Missouri National / State Parks

The Ozark National Scenic River ways National Park includes the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, two south central Missouri Rivers that were the first to be federally protected. Both offer good canoeing. The Mark Twain National Forest is in southern Missouri.

Lake of the Ozarks State park is the largest State Park in Missouri. The popular Katy Train State park is a 225 mi walking and cycling path, much of it along the Missouri river between Clinton and St. Charles. Other significant parks include Elephant Rocks, Johnson’s Shut-Ins, Mastodon State Historic Site, Onondaga Cave State park. To know more about Missouri National / State Parks, you can contact Missouri Division of Tourism.

Washington National and State Parks

Mt. Rainier National Park, ABOUT 85 MI SOUTHEAST OF Seattle, was named for Mt. Rainier – the fifth highest mountain (14411 ft. ) in the lower 48 states. The Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at paradise has exhibits, films and a 360 degree view of the summit and surrounding peaks. Olympic National Park is one of the most outstanding places of natural beauty in the United States, with its jagged wilderness coastline; a lush, temperate rain forest; 60 odd active glaciers and the alpine contours of Hurricane Ridge. North Cascades National Park, a beautiful and remote park about 120 mi northeast of Seattle, holds some of the state’s most rugged mountains, craggy peaks and jewel-like lakes.


Two beautiful State Parks are perched on either end of the narrow Long Beach peninsula. Ledbetter Paint State park on the northern tip, is a wildlife refuge that’s good for bird watching. The dues at the very tip are closed from April to August to protect the nesting snowy plover. Black brant, sandpipers, turnstones, yellowlegs, knots and plovers are among the 100 spices known to inhabit the point. Fort Canby State Park attracts beach combers, hikers, fishermen and military history enthusiasts.

Portland, US Tourism

Portland, one of America’s most important gateways to the Pacific Rim, has a reputation as a well-planned, charming city. With 2,265,000 people, Portland ranks as the 23rd largest metropolitan area in the nation and, straddling the banks of the wide Willamette River, it’s one of the largest inland ports on the West Coast. It also has flower filled parks, efficient mass transit, excellent hotels and restaurants and restored historic buildings. The Rose Festival held in early June is a month long series of parades and events drawing more than 2 million people each year from around the world.

The 1930s-era Portland Art Museum is one of several interesting buildings that line the South Park Blocks, a tree lined boulevard of parks with statues and fountains. The museum contains 35 centuries of Asian, European and Native American art and is a regional venue for large traveling exhibitions.

Winter Festival of Lights at Niagara Falls

The Winter Festival of Lights at Niagara Falls will be held between November 6th 2010 and January 31st 2011. Every year during Christmas and New Year time, the Winter Festival of Lights at Niagara Falls brings millions of tourists to visit and enjoy their vacation. This year, Winter Festival of Lights illuminate the Niagara Falls for extra three weeks is an added advantage for the tourists. You can watch the beautiful display of millions of Christmas lights and this is the largest lights festival in Canada.

Winter Festival of Lights at Niagara Falls is the biggest light festival in North America. Outdoor skating is another attraction for the tourists to visit and skate and enjoy their time. Every year the number of visitors visiting Niagara Falls is increasing. Flood lights illuminate the Niagara Falls for several hours until Midnight. The best known tourist attraction here is the Maid of Mist.

Tourism in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Zoo, Longwood Gardens, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the theme Park Sesame Place are important tourist places in Philadelphia. Longwood Garden is one of the most beautiful and majestic garden in Europe. More than 10,000 varieties of plants are elegantly maintained in this park. During summer season you can watch water lilies and roses and during spring magnolias and in winter season you can enjoy the time in watching camellias. Longwood Garden is opened throughout the year and during Christmas; this Garden is illuminated with fountain displays and some time fireworks also. Longwood Indoor Children’s Garden has 17 fountains for children to play and enjoy their time.



There are many shopping malls and antique shops in Philadelphia. Another attraction for tourists is clothes and shoes are available here are tax free. For people who love bargaining, Franklin Mills has 150 outlet stores. For tourists who love to purchase antique items, Antique row is the best place. Philadelphia has many best restaurants and it is one of the best restaurant cities in U.S. You can enjoy the exclusive dinning experience and you will get anything you want any foreign cuisine here.

Charleston Parks and Gardens

Charleston is famous for public parks, magnificent plantations and secret gardens that lie behind the walls of private homes. White Point Gardens, on the point of narrow Battery Peninsula bounded by the Ashley and Cooper rivers, is a popular gathering spot. Waterfront Park along Concord Street on the Cooper River has a fishing pier, unique interactive fountains, a picnic area and landscaped gardens.

Drayton Hall built between 1738 and 1742 is the only plantation on the Ashley River that survived the Civil War. It is unfurnished, which serves to highlight the original plaster moldings and opulent hand carved woodwork. This is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian Palladian architecture. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens hold one of the largest collections of azaleas and camellias in North America. Nature lovers can canoe through the 125 acre Waterfowl Refuge, see the 60 acre Audubon Swamp Garden along boardwalks and bridges explore 500 acres of wildlife trails and visit the petting zoo.

Charleston Best Hotels

Governor’s House Inn: This mid 18^th century inn has opulent parlors, hardwood floors, 12-ft. ceilings, nine fire places, and 19^th century antiques. Some of the palatial guest rooms have private piazzas, the third floor “Roofs cape” rooms are cozy with outstanding city views. Guests are served afternoon tea on the veranda in cooler months.

Haynes House Bed and Breakfast: Trees shade the brick courtyard of the Haynes House which was built in 1755, in the now prestigious South of Broad neighborhood. Rooms are filled with family heirlooms and watercolors by local artists. Four rooms are in the kitchen house with its narrow stairway, colonial brickwork and chimney.

Francis Marion Hotel: The largest hotel in the Carolinas when it was built in 1924, this property retains big band and tea dance glamour with its windowed ballrooms, wrought iron railings, columns, high ceilings and scenic views of Marion Square and the harbor.

Niagara Falls

One of the World’s natural wonders is Niagara Falls. It is situated near New York City. The wonderful thing is it is accessible and it is located in the center of a city. Niagara Falls is lies in between the New York City (in US) AND Ontario ( in Canada). So you can view the beauty of Niagara Falls from US and from Canada also. Many newly married couples visit Niagara Falls and the twin cities are known as “Honeymoon Cities”. The best time to visit Niagara Falls is summer. During weekends, this place is over crowded. During winter season, due to heavy snow and temperate falls below 0 degree, the river below Niagara Falls freezes and forms Ice Mountains which gives a fantastic view to the tourists.

Don’t miss the boat ride “Maid of the Mist” in the Niagara Falls. For this boat ride they are charging $10 and they will give you water proof outer clothing. This is a wonderful experience and every tourist will love it. The another tour arranged here is “Cave of the Winds Tour” which takes you to the rocks and you can walk and experience the power of wind. During summer season, you can enjoy this tour between 9.30 am and 7 pm.

Oklahoma Tourism

The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is the largest natural history museum in the world connected to a university. The paleontology exhibit contains the world’s largest Apatosaurus specimen. Other exhibits highlight extensive Native American artifacts, the Hall of Natural Wonders, and a hands-on Discovery Room.

Cruise 68 mi south of Norman for one of Oklahoma’s scenic wonders, Turner Falls Park. Surrounded by the ancient cliffs of the Arbuckle Mountains is the State’s largest waterfall, at 77 ft. Trails and caves are enjoyable, but on a hot summer day, people are drawn to the deliciously cool waters below the waterfall.

Twenty miles south of Oklahoma City is Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma and an interesting blend of cultural opportunities. Free walking tours are available of the lovely landscaped university grounds and historical buildings from the OU Visitor Center. This is closed on Sundays.

Best San Francisco Hotels

Some of the best San Francisco Hotels are Mandarin Oriental, Hotel Milano, Hotel Monaco, Maxwell Hotel, Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Golden Gate Hotel, Hotel Del Sol, Adelaide Hostel, etc. Since the Mandarin Oriental comprises the top 11 floors (38 to 48) of the California Center, all rooms provide sweeping panoramic vistas of the city and beyond; those facing west fill up quickly because of their views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean. Touches like silk slippers, plush robes, binoculars and fresh fruit pamper guests.

Adjacent to the San Francisco Shopping Center and near all the museum and attractions south of Market Street, the eight story hotel has spacious and handsomely decorated Italian inspired guest rooms. Enjoy a soak, steam or sauna in the split-level fitness center.

Hotel Monaco. This very hip hotel with a yellow Beaux-Arts facade has small but comfortable and inviting guest rooms. In the evening there is a complimentary wine and cheese hour featuring a tarot reader and massage therapist.

Best Hotels in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills

In addition to the mammoth resort hotels for which the Catskills are best known, the area includes plenty of B & B and country inns, as well as ski-center condos. The Hudson House is clean and simple, this 1832 clapboard inn is within walking distance of may antique shops and nearly sit on the Hudson River. The feeling here is homey, with French country furnishings and wide plank floorboards. Tasty American fare is served in the dinning room.

Bear Mountain Inn: Since 1915, this chalet style resort has been known for both its warm hospitality and its bucolic location on the shores of Hessian Lake in Bear Mountain State Park. Rooms are in the classic Stone Lodge, the hotel style Overlook Lodge or in rustic lake side lodges. The Morgan State House on Washington Park, mahogany architectural accents complement the interior’s hand-glazed walls, high ceilings and fire places.

The Fort Myers/Naples Area/Edison’s Winter Home

The bustle of commercially oriented Fort Myers gives way to the relaxed atmosphere of the Gulf communities elsewhere in growing Lee Country. Beach lovers head for the resort islands of Estero (popular with young singles); captive and Sanibel; and the Lover’s Key State Recreation Area – all of which are know for superb shelling and fishing. Most of the beautiful residences here are hidden by Australian pines, but the beaches and tranquil Gulf waters are readily accessible.

Fort Myers is a small inland city; although it is a half hour from the nearest beach, its downtown business district overlooks the broad, flat Caloosahatchee River. One of the most scenic stretches of highway in Southeastern Florida, McGregor Boulevard is framed by hundred of towering palms. Fort Myers’s premier attraction, Thomas A. Edison’s Winter Home on a 14 acre estate, house Edison’s Lab and a museum devoted to his inventions.

The Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, USA Tourism

The Pioneer Valley, a string of historic settlements along the Connecticut River from Springfield in the south up to the Vermont border, formed the western frontier of New England from the early 1600s until the late 18th century. The northern regions of the Pioneer Valley remain rural and tranquil; farms and small towns have typical New England architecture. Farther south, the cities of Holyoke and Springfield are more industrial. Educational pioneers came to this region as well to form major colleges and some well known prep schools.

Six Flags New England, outside Springfield, is New England’s largest theme park and water park with more than 160 rides and shows, including the tallest and fastest steel coaster on the East Coast. This theme park is closed during November to April.

Lincoln Park, Chicago

The Lincoln Park neighborhood stretches from North Avenue to Diversely Parkway and from the lakefront on the east to about Racine Avenue on the west. The adjoining lakefront park is also called Lincoln Park (causing occasional confusion), though it stretches several miles farther north than the neighborhood.

The Chicago Historical Society contains an extensive collection of historic costumes as well as history galleries where you can view Lincoln’s deathbed and artifacts and first hand testimonials from the great Chicago Fire of 1871. Children love to climb aboard the pioneer locomotive, Chicago’s first train.

You will find elegant town houses and small apartment buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, the heart of which is the intersection of Fullerton Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, and Hasted Street. The area declined after World War Ii as residents moved to the suburbs but it was rediscovered in the 1970s; now it is full of million dollar homes, coffee houses and funky boutiques.

Best hotels and restaurants in Cleveland

Ethnic food reigns in Cleveland, whether it is a spicy burrito or Polish kielbasa smothered with Cleveland’s famous Stadium Mustard. There are restaurant rows in the Flats, the Warehouse District, and the area around Gund Arena and Jacobs Field, Little Italy and on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights.

Lola Bistro & Wine Bar. Chef Owner Michael Simon has received national attention from food and wine critics for the creations he describes as “urban comfort food”. Best sellers on the winter menu are sea food pierogi and macaroni and cheese with fresh rosemary, goat cheese and roasted chicken. Fish and game are first rate; desserts are out of this world.

Sans Souci. Sophisticated sea food dishes and hearty French Provencal fare are served in a comfortably elegant dining room overlooking Public square.

Moxie: In the upscale town of Beachwood, 20 minutes southeast of downtown Cleveland by car, this trendy eatery is a must. It’s unassuming from the outside, but once you step into the large, bright room and taste the creatively prepared American fare with a nouvelle twist, you will understand why they named it Moxie.

Lake Michigan Shore

The Lake Michigan Shoreline, which extends from the southwestern corner of the state up to the Mackinac Bridge, is one of Michigan’s greatest natural resources. Its placid waters, cool breezes and sugary beaches (including some of the largest sand dunes in the world) have attracted generations of tourists, including such regulars as AI Capone, Ernest Hemingway and L. Frank Baum (who wrote many of his books about Oz over the course of several summer vacations here). The southern stretch is especially popular with Chicago residents and expatriates.

Resort towns, some of which triple in population between Memorial Day and Labor Day, dot the shoreline. St. Joseph is a picturesque community whose turn of the 20th century downtown and two 1000 ft. long piers make it ideal for walkers. The artists’ colony of Saugatuck has many fine restaurants and shops, an active gay and lesbian community and enough B&Bs to make it the bed and breakfast capital of the State. Saugatuck Dune Rides offers free wheeling dune-buggy rides along Lake Michigan. In Douglas, the S.S. Keewatin one of the Great Lakes’ last passenger steamboats is permanently docked as a maritime museum.

New York City Tourism

Whatever you are looking for in a big city vacation, you will find it in New York. The city has a rich history, from the arrival of early Dutch settlers and the swearing in the George Washington as the first U.S. President to the influx of millions of immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today’s New York city is known around the world for its distinctive skyline – even post – September 11. 2001 – its first rate museums and performing arts companies, and its status as the capital of finance, fashion, art, publishing, broadcasting, theater and advertising. And of course, New Yorkers themselves are world famous – if not always or their charm, at least for their panache, ethnic diversity and street smarts.

New York has 150 state parks. The Empire State Passport, permitting unlimited entrance to the parks for a year (April-March), is available at most parks; you can also contact the State Office of Parks and Recreation or write for an application.

The New York Botanical Garden, a 250 acre botanical treasury around the dramatic gorge of the Bronx River is within Bronx Park. Its 40 acre forest, conservatory, museum and outdoor gardens draw nature enthusiasts from around the world. This park is closed on Mondays.

New York City's Best Hotels

New York is the restaurant capital of the country, may be even the world. Dining options run the gamut, from small, out of the way ethnic eateries to formal French temples of gastronomy. You can spend $5 on dinner or $500 and some of the better restaurants offer real deals at lunch. When they are accepted, reservations are essential when they are not you may have to wait. Don't fret. In general though not always a long line augurs a good experience.

Daniel: Open the lengthy, predominantly, French, prix fixe only menu to being one of the most memorable meals available in Manhattan today. Choose from modern classics such as cashew nut crusted venison with braised red cabbage and sweet potato puree. The service is fittingly excellent. The neo-Renaissance dining room provides an extremely formal setting; dinner in the lounge is a more relaxed experience.

Gramercy Tavern: Gramercy Tavern Hotel is urbanely rustic restaurant is divided into two rooms - the first come first served tavern in front offers a light menu. Some choices are prepared in the wood burning oven while you watch. The more formal but still intimidating dining room in the back features a carefully conceived American table d'hotel menu. Friendly service and a dessert menu that rivals any in the city complete the experience.

Las Vegas best hotels

Las Vegas has become the hottest restaurant market in the United States. Most hotels have multiple restaurants, including a buffet for which the city is justly famous. One of the cheapest buffets is at Circus. two of the best are at Bellagio and parries. Bally’s has the best (and most expensive) Sunday champagne brunch, the Sterling, in town.

Picasso: By almost all accounts, the best restaurant in town is the Mediterranean-French eatery, operated by celebrity-chief Julian Serrano. Choose between the tasting and prix fixe menus and marvel over the original Picasso art work surrounding you.

Top of the World. Floor to ceiling windows provide 360 degree views of the valley as this airy eatery rotates near the top of the 1,149 ft. tall Stratosphere tower. Continental fare is spiced with a few twists: tequila an lime shrimp, spinach and wild mushroom salad and the like.

Bethel’s best restaurants

Bethel is a classic New England town, while the less developed Rangeley Lakes Bethel has the largest concentration of inns and B7Bs, and its chamber of commerce has a lodging reservation service.

L’Auberge built as a barn in the late 1850s, L’Auberge has evolved into a casual inn with a French country accent and one of the area’s best restaurants. The inn is on 5 private acres off the Bethel Common. The innkeepers warmly welcome both children and pets.

Victoria Inn. Inside this turreted inn, Victorian details include ceiling rosettes, stained glass windows, elaborate fireplace mantels and gleaming oak trim. The restaurant open to the public for dinner serves entrees such as lobster ravioli and filet mignon.