It’s a Bird, Its a Plane, or Maybe it’s Superman

It’s a bird watching event…It’s a model plane convention…No, it’s Superman Celebration!

If you’re a Superman fan, you’ll want to fly faster than a speeding bullet to get to Metropolis, IL this June 7th – 10th for the 34th annual Superman Celebration!

After being named the Official Home of Superman by DC Comic in 1972, Metropolis, IL has become the destination for all Superman fans. There are plenty of Super sites to see, like a 15-foot bronze statue of the Man of Steel and a special Superman museum. The second weekend in June is definitely the best time to visit, though. During this long weekend, tons of fans from across the globe gather to share their love of Superman.

“Visiting Metropolis was the highlight of my year! The townspeople are warm and friendly, and strangers became instant family. I now have SuperFriends scattered throughout the country that I am excited to see at the next Superman Celebration!” ~Abby (Portland, OR)

There are tons of things planned for this long weekend, such as music performances, a BMX stunt show, and a professional strength team demonstration. There will also be tons of actors, comics, and writers who have all contributed to Superman in some way that will be available for autographs.

Celebrities from various Superman shows and movies will be there, including: John Glover (Lionel Luthor/Darkseid on Smallville, voice of The Riddler/Edward Nygma on the animated series Superman and The New Batman Adventures), Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer on Smallville, appeared on CSI: Miami and Vampire Diaries), and Gerard Christopher (star of The Adventures of Superboy, guest star on Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place).

And these actors aren’t the only celebrities to get excited about – plenty of big-name comics artists and writers will be there, too. Most notably, George Pérez, known for his illustrations in Spiderman and Fantastic Four, and Terry Beatty, who was part of the art team for the “Batman Adventures” comics and helped with the concept art for a retro-styled Green Lantern model kit, will be at the convention to chat with fans and sign autographs.

There are also plenty of ways you can show off your own super strengths. Use your superhuman speed in the 4-mile run/2-mile walk Superman Road Race or in the Kiwanis Superman Bike Ride. Or, show off your super-hero style in the costume contest and get a chance at the $1,000 grand prize! If neither of those are quite your cup of Kryptonite, you can always sit back and enjoy the Fifth Annual Fan Film Competition.

Whether you are an avid reader of Superman comics or you’ve seen every season of Smallville, Superman Celebration is sure to be the highlight of your summer.

Visit www.supermancelebration.net to get your tickets for the event, and then call The BusBank to plan how you’re going to get there! If traveling is your Kryptonite, don’t worry – The BusBank Charter bus Service will ensure you have a Super time.

Image Credit: Superman Celebration

Twilight River Boat Cruise Down Mississippi

River Boat Cruises down the mighty Mississippi River have been a big part of American culture and have been spoken about in literary works by Mark Twain.

One of the better cruises that you can check out is the Twilight River Boat Cruise. This cruise begins in the quad cities and travels up the Mississippi ending in Dubuque, IA. It passes many beautiful sites across the way that you can check out. As you can see from the map below this is a great tour that you should check out.

This might be the perfect thing for a corporate incentive travel or taking clients away to something different. The BusBank is always looking for interesting travel destinations and activities as we love travel.   You can learn more about this tour and the offerings view their Facebook page.

Summer Music Festival To Charter Bus to: Romp

Music is something that can be heard from many of our employee’s headphones, or iPods throughout the office. So when we came across the museum and festival in today’s post we were pretty excited to share it with our readers.

In Owensboro, KY, the International Bluegrass Music Museum is a place that visitors can learn about the history and culture surrounding the bluegrass style of music. We know your thinking, there is an International Blue Grass Museum, and you’re not the only one. However, it just makes us more excited and shocked that we haven’t read about charter bus tours out to the museum. The Museum gives a live demonstration of how to play the instruments with a live band for group tours. Additionally, the 1st Thursday of every month, they have a free jam that lasts from 6pm until Midnight. We hear that this is not to be missed.

An annual event that the International Bluegrass Music Museum hosts is a music festival spotlighting bluegrass music. The music festival is called Romp: Bluegrass Roots & Branches Festival. The dates for this year’s festival are June 28th thru June 30th. Over 20 acts are performing with two of the larger acts this year being Vince Gill and Old Crow. Many upcoming bands and artists, will be perfuming as well.  You will have a couple options for lodging for the event with camping allowed on site or you could choose from a couple of the local hotel options.

Another idea is to make it a one day charter bus trip for your group as Owensboro is less than 4 hours away from some Midwestern cities such as Louisville, Nashville, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. We hope that you check it out it and be on the lookout for more posts about upcoming festivals and summer fun from The BusBank.

Image Credit: Cadinho

Our Favorite Ballparks to Check Out this Season

Opening Day is here and it’s exciting that baseball action are starting up again.  As a group and event transportation leader, we have sent both teams and visitors to all but 1 of the 30 major league baseball parks. Here are some of our favorites that we can wait to check out.

Here is our short list of ballparks to see this year

1. Wrigley Field – One of the most famous ballparks in the majors with its distinct ivy covered outfield walls, hand turned scoreboard and well known red marquee over the front entrance.  Located on the north side of Chicago, in the Lakeview area Wrigley field receives a large amount of charter buses from across the country to check out baseball games, concerts and even football games.  If you ever have a chance to check out a ball game at Wrigley, you should take advantage of it.

2. Fenway Park – Open since 1912 Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the major leagues. Fenway park has been featured in a couple recent movies including Field of Dreams, The Town and Fever Pitch which actually had its film’s ending rewritten to as the Red Sox went on to win their first world services title during production of the film.

3. Dodgers Stadium – Dodgers Stadium is the 3rd oldest ballpark in major league baseball. The park was built when the Brooklyn Dodgers, moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. One of the best things about attending a Dodgers game is a Dodger Dog,special ten inch hot dog wrapped in a steamed bun.

4. Marlins Park – The newest Major league BaseBall Park is  definitely a site to see with host a of attractions some of which have been seen at other ballparks and many that our unique to this park. These features include a retractable roof with glass panels, a unique sculpture in center field that rises and moves when the home team hits a home rome, aquatic homeplate backstop with live fish inside, and last but not least a swimming pool.  We have yet to check out this ballpark but it is on our list for sometime this year!

5. Camden Yards – 20 years after this ballpark started the trend of the retro baseball park and it is still one of the best places to see a baseball game.The play from the home team Baltimore Orioles can sometimes leave less than desired but the same cannot be said for the food. Camden Yards has some great food options with many Maryland shores specialties ranging from beer battered soft shell crabs, Old Bay Wings, and of course crab cakes.  

We hope that you are able to check out some of these ballparks this year. What are some of your favorite baseball parks to check out?

Let us know over on our Facebook page!

Fenway Image Credit: Charlie Walker

Wrigley Image Credit: Zoonabar

8 Things Every Traveler Should be Equipped With

If you are a frequent traveler, it’s helpful to know which new technology and tools can make traveling simpler or easier, or even more enjoyable. Your arsenal of tools and equipment should be constantly evolving to meet your traveling needs, which is possible thanks to the evolution of technology, especially technology on the go.

Consider these eight things that every traveler should be equipped with in order to travel safely, effectively and enjoyably.

1. Kayak

This online search tool is essential for getting the best deal, whether you are looking for a plane ticket, a rental car or a hotel. It goes through several popular online sites to find you the best available deal when planning your trip.

2. Google Maps

GoogleMaps is one of the most widely used tools for mapping, and the features are constantly growing, including webpage integration and browser extensions. Get the directions, locations, street views and traffic reports that you need, when you need them.

3. Line2

Line2 allows you to bring your business phone line with you, so that you are never without a way to contact clients, colleagues and other important contacts. Whether you are traveling for business or for pleasure, the ability to use your phone in any circumstance is essential.

4. SpotScout

This app will tell you where you can park in a variety of large cities throughout the United States. Find a spot close to where you want to go, work a price out with the parking spot owner, and you will have access to parking during your trip without worry.

5. eRideShare

This utility allows you to search through ride listings throughout both the United States and Canada so that you can find someone to share expenses and cut down the cost of a trip, whether you are crossing the country or running simple errands in the local area.

6. Traffic

This is a convenient online tool that will ensure you are not stuck in hours of traffic by telling you what the roads look like on a mile to mile basis. Find out the conditions for every road you plan to travel before you leave the home.

7. Gas Buddy

A road-trippers dream, Gas Buddy can help you make sure you avoid paying more than you have to when it comes to buying gasoline, no matter where you are. Gas Buddy compiles gas pricing from all over the country so that you can find the cheapest or the closest station wherever you are at.

8. Trip It

This is a vitally essential tool if you have a trip to plan because it can organize all of your itineraries and other information when planning a trip. Enter in all of your information and the site is going to create an appropriate guide for you. If you have trouble with trip planning, then TripIt is the answer that you are looking for.

These eight tools are absolutely essential when it comes to traveling right. If you are a frequent traveler who is interested in constantly improving upon your traveling experiences, then these essentials will come quite in handy for you in the future.

Image Credit: 1.

Jessy is a travel blogger for Vacation Pass, check out our San Diego Zoo guides for more vacation and weekend outdoor ideas.

Corporate Outing ideas? Try a Visit to Horse Racing Track

Spring is on its way and one great way to impress a client or reward your team with a corporate outing to a horse racing track. Horse Tracks are not only worth going to during the Triple Crown Races but throughout the spring and summer it a great place to check out. If you have never been to a horse race or even just to visit a horse racing track, you should change that and while you’re at it take your clients or employees with you.

Horse Tracks make for great corporate event spaces as they are prepared for groups. Typically a racetrack will have private rooms available for your group to mingle and relax along with great views of the track. Many of the tracks offer special food and drink catering for your group

Some of our Favorite Horse Racing Track’s for Group Outings

Remington Park – Oklahoma City, Ok  - www.remingtonpark.com

This Race Track has a variety of private rooms for groups. Ranging from rooms for 10 people all the way up to rooms for over 600 people meaning no matter what the size of your group it will be able to accommodate your group. Remington Park also boasts a casino, and free valet parking

Keeneland – Lexington, KY www.keeneland.com

Located in the Mecca of horseracing, Keeneland is an experience that has groups and corporate outings coming from all over Kentucky and the surrounding states to visit. Keeneland live racing takes place during the months of April and October but you can always visit the park and have a great time.  Keeneland has variety of group and event spaces to visit and offers tours of the park as well. This makes it a great location to take guests.

Pimlico – Baltimore, MD Pimlico.com

Pimlico is home to one of the largest horse races in America, The Preakness Stakes. As the host to such a large track Pimlico is ready for groups of all sizes. The track is home to great racing along with music and other events such as the Decanter Wine Festival which is April 21-22nd and is a combination of a wine festival along with its traditional racing. Check out Pimlico and consider it for your next group and event.

Santa Anita Park – www.santaanita.com

Only 15 miles outside of Los Angeles, Santa Anita is a great combination of beautiful scenery, and world class racing. Santa Anita has a wide array of rooms for groups to view races and celebrate. Additionally, groups can experience the Seabiscuit tram tour. The tour is a wonderful opportunity to see many of the places from the award winning movie.

We hope this helps you with ideas for your next corporate outing. We hope to continue to provide you with great group event and group charter bus trip ideas. Keep checking us out and let us know some of your favorite spots on our Facebook page.

Flicker Image Credit: tpower1978

The BusBank’s Favorite Travel Apps

 The world is all about apps  as you may have remembered from the 2009 Apple commercial , “There’s an app for that.  Travel is an area where a lot of great and wonderful phone applications have been developed. Both Iphone and Android phones have a variety of great apps that people can use for travel. Besides working for a group travel service, many of our employees love travel use a variety of them when they travel.

Here are some of the favorite Travel Apps of The BusBank

Spotify - While not a travel application in the traditional sense it makes travel a lot better with the ability to bring all of your music from your computer to your phone along with the large music catlog that they have to offer. If you love music and want to have access to music wherever, you are it is perfect. As many hotels have added music docking stations, it allows for you to enjoy your music library easily in your hotel room.  Spotify has various price ranges ranging from free to an annual fee.

TripIt -  This travel application works via the web, tablets, and all major phone software including IOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.  Tripit’s tag-line is “organize your travel” it does a great job at doing this.  You are able to keep all your flight, hotel and rental car confirmation e-mails in one place. Sharing this information is really easy as well with Tripit allowing you to share via e-mail or social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Tripit has a pro version with more features and a business version that can help keep track of expenses for you and your company.

Lessor Known Travel Apps

Where - This is a lesser known application that the other’s that we mentioned, but it is still a great application. Where is very similar to Foursquare in that it is a location based application that allows users to find great things to do nearby. Where currently is available on all major phone software including IOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.

Waze is a free, social, mobile crowd-source navigation and real-time traffic application for iPhone that gives its users travel conditions in areas, such as traffic congestion, roadway construction, police “speed-traps,” car accidents, and red light traffic cameras. It’s a live description of the road/driving conditions around them based on what other Waze users situations are… It’s a free, useful, fun application everyone should download and experience! Not only is it free, but it gives its users some of the best turn by turn navigation available for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Image Credit: Robert Scoble