The Practical Traveler

If you’re tired of fighting the traffic to the Cape, consider heading Down East instead–point your car north and go to Maine.

Head for Portland, a small but bustling city with a picture-perfect lighthouse, a well-preserved 19th-century downtown area, and an old-time railroad museum; or continue on to Boothbay Harbor, where you’re never more than a few minutes away from a succulent lobster dinner and a delicious view of the state’s jagged coastline.

Settled by the British in 1632 and originally part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Portland claimed attention as an important fishing and trading city during the 17th and 18th centuries. The city was completely rebuilt, however, after a devastating Fourth of July fire in 1866 wiped out many of the buildings downtown. As a result, Portland is home to a notable collection of Victorian-style architecture.

Old Port Exchange, between Commercial and Congress Street, offers a nice introduction to Portland’s history and ambiance. Originally the main shipping and commercial area, Old Port is now a mixture of boutiques, arts and crafts studios, cozy restaurants, bookstores, vintage-clothing shops, and galleries–a refreshing change from predictable mall and outlet stores.

If you’re hungry, stop at Java Joes (207-761-5637), a small bakery cafe with worn wood floors and a great window for people-watching on Exchange Street. Or consider nearby Walter’s Cafe (15 Exchange St. 207-871-9258) for seafood chowder or the Grilled Chicken YaYa (chicken with dried figs, Brazil nuts, and sweet red peppers). And if you’re thirsty, Gritty McDuff’s (207-772-2739) at 396 Fore St. can satisfy with a pint of freshly brewed ale.

Just south of Portland in Fort Williams Park is a lighthouse that you may have seen before–even if you’ve never been to Maine. “We’ve heard that Portland Head Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in America,” says Kathleen Rummler, museum assistant.

Commissioned by George Washington as our nation’s first lighthouse, Portland Head Lighthouse (207-799-2661) has been signaling to ships since 1791, although in recent years, computers have taken over for human lighthouse keepers. An adjacent lighthouse museum provides visitors with simultaneous time lines that delineate the history of the lighthouse, the City of Portland, and the United States. A six-foot-high 2nd order fresnel lens is also on display.

Because the lighthouse is still in active use, you can’t climb up to the top for a view. But for a bird’s-eye look at Portland, go to the Portland Observatory (138 Congress St. 207-772-5547), near the eastern promenade on a high section of Congress Street.

The large wooden “lighthouse” was built in 1807 to serve as a focal point for the town. Fifty signal flags informed townspeople of incoming ships hours before they docked. The tower’s catwalk, 221 feet above sea level, gives a 360-degree view of Portland, the Maine coast, and even the New Hampshire Ossipee mountains off to the west.

For a more earthbound experience, visit the Victoria Mansion (207-772-4841) at 109 Danforth Street. Built as a summer house for prosperous hotelier Ruggles Morse in the 1850′s, the mansion renders a fascinating glimpse into the Victorian Age. From stained glass windows depicting the state seals of Maine and Louisiana, to the flying staircase, almost every section of the mansion’s walls, ceilings, and floors are covered with rich ornamentation.

The Victoria mansion is not the only site in Portland that can take you back in time. Familiar to almost anyone who vacationed on Cape Cod, the narrow-gauge Edaville Railroad was recently returned to its home state after a 50-year sojourn in Massachusetts. The Edaville Railroad, a collection of restored Maine steam trains, had run on a South Carver, Mass., cranberry bog until 1992. Since then, the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum (58 Fore St. 207-828-0814) has secured most of the engines and cars from Edaville, along with other Maine two-foot gauge rolling stock.

Although no rides are offered yet, the museum is open to the public, and visitors can explore the public cars, climb aboard the engine, look into the firebox, and even ring the conductor’s bell. And if you’re lucky enough to be there when museum volunteer Pete Eastman is on duty, he’ll give you a personal tour and tell you about the Great Train Move, when the railroad cars were trucked from Massachusetts to Maine.

On to Boothbay
Boothbay Harbor lies about an hour north of Portland. As you drive northward on Route 1, look for the famous Wiscasset wrecks moored in the harbor outside their namesake town. Like the Portland Head Light, the wrecks appear in numerous paintings and photographs.

Approaching Boothbay on Route 27, you have one more chance to satisfy the railroad engineer in you. The BoothBay Railway Village (207-633-4727) features a functioning two-foot gauge steam train similar to the Edaville Railroad. Take a ride around a re-created early New England village consisting of 28 display buildings, including a 1847 Town Hall and the relocated 1911 Freeport Railroad Station.

In the town of Boothbay Harbor, walk through the small downtown area and browse in its charming collection of gift shops, old-fashioned candy stores, and arts-and-craft boutiques. Nibble on homemade fudge or taffy, and drop by Sherman’s Book and Stationary Store (Commercial St. 207-633-7262) to peruse shelves filled with everything from vacation supplies and practical jokes to Maine souvenirs, a large selection of books, and even lobster earrings.

After exploring the western side of town, take a walk on the wooden footbridge that crosses the harbor. Along the way, stop at the Footbridge Studio (207-633-0741) to examine handmade art, pottery, and gifts.
On the east side of the bay, head for Brud’s hot dogs (at the entrance to the footbridge), a Boothbay institution. Brud has been serving his hot dogs with his own “special sauce” for over 50 years. If you fancy lobster, walk down the road to the Boothbay Region Lobsterman’s Co-op (Atlantic Ave. 207-633-4900), an actual working lobster pound owned and operated by local fisherman. After watching fisherman unloading, weighing, culling, and sorting live Maine lobsters, choose your favorite feisty crustacean from one of several saltwater tanks, and a cook will steam it to order. Add chowder, steamed clams, corn on the cob, and a cold beer, and you’ll have the definitive Maine meal, along with a view of the harbor.

To learn even more about lobsters, sign on for one of the many boat trips or cruises that leave from the docks in the center of town. Some offer hands-on lobster trap hauling or fishing, while others give scenic shoreline, nature, and dinner cruises.

Portland and Boothbay Harbor offer an easy destination for a summer get-away weekend. Their change of pace will have you wonder why you don’t go “Down East” more often.

GETTING THERE: Drive up Route 95 to Portland. Take 295 to the Congress Street exit and follow signs to Old Port.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
There are several nice hotels in downtown Portland. The Portland Regency Hotel (207-774-4200) conveniently located in the center of Old Port, is an armory that has been converted into a historical hotel. Less expensive but still convenient hotels can also be found in South Portland, including the Day’s Inn (207-772-3450).

Boothbay Harbor offers a nice selection of Bed and Breakfasts and small hotels. Consider the Ocean Gate hotel (207-633-3321) on nearby Southport Island, or the Welch House B&B (207-633-3431), atop McKown Hill overlooking Boothbay.

INFORMATION:
For more information, including a free visitors’ guide, contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland (207-772-5800).

As a vacation destination, Kansas City isn’t on most people’s wanna-go list. Their loss. Kansas City is an eclectic mix of western spirit and European classical: Barbecue, blues, and country line dancing thrive in a city that boasts nearly as many public fountains as Rome and more wide boulevards than Paris.
Unable to contain itself, Kansas City overflows into two states: The main downtown area (along with two-thirds of the city’s residents) is in Missouri, while the rest is in Kansas. Explored by Lewis and Clark in 1804 and settled by traders, Kansas City was a jumping-off point for travelers on the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon trails.

Having started as a trading post, it’s only natural that Kansas City is home to the nation’s oldest–and perhaps most European–shopping center. Country Club Plaza, a 14-block shopping area with 180 shops and restaurants, is modeled after Seville, Spain, with red tile roofs, pastel-painted buildings, fountains, and wide, tree-lined boulevards.

The Plaza is just a few blocks from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where you’ll find yourself in the middle of a giant badminton game. “Shuttlecocks,” by Claus Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, features four massive badminton shuttlecocks, or birdies, with orange nosepieces and white feathers, resting on the museum’s wide lawns. Regain your sense of perspective inside the museum, which houses a collection of paintings by native son Thomas Hart Benton and a garden of sculpture by Henry Moore–the largest collection of the sculptor’s monumental bronzes outside of England.

House of Cards
Most malls sell greeting cards, but at the Crown Center complex in downtown Kansas City, you can see them being made. The complex is home of Hallmark Cards as well as dozens of stores, restaurants, condominiums, theaters, and even an ice-skating rink.

The Hallmark visitor center in Crown Center displays original greeting-card artwork by Winston Churchill, Norman Rockwell, and Grandma Moses, as well as a collection of presidential Christmas cards. A free, self-guided tour includes the opportunity to create your own bow and watch a press printing greeting cards. Kaleidoscope, next to the Hallmark Visitor’s Center, provides children with leftover items from Hallmark manufacturing processes to construct their own creative art projects.

While you’re downtown, visit City Market on the north side of Kansas City, near the Missouri River. Since 1888, farmers and merchants have set up shop in City Market, selling everything from apples to antiques. And don’t miss Planter’s, a charming farm store that carries, among other things, 22 varieties of tomato seeds, dozens of spices, more hard candy than most candy stores, and an entire wall of tulip bulbs.
A block away is the Arabia Steamboat Museum. It’s hard to imagine that a museum of steamboat cargo would be interesting, but this one is fascinating. Sunk by a stray tree trunk in the Missouri River in 1856, the Arabia and its 200 tons of mostly brand-new cargo were thought to be lost forever. But a few years ago, the boat was located 45 feet under a farmer’s field a half-mile from the shifting Missouri river. The museum displays the Arabia’s well-preserved cargo, including 4,000 leather boots and shoes, 2,000 pieces of china, doorknobs, medicines, and thousands of porcelain buttons.

Get your land-legs back by playing a round of golf. Swope Park, the nation’s second-largest urban park, may be the only place where you can play a game of golf (on one of two courses), catch a Broadway-style play under the stars, go to the zoo, take a swim, and follow a guided nature trail–all in one place. Swope’s 1,769 acres offer an impressive variety of activities, including the Starlight Theatre, a 8,000-seat outdoor amphitheater used for concerts and plays.

Have a Cow, Man
Kansas City is the place to be hungry. While there are plenty of fine resturants, some of the best food found at neighborhood barbecues. But remember, when you pick a barbecue restaurant, you’re not just having dinner. You’re taking sides.

If you side with author Calvin Trillin or President Carter, you’ll eat at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque at 18th and Brooklyn. Inside you’re greeted with a straightforward selection of barbecued meats: mountains of sliced beef, ham, pork, or turkey piled on pure white bread with all the sauce you can eat.

If you want to follow in President Clinton’s steps, head to Gates & Sons Bar-B-Q. As soon as you hit the parking lot, you’ll know why it was voted best in Kansas City by a local newspaper: Pungent clouds of sweet hickory-flavored smoke waft through the air and make your mouth water. Eat your barbeque on traditional white bread or a roll, along with fries and a strawberry soda, and you’ll be in hickory heaven. For those with commander-in-chief hunger, Gates offers the Presidential Platter for $42.

If you happen to be in town on the first Saturday in October, take your appetite to the world’s largest barbecue contest, the American Royal Barbecue. With contestants culled from major cooking contests worldwide, the winner must excel in barbecuing six categories of meat, beating out more than 200 competing teams. The American Royal started in 1899 when cattle breeders erected a tent in the stockyards and started grilling.

While barbecue is king, don’t forget the beef that made Kansas City famous. A hometown favorite since it opened in 1949, the Golden Ox restaurant, at the site of the former stockyards, is the place to go for a steak that is so succulent, so flavorful, that it could almost convert a vegetarian. The Golden Ox isn’t fancy–the wagon wheel ceiling lights and cowboy and western motif are decidedly Sizzler-like–but it delivers: the Kansas City Strip and the Prime Rib were without doubt the best my companion and I had ever eaten. If you’re looking for a more refined decor, try Benton’s, atop the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where the steak is as impressive as the view of downtown Kansas City.

Still hungry? There’s more. Lamar’s Donuts, a Kansas City institution located in a converted gas station at 240 Linwood, sells donuts that have to be tasted to be believed. Arrive early and ask for a warm glazed donut from the back, and you’ll be tempted to order a dozen and eat them right there.
If your dog likes donuts–or maybe a great-danish or pup-tarts–stop by KC-K9 in Westport. Unless you’re tipped off by Sarah, Dottie, or Gracie (the three dogs that greet patrons), you’ll think the cakes (yes, even birthday cakes!), cookies and treats in the display cases are for people, rather than pups.

Harry’s House
A trip to the Kansas City area would be incomplete without a visit to the home and library of Harry S Truman in nearby Independence, Missouri, 15 miles east of downtown Kansas City. For a look at the 33rd President’s private life, tour Harry and Bess Truman’s house, where everything is exactly as it was when Bess died in 1982. See Truman’s trademark hat and cane hanging behind the stairs and his 1972 Chrysler parked in the garage. Tours are offered every 15 minutes. Pick up tickets and view a short slide show at the Visitors Center first.

The nearby Truman Library chronicles Truman’s presidency. On display is a replica of the Oval Office as it looked when Truman was president. Truman’s recorded voice welcomes you to the Oval Office and describes the contents of the room and library.

If crime interests you more than politics, stop at the Jesse James Bank Museum in the nearby town of Liberty, Missouri. Built in 1858, the bank is the sight of the world’s first daylight peacetime bank robbery. Wander through the museum, which contains the original 1858 vault and safe, along with Civil War and Jesse James memorabilia, or go to the James Farm near Kearney, Missouri, for a look at Jesse’s home and gravesite. James, one of the most famous outlaws of the American West, lived on the farm until 1882 when he was shot by a rival gang member for a reward.

After dark
When the sun goes down in Kansas City, the saxophones come out. Go to the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill, a cozy neighborhood place, for some great jazz and blues. Exposed brick, neon signs, and ceiling fans create an intimate atmosphere, and the rubbing of Charlie Parker’s gravestone on the wall reminds you that the great saxophonist got his start in Kansas City.

Across town, the trendy Westport area beats as the heart of Kansas City’s nightlife with jazz and blues clubs, bars, comedy shows, and an avant garde cinema. And the dozens of specialty shops, art galleries, and bookstores are a browser’s paradise.

Thirsty? Stop by Kelly’s Westport Inn for a cold one and a taste of history. This unpolished but very comfortable saloon is housed in the oldest building in Kansas City. Built in 1837, the building was once a grocery store run by Albert Boone, grandson of Daniel Boone. It was designated a national historic landmark in 1959.

While many pioneers and cowboys passed through Westport on their way west, a few have remained to two-step at the Beaumont Club, right up the road from Kelly’s. An impressive county dance bar, with saddle-stools and plenty of space to kick up your boots, the Beaumont Club is a perfect place to savor the spirit of Kansas City and the West.

IF YOU GO
ACCOMMODATIONS:
There are a number of nice hotels in downtown Kansas City. The Hyatt Regency Crown Center (800-233-1234), conveniently located in Hallmark’s Crown Center Complex, provides both a central location for sightseeing and covered access to the Complex’s shops, restaurants, and theaters. South of downtown, but convenient to both Country Club Plaza and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, the Raphael hotel (816-756-3800) offers a flavor of Europe, while the Ritz-Carlton, (816-756-1500) directly across the street, offers luxurious accommodations.

GETTING AROUND:
Catch the Kansas City Trolley (816-221-3399) for easy access to main attractions and a running narrative of important sites. A four dollar ticket allows you to get on and off at its fourteen stops as you wish. The Trolley runs from March through December.

INFORMATION:
For more information, including a free visitors’ guide, contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City (800-767-7700).

If you haven’t heard of Dollywood, you’re not alone. Most people outside of the Southern United States might think that you’re joking when you tell them that you’re going to a theme park based on Dolly Parton and the nearby Great Smoky Mountains. But we weren’t: My wife and I wanted to see what draws 2 million visitors annually.

We expected a kitschy country attraction without the panache of Busch Gardens or the excitement of Disney World. What we found was a family-oriented destination that succeeds because it combines all the rides and attractions you expect with genuine Smoky Mountain crafts and traditions, along with a friendliness that’s hard to find outside the South. Dollywood weaves the crafts and ways of the rural Smoky Mountains throughout the park and leaves you with a good understanding of the beauty and ruggedness of mountain life.

Located at the eastern-most edge of Tennessee (about an hour east of Knoxville), Dollywood and the nearby towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinberg serve as the gateways to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Covering over half a million acres, the park’s misty evergreen-covered mountains are filled with valleys and hollows. Home to hundreds of black bears and starting point for the Blue Ridge highway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers many ways to experience the beauty of eastern Tennessee.

Dollywood:
Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, Dolly Parton’s hometown. Wandering through the park’s seven themed areas, you’ll find that it’s a modern amusement park with some unique twists. Sure, it has all the standard high-energy attractions, like roller coasters, water rides, and a special ride called the Mountain Slidewinder, a free-flow flume that Amusement Business magazine rated as the best non-roller coaster ride in the world.
But it also has Dolly, and whether you like her music or not, it’s hard not to be intrigued by her rags-to-riches biography. The park’s Dolly Parton Story museum tells the story of Dolly’s rise to fame and displays everything from family mementos to recording and movie memorabilia to a variety of Dolly’s button-busting outfits. And the Tennessee Mountain Home is an exact replica of Dolly’s original two-room family house, which is located in nearby Locust Ridge. Furnished with original furniture, it’s hard to imagine the 12 Parton children growing up in such a small place. Then, Dolly’s musical history is portrayed in “Heartsong,” a multi-sensory theater presentation narrated by Dolly and woven together with her songs. Although neither my wife nor I are big Dolly Parton fans, we did find these attractions interesting.

But Dollywood isn’t just Dolly–it’s the world she grew up in. One of the best sections of the park is Craftsmen’s Valley, where genuine Smoky Mountain craftsmen and women ply their skills. Watch glass being blown, blacksmiths smithing horse shoes, knives being forged from red-hot steel, or lye soap being made. These craftspeople are real and create an air of authenticity that isn’t found in other theme parks. We watched grandmotherly tobacco-chewing Della Hurst (a former babysitter of Dolly and her siblings) boiling a batch of lye soap in a steel kettle over an open wood fire. She insistently rubbed our hands with fresh soap to show us how easily it lathered.

The nearby Village section is a turn-of-the century theme area with a magic show, carousel, and a great train ride. The Dollywood Express, an authentic 105-ton steam locomotive, burns two tons of coal and 1,000 gallons of water per day. The five-mile train ride takes visitors through the lush green Smoky Mountains, past honeysuckles, and along ravines. The open cars not only give you a good view of the scenery, but they also leave you with a dusting of coal–real steam locomotives (like number 122) belch both steam and a light coating of coal dust that periodically falls into the passenger cars. It’s easy to shake the dust off, but be careful to shake, not brush!

Throughout the park you’ll find a variety of live music shows, including Dolly’s Mountain Music, which features a number of Dolly’s relatives playing music that influenced Dolly’s youth. You’ll also find a fabulous assortment of southern-style foods: try the home-cooked ham ‘n’ beans ‘n’ greens at Granny Ogle’s, or the pork barbecue (rate best barbecue by Amusement Business magazine) at the Hickory House. We binged on the incredibly delicious freshly made cinnamon bread at the Grist Mill: it’s soft, sticky, and loaded with cinnamon-sugar.

Dollywood seems to excel at entertaining children. Besides the interesting (and educational) demonstrations of crafts such as knife making, there is a whole Country Fair section that is perfect for smaller children. With attractions such as face painting, a ferris wheel, and large swing-set ride, kids are entertained for hours. Since a majority of the children in the park seemed to be concentrated in this section, it left the rest of the park to couples and adults, making it a nice change from some large, children-overrun parks.

One of the nice things about Dollywood is that you don’t have anything to lose. Dollywood guarantees all goods and services to visitor’s total satisfaction: If you’re dissatisfied in any way, Dollywood will gladly refund your money. We were impressed not only that Dollywood has this policy, but feels confident enough to prominently display it in a variety of places. In part, it’s a reflection of the attention to hospitality that you find throughout the both the park and South. However, we found that too much hospitality can get on your nerves: While waiting for lunch, we found that the cashier’s and cook’s hospitality slowed down a long lunch line to a crawl. The slowness of southern service can be very taxing on an empty stomach.

We wouldn’t want to vacation at Dollywood every year, but it’s a great place to visit for a few days.
Pigeon Forge

You can’t visit Dollywood without at least passing through Pigeon Forge, a strip-mall town low on charming vistas and high on miniature golf, go carts, water parks, bungee-jumping, and outlet shopping. A cross between the attractions of Coney Island and the outlets and activities of Orlando, Pigeon Forge is the perfect place for teenagers. Most attractions are located directly on the main street, and there’s a 25-cent trolley that makes getting around easy.

Here are some of Pigeon Forge points of interest:
• If you’re brave enough, put on a flight suit and helmet and try the indoor sky diving at Flyaway, the nation’s only indoor skydiving simulator. Float up and down on the strong blast of air from an engine mounted below a protective screen.
• Ogle’s Water Park features Hydro-chute, a four story enclosed water chute.
• Lazerport offers the largest laser tag playing area in the U.S.
• Carbo’s Police Museum displays a curious collection of police memorabilia, much of it devoted to Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, who is featured in the “Walking Tall” movies.
• Pigeon Forge is also home to over 200 factory outlet shops, from Eddie Bauer to Royal Doulton to Black & Decker.
• Area restaurants aren’t particular spectacular, although the Cornflower Restaurant, located in an old mill, serves true southern-style meals such as Pan-Fried Catfish and Cornpuppies.
• For a breakfast (or snack) treat, try the Krispy Kreme doughnuts shop. Hard to miss with its gleaming stainless steel exterior, Krispy Kreme serves hot glazed doughnuts from a never-ending conveyor belt running under a waterfall of icing. One taste and you’ll see why they offer a 24-doughnut special!
• For after-dinner entertainment there’s the Music Mansion theater on the edge of town. A musical variety show that runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Music Mansion’s show is an interesting tour through the south. Showcasing a mixture of music, such as: 50′s doo-wap, big band, contemporary country, Gospel, and patriotic, this show plays to southern interests, with a higher percentage of inspirational and patriotic songs than you might find in other parts of the U.S. The show is entertaining, although we expected more country music.

Smoky Mountains
Fifteen minutes east of Pigeon Forge, through Gatlinburg, is an entrance-way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the highest mountains east of the Rockies. Over 8 million people per year visit the Smokies, but the park is big enough to handle them all. Spread over half a million acres, the park offers a range of environments: from the 6,000-foot view at the top of Clingmans Dome, to the broad expanse and historical homesteads of Cades Cove. But everywhere you look, you’ll see that the Smokies really are smoky: a bluish mist clings to the trees and fills the valleys, especially in the morning and evening.

Just down the road from the park entrance is the Sugerlands Visitors Center, with plenty of information, maps, and displays. Pick up one of the handy pocket guides to walks and hikes or auto touring and then head out to explore. We drove up the main road to Clingmans Dome, so we could finally be “on top of old Smoky.” Twisting and turning, the road winds through a series of shutter-clicking vistas until you reach a broad parking lot near the top. Walk up the short but steep trail to a winding ramp that gently lifts you above the tree line until you reach an open observation deck with its 360-degree view of Tennessee and North Carolina.

For a more down-to-earth view of the Smokies, visit Cades Cove in the western section of the park. From 1850 through 1950 approximately 150 families inhabited the land in this six-mile long valley. Isolated but not shut off, these settlers forged a life for themselves in this remote area of the Smokies. Their legacy is a collection of wooden houses, churches, mills, and cabins that travelers can visit today for a taste of frontier life. Run your hands through the ice cold water flowing from Elijah Oliver’s spring house, or run your fingers over the mud chinking between the logs in his main house. The 11-mile one-way road around the floor of Cades Cove offers 15 stops where visitors can get a real feel for early mountain living. And if you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a family of black bear lazing under a shady tree.

Gatlinburg
On your way back from the Smoky Mountains, stop in Gatlinburg, a cute town that mixes touristy attractions like Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum with Bavarian architecture and a Bavarian motif. Loaded with gift stores, restaurants, and cafes, Gatlinburg is a pleasant place to stroll after the sun goes down. Catch a local band at Ruby Tuesday’s, or have ice cream or coffee on a stone terrace overlooking the Little Pigeon River.

For a better view, take the Sky Lift (a two-person ski lift located in the center of town) to the top of nearby Crockett Mountain. Going up you’ll have a good view of the town, and while you’re at the small snack/gift area at the top you can watch the sun go down on the Smokies and dusk settles on Gatlinberg.
Ronnie Milsap’s Keyboard Cafe offers plenty of toe-tapping country-music action. This brand new restaurant has a large dance floor to keep the action moving. Have dinner or a snack on the balcony overlooking Gatlinberg’s main street. Ronnie Milsap’s is place to kick back, kick it up, and have some country fun.

IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE:
Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are approximately one hour east of Knoxville, Tenn., on Interstate 40. For those not flying, Pigeon Forge is within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population.

DOLLYWOOD:
Dollywood is located at 1020 Dollywood Lane, Pigeon Forge, TN (615) 428-9488.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
There are many moderately priced hotels in Pigeon Forge, including: Best Western Plaza Inn (800-232-5656), The Mountain Trace Inn (800-453-6785), and Eagles Ridge Resort (800-807-4343). Most hotels are fairly new and many offer in-room hot tubs and fireplaces.

Located between Pigeon Forge and the National Park are many bed and breakfasts and overnight cabin rental options. Consider Hilton’s Bluff Inn (800-441-4188) or Little Creek Cabins (800-553-0496), or contact the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism for additional information.

INFORMATION:
For more information, including a free visitors’ guide, contact the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism (800-251-9100), at P.O. Box 1390-G, Pigeon Forge, TN 37868-1390.

Beyond fresh pineapples, luaus, and dormant volcanos, the Hawaiian island of Maui offers the chance to experience something else exotic: swimming pools. Not just ordinary suburban rectangles of water, but parks of multi-level, cascading, sliding, and falling water more at home on the set of an action movie than at the local Hilton.

The options are many: Ride a “water-elevator” to the top of a cliff and descend via slide; slip down a 150-foot “lava tube” and be deposited beneath a genuine rope bridge straight out an Indiana Jones movie; or use a Tarzan-like rope to swing-out-over-the-clear-blue-water-and-

Drop!

Or take it easy, sitting in a thickly cushioned chaise lounge overlooking the warm Pacific while an attendant spritzes you with cool water and brings freshly squeezed lemonade or a pina colada, a preferred local drink. Either way, you’ll find that Maui offers some of the best island pool places to escape the stress of everyday continental life.

Most of Maui’s unique swimming pools are found in one of two main resort areas: Wailea, in the southwestern side; and Kaanapali, along the northwestern side. Wailea boasts a string of hotels and condominiums developed in the past 15 years, while Kaanapali is larger, more commercialized, and older–dating back to the late 1960s. Since it’s newer, Wailea is more planned, quieter, and opulent with grand hotels and manicured walking paths. But Kaanapali refuses to be outdone: Several hotels are renovating, and the Sheraton, neighbor to Maui’s “black rock” snorkeling haven, will reopen in two years with a complete face-lift and a new pool.

While Maui’s beaches and scenery are truly incredible, many vacationers end up spending their days by the hotel’s pool. And it’s not because they’re lazy: with plenty of both water activities and relaxation comforts, the pool is the perfect “home base” for a Hawaiian vacation–especially since most hotel pools are located just yards from the beach.

To help you pick the hotel with the perfect pool for you, here’s a rundown of some of the major pools on Maui.

Wailea:
The Grand Wailea Resort and Spa
If your idea of paradise is looking out over the blue waters of the Pacific from a poolside-cabana while being massaged by a professional masseuse and sipping a cool tropical beverage, the Maui Grand Wailea Resort is for you.

Opened in 1991, the Grand Wailea offers elaborate water activities and elegant ways to relax. Start at the luxurious adults-only pool, with its two Jacuzzis and spacious view of a sugar-white sand beach. Rent a crisp white canvas cabana ($40/day, reservations suggested) with two lounge chairs for the day, or simply enjoy a lounge chair al-fresco or a nearby hammock strung between palms. Even more impressive than the view is the extensive poolside service: Attendants regularly refill glasses with ice-water; waitresses deliver food and drink; masseurs are available to rub your stresses away; and a brigade of attendants offer to spritz your tanning body with cool water just when you need it.

Once you’re tanned and rested, try out the Grand Wailea’s 2,000-foot-long “riverpool,” with its slides, caves, rapids, and rope swings. Grab ahold of the Tarzan rope, swallow your fear, swing out into the air and plunge into the water. Swim over to the whitewater area and be swept away by a rushing stream that snakes through the pool area. Follow it to the end and take the world’s only water elevator to a teeth-clenching high-speed water slide and begin your descent again.

To submerge yourself completely, make your way over to the scuba pool, a deep-water pool where guests can take a complimentary scuba diving lesson in a safe, non-threatening environment. Other pool features include a swim-up bar, a 225-foot corkscrew slide, and a children’s swimming pool complete with a sandy beach. And if you can’t quite leave your work behind, laptop computers are available for rent from the pool shop–but wouldn’t you rather have a massage?

With its luxury prices, the Grand Wailea’s swimming pools and water features don’t come cheap, but the hotel’s opulence makes a lasting impression.

Kaanapali
The Westin:
Break out a map and a wildlife guidebook if you’re going to the Westin Maui’s pool. Swimmers make their way past Chilean Flamingoes, African Crown Cranes, Australian Black Swans, and 20 other species of birds en route to the pools. This unusual and extensive collection of exotic birds and over 700 fish are cared for by a full-time wildlife manager who is happy to tell you about his feathered and scaled friends.
But the Westin has more than just birds and fish. The resort’s focal point is the 55,000-square-foot multi-level pools, with two waterslides, a swim-through grotto, twenty-foot waterfalls, whirlpools, and hammocks overlooking the Pacific. Over 550 ultra-cushiony chaise lounges surround the pools on all levels, so you can pick your own private part of paradise, either in the sun or the shade. And if you get thirsty in paradise, simply reach behind your head and pull up the chaise’s attached flag to signal a waitperson that you’re ready for a mai-tai, iced tea, or a platter of nachos.

To help you burn off the pina colada’s you’re bound to drink while lounging in the sun, pickup water volleyball and basketball games are offered, along with daily aquacize classes. Other features include an adults-only pool, scuba diving lessons, a small herb garden, Cook’s at the Beach restaurant right next to the pool, a cold-water whirlpool in a hidden grotto, and a warm-water whirlpool that overlooks the ocean and is a perfect place to be at sunset.

If you like peace and quiet, however, the Westin can be a little noisy: the public and pool areas are fairly busy, and the constant din of the hotel waterfalls drown out the relaxing sounds of the ocean. But in exchange for quiet, the Westin offers one of the best pools on Maui, along with excellent service.

The Hyatt:
Not only can you shoot down through the enclosed darkness of a 150-foot lava tube water slide and negotiate a swinging rope bridge at the Maui Hyatt, but you can borrow a recent bestseller from the poolside lending library and pull on a pair of complimentary radio headphones to use while you relax by the pool.
Not as extensive as the Westin, or as quiet as the Inter-Continental, the Hyatt’s two pools offer a nice combination of activities and relaxation. A grotto area screened by two waterfalls connects the pools and shelters a sunken bar and the Honeymooners’ Hideaway, a secret underwater cave with an open hollow area and a small ledge to sit on. Beyond the Grotto Bar is the Napali pool and its unusual enclosed lava tube waterslide. Additional features include complimentary table games, water volleyball, aquacize classes, snorkeling and scuba lessons, and a massage and exercise room next to the pool area.

The disadvantage of the Hyatt is that it doesn’t have quite enough room for all its lounge chairs. So if you like your own private space when tanning, the Hyatt may not be the best place for you. It does offer a great view of the ocean, nice hammocks, well-landscaped grounds, and a real family atmosphere.

IF YOU GO
ACCOMMODATIONS:
In Wailea:
Maui Inter-Continental Resort (800) 367-2960, 3700 Wailea Ave, Kihea, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii 96753
The Grand Wailea Resort (808) 875-1234, 3850 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea, Maui, HI 96753

In Kaanapali:
The Westin Maui (808) 667-2525, 2365 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina, HI 96761
The Hyatt Regency Maui (808) 661-1234, 200 Nohea Kai Drive, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761

WHEN TO GO:
Travel books on Hawaii say to go anytime, and they mean it. Although the fall and winter months are the rainiest, most of the rain occurs away from the western coasts, where Wailea and Kaanapali are located. Temperatures throughout the winter vary between the 60s at night and low-80s during day, while in summer they vary from the 70s to the mid-80s.

INFORMATION:
For more information, including a free visitors’ guide, contact the Hawaii Visitors Bureau (808-923-1811), at Waikiki Business Plaza, 2270 Kalakau Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii 96815.

SAFETY:
Hawaii feels so safe that you might be tempted to let down your guard. Be warned, though, that theft from cars, beach blankets, and hotel rooms is not uncommon. Take advantage of the hotel safe, and don’t leave valuables in your car.

On a sunny day, San Francisco steals your heart and refuses to let go. But after several days of the Golden Gate city’s notorious drizzle and fog, you long for blue skies, sunshine, and warm breezes. What you need is a picnic. Not just any picnic, but a butterflies-in-the-air picnic with fluffy clouds overhead and sun so bright you need a straw hat to shield your eyes.

We went in search of that perfect picnic.

Our destination? Sonoma County, reputed to be the home of some of the country’s most picturesque picnic spots.

Gathering Supplies
By the time we arrived in sunny Sonoma, San Francisco was just a foggy memory. The soft, earthy fragrance of the Eucalyptus trees relaxed us, and the cows on faraway hills provided a perfect backdrop for our quest: to gather the perfect picnic of the best food and wine Sonoma had to offer.

Sonoma Valley lies 45 miles north of San Francisco and just west of Napa, its more famous wine-producing sister. The smaller and more intimate Sonoma is acknowledged as the birthplace of the California wine industry: The first European varietals were planted there in 1857.

Our first stop was The Cherry Tree on Route 121, a perfect place to prep our picnic palate with sips of ice-cold Black Bing Cherry Juice. Sweet and tangy, the juice was a taste of summer without the pits. The store also sold a variety of picnic-suitable foods; we selected a bottle of green olives stuffed with almonds, and then continued on.

We drove past fresh green fields with herds of sheep, past a sign for homemade beef jerky, past a family of goats sunning themselves on a hill, straight to the plaza in the center of Sonoma.
Sonoma Plaza is more than just a great place to gather picnic supplies. It’s a treat for history buffs and shoppers. General M.G. Vallejo laid out Sonoma Plaza in 1835, when Mexico still owned California. City Hall, in the center, is familiar to TV viewers as the Tuscany County Courthouse on “Falcon Crest.”

The Plaza contains a number of historical sites, including the 1835 Sonoma Barracks, used by General Vallejo, and the Bear Flag Monument, which honors the small group of American horsemen who rode into the plaza in 1846, rose a flag with the likeness of the bear that now graces the California flag, and proclaimed Sonoma “The California Republic.”

The Plaza offers a wide selection of stores, restaurants, and cafes. We started off at the Sonoma Cheese Factory, home of Sonoma Jack cheese.

Creamy, mild Sonoma Jack comes plain or blended with onion, caraway seeds, jalapeno peppers, pesto, garlic, or the eye-watering, sinus-stinging habanero peppers–and there are ample samples of each. (If you’re there on the right day, you can watch cheese being made right on the premises.) We flirted with the fiery habanero–one of the most potent of chile peppers–but settled down with the pesto and the jalapeno Jack.

The Sonoma Cheese Factory sold plenty of other picnic supplies as well: local mustards, jams, chutneys, vinegar, beer, wine, plastic wine glasses, homemade desserts and salads, cheese cutting boards, and, on the day we visited, 16 kinds of sausage. We purchased a picnic basket, a roll of sweet sausage and wheat crackers.

Back at Sonoma Plaza, we continued shopping and bought our picnic bread at the Basque Boulangerie Cafe on First Street. We couldn’t decide between sourdough and sweet bread, so we bought both. The cafe also serves sandwiches, soups, salads and other lunch specials both to stay and to go.

Our next stop was The Chocolate Cow, located toward the end of a courtyard off First Street. The store is a tribute to Uddered Ones, boasting everything from black and white and pink uddered tables to a full supply of cowamobilia and copies of Cowsmopolitan magazine.

We forgot all about cows after one nibble of chocolate. Steve Pond, the chocolate master, told us his goodies are made with the irresistable Belgium chocolate, Callebaut. “I could dip broccoli in this stuff and sell it,” he boasted. He resists this temptation and instead dips lots of other edibles in it. We tried the chocolate-dipped graham crackers and declared ourselves addicted.

Before we left, Pond invited us to return later in the day for happy hour and two-for-one ice cream cones. How could we resist?

Not content with just one dessert, we bought macaroons at the Sonoma French Bakery on First Street. Naturally, we were nibbling before we left the shop; they were light, sweet, and cakey with just the right amount of chewiness. The perfect picnic dessert.

We had nearly filled our picnic basket when we remembered one vital ingredient–mustard! How could we when mustard grows everywhere–in fields, between rows of grape vines, even along the sides of the roads.
We asked several Sonomaites about the mustard in the fields and heard a wide variety of stories. The lady at the visitor’s booth told us that mustard in a vineyard brings good luck. A winery worker said mustard adds nitrogen to the soil. A wine-tender at a tasting bar said mustard weed is like a snowy winter in New England: You can’t stop it, so you might as well just accept it.

We found our mustard of choice in an unexpected place: The Smothers Brothers winery on Highway 12 in Kenwood. No kidding. We stopped at the winery mainly for curiosity–you just never know when Tom or Dick might be pouring samples. We weren’t overly impressed with the wine, but the condiments were another story. One taste of the chardonnay jalapeno mustard–”Mom’s Favorite”–and we were hooked. Several more tastes, and we had our wallets out to buy a jar of our own. Alas, we didn’t see Tom or Dick, but at least we found an exceptional mustard.

Choosing a Wine
Now it was time to make the most important choice of all: Wine. We’re no wine experts, but we know what we like. Would we find it in Sonoma?

Fanning out in all directions from Sonoma Plaza, 35 wineries dot the landscape between the Macyacamas Mountains on the east of the valley and Sonoma Mountain on the west. It’s hard to drive in any direction without discovering a winery. Most are open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and typically pour four to six free tastes.

We visited a half-dozen or so wineries and sampled wines at each. We bought several bottles, but our picnic wine came from the Kenwood Winery on Highway 12.

We loved the Chardonnay Reserve. “California state law requires that you have that with salmon,” David, the man pouring the tastes, wryly told us. We were all set to buy two bottles until we tasted the Jack London Zinfandel. Its bold taste captivated us. “It’s flinty from volcanic ash in the soil in which the grapes grow,” David said. We were sold.

Besides wine, Kenwood had one of the many cats we saw at Sonoma wineries. According to David, the Kenwood cat lying on a stack of boxes by a window was the “vice president in charge of rodent control.” We were dubious. All the cats we saw in Sonoma were big, fat, and sleeping. At the Benziger winery a large gray cat slept snuggled among sweatshirts for sale on a table. From the looks of it, Sonoma mice must be slow and plentiful or someone smuggles Fancy Feast into Rodent Control Headquarters.

Location, Location, Location
In Sonoma valley, there are so many great places to picnic that choosing just one is tough. With a hamper full of picnic supplies, we began our search.

If we’d been short on time–or unable to keep our hands out of the picnic hamper–we could have had our picnic right in the center of the plaza with its pretty, shady park with a playground, jungle gyms for the kids and plenty of people-watching.

For a more novel picnic spot, we explored Jack London State Park in the small town of Glen Ellen just northwest of Sonoma. It was in this picturesque 800 acres of the Sonoma Valley that “Call of the Wild” author Jack London settled in 1909. With his wife Charmian, London built a mansion, Wolf House, that burned down mysteriously days before they were to move in. But the beauty of Sonoma had captured Jack London, and he lived there until his death in 1916.

The park contains a number of areas suitable for picnicking and exploring. In addition to the stone remains of Wolf House, visitors can tour Charmian London’s house and examine relics of the London’s life, or simply stroll the grounds.

Eucalyptus trees shading a small stretch of grass near London’s “Sherry Barn” provided a perfect setting for our picnic, until we examined a nearby sign alerting us of the possibility of rattlesnakes: “They will not attack, but if disturbed or cornered, they will defend themselves. Give them distance and respect.” We did.
Fortified with a bit of cheese and a sip of cherry juice, we continued on to the Gundlach-Bundschu winery, nestled in the hills just east of Sonoma Plaza, off Denmark Street. A friend had recommended the winery’s Towle’s Hill as one of Sonoma’s not-to-be-missed sights and an excellent place to picnic.

After parking the car, we resisted the temptation to detour to the Gundlach-Bundschu tasting room. We walked past the wine-aging caves, near yet another sleeping cat, and beside a quiet duck pond. Signs warned us that the trip up Towle’s Hill was short but arduous. We shifted our heavy picnic hamper from one hand to the other and started to climb.

The moment we reached the crest of Towle’s hill, we knew we’d found our ultimate picnic spot. The view was breathtaking. (That is, it took away what little breath we had left after the climb.) We drank in the scene of the quiet valley, orderly rows of vines, bright yellow fields of mustard and hills that changed shades of green as clouds drifted overhead.

Spreading out our blanket, we poured the zinfandel and feasted on cheese, crackers, olives, mustard, fresh bread, and sliced sausage. After macaroons and chocolate, we stretched out in the Sonoma sunshine, sipping wine and listening to the warm breeze ruffle the leaves of the trees overhead.
It sure beat spending the weekend in foggy San Francisco!

It isn’t often that your kids beg to go on a historical vacation. But Walt Disney’s “Pocohantas has millions of young moviegoers clamoring to go to Jamestown, Virginia. If your children are asking to walk in Pocahontas’ footsteps—and if they know more about Jamestown, Capt. John Smith, and colonization than you can remember from 5th grade—it’s time for a trip to Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and, while you’re in the neighborhood, Busch Gardens.

Begin your colonial vacation at Jamestown. The first capital of Virginia, until 1699, Jamestown sits on a defensible peninsula on the James River in the southeastern tip of Virginia. The settlement of 104 men in 1607 was devastated by disease the first winter, but Captain John Smith rallied the colonists and revived the settlement. Captured by the local Algonquin Indians, legend has it, Smith was saved from death by Pocahontas, the 13-year-old daughter of chief Powhatan. Pocahontas then became an intermediary between the settlers and the Indians, helping to ensure their survival.

Those events are commemorated at Jamestown Settlement, an indoor and outdoor living museum. There, children and adults can enjoy exploring a re-created wooden fort, investigating full-scale replicas of the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, three merchant ships that brought the colonists to the New World, and learning all about the powerful Powhatan. Costumed interpreters recount the difficulties of a four-and-a-half month voyage from England, as well as demonstrating the intricacies of livelihoods such as blacksmithing. Children can grind corn, try on armor, or toss corncob darts in the Powhatan Indian village.
Then, after a day in the 17th century, move on to the 18th in Colonial Williamsburg. When the leaders of Jamestown abandoned their original colony in 1699, they resettled themselves in a new colony and named it Williamsburg. They planned a community of broad streets, a mercantile center, and well-built homes. Carefully restored and staffed with costumed artisans, merchants, and colonists living 18th century lives, Colonial Williamsburg gives over 3 million visitors a year a memorably realistic glimpse into life in the colony.

To see Williamsburg, you can start at the visitor’s center and walk or take the bus to the colonial area. Or, find a legal parking space in downtown Williamsburg (a charming, brick-and-flowers college town worth a visit on its own) and walk up Duke of Gloucester street to the Colonial Williamsburg ticket office. Sidewalk cafes and gift shops give way to colonial silversmiths and general stores as you approach the center of the 1-mile-square village.

Be sure not to miss the quieter spots in Colonial Williamsburg. Leave the crowds and the shops behind and enjoy the gardens behind the beautifully elegant Governor’s Palace. Stroll through blooming gardens, manicured lawns, and along a lazy canal. Surprisingly, amid the tranquillity of these lovely natural spots, it’s as easy to imagine yourself in the 1700s as it is walking down the busy Duke of Gloucester Street. Colonists straight from revolutionary times roam the streets with you and man the shops and houses. Stop by the court house to ask John Connelley, the Gaoler of James City County, about life in colonial jails and the justice system. Visitors with medical questions will want to find Dr. John Baker, Surgeon-Dentist, and ask him what the common ailments of the times were and how they were treated. It will make a visit to your dentist today seem downright pleasurable.

In addition to the ongoing activities during the day, Williamsburg offers a number of special evening programs. Listen to chamber music performed on period instruments, take a candlelit tour of four trade shops, experience the life of a Revolutionary War soldier at the Magazine, or participate in the dramatic trial of Grace Sherwood, who is accused of witchcraft.

Unlike many of today’s vacation attractions, Colonial Williamsburg is living city. Each year, Colonial Williamsburg features a different theme and portrays a different 18th century year. Different buildings are open on different days, and the cast of costumed colonists changes daily. Obtain a copy of the Visitor’s Companion, published weekly, for an up-to-date (or back-to-date) listing of events, schedules, and colonist appearances. To get the most out of Colonial Williamsburg, visitors must seek out experiences and interact with the many varied “people of the past. While food, drinks, and restrooms are all available throughout the town, they are not as prevalent or convenient as we’re used to, so plan accordingly. Plan to do a good deal of walking, and parents bringing small children will want to make sure they have sun protection, since there is minimal shade in some places.

Fast-forward into the present with a visit to Busch Gardens, where you can take a break from American history and tour Europe in a day. From Germany to Italy, and Scotland to France, Busch Gardens’ nine European hamlets serve as a backdrop to a variety of rides and attractions for both children and adults, as well as three of the world’s top-rated roller coasters. One of the best spots for kids is the “Land of the Dragons interactive adventure area featuring a three-story treehouse, a mini-flume ride, and other climbing and jumping activities. Then, take a break at “Das Festhaus, a traditional German beerhall that, with space for 2,000 people, is one of the largest restaurants in the U.S. Of course you can quench your thirst with genuine Anhauser-Busch products, but even if you do not drink, the non-stop oompha band, spicy bratwurst, and German dancers are worth the visit. (If you’re interested in seeing how beer is made, slip over to the Anhauser-Busch Brewery, where you can tour the brewery and taste free samples of Anhauser-Bush products.)

All that is fun, of course, but the real thrills come from Busch Gardens’ three world-renowned roller coasters. “Drachen Fire, a multiple-loop roller coaster, carries its screaming passengers in excess of 60 miles per hour. The “fire-breathing drachen (dragon) rolls upside-down and provides a zero-gravity effect. “The Big Bad Wolf has cars suspended from an overhead track, giving riders the feeling of free flight while the “Loch Ness Monster is a double-looping coaster with a drop that raises the hair on the neck of even the most devoted roller coaster rider: 114 feet at 55 degrees; speed during this drop accelerates from 12 mph to more than 60 in 2.5 seconds—and that’s just the first drop. And in honor of the Atlanta Olympic Games, Busch Gardens has added “Wild Izzy, a single-car roller coaster that doesn’t match the excitement of its three wilder coaster cousins, but is still worth riding.

Park visitors who like wet, splashy rides can try the “Le Scoot log flume ride or the “Roman Rapids, a white water raft ride that is one of the park’s most popular attractions. “Escape From Pompeii, a fiery water ride through the famous Italian ruins, contains a drop big enough to drench not only the participants but interested (and perhaps un-interested!) passersby. Besides such heart-stopping attractions, there are plenty of tamer activities, as well as shows, shops, and attractions such as the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses, 3-D films, and Eagle Canyon, a one-acre natural habitat for American bald eagles.

Roller coasters and water rides may not add much to your children’s education, but they’re a perfect way to wind up a vacation in Virginia. From tossing corncob darts at Jamestown, to witnessing the birth of the United States of America at Williamsburg, to hurtling upside-down in zero-gravity, Williamsburg, Virginia provides something for everyone.

Most travelers know only the commercial side of Bermuda, with its cruise ships, lavish resorts, and quaint shops. But when you leave luxury behind and set out on foot, you discover secluded seaside trails, vibrant gardens thick with flowers, and close-up views of what some visitors see only from taxi windows or ocean liner portholes. You’re likely to meet some pleasant people, too.

Bermuda offers plenty of places to walk: a 21-mile former railroad line that now serves as a hiking trail; the 36-acre Botanical Gardens; several ocean-front parks along the southern coast; and small towns reminiscent of seaside villages in tropical British colonies.

Best of all, this walker’s paradise is close enough for a weekend jaunt. Catch a mid-morning flight from an east-coast city, and by early afternoon you can be picnicking on the pink-sand beach at Whalebone Bay.
When we set out recently to tour Bermuda on foot, we traveled from place to place on rented mopeds and public buses. (Because they are so narrow, walking on roads can be difficult.) Mopeds free you to come and go as you please, at a price of $26 to $51 per day. Buses can take you just about anywhere you want to go easily and inexpensively, provided you pay attention to schedules and purchase an economical multi-day pass. Cabs offer convenience, but at a high price.

Although Bermuda is small, winding roads and 20 mile-per-hour speed limits make it time-consuming to travel from one end of the country to the other. We saved time by staying in two hotels, one in the east, near St. George, and one in the west, not far from Somerset. Hamilton, the largest of Bermuda’s three primary cities, sits approximately in the center.

After renting a moped at our hotel, the Grotto Bay Beach Hotel (on Bermuda’s east side), we set out for our first walking destination: the Bermuda Railway Trail.

The Railway Trail
In 1931, the Bermuda Railway began carrying passengers from St. George to Somerset. It operated only 17 years, but during that time, it provided travelers with an elegant, convenient way to cross the island chain. But difficulty of upkeep, along with the proliferation of automobiles, caused the railroad to fall into disuse in the years that followed; Bermuda eventually sold the entire railroad to British Guiana, now Guyana.
The 21 miles of scenic land on which the railroad had traveled sat idle for many years. In 1984, local citizens and government officials cleared the path for public use, and the Railway Trail was born.

One of the prettier sections of the trail lies near St. George. We parked our moped at Whalebone Bay, with its small, inviting beach and picnic area. The beach was deserted and quiet except for the gentle lapping of waves and the faraway crows of an enthusiastic rooster.

The firmly packed dirt trail led past tangles of purple morning glories, into a cool cathedral of dark-green Cassava trees, and past large sections of limestone and volcanic rock that had been blasted to make way for the railroad. A few yards later, trees and sandstone walls gave way to a clear view of the ocean and of four soaking-wet joggers who had climbed down to the beach and jumped into the ocean to cool off. We wished we’d brought our bathing suits.

Eventually, the path wound past an oil refinery, and the trail detoured onto a road. This happens in several places along the Railway Trail; for this reason, we chose to walk individual sections rather than the entire trail. (The Bermuda Tourism Department publishes an excellent guide that details seven sections of the trail; the guide is available at tourist offices.)

We retraced our steps and walked past Whalebone Bay, a soldiers’ cemetery, and a 100-year-old lime kiln. Off in the distance beyond a tower was a black and white housecat. He trotted over to us, rubbed up against our legs, and then rolled over on his back in the dirt. We named him St. George.

We continued walking, past carved rock, cactus, prickly pear. The cat followed us. We spied a rare Bermuda Rock Lizard, black and snakelike with a bright orange neck, clinging to a reed. Our tour book said one of the lizard’s greatest predators is the housecat. We were relieved when the well-fed St. George strolled past it without taking notice.

We soon reached the end of the railroad trail. The water, clear and coke-bottle-green, stretched out before us like stained glass. Our kitty tour guide lay down in the sun to doze. A dozen or so massive concrete plinths in the water showed where a railroad bridge had been built, and where, long ago, the trains had traveled across the channel to Bermuda’s oddly named Coney Island. But the bridge had been taken down, or fell apart, long ago, and only the plinths remained.

Back at our scooter, we were putting on our helmets when a local resident parked his car (Bermuda only allows residents to drive cars) under a shady tree and headed for Whalebone Bay. He carried a brown lunch bag in one hand and a few books in the other. He waved to us.

“Even in Bermuda you have to run away from home sometimes,” he said with a smile.

St. George’s
From Whalebone Bay we scootered to St. George’s for lunch. We had bought lunch fixings in a small grocery store near our hotel and hoped to find a pretty picnic spot; we found it in Somers Gardens park on Duke of York Street. Local legend says that the heart of Sir George Somers, captain of the British ship that discovered Bermuda, is buried here. Roses, Easter lilies, daisies, petunias, and violas grow beside a carefully raked sand and pebble walkway. We ate our lunch under a tall, shady Norfolk Island Pine.

If you’re in St. George’s and you’d prefer restaurant fare, try one of the local pubs. For more formal dining, try the White Horse Tavern, the Carriage House, or the Wharf Tavern. Be warned, however, that food is expensive just about everywhere in Bermuda.

After lunch we set off to explore St. George’s. From the park we walked northeast to Fort St. Catherine on the northeastern-most tip of Bermuda. Built in 1614, Fort St. Catherine stands on the site where British Admiral George Somers was shipwrecked while on his way to America. The fort is a terrific place to explore, with a drawbridge, a moat, tunnels, chambers, and large guns. (If military history interests you, consider picking up the brochure titled “Forts of Bermuda” at the tourist office; it details some 15 other Bermuda forts.)

Back on the trail
On the next day of our trip we moved inland, following a center section of the Rail Trail. Using maps and scootering through residential streets, we picked up the rail trail just outside Hamilton at the South Road roundabout.

Instead of hugging the ocean, this section of the trail moves through the center of western Bermuda, across city streets, next to backyards, and along ridges of hills overlooking towns. We gathered that this part of the trail is used as much by local residents as tourists.

As we walked, we chatted with an older man who walked a large poodle; he pointed out a loquat tree, whose fruit is used for jams. Then, young woman jogger insisted that we see Horseshoe Bay, which she pronounced the most beautiful in Bermuda.

Walking from the roundabout we soon entered a large railroad tunnel, emerging 450 feet later into an area thick with foliage. Soon after, we came upon a glen of flowers–primarily morning glories and nasturtium–and dozens of small, white butterflies that fluttered from flower to flower in a random ballet.

Moving on, we walked along the side of a hill, with trees and flowers on our left, and tidy white-roofed residential homes on our right. We asked a homeowner who was working in his garden about the roofs.
The man, a Portuguese immigrant, told us that Bermudians catch rainwater on their roofs and use it for drinking and bathing. At one time, he said, rainwater was the only source of water for Bermudians; when it didn’t rain, they went without water and had to call for the emergency water truck, which sometimes showed up a week later. Now, underground pipe systems deliver water to some homes.

Some Bermudians buy bottled water rather than drink the rain. Our Portuguese friend winced when he told us this. “I like my water fresh,” he said. “It rains today, and tomorrow I drink it. It’s nice and fresh.”

Botanical Gardens
Hopping on the scooter, we backtracked a short distance towards Hamilton to the Botanical Gardens on Point Finger Road. The Gardens’ 36 acres contain over 1,000 varieties of plant life, along with an aviary, a hibiscus garden, and a Garden for the Blind with fragrant lemons, lavenders, and spices.

We walked through the aviary, where doves cooed, pastel blue and green parakeets tweeted, and peacocks refused to show off their plumage. Then we explored the main section of the Gardens, coming upon Camden, the official residence of the Premier of Bermuda. The large two-story house was built in the late 1700s. Tours are offered; check with the visitor’s office for schedules.

In front of Camden, a shady hedge claimed us: It was just the place to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. We nibbled on crackers from our knapsack. Fifty yards away, a photographer orchestrated a wedding party. What better place for photos than a picture-perfect garden? And what better place to daydream, we thought, so we stretched out under a Palmetto and watched the clouds float by.

Astwood Park
We decided to take it easy on our last full day in Bermuda and to spend some time near the ocean. For easier access to the south-coast beaches, we transferred to the large, impersonal Sonesta Beach Hotel and Spa, which we liked less than the more intimate Grotto Bay Hotel.

Most of Bermuda’s best beaches stretch out along this southern coast: Elbow Beach, Warwick Long Bay, and Horseshoe Bay. Some of these beaches have parks. We shuttled from park to park by scooter. Our favorite was Astwood Park, located off the South Road between Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay. It was a windy day; indeed, this is the windier side of Bermuda.

As we walked up a hill from the parking lot to Astwood Park, we heard an eerie buzzing sound. A swarm of bees? We grew cautious, but it wasn’t bees. It was a kite. The kite’s owner told us he had installed a “hum line” on his kite, a small piece of tissue attached to a bow in the front of the kite. Several other kites hummed nearby, creating a multi-pitched drone.

Nearby, stone steps led down to a small crescent beach. We climbed down. The water seemed wild for swimming, but two intrepid souls braved the wind and the waves. The air was too cool for swimming, but just right for sunbathing, so we spread out beach towels on the pink sand, kicked off our sneakers, and lay down.
After three days of walking, we deserved to relax.

Vermont may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the name “Woodstock,” but after spending a fall weekend there, it will. This small but cosmopolitan town offers the best of rural Vermont life with a decidedly down-home upscale approach: It’s a slice of fresh country apple pie with a double-shot caffe latte.

There’s plenty to do in Woodstock: Milk a cow or make some butter at a working 19th century farm; play a round of golf on Vermont’s oldest course; watch craftsman lathe smooth a dining room table; have a taste (or two or three) of fresh Ale, Stout, or Lager at a native brewery; or hike a section of the famous Appalachian Trail.

What’s more, Woodstock is an all-year-round getaway destination, the right place for leaf-peeping in the fall, skiing in the winter (at nearby Suicide Six or Killington), and exploring in the summer. With its lemonade-warm days and cool evenings, Woodstock has been a favorite summer tourist destination since the mid-1800s.

The Green
Located on Route 4 in central Vermont, this small village of 3,500 surrounds “The Green,” with its fine collection of Federal homes and the stately Woodstock Inn. The Inn is a graceful yet comfortable example of Vermont hospitality and country charm; a quintessentially Vermont covered bridge can be found right across the street. Owned by Laurance Rockefeller, the inn was once part of the Rockresorts chain of luxury hotels. In fact, 85 year-old Rockefeller still lives on adjoining property. Purchased by Rockefeller in 1969, the original 1892 inn was torn down and rebuilt completely with historic ambiance and modern amenities. A 1990 expansion added new rooms with fireplaces and period beds with handmade quilts.

You can easily lose yourself on the inn’s property without even taking advantage of all that the surrounding area has to offer. Practice your swing on the large putting green behind the hotel, relax in the outdoor pool, read a book in the well-stocked library off the main lobby, or play one of the many board games that line the library’s shelves. For some fresh air, take a stroll down to the Woodstock Country Club and the oldest gold course in Vermont, dating from 1895 and redesigned in the 1960s by Robert Trent Jones.

The Town
While this is a town with a past, it’s not stuck in the 18th century. An interesting and eclectic collection of art shops, hardware stores, restaurants, and cafes line the two main streets in the town center. Start your explorations by checking out The Town Crier, located diagonally across the street from the inn. Like a public announcer in the 1800s, The Town Crier lists everything from movies to Cajun dances to song circles to dog training to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The large outdoor blackboard is a friendly reminder of how close communities used to be.

Step into the past just a few doors away at F.H. Gillingham & Sons: the most general of general stores. It’s easy to lose yourself in the aisles, which are stocked with everything from Vermont honey and cocoa to toilet seats and fertilizer. A combination grocery, hardware, liquor, kitchen, and farm store, if you want it, Gillingham’s has it.

Unlike many touristy towns, Woodstock gift and craft stores actually sell some high-quality items. The Clover Gift shop is stuffed with gorgeous handmade quilts at reasonable prices, delicate glassware, and other Vermont gifts. Down the block, Clear Lake Furniture sells beautiful handcrafted hardwood furniture, dated and signed by the craftsman, and bearing your family name.

Later in the day, refresh yourself with at hot beverage at the Woodstock Farmers Market, just outside of town. A hip deli/grocery store/organic market, the Woodstock Farmers Market also serves some of the best coffee, cappuccino, latte, and chai around. If you’re looking for something stronger, continue on over Route 4 to the Long Trail Brewing Company, in between Killington and Woodstock, and sample one of their six draft beers made on the premises.

Mills, Hills, and Billings
Don’t get so wrapped up in the town that you forget about the countryside. Take Route 4 west along the river to The Marketplace, a converted mill that now houses a furniture factory, a brewery, and antique stores galore. Shackleton Furniture features handmade wood furniture. Each piece is hand-planed to a smooth finish. Watch the craftsman construct a table or dresser, or browse the small showroom.

The more agriculturally inclined will want to explore Billings Farm, just north of the center of Woodstock. One of the country’s premier agricultural museums, Billings farm allows visitors to experience 19th century life on a Vermont farm. Visit the 1890 farmhouse, watch the afternoon milking, or visit the dairy bar that serves fresh homemade ice cream.

To experience more of the Vermont countryside, take a short walk on a long trail. Drive four miles north on Route 12N toward Pomfret and look for a very small parking lot down a hill on your left. Park, cross the stream, and you’ll be hiking part of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Maine to Georgia. Hike up the small hill and you’ll find a beautiful field for a picnic or just letting the kids or dog run wild.
Information

For more information on Woodstock and the surrounding area, including a free visitors’ guide, contact the Woodstock area Chamber of Commerce (802-457-3555).
Contact the Woodstock Inn & Resort by calling (800-448-7900).

Amazingly, one of the country’s newest national parks is just minutes from a major metropolis. Located off the coast of eastern Massachusetts, the easily accessible Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area juxtaposes sea breezes and city views.

The 34-island park offers sandy beaches, ocean tide pools, hiking trails, and fishing docks. Additionally, families can explore the earthen tunnels of Fort Warren (rumored to be haunted by the wife of a Confederate prisoner) and tour the working Boston Light on Little Brewster Island (pictured above). Campers will also appreciate the beachside tent sites on Lovells Island and Bumpkin Island’s woodland campground.
(Park entry is free; ferry rides range from $7 to $10; shuttles between the islands are free. The park is open 7 days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day and on weekends in spring and fall; 617-223-8666; www.bostonislands.com.)

Mention Orlando, and most people think of kids and Mickey Mouse. But there’s more to this sun-soaked central Florida town than children in mouse ears. Orlando can be a perfect weekend getaway for couples. And while there’s no escaping old Walt, you don’t have to go to Disney World to have fun.

There’s plenty for couples to do during a quick jaunt to Orlando: Enjoy a day at the beach—Blizzard Beach—a brand-new Disney attraction that is a blast for both adults and children. And pamper yourself at The Grand Floridian, Disney’s best resort hotel. Then after dark, you can dine, drink, and dance at one of Orlando’s everyday’s-a-party nightspots: Church Street Station in downtown or Disney’s own Pleasure Island.

Blizzard Beach: One of the newest attractions in Orlando, and one of Disney’s three water parks, Blizzard Beach offers a cool getaway from the hot Florida sun. There’s a water activity for every level of daring: The languid can float for hours on big, comfortable inner tubes that drift lazily along in a lagoon that circles the park; daredevils can flout gravity and plunge downward on waterslides with nearly vertical drops.
In between there are attractions with names like Runoff Rapids, Slush Gusher, and Toboggan Racers. A chairlift carries you to the top of a waterside mountain, where several of the rides begin. And closer to sea level, Meltaway Bay is a great place to swim and wade. There are plenty of lounge chairs available throughout the park for sunbathing, so after a hair-raising drop on Summit Plummet, you can treat yourself to a snow cone, put your feet up, and relax while listening to Jimmy Buffet and other beach tunes. (For your convenience, reasonably priced lockers and towel rentals are available.)

Just up the road from Blizzard Beach is Planet Hollywood, a great place for a casual lunch or dinner and an even better place for gawking at movie mementos. The large, three-level restaurant, located inside a deep blue planet-shaped building, serves burgers, pizza, and pasta. Movie clips are shown regularly on screens throughout the restaurant. The food is average, but the movie memorabilia—from Julia Robert’s mini skirt from the movie “Pretty Woman” to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman suit—makes a visit to Planet Hollywood worthwhile.

The Grand Floridian is anything but average. The third hotel on the Magic Kingdom monorail line, it is more energetic than the listless Polynesian and far fresher than the Jetson-like Contemporary hotel, whose only contribution to the understanding of modern architecture seems to be the lesson that you should never call something “contemporary” unless you plan to remodel it every year, which Disney hasn’t. The Grand Floridian offers elegance and a wholehearted attempt at sophistication that tends to be lacking in anything Disney. Every detail is attended to at The Grand Floridian: Bellhops in carts whisk you to your room after check-in, maids replace towels in your room nearly as fast as you can use them, and the white sand on the manmade beach seems never to have a granule out of place—perhaps Mickey and Pluto work nights raking it into orderly smoothness.

Starting at $230 a night, The Grand Floridian is no Orlando bargain hotel, but the frills are worth the extra money. The wonderfully warm pool stays open all night; there are plenty of poolside paperbacks to borrow; the pool-area grill, open 24 hours a day, offers a surprising variety of reasonably priced snacks, both healthful (cereal with skim milk, fresh fruit) and decadent (Mickyroni and cheese, burgers, a pick-your-poison ice cream bar); and the well-stocked health club charges only $5 per person per day or $15 per family for the entire length of your stay.

For those who prefer a more sophisticated experience, the Grand Floridian offers a traditional afternoon tea, complete with cucumber sandwiches, pastries, and tea served in English china, for $10 to $18 per person. In the hotel’s five-story atrium lobby, a piano player tinkles the ivories while hotel guests sit in deeply cushioned chairs and couches, relaxing after a day of Disneymania and deciding which of the hotel restaurants to try. Their choices are Flagler’s, an Italian place; Victoria and Albert’s, which serves a budget-busting $80-per-person fixed-price dinner; or 1900 Park Fare, the buffet restaurant whose child-friendly spread and roving Disney characters attract lines of families anxious to gobble with Goofy.

IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
Blizzard Beach, Pleasure Island, and the Grand Floridian are all located within the Disney World area, while Church Street Station is located in downtown Orlando. Take Route I-4 to exit 38 (Anderson Street), and follow signs to the Church Street area. There is plenty of cheap parking available.

ACCOMMODATIONS
For truly luxury accommodations outside of Disney World, contact the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (800-233-1234). Just down the road from Disney World, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is set on 1,500 landscaped acres and has enough activities to keep a couple or family busy for a weekend. Swim, slide, or sip a drink at the Hyatt’s large, free-form swimming pool with 12 waterfalls and 2 waterslides. Sail or canoe on the adjacent 21-acre Lake Windsong, swing on a shaded hammock, ride a horse at the Equestrian Center, or polish your stroke at the resort’s 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus-designed gold.

INFORMATION
For more information, including a free visitors’ guide, contact the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau (407-363-5800), at 7208 Sand Lake Road, Suite 300, Orlando, FL 32819-5273