September 27th marks a special day in the tourism industry. It is World Tourism Day, which was created by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 1980 in effort to raise awareness about global tourism.
 
#WorldTourismDay aims to educated the public on the role that tourism has throughout the world and emphasize how it impacts the social, political, economic and cultural values of communities and nations.
 
Each year has a specific theme that is relevant to the tourism and travel industry. Back in 1980, the theme was “Tourism’s contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage and to peace and mutual understanding.” In 2017, it was “Sustainable Tourism – a tool for development” and in 2018 it was, “TOURISM AND CULTURAL PROTECTION.”
 
With the tourism industry generating 10% of all jobs globally, and the industry overall working towards more sustainable goals, the theme for this year is ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all.”
 
New Delhi, India has been chosen as the host city for #WorldTourismDay because it is one of the oldest cities in one of the oldest countries spanning centuries and empires. New Delhi is home to some of the most diverse and culturally rich communities and their tourism in India reflects this perfectly.

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1. Portland, Oregon

The Forbidden City of the West is home to indie bands and offers a unique atmosphere focused on intimacy. Some of the bands that have come out of Portland are the Decemberists, She & Him, the Dandy Warhols and the list goes on and on. Portland is also home to the Alberta Rose Theater, Al’s Den, Kelly’s Olympian, and Revolution Hall.

1. Memphis, Tennessee

This comes as no surprise that the old stomping grounds for the King of Rock and Roll is on the list. Elvis, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and Justin Timberlake are some of the most famous musicians to come from Memphis. Not to mention Beale Street is also an iconic landmark for the city with plenty of cool places like Young Avenue Deli and Blues City Café for food too,

1. LA, California

The City of Angels attractions thousands in hopes of making it big, but it also is a hub for music and music lovers. Los Angeles has a repertoire that ranges from classical music to country to a lively EDM scene. It is also where Guns N’ Roses and Tupac Shakur are from and home to a plethora or record labels and more music venues than we could mention.

1. Seattle, Washington

The music scene in Seattle is known for its 1990s grunge with the likes of Pearl Jam and Nirvana. It is also the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix and others like Macklemore, Death Cab for Cutie and the Shins. Seattle, Washington is also home to bars that are located around Capitol Hill and Belltown. We recommend you check out the Bumbershoot Festival that happens ever September that features the up and coming performers with other big name musicians too.

1. New Orleans, Louisiana

Known for the birth of jazz and second line parades, also known as the funeral processions from the funeral to the cemetery, New Orleans deserves to be on this list. We recommend taking the time to wander around the city on Frenchmen’s Street and on Burbon Street to take advantage of all the live music playing and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival every spring.

1. Chicago, Illinois

When people migrated north after WWII, Chicago became the center for blues and jazz music. “Chicago Blues” became well known to the likes of Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters. Nowadays there is the Chicago Blues Fest that happens every June in the city and Lollapalooza every August. It is also home to Kanye West and Smashing Pumpkins

1. Nashville, Tennessee

Last but not lease we have Nashville rounding out our list! It is the home for country music, musicians and music listeners. This city is also home to the Grand Ole Opry, the country music radio show that to this day records live music. Nashville is home to Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, and Martina McBride!

Located in the business district of New Orleans is the National World War II Museum, one of Guardian Music and Group Travel’s favorite New Orleans attractions. Formerly known as the National D-Day Museum, this museum details of the United States’ involvement in World War II.
 
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans has been the designated by Congress as the official World War II Museum for America.
 
Since its beginnings in June of 2000, the museum has continued to open exhibits and expand. It has opened the Solomon Victory Theater, the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion, the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, and the Campaigns of Courage pavilion and there are current plans for more expansion with a Liberation Pavilion.
 
Guardian loves the National World War II Museum because of its interactivity. With a completely 4D movie experience in the Solomon Victory Theater that emphasizes the U.S. involvement in the Allied victory and multiple spaces that illustrate the war, you will be impressed, shocked and informed around every corner you look.
 
We recommend you allocate 2-3 hours to fully experience the engaging and interactive museum. With so many expansive exhibits and additions, every portion of the museum deserves to be explored in its entirety.

Founded by Jack White in Detroit Michigan in 2001, Third Man Records has a second location in Nashville that also serves as an HQ, a storefront, live performance venue, and recording studio. This record company still produces both singles and albums primarily on vinyl records.
 
With the motto “Your Turntable’s Not Dead,” Third Man Record’s Nashville location features the Blue Room, the live performance venue. The Blue Room is the only place in the world that records live shows direct-to-acetate, which produces a vinyl master in real-time.
 
Third Man Records also has a phone booth studio where visitors can enter and play an instrument and a 45 vinyl can be pressed of the recording in live time. There is also the Novelties Lounge in the studio where there is a collection of vintage novelty machines like a 16mm jukebox and “Wax-O-Matic” machine which produces wax molds of White’s guitar.
 
We recommend this attraction to music fans and groups who love old vinyl’s and are interested in recording music. To fully experience this attraction, we suggest you allow 90 minutes for the tour and exploring the studios.

Opened in 2014, as a part of the growing exhibition, the Museum of Death is not for the faint of heart.
 
With the goal of “making people happy to be alive,” the Museum of Death New Orleans expansion branch features 12,000 square meters of space dedicated to a collection of death artifacts. These artifacts include but are not limited to photography, letters, artwork, taxidermy, and recreations of crime scenes.
 
The Museum of Death was started by JD Healy and Cathee Shultz to “fill the void in death education” and quickly expanded from its beginnings as an art gallery to now a multi-location museum.
 
The museum offers a self-guided tour that lasts 45 minutes and has no age limit, but we recommend it only to mature audiences.
 
The Museum of Death is an attraction where you can easily spend 2+ hours reading all the material and watching the movie featured in the museum. It is a perfect addition to New Orleans for groups looking to add a unique experience to their trip and for people who are fans of serial killers and the macabre! 

*Cue the jazz hands!

Broadway, Off- Broadway and Off- Off Broadway. Could you even say you visited NYC if you didn’t see a single show? No, of course not. A show is NYC must! But how to pick just one? Let us know if you figure out how to decide.

There are also film festivals like the famous The Tribeca Film Festival in April and Woodstock Film Festival in October where people flock to see the features. 

New York has the most theaters in the world with 420, you can see multiple shows for days on end and never run out of things to see for weeks. 

Here is a great list of places to see NYC entertainment, the list includes the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, New York City Ballet and Madison Square Garden. 

In a place so locked in by buildings and concrete and traffic it is so important to have these places to escape to where nature is easily accessible to recharge.

Within NYC you can access to nature with the iconic Central Park with 843 acres of land. It is the most filmed park too with features in over 350 movies to date. First approved in 1853 as an urban park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park is the fifth largest park in New York City. Here is a self-guided tour of the park that covers 5 miles and takes an estimated 2 hours if you’d like to see everything Central Parks has to offer.

Additionally, you have Bryant Park which was created in 1686 and is where George Washington’s troops crossed in retreat in the Battle of Long Island in 1776. There is also Fort Tryon Park which has a view of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge. It is also the place of the Battle of Fort Washington in the American Revolutionary War and was created by the philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1917.

​With more than 1,700 parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities in the 5 boroughs there are so many opportunities to escape the grind and take in some greenery. Here is a list of the best parks New York City has to offer.

New York City is a foodie's paradise! You can find great food from literally any corner of the world.  New York Style pizza: need we say more?

With over 7,966 sit-down restaurants, mom and pop shops, take-out, delis, cafes, street vendors and food trucks, the list goes on and on. The sheer size of the gastronomic opportunities are endless and make it a part of the appeal to try every new dish and authentic cuisine possible. Your midnight snack attacks, mid morning munchies or 3am food runs will have a lot of contenders vying for your attention. We recommend taking full advantage of all cravings! 

If you need some inspiration for classic New York eats, here is a list From Spoon University. Stay hungry friends!

For a long time New York City was the gateway for immigrants coming to the US to find their own version of the American Dream. 

NYC has some of the greatest historical artifacts, museums and landmarks, going back to the inception of the United States. Here is a list of The 15 best history museums in NYC. 

Our favorites include:

1.  The Tenement Museum- where 7,000 immigrants lived in the 5 story building from 1836 to 1935
2. KGB Espionage Museum- interesting spy gadgets and real stories
3. The Statue of Liberty Museum- Features a full size face and foot of the famous lady
4. The New-York Historical Society Museum & Library- come and visit the city’s oldest museum with over 1.6 million pieces of art
5. The American Museum of Natural History- A historic museum of natural wonders
6. Ellis Island- retrace the steps that millions of immigrants took to enter the United States

Make an effort to see the history of the city and see why it has always been such a powerful place in our country.