Spring Escapes: Newport, Rhode Island

Cruise Narragansett Bay, bike the East Bay Bike Path, enjoy a spectacular stroll along the coastal Cliff Walk, visit the Green Animals Topiary Gardens, the Art Museum, or the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, experience glassblowing, and of course, you won’t want to miss a tour of the Breakers, the Elms, Rosecliff or other mansions of the Gilded Age.

Books & Travel Kits:
Newport: mini-booked-to-go
Rhode Island: an explorer’s guide
Moon Handbooks: Rhode Island

Websites:
Go Newport
Newport Mansions
Newport Best Read Guide

Spring Escapes: Pennsylvania Dutch Country

If you like handcrafts and bargains, you won’t want to miss the annual Amish Mud Sales – auction/sales held at local fire companies and named for the spring thaws. Learn about the Amish and Mennonite cultures, enjoy an Amish buggy ride, farmers’ market, quaint shops filled with handmade items including stunning quilts, and lavish farm-fresh Pennsylvania Dutch dining. Visit the 19th century Cornwall Iron Furnace, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, the Intercourse Pretzel Factory, Ephrata Cloister, and the outlets in Reading. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is filled with activities for the entire family!

Books & Travel Kits:
Pennsylvania Dutch Country: mini-booked-to-go
Fodor’s Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Fun With the Family Pennsylvania
Eastern Pennsylvania: includes Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Amish Country & the Pocono Mountains
Frommer’s Philadelphia and the Amish Country
Amish Ways
Rumspringa: to be or not to be Amish
Quilter’s Guide to Amish Quilts
Mennonite Quilts and Pieces

Websites:
Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Lancaster County
Dutch Country Roads
Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area
Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Reading Convention & Visitors Bureau
York County

Spring Escapes: Hershey, PA

Of course, there is the tour of Hershey’s Chocolate World. But there are many other attractions, too. These include Hershey Gardens, Hershey Theater, The Hershey Story (the Museum on Chocolate Avenue), the Spa at Hershey Hotel, Hershey Park, the Antique Auto Museum, and more. Nearby attractions include Land of Little Horses Farm Park, Sweet Valley Suris (an Alpaca Farm), Gettysburg, and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Books & Travel Kits:
Hershey: mini-booked-to-go
Hershey Gardens: the cornfield that blossomed with roses
The Hershey, Pennsylvania Cookbook: fun treats and trivia from the chocolate capital of the world

Websites:
Hershey - The Sweetest Place on Earth
Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau
Harrisburg-Hershey-Central PA Welcome Center

Spring Escapes: Brandywine Valley

Among the places to explore in the Brandywine region are the mansions and gardens of the Du Pont family – Winterthur, Nemours, Longwood Gardens, and the Hagley Museum; the charming village of New Castle with its cobblestone streets and antique shops; and the Brandywine River Museum & Conservancy with its picturesque gardens and paintings by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.

Books & Travel Kits:
Brandywine Valley: mini-booked-to-go
Philadelphia, Brandywine Valley & Bucks County: a complete guide

Websites:
Brandywine Country
Brandywinevalley.com
Hagley Museum and Library
Longwood Gardens
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
Visit Wilmington
Brandywine River Museum

Spring Escapes

Many destinations for fun and adventure are just a short drive away. Whether you enjoy active sports, relaxing, or exploring, you can find it all at a nearby destination. This month we will feature some suggestions for a perfect spring escape. Use the websites, travel guides and Booked-to-Go kits (all include maps) to help you plan!

Where to Go Next: 1001 Natural Wonders

Along with 26 colleagues, Bright, an executive producer with the BBC's Natural History Unit, compiled this catalog of 1,001 natural wonders, that is, geological and physical phenomena and wonders of the animal kingdom. Covering a varied terrain from Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland to Fiordland in South Island, New Zealand, this book is like a composite of myriad National Geographic magazines. In the same genre as Patricia Schulz's 1,000 Places To See Before You Die, 1001 Natural Wonders hits the high points of the natural world in all continents.
Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Where to Go Next: Heaven on Earth

From the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx to the mysteries of Easter Island and Stonehenge, the editors of "Life" draw on the world's finest photography to reveal why you must include these truly special 100 places in your life's itinerary. Drink in the kaleidoscope that is Australia's Great Barrier Reef and gaze at the majesty of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro. Sample the sophisticated splendour of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris and the sun-baked wonders of the fortress city of the Andes, Machu Picchu. And, of course, the treasures of America are not forgotten, such as the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon and the serene Atlantic beauty of Nantucket Island.
-Product Description

Where to Go Next: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

This hefty volume reminds vacationers that hot tourist spots are small percentage of what's worth seeing out there. A quick sampling: Venice's Cipriani Hotel; California's Monterey Peninsula; the Lewis and Clark Trail in Oregon; the Great Wall of China; Robert Louis Stevenson's home in Western Samoa; and the Alhambra in Andalusia, Spain. Veteran travel guide writer Schultz divides the book geographically, presenting a little less than a page on each location. Each entry lists exactly where to find the spot (e.g. Moorea is located "12 miles/19 km northwest of Tahiti; 10 minutes by air, 1 hour by boat") and when to go (e.g., if you want to check out The Complete Fly Fisher hotel in Montana, "May and Sept.-Oct. offer productive angling in a solitary setting"). This is an excellent resource for the intrepid traveler.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.