When Disney World opened in Orlando in the early 1970’s, there was a ride called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (it was removed permanently from the park in the 1990’s).  You boarded the Nautilus as a visitor and enjoyed a mock submarine ride around the ocean depths, visiting underwater caverns, volcano’s, polar ice caps and an abyss along with views of sea life from each region.  Today, only about 50 years later, the world’s underwater tourism market is becoming a reality – not through submarine rides, but through hotels and resorts that highlight their underwater features.

Below is an excerpt from an article from the NY Daily News that looks at this new tourism concept.   Pretty exciting!

(Excerpt from The final tourism frontier? Space and underwater vacations to become reality in 2024, report predicts)

Sojourns and site-seeing under the sea

Interest in underwater tourism is also growing and within 10 years will become a full-fledged market, the report suggests.

Polish company Deep Water Technology, for instance, has already designed a futuristic-looking luxury hotel made up of spaceship-like discs, built partially underwater to offer guests views of their marine surroundings.

Specs for the Water Discus Hotel, which are planned for Dubai and the Maldives, call for an underwater deck built up to 10 meter below the surface for aquarium-like views of the sea floor.

Look for the same underwater concept to be applied to spas, gardens and pools, the report says.

Between the two emerging types of travel — space and underwater — however, Skyscanner CEO Gareth Williams said he’s betting that underwater tourism will become more mainstream given the prohibitive costs of commercial space travel.

“I suspect that mass underwater exploration and tourism will develop with greater pace than mass space tourism, and I suspect you would get more from it, because there is more to see down there than in space.”

“The Future of Travel 2024” was written by a team of 56 editors, researchers and futurologists around the world.

For the full report, visit http://skyscanner2024.com/.

Social Media Safety for the Holidays

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family from all over the world, but privacy settings only go so far to limit what people can see and learn about you.  Although this is not a new topic, we just want to remind our friends and families and guests to please be careful with the information that you share on your social networks.

According to AAA, over 46 million Americans will be traveling over this holiday season.  Don’t make your home a target for break-ins by sharing details about your travel plans on your social networks, as your family and friends might not be the only ones watching.  Avoid accepting friend requests and connections from people you don’t know, and make sure your privacy settings are set correctly for your security.

If you are leaving town, boost your home security by letting friends and neighbors know where you will be and ask them to keep an eye out on your house.  Make arrangements for someone to pick up your mail while you are away or ask the post office to hold delivery for the time that you are expecting to be away.  Prevent easy entry to your home by making sure all your doors are locked and your windows are secured.  If you are traveling with your smartphone, make sure you disable “geotags” on the applications you use so that information about your real-time location doesn’t get shared publicly.

Holidays are special times to be with friends and family, and photos are a great way to record and preserve those memories of time together – but we suggest you wait until you get home to post those pictures!

Your Friends at Fieldstone Farm Resort wish you all a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

To quote the popular Game of Thrones, “Winter is Coming”.  We are at the very beginning of it now and have to get through the next few months or more before we get to almost Spring.  Winters in upstate New York are long, and temperatures can get quite cold.  Roads are messy and hazardous to drive, and every time we step out the door, we know it might be an adventure.  For those of us who obsess about getting to the other side of the season, these tips are for you!

Indulge

Let yourself indulge in all of the things that make winter pleasurable. Sit by the fire, drink your hot chocolate, and put on those thermal pajamas. Find the good in lazing around your home; draw that landscape picture you always wanted to, read that book everyone is talking about, or take the time to relax and recuperate from the long days of work. Don’t let yourself get caught up moping around the house. Take this winter opportunity to do that one thing you’ve always wanted to.

Dress Appropriately

As much as everyone loves open toed shoes, they will not help keep you comfortable during the winter months. If you’re cold- you’re unlikely to enjoy the winter. Be sure to invest in a warm coat, wool socks, and proper boots. Thick wool sweaters are your friend as are long underwear. Fingerless gloves can help for around the house too!

Winter Food

Don’t be afraid of the crock pot! Winter is a great time for food- hearty and delicious stews that simmer all day and fresh baked pies. Not only will the smells make your house aromatic, using the kitchen is another way to keep you warm and toasty.

Resign Yourself

Take advantage of what makes rural living special- it gives you the opportunity to reconnect with nature and your family. Accept that winter will happen, you will be stuck inside. Make the best of your situation and use the winter as an opportunity to get closer with your family.  Explore your property during one of the most beautiful seasons that rural communities get to experience.

… for making our area a great destination!

November is a time of year where, in the U.S., we typically will take some time to step back and think about the things for which we are thankful.  According to a CNBC 2014 cost of living report, New York State is the most expensive state to live in (up from 4th in 2013), and many small business owners will tell you that it’s also not the easiest place to operate a small business.  Working in the lodging industry in the Cooperstown area, however, does provide some amazing perks – for which we consider ourselves fortunate.

We have a great community with world class attractions that bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to our region each year.  People come to the Cooperstown area for many reasons:

• It’s a breathtakingly beautiful upstate New York location that combines rural landscapes, friendly locals and small town charm.
• Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, a life destination for baseball fans from all over the globe.
• The region boasts the finest medical care facilities (one of the top 100 most integrated health systems in the nation).
• Other world-class attractions include Glimmerglass Festival, Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum and the New York State Historical Association.
• The relative new-comers with strong followings like Cooperstown Dreams Park and Brewery Ommegang.
• Many more things like our beautiful golf courses, Fly Creek Cider Mill, local and regional art organizations and venues, Clark Sports Center.
• and the list goes on.

All of these businesses and attractions work individually to market their respective venues.  In addition, many work together to market the region through collaborative support and coordination with our regional tourism program (thisiscooperstown.com).  The marketing and ad dollars that are invested by these venues and groups therefore provide a return for all of the other businesses located in the region.

How wonderful is that?  We think it is awesome!  And so, we will take this opportunity to just say “Thanks, Cooperstown”, for the things that we might overlook sometime, but that make this a pretty special place to live and operate a small business.

Cooperstown depicted on an 1890 panoramic map; Handdrawn map of Cooperstown, New York, by L. R. Burleigh, published 1890.  Public domain.