The Osceola County Museum of Military History is now open, welcoming both visitors including military reunions to experience the nation’s military heritage.

Located at 5210 W. U.S. Highway 192, Kissimmee, the 10,000-square-foot museum offers guided and self-guided tours of its interactive displays and exhibits of historical photos, uniforms and more highlighting the contributions of all of the armed forces during conflicts spanning the Civil War to the present.

In addition to the collection, the museum also houses oral histories of military experiences that former or active duty servicemen and servicewomen have shared.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults; $6 for seniors; and $5 for students and veterans/retired military. Admission is free for active duty military.

Annual membership also is available with unlimited visits to the museum, inclusion in selected special events, early invitations to pre-register for paid events, monthly museum e-newsletters, a personalized membership card and membership to partner museums. Memberships are priced at $35 for individual, $75 for family or $100 to $150 for corporate membership, based on the number of employees.

Visit www.MuseumofMilitaryHistory.com for more information on this attraction.

More and more, it’s one big happy — and multigenerational — family when it comes to travel. Preferred Hotel Group recently conducted a study of the leisure traveler, analyzing more than 400 variables, including the travel-related attitudes, behaviors, preferences, social values, lifestyles and media habits of people who identified themselves as “multigenerational travelers.” The study found that 40 percent of US leisure travelers — about 21 million of them — had taken a multigenerational trip in the previous 12 months, that defined as a trip of three generations.

Traveling in groups isn’t limited to families, either. Luxury travel operator Abercrombie & Kent also reported that 11 percent of its reservations in 2011 were for groups of five more, compared to eight percent the year before.

via Multi-generational and group travel an emerging trend – Globe-trotting – The Boston Globe.

Masterpieces of urban design fill the view from the balcony of my hotel room in the Aqua Tower, an architectural stunner itself.

In a city famed for its buildings, the 14th-floor perch affords glimpses of the tangled-metal roof of Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the dramatic Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago and the “wall” of historic facades on South Michigan Avenue. Lake Michigan peeks between the high-rises here in Lakeshore East, an attractive residential development east of the Loop.

In town for a weekend of checking out what’s new in Chicago, my home for two nights was the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago. Open since November, the city’s newest hotel represents the North American debut of the u

pscale Radisson Blu brand, recognized in Europe and Asia for its cutting-edge style.

The 334-room hotel occupies the first 18 floors of the internationally acclaimed, 81-story Aqua Tower, a condominium building wrapped in blue-green glass and undulating waves of white balconies. Across the street (Columbus Drive) are the Fairmont Hotel and 83-story Aon Building, the fifth tallest skyscraper in the U.S. The underground Chicago Pedway system connects the Aqua Tower to the Loop’s State Street shopping corridor.

A blue glass cube frames the Radisson’s entrance, and various shades of blue, from navy to turquoise, accent guest rooms. The bold but cozy lobby, with cast concrete, weathered steel, brick walls and a bare floor, takes on a gritty industrial look and features a 50-foot-long fireplace backed by an intricate Egyptian brass screen.

Hotel amenities include an indoor basketball court, a billiards room, fitness center, indoor lap pool and an outdoor pool on a green-roof recreation deck complete with gardens, gazebos, cabanas, fire pits and a running track.

Filini, the hotel’s shimmering Italian restaurant, features signature dishes like braised rabbit with polenta, olive oil-poached halibut and pappardelle, a cocoa-scented pasta with wild boar ragu. A glass-enclosed wine wall showcases a wide variety of Italian vintages. The downstairs bar offers pizzas made in a coal-fired oven and a selection of stuzzichini, or “little bites.”

Another new Chicago hotel is best known for its storied restaurant. The old Ambassador East Hotel, built in 1926 in the posh Gold Coast neighborhood, has been transformed by New York hotelier Ian Schrager into Public Chicago, home of the reinvented Pump Room. Once the hangout of Frank Sinatra and other Hollywood elites, the Pump Room still displays framed photographs of celebrities. But the place has been updated with bleached-oak tables, lush leather chairs, 100 hanging spheres and menus developed by super-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten of New York’s ABC Kitchen.

The 285-room Public Chicago, stylish but understated, has a soothing, “no-color” palette, with an emphasis on whites and creams. Located amid mansions and townhouses on tree-shaded streets, the hotel is just a short walk from the lake and Rush Street nightlife. A special perk: complimentary bike rentals.

The star power of a basketball legend draws visitors to yet another new hotel dining spot—Michael Jordan’s Steak House in the InterContinental Chicago on North Michigan Avenue. Unlike his former restaurant, which was filled with Chicago Bulls memorabilia, this plush, white-tablecloth space, bathed in shades of bronze and cognac and accented with Middle Eastern motifs from the historic hotel’s lobby ceiling, has only subtle references to the man who wore jersey No. 23.

There’s a Jordan quote on one wall, the number 23 on another. The menu offers a 23-ingredient chopped salad and 23-layer chocolate cake filled with espresso ganache.

The signature steak is the MJ Prime Delmonico, a boneless, 16-ounce, dry-aged rib eye in balsamic-ginger jus ($47). For sides, try the Mashed Potato Trio—lobster-chive, sweet potato marshmallow and horseradish-cheddar—served in small cast-iron pots. Lunch entrees include chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and a $16 cheeseburger (chuck, brisket, short rib).

A favorite appetizer at Michael Jordan’s is the ciabatta garlic bread, a stack of crispy-soft squares drizzled with a buttermilk blue cheese fondue.

Fans of macaroni and cheese have discovered the new Southern Mac & Cheese Store, a no-frills, order-at-the-counter eatery that opened on Lake Street after the success of the Southern Mac food truck. Convenient to the North Loop theater district, the store serves up a variety of flavors ($6.99 to $8.99) in foil containers, from barbecue brisket to pulled chicken with blue cheese and buffalo sauce. Perhaps the best is the Mexican chorizo with pepper jack and cojita cheeses.

Magnolia Bakery, another comfort food option, also brings a Southern touch to the North Loop. Housed in the new Block 37 Shops mall, across from Macy’s State Street store, the offshoot of New York City’s celebrated cupcake purveyor offers plenty of other goodies besides made-from-scratch, $3 cupcakes made famous on “Sex and the City.” Cupcake flavors range from vanilla (the most popular) and chocolate to red velvet and pumpkin. The decadent muffins, brownies, whoopie pies, banana pudding, flourless chocolate cake and mini-cheesecakes also are worth a leisurely coffee stop in this homey shop decorated with aprons, egg beaters, cake molds and baking pans.

Steps away looms the new flagship Walgreen’s drugstore. But this is not just any Walgreen’s. The two-story mega-store at State and Randolph (on a site that housed a Walgreen’s from 1926 to 2005) opened in mid-January to lots of fanfare, thanks to amenities like a main-entrance sushi bar with Japanese chefs, a barista serving coffee, a juice/smoothies bar and a self-serve frozen yogurt machine dispensing nine flavors. And let’s not forget the nail salon and eyebrow bar. The upscale store has wine priced as high as $449.49.

UP Comedy Club, a hot new destination with shows seven nights a week, features the best in headline stand-up comedy, plus full-length shows and improv revues created and presented by Second City Theatricals. Located on the third floor of Piper’s Alley in Old Town, a short drive north of downtown, the club is adjacent to Second City, the comedy theater long known as a breeding ground for big stars.

With booth seating and two levels of cabaret seating, UP Comedy Club features a restaurant and bar with a Chicago-style menu offering Lou Malnati’s deep-dish pizza, Vienna beef and Eli’s cheesecake.

Children's Museum of Manhattan

Chicago’s newest museum probes the roots of Western civilization and celebrates Greek immigrants’ contributions to American life. In a four-story building in Greektown, west of the Loop, the National Hellenic Museum, which opened in December, bills itself as the “newest thing in ancient history.” The only major museum in the U.S. dedicated to Greek (Hellenic) culture, it was formerly housed above a restaurant one block down Halsted Street, Greektown’s main thoroughfare.

The museum will be more worth a visit (adult admission is $10) when its core exhibit on the second floor, “In Search of Home: The Greek Journey from Myth to Modern Day,” is ready later this year. In the meantime the second floor offers a preview of the exhibit with designers’ drawings and notes from curators scrawled in marker.

The museum’s main offering through August is “Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece,” a first-floor exhibition developed by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Kids can climb inside a 12-foot Trojan horse, learn about the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” at computer stations, test their knowledge of ancient Greek gods and goddesses in a push-button display, and take part in other hands-on activities.

—Randy Mink

The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.

Chattanooga is the perfect destination for your next reunion group trip. We have the ideal mix of accommodations, dining options, scenic beauty and attractions including the Tennessee Aquarium, Rock City and Ruby Falls.

Visitors who come here enjoy summer adventures of kayaking, canoeing, biking and incredible hiking. They also enjoy winter sports like skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and ice fishing. Today more than 62,000 Native Americans live in South Dakota and the rich Dakota, Lakota and Nakota culture is prominent. Visitors can experience this vibrant culture through a visit to a Native American community. From cowboys and outlaws to pioneering families and plains dwelling Native Americans, the state of South Dakota has centuries of rich history.

Long before her invitation arrived, Ashley Chilton knew she wouldn’t attend her 10-year high school reunion.

Since graduation, she’s kept up with most of her Millersburg, Ohio, classmates through Facebook. She knows who’s fat or thin, single or married, childless or baby crazy. She was in contact with her close friends, and Facebook satisfied her curiosities about nearly everyone else.

“In high school we had always talked about our reunions, but Facebook took away the excitement,” the 29-year-old Nashville resident said. “If you take away the mystery, it’s just a party you’re going to — and that just doesn’t sound very fun.”

With people in their late 20s and 30s gearing up for their 10- and 20-year class reunions, organizers say they’re finding it easier to locate classmates via Facebook. But those they find often cite Facebook and money as reasons they won’t attend — with a few clicks, they can connect without spending money.

One local reunion planner noted a 10 percent decrease in attendance in recent years, although she’s unsure why. Other industry professionals admit more people use Facebook as an excuse not to travel but say those people wouldn’t have come anyway.

via Reunions not the same since Facebook … ‘Why go?’ | The Tennessean | tennessean.com.