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The charming allure of Paris, France, and the natural grandeur that is Alaska will be the focal points of the major tours in 2025 for the Adventure First Travel Club of First Community Bank.

During “Spotlight on Paris,” a nine-day tour starting on April 1, 2025, Travel Club members will enjoy the enchantment of Paris, its spectacular sights, history, architecture, art, and of course, its fine food and wine. They will savor dinner at the Eiffel Tower; explore the treasures of the Louvre Museum; visit Versailles, one of the world’s most opulent royal palaces; glide down the Seine on a romantic river cruise; retrace the history of World War II at Normandy; and so much more.

Travelers on “Alaska Discovery,” scheduled for September 3-14, 2025, will experience the Pacific Coast by land and sea on a breathtaking journey through one of the most beautiful places on Earth. They will encounter Alaska’s diverse culture and rich history aboard a sternwheeler and luxury domed rail car, and complete the adventure on a seven-night Holland America cruise through the Inside Passage. Along the way, they will explore Denali National Park, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and relive Alaska’s Gold Rush days in historic Skagway.

The public is invited to learn more about these unforgettable Travel Club tours by attending a preview presentation at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, in the George Rider Community Room at the First Community Main Bank at 1325 Harrison Street in Batesville. 

Space on all Travel Club tours is limited, so guests should come to this preview meeting prepared to secure their reservations by submitting tour deposits. 

Also, it may still be possible to join other monthly activities that remain on the Travel Club’s 2024 schedule of events, including:

·   “A Culinary Journey through New England,” June 15-21 – A culinary-related tour to include a lobster pulling cruise in Maine; Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and cheese-making in Vermont; oyster shucking in Rhode Island; and a colonial culinary program in Massachusetts.

· “Come from Away,” August 3, at Robinson Center in Little Rock – A Broadway musical that tells the remarkable true story of 9/11, when all commercial airlines were grounded, and 7,000 passengers who were suddenly stranded in a small town in Newfoundland.

· “Cooking, Culture & the Blues,” Sept. 11-13 – A hands-on class at the world famous Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, Mississippi, highlights this tour, which will also explore the cultural history and musical legacy of the Mississippi Deless than a.

· “Iceland’s Magical Northern Lights,” Oct. 24 – Nov. 2 – Travelers will visit the “land of fire and ice” to chase the aurora borealis on a starlit cruise; see explosive geothermal fields; walk on a black volcanic sand beach; and see a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs. 

·    “National Cold War Center,” Nov. 19 – This new museum under development at Blytheville, will relate the story of the “Cold War,” which saved the world during a time when everyone lived under the constant threat of nuclear annihilation.

·    “Christmas on the Danube,” Dec. 2-10 – Shop the charming Christmas markets of Austria and Germany during a wintertime cruise along the Danube River. Relax as you are transported to beloved riverside towns and experience local European holiday traditions. 

For additional information about the Travel Club and its tours, contact Chuck Jones, 870-612-3400, at First Community Bank, or email [email protected].

Membership in the Adventure First Travel Club requires a minimum of $10,000 in account relationships with First Community Bank, preferably in checking or savings “demand deposit” accounts.