Groups plotting a fabulous East Coast getaway will definitely want to see a stop at this landmark Ocean Beach Boardwalk attraction at the top of their itinerary. Founded in 1893, Trimper’s Rides welcomes all to a special world of seaside excitement and fun that has long been a tradition in Ocean City. The legendary Trimper Family takes great pride in tendering a fine combination of treasured midway activities and exciting new favorites to all comers to this “big fun” wonder located at the south end of the Boardwalk. Step right up! Whack-a-mole or try your luck with the antique Clown Head Water Balloon Race; test your skills at the Lion Race, Bullseye or everyone’s favorite Frog Bog; snag your travel partners and shoot some hoops, zing a few darts and work the kinks out of your throwing arm with a fastball challenge. Trimper’s offers a fine selection of the best prizes in the industry and special *Winner Every Time* games for the little ones; dozens of mild to wild vintage, kiddie and old-school thrill rides ensure something for every size and fun appetite. Squash a “Whacky Worm,” do some damage in the Bumper Cars, flip for the “Zipper”, stay on top of “The Tidal Wave”, get your freak on on the Freak Out, and rock your socks right off with a turn on the classic “Matterhorn.” Pirate’s Cove Fun House is one of only two Bill-Tracy built walk-throughs left in the world and an absolute Trimper’s must – along with some sticky, pink cotton candy and buttery-fresh popcorn! Mmmm.

This good-time family fun park on the pier, set against the stunning backdrop of Atlantic sea and sky in Maryland hotspot Ocean City is a must for checklist-driven travelers needing a little down time. Deal of the day: for under 20.00 apiece, you and your group mates can grab a wristband-your ticket to ride yourselves silly from 1-5pm on a classic array of carnival favorites! Enjoy a sweeping view of the park and beach from a teetering seat atop the Giant Ferris Wheel; take a turn on the terrifying Tornado, do the Crazy Dance or test your mettle-and your lungs on everyone’s favorite, the Hurricane! Take a perilous plunge on the Slingshot or “loop-da-loop” on the Looping Rollercoaster-it is what it sounds like! If rides aren’t your bag, Jolly Roger on the pier offers plenty of quintessential midway attractions, activities and tasty delights! Good ol’ games of chance will get you the perfect souvenir if you’re lucky; landmark food stands like Boog’s BBQ and Thrasher’s French Fries will satisfy your savory craves and Kohr’s Brothers will serve up a frozen custard to make your teeth tingle! Let go and let the sights and sounds, lights, music and lapping waves sweep you up in that magical boardwalk atmosphere by the sea!

Join in the frozen fun at Ocean City, Maryland’s only ice skating rink! Enchanting daily shows encourage you to get out on the ice and test your own skills; friendly, helpful staff provide beginners plenty of assistance! An adjacent game room offers vending machines, video games, pool tables and pinball to keep your mind and hands engaged while you catch your breath and rest your ankles before your next turn on the ice; Cozy Brass Ring Bistro serves up smoothies, hot chocolate, coffee, lattes and all your favorite café treats-perfect, apres-skate! This well-maintained rink is open year-round to Carousel Resort Guests and non-guests, alike; where else can you go from building sand-castles in the warm sun to an ice castle atmosphere in the same afternoon? Kick off your flip-flops, grab your group and enjoy Atlantic Ocean-front ice skating at its finest!

Gregarious groups on Ocean City holiday will want to check out family-owned-and-operated, local favorite Old Pro Golf, founded almost 50 years ago by owners Herbert J. and Aileen “Deany” Schoellkopf. Old Pro currently offers devotees of the game in search four uniquely creative and challenging Ocean City locations: Temple of the Dragon Mini Golf on 23rd Street; Renaissance Castle Mini Golf on 28th Street; indoor Undersea Adventure, Family Arcade and Prehistoric Dinosaur Mini Golf on 68th Street, and indoor course Safari Village, Family Arcade and Caribbean Pirates Mini Golf on 136th Street. Each fabulously *imagineered* course offers guests a wildly elaborate themed playing experience chock full of fascinating mechanized figures and obstacles, truly creative hole design and fabulously extensive use of water and landscaping-all elements well integrated and theme-consistent, contributing to one fine miniature golf adventure, indoor or out! Beat the heat or soak up the sun-the choice is yours-have a ball!

The “Ocean City Life Saving Station,” part of the Coastal System established by the United States Treasury Department for the saving of vessels in distress and lives in peril on the waters, was actively used by the U.S. Coast guard until 1964. After years of service and subsequent alternate duty as a town hall of sorts, and having fallen into a state of disrepair, the building was slated for demolition. A group of concerned citizens rallied round and formed The Ocean Museum Society; they managed to raise the adequate funds to salvage the building, which was moved to its present location at the extreme southern end of the Boardwalk, overlooking the Inlet and Assateague Island. The old station house was meticulously restored and official dedication as a museum commenced Christmas Day, 1978. Visitors to Ocean City’s tidy seaside showplace will experience, while wandering amongst the museum’s permanent collections and special exhibits, a fascinating history of metamorphosis from a small fishing town to a favorite world-class resort destination. Experience all the magic and wonder of the Ocean City Boardwalk of yesteryear as you chuckle with Laughing Sal and Bruno; let your imagination run wild as you encounter artifacts recovered from tragic wreckage of vessels long lost at sea; slip into the briny deep of the waters just offshore and meet an ever-changing menagerie of indigenous marine life with a visit to the Aquarium Room.

Situated mid-Boardwalk in Ocean City, Fun City Arcade is a first-rate, family oriented entertainment gallery featuring a fantastic variety of all the latest video and arcade games-tons of fun for all ages; expect plenty of prizes when you cash in at the awesome redemption center! Bum some quarters or change out a few bills , grab your travel buddies, duck inside and get your game on in the classically cool, perfectly noisy atmosphere of an old-school arcade. Bonus? No tokens to clunk around in your pockets once you leave!

Groups exploring the historic best of Memphis won’t want to bypass an opportunity to see the glorious sights along the fourth longest river in the world while enjoying true Southern Hospitality and a colorful, well-presented river history lesson from the spotless decks of one of Memphis Riverboat’s magnificent and masterfully-captained paddle wheel vessels. This family-run business tenders potential passengers an exciting range of popular options including entertaining and educational narrated cruises, romantic sunset trips, exclusive holiday events, private charters and delightful two-hour  “dinner and music” tours featuring buffet-style BBQ meals of pulled pork or grilled marinated chicken and delicious southern-style fixins accompanied by fantastic live music; each and every outing promising guests on Memphis holiday a satisfyingly authentic and personalized riverboat experience! The hands-down favorite  is the 90-minute sightseeing cruise on the 100-foot Island Queen, during which guests embark on a charming voyage across Tennessee history via a comprehensive and captivating narrative delivered by a knowledgeable guide and detailing decades of life on the mighty Mississippi River; light snacks and perfect refreshments are served on board. Ready to go?  Let the capable travel team at Exploring America make a Memphis Riverboats Cruise adventure part of your rock-and-soul itinerary and get rollin’ on “dat Ol’ Man River”!

Groups exploring historic Memphis will want to be sure their itinerary includes a stop at the landmark National Civil Rights Museum, established in 1991 and located at the former Lorraine Motel, where beloved civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. This premier institution recently underwent a $27.5 million renovation, and more than 40 new films, oral histories and interactive media features joined an already robust collection, while the museum’s updated, modern design reminds visitors of its duty to keep civil rights issues moving forward and a 7,000-pound bronze signature statue, “Movement to Overcome”, featured in front of the grand staircase in the new lobby, serves as a monument to the struggles of previous generations. Through a comprehensive series of well-executed interactive exhibits including A Culture of Resistance, The Rise of Jim Crow, Is This America?, World in Transition, Join the Movement and The King’s Last Hours, important historic collections and a range of dynamic speakers and special events, a tour of the museum leads guests on an immersive journey through five centuries of history, from the dawn of the resistance and through the Civil War and reconstruction to significant events of the late 20th century that inspired people the world over to rise, step away from a heritage of stolen futures and mournful predisposition, shake off the heavy chains of segregation and stand for equality.

Groups of nature loving historians exploring Memphis and the surrounding area will truly enjoy a rest stop at Northern Mississippi’s premier family recreation area in Holly Springs National Forest – “Lands of Many Uses” – a wonderfully quiet and inviting woodland wonder split asunder by deep gullies marked by old split-rail fences, dotted with dozens of sparkling lakes, forested with loblolly and shortleaf pines, dogwood, magnolia, sweet gum and oak and sprinkled with flowering native shrubs, all twined about in the Summertime with grape-scented Kudzu. The park is a breathtaking feast for the eyes year-round: in Spring, when the dogwood blooms and again, when the hills are ablaze with splendiferous Autumnal color; the woods and wetlands provide all manner of resident and migratory wildlife ample habitat and excellent spotting and bird-watching opportunities abound. Holly Springs National Forest is the perfect place to bring a picnic lunch and break from a hectic travel agenda – revel in the beautiful surroundings and enjoy magnificent views of 260-acre Chewalla Lake from the day use/campground area – once an Indian Burial site – threaded with miles of well-marked, peaceful and scenic hiking trails. Kick back on the beach, grab a handful of sweet berries to fortify you along the way as you head for the hills, hunt the elusive wild mushroom, do a little bird watching, explore the tiny island on Chewalla’s western shore, fish for your lunch, jump in a kayak or go for a refreshing swim. Get out of the lake and hop in the shower – (bathhouses are available ) just a few miles away, the historic and colorful plantation town of Holly Springs awaits, offering visitors a fascinating look at the old South when cotton was king; explore well-preserved antebellum homes, slave dwellings, museums, churches and other intriguing points of interest – there are hundreds in the area – then sit down to some tasty Southern cuisine at one of the great eateries in Holly Spring, “Mississippi’s Best Kept Secret!”

At one time, Cotton was King in Memphis. For hundreds of years, African people were shipped across the seas to America and sold into the booming slave trade that ensured the Delta’s cash crops were planted, tended and harvested; the city of Memphis rapidly became Tennessee’s leader in the trade business. Eventually, the anti-slave movement saw the uprising of noble citizens who enlisted themselves in the abolition wars to assist runaways seeking their freedom in the Northern states. Jacob Burkle, German immigrant and stockyard owner, was one of them, a man who risked his life and livelihood to help slaves on their way by operating an “underground railroad station” from his modest home near the banks of the Mississippi. Visitors to the Burkle Estate, just a few minutes from iconic Beale Street, are treated to a well-presented tour of the white clapboard house and grounds, wonderfully preserved and recreated in the manner of its day of service with historical documents, period furniture, quilts and other relevant artwork and well-attended by knowledgeable guides who supply – in animated detail – heartrending stories of the dark days of slavery during Jacob Burkle’s time, and the way in which many were aided, en route to possible freedom, with safe haven provided in his home. Guests will learn how slaves creatively transmitted coded information to escape captivity, and see the cellar, crawl spaces and secret passages they used to hide in the Burkle home before continuing their perilous journey North.