Unlike the big cruise ships, we can take our time in Glacier Bay, which offers 3.3 million acres of glaciers that calve right in front of us, wildlife -- humpback whales that jump right in front of our boat, dozens of harbor seals sprawled on rocks -- and an amazing marine ecosystem

Gettysburg is the real thing. When visiting, you can't help but be moved by the significance of events that took place here in 1863. And yet there's more to Gettysburg than 1863 history, soldiers and war

Wine aficionados planning a vineyard tour in New York will generally turn to the Hudson River Valley, Long Island or the Finger Lakes regions, where most of the state's grapes are grown -- excluding, of course, the huge Concord ...

If you're yearning for a big-city vacation and have a weekend to spare, why not come to San Francisco, the city on the bay.

Families who visit Orlando, Florida can now easily escape in the evening to upscale hotels that welcome kids and won't bust the budget

Friendly in that Southern way, Charleston, S.C., the city by the sea, keeps the welcome mat out for travelers. Charleston is filled with hundreds of historic homes. And among the attractions of the countryside are grand old plantations full of sweeping movie-scene vistas.

Mark Twain said that 'Mississippi steamboats were floating palaces. They were finer than anything on shore. They tallied with the citizen's dream of what magnificence was, and satisfied it.' Watching this spectacle, we'd have to agree.

The Atlantic seaboard's long inward curve between North Carolina and south Florida -- makes coastal Georgia a watery paradise. This is a stunningly pristine region; most of the islands aren't even inhabited. Those that are offer a range of vacation styles, all within a day-trip from Savannah.

Any time of year is a good time to stay at the Mountain Lodge in Telluride, which is located in southwest Colorado's San Juan Range. The 14,000-thousand foot giants looming over Telluride, rocky hunks tracing a ragged barrier above the village, are surely Colorado's most spectacular.

From the top of Winter Park Ski Resort's Parsenn Bowl, 12,060 feet, you can see forever. On an icy February morning, with the thermometer hovering at 10 degrees above zero, Colorado's mighty Front Range glimmered across the valley, a ghostly image mantled with snow.

Mackinac Island sits in the Straits of Mackinac, which divides Lake Huron from Lake Michigan. Modern-day visitors arrive either by small plane or by ferry. Bicycles, horses, and your feet are the only modes of transportation around the tiny island. Many of the island's most popular sites are located within walking distance

As winter steals over Yosemite National Park, in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, a hush fills the valley. Walking along the snowy banks of the Merced River as it winds its way below towering cliffs, it's obvious to a group of visitors why Yosemite Valley is such an inspired place for a winter vacation

We opted to let Austin-Lehman lead the way. The company has been guiding families in Yellowstone for 25 years -- several hundred a summer -- and though they offer trips around the world, including many specifically for families

Acadia National Park provides an amazing cornucopia of recreation with more than 100 miles of hiking trails, many of which were laid out by Native Americans, and 57 miles of the most unique system of stone carriage roads on the planet.

Finally, Caribbean beaches that are everything a Caribbean beach should be -- quaint, with hammocks strung from palm trees, crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling, white sand, a first-rate beach bar and enough water toys to keep the kids happy

Boiling mud pots, rain forests, and a drive-in Volcano. All that and spectacular beaches, too, on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, which promises a lot more than your typical resort getaway. Saint Lucia lies midway between Martinique and St. Vincent

It's an artist's haven, and an international playground. But beyond Puerto Vallarta's cruise port and its two-mile-long row of multi-story hotels, the spirit of Mexico lives on

We're just an hour or so from Cancun, a few miles from Playa del Carmen, five miles off the highway along a bumpy road in Rio Secreto, a unique cave just opened to the public last year, after the owner of the land, Don Cleo, inadvertently discovered it while chasing one of his animals

Costa Rica is home to some of the best and most consistent surf in the world, and lessons are available at a fraction of the cost compared to a stay in Hawaii or the hassle of getting to Indonesia, two other renowned surfing destinations. There are plenty of surfing beaches along the Pacific Coast in this Central American country, but we decided on Playa Guiones

When I travel, I'm up for just about anything. So when I found out about an opportunity to jump into a volcano and get covered in mud during a vacation to Cartagena, Colombia I immediately signed on

Right on the Pacific Ocean, Puerto Vallarta has it all: coastal waters, lush jungle, deluxe resorts, relaxing spas -- and it's the base for a variety of adventures. Even if you can't spend an entire week in this Mexican seaside destination, here's how to enjoy your vacation in a town where it's almost impossible to have a bad day.

I'd seen the Mayan ruins of Copan, Honduras, in pictures, but they didn't prepare me for the Indiana Jones-esque mystique. As the cool mist tickled my skin, I felt like the first person to encounter the monuments, even though thousands had preceded me.