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Amazing Agritourism Getaways For Foodies

  

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A recent trend in traveling is agritourism destinations. Agritourism, as it is defined most broadly, involves any agriculturally-based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. These agritourism getaways are perfect for any foodie. 

Pick grapes in Italy

Perfect for active foodies who want to boost their wine savvy while reveling in a little old-world glamour. Housed in a 10th-century castle, Castello di Casole is surrounded by acres of olive groves and vineyards. Tuscan hills provide an idyllic backdrop for hiking, biking and horseback riding. There’s even a spa, in a converted wine cellar, naturally. Book in September and help harvest grapes with the resident vintner. After wine tasting, take a cooking class and learn how to use your fresh-picked fruit in local specialties like focaccia all’uva, a sweet grape bread.

 

Forage in Maine

Get a taste of small-town New England charm at Hidden Pond, a rustic-chic resort comprising 36 cottages in picturesque Kennebunkport, Maine. Vegetables grown on the resort’s organic farm appear on the menu at Earth, Hidden Pond’s popular restaurant. Sit on the patio for a view of the vegetable garden and pond. Join Justin Walker, Earth’s rising-star executive chef, on an expedition into the woods near the hotel to forage for black trumpet and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, wild cranberries and black cherries.

 

Make chocolate in Belize

Perfect for explorer types who want a hands-on experience without truly roughing it. Recently renovated by the duo behind Belcampo organic restaurants and cattle farms in California, Belcampo Belize boasts a 3,000-acre sustainable farm, free-range pigs and a distillery. The surrounding rainforest and nearby Gulf of Honduras give the resort a lush, exotic feel, but its eco-chic rooms and spa are all about comfort. Choose from a chocolate-making class, diving for lobster with the chef or foraging for hearts of palm, for your next salad, with a local.

 

Harvest vegetables in California

Perfect for veggie and luxury lovers looking to eat healthy, get fit, and log some hours at a top-notch spa. Legendary for its spa treatments and zen vibe, the Golden Door in Escondido, California, encompasses a 20-mile network of hiking trails, organic olive and citrus groves, chicken coops and a 3-acre biodynamic farm. Pick pumpkins, pomegranates and more, then learn how to use them in some of the spa’s most popular dishes. Or suit up with executive chef Greg Frey Jr. and learn about the inner workings of a honeybee hive.

 

Craft cocktails in Hawaii

Perfect for travelers who want to relax, recharge and toast to a day in paradise, not spend all day in a kitchen. Perched on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Hotel Wailea in Maui has its own organic garden and two eateries committed to using local ingredients. Try canoeing or kite boarding, or just lounge by the pool. Either way, sunset cocktails are in order, the resort makes theirs with fresh juices and homemade syrups. Hop in a golf cart headed to Hotel Wailea’s mango and avocado orchards, then return for a poolside mixology class, where you’ll whip up drinks using fruit and herbs from the gardens.

 

Fish in the Bahamas

Perfect for fishing enthusiasts and ocean lovers seeking a barefoot-style escape from tech overload. Three miles of unspoiled white beaches and no in-room Internet or TV make Kamalame Cay, a private island getaway in the Bahamas, the perfect place to unplug, and eat well. The resort grows its own produce and herbs, bakes its own bread and features fresh-caught fish on its menus. Take a boat out on the open waters to fish for snapper and grouper; then head to the kitchen, where a chef will help you cook your catch for dinner.


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Destinations

10 Best Casinos Outside Las Vegas

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The United States has other casinos outside Las Vegas. Here is a list of the top 10 casinos that you can visit even without going to Crescent City.

There are more than 1,500 casinos spanning the entire US. Aside from the casinos that are located inside Las Vegas, gamblers can easily visit various casinos near their area. If you like playing a game or two—or three, it’d be nice to know the different casinos that might be near you. In this article, we decided to feature the 10 best casinos outside the Big Easy.

Mohegan Sun

Located in Uncasville, Connecticut, Mohegan Sun boasts of three casinos. These are Casino of the Sky, Casino of the Wind, and Casino of the Earth. To provide you with even more entertainment choices, the three floors in between these casinos feature about 5,000 slot machines, 42 poker tables, 275 table games, a race book. If you like playing Asian table games like Pai Gow Poker, Baccarat, and Sic Bo, you can also visit the Sunrise Square. You can even find a couple of smoke-free areas, sections that are dedicated to non-smoker visitors.

Pechanga Resort and Casino

Branded as California’s largest casino, the Pechanga Resort and Casino measures 188,000 square feet. It has over 4,000 slot machines, a 700-seater Bingo area, 154 table games, and a non-smoker poker section.

Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City

You can also visit the Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City that’s located in New Jersey. It has 2,172 slot machines, a 3,800 square feet sportsbook, and a daily poker tournament.

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa

If you’re in Florida, this can be your new hangout as it boasts of over 4,000 slot machines, 46 poker tables, and a multitude of table games.

Peppermill Resort Spa Casino

If you’re tired of Las Vegas but still want to visit a casino within Nevada, you can check out the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino that’s located in Reno, Nevada.

Casino Del Sol

For Tucson, Arizona gamblers, you can visit Casino Del Sol. Players can enjoy various table games for the minimum expense of $3 per game.

Ocean Casino Resort

Another Atlantic City gambling destination is the Ocean Casino Resort. Aside from its multiple slot machines and Sportsbook, it has the biggest Topgolf Swing Suite in the whole United States.

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa

Another casino that’s located in Reno, Nevada, the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa has 1,400 slot and poker machines. It even provides guests with a tropical-themed experience.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City

Another popular destination is the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City. This New Jersey casino has 2,115 slot machines and various poker and play tables to check out. It also provides customers with an Asian gaming area that allows visitors to play Baccarat, Asian Poker, and Pai Gow.

Foxwood Resort Casino

Ranked as the best casino outside of Las Vegas, the Foxwood Resort Casino is located in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Offering around 4,500 slot machines and numerous gambling amenities, visitors will surely enjoy the place. The place even boasts four hotels to choose from and more than 30 restaurants, as well. If you’re looking for your new staycation and gambling destination, the Foxwood Resort Casino is a must-try.     

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Destinations

Tourist Experiences Bad Luck, Returns Pompeii Artifacts

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A Canadian woman returned Pompeii artifacts, 15 years after they were stolen from the Pompeii site.

Prof. Massimo Ossana, the Archeological Park of Pompeii’s temporary director released a statement last Tuesday confirming the return of five stolen artifacts that were sent back via a travel agency. The said agency, then, contacted the Carabinieri police regarding the matter.

The artifacts, which were accompanied by a letter, were brought back to the archeological park. However, they cannot be returned to their specific, original spots within Pompeii’s old ruins. “Obviously they cannot be relocated because their precise origin is not known,” Osanna shared.

According to The Guardian and CNN, the Canadian tourist’s missive narrated her experiences of bad luck right after she took the Pompeii artifacts back in 2005. She mentioned that she went through financial and health problems because of them. “We are good people and I don’t want to pass this curse on to my family,” the woman explained.

In relation to the incident, Ossana mentioned that stolen artifacts get frequently sent back to the archeological park that features the ruins of an ancient Roman city that got destroyed by the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Many of these items are returned due to the same reason—that the artifacts are accompanied by a curse, bestowing ill luck to those who take them from their resting place.

“For several years, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii has been receiving letters from visitors who, on the occasion of their visit, had taken small objects (we are talking about mosaic tiles, small shards, stones, pieces of plaster, lapilli), of little value, but part of unique archaeological heritage, and that they decided after years to return, claiming to have derived only bad luck from that act,” the Archeological Park of Pompeii’s statement said.

Consequently, the statement also mentioned that the supposed curse that accompanies the artifacts found at the park serves as an effective deterrent for anyone who wishes to take or steal other Pompeii items in the future. “But we hope that an international civil awareness towards cultural heritage in general will increase, regardless of the fear of a bad luck that could affect those who make such gestures,” Osanna continued.

Stealing items from famous archaeological sites and tourist destinations is a rampant activity. However, visitors to these heritage areas must be aware of the necessity to preserve these artifacts because they serve as actual, historical objects that provide current and future generations with the means to understand how our ancestors lived in the past. Preserved artifacts are living testaments to the people who came before us, offering us a glimpse into their lives—how they lived, how they interacted with one another, and how they died.

Knowing what happened in the past—how people survived in the past—provides us with the necessary knowledge to improve our present lives and the lives of future generations. Hence, it is essential for everyone to preserve these archaeological and historical sites—and understand the significance of their continued presence in our modern existence.

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Destinations

Thailand Plans to Welcome Back International Tourists by October

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Hope is knocking on the door of travelers who are anxious to spend their Christmas holidays in Thailand. However, provided that they are willing to spend a few weeks in a kingdom with limited areas.

During a public forum held in August 2020, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism, said that the country is planning to allow foreign tourists to enter the country under the program, Safe and Sealed. He claims that he has already asked the prime minister to approve the expected date of opening on October 1. Ratchakitprakarn says that he has already requested Phuket as a model and has gotten approval from the Center for Economic Situation Administration. Upon launching the program, tourists will be able to enter Thailand’s largest island, Phuket. However, travelers will need to stay in quarantine in a selected resort for not more than 14 days upon arriving.

 According to Phipat, the famous Patong Beach is an excellent example wherein three to four resorts are set up there. Keeping the tourists in the area would allow them to spend time on a beach, given that they would stay in their designated areas. Travelers are also required to get tested for COVID-19 at the beginning and the end of their allotted quarantine period. However, the minister says that tourists who want to travel outside of Phuket would have to undergo a third COVID-19 test and have an extension of seven days under quarantine. Besides that, hotel staff who work in the designated areas aren’t allowed to leave the premises without taking a COVID-19 test and going into quarantine. 

Governor Yuthasak Supasorn of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has told CNN that the government has approved the travel plan. The next phase would be holding a public hearing to obtain the residents’ approval. 

The Step for the Future

Like most countries who have always relied on tourism, Thailand has been hit pretty hard by the pandemic. Aside from having all international commercial flights being banned, the residents on returning flights would have to be put into quarantine for 14 days. Gratefully, Thailand hasn’t had a locally transmitted COVID-19 case for more than three months now, which gives travelers a sense of relief as they go on trips for the weekends. Managing director Bill Barnet of the Asia-focused consulting firm C9 Hotelwork claims that welcoming international travelers is the right step.

According to Barnet, COVID-19 is different compared to other events like 9/11 and the restart of traveling. He claims that the Safe and Sealed program may not be a silver bullet, but a step forward against “the deer in headlights position.”

He diminishes any form of criticism that says the project may be too restrictive. Barnet claims that Phuket has proven its appeal as a destination for people looking to escape the winter season. Barnet notes that Russians, Britons, Germans, and Scandinavians have always returned to Phuket yearly and stay long-term guests. He claims that the moment the temperature drops in Europe, the people will quickly mark Phuket as one of their destinations. 

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