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It has long been known that Native American Indians were in America before settlers, but that did not prevent Native American Indians from losing the land that truly belonged to them. To prevent the extinction of America Indian tribes and cultures, the federal government created reservations.

Reservations are defined as land that is set aside by the federal government for a specific group of individuals. Indian reservations are the most well-known types of reservations in the world. Native American Indian reservations are located all across the United States.

Many Native American Indian reservations are secluded from other towns and cities. This has caused many Native American Indians to suffer financial hardships. Since reservations are secluded, many tourists or other travelers rarely passed through them. This made it difficult for a large number of businesses to operate on an Indian reservation; thus, having an effect on the unemployment rate.

After years are living on the verge of poverty, hope and financial success could be seen in the future. That hope came in the form of casinos. It is a known fact that Americans love to gamble. For once, Native American Indians could rely on Americans to generate jobs, income, and financial resources for all Indian reservations.

Native American Indians living on reservations are not ruled by state governments. Since casinos and gambling are illegal in most states, Native American Indians were still able to open and operate casinos. Since most states still don’t have any other legal casinos, a large number of Americans flock to gamble on Native American Indian reservations.

Casinos have been a large source of income for many Native American Indian reservations. In fact, many are so successful that they are able to benefit the community in a number of ways. Many reservations have taken a portion of their profits to remodel or update their casinos. Many Native American casinos are now known as resorts. Adding hotel rooms, spas, restaurants, and event centers have allowed Indian reservations to profit even more from their gambling casinos.

Updating a casino to bring in additional revenue is important, but what is even more important is what the rest of the money is being spent on. Most Native American Indian reservations use their profits to improve local school systems, housing communities, libraries, and other community facilities. In addition to reservations as a whole, gambling centers have also improved individuals on a personal and professional level.

Almost all of the casinos and other gaming centers open on Native American Indian reservations are successful, so successful that many employ hundreds of workers. Casinos have helped to reduce the number of Native American Indians who are unemployed on Indian reservations all across the country. In addition to hiring local reservation residents, many casinos must also employee other individuals. This is not only beneficial to a Native American Indian community, but to others as well.

American citizens and business developers are urging the federal government to legalize gambling in the United States. Gambling on Native American Indian reservations is popular, but many individuals have to travel hours just to reach one. It is unknown what the impact of legalized gambling would mean for Native American Indians. Until gambling laws changed, American Indians are benefiting from American’s and they are putting their profits to good use.

The age of Indian MNC’s is here. This is one of major outcome of India’s integration with global economy. The main cause of success of Indian companies is our ability to strike global roots. As an individual, we have long tradition of striking roots across the globe. Mr Aditya Birla of Aditya birla group first looked beyond India 30 years ago. Now as the globalization picked, company started getting 30% turnover from overseas. Company plans to increase up to 40%, by the end of decade. According to the company the underlying reason behind this is, if you want leadership in any segment, then you should have global presence in it. Tata is the second group company, which has seen these potential. Tata has recently done lot of global acquisitions.

Indian companies have realized this, but still a long distance is needed to be traveled. For achieving this Indian company require global mindset. They have to choose, whether they want to be truly MNC or Indian company working abroad. To get success abroad they have to work on the strategy of act local and work global. They should be able to adjust into the other countries environments. A true MNC is not only spread over global geographies, but it is the mindset to set the examples of global attitude, without letting go their roots. The second things companies employ should understand and respect the local habits and cultures. Companies should take into consideration these entire things while giving judgment for employee’s merit or performance. The third challenge is to establish brand equity abroad. It is difficult to recruit the best, if you are not a well known MNC or a local player.

There is no easy way to achieve all this; Indian companies needs more time to be reconigsed abroad. In some country’s Indian companies have good equity, but it has taken years of hard work, good performance and good employment practices. The fourth challenge is to recruit a pool of global managerial talent. It is long process, requires long recruiting, training and testing them in difficult situations. A global manager must have the knowledge of historical and Scio-economic condition of country, where he works. Fifth and the last one is global commitment, to provide best, fast and accurate service.

Vermont is filled with several little New England towns nestled in the Green Mountains. After the first snow falls in the winter, the mountains are ready for skiers. Vermont ski resorts are busy and ready to accommodate people from all over. Would you like to plan your ski vacation in Vermont? Here is some advice.

First, you’ll want to choose a destination. There are many ski resorts in Vermont. Some are geared towards families, some have excellent restaurants, others accommodate couples, and still others have all these things. Your destination will depend on what your needs are and what kind of skiing you’d like to do.

After you pick the destination, decide when you want to go. Call the resorts and see when the best time is. Also, check and see if the mountains make their own snow. If they don’t, you could end up going at a time when there is no snow and you won’t be able to ski.

If you are traveling to a Vermont ski resort with your children, you may want to see if the resort has activities for them. Some offer lessons for kids, babysitting, and other services. This can help you have a better time. You can in some concentrated skiing, and your kids can learn how to ski and meet other kids their own age.

If you need help planning your vacation, there are a lot of resources that can assist you. Contact the different Vermont ski resorts and have them send you information. Also contact the tourist information centers in the resort areas. If everything seems too overwhelming, you can always have your travel agent do the planning for you.

If you want to lap up the luxury in Maui you can opt for a resort holiday. Maui has many seaside resorts where you can enjoy a wide range of facilities and take part in a number of activities. You will find that the resort is very self-contained and you may never feel the urge to step out until your date of departure.

The resorts normally have lavish grounds that are full of tropical flowers and fruits. The smells coming from these gardens set the mood for the best tropical holiday. Depending on your requirements you can book either a single or a double bedroom suite. Besides the bedroom, your suite will have a private living room, a luxurious bath and sometimes a small kitchenette. Depending on the part of the island your resort is located in, you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise or a breath-taking sunset from your deck. You tariff normally includes a full American breakfast. You will have to pay for the other meals.

The resort will have other amenities like swimming pools and tennis courts, and can arrange for lessons in a wide range of water sports. Resorts sometimes have a golf course attached to them. They will also rent out bikes so that you can explore the region on your own. All suites should have high-speed internet with broadband access. You can also take in a traditional Hawaiian Luau.

If you are traveling with kids, most resorts have a day care center where you can leave them if you want to explore the island on your own. The day care center has many activities to keep your children entertained.

When the weather turns colder, skiers around the world wait in anticipation for the first good snow of the year. Once it snows, they flock to the nearest ski resorts, even if it means they need to travel far.

There are some topnotch ski resorts in different places throughout the world. Where you go will depend on how much money you have, your level of expertise, and your preference. Here is some advice on booking your ski trip, including information on ski resorts.

Your first step to planning your trip is to find out which destinations interest you the most. Do you love Colorado or would you rather go to Utah? Are you interested in a charming New England town or would you rather fly to the Swiss or German Alps? Each destination has its own charm.

Once you choose the location, you can figure out when the best time is to go. Since most ski resorts are busy throughout the season, you may need to plan your trip well in advance. Unfortunately, this doesn’t give you a lot of flexibility. Some places may not see a lot of snowfall at certain times. To help increase your chances of getting good snow conditions, research what the conditions are typically like in a given area for the time period you would like to go.

The next step in planning your ski trip is to purchase your plane ticket or decide if you are driving. If you do need a plane ticket, you can either ask your travel agent for advice or book the trip yourself online or by calling your favorite airline. You can also use frequent flyer miles or opt to take a train or bus.

Once you have all those details set, you will need to pick your ski resort. Ski resorts offer a wonderful way to experience the slopes. They often have activities for kids, ski rentals, and lessons. Others offer rooms and cabins with fireplaces and many have a restaurant.

So, to enjoy your ski trip, make sure that it is well planned. Go when the snow conditions are right. Shop around for your different transportation options, and find the ski resorts that best meet the needs of those you are traveling with.

Just as Orange County has become “The O.C.” thanks to a hit TV series, Santa Barbara is getting extra publicity as a result of the 2004 hit movie “Sideways.” And they’re happy to get the attention.

“A lot of Californians already knew about wine country, but ‘Sideways’ has brought more high-end visitors to the area,” said Donna Mulgrew director of sales with the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau.

The CVB has plans to launch a culinary tour to go along with its wine tours.

“Everyone is doing wine country tours and dinners now,” she said.

That holds true for meeting planners as well as weekend visitors.

Visit bookshops and gift shops along State Street today and it’s hard to miss half a dozen or so books featuring “Sideways Country,” as it’s now called.

To be sure, the Santa Ynez Valley wine country is a draw for weekenders, locals and visitors alike, as is the Santa Mafia Valley to the north. But few know that the wine culture can be traced back about 200 years to vines brought from Mexico.

Today, wine trails focus on several areas of the county: Santa Ynez and Los Olivos; Foxen Canyon and Alisos Canyon; Solvang; Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria. Wine tours also can be arranged from town.

Visitors who fly in perhaps already were surprised to learn that the Santa Barbara airport has 10 nonstop destinations, including Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, and has more than 100 daily flights.

Whether you’re starting out in a rental car or driving down from the Hearst Castle to the north, you’re likely to be using Highway 101 and seeing sweeping vistas of the Channel Islands off the coast before coming into the seaside city of Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara has long been a favorite filming location–long before “Sideways”–and a hideaway for the stars. But today, instead of Charlie Chaplin, you might bump into Brad Pitt, Kevin Costner, Jennifer Aniston, or Oprah, all of whom own homes in the city.

For Californians, Santa Barbara provides the ideal weekend getaway. Only a couple of hours from most of Los Angeles and about four hours from Orange County, it’s got something for everyone, including more restaurants per capita than most major cities.

Downtown alone has more than a dozen art galleries, half a dozen performing arts venues, the E1 Presidio De Santa Barbara State Historic Park–a reconstruction of the original Spanish fort built here in 1782–and the Maritime Museum.

This is a city where you can shop until you drop at centers along State Street like Paseo Nuevo, La Arcada, Victoria Court or E1 Paseo, which was the first enclosed shopping area in the city. A charming visitor trolley will take you up and down State Street during the day for just 25 cents per trip. Its western terminus is at historic Stearns Wharf, which now boasts several restaurants like the rebuilt Moby Dick and Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, or Stearns Wharf Vintners for wine tasting. The new Ty Warner Sea Center on the wharf is a hands-on science center that debuted in April and is part of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Sea Center rents to groups for private receptions.

Warner, the Beanie Babies magnate who lives in Montecito, owns the Four Seasons Biltmore and four other Santa Barbara-area lodging and golf properties and recently announced the purchase of the Miramar Hotel property for an estimated sales price of $45 million.

Santa Barbara is known for a wealth of charming B&Bs like the Inn of the Spanish Garden, the Cheshire Cat Inn & Cottages and Upham Hotel as well as its high-end resorts like Bacara and Four Seasons.

It has beachfront resorts like Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort, which stretches along Cabrillo Blvd., Harbor Inn and Hotel Oceana and more rural options like the Santa Ynez Inn in wine country or Inn at Petersen Village in Solvang, about 30 minutes north.

Orient Express has purchased the historic El Encanto Hotel, and will make some cosmetic upgrades this year, Mulgrew said. But in late 2006 it will close for a total renovation.

With the uptick in visitors, it can be a challenge to find weekend rooms unless you’ve booked ahead, but meeting planners may have better luck with mid-week meetings.

“Occupancy is high, but there are still some bargains,” Mulgrew said.

“The big thing to remember is that the good bargains are from November to March,” she said.

Despite a rainy winter, first quarter hotel occupancy rose to 71%, with the average room rate at $123, according to Los Angeles-based PKF Consulting, which tracks the hospitality industry.

In all, Santa Barbara has about 4,500 hotel rooms at the beach, downtown or within 10 minutes of the city center. Plenty more dot the surrounding area, including the sprawling Alisal Ranch in San Ysidro, where the term ‘executive retreat’ takes on a whole new meaning when a company rents the entire ranch for a get-together. Once attendees get over the shock of having no TVs and no cell phone service, they get out and enjoy the ranch, planners say.

Charleston's parks, museums, and music and cultural activities provide a variety of enjoyable and stimulating experiences. The state's Cultural Center at the Capitol Complex has a museum, performing arts, film and music festivals, and The Shop, which sells only West Virginia native crafts. The Capitol Complex also offers tours of the Governor's Mansion two days a week. On the State Capitol grounds is a memorial honoring Malden, West Virginia, native Booker T. Washington. Glass factories in the area provide tours to groups, and the museums at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences are a favorite of visitors. The Haddad Riverfront Park invites residents and visitors with its river views, evening concerts, and plays. The park offers paved paths for runners, walkers, and cyclists, as well as plenty of areas for picnicking, sunbathing, and relaxing.

A variety of historic homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s can be toured in Charleston. The Craik-Patton House, built in 1834 in the Greek Revival style of architecture, is open mid-April through mid-October for tours. The East End Historical District features homes in a variety of architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Victorian, Richardson Romanesque, Georgian, Italianate, and others, mainly built between 1895 and 1925. Victorian Block on Capitol Street features some of the oldest structures on Capitol Street, with homes dating back to 1887. Shrewsbury Street acknowledges sites and buildings that are prominent in West Virginia's African American history.

Formerly the Daniel Boone Hotel, 405 Capitol Street was built in 1929 at a then-extravagant cost of more than $1.2 million. Renovated in the 1990s, the building now houses business offices and is known for its unique 10-story atrium. Also afforded new life in the city is the C & O Railroad Depot, built in 1905. Refurbished in 1987, the Beaux Arts-style brick and terra cotta trimmed depot houses offices and a restaurant.

Charleston is home port to the P. A. Denny, a beautiful excursion sternwheeler available for scenic rides on the Kanawha or for rental trips for private groups. In addition, many of the forests, parks and resorts in West Virginia's excellent park system are within a half-day's drive of Kanawha Valley.

Arts and Culture

A well-respected symphony orchestra, a resident chamber-music string quartet, a youth orchestra and visiting chamber-music ensembles ensure a steady diet of live classical music in the Charleston area. The new Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences is home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, which performs monthly concerts featuring guest artists from around the world. Municipal Auditorium hosts the Charleston Chamber Music Association, Broadway touring shows, and national recording artists. The West Virginia Youth Symphony Orchestra is one of Charleston's special cultural assets, and the group performs extensively in the Kanawha County school system and in schools throughout the state. The Charleston Light Opera Guild provides musical comedy and drama each season. Many community singers, actors, and actresses, such as the Charleston Civic Chorus, have formed a close-knit group of talented performers who act, sing, and dance their way through Broadway musicals each year.

The West Virginia State Capitol building.

Charleston is also home to the Charleston Ballet, which performs three to five ballets each season, and the West Virginia Dance theater and the Appalachian Youth Jazz Ballet.

For those with a penchant for the visual arts, the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences has a breathtaking gallery and provides art activities, programs, and workshops throughout the year.

Arts and Culture Information: Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston, WV 25301; telephone (304)344-5075; fax (304)344-1241.

Festivals and Holidays

For sheer spectacle, few festivals match Charleston's Annual Sternwheel Regatta Festival. The festival began as a small Labor Day race for sternwheel boats operating on the Kanawha River. From that modest beginning, the event expanded to an entire weekend, then a week, and finally to its current 10 days, which are scheduled each year during the days leading up to and including Labor Day. While the Regatta Festival's concerts draw the most impressive crowds, its other events are just as exciting. The Grand Feature Parade kicks off the festival and features balloon figures similar to those in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Olympia Brass Band visits each year to highlight the traditional New Orleans-style Funeral Parade, where the unusual and inventive take to the streets for a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed. The Regatta Festival's Taste of Charleston is a major gourmet food event that brings a number of Charleston restaurants together under one roof to offer house specialties and other tasty dishes to regatta-goers. Other festival events include arts and craft shows, river cruises, film festivals, street fairs, and an antique car show.

Downtown Reno glitters with brightly-lit casinos and 24-hour entertainment. In the middle of it all stands the city's best-known symbol, the Reno Arch. The arch welcomes visitors with its slogan, "The Biggest Little City In The World." There have been four arches since the original was erected in 1929. The arch which welcomed visitors from 1934 to 1963 can now be seen on Lake Street, in front of the National Automobile Museum.

One of the country's finest and most extensive collections of antique cars is on display at the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection). Opened in 1989, more than 220 vehicles are featured, including horseless carriages, cars owned by celebrities, and experimental cars of the future.

Described by the Los Angeles Times as the "Taj Mahal of Tenpins," the National Bowling Stadium is the only facility of its kind in the world. The stadium features 78-championship lanes, Paul Revere's Kick's Diner & Dance Club, and an IWERKS theater where giant screen movies are shown daily.

Lake Tahoe, the world's second largest alpine lake, is a popular attraction.

Daytrip excursions also provide visitors with a number of sightseeing options. Reno serves as a base camp to some of the most unique attractions on the West Coast. Pyramid Lake, just east of Reno, is shrouded in the mysteries of Indian legend and prehistoric past; Virginia City, still the liveliest ghost town in the West, is only a 35-mile drive from Reno; Carson City, Nevada's State Capital, is only 30 miles from Reno; and nearby Lake Tahoe was described by Mark Twain as "surely the fairest picture the whole earth affords."

Arts and Culture

Reno offers a flourishing and diverse community of artistic talent. The 1,500-seat Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts is the home of the Reno Philharmonic, the Sierra Nevada Master Chorale, the Reno Dance Company, and a Best of Broadway series that gives scheduled performances throughout the year. A chamber orchestra, opera company, and two ballet troupes round out the Reno experience. The University of Nevada, Reno, presents a variety of art galleries, music, and performing arts.

The Nevada Museum of Art, originally called the Nevada Art Gallery in 1931, debuted its new four-level, 55,000 square foot location in May 2003 and features a permanent collection along with video and experimental exhibitions. A library, cafe, sculpture garden, and store are among the other modern amenities offered.

Reno's own summer arts festival, Uptown Downtown ARTown, was named one of the top 100 Events in North America by the American Bus Association. The festival takes place every July, when more than 150 events at three dozen locations are featured throughout the month.

Festivals and Holidays

Special events are plentiful and varied in Reno. In April, snowmobilers flock to SledFest with rides on the trails and a tradeshow. The Reno Rodeo, the "wildest, richest rodeo in the west," takes place over nine days in June and infuses nearly $35 million into the local economy. In August, the Reno area celebrates America's love affair with cars and rock 'n' roll during the five-day Hot August Nights. The celebration features more than 5,000 classic cars from 36 states, vintage music, parades, and drag racing. September is full of celebrations that include the Great Reno Balloon Race, the National Championship Air Races and Air Show, and Street Vibrations (for motorcycle enthusiasts). October brings the Eldorado's Great Italian Festival and the Celtic Festival.

Sports for the Spectator

Reno is making a name for itself as the mountain golf capital of the world. Since 1999 the PGA Tour's Greens.com Open at Reno-Tahoe (formerly Reno-Tahoe Open) has taken place at Montreux Golf and Country Club in August, where some of the world's best professional golfers compete. A celebrity-packed golfing event, the American Century Celebrity Championship, is also held annually at Edgewood-Tahoe in July.

Two of the country's largest bowling organizations, the American Bowling Congress (ABC) and the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC), hold tournaments at the National Bowling Stadium. Dubbed "Pin Palace" by USA Today , thousands of bowlers are drawn to the city's high-technology facility on a regular basis.

Sports for the Participant

Reno offers a seemingly limitless variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Snow-packed mountains, less than an hour from Reno, feature the largest concentration of world-class ski/snowboard resorts in North America. In the summer months, the same mountains, as well as the valley below, offer hiking and mountain biking. Since 1994 the three-day annual Mighty Tour De Nez Classic has featured different levels of regional bicyclers. Lake Tahoe, "the Jewel of the Sierra," is the perfect place for a day of canoeing, water skiing, swimming, and more.

Sacramento is a river town, virtually created by the California Gold Rush. Along the bank of the Sacramento River is the Old Sacramento Historic Area, a 28-acre National Historic Landmark that attracts more than 5 million visitors annually. This atmospheric area, with wooden-slat sidewalks and horse-drawn carriages on its cobblestone streets, gives the visitor a sense of the vitality and bustle generated by the thousands of hopeful prospectors who streamed through Sacramento in the mid-nineteenth century. Old Sacramento's museums, shops, and restaurants preserve its historical character. The Old Sacramento Waterfront offers a variety of activities, including touring and riding on nineteenth-century boats, visiting the depots of the Central Pacific railroad, and exploring the bustling Public Market. In midtown Sacramento, Sutter's Fort, the first Euro-American settlement in Sacramento, has been restored and preserved. The 1839 adobe fort contains relics of pioneer and goldrush days. Exhibits include living quarters, a blacksmith shop, a bakery, a prison, and livestock areas. The State Capitol building within 40-acre Capitol Park was built in 1869; it is similar in style to the U.S. Capitol building. Underneath its 120-foot high rotunda are ornate chandeliers, imposing staircases, and marble floors. Visitors can tour the offices of the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Treasurer, and view exhibits about the history of California's state government. In Sacramento's south side, the Sacramento City Cemetery, established in 1849, contains the graves of more than 25,000 pioneers, immigrants, their families, and descendants; among its first interments were more than 600 victims of the 1850 Cholera Epidemic.

The Sacramento Zoo displays more than 400 exotic animals in their natural settings, including red pandas, snow leopards, lemurs, zebras, chimpanzees, jaguars, and many others. The zoo emphasizes protection of endangered animals, and faithful recreation of natural habitats. Adjacent to the zoo is Fairytale Town for children, a park based on themes from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Water World USA, the only wave pool in Northern California, has the highest water slides in the West; its "Honolulu Halfpipe" Extreme Surf Slide is scheduled to open in 2005.

Sacramento is within easy driving distance of other atmospheric Gold Country towns: Coloma has Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, where James Marshall's discovery of gold in 1848 started the Gold Rush; Placerville features Hangtown's Gold Bug Mine, a fully-lighted mine shaft; Sutter Creek has a charming array of Victorian homes and balconied buildings; Jackson retains a European character from its early Italian- and Serbian-American miners; Columbia has Columbia State Historic Park, where visitors can ride a stagecoach and pan for gold. Sacramento is conveniently located for day trips to Northern California's outdoor attractions. The city is only a few hours away from Yosemite National Park; from the Napa-Sonoma Valley, where most of California's finest wines are produced; and from Lake Tahoe.

Arts and Culture

Sacramento is rich in theater. California's largest nonprofit musical theatre—The California Musical Theatre, formerly known as Sacramento Light Opera Association or SLOA—is based here. It provides Music Circus productions during the summer and Broadway Series productions during the rest of the year. Since its first performance in 1951, Music Circus has staged numerous productions of some 150 musicals; classics such as The King and I, Oklahoma!, and Show Boat are well represented. Music Circus presented its music theatre under a circus-style open-air tent until its move in 2003 to the new 2,200-seat Wells Fargo Pavilion. Performances are in the round, with 360-degree seating. California Musical Theatre's Broadway Series, begun in 1989, offers Broadway hits with national stars. Productions are at the 2,452-seat Sacramento Community Center Theater, across from the Capitol building.

The 24th Street Theatre, a 296-seat auditorium at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community, is home to the Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento (LOTS), which brings light opera, such as the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, to the Sacramento area. The Sacramento Theater Company maintains its own resident company offering classical and modern plays at its 300-seat Mainstage and 85-seat Stage Two. The B Street Theatre, Sacramento's Professional New Works Theatre Company, produces contemporary theatrical works. Garbeau's Dinner Theatre, in nearby Rancho Cordova, is housed in a restored winery. In all, more than 80 groups present live theatrical performances throughout the region.

For music lovers, the all-volunteer Camellia Symphony season runs from October through mid-May, and includes six concerts (one of which, at the Sunrise Mall on Mother's Day, is free), and several special fundraising concerts. The Sacramento Opera has performed more than 40 operas; the opera season runs from September to March and includes 3 performances. The 73-member Sacramento Philharmonic presents 5 concerts annually from November through May.

One of the most popular sights in Allentown is the Liberty Bell Shrine Museum in the Zion Reformed Church, which contains a replica of the bell. Trout Hall, built in 1770 by the son of the founder of Allentown, is the city's oldest building; Lehigh County Historical Society sponsors tours of it. Tours are available at the Frank Buchman House, founder of the Moral Rearmament movement, and the Haines Mill Museum, an operating grist mill, adjacent to a county park. Two railroads offer nostalgic rides through the area's scenic wonders, and the Covered Bridge (driving) Tour culminates at the Trexler-Lehigh County Game Preserve, where native and exotic fauna roam 1,500 acres of rolling countryside. Several historic structures in nearby Bethlehem, which was a center for the religious group known as Moravians, are open to tourists. Easton also preserves historic buildings and homes.

Allentown has long been supportive of artistic and cultural activities. Symphony Hall is home to the Allentown Band, which has been providing musical entertainment since 1829. Concerts are presented by the Allentown Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall; the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra is the only year-round orchestra in the Valley. The Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra performs great music from the traditional to the contemporary. A Community Concert series brings nationally-known artists to the city, and musical and theatrical performances are sponsored by area colleges. The Theatre Outlet is the Lehigh Valley's award winning "Off Broadway" company, performing at its own arts center. Rounding out the musical, theatrical, and dance offerings are the Civic Theatre of Allentown, and the Cedar Crest College Stage Company, the State Theatre, and Muhlenberg College's Center for the Arts.

The Allentown Art Museum houses the Samuel H. Kress collection of Renaissance paintings. Lehigh County Historical Museum displays artifacts pertaining to local history and traditions and maintains a Geology Garden. The Open Space Gallery offers juried exhibitions of contemporary regional arts and crafts. The Lenni Lenape Historical Society of Pennsylvania has restored an eighteenth-century stone farmhouse to display Indian artifacts. It is called the Museum of Indian Culture and features a traditional village and garden.

Festivals and Holidays

Sports for the Spectator

At the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, national and international bicycle racing meets are held annually on its Olympic standard cycling track. Adjacent to the Velodrome is the Bob Rodale Cycling & Fitness Park. Live horse racing via satellite is offered year round at the Downs at Lehigh Valley. The Allentown Ambassadors minor league baseball team is also located in Allentown.

Sports for the Participant

Allentown's park system, which at 13 percent of the city's acreage is said to consist of more acres per capita than any other city its size, and a network of area tennis courts, swimming pools, golf courses, ski slopes, and campgrounds offer year-round recreational opportunities for the sports enthusiast. Cedar Creek Parkway's 127 acres include Lake Muhlenberg, where pedal boating, fishing, and picnicking go on; also located there is the Rose Garden, with its old-fashioned gardens and lagoons. The proximity of the Poconos and other ski resorts make the Lehigh Valley a popular winter destination. Among the more than 100 rides at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom is one of the world's tallest wooden roller coasters; at Wildwater, families enjoy giant slides, river rides, and an enormous wave pool. Gymnastic and exercise programs are offered at Parkettes National Training Center. The Lehigh Valley's streams, forests, and winding roads offer sites for fishing, swimming, hunting, hiking, ice skating, water skiing, and cycling. Allentown is home to SportsFest, an annual event featuring local, national, and international competitors who participate in team and individual sporting events.