A new survey by the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority finds gambling ranks seventh on a list of why people choose to come to the resort.

Easy parking topped the list, followed by the convenience of getting to Atlantic City, the ease of getting around within the city, dining options, hotel room availability, and the beach and Boardwalk.

Jeff Vasser, the authority's president, says the yearlong survey of more than 3,000 visitors shows that Atlantic City's efforts to transform itself into a destination resort where gambling is only one of the attractions are working.

"It validates the direction that Atlantic City is going," he said. "For some people, if you want to play a slot machine, there are options closer to home. Slot machines are not the compelling reason to come to Atlantic City anymore. It's the shopping, the dining, the entertainment -- the whole package."

The trend, which has been under way for the past several years, represents a big bet in the future of what has traditionally been aimed at day trippers who ride buses here, play the slots for a few hours and go back home.

Visitors to Atlantic City declined last year to 33 million from 34 million in 2006.

National parks to waive fees for public lands day

All National Park Service sites, including Yellowstone National, will offer free admission on Saturday, Sept. 27, in honor of National Public Lands Day.

National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. It's now the nation's "largest, hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance America's public lands," the Park Service says.

In celebration of National Public Lands Day, Yellowstone is looking for volunteers to help with trail work along the Wapiti Lake Trail in the Canyon area. Participants are asked to meet at the Wapiti Lake Picnic Area parking lot at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27, officials at the park said.

Free camping is available at the Norris Campground on the night of Sept. 26. To arrange for a camping waiver, call (307) 344-2052 before Sept. 24.

Other federal agencies not charging for admittance on National Public Lands Day include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service.

More information can be found at http://www.nps.gov.

Italian American museum gets new home

A museum dedicated to Italian Americans has reopened where it belongs -- in Little Italy.

The Italian American Museum originally opened in 2001 in midtown Manhattan, but it has just completed a move to 155 Mulberry St. at the corner of Grand Street.

The museum's mission is to explore the cultural heritage of Italian Americans and their European roots.

In the early 20th century, Little Italy was home to one of the largest Italian populations in the country. Today, the Italian community is very small, having been largely overrun by the expansion of Chinatown. But Mulberry Street's Italian restaurants and the annual Feast of San Gennaro (held this year through Sept. 21) continue to attract tourists.

The site of the museum was once the home of Banca Stabile, a now-defunct bank that provided vital services to the immigrant community. The museum's inaugural exhibition, on display through Nov. 23, is called "Banca Stabile: Cornerstone of Little Italy."

The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Fridays. Suggested donation is $5. Details at http://www.italianamericanmuseum.org.

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