Courtesy Columbus Zoo
Columbus Zoo Africa Region
Columbus, Ohio
The renowned Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will unveil a new 43-acre Safari Africa region in May. Designed to replicate the environments of southern and eastern Africa, the new area will feature a colorful, active village and a large savannah. Guests will see animals such as giraffes, cheetahs, zebras and lions. Safari Africa will include numerous interactive opportunities, including cheetah and warthog interactive programs and cultural and conservation presentations.
www.columbuszoo.org
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Ameristar Casino Resort
Lake Charles, Louisiana
A new $500 million casino and resort is under construction in the city of Lake Charles.
Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Lake Charles will offer a casino with 1,600 slot machines and 60 table games. Amenities include 700 guest rooms, numerous food and beverage outlets, an 18-hole golf course, tennis, swimming and a spa. It is scheduled to open in 2014 on a 242-acre site adjacent to Lake Charles’ L’Auberge Casino Resort.
The Ameristar will be the city’s fourth casino gaming property.
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‘Moses’ at Sight and Sound
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Sight and Sound Theatres will continue its series of epic musicals based on biblical stories with the debut of “Moses,” which is scheduled for March of 2014. The show cost the company several million to produce, and will feature events such as Moses’ encounter with the burning bush, the 10 plagues in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. The production will use a mixture of high-tech media projections, puppetry and other theatrical techniques to depict these scenes.
www.sight-sound.com
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Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center
Bonita Springs, Florida
Brien Spina, a comedy club owner from Marco Island, is opening the Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center, a multimillion-dollar facility that will serve as a comedy and live performance venue. The 27,000-square-foot center will host national touring musicians, dancers, comedians and musicals. Plans also call for the center to have two restaurants and a Spanish-style sangria bar, including a 40-foot sangria waterfall. The facility is set to open in January.
www.swflperformingartscenter.com
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Ganondagan Seneca Arts and Culture Center
Victor, New York
In the Finger Lakes region of New York, Ganondagan is the site of a once thriving, vibrant center of the Seneca Native Americans. Coming in 2014, the new 10,000-square-foot Seneca Art and Culture Center at Ganondagan will give visitors a greater range of experiences at the historic site. The cultural center will feature art, artifacts, and technology, as well as outdoor exhibit spaces that will display both permanent and rotating exhibits.
www.ganondagan.org
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Logan County Transportation Museum
Bellefontaine, Ohio
The Logan County Historical Society is constructing a new transportation museum to education visitors about the area’s role in the development of aviation and automobile technology. Highlighted artifacts will include an 1800s covered wagon, a 1920s airplane built by a Bellefontaine company, railroad cars used in the local rail yard, and vehicles built by Honda of America in Logan County. The museum is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014.
