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Showing 881 - 900 of 2049 items
By Jim Futrell, Paul Nelson. 2013
Waldameer Park overlooks Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. This area has been a popular retreat for people since opening in…
1896. As one of the last surviving "trolley parks" in America, Waldameer Park has a story of growth and survival. Originally, the park's main attraction was its beach on the lake; it was a popular destination in Erie for people to go and escape the heat of summer. Over the years, Waldameer Park changed significantly. In the early 20th century, rides like Dip the Dips, Ravine Flyer, and Mill Run grew to be the main attractions at the park. Over the past three decades, Waldameer Park has grown into a modern amusement park, while maintaining its beloved nostalgic atmosphere. Today, visitors cool off in the Water World water park and enjoy thrill rides like the Comet, Steel Dragon, X-scream, and Ravine Flyer II.By Tim Hollis. 2009
For centuries, explorers and pioneers told of a place in Georgia where there was a gigantic mountain of solid granite…
resembling "a great gray egg lying half-buried on a vast plain." In time, Stone Mountain, 15 miles east of Atlanta, became a local landmark. In 1915, it was decided that the mountain's sheer north face would be a good spot to carve a lasting memorial to the lost cause of the Confederacy. This proved to be easier said than done. Before the project was completed, one of Georgia's top tourist attractions was established around Stone Mountain's base.By Steve Liebowitz. 2016
Atlantic City has worn the tag of "America's Playground" since its earliest days, so it is only natural that its…
biggest and most well-known icon, the Steel Pier, would be known as the "Showplace of the Nation." Over the course of 80 years, from 1898 to 1978, Steel Pier developed from a quiet, genteel amusement that featured light classical music and cakewalks to a vast entertainment complex that offered movies, big-name vaudeville acts, exhibits, big bands, rock bands, and the Water Circus with its famed diving horse. What makes this even more compelling is that one could spend the entire day on the pier and take all of this in for one small admission.By Scott E. Fowler. 2010
LeSourdsville Lake, also known as Americana Amusement Park by a generation of visitors, was a popular recreational park for many…
decades despite being located within 15 miles of Kings Island, one of the premier theme parks in the country. Emphasis on providing quality food and personalized catering enabled the park to host hundreds of annual company picnics, high school proms, and family reunions. The park's success was maintained by featuring such classic rides as the Electric Rainbow and the Whip and the Screechin' Eagle and Serpent roller coasters, while the Stardust Gardens provided quality entertainment ranging from the best of the big bands to the greatest music and television stars of the 1960s. Families visited "the Lake" as religiously as they drove the same route to work every day.By Todd Balf. 2000
It was the ultimate whitewater adventure on the Mount Everest of rivers, and the biggest challenge of their lives....October 1998…
an American whitewater paddling team traveled deep into the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet to run the Yarlung Tsangpo, known in paddling circles as the "Everest of rivers." On Day 12 of that trip, the team's ace paddler, one of four kayakers on the river, launched off an eight-foot waterfall and flipped. He and his overturned kayak spilled into the heart of the thunderous "freight training" river and were swept downstream, never to be seen again.The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-la is a breathtaking account of this ill-fated expedition, a fascinating exploration of what propelled these kayakers to take on the seething big water and perilous Himalayan terrain of the deepest gorge on the planet. This was the magical Shangri-la of legend, a 140-mile-long canyon framed by 25,000-foot snowcapped peaks, a place of unimaginable beauty called Pemako in ancient Buddhist texts that was rumored to contain mammoth waterfalls. At the close of the twentieth century, an end-to-end descent of the gorge filled the imaginations of some of the best boaters in the world, who saw in the foam and fury of the Tsangpo's rapids the ultimate whitewater challenge. For Wick Walker and Tom McEwan, extreme whitewater pioneers, best friends, and trip leaders, the Tsangpo adventure with Doug Gordon, Olympic medal-winning paddler Jamie McEwan (Tom's brother), and Roger Zbel was the culmination of a twenty-five-year quest. Fueled by narratives of early explorers, Walker and McEwan kept their dream alive and waited until the Chinese government opened the gorge to Westerners. With financial backing from the National Geographic Society, the group was finally good to go in 1998. Swollen to three times the size they had expected because of record rains and heavy snowmelt, the Tsangpo lived up to its fearsome reputation. On numerous occasions the team questioned whether to continue, but chose to press forward. The Last River probes beyond the extreme sports clichés and looks at the complex personal and intellectual reasons for the seemingly irresistible draw of Tibet's Great River. For Walker, Gordon, Zbel, and the McEwans -- husbands, fathers, friends, and brothers -- the Tsangpo wasn't a run toward death but a celebration of life, adventure, and the thing that tied them to one another -- awe-inspiring rivers. The Last River is also a riveting journey to one of the world's wildest and most alluring places, a thrilling book that invites us into the Himalayas of Jon Krakauer's classic, Into Thin Air, but from a totally new perspective -- on a historic river so remote that only the most hardy and romantic souls attempt to unlock its mysteries. Visit www.randomhouse.com/features/lastriverFrom the Hardcover edition.By Scott Rutherford. 2013
Located near Charlotte, Carowinds has long been considered the "Thrill Capital of the Southeast!" The brainchild of Earl Patterson Hall,…
a self-made businessman and real estate developer, Carowinds is an exciting day for children and adults alike. Inspired by a trip to Disneyland in 1957, Hall envisioned an amusement park for the citizens of the Carolinas. In 1973, after four years of planning and construction, Carowinds opened to the public on a large site that straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Throughout the 1970s, visitors enjoyed rides such as the Witchdoctor and White Lightnin'. Currently, the park features rides, shows, and attractions for all, including Intimidator, the tallest and fastest coaster in the Southeast. Carowinds showcases the rich history of this Carolina amusement park celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2013.By Laura J. Hoffman. 2014
Coney Island is famous for so much more than just hot dogs and wild rides. At the turn of the…
20th century, it was known as the "Playground of the World." In the beginning, this upscale resort area catered to the rich. Between 1897 and 1904, three lavish amusements parks opened in Coney Island. By 1920, the subway extended to Stillwell Avenue, which made Coney Island more accessible for everyone. The abundant history is remarkable, and its peaks and valleys closely resemble one of its most famous icons, the roller coaster. Coney Island hit its apex between 1910 and 1930. Afterwards, it suffered through the Great Depression, went into major decline after World War II, and hit bottom in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, there has been a profound revitalization effort to bring the area back to its glory days. Despite the major setback caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the spirit of Coney Island is alive and well.By Brad Olsen, Bruce Northam. 1999
These short travel essays from around the globe get to the heart of what the words travel and adventure really…
mean. In Search of Adventure explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of what traveling the world has to offer. The "Trampled Underfoot" section features tales of woe on the road--the worst of the worst, or making the best of the worst. In "Global Issues & Viewpoints," authors explore the changing world, oppressive governments, and the homogenizing of world cultures. From warm and inviting to raw and shocking, these nonfiction travel pieces present disparate viewpoints on the diverse world in which we live and leave no emotion untouched.By Joshua Slocum. 1956
"One of the most readable books in the whole library of adventure." -- Sports Illustrated. Classic of sea adventure conveys…
all the excitement of being the first man to sail around the world, alone, in small boat. Pirates, perils, witty observations, stories. 67 illustrations. "A literary gem, adroitly and engagingly written." -- National Fisherman.Heroism and horror abound in these true stories of 16 great explorers who journeyed to the Arctic and Antarctic regions,…
two exquisite and unique ice wildernesses. Recounted are the exciting North Pole adventures of Erik the Red in 982 and the elusive searches for the "Northwest Passage" and "Farthest North" of Henry Hudson, Fridtjof Nansen, Fredrick Cook, and Robert Peary. Coverage of the South Pole begins with Captain Cook in 1772; continues through the era of land grabbing and the race to reach the Pole with James Clark Ross, Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott, and Ernest Shackleton; and ends with an examination of the scientists at work there today. Astounding photographs and journal entries, sidebars on the Inuit and polar animals, and engaging activities bring the harrowing expeditions to life. Activities include making a Viking compass, building a model igloo, making a cross staff to measure latitude, creating a barometer, making pemmican, and writing a newspaper like William Parry's "Winter Chronicle." The North and South Poles become exciting routes to learning about science, geography, and history.By Matt Gross. 2013
While writing his celebrated Frugal Traveler column for the New York Times, Matt Gross began to feel hemmed in by…
its focus on what he thought of as "traveling on the cheap at all costs." When his editor offered him the opportunity to do something less structured, the Getting Lost series was born, and Gross began a more immersive form of travel that allowed him to "lose his way all over the globe"--from developing-world megalopolises to venerable European capitals, from American sprawl to Asian archipelagos. And that's what the never-before-published material in The Turk Who Loved Apples is all about: breaking free of the constraints of modern travel and letting the place itself guide you. It's a variety of travel you'll love to experience vicariously through Matt Gross--and maybe even be inspired to try for yourself.By Levison Wood. 2016
Following his trek along the length of the Nile River, explorer Levison Wood takes on his greatest challenge yet-navigating the…
treacherous foothills of the Himalayas, the world's highest mountain range. Praised by Bear Grylls, Levison Wood has been called "the toughest man on TV" (The Times UK). Now, following in the footsteps of the great explorers, Levison recounts the beauty and danger he found along the Silk Road route of Afghanistan, the Line of Control between Pakistan and India, the disputed territories of Kashmir and the earth-quake ravaged lands of Nepal. Over the course of six months, Wood and his trusted guides trek 1,700 gruelling miles across the roof of the world. Packed with action and emotion, Walking the Himalayas is the story of one intrepid man's travels in a world poised on the edge of tremendous change.By Ty Herndon, Stephen W. Phillips. 2016
By the late 1960s, the Ryman Auditorium--the fifth home of the Grand Ole Opry--was a deteriorating firetrap in a seedy…
part of Nashville, yet it still attracted thousands of people each weekend to the "show that made country music famous." In an effort to develop an attraction that could sustain a larger Opry all week long, Opryland was born. Opryland USA operated from May 27, 1972, until December 31, 1997, attracting millions of visitors each year and giving many celebrities their first taste of show business. The park consisted of nine areas, dozens of rides, and Broadway-caliber shows featuring live bands and orchestras. As the "Home of American Music," Opryland USA still lives on in the hearts and minds of those who visited its wooded trails, lazy streams, exciting attractions, and toe-tapping performances.By Bradley Garrett. 2013
Plotting adventures from London, Paris, Eastern Europe, Detroit, Chicago and Las vegas, uncovering the tunnels below the city as well…
as scaling the highest skyscrapers, Bradley Garrett has evaded urban security in order to experience the city in new ways beyond the conventional boundaries of everyday life. Explore Everything is both an account of his escapades with the London Consolidation Crew as well as an urbanist manifesto on rights to the city and new ways of belonging in and understanding the metropolis. It is a passionate declaration to "explore everything," combining philosophy, politics and adventure.The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, a distance of 2,650 grueling, sun-scorched, bear-infested miles. When Dan White…
and his girlfriend announced their intention to hike it, Dan's parents--among others--thought they were nuts. How could two people who'd never even shared an apartment together survive six months in the desert with little more than a two-person tent and some trail mix? But when these addled adventurers, dubbed "the Lois and Clark Expedition" by their benevolent trail-guru, set out for the American wilderness, the hardships of the trail--and one delicious-looking cactus--test the limits of love and sanity.By Leigh Newman. 2013
Part adventure story, part love story, part homecoming, Still Points North is a page-turning memoir that explores the extremes of…
belonging and exile, and the difference between how to survive and knowing how to truly live.Growing up in the wilds of Alaska, seven-year-old Leigh Newman spent her time landing silver salmon, hiking glaciers, and flying in a single-prop plane. But her life split in two when her parents unexpectedly divorced, requiring her to spend summers on the tundra with her "Great Alaskan" father and the school year in Baltimore with her more urbane mother.Navigating the fraught terrain of her family's unraveling, Newman did what any outdoorsman would do: She adapted. With her father she fished remote rivers, hunted caribou, and packed her own shotgun shells. With her mother she memorized the names of antique furniture, composed proper bread-and-butter notes, and studied Latin poetry at a private girl's school. Charting her way through these two very different worlds, Newman learned to never get attached to people or places, and to leave others before they left her. As an adult, she explored the most distant reaches of the globe as a travel writer, yet had difficulty navigating the far more foreign landscape of love and marriage.In vivid, astonishing prose, Newman reveals how a child torn between two homes becomes a woman who both fears and idealizes connection, how a need for independence can morph into isolation, and how even the most guarded heart can still long for understanding. Still Points North is a love letter to an unconventional Alaskan childhood of endurance and affection, one that teaches us that no matter where you go in life, the truest tests of courage are the chances you take, not with bears and blizzards, but with other people.Praise for Still Points North "Newman has crafted a vivid exploration of a broken family. . . . Her pain will resonate strongly with readers, and she vividly brings both Alaska and Maryland to life. . . . A natural for book clubs."--Booklist "Newman's adult search for her own true home is riveting, as are her worldwide adventures; it's a joy to be in on the ride."--Reader's Digest"Leigh Newman writes so lucidly about bewilderment, so honestly about self-deception, so courageously about fear, so compassionately about insensitivity, so hilariously about suffering and loss. Still Points North is a remarkable book: a travel memoir of the mapless, dangerous seas and territories between childhood and adulthood."--Karen Russell, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Swamplandia! "Still Points North begins in the remote woods of Alaska and then travels around the world and back again, following the adventures of a girl adrift. Newman navigates her way through these vividly written pages with the strength and skill of a river guide, always keeping her bearings. And, like the salmon she and her father fish for in the wilderness, Newman makes her way past the traps and rapids of life to find her way back home."--Hannah Tinti, bestselling author of The Good Thief "At once harrowing and tender-hearted, Still Points North is a memoir that reminds us of the fragility of family architecture and of father figures as mysterious, heroic, flawed humans. Leigh Newman illuminates the power of domestic discord to become a literal struggle for survival, brilliantly drawing a picture of a child tumbling through her family's dissolution as she struggles to make sense of what family means."--A. M. Homes, bestselling author of The Mistress's DaughterFrom the Hardcover edition.By Levison Wood. 2016
Following his trek along the length of the Nile River, explorer Levison Wood takes on his greatest challenge yet-navigating the…
treacherous foothills of the Himalayas, the world's highest mountain range. Praised by Bear Grylls, Levison Wood has been called "the toughest man on TV" (The Times UK). Now, following in the footsteps of the great explorers, Levison recounts the beauty and danger he found along the Silk Road route of Afghanistan, the Line of Control between Pakistan and India, the disputed territories of Kashmir and the earth-quake ravaged lands of Nepal. Over the course of six months, Wood and his trusted guides trek 1,700 gruelling miles across the roof of the world. Packed with action and emotion, Walking the Himalayas is the story of one intrepid man's travels in a world poised on the edge of tremendous change.By Ty Herndon, Stephen W. Phillips. 2016
By the late 1960s, the Ryman Auditorium--the fifth home of the Grand Ole Opry--was a deteriorating firetrap in a seedy…
part of Nashville, yet it still attracted thousands of people each weekend to the "show that made country music famous." In an effort to develop an attraction that could sustain a larger Opry all week long, Opryland was born. Opryland USA operated from May 27, 1972, until December 31, 1997, attracting millions of visitors each year and giving many celebrities their first taste of show business. The park consisted of nine areas, dozens of rides, and Broadway-caliber shows featuring live bands and orchestras. As the "Home of American Music," Opryland USA still lives on in the hearts and minds of those who visited its wooded trails, lazy streams, exciting attractions, and toe-tapping performances.By Cecil Kuhne. 2009
"The fine snow choked his eyes, ears, and throat, and he did not hear his own smothered death cry. Down…
in cold blackness, 150 feet down, his falling body smashed into a projecting ledge of ironclad ice. With the shattered remains of his sledge, with the doomed dogs, Belgrave Ninnis plunged deeper and deeper into the abyss." --Lennard Bickel's Mawson's Will. In Near Death in the Arctic, editor Cecil Kuhne gathers astonishing tales of man versus nature, all set against the bleakly beautiful backdrop of the poles of the earth. On foot, by ship, or by dog-powered sledge, these adventurers brave the most savage and desolate environment on earth, their instinct for self-preservation and survival exceeded only by their desire for excitement and discovery. Also featuring: Captain Roald Amundsen's The South Pole--The heart-pounding story of Amundsen's race to be the first man to reach both Poles despite driving snow, exhausted dogs, and towering glaciers. Ernest Shackleton's South--A riveting memoir of the doomed Endurance, which became trapped in dangerous pack ice that eventually tore the ship apart.Mike Stroud's Shadows on the Wasteland--The unbelievable account of a two-man, ninety-day trek across the Antarctic continent through temperatures as low as minus eighty-five degrees Celsius.From the Trade Paperback edition.