AJC wire travel headlines

In this Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 photo, workers put the finishing touches on the Detroit Institute of Arts newest exhibition, “Watch Me Move: The Animation Show,” which organizers are calling the “most extensive animation show ever mounted.” The exhibit features both iconic pieces as well as a host of lesser-known works that span the past 100-plus years. Visitors will be able to peruse more than 100 animated film segments _ nearly 12 hours’ worth of footage in all. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit art museum hosts show devoted to animation

The 128-year-old Detroit Institute of Arts has gained a reputation as a home for some of the world's most hallowed masterpieces: Paintings by Van Gogh and Picasso, the Rivera industry murals. Things will look a bit different, though, over the next few months. Vincent, Pablo and Diego will have company ...

In this Nov. 1, 2012 photo, Semilla Solar Amarillo, an interior designer, plays the didgeridoo during the procession of Santa Muerte during the Day of the Dead festival at the Cemetery of Nueva Esperanza in Villa Maria del Triunfo in Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Jody Kurash)

Day of the Dead celebration in Lima cemetery

With the magical sound of wooden flutes, the scent of incense, and the warm Andean sun making shadow patterns across the rolling hills, this event has all the hallmarks of a happy, festive occasion. Families spread out picnics; strolling musicians and vendors sell cotton candy, toys, flowers and food. But ...

In this June 7, 2013 photo, a boa constrictor is shown on display at Mario Gonzales' stand outside the witches market in Lima, Peru. Gonzales sells jars of boa constrictor fat that are used to relieve arthritic pain. (AP Photo/Jody Kurash)

Weird potions at witches market in Lima, Peru

Question: What's red and green and goes 175 miles an hour? Answer: A frog in a blender. That gross-out kids' riddle takes on new meaning at the massive, indoor witches market in Lima, Peru. Here, ingredients for one of the proffered potions include a live frog plucked from a fish ...

Top 20 Concert Tours from Pollstar

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. ...

This Nov. 11, 1965 photo supplied by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum shows, from left, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones on the NBC teen music show "Hullabaloo," in New York. Rare photos of the young Rolling Stones, taken by their tour manager Bob Bonis during their first years in the United States, will be unveiled during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s celebration of the group next month. The photos will be shown as part of a weeklong tribute to the band for the Rock Hall’s Music Masters Series, from Oct. 21 to Oct. 26. (AP Photo/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Bob Bonis)

Rare Rolling Stones pics to be shown at rock hall

Rare photos of the young Rolling Stones, taken by their tour manager during their first years in the United States, will be unveiled during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's celebration of the group next month. Bob Bonis was the group's tour manager from 1964 to 1966. The photos ...

FILE -- In this file photo taken on Aug. 11 2013, Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Angelus noon prayer he celebrated from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican. On Sunday mornings when the pope is in Rome, pilgrims, tourists and Romans flock to St. Peter’s Square, intent on glimpsing the pontiff at his studio window as he speaks to the crowd below. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

5 free things to do and see in Rome

Some of Rome's attractions are among the best-known spots on Earth. Few visitors need to be told to visit the Colosseum or the Trevi Fountain during their stay in the Eternal City. But here's a list of some other worthwhile things to see and do that tourists may want to ...

NYC retrospective reassesses LOVE artist's work

Artist Robert Indiana says love hurt him. Love, as in his world-famous LOVE image — stacked letters with a tilted O — that became a symbol of the "make love, not war" 1960s counterculture revolution. That one image eclipsed all his other work. But now the artist's first major retrospective, ...

This photo provided by Telfair Museums shows the Telfair Academy in Telfair Square, Savannah, Ga. The square is named for a prominent family whose roots stretched back to Colonial times. The square is home to the Telfair Academy, an 1819 mansion that became a museum in the 1880s, along with the contemporary Jepson Center, designed by the noted architect Moshe Safdie. (AP Photo/Telfair Museums)

Charming Southern cities: Savannah and Charleston

In "Gone With the Wind," Scarlett O'Hara, comparing Savannah and Charleston to the much younger city of Atlanta, called the older locales "aged grandmothers fanning themselves placidly in the sun." Today the two waterfront cities are among the South's most popular tourist destinations, attracting millions of visitors annually with their ...

This 2013 photo shows the interior of The Crab Stop in Ocean City, Md. The Crab Stop, a small, sparse but richly decorated shop nestled in a strip mall next to a Chinese takeout, is known for steamed fresh crabs to order as well as their crab cakes. (AP Photo/Matt Moore)

Go For the Food: Ocean City, Md for crabs & carbs

The crabs, and carbs, aren't just in Baltimore. In Ocean City, Maryland's long-time seaside resort town, the creations of some of the low-key restaurants, crab shacks and strip mall seafood huts are proving to be just as much a draw as the Atlantic Ocean east of the Coastal Highway and ...

Disney changing line-jumping program for disabled

People with disabilities will no longer go straight to the front of lines at Disneyland and Walt Disney World after growing abuse of the system, park officials said. Under the change, visitors will be issued tickets with a return time and a shorter wait similar to the FastPass system that's ...

Planetarium stars align, spell love for Ga. couple

The way the stars aligned inside a Georgia planetarium caught the 22-year-old woman by surprise, spelling out the question: "Krystal Sanderson Will You Marry Me?" Sanderson's boyfriend, Alan Gilbert, was behind the weekend message that appeared at the planetarium of the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Macon. One of ...

Canals running dry at Venetian on Las Vegas Strip

Tourists hoping to cruise along the Las Vegas Venetian hotel-casino's indoor canals are finding them tapped out. The waterways were emptied for a once-every-14-year repainting. When the canals reopen in October, the water will once again appear to sparkle below the hotel's ersatz sky that brightens and darkens throughout the ...

This Sept. 17, 2013 photo shows the Route 66 Malt Shop along Central Avenue in Albuquerque, N.M. A self-guided tour along this section of Route 66 offers boutiques, restaurants and a variety of neon signs, many of them vintage. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

5 free things to do in New Mexico's largest city

Really, it's not that hard to spell. Just remember, there are three Us and a couple of Qs. Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, has a history that stretches back to the days of the Spanish conquistadors. They were responsible for its name and their influence persists 300 years after they ...

Hermann Tourism Director Position Discussed

The Hermann board of aldermen agreed Monday night to seek candidates for the position of tourism director for the city. It came after some discussion during the regular city council meeting. A few weeks ago the city terminated Jim Grebing, who had been the city's tourism director for eight years. ...

This Aug. 12, 2013 photo shows hiker Marianne Denniston walking across the boardwalk of the Little Pond marsh trail at the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, Conn. The wildlife sanctuary, which is set amongst 4,000 acres of fields, ponds and woodland, offers a nature museum, campgrounds, boating and bird-watching. (AP Photo/Helen O'Neill)

Exploring the treasures of Litchfield, Connecticut

The demoiselle crane moved delicately across the field, arched her long, silver-grey neck and offered an elaborate bow. Then the bird, a native of Eurasia, flapped and hopped and danced over the grass in a courtship ritual that was all the more extraordinary because of where it took place — ...

This April 14, 2013 photo shows kayakers at the Emerald Cave on the Arizona side of the Colorado River. The cave is one of the highlights of a trip on the river that begins with a guide company picking you up at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip first thing in the morning, putting in near the Hoover Dam in a federal security zone that requires escort by an authorized livery service, and paddling through the Black Canyon. (AP Photo/Karen Schwartz)

Just outside Las Vegas, kayaking through a canyon

It's easy to trade the wild ways of Las Vegas for the wilds of the nearby Colorado River: All it takes is a call to a boating outfitter and a federally-approved form of ID. That's because the overnight float trips in the Black Canyon put in just below the Hoover ...

In this Sept. 5, 2013 photo, a florist carries flowers in trendy Savior Square in Warsaw, Poland. It has become one of the capital city’s trendiest places after political and economic reform and attracts tourists, students and professionals with its numerous cafes and leisurely ambiance. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Trendy Warsaw square shows Poland's change

It was rebuilt from ruins after World War II, but still hides a German bunker. And while this square in central Warsaw is named for a Catholic church, it's also famous for a pro-gay rainbow structure that's repeatedly been set on fire. Plac Zbawiciela — Place of the Savior, or ...

This undated photo provided by Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism shows colorful fall foliage on Highway 7 along the Buffalo River in Pruitt, Ark. The changing leaves of state’s hickory, oak and sweet gum trees lure thousands of visitors every fall, and the “Scenic 7” highway is one of the most popular routes for leaf-peepers. (AP Photo/Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism, Chuck Haralson)

Changing hickories, oaks lure visitors to Arkansas

Arkansas may be best-known for Bill Clinton and Wal-Mart. But come autumn, the state gets attention for something else: stunning foliage. The brilliant yellow and red leaves of hickory, oak and sweet gum trees lure thousands of visitors to this part of the world every fall, and this year is ...

In this Sept 5, 2013 photo, El Patio de Albuquerque owner David Sandoval, left, brings customers sopapillas, a local New Mexican dish. El Patio is a longtime, unpretentious eatery near Albuquerque’s University of New Mexico campus. For nearly four decades, multi-generational families, tourists, professors, students _ even celebrities _ have lined up outside this former house for robust but simple fare. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

Go For the Food: El Patio serves New Mexican cool

The distinct regional tastes of New Mexico have become a huge draw for foodies, thanks to the cultural fusion of Anglo, Native, Mexican and Spanish cuisines. In recent years, the state has seen a profusion of upscale locavore restaurants reflecting new interest in the old traditions. But that doesn't mean ...

Vermont towns to host independent TV and film fest

A little bit of Hollywood is coming to the small Vermont towns of Dover and Wilmington. The Independent Television and Film Festival, or ITVFest, will take place Sept. 26-28 in the towns, which have a combined population of just a few thousand people. ITVFest offers a showcase for screenings by ...