Las Vegas is one of those places that seems like it has existed forever and has pretty much remained the symbolic casino resort city that it is known for today. However, and logically so, this is not true and Las Vegas actually had a beginning and developed into the city it is today. And the history of the Las Vegas hotels is actually just as interesting as the contemporary dynamics. It turns out, some of them include a few hauntings and some of the ghosts remain in the present day hotels. So the next time you’re in Vegas, it might be interesting to reflect on history of the hotel and casino industry and perhaps even reconsider those potential bumps in the night.

The Las Vegas Strip is the most famous resort area and is also the location of some of the top casinos in the world. There are numerous headliner performances that take place here every day, and according to some accounts there are more spirits found here than what one can find in a martini glass. The first casino that was built on what was to become the Strip was the El Rancho Vegas , which opened in April of 1941. This casino’s success and popularity inspired the development of others and El Rancho was open until it burned down in 1960.

Famous resorts like The Flamingo soon followed and the city and Strip would develop into to famous casino region it is today. In 1989 The Mirage opened and initiated a new phase in the Vegas Strip orientation. The smaller casinos and resorts were soon overshadowed by the giants and The Sands, Stardust are now recognized for their historic relevance and while there are still some smaller resorts and casinos they are still popular. Some of the contemporary casinos that are also reported to be haunted, or at least have strange occurrences reported are Circus Circus, Caesars Palace, the Flamingo, which is sometimes reported to be haunted by its founder Bugsy Siegel and the Bellagio, which was formerly the Dunes Hotel and Casino.

Once in a while there is a great article, and for every person that article will be different. For some this is going to be one of them, and for others you will want to just set it aside and pretend you never saw it. Don’t just read the content though. If you don’t like Obama at least listen to the message. While it ends on a note of uncertainty, who can be certain with the political climate surrounding the Middle East. The point of the article though is that whether you agree with the plans or now, reaching this point in Obama’s health care plan shows that maybe, just maybe he does know what he’s doing and can follow and shape the long game. That is what it took to get him here. If you do like Obama, this is one more thing that gives you hope for his ability to handle the Middle East.

Scientists are on a hunt for artifacts that may be able to give them a hint into the world of ancient Mesopotamia. In their first expedition they uncovered evidence of a society that lived in that area up until 4000 year ago, a period of time we know very little about. If you would like to learn more about this, here is the article.

The Centennial State, Colorado, has seven other states along it’s borders. It has Utah on the west border, Wyoming to the north along with parts of Nebraska, Kansas to the East, and then along the south you can enter in from Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. This state has so many types of terrain from sand dunes on the east side to high mountain tops of the west side. Deep forest lands and prairies on the north side and high desert mountains on the south side of the state. It is truly a wonderful state to spend time in no matter when you go.

Visitors can pick one of the many hotels Colorado has waiting for them to start their journey. They can find their way to the top of Mount Elbert which is the highest peak standing at 14,440 feet. Or they can find themselves at the lowest point of 3,281 feet. The climate ranges in temperatures from four below in the winter depending on where you are to ninety six degrees in the summer, which also depends on where you are. Be careful if a thunderstorm arrives. Colorado is a leading state in deaths by lightning. I suppose that is the price to pay for being so close to the clouds.

There are some Ancient Pueblo Native ruins left in the hills of the mountains. The Ute Nation was the Native Americans that stayed around the area. The Arapaho Nation and the Cheyenne Nations moved further west. But there are still some points of interest to see from the Native American communities. You will find plenty of art festivals featuring their work in baskets, blankets and jewelry. It is rather interesting if you take the time to learn about the state, how many times it was turned over. The U.S. gave it up for the purchase of Florida from Spain in 1819 with the Adams-Onis Treaty. Mexico got it when they won independence from Spain but then gave it back to the U.S. after the Mexican-American War which was laid out in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo in 1848. Then of course the Mormons of Deseret staked their claim to the area. But that area is now called Utah. It is a fascinating state with many things to do and discover.

Thirty miles outside of Boston, you’ll find Pawtucket Falls and the site where Pennacook Indians lived, fishing and growing crops, but when settlers from Europe arrived, sometime in the late 1600s, there was a need for more food than what the local means of agriculture could provide, so eventually two canals were built, Pawtucket and Middlesex, opening the path for various glassworks and mills, both saw and spinning.

The city of Lowell was founded in 1820, but begun by Francis Cabot Lowell, when he turned created power from the waterways and turned the textile industry on its head.  Boott Mill was the first textile mill Lowell built, and it’s now a part of the Lowell National Historical Park, where a number of these early days have been preserved for future visitors.  Lowell is also considered the first American factory town; when the Great Depression hit over a century later, the area fell on hard times, but today, there’s a number of sports teams and revitalization to the old mill buildings.  Lowell has had a rebirth as a tourist town, a national park, and a city filled art galleries, boutiques and restaurants.

If you make this place a vacation destination, you’ll see that the hotels Lowell offers its traveling public are among the best available, and you’ll find great views of the Merrimack River.

The museums offer an excellent history of the lives of the people who used to work in the first factory town, but if you’re looking for Pawtucket Falls, you may not find exactly what you’re expecting.  The name of the falls means “Great Falls,” and the waterfall and rapids dropped 32 feet in under a mile; however, the falls impeded travel along the river and the new settlers to the area built the canals, which allowed Lowell’s residents to use hydropower, running the various textiles factories through a canal system.  In the 1820s, a dam was built at the head of the falls in 1820 and again twenty years later in the 1840s.  You can still see the work of that last expansion — a stone dam that channels much of the Merrimack River into the canal, which is why the Pawtucket Falls today are dry, although, when heavy water flow comes over the dam, the falls exist again, if only for a little while.

There was so much to do all over Birmingham, my family and I didn’t know where to start first. But, it was our family holiday, so we wanted to fit in as much as possible. We book the same Birmingham Hotel we book every year, because, after going there for five years, the staff knows us by name, and they tell us they really enjoy watching my children grow up. Surprised? Don’t be, Birmingham is full of great people who care.

This year we decided to check out and explore Birmingham’s spectacular landscape, go to the beach of course and then walk through the hills and dales. First we went to the hire-wire forest adventure named aptly, Go Ape , just outside of the city. My kids never laughed so much, and I never worried so much, but at the same time, I had just as much fun as my kids. Then the next day we were off to reliving the 1066 battle of Hastings. It was well organized and they managed to not only entertain my children, but they educated them at the same time. My kids didn’t feel one bit that they were in class getting a history lesson. I really recommend that all of history be taught this way; my children still remember all the details of the battle and why it happened. Ask them about any other history, and they just shrug their shoulders.

Then for the rest of our stay, we beached it. Besides swimming in the ocean, we spent time hunting for crabs in the many rock-pools, building sand castles, burying each other in the sand and eating the picnic lunch the hotel would prepare for us. A week really isn’t enough, but, anytime I get to spend fun time with my kids, is the best time. I know they feel the same, just seeing them smile when their heads hit the pillow for the night, tells the whole story.