Latest news with #excursion
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Country music capital Nashville has fixed the one issue that caused visitors heartbreak'
Thinking I'd hit a brick wall when the tour guide asked if we knew the name of Dolly Parton's first big record, it turned out I wasn't too far off the mark. We had just visited the brilliant Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, and were now heading to part two of our excursion – Historic RCA Studio B, where so many music legends have recorded, including Dolly. But arriving there for the first time, she was so nervous she drove straight into the car park wall. Later, Dolly joked it was her first big hit. I soon realised you needed to be on the go more than '9 to 5' to see the delights Nashville has to offer. The music centre of the world, for sure, but with lots more, including fabulous art. Studio B did turn out to be one of my best stops, especially as my favourite, Elvis, recorded most of his hits here. Our guide, Ron, confessed to being a massive fan, too, and he made us close our eyes to imagine when The King recorded Are You Lonesome Tonight in darkness at 4.30am after insisting the lights were off. His biggest-selling track, It's Now or Never, was also recorded here. If you are feeling peckish after and want to be All Shook Up, then you may fancy trying the city's famous spicy hot chicken at nearby Assembly Food Hall. Its founder, Thornton Prince, was a womaniser and, after again returning home late one night, was served chicken by his wife but did not realise she had made it ultra, ultra spicy as a punishment. She was then shocked to see her husband actually enjoying it... and he then made a fortune from it. I chickened out and went with a recommendation from guide Ron – an Elvis Shake. The mouthwatering combination of peanut butter and banana ice creams was, ahem, the wonder of two. After lunch we toured two more fantastic venues – the National Museum of African American Music and the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum. The great Jimi Hendrix literally had to get his teeth into performing in these parts and said: 'The idea of playing guitar with my teeth came to me in a town in Tennessee. Down there, you have to play with your teeth or else you get shot. Those people were really hard to please.' The most frequented area in Nashville is the long street called Broadway, where country singers play in terrific bars known as honky-tonks. Music is on offer from mid-morning until way into the early hours –it's the most entertaining street on the planet. Just ensure you carry ID as it is probably the strictest city in the States – you have to be at least 21 to enter and, even if you are in your late 50s, expect to be asked. One evening we did something totally different and cheered on NHL team Nashville Predators. It delivered ice hockey action, plus non-stop fun in between, including a live singer and an air-guitar contest between three fans. The next morning we ventured about 90 minutes out of town to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, where we heard such stories you wanted to order a large whiskey too. Jasper Newton 'Jack' Daniel worked on a farm as a young boy in the mid-1800s and there he learned all about whiskey-making from a slave, Nathan 'Nearest' Green. A few years later, Daniel purchased the whiskey operation and hired Green, who by then was a free man, to be the master distiller. Years later, Daniel tried to open his safe but the lock would not budge... he kicked the safe so hard he broke his toe and developed gangrene, which killed him six years later, aged 61. The distillery still prospered and these days produces about 18 million cases a year – although not a single drop goes to residents in its home city as it is in a dry county. But the distillery employees are happy as every first Friday of the month they get a free bottle. There are no end of excellent restaurants in Nashville, and my favourite was Gannons where not only was the food delicious but their live entertainment was amazing. My main course, Timpano di Manzo – white wine, braised beef, shallots, mushrooms and mozzarella in puff pastry – was a very successful take on a beef Wellington. A highlight from my trip would be the Fisk Jubilee Singers at the Tennessee Performing Arts Centre. The choir was first formed in 1871 to tour and raise funds for its black college. They crossed the pond and impressed Queen Victoria, who told them, 'You must come from a musical city'... hence Nashville's nickname of Music City. I also enjoyed listening to a country band at the equally renowned Ryman Auditorium, also the venue for such esteemed acts as Houdini, Charlie Chaplin and Elvis. My trip concluded, rather nicely, with a visit to the Tennessee Brew Works – an independently owned and operated craft brewery that has thrived since opening 11 years ago and only distributes locally. I'm normally a wine drinker, but I may be converted after trying a few superb beers. And as for a return to the Music City in the not-too-distant future to enjoy more of that magnificent honky-tonk sound... yep, I'll certainly drink to that... Where to stay Nashville used to be something of a heartbreak for visitors seeking good hotels, but a recent period of investment means its accommodation scene is now blooming. I split my trip between the boutique Noelle, right, in downtown, which features the popular Rare Bird rooftop bar, and the arty Bankers Alley Hotel Nashville, Tapestry Collection By Hilton, left, a couple of blocks away near the Cumberland riverfront. Both are ideal for a Nashville break. Book the holiday
Daily Mirror
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Deep sea starfish caught on camera but people are distracted by one thing
A non profit organisation has left people laughing after sharing footage of a deep sea diving expedition, which saw the public spot an odd-looking starfish which reminded them of a popular character A deep sea starfish spotted on a livestream from the Schmidt Ocean Institute has left people in stitches. The odd detail on the sea creature had members of the public stunned, with many passing comment on the starfish. The latest footage from an expedition to the Underwater Oases of Mar Del Plata Canyon in Argentina, which was broadcast on the Schmidt Ocean livestream on YouTube, has since gone viral. People from "all over the world" have gathered in the comments of the video upload to try and spot the starfish, which has been likened to a popular cartoon character. Joking comments compared the starfish to Patrick Star from the hit show SpongeBob SquarePants after an uncanny likeness was spotted on camera. Patrick Star spotted on deep sea video The deep dive from ROV SuBastian's Dive saw the Schmidt Ocean team traverse the wall of a moat. During their excursion, they came across a starfish with a cheeky outline which many seemed to think was a sighting of the cartoon character. One user commented: "I love that people from all over the world are here to see Patrick." Another user has since tagged the time you can see Star, with a user sharing it was four hours, one minute, and 38 seconds into the footage. People were left thrilled by the appearance of the starfish, with many commenting on its apparent similarity to the Nickelodeon character. One joked: "Patrick's lost his pants!" Another added: "It's big-bottomed Patrick." Patrick's cameo appearance on the near eight-hour livestream comes as the Schmidt Ocean team were working on "previously mapped featured" of the ocean. A description for the livestream reads: "Welcome to ROV SuBastian's Dive 811. We are traversing up the western wall of a moat. We are starting at a presumed area of coral mounds, and working our way up previously mapped features. "We are conducting exploration of topography that was of interest from our EM124 sonar system on board Falkor (too)." The non profit organisation has since offered an introduction to their new social media followers, with their Facebook account providing a statement which shared the surprise increase in traffic. It reads: "We send a warm welcome to all our new followers who have found us on the Mar Del Plata Canyon expedition, led by Dr. Daniel Lauretta of CONICET. "A quick introduction that comes a little late, as we have been watching the divestreams, too! The data collected by the team will establish a strong foundation for future research, conservation, and resource management. We are happy you joined us!" A series of posts made by the account on X are also going viral, with their deep sea diving footage capturing squids in Argentina as their science team continues exploring. Schmidt Ocean are carrying out their first expedition in Argentinian waters this year, with the non profit confirming they had embarked on July 24.
The Independent
04-08-2025
- The Independent
First look at Norwegian Cruise Line's private Caribbean island upgrades, featuring giant waterslides and cliff drops
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has unveiled several upgrades to its private Bahamas private island Great Stirrup Cay, including a jet karting excursion, new bars and waterparks. The cruise line regularly visits the 270-acre private island during Caribbean itineraries and soon guests will have more features to enjoy, including an excursion that takes guests to a new mini aquatic racecourse with jet karts, combining elements of go-karting and jet skiing, and a new six-acre waterpark. There will also be a new heated pool, a multi-ship pier and an island-wide tram service that will make it easier to get around the island. David J. Herrera, president of NCL, said: "Great Stirrup Cay has always been an amazing part of the Norwegian Cruise Line guest experience and continues to be one of our highest rated destinations. 'With each phase of our enhancements, we're bringing ashore more of what our guests love about sailing with NCL.' Here is what NCL cruise passengers can expect. NCL has revealed plans for a Great Tides Waterpark to open in summer 2026. Guests can enjoy the 170-foot-high Tidal Tower featuring eight waterslides. Cliffside Cove will offer racer slides as well as two cliff jumps standing at 10 and 15 feet tall – a cruise industry first – as well as the Caribbean's only family slide, where four guests can slide down simultaneously. For those who prefer to enjoy from the sidelines, The Grotto Bar, a hidden cave bar tucked under the family slide, will offer the best people watching with a cocktail in hand. At the centre of Great Tides Waterpark will be a 9,000 square-foot kids splash zone featuring an oversized tipping bucket towering at more than 40 feet above the ground. The waterpark will also have an 800-foot-long immersive water experience with an accelerated current that is described as 'faster and more exciting than a typical lazy river.' New swimming pools A new 1.4-acre pool area will also debut later this year. It will include the Great Life Lagoon, which has its own private ocean and pool view cabanas and day villas (featuring their own bathrooms and facilities available to rent), as well as two swim-up bars, the Reef Bar and Waves Bar, offering kid-friendly drinks and adult-favourite cocktails. There will also be a 3,400 square foot complimentary Splash Harbor, with interactive water fountains, aquatic features and a shaded bar and lounge for the parents to relax in. A free-to-enter recreational area, Horizon Park, will feature activities such as lawn style games, pickleball courts, a nine-hole mini golf course and a sports court. Alternatively, there will be more than 50 hammocks at Hammock Bay, perfect for an afternoon nap and also close to the BBQ buffet. Adults can also escape to the kid-free Vibe Shore Club, which has a private bar, hanging day beds and premium lounge seating. Entrance to the adults-only area comes with the purchase of a day pass and includes an upgraded lounger and premium umbrella. Herrera added: 'Whether you want to relax by the huge new heated pool - complete with multiple swim up bars, are looking forward to racing down one of the 19 waterslides with your kids at Great Tides Waterpark, or you just want to enjoy the ocean breeze from one of the hammocks at Hammock Bay, Great Stirrup Cay will soon boast even more ways to escape to your 'great life' for a memorable vacation on and off the ship.'
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- News.com.au
Perth childcare centre cops hefty fine after child, 2, goes missing for several hours on nature reserve trip
A childcare centre near a major Australian city has been fined $45,000 for failing to adequately supervise a child who wandered away from an excursion group in a nature reserve in September last year. Aspire Early Education in Perth found itself in hot water after a 'spontaneous excursion' launched by two employees of the childcare centre resulted in the momentary loss of the child, aged 2. Findings from an investigation by the Western Australia Department of Communities found the child had been left unsupervised and the service provider failed to ensure 'every reasonable precaution was taken' to protect a child in their care from any hazard likely to cause injury. A judgment from the State Administrative Tribunal found the employees took a group of 13 children across the road to the Smirk Road Reserve. A lead educator claimed she conducted headcounts every five minutes, despite having no means of recording those numbers. Towards the end of the excursion, three children were collected by their parents but the educator realised the child was missing following another headcount, leading to a frantic search. The educators saw the child 'at least 60m away on the south side of the reserve … the child was being held by a member of the public,' the judgment states. 'Before then, the driver of a Transperth bus had spotted the child standing very close to the edge of Sixty-Eight Rd, which has a speed limit of 70km/hr. 'He slowed down and pulled into a nearby bus stop.' 'At the same time, another motorist following the bus also pulled over and walked over to the child, picked her up and walked her towards a grassed area. An educator then came running from about 50m away.' 'At her age and unsupervised in bushland situated close to traffic, the child was at risk from harm and from hazards including traffic hazards, likely to cause injury.' Angelo Barbero, executive director of Regulation and Quality at the WA Department of Communities, said poor supervision within the education and care sector was 'a significant concern'. 'A momentary lapse of supervision can significantly increase the risk of harm to children,' Mr Barbero said. 'Approved providers must ensure that appropriate risk assessments are in place to ensure the safety of children when on excursions that appropriate practices are in place at all times to keep children safe and to avoid being penalised.' On top of the fine, Aspire will be forced to pay $2000 to pay the Department's legal costs.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man climbs Carnival cruise ship; cruiser injured during excursion
Man climbs Carnival cruise ship; cruiser injured during excursion originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. Although challenging yourself to reach new heights is encouraged on some cruise ships that feature rock climbing walls or ropes courses, attempting to scale the side of cruise ship docked in port is a very unwise decision. It's not only dangerous, but also a surefire way to get yourself man learned this the hard way recently as he channeled Spider-Man in an unauthorized cruise port stunt in Sydney, Australia's iconic Circular Quay. The incident shocked Carnival Adventure cruise passengers as well as crew and local authorities. Doug Parker shared more details on the cruise ship climber and other cruise news, including a young woman who was a tragically injured during a Bahamas excursion, on the May 19th edition of Cruise News Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning, here's your cruise news for Monday, May 19th. Arrested for trying to climb the side of a ship — yeah, over the weekend in Sydney, Australia, a man was caught scaling the mooring ropes of the Carnival Adventure as it was docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney. Video from bystanders showed a 29-year-old scaling the forward bow lines as crew and police coordinated together to bring him down safely. He was not injured but [was] arrested. He's been charged with three counts of unauthorized entry into restricted port zones. He's been released since and on conditional bail set to appear in court on June a Memphis family's graduation cruise turned tragic in the Bahamas [when] 22-year-old Hannah Smith was seriously injured after falling from an excursion boat and being struck by the propeller, which hit her lower extremities. This happened as the boat was returning to the cruise pier from an island off of Nassau. She underwent two surgeries in The Bahamas and is now back in the U.S. in critical condition with more surgeries ahead. Authorities have not said exactly how she went overboard. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist with her long road to recovery. The description of this video includes a link to a Carnival cruise ship rescued five people drifting in a makeshift raft off the coast of Cuba. The Carnival Paradise, which was sailing from Tampa, spotted the group and brought them on board giving food, water, and medical attention. While some accepted the rescue, 10 others stayed in the raft and wanted to keep rolling. The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the next steps for the rescued individuals. The cruise ship continued with its cruise stocks were up on Friday. Carnival Corporation: up 1.7 percent, 23.39. Royal Caribbean: up 2 percent, 255.42. Norwegian: up 1 percent, 19.27. And Viking: up 4.4 percent, 48.23. If you have a lead on a story, let us know. Tips@ I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Monday. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
