Six Flags announced on Thursday, May 1 that the Six Flags America amusement park and Hurricane Harbor water park in Maryland will close after the 2025 season.

The two parks sitting on 500 acres in Bowie, Maryland, will be sold and marketed for redevelopment as part of Six Flags’ ongoing portfolio review.

“We have determined that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor are not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan,” Six Flags CEO Richard Zimmerman said in a statement. “We anticipate strong interest in the property and will continue to strategically pursue portfolio optimization opportunities as we work to unlock the full value of our portfolio.”

Six Flags America opened for the season on April 12 and will permanently close on Nov. 2 after the Halloween season.

Six Flags announced that some smaller parks in the chain were up for sale during the company’s quarterly earnings call in February after completing a comprehensive portfolio review following the merger of Six Flags and Cedar Fair in July.

Six Flags plans to share more details about its long-term strategy at an upcoming investor day on May 20 at Ohio’s Cedar Point theme park.

Six Flags America seemed like a likely contender to be sold after the Cedar Fair-Six Flags merger. The Maryland amusement park and Virginia’s Kings Dominion both compete for visitors in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Six Flags has two other markets with competing parks — Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain are among the chain’s two biggest attendance draws and aren’t likely to be sold anytime soon.

The San Francisco Bay Area rivalry will soon sort itself out with California’s Great America set to close in the next few years — leaving only Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in the Bay Area.

Which parks might be up for sale or in play? And which ones are untouchable or safe for now?

Let’s take a look at all the possibilities.

Untouchable Parks

The chain’s eight largest parks based on attendance include Buena Park’s Knott’s Berry Farm (4.2 million annual visitors), Ohio’s Cedar Point (4 million), Ohio’s Kings Island (3.5 million), Valencia’s Six Flags Magic Mountain (3.4 million), Canada’s Wonderland (3.2 million), Illinois’ Six Flags Great America (3 million), New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure (2.5 million) and Six Flags Mexico (2 million), according to the TEA/AECOM report.

Those locations seem like core properties in the new Six Flags and appear to be untouchable at the moment.

Safe For Now

Four more of the chain’s parks are located close to major metropolitan areas: Philadelphia (Dorney Park), Dallas/Fort Worth (Six Flags Over Texas), Atlanta (Six Flags Over Georgia) and Boston (Six Flags New England).

Without any major local competition, those locations seem safe for now.

On the Bubble

Four parks in the chain sit on the bubble in mid-sized metropolitan areas: Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, Texas), La Ronde (Montreal) and Six Flags St. Louis (Missouri).

Carowinds is likely safe since Six Flags corporate headquarters is now located in Charlotte.

The other three parks could be on the market if Six Flags finds the right bidder.

Potentially For Sale

That leaves the six smallest parks in the chain — Frontier City (Oklahoma City), Six Flags Darien Lake (Buffalo, New York), Valleyfair (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri), Six Flags Great Escape (Albany, New York) and Michigan’s Adventure (Grand Rapids).

Michigan’s Adventure could argue that it’s near Detroit and Chicago, but likely couldn’t compete with the bigger Cedar Point or Six Flags Great America.

The dueling Six Flags parks in upstate New York have coexisted for years — but are both among the smallest in the chain. Six Flags doesn’t own Darien Lake and only serves as the lease operator, which likely means costs are lower there.

Water Parks

The water parks in the newly combined chain all draw fewer than 1 million visitors a year.

Most of the water parks are connected to amusement parks in the chain, but not all of them.

The two Sclitterlitterbahn water parks in Texas rank first and third in attendance among Six Flags water parks, according to the TEA/AECOM report. Knott’s Soak City sits in between the Sclitterlitterbahn parks.

The other top water parks in terms of attendance are tied to Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia and Cedar Point.

The stand-alone Six Flags Phoenix water park also makes the TEA/AECOM Top 20 North American water parks list.

Four stand-alone water parks in the chain — in Northern California, Texas, Georgia and Mexico — aren’t directly tied to amusement parks and could be among the smallest locations in the Six Flags chain.

Nonstop service to Curacao; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten; Guatemala City, Guatemala; and San José, Costa Rica, will launch in November and December. The Guatemala City flight will operate year-round, while the others will be seasonal winter flights.

The airline is also adding year-round nonstop service to Roanoke, Virginia, and Akron/Canton, Ohio, beginning in September and October. The new flights can be booked beginning Monday.

After the pandemic, American prioritized restoring service at its southern hubs, according to Brian Znotins, senior vice president of network planning. That’s because travelers in the South resumed flying more quickly, and they frequently sought out trips to warm-weather destinations.

But this year, American is adding service to 17 new destinations from O’Hare, including flights to Honolulu, Madrid, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. This summer, the airline says it will offer 25% more seats on flights out of O’Hare than it did last summer.

“Chicago is the third-biggest (metropolitan statistical area) in the country. It’s a pretty key business market. We’ve been very eager to court corporate travelers and business travelers,” Znotins said. “We’re really excited to be growing it back.”

In addition to the new flights, American said that this year it will increase existing service from O’Hare to destinations including Aruba; Cancun, Mexico; Grand Cayman; and Nassau, Bahamas. Between the increased service on current routes and the new destinations, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline says it will double its capacity to warm-weather destinations from O’Hare next winter.

But non-golfers can benefit from staying at a golf resort as well, with benefits they may not even realize existed. What kinds of things can such guests enjoy at a golf resort?

Among the main advantages of these kinds of lodging options is that the resorts are picturesque.

Think manicured courses, expansive views and an abundance of natural beauty that comes with a property containing a course or two. Resorts with golf courses are often quite pretty, and many are designed to take advantage of the beautiful natural landscapes they’re a part of.

In Colorado Springs, the Broadmoor, nestled in the Cheyenne Mountain foothills, offers a whopping 5,000 acres of lush grounds to explore, complete with stunning mountain views, beautiful gardens, tranquil lakes, vibrant flowers, sprawling lawns, shaded groves and charming courtyards.

Beautiful, full-service spas

Not every getaway is filled with places to see and people to meet. Some can act as wellness getaways where you’re free to pamper yourself, reconnect with your body and mind, and slow down and get to know yourself or your travel companions.

Golf resorts that understand the need for this — and offer spa services and wellness options designed to help you obtain it — are a fantastic opportunity for recharging and regrouping. Check out the variety of indulgences at The Sanctuary Spa at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina and leave feeling truly relaxed and reset.

No need to leave

When your resort is your entire destination, you want it to be good. Selecting a place with additional offerings that pamper, delight the senses, tantalize the tastebuds or allow you to indulge in some retail therapy can center everything right at your resort area so you can take full advantage of the place.

While the golf is championship-level, venues like Kohler Wisconsin, featuring The American Club, have much more going on. Anyone can find ways to enjoy spending time there, from splashing in the pools to a visit to the five-star spa, taking a yoga class with soothing views of the lake, or wandering the specialty shops and boutiques complete with a market for refueling when your breakfast wears off.

Food and wine choices

No need to settle for mediocre dining options or limit yourself to burgers and fries; golf resorts can deliver when it comes to mealtime. Some, like Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia, have on-site restaurants with chefs who have a commitment to their menus, the sourcing of their ingredients and the preferences of their guests to make mealtime a pleasure. The cuisine at Keswick Hall’s Marigold by Jean-Georges changes often and aims to exceed expectations.

Some resort locations also host food and wine-related festivals so celebrating all there is to eat and drink becomes part of the stay and part of the fun.

Activities unrelated to golf

Not every visitor plays the game. Some guests are along for the ride, and when activities or options exist for them to enjoy their stay, all the better.

French Lick Resort in Indiana offers tons of additional amenities and activities at the historic property that are sure to keep a crowd entertained. Options include a casino and arcade, the French Lick scenic railway, horseback riding, an indoor water park, swimming, hiking, biking, birding, bowling, mini golf, pickleball, billiards, sporting ranges, archery, disc golf and yoga. The resort is also near Patoka Lake for activities on or near the water.

Kids programs

Resorts that welcome families know this is a real benefit. Venues that offer camps and activities geared toward children can be appealing to those who are looking to play a game or two but also want to spend some time with their children while they’re traveling.

Boyne Mountain’s Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa in Boyne Falls, Michigan, delivers with an on-site indoor waterpark (great for a rainy day), zipline adventures, tubing, bonfires with s’mores, family movies, complimentary craft activities, pony rides and wagon rides. There are also a variety of seasonal kids’ camps, including Fritz’ Adventure Camp and golf, tennis and wakeboarding camps for older kiddos.

Location, location, location

Resorts away from cities or large tourist spots make for a quieter stay and a true escape. When they are also close enough to get to points of interest that may be part of your crowd’s itinerary, that’s even better.

Venues like Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which situates you in beautiful southeastern Wisconsin near popular Geneva Lake, is also within driving distance of Milwaukee (about 50 to 60 minutes) and Chicago (about 90 minutes), allowing nearby residents to get to the resort easily while feeling like they’ve truly gotten away from it all.

Connections

Some golf resorts are quite historic and have hosted celebrities. History buffs or those who love staying where members of the “it” crowd have stayed will appreciate places with some clout in their background. Resorts like the Seaview hotel in Galloway, New Jersey, which has been around since 1910 and hosted guests such as Grace Kelly — who had her sweet 16 there — might add a touch of depth to your stay. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones also took up residence here during their Steel Wheels Tour, which launched in 1989.

Another resort that delivers historic significance is French Lick, where Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, the Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby and Abbott and Costello are said to have been guests.

Resorts at the beach

Don’t want to choose between the beach or the golf course? Selecting a resort that also offers beach access can satisfy that need for sun, sand and surf in addition to working on your swing. The Seagate Hotel in Delray Beach, Florida, is a perfect solution. With its own private beach, sun-seekers can have their toes in the sand in mere minutes.

Pets are often welcomed

Bringing along the family pet lets you go on vacation without having to worry about things back home. Selecting a venue that offers pet-friendly accommodations, such as Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida, can allow even the furriest family members to go on the trip. Long heralded as a wonderful multigenerational destination, this resort takes it a step further by also welcoming the family dog with amenities like the designated Bark Park.

Catering to varying budgets

Not everyone has limitless income to splurge on a golf vacation. Fortunately, lodging options come at a variety of price points. Many offer packages so you can group some of the things your crowd loves into one stay. Some offer special promotions during the year, so your stay may even be discounted or include added options. Getting on the mailing or email lists of specific venues you like might help you stay in the loop on specials and deals (especially off-season) that work for you.

Tee up to learn the basics

Should you decide that golf may be something you’d like to try, most golf resorts offer lessons and the opportunity to hit around. Some even encourage children to participate by offering discounted greens fees and junior golf club rentals.

You’ll find that many of the bigger golf resorts combine quite a few of these key elements. While one specific feature may stand out to you, such as a historic component, the resort may also excel at other offerings. Combined, they could create that vacation hole-in-one you’re looking for.

Sharon Nolan is a freelancer.

The Calgary couple scrapped those plans and vacationed last month along Mexico’s Pacific coast instead, put off by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, the insults he’s hurled at their homeland, and stories about American border agents searching people’s phones and detaining foreigners for minor reasons.

She found it ironic that she felt more comfortable traveling to Mexico than the U.S.

“I never thought I would hear myself say that,” Diane Bellamy said.

Trump’s attacks on Canada’s economy and threats to make it the 51st state have infuriated Canadians, who are canceling trips to the U.S. in big numbers. They also seem to have also flipped the narrative heading into Canada’s parliamentary elections on Monday, with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party surging after trailing far behind in the polls just a few months ago.

A steep decline

The U.S. gets more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, which said the 20.4 million visits from Canada last year generated $20.5 billion in spending.

But there has been a big drop in foreigners traveling to the U.S. since Trump took office, and Canadians are no exception. There were more than 910,000 fewer land border crossings from Canada into the U.S. last month than in March of 2024 — a more than 22% drop — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. An Air Canada spokesman, meanwhile, said Canada-U.S. flight bookings for April through September are down about 10%.

Trump brushed aside the decline in tourism to the United States on Wednesday, saying, “There’s a little nationalism there I guess, perhaps. It’s not a big deal.”

Traveler worries

Since Trump started his second term, there have been well-publicized reports of tourists being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held for weeks at immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense.

On March 3, Canadian Jasmine Mooney, an actor and entrepreneur on a U.S. work visa, was detained by U.S. border agents in San Diego. She was released after 12 days detention.

Before Mooney’s release, British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed concern, saying: “It certainly reinforces anxiety that … many Canadians have about our relationship with the U.S. right now, and the unpredictability of this administration and its actions.”

The Canadian Association of University Teachers, which represents faculty and staff at Canadian universities, warned its members against nonessential travel to the U.S. due to the “political landscape” under Trump and reports of Canadians encountering difficulties crossing the border.

Academics who have expressed negative views about the Trump administration should be particularly cautious about traveling to the U.S., said the group.

“People are scared to cross the border. I don’t know what Americans are thinking, quite frankly. Are they that oblivious?” said former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who has family in Florida.

Mike Sauer, who runs a community policing center in Vancouver, said he and his partner have no interest in traveling to the U.S. now because of Trump’s politics and border fears. One of Sauer’s concerns is that if a border guard were to check his cellphone, the guard might see his past purchases of marijuana, which is legal to buy in Canada and about half the 50 states but is still illegal under U.S. federal law.

“The States have a different view on drugs. They could certainly look at my phone and see I’m 420-friendly,” he said, meaning he’s marijuana-friendly. “I think it kind of depends on which border guard would have a problem with that and which ones wouldn’t.”

Dietra Wilson, 32, said when she was younger, she often visited Detroit, which is just across the border from Windsor, Ontario, where she and her husband, Ben, own a secondhand shop. She hasn’t visited much in recent years, though, and she said she’s heard of people’s worries about crossing the border since Trump moved back into the White House.

“It’s worrisome,” she said.

Ben Wilson, 37, also has qualms about trying to cross.

“Why would I want to?” he said. “Regardless of the tariffs, if I’m going to be stopped at the border for my phone or something somebody texted me, why go?”

Industry worries

The drop in Canadian tourism to the U.S. led California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent target of Trump, to announce an ad campaign this month meant to lure Canadians back to his state, citing a 12% year-on-year drop in February.

McKenzie McMillan, a consultant with a Vancouver-based travel agency, The Travel Group, said the company’s bookings to the U.S. have dried up. “We have seen a near-total collapse of U.S. business,” he said. “Probably about a 90% drop since February.”

Lesley Keyter, the CEO and founder of the Travel Lady agency in Calgary, said she’s seen people actually forfeit money to cancel their U.S. trips.

“Even if they’re going on a Caribbean cruise, they don’t want to go down to Fort Lauderdale to get on the cruise ship,” she said.

“We expect to be docking about noon. Here the Pacific, the Strait of Magellan, and the Atlantic will be surrounding the Tierra del Fuego area. We are sailing along snow-tipped mountain ranges toward Antarctica. Our first sightings have been spectacular.”

These aren’t my words, or even the diaries of a polar explorer, but those of my grandmother Sara Eubanks, who traveled to what is called the white continent in January 2003 in celebration of my grandfather Robert’s 70th birthday.

They traveled with Holland America, flying from our hometown of Atlanta to Miami and then on to Santiago and Valparaiso in Chile before boarding the ship that would take them to the ends of the earth. 

Even before that, my great-grandfather traveled to Antarctica in 1989, snapping photos at Palmer Station, the year-round United States research station. 

My grandparents are responsible for my love of travel. Some of my earliest memories were of picking them up at the airport with my father, eager to hear stories and see what souvenirs they brought my siblings and me. 

My grandparents didn’t start traveling until their children had all left the nest; but then they hit the ground — and air — running, eventually reaching every continent. 

Visiting a place they traveled together is nothing new for me. In my decadelong career as a writer, I’ve followed their tracks across the globe, from the outback of Australia to the cathedrals of Germany. And in 2024, I was able to reach the seventh continent myself, alongside my sister Sammi, another generation to make the journey south. 

We flew to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city where most Antarctic cruises depart from. 

Then we traveled aboard the 148-passenger National Geographic Explorer with Lindblad Expeditions, named for Lars-Eric Lindblad, who in 1966 launched the Antarctic cruise industry. 

I carried my grandmother’s journal alongside my own, feeling the importance of the experience through her words. She’s still a consummate record keeper, just like me, with drawers full of notebooks like these. They became all the more treasured after my grandfather’s death a few years ago. 

We both wrote about the majesty of the icebergs as they came into view from our cabin windows, some as big as buildings, and heard about the history of the continent from the people who studied at the various research stations. 

I wondered how much of what I was seeing matched up with her own experiences, despite the decades of climate change that have affected the icy region. Unlike on her trip, my sister and I were actually able to step foot on the carefully protected islands. 

Perhaps the best part of the trip was coming home and telling my grandmother all about it: the colonies of chinstrap and gentoo penguins we saw up close, the volcanic shores of the former whaling station at Deception Island, and the adrenaline-inducing polar plunge, followed by a warming Negroni from my favorite onboard bartender, Pete. 

A trip to the otherworldly deserts and icy landscapes of Antarctica is difficult to describe. You’ll never see quite so much untouched wilderness or the range of fauna, including several species of penguins and whales. And you’ll join a special club of people who have been there. 

I could say this club is small, but that’s becoming less true with every passing year, especially since pandemic travel restrictions eased. According to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, the governing tourism body with 52 member operators, the past year saw over 40,000 cruise-only passengers, over 80,000 land visitors to land, and over 700 so-called deep field visitors who travel to the interior of the continent. 

And while my relatives waited until they were older, the demographics of visitors are also starting to change. On my trip, I was surrounded by people in their 30s and 40s, all crossing off the elusive seventh continent from their list. The cost remains fairly prohibitive but many travelers are looking to experience it at a younger age.

My trip had the option to fly over the famously rough waters of the Drake Passage on DAP, the airline serving the continent since 1989, which allows more people to travel directly to King George Island in Antarctica. We opted for the flight on our return trip.

There are also increasingly more land-based expeditions such as White Desert, a series of luxury glamping trips with private flights and fine dining, which start at about $16,000 for one night and run up to $110,000 for seven to eight nights. Another company, Runbuk Inc., holds an Ice Marathon on the continent. 

When it comes to choosing an operator, I suggest using IAATO members, who are required to follow strict protocols to protect the delicate ecosystem. 

Conditions in Antarctica are changing constantly and ship landings must be scheduled well in advance. A certain level of flexibility is required, especially for those prone to seasickness. Travelers can’t be beholden to their bucket list as there are some experiences you won’t even know to add to the list until you arrive.

What’s most important is to take it all in: the place, its majesty and its importance. Like my family, you will come away with a lifetime’s worth of memories. 

Caroline Eubanks is a freelancer.

The decreased satisfaction comes amid a drop in travel, a shaky economy and concerns about the future for premium travel services, the study says. The airline industry, which reached a record high last year, dropped 4% to a score of 74.

Business travelers and other “high-value” customers are driving the lower satisfaction levels, according to Forrest Morgeson, an associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and American Customer Satisfaction Index director of research emeritus.

“With spending patterns under pressure and pricing power fading, providers are going to need to work harder to deliver consistent value,” Morgeson said in a written statement.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines took the No. 1 spot among U.S. airlines in the customer satisfaction study, soaring ahead of Alaska Airlines.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines ranked No. 2, tied with JetBlue. American had the biggest drop, falling 8% to 73 and taking fifth place.

Southwest last year announced plans to move to begin assigning seats, upsetting some of its loyal travelers who are accustomed to its longtime policy of open seating — while opening the door for others who may want seat assignments and options for premium seats.

But Southwest has also been slashing its flight schedule and reducing perks for travelers, including plans to stop allowing its customers to check two bags for free, effective with bookings starting May 28.

Overall, airlines got high ratings for customer satisfaction for their mobile apps, website and check-in.

But they got low ratings for in-flight Wi-Fi quality, flight information, seat comfort and in-flight food and beverages.

Other travel segments also saw a decline in customer satisfaction in the study, including hotels, car rentals, rideshare and online travel agencies.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index Travel Study for 2025 was based on 16,771 completed surveys. Respondents were contacted at random via email from April 2024 through March 2025.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index 2025 airline rankings and scores:

1. Southwest, 80
2. Delta, 77
3.  JetBlue, 77
4. Alaska, 76
5. American, 73
6. United, 73
7. Spirit, 69
8. Frontier, 65

Source: ACSI Travel Study 2025

Stomping a supercar’s pedal to the metal is exhilarating at an undeniable, visceral level. The chaperone in the passenger seat during my own supercar test drive had to ask me to stop shouting with joy as I accelerated.

Twice.

I hadn’t even realized I was making a sound.

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and the high-end motorcycle brand Ducati are just the most recognizable names among the many, many manufacturers that come together in what is sometimes called Italy’s “Motor Valley.” Most are within an hour’s drive of Bologna, making it possible to construct a weekend-long holiday crash course (pun intended) in the niche — but global — world of supercars.

Most of the companies offer similar experiences — factory tours, driving simulators, vintage car expos and branded gift shops are almost ubiquitous. The factories in the Motor Valley resemble Amazon warehouses, at least at first glance. Sterile overhead lights illuminate mostly gray interiors in which S-shaped assembly lines weave across giant, open-floor work spaces.

Small teams of workers in matching industrial uniforms focus on their assigned, often narrow tasks — affixing a door panel here, sealing a windshield there, constantly tightening and retightening various nuts and bolts. Whirring drills, cranking wrenches and the pounding of rubber mallets give everything a productive, almost musical soundtrack.

The Ferrari campus in Maranello feels the most like a theme park and, of all the supercar destinations in the area, seems to attract the widest range of tourists. The company-themed cafe next door serves as a waiting room for everyone from bored adolescents playing Pokémon Go to enthusiastic fans gushing over Formula One history. Most couples seem to consist of an automobile aficionado and a casually interested partner that the aficionado is trying to convert to Ferrari fandom, sometimes even with success.

Ferrari certainly possesses a particular romance. It is, after all, the only Italian luxury car manufacturer still racing at the Formula One level. Ferrari also currently operates as an independent company, whereas Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati are all subsidiaries of non-Italian corporations. Lastly, the colorful life of founder Enzo Ferrari is intriguing enough to have been depicted in multiple Hollywood films in the last decade alone.

But visitors do not actually enter a factory while on the Ferrari “factory tour.” Instead, they are driven around the company campus in a shuttle bus while a guide describes what’s going on in the various, mostly nondescript buildings.

Lamborghini’s factory tour offers the most well-rounded experience. The cars vary in color from matte black to mac-and-cheese orange to highlighter yellow and look like spaceships. Supercars-to-be, atop automated, GPS-navigated, robot-like vehicles, crawl between workstations that are hives of employee activity.

Lamborghini’s factory also benefits from its location across the street from Bull Bar, an otherwise anonymous cafe where the company’s employees often stop for an espresso and, in my limited experience, are quite happy to chat with curious visitors.

Maserati offers the most comprehensive factory tour at about 90 minutes. One standout benefit of the extra time is a visit to Maserati’s engine testing lab. In a room there, separated from the rest of the vehicle (as well as the engineers testing them), supercar engines are pushed to their limits by computer programs designed to replicate extreme driving conditions. Isolated in their testing rooms, the engines are connected to enough tubes and wires to give the proceedings a sci-fi air.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Ducati factory is the smallest of the bunch. Tight and less well-lit, the motorcycle manufacturer’s cramped quarters nevertheless allow visitors to examine the various construction stages up close. The same robot-like vehicles seen in the Lamborghini factory are present here (Lamborghini and Ducati are both subsidiaries of the Volkswagen Group).

Supercars, of course, raise ethical dilemmas simply by existing, and touring factories that produce the gas-guzzling machines in the age of climate change can feel out of touch. (A relevant aside: all the manufacturers are at some stage of developing electric vehicles.)

Even more conspicuous is the level of ostentatious wealth fundamental to the supercar industry’s survival, since the cars sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Prospective customers wearing watches that could pay off an entire family’s student loans can be spotted with sales staff as their minders. Spending time ogling the toys favored by the ultrawealthy seems — well, a bit gross. At least at first.

The cars do represent a pinnacle of human achievement in a specific field and can be appreciated purely for their beauty and power. For better or worse, this appreciation is best achieved behind the wheel. Several outfitters offer supercar-driving experiences, although many cost several hundred (or even thousand) dollars. Fortunately, lower cost options are available.

In addition to top notch espresso, Bull Bar houses a supercar rental service offering 10-minute test drives and, as it turns out, 600 seconds is enough time to convert a solely intellectual appreciation of supercars into gut-level affection.

Even when just puttering along in the village around the Lamborghini factory, something feels different. You’re sitting very low. Everything is alien, from the steering wheel that looks like a video game controller to the flashy dashboard display.

Inching slowly around the village for the ride’s first couple of minutes can feel like you’ve been conned into paying 14 euros per minute to drive a golf cart. Then you hit the arrow-straight, two-lane highway leading out of town and the guide in the passenger seat says, “OK, now you can go fast.”

Driving a supercar (in my case, a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder) is a multisensory experience. A split second before your innards are compressed by the increased G-force of acceleration, your ears are flooded by the sound of the car’s roaring V-10 engine. It is a phenomenal, snarling noise.

The signs along the road (which, it’s worth reiterating, is a public road, complete with oncoming traffic) pass at an increasing rate, heightening the sense of high speed. And just when you think you’ve gotten what you’ve paid for, the guide says, “You can go faster if you want.” After an incredulous confirmation, you then stomp the pedal with all your body weight. The signs pass faster, the oncoming traffic is blurrier, and the engine thunders even more angrily.

“OK, and start to slow down now,” you’re instructed, in the bored tone one might associate with receiving IT help at the office. A quick glance at the passenger seat confirms that this is just another blasé day for your guide. You, however, are adrenalized. Hyper-adrenalized, even — yet another speeding session on the way back to the village only increases this feeling.

A ticket to either Ferrari museum allows you to drive a car for 15 minutes on the Autodromo di Modena racetrack for just 35 euros. During its heyday, the Autodromo not only hosted multiple Formula One races, but it also acted as a test track for Ferrari and Maserati. The original track has been closed for decades, but it is still worth taking the new Autodromo up on its offer.

You have to bring your own car — in my case, a cheapest-you-can-rent 100 horsepower hatchback (for comparison, the Lamborghini I drove wields 640 horsepower). What you lose in power, however, you make up for in freedom. I was the only driver present on the foggy morning I took my turn and, after a remarkably brief safety orientation, I had the track to myself.

Despite accelerating at pitifully slow rates compared with the Lamborghini a day earlier, the will-the-car-flip-over turns and hyperfocus on coaxing every extra millisecond out of each lap nearly matched the rush of driving a supercar.

Did I shout?

I don’t know.

Instead, as I wandered about Fargo’s downtown, I found a savvy nexus of sophistication and creativity. The vibe is warm and welcoming as the main street bustles with myriad coffee shops and cafes. The city bubbles with energy, entrepreneurship and a profound maker movement.

Here are some of the diverse goings-on in Fargo that are sure to delight even the most discerning traveler.

Street art

Public art is the pulse of downtown Fargo. Strolling about, you’ll find nearly two dozen vibrant murals that offer insights into the history and culture of the city and the state, as well as sculptures and other artwork. Much of the art blankets the walls of alleyways and building facades. Download Visit Fargo’s art mural map or pick up a hard copy at the visitor’s center, then set off on your self-guided tour.

You’ll gape at the towering image of erstwhile Fargo resident Bob Dylan on the former Bison Hotel. Elsewhere, a giant likeness of Duke Ellington is displayed near where he and his band performed in 1940. Many creations are a nod to the North Dakota landscape, including clusters of wheat and a colorful native prairie.

Broadway Square

Smack in the middle of downtown, this urban space buzzes with community spirit year-round, hosting a roster of educational, cultural and fun outdoor activities. Sunday mornings, lay out your yoga mat on the Broadway Square lawn for a class. Some evenings you can bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a concert with local musicians or watch a feature-length movie on a giant screen.

On Saturdays from mid-July through late October, crowds throng the outdoor Red River Market, browsing the dozens of vendors and food trucks that focus on locally sourced products. For example, the jalapeno cheddar sourdough and honey oat bran with cranberries sold by Breadsmith come straight from their hearth stone oven.

At Timber to Table, their white oak with black walnut charcuterie boards are especially tempting. A handful of times, from spring through fall, the Night Bazaar entertains families with tarot card readings, face painting and roving roller-skating performers, while trucks sell an array of dishes, from Vietnamese spring rolls to waffles.

Drekker Brewing and Brewhalla

Just beyond downtown stands a 19th century former railroad warehouse and repair facility that’s home to the innovative Drekker Brewing Company. Known for its experimental small batch brews, Drekker produces a rotating roster of beers such as a New England-style IPA with an intense hops flavor, and a smoothie sour with a rich mango aroma. The fruited sours with unusual flavors like raspberry cheesecake are especially distinctive.

The brewery also holds interest for architecture and design buffs. Many of the interior details were repurposed from the original building, with tables fashioned from salvaged wood and skylights made from train exhaust smoke hoods. Once you pull yourself away from the taproom, the sensory experience continues next door at Brewhalla, Drekker’s expansion that’s home to a market and a hotel.

On the ground floor of this soaring, four-story, sun-laden space, you can people-watch, sip a cappuccino, nosh on raw oysters paired with a glass of wine and browse the shops for gourmet pet treats or cowboy hat-shaped planters.

And if you can’t get enough of Brewhalla’s novelty, you can stay overnight at its hotel located on the top two floors. Each of the 40 spartan, industrial-style rooms displays a large psychedelic mural inspired by one of Drekker’s craft beer labels. Adding to the authenticity: You’ll likely hear trains rushing by, given the property’s proximity to an active rail line.

Unglued

Set within Brewhalla, Unglued is a hub for exciting handmade creations by more than 200 regional makers. This is a craft gift shop like no other, with items that appeal to kids and adults. Shelves and walls are chockablock with the unexpected, such as hair claws shaped like martini olives, gummy candy resembling chicken feet, bearded gnome cat hats and Froot Loops-scented candles.

Sign up for one of their two-hour workshops and, once you’re settled into the second-floor Craftorium, you’ll be given the tools and instructions to wield your own magic. At a needle-felting class, for example, you might produce a cute frog, and after a stained-glass workshop, you might walk away with vivid mushroom plant stakes for your garden.

Unglued holds a summer weekend adult sleepaway camp on a lakefront expanse one hour from Fargo, where you can participate in activities such as watercolor painting, wood turning and screen printing. Of course, it includes sunning, swimming and s’mores. At Brewhalla, kids can take a four-day youth summer camp where they learn skills like using Japanese shibori techniques to indigo dye T-shirts.

Carmine and Hayworth

Owner Courtney Schur has imbued Carmine and Hayworth, her well-curated clothing and gift shop, with a cool, hip vibe. Naming this store for a lively shade of red and the 1940s Hollywood star Rita Hayworth, Schur stocks mostly vintage or vintage-inspired items from the 20th century. But because her inventory is so eclectic, upbeat and sometimes quirky, funky or irreverent, your shopping experience will never be boring. Think snarky body products like the Hot Grandma soap, a “My Vag” coloring book, bourbon tobacco candles and absinthe-scented soap.

Among her treasures are a rare World War II-era brass bow brooch, an antique Victorian-Edwardian style, early 1900s hand-painted fan and a 1920s-inspired beaded shawl with sequins aplenty. One of her most notable Hollywood pieces is a dramatic violet-hued, 1970s peignoir set owned and worn by Elizabeth Taylor. Favoring items made by female designers, especially if they’re local, Schur is all about offering her customers an experience, rather than having them simply buy something and leave.

Jasper Hotel

Both this sun-drenched 125-room, pet-friendly hotel and its stylish restaurant, Rosewild, reflect the aesthetics of the city’s Scandinavian roots, while referencing Fargo’s history, landscape and the spirit of Jasper B. Chapin, the former 19th century mayor and hotelier. Soaring columns in the Jasper Hotel lobby reference grain silos. And Rosewild’s suspended wood beams symbolize railroad ties because Fargo’s growth was intimately linked to the railways.

The works of regional artists and artisans are incorporated into the hotel’s decor, including a space dedicated to an artist in residence. In the guest rooms, needlepoint pillows honor Chapin’s wife, Emma, a prolific crafter, while the wallpaper patterns are mostly prairie themed, featuring images like bison or prairie roses, the state flower.

The hotel’s green and amber color palette is a nod to the prairie as well. With a wood-burning hearth evoking a sense of nostalgia and expansive windows looking out at Broadway Square, Rosewild is a comfortable space where you’ll enjoy rustic, Midwest cuisine such as pork cheeks with lingonberries and twice-baked sweet potatoes accompanied by pickled walnuts. Relying on locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, the menu changes seasonally.

Hotel Donaldson

An artistic aesthetic predominates at the Hotel Donaldson, a property that originally dates to the late 1800s. The hotel boasts 17 contemporary guest rooms, each featuring the works of a different regional artist. You’ll find a binder in your room that provides background information on the artist and their work.

For example, Room 1 showcases the whimsical paintings of Ali LaRock. In Room 5 are Susan Haas Morrisey’s figurative mixed media and sculptures that convey a complex array of emotions. Room 15 displays the delicate and iridescent glass blown objects created by Jon Offutt.

Each evening, guests socialize in the lobby at the hotel’s complimentary wine and cheese hour that is accompanied by, among other things, toasted rosemary focaccia and sometimes an artisanal three-cheese bread. Another place to gather for drinks and nibbles is the Sky Prairie Lounge, which, from its outdoor perch on the fourth-floor rooftop, offers stellar views of the understated but artistic downtown.

Jeanine Barone is a freelancer.

Guests can book reservations online for the inaugural weekend at the relatively lofty south suburban hotel, starting at $389 per night, according to the casino’s website. Choices range from a tidy 350-square-foot room to the expansive Ultra Suite, which will set you back more than $1,500 for a night of high-rolling luxury overlooking the Tri-State Tollway cloverleaf interchange in East Hazel Crest.

While it may be a long way from Las Vegas, Wind Creek, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, opened its permanent, 70,000 square foot gambling palace in November, and quickly established itself as the second busiest casino in Illinois.

In March, Wind Creek hit new highs with nearly $16.9 million in adjusted gross receipts — up 25% month-over-month — and drew more than 219,000 visitors, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board.

Overall, the state’s 16 casinos generated $170.9 million in adjusted gross receipts and welcomed 1.39 million visitors last month; both figures were up by more than 21% over February.

Rivers Casino Des Plaines once again topped the list, at $43.7 million in adjusted gross receipts and 260,000 visitors in March, according to the Gaming Board. Hard Rock Rockford, which moved from a temporary casino to a larger permanent facility in August, ranked third, with $13.1 million in adjusted gross receipts and 129,000 admissions.

The development of new casino facilities is clearly paying off big for the state. Casino revenue in the first quarter of 2025 grew 11.7% to more than $456 million, with about 3.7 million admissions, a 23% year-over-year increase.

But nearly all of that growth has come from Wind Creek and the new permanent casino at Hard Rock Rockford. During the first quarter, Wind Creek generated $43.6 million in revenue — all new money — and Hard Rock nearly doubled to $35.6 million.

Rivers Casino remained on top with $120 million in revenue, but that was down 7.8% from the first quarter of 2024, according to Gaming Board data. Most Chicago-area casinos showed year-over-year revenue declines in the first quarter as the new players gained market share.

Bally’s Chicago ranked sixth in revenue among the state’s casinos with $29 million during the first quarter, a 4% year-over-year decline. It ranked fourth in admissions at about 310,000, roughly flat compared with 2024. Bally’s generated $2.95 million in local taxes for Chicago in the first quarter, according to Gaming Board data. That’s $100,000 behind last year’s pace, which produced $16 million in local tax revenue — about half of the city’s projected goal.

Longer term, Chicago is counting on Bally’s to create a tourist magnet and profit center, generating $200 million in projected local annual gaming tax revenue. The city and Bally’s are banking on the development of a planned $1.7 billion permanent casino to significantly boost revenue and admissions next year.

Bally’s Chicago, which opened a temporary facility at Medinah Temple in September 2023, has broken ground on the entertainment complex at the site of the former Chicago Tribune printing plant in River West. The proposal includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions — twice that of any other casino in the state.

Last year, Bally’s had to relocate its planned hotel tower from north to south of the casino after it was determined that driving caissons into the ground might damage municipal water pipes along the Chicago River.

The target date for opening the permanent Bally’s casino and hotel is September 2026. A spokesperson for Rhode Island-based Bally’s said there are no new updates on the development’s progress Monday.

Meanwhile, the future begins Friday at Wind Creek, whose new hotel amenities will include a spa, indoor pool, fitness center, restaurants, bars and event space. While not nearly as ambitious as the proposed Bally’s Chicago facility, the Wind Creek casino and hotel nonetheless has a big head start in turning the south suburbs into a gambling hotspot.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

One of the longest sidewalks in the world, La Rambla meanders along the shimmering estuary Río de la Plata, past beaches, wine bars and purple-blossomed jacaranda trees, statues and sculptures, soccer matches and friends engrossed in conversations over cups of yerba maté.

If you go in the summer — as the Northern Hemisphere shivers in the cold — you may find yourself part of a mass migration of locals toting folding chairs to the promenade, turning it into, essentially, the city’s outdoor living room.

The promenade stitches together different pieces of Montevideo, a city of about 1.3 million, socially as well as geographically. On it, you’ll find Uruguayans from all social strata. It’s “the city’s thermometer,” as Natalia Jinchuk, a Montevideo native and author, described it to me.

With my own thermometer dipping and my imagination stoked, I planned an early-winter long weekend in Montevideo, a flower-speckled city that melds old world and modernist architecture, to boost my spirits with my own ramble on La Rambla.

Where friends get together

On a balmy Friday morning, I set out on foot from my home base, the Palladium Business Hotel, at the edge of the fashionable Pocitos neighborhood, and headed toward Parque Rodó, an urban gem of a park a few miles west along La Rambla.

The red-and-white-striped promenade runs between a busy road and the Río de la Plata, a wide waterway separating Uruguay and Argentina. The path follows a roughly west-east axis, changing names as it winds from the Capurro neighborhood, northwest of the Old City to the high-end Carrasco area in the east. The most popular section runs from the Old City to Pocitos.

Heading west on La Rambla, I saw sailboats bobbing outside the century-old Yacht Club Uruguayo. Women sat on a grassy knoll, their young children toddling about. Two friends on a bench appeared to be deep in conversation over bread and strawberries. A couple sipped a cup of maté, a caffeinated drink common in South America, from the same metal straw. Near a busy skateboard park, I passed some food trucks, including Soy Pepe el Rey de las Tortafritas (chuckle-inducing translation: I Am Pepe, the King of Fried Bread). At the Playa de los Pocitos, a handful of shirtless men played soccer on the sand. I stopped in front of a granite plaque to read “Sonnet to a Palm,” by Uruguayan poet Juana de Ibarbourou, and was moved by its final stanza likening a palm tree to an eternal homeland.

Parque Rodó, the destination on that leg of my ramble, includes an amusement park, a lake where you can rent a paddleboat, a “castle” housing a small children’s library, the National Museum of the Visual Arts and a modest flea market. I happened upon a small plaza with benches ringing an octagonal water fountain; both bore tiles embellished with arabesque designs that reminded me of the Middle East. I rested on a bench, enjoying the feel of the tiles, hot beneath my bare legs, and thought of the winter winds howling back in the United States.

Exploring an ‘open-air gallery’

La Rambla strings together neighborhoods with distinct architectural styles as well as heritage sites and parks. With dozens of statues and other works of art, it is a tentative candidate for UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites — its entry calls it “a veritable open-air gallery.”

Some have described La Rambla as a through line uniting the country’s past, present and future; Uruguayan artist and writer Gustavo Remedi said the promenade ties together a city that “has a tendency to fall apart.” Marcello Figueredo, the author of “Rambla,” which offers a detailed look at the waterfront walkway, told me the promenade was “both a limit and an escape,” a border between Montevideo and the rest of the world.

Back on city streets, I headed toward the Pocitos neighborhood, wandering garden-like lanes rich with architectural details: the contrasting lines and curves of art deco, Venetian and oriel windows, and red roofs. I glimpsed hand-painted floor tiles and smelled caramelized sugar through the open doorway of Camomila, where I enjoyed a lemon tart and a cortado in a small, sun-dappled courtyard.

On my way back to La Rambla, I stopped at a small secondhand store, 3B Bueno Bonito Barato (Good Cute Cheap). Though it was narrow and cluttered, I found some gems, including a pink bolero embroidered with jade vines and orange, yellow and blue flowers, a design that evoked the jacaranda blossoms piling up outside on the sidewalk like drifts of snow.

Just down the street, Dalí, a kitschy bar and tapas restaurant, caught my eye with the tagline “There is nothing more surreal than reality,” and everything inside flowed from that: When someone ordered the Jamaica cocktail, Bob Marley’s “Is This Love?” blasted from the speakers as a singing waitress delivered the red, yellow and green drink; everyone joined in, belting out the lyrics. The waitress also offered one-card tarot readings using a replica of the deck Salvador Dalí created. I drew the magician, which, she told me, signaled that if I believe in my own powers, I will manifest my dreams. And I thought I’d just stopped in for a drink.

Following the smell of sizzling steak

You can’t go far in Montevideo without smelling smoke from the city’s many steakhouses, or parrillas, grilling meat over wood fires. Much of that aroma comes from the Port Market, a maze of restaurants and bars in a hall with a wrought-iron roof made in Liverpool and shipped to Uruguay in the 1860s.

The market, wedged between La Rambla and the Old City, would be a 7-mile walk west from my hotel along the winding promenade, so when I set out on Saturday, I plotted a shortcut through city streets, with plans to rejoin the promenade at the market.

Near the city center, I was delighted to discover Uruguayans practicing their tango moves for an impromptu audience at Juan Pedro Fabini Square — named for the engineer who proposed La Rambla to the city in 1922. After passing a stone gateway to the Old City, I browsed tables displaying local art and handmade jewelry along the main pedestrian thoroughfare that connects the Old City and La Rambla.

Then I heard the sound of candombe, a style of Afro-Uruguayan music, coming from a side street. Men decked out in white and blue, and women wearing white turbans, appeared. The men banged drums, and the women swooshed their flowing white skirts back and forth to the rhythm. Candombe is ubiquitous during Montevideo’s carnival, which runs from January to March.

Eventually, I arrived at the Port Market, which Figueredo calls a “smoke-filled temple.” Though meat is indeed god at the market, even vegetarians will feel a sense of awe. Diners sit elbow-to-elbow at bars that ring grills beneath ornate iron arches, the sun filtering in through skylights. In the cathedral-like space, it was hard to tell the difference between indoors and outdoors.

A celebration on the sand

Having clocked more than 50,000 steps in two days, I decided to spend Sunday relaxing in the section of La Rambla alongside the well-heeled Punta Carretas area, which juts out into the Río de la Plata not far from the Old City.

At Baco Vino y Bistro, I tried crostini topped with local goat cheese alongside a glass of Uruguayan tannat, the country’s national wine. Dark red, rich with fruit, the wine packs a tannin-filled punch with each sip.

Back on La Rambla, I couldn’t resist checking out Artico, a cafeteria-style fast-seafood restaurant right along the shore packed with delicacies like quinoa with shrimp, Galician-style squid, and an inventive, savory pumpkin pionono filled with tuna, cream cheese, arugula, bell pepper, onion and black olives — all priced by weight.

La Rambla was in full swing: It was the weekend before Uruguay’s elections, and a celebratory mood prevailed. Music blared from beneath canopies, and supporters of politicians from all sides handed out the same thing to passersby: the blue-and-white Uruguayan flag with a tiny sun in the corner. Cars honked as they passed; everyone waved and smiled.

Down on the beach, people played soccer and volleyball, vendors sold cotton candy and candied apples, and clumps of friends, many sitting in those ubiquitous folding chairs, passed around wine bottles. Laying a towel on the sand, I peeled off my dress to reveal a skimpy one-piece I’d bought in Pocitos, and claimed a prime spot in Montevideo’s outdoor living room.