June 2, 2002
In Georgia, the Andersonville prison and Jimmy Carter's hometown offer insights into dark and bright chapters of the South's history

In Georgia, the Andersonville prison and Jimmy Carter's hometown offer insights into dark and bright chapters of the South's history

Hotels offer a variety of summer deals

Starwood and Six Continents hotels are guaranteeing the lowest available online rates on their Web sites.

Dr. Seuss' hometown erects national memorial

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Not in a boat. Not in a tree. A child's city he drew. It was different you see.

If you go to Andersonville

Andersonville National Historic Site is 10 miles northeast of Americus, Ga., on Highway 49. The nearest airports are in Columbus (to the west), Macon and Atlanta (north).

Travel postcard

Jim Hudson took this picture of a pilgrim woman near the Ganges River in Varanasi, India.

May 26, 2002
Scilly as it sounds

You'd think the residents of a place called Scilly would be extra-serious just to make up for the, um, silly name.

Remote Kyrgyzstan offers pristine mountains

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyzstan's mountains that rise from the Central Asian steppes, mountains of soaring, heaving heights and mass, beg to be climbed. And this mountainous terrain that invites vertigo makes up more than 90 percent of this remote country at the roof of the world.

Go, but go wisely, says Rick Steves

This is the time of year when travel agents' phones ring off the hook with questions about airfares to Europe — and when the 20-odd titles in Rick Steves' popular "Europe Through the Back Door" guidebook series start rocketing off the shelves into potential travelers' hands.

Travel postcard

May 19, 2002
Rome to Milan

Via, not vicolo,Ó the good-natured taxi driver muttered. My girlfriend, Laura, had told him the hotel was on Vicolo Chiodaroli, not Via Chiodaroli, near Campo de Fiori, but apparently he had to discover it for himself.

May 12, 2002
Where the star-spangled banner waved

Though Fort McHenry would be in use for more than a century, its brief slice of fame lasted just 25 hours or so. Even then, a part-time poet was to give glory — and international recognition — not to the waterfront fort's thick, brick walls and courageous defenders, but to a wet flag that actually had been hauled down by McHenry's staff during the fort's only wartime action.

Upgrades in the friendly skies

I haven't spent much time in first class while flying, but on my next flight I might try some tips that I ran across recently from TRAVELSMART. It's a 10-step plan to get you where the seats are more comfy and the extras abundant:

Continental cruising: RV tour makes Europe convenient

FLORENCE, Italy — The view everyone loves from the Piazzale Michelangelo is of the sun's shimmering reflection in the Arno River in the day's waning light, the Duomo bulging majestically from the Florentine skyline.

Travel postcard

Wyn Engelhardt of Longmont shot this picture in Giverny, Normandie, about an hour outside of Paris. "This picture shows the famous pond which (artist Claude) Monet envisioned and had built to his specifications," Engelhardt writes. "It contains every variety of water lily known. ... The flower gardens around the home were annuals and perennials in abundance so Monet would always have flowers to paint."

May 5, 2002
U.S. rules for Cuba offer loopholes for 'licensed tours'

U.S. rules for Cuba offer loopholes for 'licensed tours'

A touching beauty

The man behind the wheel of the pirate taxi was tall, good-looking and nicely dressed — blue eyes, touch of gray at the temples, clean plaid shirt, slacks, windbreaker.

Travel Postcard

Lou Stammler of Boulder shot this "wildlife" photo at an unexpected place. Stammler writes: "One would guess a safari in Africa, but it was shot on a five-minute stop from a crowded jeep at Disney's Wild Animal Park in Orlando, Fla. And with a ... throwaway camera. Just goes to show you!"

Real-estate magnate's 'castle' at Lake Tahoe open for tours

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Long before today's jet set discovered Lake Tahoe, the strange doings at George Whittell's "Castle" were the stuff of legend.

April 28, 2002
Ciao, Italia. Hello, Florida

In the wake of the events of Sept. 11, we, like many Americans, decided to stay closer to home. So, at pretty much the last minute, we junked a meticulously planned vacation to northern Italy, got out our road maps and settled on Florida.

New Chef Tries to Spice Up Yosemite lodge

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Confectioners' sugar ices the valley rim. Fog hugs the pine-scented air, like steam from a sizzling meat platter. Half Dome's peak rises in the distance, a huge, half-eaten scoop of granite ice cream.

Two state parks offer quiet beauty

If you're headed south, but not as far as Florida, South Carolina's two Grand Strand state parks are oases of natural beauty.

Travel postcard

Dan Hunter of Boulder took this shot of two polar bears playing during a trip to Churchill, Manitoba in Canada in November.

Travel notes

Embattled Amtrak is banking on its high-speed Acela Express to carry it past its financial woes, at least in the Boston-New York-Washington corridor.

April 21, 2002
Want to see Alcatraz? Start with a reservation

Alcatraz is a nice place to visit, but you would not have wanted to live here.

How to get a workout on vacation

On hectic days at work, when I daydream about a vacation, I see myself lounging around by the water in some tropical locale, flipping through trashy gossip magazines and sipping Day-Glo drinks that sprout tiny umbrellas.

Mexico City is a feast of history for waking tourists

Mexico City is a feast of history for waking tourists

SUMMER VACATION PLANNER: ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... FAMILIES REGAIN APPETITE FOR TRAVEL

SUMMER VACATION PLANNER: ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... FAMILIES REGAIN APPETITE FOR TRAVEL

Aspen travel slogan aims to lure visitors in Dallas, Los Angeles

Aspen travel slogan aims to lure visitors in Dallas, Los Angeles

In spring, S.E. Missouri is heaven for hikers, paddlers, rockhounds

In spring, S.E. Missouri is heaven for hikers, paddlers, rockhounds

Travel postcard

Paul M. Prata of Boulder shot this photo of a Dani tribesman in the Wamena Valley, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, during a mock war.

April 14, 2002
Good wine and great golf, at an affordable price, in Northern California

Good wine and great golf, at an affordable price, in Northern California

Rental homes fill vacation needs

No matter where you go, a vacation villa awaits you. A fabulous market for rental homes has emerged to meet the needs of family reunions or getaways for couples.

Donner park memorializes ill-fated journey West

TRUCKEE — As you stand in a copse of pines and behold a giant rock — which once formed a cabin wall and partial fireplace chimney for some desperate men, women and children — the most ironic sound is a hum.

Travel postcard

Doreen Simpson of Erie shot this photo of Waimia Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii, which Mark Twain called it the Grand Canyon of the islands.

April 7, 2002
Hunting down ghost towns a passion for many in the West

Hunting down ghost towns a passion for many in the West

Elizabeth II marks 50 years as queen of England

Fifty places not normally open to the public will be included as Britain's great institutions join this year's grand observance of the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.

London's cathedrals, palaces sparkle

Polish the tiaras. Decorate shop windows with Union Jacks. Press Sunday suits and buy a new hat. Londoners are preparing for a party.

Road to Rainier

ELBE, Washington — Gary Johnson has done his best to attract attention to Knotty Wood, the chainsaw-art business he and his wife, Peggy, started five years ago after he lost his job as a logger.