Archives for May 2007

Explore the Blue Ridge Region of North Carolina with the Go Blue Ridge Card

Visitors can now experience everything the Blue Ridge region of western North Carolina has to offer with fully pre-paid access to nearly 30 top attractions. Smart Destinations’ newly launched Go Blue Ridge Card lets customers explore the Blue Ridge Parkway with convenience and value. The card was developed in partnership with the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

Blue Ridge Highway

The card is available in 2-day, 3-day, and 5-day limits, which begin the first time you use the card. Smart Destinations president, touts the Go Blue Ridge Card’s ability to let customers craft a personalized experience. “Visitors can choose the combination of attractions that suits their own interests and schedule,” she says, “whether they want to take a white water rafting trip, explore the Linville Caverns or hop on the Tweetsie Railroad.” A full-color guidebook is included, complete with detailed descriptions of each attraction and maps to help you navigate the area.

Enjoy convenient, pre-paid admission to these popular Blue Ridge attractions: Biltmore, Emerald Village, Lake Lure Tours, Chimney Rock Park, Colburn Earth Science Museum, Rockhouse Vineyards, The Health Adventure, Loafers Glory Rafting & Tubing, Asheville Historic Trolley Tour, Smith-McDowell House Museum, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, Tweetsie Railroad, Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) raft trip, Grandfather Mountain, Linville Caverns, Banner Elk Winery, The Historic Orchard at Altapass storytelling hayride, The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Mystery Hill, Mountainside Theatre: Unto these Hills… A Retelling, Wildwater Rafting trip, Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, Dillsboro Rafting trip, Great Smokey Mountain Fish Camp with Tubing, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Ghost Town in the Sky™ Rose Creek Mine, Wheels Through Time Museum, and Smoky Mountain Trains Museum.

Lake Lure from Chimney Rock

The Go Blue Ridge Card is also good for discounts on dining at Spear’s BBQ and Grill at Linville Falls Lodge, NOC Relia’s Garden Restaurant, the Balsam Mountain Inn restaurant, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse and Creamery, Chimney Rock Park Sky Lounge and the Old Rock Café Restaurant. Enjoy savings at stores and attractions including Grove Arcade ARTS & Heritage Gallery, the Historic Orchard at Altapass, Mast General Store, Banner Elk Winery, Horn in the West and Hickory Ridge Living Museum, and Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Or save on adventures like Smoky Mountain Jet Boats and Blue Ridge Day Hiker.

Purchase the card online from Smart Destinations or any number of distribution partners worldwide, or pick one up in person at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce at 36 Montford Street. Find directions at www.exploreasheville.com.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Save Time and Money While Visiting the Big Apple with the Smart Destinations New York City Explorer Pass

Millions of tourists visit the United States’ largest city every summer, and now they have a convenient option for visiting some of the city’s best attractions. Developed by Smart Destinations, the top provider of attraction passes to premier vacation destinations, Explorer Pass is similar to their one-price, all-inclusive Go Cards, but it lets you pick only the attractions you want to see.

Statue of Liberty Alternate View

For one low price, customers can choose either three or five attractions from a list of 15. Unlike the Go Visitor Cards, the Explorer Pass is valid for 30 days from the first use, so it’s a great idea for extended visits or even for folks who live in New York City. The five-choice pass is only $99, and the three-choice pass is $65 per adult.

In addition to attractions from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Statue of Liberty, you can also save 10 percent on Broadway tickets, admission to Madame Tussauds NY wax museum, 40 percent savings on the Sopranos Sites Bus Tour by On Location Tours, 25 percent savings on top-quality souvenirs at The Library Shop at the New York Public Library, and more. The New York City Explorer Pass includes a free full-color pocket sized guidebook to help you plan your itinerary and navigate the city.

“The New York City Explorer Pass allows travelers to move about New York at their leisure without feeling rushed,” says president of Smart Destinations. “We’ve packed the product with only the best and most popular attractions, so first-time visitors will know that they’re getting a quality New York experience.”

The New York City Explorer Pass was designed to appeal to all kinds of visitors, from museumgoers to sightseers, for those who want to take a bus tour or river cruise to those who want to see the sights from the top of the Empire State Building. Some attractions have the added bonus of letting Explorer Pass holders skip the line.

Customers can choose from the following attractions: Top of the Rock Observation Deck, CitySights NY 24-hour Hop-on/Hop-off Double Decker Bus, NY Waterway Tours 90-minute Skyline Cruise and City Lights Cruise, NBC Studio Tour; Rockefeller Center Tour; On Location Tours’ Sex and the City Hotspots Bus Tour, NY Water Taxi’s Gateway to America Cruise and 2-day Hop-on Hop-off water taxi, New York TV and Movie Spots Bus Tour, and Central Park Movie Sites Walking Tour, and Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Day Trip. And at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters, and the Museum of Modern Art, pass holders can skip the entrance line in addition to gaining free admission.

Here’s an example itinerary for a New York City Pass holder with a five-choice 30-day pass.
$20             Metropolitan Museum of Art VIP admission, plus admission to Cloisters
$18.50            Top of the Rock™ Observation Deck
$37            Uptown Treasures and Harlem Double-Decker Bus Tour (24-hour Hop-on Hop-off)
$30            Gateway to America Cruise, plus 2-day Hop-on Hop-off Water Taxi
$34            New York TV and Movie Sites Bus Tour

The total retail cost would be $139.50, but a Choose 5 Explorer Pass is only $99, which yields a savings of $40.50.

The New York Pass can be purchased online through Smart Destinations or at many global distribution partners including those in London, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Japan, Korea, and elsewhere.

Filed Under: New York