The lure of sunken treasure

GOLD coins, bottles and other artifacts recovered from the Republic, a ship that sank off Georgia during an 1865 storm, comprise the heart of the collection at a new museum in New Orleans.

Odyssey’s Shipwreck & Treasure Adventure, which was to have opened Saturday, presents about 200 items from the vessel.

Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. of Tampa, Fla., which discovered the wreck two years ago, also has installed interactive video stations and other displays that tell the history of shipwrecks and show how high-tech equipment finds sunken vessels.

The museum is at the Jax Brewery, a former brewery converted to shops, at 600 Decatur St. in the French Quarter. Admission is $13.95 for adults; $8.95 for children ages 4 to 12. For information: (504) 561-5656, www.shipwreckandtreasure.com.

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Barriers to travel reported

MORE than three out of four travelers with disabilities say they encounter obstacles when dealing with airports and airlines, and three out of five say the same about hotels, according to a survey released this month.

In February, Harris Interactive conducted the study commissioned by the Open Doors Organization, a Chicago-based nonprofit, interviewing 1,373 adults who were hearing- or sight-impaired or had conditions that limited physical activities.

The most common complaint about airlines involved cramped seating areas; at airports, it was long distances to or between gates; at hotels, it was heavy or hard-to-open doors and the absence of conveniently located rooms, such as those on the first floor.

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New sights in the Grand Canyon

THE Hualapai Nation in Arizona is developing new attractions on the Grand Canyon’s western rim.

On Thursday Indian Village will open, with cultural performances and dwellings built in traditional styles by the Hualapai, Havasupai and other nations. Also new: Hualapai Ranch, an Old West-themed town offering mock gunfights, cookouts, and horseback and wagon rides.

Both places, open daily, can be visited on tours, such as the $49.95 Spirit Package, which also includes lunch and trips to canyon overlooks.

In January, the Hualapai plan to open a cantilevered bridge, dubbed Skywalk, extending 70 feet from the rim, where visitors can look down into the canyon, 4,000 feet below, through a glass floor. The attractions are in the Grand Canyon West recreational area on Hualapai land about 70 miles northwest of Kingman, Ariz. For more information: (702) 889-9378, www.destinationgrandcanyon.com.

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More trips on Labor Day

MORE Americans will travel over Labor Day this year than last, but the increase, less than 1%, will be the lowest in two years, AAA forecast last week. High gas prices, it said, plus the increasing number of schools that start classes before Labor Day, will discourage some trips.

-- Jane Engle