FYI from MCI™

Beyond the Big 10
Attractions that beckon with more than mere popularity

Places like Branson, Nashville and Atlantic City will likely never lose their luster with tour and charter passengers, but sometimes you just need to try something new to attract the been-there, done-that crowd. Here are a few ideas to set your wheels in motion this summer:

Get 'em while they're young

Many operators, New England's Peter Pan among them, are aiming for the youth market with tours to the American Girl Place in New York City. Peter Pan's travel affiliate, Show Bus Tours, also arranges family-friendly tours that include Broadway outings as well as zoos, museums and other kid-friendly spots.

If you build it, they will come

Herman Jones had a vision that started on a long-ago trip to Knott's Berry Farm, when he saw a stagecoach ferrying tourists. He noticed how happy it made the visitors, and he started imagining having his own frontier village. Years later, when faced with the opportunity to buy (and move!) the Wild West set of the movie Dances With Wolves, the one-time racecar driver and Flying T Chuckwagon owner jumped at the chance. Today, the Fort Hays Dances With Wolves Movie Set is at the heart of Jones' Stagecoach West tour-charter company and Mt. Rushmore Tours (www.mountrushmoretours.com), a stone's throw from South Dakota's famous monument. Visitors partake in pancake breakfasts, chuckwagon suppers, a cowboy show and demonstrations of blacksmithing, corn grinding, rope making, tin-plate spinning and more, all powered by a turn-of-the-century steam engine. They can buy custom-forged knives, lariats made from the ropes they make and other site-made souvenirs. Jones, who's constantly adding to the attraction (which now includes a post office, livery stable, barn and vintage vehicles as well as the original Civil War headquarters, supply house and associated buildings), jokes that the key to serving 500 some people in less than half an hour lies in the tin plates — which get mighty hot while being heaped with baked potato, roast beef, beans and all the trimmings. In addition to running their own tours, the Jones family has opened the attraction to outside operators. It's good business, and a lot of fun.

Follow in famous footsteps

Ordinary destinations can become extraordinary adventures when you throw in a little history. Croswell Bus Lines has scheduled an 18-day Lewis & Clark trip for August. Mark Twain inspires tours all over the country: while many operators follow the Mississippi for traces of Twain, Trans-Bridge Lines takes passengers to the author's Connecticut haunts — complete with recorded Twain narration. But perhaps the most famous footsteps to follow are those of Abe Lincoln. Opened last year, the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois, is drawing crowds with its interactive, high-tech exhibits. And a good name never hurts. Tri-State Tours calls its trek the "All About Abe" tour.

And speaking of haunts

Ghost tours aren't just for Halloween. Name virtually any city, and you're likely to find a rich lore of haunted hotels, spooky graveyards and roadside ghosts.

Strike it rich

According to a recent study, nearly half of all travelers over 50 desire exercise on their trips. What better way than to give passengers pick and shovel? There are many pan- or dig-your-own gem and ore mines out there, including Consolidated Gold Mines in Georgia, El Dorado Gold Mine in Alaska and the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

In the end, all it takes is a little creativity — and perhaps some careful promotion. Even the most prosaic of destinations can take on a new shine with a catchy title and creative description. Croswell's tour of central Kentucky sounds interesting enough, but "Boats, Caves and Corvettes" sounds even more tempting. And their "Tale of Three Cities"? Colonial Williamsburg never sounded better.

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