Maryland's Roots
* Historic St. Mary's City, an outdoor museum of colonial history and archaeology on the Chesapeake Bay's western shore, gives visitors fresh insights into Maryland's first capital, founded in 1634. The 800-acre site includes a working 17th century tobacco plantation, the reconstructed Old State House, a colonial inn, gardens, Woodland Indian Hamlet, and a sailing ship replica. Contact: Historic St. Mary's City (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 39, St. Mary's City, MD 20686; (800) SMC-1634; www.stmaryscity.org.
Historic Places
* The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced this year's Dozen Distinctive Destinations. The 12 well-preserved cities and towns are: Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Calistoga, California; Silverton, Colorado; Madison, Indiana; Bonaparte, Iowa; Northampton, Massachusetts; Red Lodge, Montana; Las Vegas, New Mexico; Jacksonville, Oregon; Doylestown, Pennsylvania; Beaufort, South Carolina; and Staunton, Virginia. For more information, visit the Trust's web site: www.nationaltrust.org.
Island Hopping
* Norwegian Cruise Line's brand new supership, the 2,244-passenger Norwegian Star, begins her year-round deployment in Hawaii in December. From Honolulu, the Star will sail to the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and Fanning Island, an exotic Micronesian isle south of Hawaii. Contact: Norwegian Cruise Line (TravelAmerica Magazine), 7665 Corporate Center Drive, Miami, FL 33126; (800) 327-7030; www.ncl.com.
Wet Adventures
* Zoar Outdoor offers half-day kayaking, canoeing, and rafting trips on the Deerfield River in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Rock climbing clinics are available, too. Contact: Zoar Outdoor (TravelAmerica Magazine), Mohawk Trail, Charlemont, MA 01339; (800) 532-7483; www.zoaroutdoor.com.
Pacific Northwest
* Gray Line of Seattle offers 'Northwest Triangle,' a seven-day tour that includes Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, plus a scenic drive to Mount Rainier or a cruise on Seattle's waterways. Twin rate starts at $624. Contact: Gray Line of Seattle (TravelAmerica Magazine), 4500 W. Marginal Way S.W., Seattle, WA 98106; (800) 426-7532; www.graylineof seattle.com.
Washington State
* Tauck World Discovery offers 'Washington's Cascades,' an eight-day loop from Seattle. Highlights include the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, rafting on the Methow River, apple and peach orchards blanketing the rolling countryside, and snow-capped peaks all around. Also on the itinerary are Washington's San Juan Islands, plus Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia. Twin rate is $1,860. Contact: Tauck World Discovery (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 5027, Westport, CT 06881-5027; (800) 224-5158; www.tauck.com.
Wine Country
* On small-ship voyages from San Francisco to the Napa River, Cruise West offers tours and tastings at wineries in California's Napa and Sonoma valleys. Arrangements include private wine-and-food pairing luncheons. Each three- or four-night sailing, from September 21 to December 29, features an onboard wine expert. Fares start at $545. Contact: Cruise West (TravelAmerica Magazine), 2401 Fourth Ave., Suite 700, Seattle, WA 98121-1438; (800) 888-9378; www.cruisewest.com.
Hudson River
* American Cruise Lines' 49-passenger American Eagle offers eight-day fall foliage cruises on New York's Hudson Riven Departing from its home port of Haddam, Connecticut, the ship calls at West Point, Albany, Kingston, Sleepy Hollow, New York City, and Greenport Village, a fishing town on the tip of Long Island. Sailing dates are September 29 and October 6 and 13. Fares start at $2,520. Contact: American Cruise Lines (TravelAmerica Magazine), One Marine Park, Haddam, CT 06438; (800) 814-6880; www.american cruiselines.com.
Best of the East
* Globus offers 'The Hudson Valley, Niagara Falls, and Washington, D.C.,' an eight-day circuit from New York City. Highlights include the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; Hyde Park, the estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt; an Erie Canal cruise; a Maid of the Mist boat ride at Niagara Falls; Pennsylvania Dutch Country; and Philadelphia. Twin rate is from $1,269. Contact: Globus (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123-2980; (877) 325-0656; www.globusandcosmos.com.
Northern California
* Austin-Lehman Adventures, specializing in soft adventure travel, presents 'Redwoods to Wineries,' a six-day trip from San Francisco. Activities include hiking in the redwoods of Muir Woods, kayaking in Tomales Bay, horseback riding at Point Reyes National Seashore Preserve, biking through the ranchlands of Marin and Sonoma counties, and Napa Valley winery tours and tastings. Twin rate is $2,545. Other multi-sport trips are in Hawaii, Alaska, and various Western states. Contact: Austin-Lehman Adventures (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 81025, Billings, MT 59108; (800) 575-1540; www.austinlehman.com.
Eastern Cities
* Globus packages 'Great Cities of the East,' an eight-day tour from Boston to Washington, D.C. Also visited are Newport, Rhode Island; New York City; and Philadelphia. Twin rate is from $1849. Contact: Globus (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123-2980; (877) 325-0656; www.globusandcosmos.com.
National Parks
* Mayflower Tours offers 'National Parks of the Southwest,' a 10-day trip from Las Vegas. Arizona sights include the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Monument Valley. Also visited are four Utah parks--Arches, Capitol Reef, Zion, and Bryce Canyon. Twin rate is $1,598. Contact: May-flower Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1225 Warren Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515; (800) 323-7604; www.mayflowertours.com.
Skate Tours
Three- and five-day rollerblading tours in Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts are offered by Zephyr Inline Skate Tours & Camps (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 16, Red Lodge, MT 59068; (888) 758-8687; www.skatetour.com.
Bike Treks
Washington's San Juan Islands, Oregon's coast, and California Wine Country are some of the destinations awaiting bike enthusiasts on trips offered by Bicycle Adventures (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 11219, Olympia, WA 98508; (800) 443-6060; www.bicycleadventures.com.
Northern Wisconsin
Wilderness Inquiry offers three- and five-day kayak trips in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, an archipelago park made up of 21 islands and 12 miles of shoreline on Lake Superior. Kayakers encounter huge trees in old-growth forests, historic lighthouses, shipwrecks, and sea caves. Kayaking or camping experience is not required. Three-day trips are $350, four-day $495. Contact: Wilderness Inquiry (TravelAmerica Magazine); 808 14th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55414-1516; (800) 728.0719; www.wildernessinquiry.org.
Gulf Coast
Mayflower Tours offers 'New Orleans and the Gulf Coast,' a six-day trip that includes a Louisiana swamp tour; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Bellingrath Gardens, near Mobile, Alabama. Twin rate is $749. Contact: Mayflower Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1225 Warren Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515; (800) 323-7604; www.mayflowertours.com.
Cape Cod
Tauck Worm Discovery offers 'Cape Cod & The Islands,' an eight-day trip from Providence, Rhode Island. The itinerary includes the mansions of Newport, the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, a whale-watching cruise from Provincetown, and Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth. Twin rate is $2,040. Contact: Tauck Worm Discovery (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 5027, Westport, CT 06881-5027; (800) 224.5158; www.tauck.com.
Wild Whitewater
River Odysseys West offers three- to six-day whitewater rafting adventures through the Snake River's Hells Canyon, which straddles the borders of Idaho and Oregon. Cost is $790 to $1,475. Other adventures include rafting on Idaho's Salmon River and canoeing on the Missouri River in Montana. Contact: River Odysseys West (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 579, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-0579; (800) 451-6034; www.rowinc.com.
