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Welcome to The Genre Traveler! Please sign up using the form to the right so that you'll get all the latest updates to the site. You also might want to sign up for the RSS feed, which you can do via email or your favorite RSS Reader. What is it about Las Vegas that seems to have me come home with the flu? Maybe I got it from SpongeBob Square Pants. You think? Well, I'm filling myself up with Airbourne and resting, but sheesh. Anyway, enough about me. Here are few things I thought you'd be interested in: The British Fantasy Society has begun organizing regional open nights. The next one will be held in York on Oct. 13. The events are organized and run by local volunteers. For more information, visit www.hub-mag.co.uk/bfs/register.htm. The Tokyo Disney Resort will soon be getting its own hotel. The Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is scheduled to open in the summer of 2008. For more information, visit www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/200709/477/. The Fell's Point Ghost Tours, which were mentioned is the premiere issue of The Genre Traveler, have begun some new tours and changed their name to Baltimore Ghost Tours. Mt Vernon GhostWalk covers the hauntings happening in the historic Mt. Vernon area of Baltimore. They've added a pub walk of Fell's Point and matinee tours of the original Ghost Walk. For more information, visit www.fellspointghost.com/. Anime Supercon, a convention for anime, animation, comic book and manga fans, will take place Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2007, at The Marriott North in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The show will include celebrity guests, artists, vendors, Q&A's, parties, costume contests, anime programming, manga, cosplay, workshops, panels, comic books, cosplay photoshoots and more. For more information, visit www.animesupercon.com. Trek fans will want to head on over to StarTrek.com. For the month of October, they will be holding the "Roddenberry's StarTrek.com Scavenger Hunt." If you get all 10 questions of the scavenger hunt within the website correct, you'll qualify to receive a Grand Prize worth more than $800. For more information, visit www.roddenberry.com/?action=site.showcase&sid=7.

The Corsarios Kids Club at Tesoro Manzanillo resorts in Mexico now offers a special pirate-themed camp for kids, aged 7 to 12 years, every Saturday.

Activities include games, ghost stories and local legends, marshmallow roasts and treasure hunts around the camp fire.

“We wanted kids to get excited about Tesoro’s pirate theme, and what better way than to tell ghost stories, have treasure hunts all with a bonfire on the beach,” says Tesoro Manzanillo General Manager Francisco Zuazua. “In the meantime, parents get the night off to enjoy a leisurely dinner or the evening show knowing their children are in safe, capable hands.”

Registration of the child’s full name, allergies, and room number helps locate parents immediately in the event of an emergency or if the child simply wants to turn in early before the night is through.

For more information, visit www.TesoroResorts.com.

My friends over at HP Fan Trips™ have ecured exclusive access to a private party at Waterstone's West End bookstore July 20 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The party celebrates the release of the final book in JK Rowling's series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Traditionally, UK Potter fans have had to wait outside in "queue parties" until midnight to get their hands on the latest Harry book. For those who book this speical HP Fan Trip, the "queue party" won't be in their future. This time, participating fans can skip inside at 10 p.m. to enjoy entertainment from a magician and musicians, and receive special gifts along with their copy of the book in a commemorative Waterstone's bag.

Here's how hte press release describes it:

HP Fan Trips™ guests will receive an invitation to a private entrance into Waterstone's to begin the communal countdown early and enjoy a gorgeous view of Edinburgh Castle and the festivities of the “Muggles” below. Upon receiving the book, guests on four and five star packages will have the option of retiring to specially reserved fan reading rooms at their hotels, complete with free refreshments throughout the night.

Children 10 years of age and younger will have a costume contest and other special events on the first floor of Waterstone's while those older can enjoy camaraderie on the second floor, which includes a Starbucks cafe and live entertainment.

Another highlight of the package is a Potter-themed banquet in the heart of Edinburgh, where guests will participate in a bilingual podcast discussion led by webmasters of the top international Harry Potter fan sites and view video footage from the red carpet premiere of the Warner Bros. film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Several different trip packages are available and offer a choice of accommodations in either Edinburgh or London, although the Waterstone's book release party is only in Edinburgh. For more information, visit www.hpfantrips.com/2007/br/all.cfm.

The Mütter Museum has launched a unique free service: the Cell Phone Audio Tour Guide, one of the first of its kind in the Philadelphia region.

"The cell phone audio tour is a relatively new idea, and we are so excited to be able to offer this feature free of charge to our visitors," said Laurel Weller, museum educator. "Our guests become active participants. They simply dial the designated telephone number and then enter the exhibit number of one of our displays to hear more about it."

Part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the Mütter Museum was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies. The College of Physicians uses this collection to enhance the museum experience and promote health literacy, while teaching visitors what it means to be human. The Mütter Museum embodies The College of Physicians of Philadelphia's mission to advance the cause of health, while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine.

The Audio Tour Guide is free and available to everyone. Using commentary provided by the Mütter Museum staff and other experts, this interactive tour provides visitors with in-depth information about the museum's exhibits, while allowing them to explore the museum's collection at their own pace. Visitors design their own tour by choosing which object they would like to learn more about and in what order.

For more information, visit www.collphyphil.org/mutter.

Or, at least that's the plan. Unlike most pod-tour providers, AudioSnacks allows users to post their pod-tours for the chance to make money off them. Kind of cool, huh? Check them out at: www.audiosnacks.com/Home.aspx.