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Swinging in the Motown Museum

Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Jackson Five, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder: these are only a handful of the names that became world famous with Motown. In 1959, Berry Gordy founded his record label Motown in 2 simple houses on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. Above the door he hung a sign saying ‘Hitsville USA’. Arrogant? Perhaps, but he certainly proved himself right.

Arts & Culture

A fascinating new sound

Shortly after founding his record label, Gordy achieved his first hit. ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ by Barrett Strong made the music charts in 1960 and reached second place in the Billboard R&B Chart. In the following years, more hits followed, including ‘My Girl’ by The Temptations, and in 1968 5 of the top 10 records in the Billboard Hot 100 were by Motown artists. The label also radically changed white Americans’ view of black music. The new sound fascinated both white and black youth. Soon, Motown, which represented artists who mostly came from the Detroit ghettos, had become the most successful African-American company in the United States.

Hitsville USA

Home away from home

Hitsville USA was also lovingly called ‘Motown U’ because the record label resembled a university campus. Artists not only recorded their albums, they also rehearsed their choreographies and were taught etiquette by Mrs Maxine Powell. If the musicians were not working, they hung around on the porch or played baseball and table tennis. Hitsville USA was open 24 hours a day. For many it was a ‘home away from home’. After many hits, the label was bursting at the seams and in 1968, Motown moved into a bigger office downtown.

Studio A

Sing in Studio A

The Motown Museum still exudes the atmosphere of the record label’s glory days. Visit the original recording studio (Studio A) and control room where many great artists recorded their albums. Imagine you are a big star and sing a few bars of your favourite Motown hit. Note the linoleum that has been worn down by many feet-tapping artists. The museum is decorated with photos and albums. There are also displays of the original costumes worn by famous artists, including one of Michael Jackson’s hats. A visit will make you realize how amazing it is that such a small house generated so many huge hits.

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Arts & Culture

Nightlife

Beach

Water sports

Nature

Active & Outdoor

Culinary

Arts & Culture

Houston and Dallas may be bigger and more famous, but Austin is in fact the capital of Texas. It’s also the least Texan city in Texas. And the weirdest city in the country. This is something its residents take pride in, as evidenced by the Austin motto of Keep Austin Weird! Have a peek inside weird houses or admire a cathedral of junk in a city where there is even a museum devoted entirely to the weird and strange.

Nightlife

When it comes to music, you might be inclined to think New Orleans (jazz), Memphis (rock ‘n’ roll), Chicago (blues) or Nashville (country), but Austin is actually the music capital of the US. The city boasts over 250 music venues, more than any other American city. You can choose from countless live performances and a fantastic music festival every month, such as SXSW. Austin lives and breathes music.

Beach, Water sports, Nature

The airport in Liberia is the gateway to the Province of Guanacaste, the sunniest part of Costa Rica. Thanks to its large number of snow-white buildings and tree-lined streets made of white gravel, the city itself is also referred to as ‘la ciudad blanca’. But, let’s be honest, most visitors who arrive here are primarily interested in white sand. Only a half hour by car from the airport is the fantastic Pacific coast with beaches that are postcard perfect.

Nature

In the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, you can hike, swim in natural hot springs, picnic and camp. The park features a variety of ecosystems around nine craters and 32 rivers with spectacular waterfalls during the rainy season. The diversity of flora and fauna is amazing: look up and chances are you’ll see toucans, sloths and monkeys in the treetops.

Active & Outdoor

Old towns, stunning constructions and wonderful nature: admire all of this and more in THIS IS HOLLAND, a brand-new 5D movie attraction by the producers of De Nieuwe Wildernis (The New Wilderness). It is the perfect introduction to Holland for first-time visitors, but also an interesting surprise for Dutchies who think they know their country inside out. This is a magical 5D experience with smells, colours, images, sounds, rain and shine.

Culinary

Everyone in Sweden knows Småland as the nation’s culinary centre. The region’s cuisine goes above and beyond the famous meatballs: a Michelin-star restaurant serves innovative Swedish haute cuisine, coffee is elevated to an art, and you can visit a lovely castle and pretend to be Lord or Lady of the manor. Here are three suggestions for typically Swedish restaurants in the city of Växjö.

Arts & Culture

Älmhult is the birthplace of renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus and children’s books author Astrid Lindgren, however its most famous ‘offspring’ is IKEA. Life in this southern Swedish town evolves around the blue-and-yellow furniture giant: from the IKEA Hotel and IKEA Museum to the IKEA Bar and IKEA Spa. Welcome to the one and only IKEA Småland – meatballs and ball pit included.