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Top Destinations for 2010 and the Decade to Come

Travel has become more economical than in recent years.  So, if you’re planning to see the world, now may be the best time.  In fact, in 2010 and much of the rest of the new decade here are some of the best places you may want to consider:

Concierge.com’s It List:

Marrakesh, Kyrgyzstan, Vancouver, Burma, Venice, Antaractica, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Colombia, South Africa

Yahoo Travel’s most popular cities:

Las Vegas, Miami, Cancun, San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, New York, San Francisco, Orlando, Honolulu, Paris

Frommer’s Top Destinations:

Santiago de Cuba, Florida Panhandle beaches, Hawaii (the Big Island), Salta Province Argentina, Mexico City, Melbourne Australia, Hanoi Vietnam, Kerala India, Abu Dhabi UAE, Tunisia, Copenhagen Denmark, Isles of Scilly England

And the Frommer’s reader favorite for 2010:  Paris, France


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Best Travel Spots in the South

Southern Living Magazine recently published a list of the best travel destinations in the South of the USA.  Here are some of the best:

Best Live Music Venue in Louisiana – House of Blues, New Orleans

Best Crab Cake in Maryland – The Crab Claw Restaurant, St. Michaels

Best Drive in West Virginia – New River Gorge, Fayette County

Best Lake in Alabama – Lake Guntersville

Best Literary Stop in Mississippi – Rowan Oak, Oxford

Best Live Music in Tennessee – Grand Ole Opry, Nashville

Best Attraction in Arkansas – Hot Springs National Park

Best Historic Site in Virginia – Colonial Williamsburg

Best Attraction in Georgia – Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

Best Dance Hall in Texas – Gruene Hall, Gruene


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Affordable Weekend Getaways in the South, USA

The economy is leading travelers in the USA to take shorter, yet more frequent vacations. There are many places to plan a cheap weekend getaway in the South region of the United Stated. Here are our top ten recommended spots for fun and affordable short vacations in the South.

1) Dallas, Texas

2) Atlanta, Georgia

3) Captiva/Sanibel Island, Florida

4) Louisville, Kentucky

5) Delaware’s Brandywine Valley

6) Charlotte, North Carolina

7) Little Rock, Arkansas

8) Memphis, Tennessee

9) Washington, D.C.

10) Charleston, South Carolina


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Off the Beaten Track – Alternatives to Classic Tourist Destinations

Here are a few unique, out-of-the-way alternatives to classic tourist destinations, courtesy of “Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge” on PBS:

Japan: As a side trip from Tokyo during a winter trip, visit snow monkeys soaking in hot springs in Nagano, the site of the 1998 winter Olympics. Take a train from the city and transfer to a bus that takes you to Jigokudani Yaen= koen, the Wild Monkey Park in Hell Valley.

Australia: On the continent’s west coast, you will fmd Bungle Bungles, a collection of beehive-shaped hills with layers of rock. The area is sacred to the Aborigines.

Iceland: On the other side of the island from the capital of Reykjavik is the Jokulsarlon, a glacier-fed lake filled with icebergs a few hundred yards from the sea.

Bolivia: Beyond La Paz and Lake Titicaca lies the Altiplano, a high plateau dotted with snowcapped volcanoes and mirror lakes, which Wolfe calls “a landscape like no other on the planet:”

Nepal: After you have seen the temples and stupas of Katmandu, venture to the far west to Chitwan National Park, a marshy area that is home to rhinoceroses, tigers, and crocodiles.


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Top 10 Eco-Friendly Travel Landmarks in the USA

Interested in Eco-Friendly Travel? Here are some of the top green tourist destinations in the USA, courtesy of “Travel – Leisure Magazine”. These landmarks were chosen because they implement a variety of eco-friendly strategies, such as photovoltaic panels, green roofs and wind turbines.

1. San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences, which has a living roof with plantings that attract birds and butterflies.

2. Nationals Park, Washington, which has a green roof and a site that’s friendly to pedestrians, bikers and subway riders.

3. The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns Restaurant, Pocantico Hills, N.Y., a historic farm and gourmet restaurant that aims to teach people about food.

4. The 5.4.7 Arts Center, Greensburg, Kan., a new energy-efficient attraction in a town that was devastated by a tornado.

5. New York City’s High Line, a park being created on an abandoned elevated rail line in Manhattan.

6. World Birding Center, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission, Texas, a green building amid the park’s nine protected habitats on the Mexican border.

7. The Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure, which the magazine says is the first garage certified as environmentally efficient by the U.S: Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design program.

8. Sears Tower, Chicago, which the magazine says is exploring how it can become more energy efficient.

9. Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate, a luxury lodge complex on a former military site at Fort Baker, Calif., along the coast.

10. The Cor Tower in Miami’s Design District, described by the magazine as “glamorous” and “chic” yet environmentally conscious.


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Top 40 Places to Visit in Florida

Visiting the United States? Plan a trip to America’s tropical paradise: Florida. There are an endless array of exciting activities and places to visit in Florida. Looking for some tips? Here are the top 40 places to visit and things to do in Florida:

  1. 1) Take a guided tour and explore Miami’s Art Deco district
  2. 2) Visit Aquatica, the new water park in Orlando
  3. 3) Florida’s oyster capital in Apalachicola
  4. 4) Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates in Fort Meyers
  5. 5) Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of America Art in Winter Park
  6. 6) Antique stores in Mt. Dora and popular Renninger’s Antique Center
  7. 7) Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront mansions and shopping at Las Olas Boulevard
  8. 8 ) Take a surfing lesson at Cocoa Beach
  9. 9) Ghost Tours in St. Augustine
  10. 10) Visit the new Jungala, an interactive experience at Busch Gardens Africa
  11. 11) Bike the Tallahassee – St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail
  12. 12) Fort Walton Beach’s annual Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival
  13. 13) Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge off Melbourne Beach
  14. 14) Universal Orlando Resort
  15. 15) Explore the Everglades National Park and it’s 1.5 million acres of subtropical landscape
  16. 16) West Palm Beach’s Sunfest Music Festival in May
  17. 17) John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota
  18. 18) Silver Sands Factory Outlet Stores in Destin
  19. 19) Enjoy stone crabs at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami
  20. 20) Victorian village of Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island
  21. 21) Big Cypress Seminole Reservation in the Everglades
  22. 22) Ybor City, Tampa’s Latin Quarter
  23. 23) Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art
  24. 24) Experience race driving at the Richard Petty Driving Experience, Daytona 500 Experience
  25. 25) Caladesi Island State Park
  26. 26) Collect shells at Sanibel and Captiva islands
  27. 27) Enjoy interactive experiences at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola
  28. 28) Swim with the dolphins at Dolphin World in the Florida Keys
  29. 29) Take a houseboat ride on the Suwanee River
  30. 30) Try the Shuttle Launch Experience at the Kennedy Space Visitor Complex
  31. 31) World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine
  32. 32) Take a classic wooden roller coaster ride in Winter Haven’s Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
  33. 33) Walt Disney World in Orlando
  34. 34) Shop flea markets at the Big Cypress Market Place in Naples
  35. 35) Enjoy a nightly outdoor celebration of sunset at Key West’s Mallory Square
  36. 36) See manatees at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
  37. 37) Kayak or canoe on Grayton Beach State Park in Western Lake
  38. 38) Watch a sunset at Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach
  39. 39) Re-live the golden age at Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach
  40. 40) Learn about life as an early settler in Florida at Spanish Point in Osprey

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