The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 32

C4 Wednesday, June 13, 2001 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution COMMENTARY Getaway Your Wednesday guide to quick trips and good deals WILD ADVENTURES Zoo park becomes Valdosta Despite dread, a father assents to rite of passage A during a late-afternoon downpour. The walk-through Alapaha Preserve affords up-close viewing of monkeys, reptiles, birds, bears, alligators and fallow deer. Shows include North American Reptiles and Exotics of the World. Keeper Talks feature encounters with bears, lions, monkeys and birds. All of the animals were born in captivity.

Some were purchased from U.S. breeders, and as many as 250 wild animals not counting hundreds of sheep have been born at the park. Though the animals are the main draw for many park visitors, some like the two 13-year-olds with me raced from one thrill ride to another (waits in line rarely exceed 20 minutes even on the busiest days). They never got anywhere near a goat Which is fine with Kent Buescher, as long as they were having fun playing in his field of dreams. So why was I in Cancun? Call it a fringe benefit I told my editors that lots of Atlanta-area kids were going to Cancun this summer and that it would make a good story that so many parents make a decision that so many others consider boneheaded.

But I wasn't playing chaperon. My son and I agreed that his place was with his friends. He'd earned this, I told myself, by making his grades and being a good, solid, reliable kid. I began to have second thoughts the week before the trip, when a call came that every parent dreads. My eldest son, Jordan, who had just graduated from the University of Georgia, was missing in Barcelona, Spain.

Traveling in Europe with friends, he'd returned to his hotel with his buddies at 2:30 in the morning, then left to call his girlfriend in Atlanta. Then he had just flat disappeared. When his friends woke up, he wasn't there, and they started calling hospitals. Turns out he'd been mugged and left unconscious by a gang of thugs. Because of difficulties in translation, his friends couldn't track him down for an agonizing five or six hours.

In that time, I booked a flight to Spain to begin a search. But soon the police returned Jordan, who'd been patched up in a hospital, to his hotel. He'd made a mistake. He'd left his buddies in the middle of the night to go to a phone booth in a strange city. Shaken, I considered making Stuart cancel his Cancun trip.

But I didn't. We flew down on separate flights. And he had a ball. He needed the chance to be on his own. And I needed it, too, to start getting used to the idea of both my sons being gone.

You may think I'm crazy for letting him go to a place where alco-" hoi is glorified. Maybe. But one thing's sure. I'm glad I was there. And nearby if needed.

Bill Hendrick is a features reporter for theAJC. By Bill Hendrlck bhendrickajc.com My son Stuart didn't want to see me. Not in Cancun. He had just graduated from Cobb County's Walton High School and was celebrating in the Mexican resort city with 40-plus classmates. I ran into him only once, last Thursday, at the Calinda Beach Hotel, just doing my job.

"Hey, Dad," he said. "Give me some space." I obliged. I'll admit, though, that several months ago, when I found out he wanted to make the trip, I was more than a little concerned. An 18-year-old going to a place he could buy booze legally? With no curfew or parental supervision? I remembered that my credo as an 18-year-old came from Mae West "Too much of a good thing is wonderful." I reluctantly agreed, but always hoped Stuart's trip would fall through. Well, it didn't.

A couple of weeks before his graduation, I started asking questions. I heard from other parents that thousands of Atlanta-area 18-year-olds make the trip every year. That was little comfort I can still remember through 35 years of blurred time what it's like to be an 18-year-old boy. And without parental supervision. But I rationalized that kids who're going off to college in a couple of months will be on their own anyway.

At some point, you've got to let them go, I told myself. Teens need to grow, and so do their parents. I know I'll have to answer dozens of e-mails from parents who read this and think other parents shouldn't let their teenagers drink booze. But most high school seniors do, and most will if they have the chance. It's not ideal.

But it's reality. So I gave Stuart the usual warnings: Don't drink too much, keep the suntan lotion handy, stay with your friends and never go anywhere alone, especially at night CANCUN Wild Adventures Theme Park Kent Buescher's park has grown from a few animals to a sprawling family attraction. animals: from addaxes (a corkscrew-horned antelope) to zebras. And for the rides: from Hangman, a not-for-the-squeamish multi-inversion suspended looping coaster, to the for-tykes-only Tommy Turtle Race. And for the shows: from Amazing Cats, with the antics of Bengal tigers that perform tricks on command (usually), to the compone Shenani-Guns Wild West Comedy Show, a comic shoot-'em-up featuring a sheriff named Hopalong Casually and villains Bad Bob and Bubba.

Returning guests will find plenty to draw them back this summer as the park's five-year, $50 million expansion program launched in 1999 continues: The $3.5 million Cheetah opens Saturday with much hullabaloo. An old-fashioned wooden coaster, the ride's thrills lie in its speed upwards of 60 mph and gut-churning 90-foot drop. It is in the African Pridelands, one of six themed areas that include Bugsville, Dockside, Australian Outback, Alapaha Preserve and Wild West. The high-tech simulator ride "Dino Island" made its debut this spring in the Turbo Theater, next to the Cheetah site. You buckle up for a bumpy virtual-reality ride and hang on for dear life as your seat bucks and twists while you careen over canyons and encounter a roaring in-your-face T.

rex. The new Elephant Walk including a covered animal observation deck allows visitors to get close to the elephants and giraffes in the African Pridelands. Along the walk are habitats featuring a rhesus monkey, leopards and exotic birds. Night Magic 2K1, a fireworks and laser show at the Grand Lagoon Dockside area, brings nights to a glittering close. The IF YOU GO Getting there: Take 1-75 south to Exit 13 (about 230 miles from downtown Atlanta), turn right and follow signs.

Admission: $26.95 adults, $21.95 ages 3-9 and 55 and older; ticket can be validated for a second day's admission at no additional cost for use within six days. Parking is $5 a day. The Passport 2001, good for unlimited admission through December, is $44.95. The Wild Pass at $69.95, good for a year, includes unlimited admission as well as free parking. Hours: 10 a.m.-lO p.m.

daily through Aug 12. The park is open year round, but times and days vary. There are two seasonal holiday events: "Halloscream" in October and "Christmas Wonderland" in December. Where to stay: Chain hotels are concentrated at Exits 16 and 18 in Valdosta and Exit 5 in Lake Park. The Holiday Inn at Exit 18, where we staved, has a landscaped pool area and restaurant Doubles, $79.

912-242-3881. Where to eat Just about every fast-food emporium and chain restaurant you can think of are at Exit 18. Park grub tends toward hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, pizza, funnel cakes and ice cream; Dockside Deli has lighter fare, including sandwiches, salads and smoothies. Information: 229-559-1330, www.wild-adventure.com. COMING SUNDAY IN TRAVEL Newcastle, a hip outpost of cool Britannia two tickets! destination finale is staged nightly through Aug.

11, then weekends and selected dates through December. Also new in Dockside is Sol FX, a trio of young Chicago men who perform a trendy mix of soul, hip-hop and music geared to the teen set They'll perform four shows daily through Aug. 18. An expanded free-with-admission concert schedule includes Collective Soul (Saturday), Fred Hammond (June 23), Charlie Daniels (July 4) Pat Benatar (July 29), Sawyer Brown (Aug. 11), Carman (Aug.

18), Clay Walker (Sept 2), B-52's (Sept 15), Lee Ann Womack (Sept 29), Raise the Roof Christian Music Fest with Plus One (Nov. 3) and George Jones (Nov. 10). Three shows have joined the entertainment lineup: "Professor Bongo's Magic Safari," a mix of comedy, magic and audience interaction; "Wild Science," with experiments on the weather, electricity and air; and "A Bugsville Adventure," a kids' show with larger-than-life costume characters Lady and Buzzby. Among the guests who return again and again are the Smiths of Thomasville.

"We get a year's pass every year," says Jennifer Smith, who was visiting with her daughters Rebekah, 3, and Rachel, 5. "We love it We come over for three or four hours at a time, and the girls don't get too tired. It's perfect" The sisters were taking turns poking their heads through the hole in a standing mural depicting a character dressed for a safari. Hardly a kid who passes by the painting can resist this photo op before hopping aboard the Safari Train Adventure, which makes a 20-minute loop through open grasslands landscaped to evoke Africa, Asia and South America. The train a mini-locomotive pulling open-air cars is in the African Pridelands.

Formerly known as the Jungle, the area has undergone refurbishment and expansion that includes removing fences that hindered views of some of the animals. The Pridelands is home to Asian elephants Babe and Shirley, 65-year-old retirees whose show business career with Ringling and Bailey Circus, movies and TV culminated with roles in Disney's "Jungle Book." They arrived in South Georgia in July 1998. Here, too, you'll meet the giraffe family: Bongo and Josie and daughters Kenya and Daisy, both born at the park. Bongo, who came to the park in 1996 from a preserve in Texas, entertained onlookers as he collected raindrops on his 17-inch tongue keep your attention. Atlanta, SATURDAY, JUNE 2001 If you ajc.com give you cruises, International Plus, AJC travel weekend and links.

What's roundtrip HERE'S I. ONLINE OR 1 FAX the OR 3. MAIL The ATTN: 72 Marietta 4th Floor, CONTINUED FROM Cl Within a year, Buescher, who lives in Valdosta with Dawn and their 8-year-old daughter, bought an additional 70 acres and acquired more livestock as well as a few parrots and macaws. Figuring he might as well take advantage of his menagerie, he invited friends' children, then school groups, to visit. Next thing Buescher knew, he had the hottest field trip destination in town.

"I thought we might have a few hundred kids out here," says Buescher, who has lived in Valdosta since he was 2. "We had about 7,000 to 8,000 by 1992." To meet the demand, he added restrooms, a picnic shelter, a playground, more animal pens and shelters, and paved sidewalks. With the success of the petting zoo, community leaders encouraged him to open Liberty Farms Animal Park in May 1996 with 300 animals and several carnival-style rides. Nearly 100,000 folks showed up that year. By Memorial Day 1997, more animals, rides and shows were added, and the name was changed to Wild Adventures.

In 1998, after years of drawing plans on napkins and taking them to contractors, Buescher hired park planners. In May of that year, he invested $3 million in the spi-raling Boomerang roller coaster, the park's first thrill ride aimed at older kids. At $7 million, the head-over-heels Hangman coaster was the costliest of 17 rides added through 1999. The Bugsville area featuring the Bug Out "wild coaster and its gentler counterpart, the Ant Farm opened last year. "And here we are," Buescher says, a bit incredulously.

"We kinda cobbled together this theme park that will bring in more than a million people this year. Everyone said it couldn't be done. All the feasibility studies said it couldn't be done." Even he admits, "I wouldn't have strategically decided that Valdosta was the place to build a theme park But the park seems to be in the right place to draw crowds from South Georgia, North Florida and South Alabama. More than 55,000 have bought passes. "It's sheer insanity," says Buescher, a Valdosta State College graduate who started U.S.

Press a printing company specializ ing in the production of tull-color brochures, in 1981. From its humble beginnings as a petting zoo, Wild Adventures has evolved into the largest privately owned theme park in the nation. Yet it boasts one of the lowest ticket prices in the business: $26.95 for two days. Visitors of all ages come for the SOUTHERN SAMPLER Taste of Scotland Take the high road or the low, but just get to Franklin, N.C., on Saturday for the fifth annual celebration of things Scottish. The event Includes Scottish foods, entertainment and crafts, piping and drumming, Scottish ballads and other music, Scottish dancing, a "Coat of Arms" art clinic for children, crafts (including handmade Scottish Instruments), kilts, heather plants, weaving, woodcarving and border collie demonstrations.

Special guests are the Kathleen McMahon Scottish Dancers from Farmington Mills, featuring dancer and championship piper Scott McKenzie. The Scottish Tartans Museum will be open free of charge. 828-524-7472 Fan Fair The world's biggest country music festival is in where else? Nashville, Thursday through Sunday. In its 30th year, the event moves from the fairgrounds to the newly spiffed-up downtown. The Main Stage shows will be held nightly at Adelphia Coliseum, with exhibits and autograph sessions during the day at the Nashville Convention Center.

Afternoon concerts are planned in Riverfront Park along the Cumberland River across from the stadium. Among the artists: Tracy Byrd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Joe Diffie, Sara Evans, Vlnce Gill, Billy Gilman, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Jo Dee Messina, Collin Raye, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood. 1-877-813-3267, www.fanfair.com. Brevard Music Festival Art Garfunkel opens the big music fest In the little North Carolina town of Brevard on Saturday. The festival, continuing through Aug.

10, will be highlighted by concerts by lyric soprano Kathleen Battle on July 14, jazz-pop singer-pianist Michael Feinstein on July 24 and the Shangri-Las, Marvelettes and Shirley Alston Reeves on Aug. 10. In between are dozens of musical events to suit every taste. 1-888-384-8682, www.brevardmusic.org. Paula Crouch Thrasher At resort, 'The animal in them comes out' Enter to win roundtrip airline Withajc.comtravel, you can go places for less.

ajc.comtravel is here! love to travel, then you'll love travel. This helpful Web site will the scoop on all the best deals on golf packages, Southeast getaways, travel and more. you can sign up to receive Dealt To Got, a weekly e-mail of deals. ajc.comtravel will also feature our ever-popular Sunday Travel stories, Wednesday Getaways and useful travel tips more, to celebrate the launch of ajc.comtravel, we're giving away two airline tickets! HOW TO ENTER: at ijc.comtravel. entry form to 404-526-5258.

tnt7 form to: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Roundtrip Airline Tickets Contest Street, NW Marketing brought up to know how to behave in the face of temptation. "I've got one rule, based on Proverbs: 'Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it' The decision for her to go didn't start when she brought the permission slip home. It was based on her training all her life." The American clinic in Cancun, Ameri-Med, reported dozens of injuries in the previous week, mostly cuts, broken arms or ankles or alcohol poisoning. One boy fell from the fourth-floor balcony of the Hyatt hotel, breaking some ribs. Police reported more than 100 arrests, mostly for public drunkenness.

There will be more this week. Just as the returning teens return to real life sleeping off the trip, taking up summer jobs or preparing for college another group of some 30,000 U.S. high school graduates, including hundreds of metro Atlantans, is beginning another weeklong celebration in the Yucatan Peninsula resort. Peggy Trevino of San Antonio, in Cancun for a wedding, watched in wonder as the youngsters cavorted. "The animal in them comes out," she said, shaking her head.

"We saw kids having sex on the beach. I've seen waiters grab people and pull their heads back and squirt tequila in their mouths. It happened to one person taking medicine who couldn't drink, and she tried to spit it out "These kids are so gullible. It's like taking them into a candy store. An 18-year-old doesn't have sufficient life experience to deal with this." Returning to Atlanta, Robby Badger, of Cobb's Walton High School, summed up Cancun this way: "It's corrupt.

You get gypped. It's good to beyhome." CONTINUED FROM Cl accounts of the Cancun revelry in the AJC and hearing from his son, Jed, Jerry Tennison of Cobb County had second thoughts. "It's hard to say I'd let him go again," Tennison says. "You do wonder if they're ready for all that" Jed isn't so enthusiastic about Cancun himself. "It's kind of trashy," he says.

"I saw at least 15 different people throwing up. And they do all they can to take your money." Richard Granath, whose daughter, Julia, a new alumna of Centennial High in north Fulton, says he won't allow his 12- and 13-year-olds to make such trips when they graduate. "There's a little too much freedom," he says. "And the kids were targets for a lot of ripoff behavior." One of Julia's classmates, Ker-ren Hertzler, was injured on the trip but still found it worthwhile. "I sliced my foot on the dock," she says.

"But that's the only bad thing that happened. Except people try all the time to rip you off." Jen Tanner, of Coffee County in South Georgia, says her son "BH" told her he'd had a ball but that five days, not seven, would have been better. "I don't see anything wrong with the kids going to Cancun, but I held my breath and prayed every night," Tanner says. "And he didn't call home; I called him." Alyse Miller, who shelled out $45 to go Jet Skiing the day before she left Cancun, concedes that she was ready to come home. "I spent twice as much as I thought," says the Pebblebrook grad.

"It's like, really expensive." Her father, Duane, 38, says he had reservations about her making the trip. "Most have hangovers," he says. But he sayf Alyse has been GA 30303 You might want to luggage standing at DEADLINE TO ENTER: MIDNIGHT, i in ROUNDTRIP AIRLINE TICKETS CONTEST provided by AirTran Airways entry form Name CONTEST RULES: Nopufftatrvcraary CortntMOpentoGcorfamdcrfe and mmdiK famieei of lama. One wmr wi receive two roundtnp txketi to any domestic Artran Arwayl dntmibon and mum. WWier be aeleclud at random from aH entnef Only one entry par penan.

Pleaat note thai travrt rorwefundable and non-tramfcrable and mutt be completed by Feb. 28, 2001. Rmmaboni muat be made at lean 7 dayi pnor to travel and art lubiect to availability. Holiday blackout rwtncbom wil apply you need to make arcriiap to your Ifcwwy. a $S0 ehanje lee wi apply Charajei and canceHabom on be made up to one hour Address CityStateZip E-mail Phone 1 prwvtiieiawTuieaoeoartureome.

xneoumarairwtroareiuaeattcninfe without notice. The certfcate not be n)laitorernaictxluioercatai that art ton or stolen. Ml tntnei mult be either entered on tcxwn. faxed to 04-526S25S or poMmarked to The Mama (oumaf-CorriMution, 72 Manetta St NW the 4th floor Marketing. Attarta.

GA 30303 by June 23. 2001 Corttit end, at rrvdrvfht on Saturday. June 23. Wnntr wi be conard by Monday, uy 1 Certan rettnctioni may apply. No lubsnuMri ot pimftiM have no oai value ardwrrw rwporwiblf for all taxei on pnrea.

if any. YES! j-.