THINK GREEN

[HostDave]

Have you had enough yet? We’re talking about cold weather, ice and snow. It’s no surprise that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow indicating six more weeks of winter. In fact, we tend to think the only surprising thing about Groundhog Day this year was that the sun somehow managed to peak out of the leaden clouds long enough to cast a shadow at all! By any standards it has – and continues to be – a truly brutal winter. Cities all over the country have been setting records for snowfall and cold temperatures. Just recently, Kansas City was buried under a foot of snow and Atlanta came to a standstill during what the locals called “Snowmageddon.” Thousands of children were stranded overnight in their schools and buses and huge numbers of commuters were trapped in their cars on frozen, immobile highways. Almost every area of the country has been pummeled by wintery conditions with the exception of Southern California, the Deep South and Florida.

It may seem hard to believe, but relief really is just around the corner. Close your eyes and let your imagination run wild for a few moments. Picture the skies turning from gray to blue. Stormy overcast breaks up and forms into fluffy, brilliantly white cotton ball clouds. Snow covering hills and valleys melts away and the brown grass underneath turns green. The black sludge stuck to the bottom of your car breaks off and the patina of dirt and grime that covers everything washes away.

Imagine gentle river breezes wafting through the live oaks and willows of the South’s most delightful, fragrant and colorful gardens. A profusion of color greets the eye as you stroll the brick walkways, admiring the sculptures set among flowering blossoms of formal and informal gardens originally planted in the gracious antebellum era. The beauty of what we’ve just described is that you don’t have to imagine it at all. It really exists and will come to life as spring sweeps across the South and the American Queen Steamboat Company offers a duo of cruises that celebrate the Gardens of the Rivers. These special 9-day voyages, offered roundtrip from New Orleans on April 11, 2014 and from New Orleans to Memphis on May 23, 2014, are much more than just a journey; they are an experience.

Guest will find renowned horticulturists and gardeners sharing their expertise and enlivening their shore explorations. On tap are visits to such noteworthy gardens as those of Afton Villa Plantation and Imahara’s Garden, both in St. Francisville in the heart of “English” Louisiana. Forget the snow outside your window right now. Instead, picture yourself learning how such familiar flowers as azaleas, crape myrtles, camellias and magnolias came to personify the Gardens of the South.

Like everything we do on board the American Queen, we will both enlighten and entertain you at the same time. Our April departure showcases the diversity and drama of the Lower Mississippi. From the legendary jazz of Bourbon Street to the battlefields of Vicksburg, this is an immersion in Southern Culture. Discover the romance and antebellum charms of famous plantations like Oak Alley. St. Francisville's storied past saw it change hands between seven different nations, and it contains more than 140 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, and you will be both amazed and amused by the city's colorful history and larger-than-life political figures.

You’ll share your April journey with Dr. Neil Odenwald, who is no stranger to sailing the nation’s rivers. He has been a frequent special onboard guest during Gardens of the River Vacations in past years. His expertise on Southern gardens — including their restoration — has been enjoyed by numerous past guests. Holding both his doctorate and bachelor’s degrees in horticulture from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University, Dr. Odenwald is a former director and professor at the LSU School of Landscape Architecture and a long-time agent at the Louisiana Cooperative Extension program. He is the author of five books on gardening and landscape design, including Southern Plants, which is used as a textbook at LSU’s landscape architecture school. His book Live Oak Splendor: Gardens Along the Mississippi River from Natchez to New Orleans graces many a gardener’s coffee table.

Our May cruise is every bit as exciting. You can explore the land of bawdy blues and Southern belles. This journey showcases the diversity and drama of the Lower Mississippi River. From New Orleans to Memphis, the river rolls slowly and expansively. The bayous and woodlands along the shore create dramatic landscapes that are virtually unchanged since the days of the French fur traders. Gracious towns with palatial mansions and tree-lined streets abound. History is everywhere - in silent Civil War cemeteries, in the soulful gospel blues of Helena and virtually everywhere you turn in Memphis, best known for jazz, barbeque, and of course The King of Rock and Roll and his home at Graceland.

But the theme is Gardens of the River and you’ll be privy to the insights of Wanda Metz Chase who is the third generation of her family to own and operate one of Baton Rouge’s oldest and largest landscape contracting businesses, begun on a shoestring by her grandfather, Mr. James M. Imahara, shortly after World War II. She is a 1984 graduate of LSU School of Landscape Architecture. Upon graduation, when she received the Excellence in Plants award, she worked several years as a landscape accounts manager with the J. R. Ross Company in Dallas, then moved to Woodbine, Maryland, as marketing representative for Chapel Valley Landscape. In 1987, she returned to Baton Rouge to join her uncle Walter Imahara at Imahara’s Landscape Company. She introduced new business concepts and youthful enthusiasm, leading the Company to become a “design, install and maintenance” business. She is a licensed Landscape Architect and past president of the Baton Rouge Landscape Association. Among many civic commitments, she accepted an appointment by the mayor to the East Baton Rouge City-Parish Tree Commission, and served as Louisiana’s lobbyist to the American Nursery and Landscape Association (1993-2007), representing state horticultural and agricultural interests in Washington, D.C.

In 1993, Mrs. Chase received recognition as the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association’s Young Nurseryperson of the Year, and in 1995 was honored with the Distinguished David Laird Award from the Southern Nurserymen’s Association, the first Louisianian and first female to receive this award presented by the sixteen states of the southeast regional association. In 2000, she was honored as the 2000 Louisiana Nurseryperson of the Year at the Gulf States Horticultural Exposition in Mobile, Alabama. She served as the Education chairperson for the Southern Nurserymen’s Association 1999-2007, and is an industry spokesperson on gardening, design and business management within the profession. Mrs. Chase served as the first female and youngest president of the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association, representing a $1.3 billion industry of state growers, retailers and contractors, and climbed the ranks to Presidency in 2007 of the National Landscape Association in Washington D.C. in 2007.

As you can see, there are two ways to soak in the warmth, scents and glorious colors of spring on the Mississippi River. There’s the normal way, and then there’s the American Queen Steamboat Company way. Best of all, our way includes a two-category upgrade* on any departure of the American Queen on the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in 2014 and any 2014 Pacific Northwest sailing on our new American Empress as well. All you have to do is book and pay-in-full by March 31, 2014.

* Offer expires March 31, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only. Full payment at time of booking is required to redeem this offer. Estimated savings of up to $3200 ($1600 per person) is based on double occupancy for a standard American Queen 9 day voyage. Offer is not valid on Group bookings or existing reservations and cannot be combined with other offers, promotions or discounts. The free 2 cabin category upgrade means that guests will be placed in cabin(s) that are 2 sequential categories above initial cabin(s) requested at time of reservation. This offer is not valid on cabin upgrades into American Queen categories LS, AAA, SO and SI; and American Empress categories LS, A and CS. This offer is based on cabin availability and only while inventory lasts. Cruise fare does not include taxes, port charges, insurance, gratuities, or airfare. Additional terms and conditions may apply - call for details.