Now you can stay at Prince's tropical island mansion in Turks and Caicos

Stay at Prince's tropical mansion

A Charlotte, N.C., family is offering stays at their two mansions in Turks and Caicos, including one formerly owned by Prince. The price of a night's stay? Between $12,000 and $36,000, depending on the season and whether you lease one or both mansions. Tom Barnes made headlines in 2019 when he bought Prince's former mansion on Providenciales, the third-largest island in Turks and Caicos, for $10.8 million. As a teen growing up poor, Barnes idolized Prince, he said. He preserved special features that marked Prince's time in the mansion, including the purple driveway, large dining room mirrors and various memorabilia. Barnes painted the tennis courts purple. Clients have mostly been entertainers. Celebrity chef Adrian Forte and a chef who cooked for Prince prepare your meals.

Charlotte Observer

Cruise lines opt in

The world's largest cruise companies said that they will voluntarily follow public health measures meant to reduce the risk of coronavirus outbreaks on ships operating in the United States. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian — representing more than a dozen brands among them — said that they would participate in the CDC's new voluntary program. Some cruise lines, including Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, also said they are relaxing mask requirements for vaccinated passengers. As part of the program, the CDC will continue to display a list of cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters and indicate whether they have reported coronavirus cases on board. The agency will also show whether a certain percentage of people on ships are vaccinated and whether most on board are up to date on their vaccines.

Washington Post

Favre art

If you are opening a fine art gallery in Green Bay, what better way to start than with a show connected to Brett Favre? Dg Clearing opened his namesake gallery this month with 23 paintings that were commissioned by the former quarterback. Commemorating Favre's (at the time) NFL-record 421 touchdown passes, the series consists of portraits of the receivers who caught each 50th pass, such as Robert Brooks at 50, Edgar Bennett at 100, Antonio Freeman at 150 and so on. Painter James Hartel, a University of Minnesota alumnus, has done commissions for the likes of Ariana Grande, Reggie White, Fleetwood Mac and others.

Green Bay Press-Gazette

Rehab the Alamo

The Alamo — once dubbed the worst tourist trap in Texas — is about to shed much of the schlock that greets visitors to the holiest of Lone Star shrines. The site of the famously doomed 1836 stand of a tiny band of Texans and Tejanos has long been crowded by garish storefronts and amusement outlets. But as part of an effort by state officials to "restore reverence and dignity" and "remove 21st-century distractions" from the streets around the old Spanish mission, Phillips Entertainment has agreed to remove Ripley's Haunted Adventure, a Guinness World Records Museum and Tomb Rider 3D Adventure Ride and Arcade. The buildings, to be vacated by the end of October, will house an Alamo museum.

Bloomberg News