2023 Issue 5 Sept/Oct Focus - Mid-South Magazine

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travel Unique Regional laces to Visit Bowling Green + Western Kentucky Recommended by Shahin Samiei Lincoln Spring “There are so many caves out there (including the popular Mammoth Cave National Park). There is a lot of kitsch and sure, some tourist traps, but I think there's a bit of magic all about that region. If you visit Mammoth Cave, make sure to do some major research ahead of time. They take reservations for the tours, which are the way you get into the caves—the national park itself and visitor center are free to explore, but to actually go underground you need a tour. Reservations book up long in advance, especially during peak travel seasons. [In Bowling Green] there is an underground boat cave tour run by a non-profit in collaboration with Western Kentucky University. The funds from tours go to education, conservation, and water cleanup efforts. It seemed a really wholesome endeavor and pretty rad to be boating in a cave under the streets and businesses of Bowling Green. We also went to Kentucky Down Under (lots of unique animals and animal experiences) and to the Abraham Lincoln birthplace National Park—lots of history there, some beautiful architecture, and a lovely natural spring were there.” Lincoln Memorial Lost River Cave Mammoth Cave (Top photo and this photo) 40 Go! | Sept+Oct 2023 | focuslgbt.com
Family Vacation: Union City, St. Louis, & Branson Recommended by Nancy Bontly “So my in-laws are awesome and pay for our hotels when we take the kids on a summer vacation. It helps a lot! So this year in early August we set out in our car with three teenage girls across the back seat. My daughter, my husband’s daughter and our bonus daughter. So we left Memphis and drove two hours to the Discovery Park of America in Union City. They have so much there – a lot of history, and a lot of agriculture history. Though I can’t say that finding a Blackberry in a history exhibit made us Gen X parents feel any younger. It didn’t help that both me and dad were very much into computers early on, so we had touched 5.25” floppy disks before. After our tour at the Discovery Center we had already checked out of our hotel and headed straight for St. Louis where we had already bought tickets for the City Museum – it was a ton of fun. There is so much to do there. Climbing through all kinds of exhibits – and it is even fun for those who can’t (or won’t) climb! There was something for everyone and we had a blast! For the second day we had bought a ticket package for Union Station that included the Aquarium, Ferris Wheel, Mini Golf and a few other attractions. We had a great time there as well! We highly recommend it for family fun during the day! The next morning we checked out of St. Louis and headed to Branson, MO. The trip was around 4 hours, but we gave it an entire day so we could stop if we wanted to – and we totally ended up on Route 66, and were able to make a detour for the Uranus Fudge Company. It was great! They had a display of the world’s largest belt buckle, a bona-fide Zoltar machine and a candy store that was just awesome. We eventually pulled into Branson, and we had a room at the Grand Country Resort. It was awesome because it was an all-inclusive package that gave us a room with a clubhouse for the kids to sleep in, tickets to the Dolly Parton’s Stampede show, and tickets to Silver Dollar City… along with unlimited food at their 3 restaurants and even unlimited ice cream cones. Oh, I can’t forget the unlimited mini-golf on their 90 different holes over three different themed courses. We had a blast! We even had unlimited live shows at the Grand Country, but we were so busy with everything else, we didn’t have time. They also have an actual water park in the resort, as well as both an indoor and outdoor pool! It was a great place to be as a family!” Uranus Fudge Discovery Center of America St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station Slide at the City Museum of St. Louis Sept+Oct 2023 | focuslgbt.com | Go! 41
Page 1 and 2: Serving the Mid-South LGBT+ Communi
Page 3 and 4: BROWSE THE STORES IN LAURELWOOD. EX
Page 5 and 6: 8 th ANNUAL 2023 See the list of 20
Page 7 and 8: FEATURED WRITERS IN THIS ISSUE CONT
Page 9 and 10: FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SHARE
Page 11 and 12: 4 5 6 7 Prioritize Safety and Well-
Page 13 and 14: It’s eight in the morning, the be
Page 15 and 16: Be PrEPared. Learn more about HIV p
Page 17 and 18: five distinct ecosystems, including
Page 19 and 20: WE IMPACT COMMUNITIES BY DRIVING RE
Page 21 and 22: Nearby Places to Travel If you’re
Page 23 and 24: BOOK YOUR NEXT EVENT WITH US! WE CA
Page 25 and 26: Only five hours from Memphis, Bento
Page 27 and 28: Cocktail from The Hive at the 21c M
Page 29 and 30: The Ballad of Rosie and Rapunzel by
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Page 33 and 34: community of Fox, Arkansas, whose p
Page 35 and 36: Rosenbaum House designed by Frank L
Page 37 and 38: PRINT AREA: 4.125” X 10.875” TY
Page 39: Would you consider yourselves trave
Page 43 and 44: Utopia proudly supports the Focus C
Page 45 and 46: during the day and bar in the eveni
Page 47 and 48: 47 Go! | focuslgbt.com

2023 Issue 5 Sept/Oct Focus - Mid-South Magazine

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