HOT DEALS!

Seventy-five years after Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and business partner Meyer Lansky opened the Flamingo Hotel, the first resort-style hotel on the Las Vegas (NV) Strip, the neon city has never been the same. To celebrate the big 75, The Flamingo is offering anniversary-themed offers. For instance, use promo code FL75V and get two nights in a Flamingo Garden View, City View, or High Roller View room for $75. Use FL75P and you can stay in GO Mini Suite or Renovated Flaming Premium room for $75 a night. Getting married? Here are two offers to consider. The Fabulous Vow Renewal begins at $750 and includes a dedicated wedding coordinator, 12-rose bridal bouquet, groom’s rose boutonniere, 30 minutes of professional photography during and after the ceremony, photo prints, music playlist, six decorated cupcakes, a bottle of Champagne and branded toasting glasses. Couples can also get $75 off select wedding packages for ceremonies occurring through January 2022. (702) 733-3232. Or maybe you just want to experience the Sparkling Diamond Body Polish treatment. Don’t forgot the hotel’s reputation for handcrafted cocktails. The LINQ Promenade and some of the Flamingo Las Vegas restaurants and bars has holiday cocktails that will be offered through Jan. 2, 2022. These include Mingo Mocha, a divine sounding mix of Crème de Cacao, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, Ketel One vodka, vanilla syrup, and graham cracker rim.

www.CaesarsMeansBusiness.com; www.CAESARSFORUM.com.

Get your fifth night free when you book Margaritaville Beach House Key West (Key West, FL), previously known as the Barbary Beach House Key West. With its recent reopening, the resort has expanded its retail outlet and upgraded the Tin Cup Chalice Bar & Chill. The 186-suites, lagoon-style pool, and lounging hammocks throughout the grounds all line the Smathers Beach oceanfront. The resort has indoor banquet space and outdoor gardens and courtyards, including a 1,500 sf Tiki for smaller functions. Complimentary shuttle service to the Key West International Airport, Duval Street, and the Downtown Seaport Harbor.

www.MargaritavilleBeachHouseKeyWest.com; (866) 237-5022.

Here’s something different for your next event: Micro-Reality 1/10-scale stock car racing system by Rorring Entertainment, LLC (Kansas). Introductory discount through January, from $1500 per day to $1250. They need a 30’ x 30’ space to house the track and its consoles and scoreboard, along with space for players and onlookers. Smaller track configurations are also available; minimum space required is 25’ x 25’. Custom car bodies can be purchased from us for $250 each, featuring clients’ logos with their choice of colors and numbers. About three weeks is needed to get that done. Signage space is available on and around the track. For groups young and those just young-at-heart.

(620) 262-1987; facebook.com/rorring

From cruises to hotels, book Freeport (Bahamas) now and get up to 50% off. Book Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line through Mar. 31 and get $200 OFF per cabin ($100 off per person), plus five free drinks, free cabin upgrade, and $25 onboard credit. The Cruise Line also has four- and six-night getaway packages that combine a fun 2-night cruise with a luxurious resort stay in Grand Bahama.

Four beachside resorts have special promotional discounts through Dec. 23 (so book now!) The resorts are Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach, Pelican Bay Hotel at Lucaya, Lighthouse Pointe at Grand Lucayan and Flamingo Bay Hotel & Marina.

https://www.bahamas.com/freeport-winter-sale?

SHOWING OFF!

Gaylord Palms (Kissimmee, FL) finished its $158 million expansion. The resort has 306 new guest rooms, meeting space, and renovated pre-function space.

www.GaylordPalms.com; www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mcogp-gaylord-palms-resort-and-convention-center/events/

TOYS COLLECTION UNTIL THE 18^TH AT ELLA MAE’S DINER

Christmas Day 1915, Sara Williams, mother of Dr. Ella Piper, threw a party for 15 little girls. Today that party now provides gifts for more than 600 children of the Dr. Piper Center for Social Services in the Fort Myers, FL area. Dr. Ella Piper’s namesake restaurant, Ella Mae’s, in the Luminary Hotel & Co, continues the tradition and serves as a collection center through Dec. 18 for toys to be dropped off.

FREE FOR THE SEASON

Pixilated has gifts for you. Rent a photo booth from the Baltimore, MD company and they’ll help you decorate it. With any rental, you can choose for free, any of 10 holiday season templates. The offer is valid throughout 2021. Pixilated is also enabling you to upgrade your holiday photo booth experience with a 17-piece set of ready-to-print DIY Christmas photo booth props. Upon checkout, you’ll click on a secure link to download the PDF file with your props included. The holiday photo booth props include everything displayed in the product image. Each prop will be sized properly for your printer so all you’ll need to do is print out the multi-page PDF. Once printed, cut out the individual props with scissors and glue each to a stick handle.

www.pixilated.com

NEW FLYOVER TOUR REVEALS UTAH’S GEOLOGICAL HISTORIC BEAUTY

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and for passengers of new Moab, UT flyover tours, the beauty they eye are the rocky pinnacles and natural amphitheaters stretching across three distinct regions: Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Moab Adventure Center’s new two-and-a-half-hour flyover tour provides a bird’s eye view of the geological history of “hoodoos” (colorful rock pinnacles and spires) that arise across the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The tour soars over famous hoodoos such as Thor’s Hammer and over Capitol Reef National Park, a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) 65 million years old that extends almost 100 miles long and six miles wide. The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, a series of plateaus that descend from Bryce Canyon south toward the Grand Canyon, is marked by vertical drops at the Pink Cliffs, Grey Cliffs, White Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs and Chocolate Cliffs. This area boasts a mixture of colorful sandstone cliffs soaring above narrow slot canyons, picturesque washes and seemingly endless slickrock, prehistoric village sites and abandoned old Western movie sets. Guests are guaranteed a window seat and flight headset during the tour. The tour company has other air tours over Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, but this is the first for these three regions.

https://www.moabadventurecenter.com/bryce-canyon-air-tour

WHICH AMERICAN CITY HAD THE MOST FUN FOR YOUR FUNDS IN 2021?

Personal-finance website WalletHub used 65 metrics to assess 2021’s Most Fun Cities in America. Are you surprised that Las Vegas, NV came in first of the top 20, followed closely by Orlando, FL? The report revealed that Orlando has 18.1 times more restaurants than Pearl City, HI and that San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA have the highest share of walkable park access for their population. The least walkable park space? Indianapolis, IN. New York has 13.4 times more playgrounds than Hialeah, FL but San Francisco has 78.4 times more dance clubs than Henderson, NV. If you’re a beer drinker, the lowest average beer price for a six-pack is Milwaukee, WI and the highest is Brownsville, TX. Here are the remaining top 20, beginning at #3. Atlanta, GA; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Honolulu, HI; and New York, NY. #11 is Tampa, FL, followed by Denver, CO; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Fort Lauderdale, FL; San Diego, CA; Cincinnati, OH; Washington DC; Houston, TX and St. Louis, MO.

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-cities-in-the-us/23455

PENSACOLA, FL HOLIDAY TRAIL PHOTO CONTEST

Snap your best photos and videos in any of the 11 categories and upload them for a chance to be featured on Visit Pensacola’s channels. Five people will win big and receive unique Pensacola experiences. The contest runs through Jan. 1, 2022. Must be 21 or older to enter. Photos must be taken in Escambia County during the contest time.  Prizes include a $250 gift card to Cordova Mall, one-night stay at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, chefs tasting with wine pairings for two at Union Public House, a dolphin tour for four, and more.
https://www.visitpensacola.com/holiday-trail/

HOLIDAY FAMILY FUN

Hundreds of manatees are slowly cruising from the cooler waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the warmer pristine 72-degree springs of the Plantation at Crystal River, FL. Take advantage of the new one-night package to interact with these mammals. The package includes overnight accommodations in a garden view room, a snorkeling tour for two with equipment provided, breakfast for two at West 82⁰ Bar & Grill, and a welcome bag filled with a plush manatee toy, fun facts, and manatee interaction guidelines. All manatee tour boats, which are enclosed, provide hot chocolate and coffee, warming boat coats and towel service. All tour captains are licensed, insured and USCG certified, and each boat is equipped with power poles to limit environmental impact. Upon return from their tour, guests are treated to a hot shower facility and changing rooms for those who already checked out or snorkelers not staying at the resort. High-quality photos and videos are available for purchase after the tour. Prime manatee viewing season usually runs through Mar. 31.

https://www.plantationoncrystalriver.com/; (800) 632-6262.

Now thru Dec. 26 – Winter Woods spectacular. A half-mile of millions of lights along a winding road through Louisville, KY’s scenic Iroquois Park.

Now thru Jan. 2 – Fête de Noël transforms Paristown into a Winter Village featuring Louisville, KY’s only authentic outdoor ice-skating rink.

Through winter: Get toasty in one of eight themed, all weather heated igloos at Iglous at 8UP Elevated Drinkery & Kitchen, downtown rooftop bar at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Louisville, KY.

Now thru Jan. 2 – Lights Under Louisville, KY. The Louisville Mega Cavern transforms into a festive underground light spectacular. Enjoy a 30-minute ride through part of 17 miles of underground passageways.

Dec. 2 – 30 – Gardens Aglimmer at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Louisville, KY. Self-guide walking tour through an illuminated outdoor wonderland. Santa and Mrs. Claus are there too.

Dec. 3 – Jan. 2 – Winter Illuminations Trail Walk through the Parklands of Floyds Fork, igniting an illuminated trail walk through the beautiful Beckley Creek Park (Louisville, KY)

Winter Wonderland at Shawnee Park | December 17-19

Karen Kuzsel is a writer-editor based in the Orlando area who specializes in the hospitality, entertainment, meetings & events industries.  She is an active member of International Live Events Association, Meeting Professionals International and the Society of Professional Journalists. She is now serving on the 20121-2022 MPI Independent and Small Business Owners Advisory Board. Karen writes about food & wine, spas, destinations, venues, meetings & events. A career journalist, she has owned magazines, written for newspapers, trade publications, radio and TV. As her alter-ego, Natasha, The Psychic Lady, she is a featured entertainer for corporate and social events. Karen@KarenKuzsel.com; www.karenkuzsel.com; www.ThePsychicLady.com; @karenkuzsel; @thepsychiclady.