formed a large circle about 60 feet underwater. Beneath her, she could see thousands of silver fish—snapper—and then she spied her first whale shark. “It just emerged beneath me, a 35-foot fish.” Eventually there were seven swimming around the divers, as curious about the humans as they were about the animals. “They were absolutely beautiful and huge,” she said. “It was just like a dream.”
----
$PLURGE
DIVING INTO BELIZE
Belize’s barrier reef is part of the second longest reef system in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It’s a diver’s paradise, and not particularly expensive to explore. To make a vacation of it, consider all-inclusive dive resorts like Off the Wall, which occupies its own 13-acre island about an hour’s boat trip from Dangriga. A reasonably priced splurge, a basic eight-day dive vacation, including meals, accommodations, and 12 dives, runs $1,695. A day trip to the whale sharks costs $175 extra. Off the Wall, P.O. Box 195, Dangriga, Belize, www.offthewallbelize.com .
----
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AQUARIUM ENCOUNTER
You don’t have to head to the Caribbean to swim with the magnificent whale shark. In land-locked Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium has a program to swim with its animals. And no diving or snorkeling experience is required.
The Journey with Gentle Giants package provides a full diving suit and an air supply so guests can stay at the surface of the aquarium’s Ocean Voyager exhibit. The daily program begins at 4:40 p.m. and lasts 2.5 hours, although the swim portion only lasts 30 minutes. Participants also get a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium, one of the world’s largest. All guests must be 12 or older, and those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; the price starts at $225 per person. Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, 404-581-4000, www.georgiaaquarium.org .
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Access to Gladden Spit Marine Reserve is by permit and only opened to licensed dive boats. Visits are limited to daylight hours to prevent the whale sharks from being harassed or overwhelmed by visitors. Although the dive is considered advanced, Addis said several in her group had minimal experience and did fine.
Many dive boat operators can be found in nearby Placencia. A day trip with Seahorse Dive Shop (800-991-1969, www.belizescuba.com ), for example, runs $165 and includes two tanks and all diving equipment.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Placencia Tourism Centre, General Delivery, Placencia Village, Belize, 011-501-523-4045, www.placencia.com .
stay on a working ranch
AMES, OKLAHOMA
Ain’t nuthin’ like ridin’ a fine horse in new country.
— AUTHOR LARRY MCMURTRY, LONESOME DOVE (1985)
40 | Of all America’s icons, perhaps the cowboy best captures the public’s imagination. Independent and resourceful, a wrangler just requires his horse, a rope, and the wide-open range. It’s an image well known from movies, and it continues to exist in small pockets across the West. But for travelers, the cowboy experience can be hard to find. Guest or dude ranches let vacationers play at being cowboys, although often the experience is manufactured—and expensive.
You’ll find an exception in Ames, Oklahoma, about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. For five generations, the White family has operated a ranch on a 5,000-acre island in the middle of the Cimarron River. They’ve been in Oklahoma since the land run of 1889, and settled the ranch in 1893. The place looks so authentic that Levi Strauss & Company, Justin Boots, and other makers of Western products have filmed commercials here.
Visitors are welcome to join the Whites at their Island Guest Ranch from April through October. Guests can ride horses every day if they’d like, but they’re also invited to join in ranch chores, such as moving the 350 head of Braford, Brahman cross, and longhorn cattle to new pastures, tending the herd of quarter horses, and repairing fences. They can also practice cowboy skills like
----
$PLURGE
DIVING INTO BELIZE
Belize’s barrier reef is part of the second longest reef system in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It’s a diver’s paradise, and not particularly expensive to explore. To make a vacation of it, consider all-inclusive dive resorts like Off the Wall, which occupies its own 13-acre island about an hour’s boat trip from Dangriga. A reasonably priced splurge, a basic eight-day dive vacation, including meals, accommodations, and 12 dives, runs $1,695. A day trip to the whale sharks costs $175 extra. Off the Wall, P.O. Box 195, Dangriga, Belize, www.offthewallbelize.com .
----
----
AQUARIUM ENCOUNTER
You don’t have to head to the Caribbean to swim with the magnificent whale shark. In land-locked Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium has a program to swim with its animals. And no diving or snorkeling experience is required.
The Journey with Gentle Giants package provides a full diving suit and an air supply so guests can stay at the surface of the aquarium’s Ocean Voyager exhibit. The daily program begins at 4:40 p.m. and lasts 2.5 hours, although the swim portion only lasts 30 minutes. Participants also get a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium, one of the world’s largest. All guests must be 12 or older, and those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; the price starts at $225 per person. Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, 404-581-4000, www.georgiaaquarium.org .
----
Access to Gladden Spit Marine Reserve is by permit and only opened to licensed dive boats. Visits are limited to daylight hours to prevent the whale sharks from being harassed or overwhelmed by visitors. Although the dive is considered advanced, Addis said several in her group had minimal experience and did fine.
Many dive boat operators can be found in nearby Placencia. A day trip with Seahorse Dive Shop (800-991-1969, www.belizescuba.com ), for example, runs $165 and includes two tanks and all diving equipment.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Placencia Tourism Centre, General Delivery, Placencia Village, Belize, 011-501-523-4045, www.placencia.com .
stay on a working ranch
AMES, OKLAHOMA
Ain’t nuthin’ like ridin’ a fine horse in new country.
— AUTHOR LARRY MCMURTRY, LONESOME DOVE (1985)
40 | Of all America’s icons, perhaps the cowboy best captures the public’s imagination. Independent and resourceful, a wrangler just requires his horse, a rope, and the wide-open range. It’s an image well known from movies, and it continues to exist in small pockets across the West. But for travelers, the cowboy experience can be hard to find. Guest or dude ranches let vacationers play at being cowboys, although often the experience is manufactured—and expensive.
You’ll find an exception in Ames, Oklahoma, about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. For five generations, the White family has operated a ranch on a 5,000-acre island in the middle of the Cimarron River. They’ve been in Oklahoma since the land run of 1889, and settled the ranch in 1893. The place looks so authentic that Levi Strauss & Company, Justin Boots, and other makers of Western products have filmed commercials here.
Visitors are welcome to join the Whites at their Island Guest Ranch from April through October. Guests can ride horses every day if they’d like, but they’re also invited to join in ranch chores, such as moving the 350 head of Braford, Brahman cross, and longhorn cattle to new pastures, tending the herd of quarter horses, and repairing fences. They can also practice cowboy skills like
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