Even stingrays ought to have new digs.

That’s the theory behind a loan request scheduled to come before the Baltimore City Board of Estimates on Wednesday.

The board is poised to vote on a request for $500,000 by officials of the National Aquarium in Baltimore to renovate the stingray tank.

The exhibit, first opened in 1981, is one of the aquarium’s most popular, greeting all who enter because of its ground-floor location.

Inside the 265,000 gallon tank, dozens of stingrays of all shapes and sizes, some even with polka dots, glide through the water, back-lit by accent lights. They share the large tank with sea turtles and a few sharks.

The planned improvements would allow for reinforcements of the concrete walls in and underneath the exhibit and an upgrade to the electrical system.

The aquarium is located at 501 E. Pratt St. and is home to 16,500 aquatic critters.

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If you’re up for a driving tour and scavenger hunt of sorts, the eighth annual Lighthouse Challenge can provide some good entertainment Sept. 17 and 18.

Challenge rules are easy, and can be found on the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s site.

Rules:

1. Get a challenge brochure, or print out the driving directions/brochure.
2. Visit nine lighthouses and one lightship noted above.
3. Get each lighthouse’s commemorative souvenir.
4. Visit the lighthouses within designated hours of 8 am to 6:00 pm both day.
5. You’ll get the “completion” souvenir once you’ve toured all the other locations.
6. Then just fill out the “Challenge Completion” form.

Chesapeake Chapter volunteers will be at each lighthouse to help visitors on their special quest.

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The town of Ocean City announced Friday it won’t be going forward with a proposed gas promotion.

The town made an announcement on June 3 it was gearing up for a $100,000 free gas promotion, making it the first resort town in the country to do so. The announcement was listed on Ocean City’s website, although it has since been removed.

“After reflection, the council established that gas giveaway promotions in place throughout the local business community are effective and a town-sponsored giveaway would only be of benefit to a small number of visitors,” according to a statement from the town.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said in a statement that the proposed promotion was reconsidered by the city council and many of Ocean City’s free events should be focused in promotional efforts instead.

But that’s not to say visitors can’t get gas card offers through businesses in Ocean City. (Put away your pitchfork and spare Rodney the Lifeguard!) Many incentives are listed on the town’s website, and by checking the “Rodney’s Roadside Assistance” box.

As for those free events (because we all love free things), you can still find them listed here.

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Baltimore’s taxi drivers were all smiles during lunch hour Wednesday.

Phillips Seafood, of Phillips Foods Inc., along with Visit Baltimore staffers and volunteers parked out by Light Street in front of the Baltimore Visitor Center to dole out free lunch to drivers.

Phillips does this same promotion with several cities across the U.S., and did this last year in Baltimore as well. Last year, the event gave away 475 lunches. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Phillips staffers had prepared 425 lunches already — with crab sandwiches, chips and water.

And the rain wasn’t deterring cabbies from pulling right into the spot where Phillips mascot Captain Phil was braving the elements and handing out food.

By the time I arrived at the spot around 11:30, the volunteers had already given out nearly 100 lunches, according to Michelle Torres, corporate director of marketing for Phillips.

Eric Masterton-Mott was also on hand, taking a break from being director of group tour sales and hospitality service training and representing Visit Baltimore on the streets. Visit Baltimore got involved to inform cab drivers of some of the big conventions coming into town this summer and to show a little thanks for shuttling around the ever-busy tourist part of Baltimore.

See Mom, there is such a thing as a free lunch, I just should’ve been a taxi driver.

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Well … on film anyway. I got you excited, didn’t I?

The Maryland Science Center is debuting a film next week called “Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk.” It features music by the ever-hip Dave Matthews Band and is narrated by the studly voice of Robert Redford.

The IMAX film “Under the Sea” also features a Hollywood star — Jim Carrey narrates this movie on Indo-Pacific waters.

The Grand Canyon IMAX 3D film takes viewers down the rapids of the Colorado River, surrounded by the breathtaking Grand Canyon. The Colorado has been the victim of historic drought threatening the lives of 30 million people who depend on the river’s water, according to the Science Center. The film is a visual treat for kids while informing viewers of the importance of protecting natural resources.

The film’s a little old — it was released in August 2008 and debuted in Washington at a film festival before the national release. But if you missed it — and chances are you did — you saved yourself the hour drive and $20 parking in downtown D.C. Once again, procrastination pays off. That’s a saying, isn’t it?

The film has also won a Giant Screen Cinema Association award for best cinematography and a Motion Picture Sound Editors award for best sound editing.

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In this never-ending quest by phone companies to alleviate the pressures of thinking for ourselves, the Ocean City Department of Tourism is jumping on board and has announced the launch of its free iPhone application.

Ocean City Mobile is now available through the iTunes Application Store and provides information on restaurants, accommodations, entertainment, services, promotions, weather forecasts and more.

Ocean City is one of the first beach destinations to launch an official iPhone app, according to the news release, which also notes a version of Ocean City Mobile for Blackberry and Android will be available “in the near future.”

I am doing my best to avoid the iPhone/Blackberry/Android revolution so can’t comment on the potential awesomeness of the new app. But I can comment on the marketing benefits to Ocean City. With its biggest summer marketing budget ever, the beach town is staying relevant to its audience AND making itself more accessible.

Now the trick is once people get to Ocean City, how to pry the phone out of their hands so they actually enjoy the sights and sounds of the tourist town. Is there an app for that?

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We’ve all heard of the usual ropes courses, circles of trust and zip lines typical of company retreats. But a new business opening in May in Rockville makes all those activities look like child’s play.

If you’ve ever been to England, you may have heard of “Go Ape.” It’s basically a giant obstacle course built through treetops using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and “super-strong wire.” After equipping people with harnesses, pulleys, carabiners and 30 minutes of training, course participants can, well, go ape among the treetops of Rock Creek Park.

The courses can be completed in two to three hours and include a series of ziplines, Tarzan swings, rope ladders, bridges, swings and trapezes. The company says its courses can cater to all skill levels. Cost is $55 per person for the three hours.

The concept’s being brought to the U.S. by Dan and Jenny D’Agostino, who became fans of the United Kingdom’s 26 Go Ape courses while living in London. The obstacle course isn’t just for company outings but sounds like it could make for an interesting birthday party, bachelor/bachelorette party or just a fun Saturday afternoon.

I have to admit, this is kind of appealing to me — who as a kid didn’t love climbing trees and exploring nature?

And this may be one of those businesses that fills such a specific niche, that it does well — while the idea itself is not unique, it does seem to have a relatively unique combination of offerings.

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I attended Visit Baltimore’s biannual Town Hall meeting last week and saw a presentation on the tourism opportunities the 1812 Bicentennial will provide for Baltimore, and one thing was clear — this could be a tourism-driven cash cow for Maryland.

The presentation by Jeff Buchheit, director of the Baltimore National Heritage Area office, pointed to Virginia’s 400th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jamestown for an estimate of the potential tourism impact. In 2007, the “birth of America” celebration generated $1.2 billion in sales and created roughly 20,600 jobs while the state and county took in $22 million and $6.4 million in tax revenue, respectively.

That’s nothing to sneeze at, especially with Maryland’s strapped state budget.

“Cultural tourists spend money and this means big money,” Buchheit said.

Baltimore’s big year probably won’t be until 2014 because that’s the 200th anniversary of the September 1814 bombardment of Ft. McHenry and Francis Scott Key writing what became our national anthem. But beginning in 2012, the 200th anniversary of the U.S.’s entrance into the war between France and England, you’ll start seeing the signs: in two years, Maryland will produce a state license plate commemorating the anniversary of the war, and the U.S. Navy and Blue Angels will visit Baltimore that year. They’ll return in 2014 for the Ft. McHenry anniversary.

Buchheit’s office is also working on a traveling exhibit that will show around the country in the coming years to generate interest in visiting Maryland for the anniversary. He also has $60,000 in funding from grants to hire a full-time coordinator to plan events for the celebration.

And while there’s a big potential payoff in 2014 for the Ft. McHenry celebration, the real payoff will be in the impression Baltimore leaves with tourists.

“The goal is to hopefully encourage these tourists to come back again and again,” Buchheit said.

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After tallying 5,000 votes between 42 candidates, the Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau (AACCVB) has announced 12 winners for its “More than a Pretty Face” contest.

Says the tourism bureau, “contest winners epitomize the spirit of giving and selflessness that make Annapolis and Anne Arundel County so appealing.” Here are some of your winners:

Longtime Annapolis resident and Maryland State Senator John Astle

Annapolis Chief of Police Michael Pristoop

J. Ernest Green, Music Director of Live Arts Maryland

Hands off ladies — these men are taken! Actually there were some women who made the final cut, but I couldn’t find pictures of them — sorry gals.

The More than a Pretty Face contest served as a prelude to the AAACCVB’s winter marketing campaign, which kicks off Monday with a new homepage look and feel. Visitors to www.VisitAnnapolis.org homepage can click on the “More than a Pretty Face” icon to read more about the winners, see their pictures, and view a video in which they describe what makes the destination special to them.

I’m all for promoting local figures…but it’ll be interesting to see if this campaign really makes any kind of splash with people OTHER THAN locals. When I think about destinations I’ve been to, I don’t really care what the chief of police has to say about it — I care more about what there is to do and how to get around.

But maybe I’m being cynical…thoughts?

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It’s hard to have thoughts of thanks (and giving) when you’re stuck in your cute little two-door, sandwiched between a minivan and a Suburban staring at traffic as far as the eye can see… Not that I’m being specific or anything.

But thanks to lower fuel prices this year, AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting that 4.6 percent more Marylanders will hit the roads for the holiday this year compared with last year. (Although not me — the only road I’m hitting is the parking lot when we go out during halftime to toss the football around. I’ve learned my lesson, thank you.)

In total, approximately 794,000 Marylanders are expected to travel in one form or another for Thanksgiving. That’s up nearly 4 percent last year. Airlines also appear to be losing out to other transportation modes as just 6.5 percent of travelers (52,000) are expected to take to the skies — a 5.2 percent decline.

“It’s not surprising that Marylanders are foregoing the airport this year to reach their Thanksgiving destination,” said Regina Averella in a news release. “Given the hassles of airport security, reduced capacity, as well as added surcharges and fees, it seems Marylanders are seeking other modes of transportation that are less restrictive and perhaps more inexpensive.”

Speaking of which, anyone hear about the new Super Bowl surcharge this year? When will these guys stop?

At any rate, I’ve also noticed in my commute to work along I-95, the roads have already gotten more congested since Thursday. Seems as if the traffic madness is already upon us.

Are you going to brave the storm that’s alrady accumulating out there? So are you like me and hiding from traffic this year?

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