A soulful journey - Special Advertising Section

Black Enterprise, May, 2003 by MaryAnne Howland

Stop for a minute. Close your eyes. Take a breath. Now slowly breathe out. With your eyes still closed, envision that idyllic place that calms your spirit and soothes your soul. Now open your eyes, start planning and get there.

When your balance skews toward chaos and unrest rather than harmony, it is more important than ever to take time for yourself to renew your spirit. One thing is certain: rejuvenation can restore and replenish your reservoir of "feel good."

The best way to lake your mind off something is to take it somewhere else.

Make it educational. When is the last time you called on your ancestors for strength, guidance, wisdom? Visiting the sites and taking in the history of your ancestors may be the perfect place to start. From Alaska to Maine and Ghana to Brazil, there are a number of tours and activities to help you get back in touch with or on the road to discovery of your roots.

Within the U.S., there are a number of Black towns and cities which yield a rich history of our roots and contributions to the economic development and cultural traditions of America. From the slave trade to the Chief of Staff, we have blazed trails, left our marks and are still conquering new territories. Take some time to appreciate where we came from to help direct you on your path to where you need to be.

Start by traveling north with Underground Railroad Tours with Motherland Connextions @ www.motherlandconnextions.com. Did you know that Niagara Falls played a major role in the underground railroad? From June through October, a selection of tours travel the towns and sites in Western New York that played host to the thousands of runaways who passed through, including Harriet Tubman who escaped into Canada. Visit underground railroad sites, a former slave cemetery, hold libation and learn about Canaanland and what it meant to fugitive slaves.

Your family may also enjoy studying your family history at geneaology workshops at The National Underground Railroad Family Reunion Festival held in Philadelphia, June 27-29. It's open to the public and includes easy, drivable side trips to historic sites in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey.

If your natural constitution demands a more moderate climate and heartier culinary fare, the South with its warmer temperatures and bountiful cuisine may better suit your rejuvenation. For many, this journey is one to home since most of the country's Black families are either from, or currently live there. That makes this region of the country a lively mix of familiar events and get togethers, music and food festivals, and best of all, a slower pace.

Notable new attractions include the grand new Stax Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Opening May 2, it is located in Soulsville, U.S.A., home of the inimitable greats such as Are]ha Franklin, Otis Bedding, A1 Green and a host of others. Once you've reached this neck of the woods, you could make this one of the stops along your journey of the Civil Rights Trail, a journey through 21 states and 3,000 miles, including the Selma to Montgomery March route. The Gullah Islands along North Carolina's coast offer culture and coast, together an unlimited resource for creating sunnier dispositions.

Make it unforgettable. If you ever saw the movies, The Wedding and The Inkwell, or read the book, The Emperor of Ocean Park, you may remember the beautiful beach town backdrop of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, a popular and long-time summer haven for Black vacationers. Another historical beach favorite is Sag Harbor, New York. Sometimes getting away means getting far away from it all.

A trip to Ghana or Brazil or the St. Lucia Island Jazz Festival or the Barbados Gospelfest may better quench your thirst for the kind of change of pace that will truly open and replenish your mind, body and spirit. Whether you yearn to find yourself on the tranquil soil in your native homeland or at an island retreat, the choices are only a click away.

Recommended sites for ideas and itineraries:

www.soulofamerica.com

www.blackvoices.com

www.soulsvilleusa.com

www.motherlandconnextions.com

www.undergroundrr.com

www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

With many cities offering cultural events, exhibits and attractions to celebrate our nation's African-American heritage, Starwood Hotels & Resorts has at least one hotel to fit your needs whether it is for business or pleasure. Stay in any of our Westin Hotels & Resorts[R] and experience our luxuriously comfortable Heavenly Bel[R] and Heavenly Bath[R]. Spend the night in a Sheraton hotel where warm and caring service meets your every need. For a full-service hotel at a reasonable price, stay at our Four Points by Sheraton hotels where you have restaurants, pools, room service and great meeting space all under one roof.

Visit Washington, D.C., and stay at The Westin Embassy flow, and tour America's most storied Civil Bights Organization, the NAACP Headquarters, or learn the chronological representation of black history from ancient Africa to the present at the Great Blacks in Wax Museum. Spend some nights at the Sheraton Midtown Atlanta at Colony Square hotel and experience the major events of the Civil Rights movement right before your eyes in the King Visitors Center located in Atlanta, Georgia. When you plan your next trip, think about where you would like to learn more about your culture and history and how Starwood Hotels & Resorts will be there for you to rest up before you start your next day's adventure.