Beaches

Bali on a high amid summit drawing world leaders

A decade ago, Bali's famed white sand beaches and popular shopping areas were deserted as visitors scared off by terrorism shunned the "island of the gods." The dark cloud of the suicide bombings that killed 202 mostly foreign tourists in 2002 lingered for years, decimating one of Asia's top tourist ...

Storm, shutdown hamper sea turtle monitoring

Although Karen lost its punch before it could strike Florida's Panhandle, rough surf from the storm and the ongoing federal government shutdown hampered efforts on Sunday to monitor sea turtles along some of northwest Florida's pristine beaches. "Combined with the government shutdown, that has sort of compounded the situation because ...

Maintenance season starts at Wildwoods' amusements

Shutting down an amusement pier for the season isn't as simple as flipping a switch. At Morey's Piers, the operator of three piers and two water parks, the end of the summer season means the real work is just beginning. "This is the busiest time of year for maintenance," Pat ...

In this Tuesday, Oct. 1 2013 photo, the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore park in Chesterton, Ind. is closed as a result of the federal government shut down. Tourism agencies and businesses that rely on the allure of federal parks and forests to attract visitors are hoping the partial federal government shutdown that entered its fourth day Friday ends before it hurts their bottom lines. (AP Photo/The Times, John Luke) MANDATORY CREDIT; CHICAGO LOCALS OUT; GARY OUT

Ind. tourism destinations hope shutdown is short

Indiana tourism agencies and businesses that rely on the allure of federal parks and forests to attract visitors are hoping the partial federal government shutdown that entered its fourth day Friday ends before it hurts their bottom lines. The shutdown has closed or limited access to Indiana's federal forests and ...

FILE - This Jan. 20, 2013 file photo, revelers dance to the music played by DJ Afrojack inside the XS nightclub in Las Vegas. A poll conducted this year by the national gambling lobby found that 26 percent of casino-goers now eschew wagering, and the city's growing mega-clubs are threatening to become the most lucrative draw for a town built on betting. Las Vegas now boasts 21 of the country's 100 most profitable nightclubs, according to the trade publication Nightclub & Bar. The town also dominates the top 10 spots, with seven clubs bringing in more than $25 million a year. The other three clubs with earnings in the same range are LIV and Mango's Tropical Cafe in Miami Beach, and LAVO in New York City. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

In Vegas, clubbing almost as popular as gambling

The cannon at the Flutter Fetti booth near the front of the gambling trade show in Las Vegas last week delivered regular bursts of metallic and crepe paper cutouts, shooting them to the ceiling in big booms and carpeting the floor with shimmering hearts, stars and circles. The glittery mess ...

US shutdown ruins vacations, hurts local economies

Stop at a cafe in the remote stretches of Arizona and Utah in autumn, and you're likely to hear a mix of languages as tourists from around the world step into the iconic western landscape, marked by breathtaking canyons and massive rock formations. Millions of visitors tour the region each ...

Grand Canyon National Park Ranger Jason Morris surveys traffic backed up at the closed park entrance on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013 in Ariz. More than 400 national parks are closed as Congress remains deadlocked over federal government funding. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff)

Shutdown ruins vacations, hurts local economies

Stop at a cafe in the remote stretches of northern Arizona and southern Utah in the fall, and you're likely to hear a mix of languages as tourists from around the world step into the iconic western landscape, marked by breathtaking canyons and massive rock formations. Millions of visitors tour ...

Chair makes stops in Va. during B&B tour

Whether gazing across the Shenandoah Valley from a lookout on Skyline Drive or engaging with farm animals, "Red" enjoyed his three-day visit to the area, according to Celeste Borel. Borel, innkeeper at L'Auberge Provençale Bed and Breakfast, knows the Red Chair well enough to call it by its first name. ...

Members of the Blue Angels sign autographs as part of the Blue Angels Fan Experience at the National Naval Aviation Museum.

When summer ends, visitors find laid-back groove in Pensacola

PENSACOLA, FLA. – Travelers flock to Pensacola in the summer to play on sugar-white beaches lapped by emerald water, get acquainted with historic attractions, and visit the National Naval Aviation Museum, home of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron known as the Blue Angels. It’s ‘round-the-clock, action-packed fun all summer ...

In this photo taken Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, National Park Ranger Robert Turan closes a road leading to Wilder Monument at the Chickamauga Battlefield in Chickamauga, Georgia, which is among more than 400 parks across the country that have been closed as a result of the federal government's partial shutdown. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Dan Henry)

Obama call lawmakers to meeting on shutdown

President Barack Obama summoned congressional lawmakers to the White House on Wednesday as a partial government shutdown entered a second day with little sign of a breakthrough. Lawmakers from both parties suggested the impasse could last for weeks and grow to encompass a dangerous fight over the U.S. borrowing limit. ...

Mo. fallout continues as shutdown enters Day 2

As the government shutdown enters Day 2, it continues to cause headaches for many people, including a group of Missouri and Kansas veterans flying to Washington to visit the nation's closed war monuments. KSHB-TV reports that the nonprofit Heartland Honor Flight organized the trip, which was supposed to first start ...

This photo provided by the National Park Service shows a sign informing visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii National Park, Hawaii that the park is closed Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. The partial shutdown of the federal government is rippling across Hawaii, from Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the north to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the south. (AP Photo/National Park Service)

Federal government shutdown ripples across Hawaii

The partial shutdown of the federal government rippled across Hawaii on Tuesday, from isolated atolls in the far northwest where the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is closed to the southeast where Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is turning away tourists eager to see the glow of Kilauea volcano's lava. On Oahu, ...