October 2016 - Welcome to Brand USA's monthly media newsletter with all the top stateside news spanning the next few months. Please include the URL www.VisitTheUSA.com / www.VisitTheUSA.co.uk to entice your readers with more USA adventures.

Prepare for a scare across the USA this month

As Halloween draws closer, haunted happenings across the U.S. are preparing to give visitors a fright. Highlights include:

• Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary, which once was home to gangster Al Capone, has introduced Terror Behind the Walls. In this haunted house style experience, which takes place each night until 7th November, visitors explore the cell blocks including a machine workshop and infirmary which are brought to life by actors who may lead guests astray. VIP experiences include an After Dark Tour – a guided flashlight tour of the abandoned cells – and a speakeasy for scared souls to relax in after the fright has taken over Al Capone's cell block with live music and inmate poker. Tickets are available from $25. 

• Brand new for Halloween at the San Francisco Dungeon, Escape from Alcatraz leads visitors through the infamous prison and prison yard in a tour culminating in a thrilling simulated jump to escape from The Rock into the frigid San Francisco Bay – a 33-second ride with a drop of 11 feet. Opening on 28th October, entry to the San Francisco Dungeon is from $19 with the first 300 visitors in Halloween costume on the opening day gaining free entry. 

• The largest indoor attraction in New England, Fright Kingdom, prides itself on frightening even the bravest of souls in a Halloween-themed pop-up throughout October. The Kingdom houses six frighteningly fun attractions to scare the senses through Hollywood special effects, 3D Haunted Houses, mazes and actors. Attractions include Apocalypse Z, Bloodmare Manor, Psycho Circus, Grim labyrinth, Castle of Corpses and Monster Midway. Tickets from $17.

www.VisitTheUSA.com / www.easternstate.org/halloween / www.sanfrancisco.thedungeons.com / www.frightkingdom.com

New flights increase U.S. travel options from Dublin and Manchester

Low-cost carrier WOW air has announced a new route from Dublin to Miami from April 2017 flying via Reykjavik. The service will operate throughout the summer with three flights per week from €139 each way. Meanwhile, Manchester will see a new San Francisco flight to San Francisco from 14th May 2017 with Thomas Cook. The thrice-weekly service is available to book now. Thomas Cook will also increase the frequency of routes launched last year, with Los Angeles increasing from two flights per week up to three and Boston jumping from two flights to four per week.

www.VisitTheUSA.com / www.wowair.co.uk / www.thomascookairlines.com

A taste of culture in Washington, D.C.

The long awaited Smithsonian Museum of African American History & Culture has opened in Washington, D.C. following a dedication ceremony with President Barack Obama. After being established in 2003 with no single artefact and no site in the city, the museum now displays more than 3,000 artefacts ranging from pieces of a slave ship to Carl Lewis' Olympic medals and awards, as well as dresses that belong to African American music stars, including Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick. Inaugural exhibitions include Slavery and Freedom, Musical Crossroads and A Changing America: 1968 and beyond. The National Gallery of Art has also re-opened its East Wing Building following a two-year renovation. The opening sees dedicated rooms for Rothko and Calder and the addition of Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch, which once stood in Trafalgar Square, now situated on roof terrace with views across the city. Due to its eclectic mix of neighbourhood gems and authentic cuisine, on 13th October Washington, D.C. will become the fourth North American city with a Michelin Guide to its restaurants, equipping foodie travellers with the ultimate guide to navigating the best-rated eateries.

www.VisitTheUSA.com/washingtondc / www.nmaahc.si.edu / www.nga.gov / www.washington.org

Direct flight to the slopes as train service introduced to Winter Park

As of this January, ski visitors to Colorado can jump on to a brand new train service from Denver to Winter Park. Previously, ski destinations across the state required indirect flights or car hire from Denver, however, the introduction of the new train service from Denver Union Station, coupled with the ease of direct flights from London Heathrow with British Airways, provides a direct link to the slopes. The service will start on 7th January and will run each weekend and holiday Monday until 26th March.  One-way tickets start at $39 and can be purchased online at www.amtrak.com/winterparkexpress.  The train will leave Denver at 7am, arriving at the slopes of Winter Park around 8.30am and leave Winter Park at 4.30pm, arriving back in Denver around 6pm. 

www.VisitTheUSA.com/Colorado / www.amtrak.com/winterparkexpress

SeaWorld announces Virtual Reality rollercoaster for 2017

SeaWorld will debut its first digitally enhanced ride experience in SeaWorld Orlando during summer 2017. As part of a $175 million investment across SeaWorld parks, Kraken Virtual Reality (VR) Roller Coaster will be the only VR coaster in Florida. Riders will be equipped with uniquely designed headsets with a custom digital overlay to embark on a deep sea mission alongside sea creatures inspired by extinct and legendary animals of the past.

www.VisitTheUSA.com/Orlando / www.seaworldentertainment.com

Epicurience in Virginia

As the scenic byways of Virginia glow in their fall colours, visitors can enjoy the best of the state's culinary scene at 200 year old food and wine festival, Epicurience. Taking place on 15th October in Loudoun County, the East Coast's premier wine region, Epicurience provides visitors with the opportunity to savour award-winning wines, meet top tastemakers, sample cuisine prepared by celebrated chefs from across the USA and seek out noteworthy farm-to-table cuisine – just 45 minutes from downtown Washington, D.C. General admission is $75 which includes wine tasting, private sessions in the wine education tent, food sampling, live entertainment and a commemorative wine glass. Packages are available to UK visitors from £1,299 per person with Purely Capital Region USA staying four nights in Loudon County and three nights in Washington. D.C. with return flights from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles with Virgin Atlantic and eight days' car hire.

www.VisitTheUSA.com/Virginia / www.epicvirginia.com / www.purelycapitalregionusa.co.uk

Indianapolis lights up the brickyard

From 18th November – 31st December, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will bring new levels of cheer to the winter months with a new Lights at the Brickyard seasonal event. More than 400 light displays will illuminate a 1.7 mile driving experience, including crossing the famous Yard of Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A unique experience for a winter break, the new event combines world class lighting installations providing a unique backdrop to an already world-class driving experience through portions of the iconic racetrack, with other out-of-car holiday festivities for families to enjoy while at the Speedway. Tickets are available in advance from $20.

www.VisitTheUSA.com/Indiana / www.IMS.com

 -ENDS-