When you take the Monumental Route from Mount Rushmore
to Yellowstone by way of Devils Tower, be sure to also make
your way to Gillette, Wyoming, just an hour from the tower.
You’ll feel the power of the West on guided tours of a working
bufalo ranch, a large surface coal mine, a coal-fired power
plant, a historic ranch, and much more.
Call us today to plan your stopover in Gillette at 307-686-0040.
Thank you to our sponsor of this digital issue
Campbell County, Wyoming
Feel the Power an Hour from the Tower
in Gillette & Wright, Wyoming
ust an hour from Devils Tower National
Monument and right between Mount
Rushmore National Memorial and Big Horn
Mountains are Gillette and Wright, Wyoming.
These dream stop-over destinations for any
motor coach tour feature local tours that
showcase the Wyoming way of life and dining
that will fuel the rest of their journey in the
nation's energy capital.
Go where the buffalo (technically bison) actu-
ally roam at the Durham Bison Ranch. This his-
toric working ranch is home to about 3,000
bison on 55,000 acres in Wright, Wyoming.
One of the world's oldest and largest bison
ranches invites visitors to see their facilities
and learn about their holistic herd manage-
ment. The tour includes a trip to see the herd,
and on-site catered ranch meals are available
annually weather permitting.
Coal from the Powder Basin in Campbell
County provides approximately 40% of our
nation's coal. Visitors are welcome to go on a
coal mine tour. Guests will drive alongside the
massive equipment, see trains being loaded
and witness reclamation processes that restore
the lands after mining. These tours are avail-
able annually weather permitting.
Feel the boundaries of time blur exploring
downtown Gillette. The revived downtown is
filled with historical and riveting stories about
the Old West lore throughout the modern bou-
tiques, shops and restaurants. Visitors can take
the Campbell County Historical Society's free
self-guided walking tour using a printed guide-
book available at the Gillette Visitor Center.
The former City Hall and Gillette Post Office
offer a window into the city's chronicles of
gunslinging cowboys with remnants of the
past expertly preserved. Stop into the
Rockpile Museum (Campbell County’s History
Museum) to learn more about the cowboy
lifestyle, where the move out west comes
alive. Plus, you can wander through the
Frontier Auto Museum, chock full of floor-to-
ceiling displays of classic cars, neon signs, gas
pumps and other Americana memorabilia.
The Campbell County Convention & Visitors
Bureau works seamlessly with tour operators
to deliver the best Gillette and Wright experi-
ences. From coordinating tours to reserving
restaurants, these experts can deliver— call
307-686-0040 to start planning this once-in-a-
lifetime trip today.
Bus Tours Magazine • www.bustoursmagazine.com
Ph: (815) 946-2341 • Fx: (815) 946-2347
Volume XLIVI, Number 2 • November/December, 2023
Rail & Sail
page 7
Faith-Based Attractions
page 22
Gaming and Entertainment
page 16
STAFF
Editor & Publisher . . . . . . . . Larry Plachno
Business Manager . . Nancy Ann Plachno
Typesetting/Page Layout . . Sherry Mekeel
Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake Ron Plaras
Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Hinkle
Bus Tours Magazine
9698 W. Judson Road
Polo, Illinois 61064-9015
Phone: (815) 946-2341
Fax: (815) 946-2347
Web site: bustoursmagazine.com
Advertising
Central/West
central@busmag.com – (815) 946-2341
Midwest
midwest@busmag.com – (815) 946-2341
Northeast
bustoursmag@gmail.com – (815) 946-2341
tourgroups@busmag.com – (815) 946-2341
Southeast/International
southeast@busmag.com – (815) 946-2341
BUS TOURS MAGAZINE (ISSN 0199-6096) is published six
times annually by National Bus Trader, Inc., 9698 W. Judson Road,
Polo, Illinois 61064. Subscriptions, $15 (in US funds) annually,
Canadian & International $20 (in US funds). Printed in U.S.A. Peri-
odicals postage paid at Polo, Illinois 61064 and at additional mail-
ing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BUS TOURS MAG-
AZINE, 9698 W. Judson Road, Polo, Illinois 61064.
Change of Address: Please send old mailing label (or old
address and computer number) as well as new address.
Advertising: Display advertising rates sent on request. Adver-
tising deadline is the last day of the second month preceding
publication.
Founded in 1979, BUS TOURS MAGAZINE is the oldest inde-
pendent magazine in the bus and group tour market. Circulation
includes bus and group tour planners in the United States and
Canada regardless of affiliation or whether commercial, private
or corporate or group leader.
The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either
in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher.
The name BUS TOURS MAGAZINE and the logo incorporating the
passengers, bus and destinations are trade marks of National
Bus Trader, Inc.
COVER PHOTO
The holidays at Frederik Meijer Gardens
& Sculpture Park are a tapestry of global
celebrations. Experience festive trees
and displays representing cultures
around the world, all set amid lush gar-
dens. A seasonal journey that unites
community through shared traditions.
FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS & SCULP-
TURE PARK.
Bus Tours Magazine / November, 2023 • 3
Guides
RAIL & SAIL
Railroad and boat excursions are
among the most popular additions to
bus tours. Passengers get to take a
pleasant ride and see things they
would not normally see from the bus.
Here are some great examples.
16
GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT
Park the bus for a while and give your
passengers a chance to try their luck
at gaming or enjoy some entertain-
ment. Here are several examples that
have been favorites with bus tours.
22
FAITH-BASED ATTRACTIONS
Many bus tour planners started out
with faith-based tours while others find
that they are popular with many
groups. Here are some locations that
can be great additions to your next
faith-based tour.
Guides (Continued)
26
NEW, IMPROVED & DIFFERENT
Bus tour passengers often look for
smething new, improved or different
to see new things and have different
experiences. Here are some locations
that may be of interest for your next
bus tour.
Feature
34
BE PREPARED FOR PATRIOTISM
This is our editor’s “Heads Up” to readers
that we are entering the anniversary of
American Independence. Expect to see
increasing interest in patriotic tours and
Revolutionary War locations.
And More
BUZZ ON THE BUS
News and notes of interest to the bus
tour industry.
36
20 TIPS FOR TOUR PLANNERS
20 Tips on Dealing with the Media
by Dr. Charleen Jaeb
38
ADVERTISERS INDEX
contents
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Volume XLVI, Number 2
22
34
26
16
The editorial staff at BUS TOURS MAGAZINE are always looking for news items and
editorial material on places that want bus tour groups to stop. Please phone (815)
946-2341 or send material to editorial@busmag.com.
U.S. Marshals Museum
Fort Smith, Arkansas
The U.S. Marshals Museum is now open. The museum features
five immersive galleries that educate guests about the critical, ever-
evolving role of America’s oldest federal law enforcement agency in
upholding the Rule of Law, driven by justice, integrity and service.
Guests will also get to pay tribute to the more than 350 marshals killed
in the line of duty since 1789.
The five galleries include:
• To Be a Marshal – In the first gallery, you will be led to understand
the role of a marshal, how the agency as founded, its principles and
duties and a broad overview of its history.
• The Campfire | Stories Under the Stars – Positioned as a central
hub in the museum, the Campfire will provide the stage and setting
where storied moments of marshal history will be presented.
• Frontier Marshals – In the newly formed United States, the mar-
shals were truly the first lawmen.
• A Changing Nation – As you leave the frontier, you will enter a
more formal, pillar-framed gallery themed with the idea that marshals
are bound by duty to uphold the law, however ideologically distant
they are from the marshal’s own beliefs.
• Modern Marshals – In this fascinating gallery, you will be immersed
in the active, exciting and expansive work marshals do today.
• Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor – Beyond the open area of the
museum’s lobby and seating area, you will find the Samuel M. Sicard
Hall of Honor, an exhibit honoring the marshals, deputies and special
deputies who have given their lives while serving their country.
E-mail info@usmmuseum.org for group rates or phone (479) 242-
1789 for more information.
San Diego Comic-con Museum
San Diego, California
The San Diego Comic-con Museum, located in Balboa Park, pre-
miered three new exhibits in celebration of the 54th annual San Diego
Comic-Con. Excelsior! The Life and Legacy of Stan Lee, Cowboy Bebop
25th Anniversary Art Exhibition and My Hero Academia, presented by
Crunchyroll, will be on display through spring 2024.
San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) and the San Diego Museum of
Photographic Arts (MoPA) have merged to one institution. The col-
lection of more than 9,000 images from MoPA will now be housed at
SDMA and will allow visitors to experience the world of visual art
through multiple lenses. SDMA opened the U.S. debut of Korea in
Color: a Legacy of Auspicious Images on October 28 and will extend
through spring 2024. This special exhibition sheds light on the use of
color in Korean painting – known as polychrome painting (chae-
saekhwa) – and its role in Korean culture.
For more information view Comic-con.org or phone (619)
546-9073.
Kentucky’s Art Center
of the Bluegrass
Danville, Kentucky
Recently, Art Center of the Bluegrass announced an expansion
project in celebration of its 20th annivesary: GLASS National Art
Museum, which opened November 3. The epicenter of central Ken-
tucky’s art scene, Art Center of the Bluegrass has long served as a
creative catalyst for the
region, and the open-
ing of GLASS will now
serve as a sparkling
new reason for artists
and cultural travelers
to visit Danville.
As the name sug-
gests, the museum will
showcase the creativ-
ity of contemporary
artists working in the
compelling medium of
glass – most notably
providing a permanent
4 • Bus Tours Magazine / November, 2023
Buzz on the Bus
News and notes for bus tour planners
Bus Tours Magazine / November, 2023 • 5
�������
���������
��������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������
��������������������������������������������
�����������������
������������
������
�������������
���������
������������
����������
������
����������
����������
home for the collection of American glass artist, Stephen Rolfe
Powell.
The $3.7 million renovation and expansion project more than dou-
bles the footprint of the Art Center of the Bluegrass, enabling it to
expand its reach and usher in the next 20 years of creativity and lead-
ership within the arts sector of the Appalachian region. Key supporters
of the Art Center’s initiatives, the City of Danville purchased the 12,600-
square-foot building next door to the original space; they will be leas-
ing it to the Art Center for the next 100 years – breathing new life into
a former community building through the vibrancy of the arts.
For more information about GLASS National Art Museum and Art
Center of the Bluegrass, visit glassmuseumky.org.
San Francisco’s Cable Cars Celebrate 150 Years
The late, great Tony Bennett once sang about the little cable cars
climbing halfway to the stars, but did you know they had been climbing
those long hills long before he stepped up to the mic? First put into
service by inventor Andrew S. Hallidie in 1872, San Francisco’s cable
cars celebrated their 150th anniversary this year.
While cable cars symbolize the early innovation that made the
city iconic, the experience of riding a cable car is timeless. The cable
car experience starts while waiting
at the cable car turnarounds (at
Powell or California and Markets
streets) or along the routes, waiting
for the cable cars to approach.
Once you hop on a cable car,
you can either find a seat or hold
on to the handles as you hang on
for the ride. The cable car grip-
men handle the grips to move the
cars.
The cable cars are the world’s
last manually operated cable car
system, a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded
in the street. These right-ouf-of-the-Smithsonian cable cars were
named a national historic landmark in 1964. Refurbished and equipped
with new tracks, cables, turnarounds and cable propulsion machinery,
they operate much as they did on August 2, 1872 when Hallidie guided
the first car down clay street.
Dollywood
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Dolly Parton and her Dollywood team were recently recognzied
during the 25th annual Golden Ticket Awards. The awards are the
result of a survey sent to hundreds of amusement park fans, indus-
try journalists and ride manufacturers across the world.
Parton and her business partners, Jack
and Pete Herschend, received the Indus-
try Legends Award, and the Dollywood
theme park itself received a record five
awards. In all, Dollywood received 10
finalist placements.
On November 3, The Dollywood Company celebrated the grand
opening of its new 302-room HeartSong Lodge & Resort.
The reimagined Smoky Mountain lodge features four-story lantern-
inspired windows in the resort’s welcoming atrium, epic indoor and
outdoor pools that provide guests a frefreshing escape in all seasons
and a picture perfect outdoor cove with gathering spaces, communal
firepot and screened-in porch. With 26,000-square-foot of flexible
indoor and outdoor meeting space, the property can accommodate
gatherings for several hundred guests. From the two-story HeartSong
Event Center to spacious outdoor meeting spaces and event lawn,
the resort offers numerous options to provide a unique and inspiring
setting for groups.
For more information view at dollywood.com or phone (800)
365-5996.
East Shore Art Center Receives Grant
The Eastern Shore Art Center (ESAC) has received a $20,500 grant
from the Alabama State Council on the Arts to fund the operational
expenses needed to maintain all things ESAC.
With these funds, the ESAC will continue to offer a wide array
visual and ceramic-based education, outreach programming unique
to the Eastern Shore and free admission to five galleries.
For more information phone (251) 928-2228.
6 • Bus Tours Magazine / November, 2023
Buzz on the Bus
The Riverboat Twilight
Mississippi River
A Mississippi River journey is a quintes-
sential American experience. In the 1800s,
steamboats were the fastest, most elegant
form of travel available. Mark Twain called
them “Floating Palaces.” The Victorian styled
Riverboat Twilight takes you back to experi-
ence the beauty, history and exhilaration of
“Life on the Mississippi.”
Two-Day Signature Cruise
This journey begins at LeClaire, Iowa, boy-
hood home of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
The Captain is your expert guide to the valley
landscapes, locks & dams, historic river
towns and wildlife including bald eagles, pel-
icans, great blue herons and more.
Enjoy live entertainment, games, two
snacks, lunch and dinner before arriving in
historic Dubuque, Iowa. Accommodations
are at the riverfront Grand Harbor Resort,
with your luggage waiting in your room. The
evening is yours to enjoy and explore the city
of five flags: France, Spain, Great Britain,
Napoleon and USA.
Day two begins with breakfast and time
to explore the architecture, shopping and his-
tory of Iowa’s oldest city. Admission is
included to Iowa’s #1 attraction, the must-
see National Mississippi River Museum &
Aquarium.
Re-board for the return journey and take
in all the sites that you missed on the trip
upriver. Enjoy lunch and dinner served at
your table. Arrival back in LeClaire is at
approximately 6:30 p.m. Cruising May
through October with departures on Sunday,
Tuesday and Thursday, this is the most pop-
ular cruise. Many dates sell out well in
advance.
One-Day Cruise
This cruise heads north from Dubuque
through one of the most beautiful areas of
Bus Tours Magazine / November, 2023 • 7
Rail & Sail
The Riverboat Twilight
the Mississippi River. It includes continental
breakfast, two snacks, full lunch, historical
narration, great scenery, eagles, live music
and more relaxation than you have allowed
yourself in years.
1½ Hour Sightseeing Cruise
The cruise travels north taking in the
wildlife and river towns of Pt Byron, Illinois;
Princeton, Iowa and Cordova, Illinois. The
Captain provides history and interesting facts
about the river and its commerce. There is
plenty of time to relax, enjoy a complimentary
glass of iced tea or lemonade or to purchase
a beverage at the full-service bar.
Yosemite Mountain Sugar
Pine Railroad
Fish Camp, California
Climb aboard a narrow gauge steam train
for an authentic Western experience. With
the long soulful whistle and steady puff of
steam you will know you are headed out on
an adventure.
At the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine
Railroad, you can climb aboard covered or
open-air cars pulled by a vintage Shay steam
engine to experience the sights and sounds
of a bygone era. Afterward, see if you can
strike it rich by panning for gold in an authen-
tic sluice box. A prospector is on-site to show
you how.
Do not miss a visit to the Thornberry
Museum for more insights into logging life
at the turn of the century and the Kids’ Depot
toy store.
You can find Yosemite Mountain Sugar
Pine Railroad four miles from the south
entrance of Yosemite National Park on High-
way 41. This is a picturesque corner of the
beautiful Sierra National Forest.
The most popular ride is the one-hour
tour aboard “The Logger,” The four-mile
8 • Bus Tours Magazine / November, 2023
Guide: Rail & Sail
Narrated Steam Train Ride • Gold Panning • Thornberry Museum
Kids Depot Toy Store • Gift Shop • Jenny Railcar • Sandwich Shop • Picnic Area
56001 Yosemite Hwy 41, Fish Camp, CA 93623 | YMSPRR.com | 559.683.7273
Daily Excursions
April through October
Daily Excursions
April through October