From Travelzoo.com
To honor Veteran’s Day, Travelzoo is highlighting the Best Military Towns, along with the best hotel discounts for members of the military that you may not know exist.
Known as a trusted global publisher of exclusive travel offers and experiences for its 28 million members worldwide, Travelzoo handpicks and produces exclusive offers from thousands of travel and entertainment companies, such as spas, restaurants and hotels. Travelzoo’s senior editorGabe Saglie and his team of travel experts have uncovered the best historic military towns across the U.S., and why you should consider to visit.
1: West Point (The United States Military Academy, West Point)
- Fun Fact: West Point is the oldest continuously operated Army post in the United States. American soldiers first occupied West Point on January 27, 1778.
2: Annapolis (Naval Academy)
- Fun Fact: The first college football game between the U.S. Military Academy (Army) and the Naval Academy (Navy) was played on Nov. 29, 1890.
3: Colorado Springs (Cadet Chapel)
- Fun Fact: The Cadet Chapel is the most visited man-made tourist attraction in Colorado. This aluminum, glass and steel structure features 17 spires that shoot 150 feet into the sky.
4: Honolulu (USS Arizona Memorial/Pearl Harbor)
- Fun Fact: Estimated 1.5M people visit Pearl Harbor every year to pay their respects.
5: Louisville (Ft. Knox)
- Fun Fact: Fort Knox is a 109,000 acre base that holds the U.S. Government federal gold reserve but has also been home of the U.S. Army Armor Center for 60 years. -Visitors are allowed to stand outside of the gate of Fort Knox. They can even take pictures, but they are not allowed inside. Some parts of James Bond “Goldfinger” were filmed at Fort Knox
6: Dayton (Wright-Patterson Airforce Base)
- Fun Fact: The Airforce base is Dayton’s largest employer. More than 29,000 people work there. 8,000 employees are active military.
7: Washington (Arlington National Cemetery or any of the major war memorials)
- Fun Fact: 400,000+ people from 11 countries are buried at Arlington. The partial remains of the seven astronauts who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, are buried at the cemetery.
8: San Diego (USS Midway Museum)
- Fun Fact: The USS Midway was the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century. It was built in 17 months in 1944 but missed being used in WWII by one week.
9: Charleston (Ft. Sumter)
- Fun Fact: The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the American Civil War and signaled the start of the war. It took place over two days from April 12–13, 1861.
10: Pensacola (National Naval Aviation Museum)
- Fun Fact: The museum is the world’s largest air and space museum – home to 150+ vintage aircraft.
- Beginning in March each year, when the Blues are in town, you can see them practice Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 11:30 a.m. After practice on select Wednesdays, visitors and locals can meet the pilots, take photos with them and even get their autographs.
Top 5 Hotel Brands Offering a Military Discount
As you begin to plan your next trip, book smarter with these top 5 military discounts that Travelzoo’s Gabe Saglie says are not often publicized by hotels but do exist.
Hilton Hotels
- Including Hampton Inns & Suites, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites brands
- These all offer government rates to active and retired military personnel (10% off) and has its own booking page to make these reservations.
- A nice feature of its website is a booking engine that’s searchable by nearby military bases.
Marriott
- 3,600 locations have discounted room rates, and also offer special promotions for leisure travel.
- Go to Marriott’s Find A Hotel page and select “Government/Military” from the “Special Rates” dropdown to see available offers. Discounts vary depending on hotel & date but are between 10% – 40% off.
Choice Hotels
- This company owns Comfort Inn, Econo Lodge and other brands with more than 2,700 discounted locations.
- The company created the Choice Privileges Armed Services
- Allow qualified vets, active members and their families to join its rewards program at the Elite Gold level. Discount is around 15% off.
Best Western Hotels
- There are more than 4,000 Best Western hotels in more than 80 countries. 10% off discount
- Allows bookings online or over the phone for its discounted rates.
Disneyworld & Disneyland Resort Hotels
- Offer special rates for members of the military, at both the Florida and California locations.
- Along with a discount on Park Hopper tickets.
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