Program 207:

Heritage Tours

and

Golf's Best Courses

            They are fast-becoming a big deal among seasoned travelers. Heritage tours let people explore their own culture and history, or that of someone else's. On this program, I traveled to New York City's Harlem neighborhood for a half-day trip to learn more about the history of what's known as America's "black Mecca".  Neal Shoemaker, a native and life-long resident, founded Harlem Heritage Tours in 1998. He wanted to make sure others knew about Harlem's past, present, and future. In fact, Harlem Heritage Tours schedules almost two dozen trips through the northern Manhattan neighborhood, focusing on history, politics, religion, music, food, and more. Harlem tours can last from half a day to more than a day.

Harlem has a rich history ...

I learned more about the Harlem experience in a couple of hours than I might have learned by reading books or studying the subject in a classroom. And that's the point: Heritage trips take travelers to the very sites where history was made, allowing visitors to walk in the footsteps of the famous and the infamous, to hear the music, eat the food, and understand the culture of peoples and nations.

            There are many such trips. You can tour our national capital, learn about American history, Native Americans, the U.S. military through the ages, or our national folklore. And that's just within the United States. In fact, the U.S. Commerce Department reports Heritage tourism generates at least $160 billion each year for the American economy. And the Commerce Department says seasoned travelers are leading the way when it comes to taking these adventures. Neal Shoemaker says "Heritage tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel and tourism industry," and his company has clearly benefited from the surge in Heritage visitation.

Harlem is expressive...

Beyond our borders, there are Heritage trips to Canada, Mexico, and the rest of the continents as well. Religious pilgrimages are also extremely popular and there are tours for all faiths.

            So, when you've visited countless countries, cruised the seven seas, scaled the mountain peaks, and sunbathed on the breathtaking beaches, there's another vacation alternative. Try a Heritage tour; you may just love it.

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           And now to golf, which is played by up to 60 million men, women, and children across the world, 37 million in the United States alone. There are 20,000 public and private golf courses around the globe. The millions who love the sport will spend a great deal of money to buy clubs and clothes, then spend huge amounts to play nine or 18 holes.

Royal Dornoch is as challenging as you will ever need...

As with anything, there are good places and there are great places. I wanted to discover the crème de la crème courses worldwide. So I contacted John Atwood, Editor-in-Chief of Travel+Leisure Golf. After some quiet reflection, he picked his ten favorite golf links.

1)       The Old Course at St. Andrew's, Scotland

2)       Royal Dornoch, Scotland

3)       Ballybunion, Ireland

4)       Royal County Down, Northern Ireland

5)       Pebble Beach, California

6)      Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Oregon

7)      The American Club and Whistling Straights, Wisconsin

8)      Pinehurst Course No. 2, North Carolina

9)      Mid Ocean Golf Club, Bermuda

10)     Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand.

           Fore!