.

“Few people today realize the role that oysters and oyster reefs played in our local history, and the vital role they play today in maintaining the health of our rivers and marine ecosystems,” stated Halifax Oyster Reef Restoration Society President Michael Benedict. “There will be plenty of great food and fun, but this new annual festival will also help us educate local residents and fund ongoing efforts to rebuild our local oyster beds.”

“This is a party with a purpose. We wanted to host an annual event that would give local residents an opportunity to come together and benefit an issue that directly impacts our community,” said Al Perkinson, vice president of marketing for Costa.

For the past year, Society members have spent countless volunteer hours at the Marine Science Center creating oyster shell mats, a science-based restoration program to restore oyster habitats. Mats are made by attaching 36 oyster shells to plastic netting that is then joined together to form a large quilt-like structure. The mats are then submerged and anchored with concrete sprinkler weights in areas where healthy reefs previously existed. In as little as 18 months, the mats are covered with live oysters.

“With volunteer support, we’ve made approximately 1,600 mats,” stated Thad Nicholls, Restoration Project Coordinator for the Marine Discovery Center. “As of today,” continued Nicholls, “we’ve deployed about 1,200 mats. Our long-term goal is to deploy several thousand mats, resulting in five acres of restored and enhanced habitat.”

According to Nicholls, oysters and oyster reefs were once common along the shores of the Halifax River. From shell mounds discovered along river banks, researchers know that the original Native American tribes that settled in this area lived primarily on fish and oysters.

Once valued primarily as a resource, oysters are now recognized as important “ecosystem engineers” in estuaries. Oysters create complex habitats that support numerous species of fish, crustaceans, bivalves, other invertebrates, birds, and mammals. During feeding, oysters also filter large volumes of water, improving the clarity and quality of water and transferring vital nutrients. As more people come to realize the importance of oyster reefs to overall ecosystem functions, large- and small-scale restoration projects have sprung up in many coastal communities. There are ongoing oyster restoration projects in Northwest Florida and Indian River County, in addition to the Halifax Oyster Reef Restoration Society project for Volusia County.

A non-profit organization, the Halifax Oyster Reef Restoration Society was formed in 2008. Led by a 10-member board, the organization is dedicated to restoring healthy oyster beds in Volusia County.

Learn More

For more information on the Halifax Oyster Festival, visit halifaxoysterfestival.com or call 386-236-2340. To volunteer with the Halifax Oyster Reef Restoration Society, contact Ashley Kelly at 386-255-1222 or info@halifaxoysterfestival.com.

This Valentine’s they’ve put together a great package just for lovers that will make your escape a memorable one!

Among the special deals are:

* February Romance at Richmond’s Holiday Inn – $75.95, includes a special in-room surprise.

* Chocolate Lover’s Paradise at Phillip W. Smith B & B, Richmond. Package includes intimate dinner for two at Ghyslain Chocolatier and Bistro and full gourmet breakfast – $170.00 plus tax

* Romance for Two at Richmond’s Holiday Inn. Includes fruit & cheese tray, bottle of chilled champagne, chocolate hearts and continental breakfast – $183.12, includes tax.

* Wine & Romance at Richmond’s Martha E. Parry B & B. Package includes a five-course meal at J & J Winery and gourmet breakfast – $170.00, plus tax.

The greater Richmond area of eastern Indiana is located along the state border with Ohio and is approximately one hour north of Cincinnati, one hour east of Indianapolis and forty minutes west of Dayton which makes Richmond a close to home and a affordable getaway.

Whether you’re looking for a weekend trip or want to escape for a week, there’s always something exiting to do in Richmond.

Learn More:

For a complete list of Valentine promotions during the month of February visit http://visitrichmond.org/getawaypackages.cfm?packageid=2#top. You can also check out local events and plan your visit to area attractions on the Richmond~Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau’s website at http://www.visitrichmond.org.

You can also connect with the Richmond~Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau on Facebook at http://facebook.com/nancy.richmondcvb or visit their Blog at http://easternindiana.blogspot.com for more news!

Enjoy Your Trip to Richmond!

• * Luxurious accommodations, pillow top mattress, crisp white comforter and a pillow menu…plush!
• * Chilled pink champagne delivered by room service accompanied by chocolate covered strawberries…yum!
• * Tantalizing romance kit
• * Sleep in, late check out 1 p.m. andAdditional day spa service optional, fees vary

Ooey Gooey Night Out Package includes:

• * Pamper your partner at Hotel Preston with deluxe accommodations, luxurious linens, and a pillow menu for a dreamy sleep
• * Tantalize your taste buds with a bottle of local wine or sparkling cider
• * Indulge yourselves with death by chocolate room service
• * Relax with an in Room Movie of your choice
• * Revitalize your love life with surprise romance toys
• * “Do not disturb” late checkout to get your beauty rest until 1pm
• * Optional In Room Massage or Yoga- additional fee -And they also include the whipped cream…..

Seven Deadly Sins Package – Hotel Preston gives you an opportunity- or seven – to get naughty with our all-inclusive package of sin:

• Lust – Sexy Adult Amenities
• Gluttony – A bottle of Seven Deadly Zins Wine
• Greed – A Whole Hotel Preston Signature Cake
• Sloth – Late Check-out & Do Not Disturb (1 p.m. Check-out)
• Wrath – Early Check-in
• Envy – Two Keepsake Bath Robes
• Pride – Luxury Bath Kit & Vanity Mirror.

Leave your virtues at home and come out to play the Hotel Preston way. They won’t tell.

Treat your sweetie to a romantic escape at Hotel Preston with these romantic packages. To plan your trip and make reservations call 1-866-986-8089 or visit http://www.hotelpreston.com.

By Lynn Worley

Schaumburg resident David Matusiewicz received the call on January 6th that his family had been randomly selected as KeyLime Cove’s 2010 “Family of the Year”. “We are thrilled, shocked and so excited,” says Barb Matusiewicz, upon hearing the news. “My son couldn’t stop talking about going back to KeyLime Cove since our last stay. This will definitely be a year for us to remember.”

KeyLime Cove plans to continue the tradition into 2011. The search for next year’s “Family of the Year” will be announced later this year. So don’t give up hope yet. As for the staff at Key Lime Cove, they are thrilled for the Matusiewicz Family. “We couldn’t be happier to accommodate and treat the Matusiewicz family to a fun-filled getaway every month full with special perks,” says Dale McFarland, general manager of KeyLime Cove. “We have many return guests throughout the year and the Matusiewicz family will especially become familiar faces we will be happy to see throughout the resort.”

Created to be an American coastal experience just a short drive from home, the resort’s entertainment and amenities include a 65,000 square-foot, 82-degree tropical-themedwaterpark, 8,000 square-foot arcade, multiple restaurants including D.W. Anderson’s Eatery and Ice Cream Parlor and The Crazy Toucan Margarita Grille with live entertainment, Paradise Mist Spa and 6,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space. An abundance of fun is found around every corner, including the uniquely themed interior, arts, crafts, interactive festivities, shops and street vendors.

Learn More

To learn more and plan your getaway to Key Lime Cove visit http://www.keylimecove.com.