ISLAND HOPPING
Volcano park sets free-entry days
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has announced fee-free days this year. Park entry charges will be waived on the following dates:
» April 22-26, National Park Week
» July 13, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Cultural Festival
» Aug. 25, National Park Service birthday
» Sept. 28, National Public Lands Day
» Nov. 9-11, Veterans Day weekend
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/havo.
Enjoy discounts at Maui resorts
Maui visitors can get up to 40 percent off and a free car rental when booking a two- or three-bedroom condo in any of five beachfront resorts for April, May or June.
Destination Resorts Hawaii offers fully equipped vacation condos in Wailea and Makena. Complimentary amenities include free parking, Wi-Fi, phone calls, $40 in dining credits to Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Tommy Bahama, and a Maika‘i grocery discount card.
Call 866-384-1366 or see www.drhmaui.com.
GLOBE TROTTING
Dubai plans biggest Ferris wheel
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates » Dubai’s ruler has approval a $1.6 billion island development project that would be home to what’s billed as the world’s biggest Ferris wheel.
The project reflects a renewed appetite in Dubai for extravagance as the economy rebounds from a debt-driven slump during the past three years.
The official WAM news agency said Wednesday that the Ferris wheel — dubbed the Dubai Eye — will stand 688 feet, exceeding the London Eye’s 443 feet. Construction is to begin this year.
Dubai has proposed a series of mega projects reminiscent of its boom years before the downturn hit in 2009. The projects include theme parks and a satellite city named for Dubai’s ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashin Al Maktoum.
Allegheny bikeway nearly finished
WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. » The missing link in a bicycle trail connecting the Pittsburgh area to Washington, D.C., should be finished in May and will be formally dedicated at a June 15 ceremony.
Ground was broken in October on the final mile of the Great Allegheny Passage, a 141-mile bicycle trail from the Pittsburgh area to Cumberland, Md. That’s where the Great Allegheny Passage links up with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath, which stretches to Washington, D.C.
The June event will include a ribbon cutting near Sandcastle Waterpark, where the final link of the trail is being built just east of Pittsburgh. A bicycle ride to Pittsburgh’s Point State Park will follow, where a party will be held celebrating the trail’s completion.
The celebration is being delayed so renovations of the park’s fountain can be finished first.
Museum takes art to the streets
DETROIT » The Detroit Institute of Arts is getting ready for the fourth year of its "Inside/Out" project, which includes putting up reproductions of paintings on the streets of Michigan.
The museum recently announced 21 participating communities in this year’s program.
From April to June, 81 reproductions will be in some communities. From July to September, 80 reproductions will be placed in other communities. Specific locations are being finalized. Each area will have five to 12 images clustered within walking or biking distance.
The museum is adding six new reproductions to the 80 already in use. New ones include "The Window," by Henri Matisse.
