Madame Tussauds + London Zoo

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009. The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn. East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

Whether it’s your first or 50th, there’s something about riding on an airboat through the Florida Everglades at Wild Florida that makes you want to shout, “Again!” Our U.S. Coast Guard approved airboats can skim across the shoreline while you look for wildlife, or disappear into endless beautiful swamps, marshes and rivers. Our experienced captains have a knack for being able to pick out alligators, eagles, and other wildlife that build their homes in the waterways near Wild Florida. Each time you head out onto the water, you’ll see and experience something different. For variety, you can choose from a half-hour, hour, private, or night-time adventure. We get asked a lot about bringing young children on our airboats. Children under 3 are free, and the steady vibrations and fresh air often puts them right to sleep! Safety is our top priority on our airboat rides. We provide life jackets and ear protection for each guest on our voyages out into the Florida Everglades.  We are committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our guests, staff, and animals. No job is so important and no service is so urgent that we cannot take time to perform our work safely to prevent accidents or  injuries to our guests and animals. Here are a few safety points and plans for our guests and animals. Airboat Operations Wild Florida has a great reputation when it comes to our airboat tours. We have never had an accident and plan to keep it that way. Our vessels are U.S. Coast Guard approved and inspected on an annual basis. On the vessels are life preservers for each guest, fire extinguishers, a flare gun, and a throw ring if necessary. In case of an emergency, we have an accident plan We have an incident report if needed Our loading dock is ADA Compliant There is always a way to communicate to home base and/or 911 anywhere on site or while out on an airboat tour   Gator and Wildlife Park Safety In case of a snake bite, we have a snake bite protocol. Our animals are checked regularly by a veterinarian. We have a veterinarian on call at all times. We have an accident plan for emergencies. In our Gator and Wildlife Park, we have over 200 animals on display, including zebras, sloths, lemurs, bobcats, and other exotic species. We have a walk-in bird aviary with ducks, parrots and other birds from all over the world. Our animal keepers are very knowledgeable about the habits and history of the animals in our Gator and Wildlife Park. You can even fulfill your lifelong dream by working as an animal keeper for a day. It’s only one of the many interactive programs we have with our animals. Some of the many exhibits offered at the Gator and Wildlife Park: Macaw & Peacock Aviary Duck Exhibit Hawk Swamp Entrance Petting Zoo Walk-in Bird Aviary Exotic Animal Presentations Refreshment Gazebo (get your gator food, petting zoo cones, aviary food sticks and pictures with fluffy) Gator feeding and viewing dock Kids Playground Birds of Prey Exhibit Fox Exhibit Raccoon Exhibit Bobcat Exhibit Gator Feeding Show Dear & Turkey Exhibit Zorse & Zdonk African Plains Exhibit Wild Bear Exhibit Ringtail Lemur Exhibit Red Roughed Lemur Exhibit South American Sloth Exhibit Austrailia Wallaby Exhibit Snake Exhibit  Africa Porcupine Exhibit Asia Exhibit Columbia Tamarin Exhibit Serval Exhibit Gator Platform

     Activity requirements You will be required to present a valid ID before the flight.  Special terms For security reasons, your flight time entirely depends on weather conditions. The $30/pp. registration fees must be paid to Helipass on site.               

The museum features a series of fascinating exhibits dedicated to themes such as climate change and human DNA. There is also a children’s area that studies aspects about natural habitats, pollution and outer space. The section on ‘magical chemistry’ is well worth checking out while there is an entire level devoted to great scientists. Sports fans will love the section devoted to the city’s most successful football club, Valencia CF, and the Marvel superheroes exhibit attracts young and old in equal measure.  There are three levels of facts and fun, with each floor taking you to a new scientific dimension. On the ground floor, discover the Theatre of Electricity and the Space Cadet School, which the children will love. On level two, explore the Legacy of Science, which takes an in depth look at the work of Nobel laureates. At the top floor, there are special optional workshops as well as the Frozen Memory and Zero Gravity zones.  You will also find special exhibitions focusing on specific scientific themes while there are also a number of activities such as concerts, audiovisual shows and even cookery workshops. There is so much to see and do that you will be dazzled by this awesome experience. 

Cassowary Talk Puede asistir a la hora de la comida del ave más mortal del mundo todos los días a las 12:30h. Tendrá la oportunidad de observar como alimentan al casuario, la tercera ave más grande del mundo, a través de una pantalla. ¿Sabías que es el casuario masculino el que cuida a los polluelos y les enseña qué frutas son seguras para comer? Lamentablemente, los casuarios también están bajo una seria amenaza y necesitan nuestra ayuda. Durante esta presentación, nos aseguraremos de darle muchos consejos sobre cómo puede ayudar a salvar estas hermosas aves. Devil Talk Venga y conozca a nuestro residente Demonio de Tasmania, Oreo en Devils Den cada mañana a las 10:00h. ¿Sabía que los Demonios de Tasmania son los carnívoros marsupiales vivos más grandes del mundo y por su tamaño tienen la fuerza de mordedura más fuerte de todos los mamíferos? Conozca más datos divertidos sobre estos demonios y cómo estos icónicos animales australianos se enfrentan a la amenaza real de extinción en la naturaleza debido a la fatal enfermedad de tumor facial del diablo (DFTD siglas en inglés). ¿Qué han hecho los zoológicos para ayudar a salvarlos? ¿Qué puede hacer usted para ayudar? ¡Ven y descúbrelo! Crocodile Talk ¿Sabías que los cocodrilos pueden aguantar la respiración durante 2 horas, pueden vivir más de 70 años y son madres cuidadoras y preocupadas? ¡Observe de cerca a Rex, nuestro cocodrilo de agua salada de 5 metros y 700 kg en Kakadu Gorge durante nuestra interesante Charla de cocodrilos! ¿Cómo llegó a sobrevivir en medio de Darling Harbour? ¿Cómo de peligrosos son los cocodrilos? Podrá saber todo sobre el fascinante mundo de los cocodrilos cada día a las 11:00, 13:00 y 15:00. Kangaroo Talk Disfrute de la locura de los macropódidos en Kangaroo Walk-about a las 10:30, 14:00 y 16:00. Conozca a los canguros grises Martha y Daphne y el grupo de Ualabí ágiles. ¿Que comen? ¿Hasta dónde pueden saltar? Koala Talk Conozca al animal más emblemático de Australia en Koala Encounters. Los koalas viven la típica actitud relajada australiana, "sin preocupaciones", y tienen un estilo de vida mejor que cualquier otro animal: ¡dormir alrededor de 20 horas al día! Pasan la mayor parte del tiempo comiendo despiertos, hacen un sonido como una motocicleta y, sin embargo, ¡son una de las criaturas más cautivadoras e interesantes de Australia! Las charlas de Koala son a las 12:00, 13:30 y 15:30 todos los días. Tenemos oportunidades de Koala Encounter (Encuentro con Koalas) disponibles desde las 10.00 a las 17.00h todos los días en la terraza al aire libre, donde puede acercarste para una foto increíble con estas hermosas y tiernas leyendas australianas. Outback Adventure Show Encuentre algunas de las criaturas con plumas y escamas que llaman hogar al corazón de Australia. Desde la belleza de nuestros loros eclécticos y Cacatúas Galah hasta serpientes y lagartos misteriosos e incomprendidos, este espectáculo ofrece experiencias prácticas con nuestros animales. El programa Outback Adventure Show se realiza todos los días a las 11:30 y 14:30 en la zona Kangaroo Walk-about ¡Y si eres valiente, tenemos encuentros justo después del espectáculo donde puedes conocer y sostener a una de nuestras pitones gigantes para una foto!

This tour is the perfect introduction to Scotland’s capital. The first secret you’ll learn? That you can skip the line at Edinburgh Castle! Discover an Edinburgh beyond the reach of tour buses and books. Your expert guide will take you to the places where history was made – the wynds, closes, courtyards and homes of Edinburgh’s Old Town. You’ll be hanging on your guide’s every word, as the true stories of our capital’s past unfold. The characters? Think Mary Queen of Scots, David Hume, Adam Smith and Robert Burns. But you’ll go far beyond the well-known facts and faces – uncovering another side of our city, and Scotland’s past. From crime and culture to politics and everyday events, all Edinburgh life is here – expertly told by your entertaining guide.   Edinburgh Castle Want to visit Edinburgh Castle? Skip the line with this tour! The castle dominates Scotland’s capital city from its great rock. Battles and sieges were fought over it, royalty lived and died within its walls, and countless generations have been inspired by it. Visit the Castle with your guide, and you’ll walk straight over the drawbridge, and straight past the ticket line – to continue your tour with a guided visit. The full tour, including Edinburgh Castle, takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. Castle entry is included in the price of this tour.