THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410010042
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
MICKEY MOUSE is coming to Hampton Roads this week. Or at least his handlers from Walt Disney World in Florida and some of their friends.
Disney World nights, sponsored by CI Travel and Delta Airlines, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Coliseum in Hampton and from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Holiday Inn Executive Center, 5655 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach.
There will be a video presentation, refreshments, door prizes and free personal items from Drug Emporium. It's free, but reservations are required and can be made by calling 640-9212 Southside or 872-7185 in the Peninsula.
Guests may register to win a five-day, four-night vacation for four to Disney World that includes hotel accommodations, meals and free admission to the resort. In case you miss the show, you can register at any Drug Emporium or CI Travel office until the drawing Oct. 31. FROM HERE TO THERE
Old Dominion University's alumni office is sponsoring a six-day London theatre and shopping tour, departing Nov. 25. The cost - $939 per person double occupancy, $1,089 single and $929 triple - includes airfare, hotel, some meals, sightseeing, tickets to a Victorian music hall show and several theatre performances. Info: 683-3097.
Tidewater Community College history professor Derris Raper will lead a tour of London and of Canterbury, York and Winchester cathedrals Dec. 29-Jan 6. The cost - $1,198 per person double occupancy - includes airfare, hotel and breakfast, London ground transportation, daytrip rail fares and escorted tours of major museums and historic sites. Deadline: Oct. 31. Info: 545-2640 or 427-7207.
The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany is sponsoring four regional tours this fall to raise funds for a 75th anniversary party for all former and present members. The tours: Oct. 11 to Edenton, N.C., and nearby Somerset Place; Nov. 15 to Marjorie Merriweather Post's Hillwood Mansion in Washington; Dec. 6 to Murfreesboro, N.C., for a progressive holiday dinner by candlelight; Dec. 7-8 to Washington for a holiday decorations tour, a visit to the White House and a concert by the McGuire Sisters. Info and prices: 588-4883. MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Monticello, the mountaintop home of Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville, will hold an Archaeology Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday to offer visitors a glimpse into recent and upcoming excavation work. It's free. Info: (804) 984-9822.
The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, Virginia's largest showcase of regional traditions, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22, at Ferrum College in Ferrum. That's near Rocky Mount, about halfway between Roanoke and Martinsville, off U.S. 220.
They'll have all kinds of craft exhibitions, music and food. But here's what you can't find just anywhere: a coon dog contest (treeing is at noon), horse pulling, mule jumping and log skidding competition. Also, there'll be marble shooting and checkers tournaments. Good old country stuff.
Everyone ought to see a mule jump contest once in a lifetime. You may think it's the funniest thing you've ever seen. Or the dumbest. It's set for noon at Ferrum.
Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for ages 6-15, and kids free. Info: (703) 365-4416. TO EUROPE IN STYLE
Traveling in style can be done at almost bargain prices. British Airways, for example, which normally charges $8,584 for a round-trip flight via the Concorde between London and New York, offers a ``Europe in Style'' package that provides one-way travel on the Concorde, the other on its Club World business class and three nights at a choice of elegant London hotels for $4,899 to $5,299 a person, double occupancy, departing from Washington Dulles. You can even add a three-day Paris or Rome stay beginning at $899, including air and hotel, or if you insist on flying both ways across the Atlantic on the Concorde, an upgrade is just $600. All ``style'' packages are valid Nov. 1 through Mar. 31 and must be booked 21 days in advance. Info: (800) 876-2200. LATEST FROM THE CHUNNEL
Channel Tunnel passenger service will begin Oct. 23. Tim Roebuck, president of BritRail Travel International, said two trains on each route - London to Paris and London to Brussels - are planned for the Discovery Series with full service of 15 daily trains on each route expected by mid-1995. No price for the service was given. The London-Paris trip will take about three hours, and the London-Brussels about three hours 15 minutes. Info: (800) 677-8585.
Michelin, the respected guidebook company, has produced ``The Channel Tunnel,'' which includes a detailed road map covering southeast England and routes to Paris, Brussels and Antwerp; a map with distances and travel times by car and train between major cities; and timetables and chunnel loading procedures for the British and French terminals. There also are descriptions of the main cities and for the coast regions along the channel. The book is in book and map stores; for a location near you call (800) 423-0485. THE SKY'S THE LIMIT
Overseas Adventure Travel offers two solar eclipse excursions to Bolivia and Peru this month, led by astronomer and lecturer Stephen O'Meara of Sky & Telescope magazine. The viewing site in Bolivia is at Sajama, situated in the Altiplano region at an altitude of 21,463 feet (it's Bolivia's highest peak), and on the eclipse center line. Side trips will also be made to La Paz for shopping and dining. The Sajama tour runs Oct. 29-Nov. 5; another eclipse trip to Peru's Macchu Picchu is Oct. 26-Nov. 7, and also visits Copacabana and Cuzco for side trips. Info: (800) 221-0814. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The
Virginian-Pilot/The Ledger-Star, P.O. Box 449, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
STEPHEN HARRIMAN
Mule jumping is among the lineup of good old country stuff at the
Blue Ridge Folklife Festival on Oct. 22 in Ferrum, Va.
by CNB