Second Welsh trail honors Burton

LONDON » Want to walk in Richard Burton’s footsteps?

On Nov. 9 a new Richard Burton trail opened in the Taibach area of Port Talbot, the small Welsh town where Burton (born Richard Walter Jenkins in 1925) spent his childhood and teenage years.

Points of interest on the trail include his home, where he worked as a boy, where he spent his free time and where he went to school. It was at the school that his acting potential was recognized by teacher Phillip Burton, who became his mentor and guardian (and whose last name the actor took in 1943).

The trail is the second commemorating Burton. The first is a 3-mile interpretive trail in the tiny village of Pontrhydyfen near Port Talbot, where he was born. Among the highlights of that hiking and biking trail are his birthplace, the breathtaking Pontrhydyfen Aqueduct over the Afan River, and the chapel where his memorial service was held after his death in 1984. Borough council officials are conducting a contest among local residents to name the trails.

For more information on the trails, see www.visitnpt.co.uk/richardburton. For Wales travel information, go to visitwales.com.

Art museum resumes free entry

DALLAS » The Dallas Museum of Art says it will return to offering free general admission and, in addition, will launch a free membership program.

The museum announced Tuesday that the free general admission and free membership program will both begin Jan. 21.

The museum’s director, Maxwell L. Anderson, says, "We believe that by increasing access to the museum and by finding new ways to say ‘thank you,’ we can fundamentally change the role museums play in a global society."

With the membership program, members will get a card to track their participation. They’ll then earn credits to convert to rewards including access to special programs.

The museum, which had a free general admission policy up until 2001, will still charge for special exhibitions and some events.