{"id":113,"date":"2010-07-12T10:25:05","date_gmt":"2010-07-12T17:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traveltattler.com\/?p=113"},"modified":"2010-07-12T10:25:05","modified_gmt":"2010-07-12T17:25:05","slug":"bowl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/golf\/lifestyle\/113\/bowl-season","title":{"rendered":"Bowl Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>The college football bowl games, in full swing this weekend, in addition to providing exciting action on the gridiron, serve as a travelogue of some of America\u2019s most intriguing cities. In the past, only a handful of bowl games hosted championship teams, students and fans from across the country, but this season 32 sites will beckon holiday travelers and their dollars.<\/p>\n

Games notwithstanding, which destinations are the most intriguing to visit?<\/p>\n

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San Antonio, Texas \u2013 The Michigan State Spartans played in yesterday\u2019s Valero Alamo Bowl, and travelers who went along were surely delighted by the festive nature of the city\u2019s River Walk, a narrow, open-air channel of water winding one story below the streets of downtown San Antonio. Galleries, restaurants and shops, some featuring live music and lit up like Disney World, line the banks of the walk and are accompanied by lush pathways, waterfalls and pools. Stroll along or feel the enchantment aboard a floating river taxi or dinner cruise. Steps away lies the historic Alamo, where a small band of Texans held out for 13 days against the Mexican Army before Davy Crockett, James Bowie and the rest met their doom in 1836. Sam Houston immortalized them with the battle cry \u201cRemember the Alamo!\u201d Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park and Sea World lie just outside town beside the Westin La Cantera, a resort with two golf courses, one of which hosts a PGA Tour event each season. www.visitsanantonio.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Mobile, Alabama \u2013 The Central Michigan University Chippewas will play in next Saturday\u2019s GMAC Bowl. Like San Antonio, the area boasts its own historic battle cry: \u201cDamn the Torpedoes \u2013 Full Speed Ahead!\u201d shouted by Naval Commander David Glasgow Farragut for the Union forces on Mobile Bay during the Civil War. Just west of the Florida state line, the Mobile Bay and Gulf Shores area offer expansive white sand beaches backed by stunning natural sea grass areas. Un-crowded, casual, inexpensive, Gulf Shores is also known as a golf destination with notables such as Kiva Dunes, The Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club, Craft Farms, Rock Creek and Lost Key all in easy striking distance. Don\u2019t visit without stopping into the infamous \u201cFlora-Bama\u201d beach bar (right on the state line) and LuLu\u2019s at Homeport Marina, on the Intracoastal Waterway. LuLu\u2019s is created and owned by Jimmy Buffett\u2019s sister \u2013 and it is easy to see the family influence in this one-of-a-kind, family friendly party and open-air entertainment venue. Remember, too, that \u2018round these parts, \u201cL.A.\u201d stands for \u201cLower Alabama!\u201d www.gulfshores.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Pasadena, California \u2013 When Bo Schembechler and Lloyd Carr took Michigan Wolverine football teams to the Rose Bowl, they often holed the team up in Newport Beach for part of the stay in order to get the players away from the spotlight and distractions of Hollywood. If only they knew what they were missing now that The Resort at Pelican Hill opened last year. Created on 504 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and inspired by a 16th century Italian architect, Pelican Hill, an exclusive enclave with bungalows, villas, Tom Fazio golf courses, spa, swimming pools, shops and restaurants is as majestic as sunset on the San Gabriel Mountains during the Rose Bowl game. www.PelicanHill.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

San Diego, California \u2013 Billed \u201cAmerica\u2019s Finest City,\u201d San Diego hosted both the Poinsettia Bowl and the Holiday Bowl. The San Diego Zoo is ranked the nation\u2019s best, and seaside Torrey Pines Golf Course, site of Tiger Woods\u2019 famous 2008 U.S. Open win on a bum leg, is open to the public. Seeing the sea lions, sunset, shopping and jazz at La Jolla\u2019s Cove underwater park is sublime. San Diego\u2019s latest stunner in the hotel industry is the Grand Del Mar Luxury Hotel and Resort: a Mediterranean estate – palatial, yet warm – with Southern California\u2019s only five-star dining experience and world class golf through and over two secluded canyons. www.GrandDelMar.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Scottsdale, Arizona \u2013 The Phoenix area hosts the Insight Bowl in Tempe and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. The historic Arizona Biltmore Hotel is the choice of celebrities (including Presidential candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin on election night), and it\u2019s easy to see why once your inside its striking and soothing Frank Lloyd Wright-style 39-acre lush compound of swimming pools and gardens. www.ArizonaBiltmore.com<\/span><\/a> Shopping, dining, and golf are the most prevalent hobbies in gleaming Scottsdale, with dramatic destination courses such as Troon North, Grayhawk, and The Boulders. www.ScottsdaleCVB.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Orlando, Florida \u2013 The Big Ten runner-up gets the Capitol One Bowl in the same stadium which hosts the Champps Sports Bowl a few days earlier. The ever-expanding and adapting worldwide colossus \u2013 Walt Disney World \u2013 remains the king of attractions and hoteliers in Central Florida. See www.DisneyParks.com<\/span><\/a>. Renting a vacation home with your own kitchen and swimming pool can give entire extended families a break from the action, too. Learn more at www.VisitCentralFlorida.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Honolulu, Hawaii \u2013 While the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl is held on Oahu, many visitors prefer to island hop to quieter Big Island of Hawaii and Maui. The glamorous, expansive, modern Waikoloa Beach and Golf Resort, near Kona, with its shops, golf courses, and abundant activities has a Michigan connection! Scott Head, who spent some time at Treetops Resort, in Gaylord, is director of club operations at Waikoloa. Visit www.WaikoloaBeachResort.com<\/span><\/a> Meanwhile, the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, on the west side of Maui, is not only considered the island\u2019s \u201cmost Hawaiian hotel,\u201d but it\u2019s also surprisingly affordable. See www.KBHMaui.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

January 3, 2010<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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