Virginia City, Nevada is one of America’s largest Historical Landmarks. It is located just southeast of Reno, Nevada, and this historical mining town is easily accessible by car from Lake Tahoe, Reno, or Carson City. It has been rumored that Virginia City’s rich gold and silver mines financed the Civil War. Rich in history, Virginia City and the Comstock Lode still maintain the feel of the hifalutin mining days, when Mark Twain roamed the streets and everybody wanted a piece of the richest place on Earth. The town started with two miners named Pat McLaughlin and Peter O’Reilly when they discovered gold at the head of Six-Mile Canyon in 1859. A fellow miner, Henry Comstock, stumbled upon their find and claimed it was on his property. The gullible McLaughlin and O’Reilly believed him and assured Comstock a place in history when the giant lode was named. The biggest problem in this newly found paradise was the sticky blue-gray mud that clung to picks and shovels. When the mud was assayed, it proved to be silver ore worth over $2,000 a ton. The resulting boom turned Virginny Town, named after miner James Finney–more fondly known as ‘Old Virginny’–into Virginia City, the most important settlement between Denver, Colorado and San Francisco, California, and turned the grubby prospectors into instant millionaires who built mansions, imported furniture and fashions from Europe and the Orient, and financed the Civil War.

At the peak of its glory, Virginia City was a boisterous town with something happening 24 hours a day both above and below ground for its nearly 30,000 residents. A devastating fire nearly wiped out the town in 1875, destroying over 2,000 structures, but the town rebuilt itself in just one year, and many of the historical buildings currently standing are from that time. The mines closed in 1942, and after World War II, the city began attracting tourists. Today, many mansions such as the Castle, the Mackay Mansion, and the Savage stand as monuments and can be toured by visitors who want to get a feel for the life of a miner during the Comstock. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad runs again from Virginia City to Gold Hill. The largest federally designated Historical District in America is maintained in its original condition. The main business street is lined with 1860s and 1870s buildings with specialty shops of all kinds. Visitors can pan for gold, and there are several restaurants open to the public. There are staged gunfights, saloons, and people in period clothing everywhere you look. The enormous graveyard can also be toured, but be sure to wear sturdy shoes as you will have to climb to take it all in.

Las Vegas, Nevada attempts to change itself and be a peddler of family-friendly activities caused it to stumble. The MGM Grand replaced its amusement park with two nightclubs with a third one opening soon.  All of the Las Vegas hotels are following suit.

Vegas has reinvented itself by returning to the biggest, nicest place to sin ever imagined. People come to Vegas to do what they can do at home but to do it in a more ostentatious way. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas is their town logo. The fact is that “What happens in Vegas” is bragged about at home for months afterward.

The reinvented Vegas has room rates up 40% in 2004 from the same period last year. It’s the fastest-growing major U.S. city. 7,000 people move to Clark County each month. The population is 1.6 million.

Vegas is the top tourist and convention spot with the city taking in $6.5 billion in conventions, which is more than the $6.1 billion taken in gambling.

A good chunk of this gambling money is received from the under 30 crowd. Young people seem to be better educated, have more disposable income and are less averse to travel than the typical Vegas customer.

If you haven’t been to Vegas within the year odds are you won’t recognize the place because Vegas literally transforms itself while you are away.

Seattle: for most people, the first thing to come to mind is the rain. But that’s not the only thing worth mentioning.

Seattle is a relatively young metro area that has reached true “big city” population numbers only in the last half-century, with relatively steady growth since the 1980’s. The city proper is home to about 600,000 people, while the Seattle metro area includes about 2.5 million people, and the greater Puget Sound region holds closer to 3.5 million. Most the growth can be traced to the companies and industries that have driven employment opportunity in the area: software, aerospace, electronics and computer-related products, biomedical, and telecommunications.

The region has an overblown reputation for poor weather, but the real emotional downer isn’t the rain, it’s the number of overcast days. Yet, in spite of the darker shorter winter days, for residents, it’s all about the “everything else” that outweighs the weather. Recreationally, there are almost limitless options, whether you are into hiking, biking, skiing, sports games, climbing, gambling, camping, or fishing. With Portland, Oregon only three hours drive to the south, the San Juan Islands only an hour to the west, Vancouver, BC only three hours north, and excellent skiing a quick forty-five minutes to the east, get-away opportunities are in all directions and come in many flavors.

For metro-focused people, downtown Seattle is a great place to live and play. The relatively well blended mix of cultures results in a variety of cuisines if food is your thing. The city has a professional sports team for most fanatics, with one of the last remaining absentees being professional hockey, and in any given year, at least one of the teams has got a chance to go the distance. The downtown neighborhoods all have their own feel. For dancing and nightclubbing, head to Belltown, Capitol Hill, or Pioneer Square. For a casual beer or a chat over coffee and people-watching, head up to Queen Anne, or over the hill to Fremont and Ballard.

So if L.A. and New York move a bit too fast or seem a bit too crowded, Chicago, Boston and Detroit seem too old, Miami seems too humid, Portland seems to small, Minneapolis seems too cold, and Phoenix and Dallas seem too dry… swing through Seattle, see Pike Place Market, drive out to Snoqualmie Falls and play golf at Mount Si, take a ferry over to Whidbey Island, and grab coffee up on Queen Anne Hill. And leave your umbrella at home, because after a few days of “maybe it’s a drizzle, maybe that’s a real cloud, maybe it will clear up”, you’ll realize you don’t really need it. Trust me.

Another interesting fact is that Seattle has the largest percentage of teeth implants in the US.

If the heavenly smell of chocolate doesn’t get to you, then the exciting atmosphere will. Hershey was rated the #1 Amusement Park in the Northeast by FamilyFun Magazine. Hershey is just 30 minutes from Lancaster Country, 45 minutes from the historic Gettysburg Battlefield National Park, and just minutes from the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. Milton Hershey wanted a real home town with tree lined streets, single and two family brick houses, and manicured lawns. He was concerned about providing adequate recreation and diversions, so he built a park that opened on April 24, 1907, and expanded rapidly over the next several years. Amusement rides, a swimming pool, and a ballroom were added. Soon, trolley cars and trains were bringing thousands of out-of-town visitors to the park. Many of the town’s impressive structures were built during the Great Depression, as part of Milton Hershey’s ‘Great Building Campaign’, to provide jobs. It was then that monumental structures such as THE HOTEL HERSHEY, community center, theatre, sports arena and stadium were constructed, transforming the town into a major tourist attraction that continues to grow in popularity each year.

Hershey park offers fun and excitement for every member of the family, and is home to over 60 rides and attractions, including 10 thrilling roller coasters, 6 drenching water rides, and over two dozen kiddie rides. HERSHEY’S Factory Works is hands-on, and this dynamic new attraction gives visitors the opportunity to experience a real HERSHEY’S KISSES chocolates manufacturing line, and order mouth watering personalized desserts from their very own entertaining bakers, and if you have filled up on too much chocolate, then just stroll over to the Hershey Gardens. The beautifully organized themed gardens offers seasonal displays, beautiful rare trees, an amazing outdoor Butterfly House, and 7,000 breathtaking roses. HERSHEY also offers winter events and has now for over 20 years. Christmas in Hershey is like nothing else. HERSHEYPARK’s CHRISTMAS CANDYLANE is the centerpiece of this townwide celebration, decorated with more than one million twinkling lights, including their KISSMAS Tree. With a calendar packed full of holiday attractions, events, and activities, Hershey is the perfect place for a traditional family getaway any time of the year.

The aromatic smell of fresh seafood hits your senses the very second that you come off of the Bay bridge when heading east from Annapolis, Maryland. You will enter a world that is both exuberating and exhilerating. Sailboats, crab shacks, and beautifully tanned people line the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Their goal is to relax on one of the many beautiful beaches and have the time of their lives. Once here you have entered a world of history and a million things to do. Most people will find themselves heading to Rehobeth Beach, Delaware Ocean City, Maryland or one of the many historical cities that both Delaware and Maryland have to offer. The Zwaanendael Museum, in Lewes, Delaware offers the history of Delaware’s early settlers and is packed into a reproduction of an old Dutch town hall, it was built in 1931 and the museum shows many settler artifacts and details the British bombardment of Lewes in the War of 1812. Rehobeth offers a mile long boardwalk and Dixieland sounds with the occasional free alfresco concert and plenty of good local food. Ocean City offers sparkling water and white sandy beaches, not to mention the most spectacular boardwalk that you have ever laid your eyes on. There is also a local amusement park at the Pier. If history is your thing, then just look around, its everywhere. Dover, Delaware has the famous haunting at the Governor’s Mansion on State street. It is said that a drummer boy and his commander walk the halls of the mansion. Downtown Dover is rich with history and beautiful old buildings that have been well kept over their many years of survival. Fresh seafood is offered at just about any restaurant and the atmosphere makes it so inviting to visit these colonial states that you just may never want to leave.

Imagine driving along a 105 mile long road that holds secrets, history, and beautiful scenery no matter which way you look. Skyline Drive,winds along the crest of the mountains through the length of Shenandoah Park, and provides vistas of the spectacular landscape to east and west. The park holds more than 500 miles of trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Trails may follow a ridge crest, or they may lead to high places with panoramic views or to waterfalls in deep canyons. During the warmer seasons, bushes and wildflowers bloom along the Drive and trails and fill the open spaces. Apple trees, stone foundations, and cemeteries are reminders of the families who once called this place home. This one of a kind park lies on both sides of a beautiful section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which form the eastern rampart of the Appalachian Mountains between Pennsylvania and Georgia.

The oldest rocks in the Blue Ridge Mountains were created over a billion years ago as magma deep within the earth’s crust moved upward. Over eons it cooled, fractured, and was joined by younger metamorphic rocks formed from sedimentary deposits. All were altered and eroded to shape today’s granite peaks and sylvan hollows. Settlers first experienced the beauty of these mountains in 1750. The first settlers moved into the lower hollows near springs and streams. Over the next century and a half many hundreds of families built homesteads, mills and stores and planted orchards and crops. The mountains were logged and minerals were mined. Vacation resorts were established to allow guests to experience the beautiful mountain views that are just waiting to be admired.

The best way to Shenandoah National Park is a car. And I recommend a car hire when you do these driving vacations so you don’t put wear and tear on your own car.

Nemacolin Castle is located in Brownsville,Pennsylvania, overlooking the Monongahela River, and it was once the site of Old Fort Burd. Previously known as Nemacolin Towers, the tudor style building dates back to the 1790’s. The castle was built by Jacob Bowman who was appointed by George Washington as Brownsville’s first postmaster. The castle was home to the Bowman family for many years. Today, it is operated by the Brownsville Historical Society and is open to the public.

Melrose Castle is located on Rt. 602 in Casanova, Virginia. It dates from around 1854 and is situated on a fifty acre parcel of land. It was built by the Murray family who named it Melrose after their homeland in Scotland. During the Civil War, the castle was occupied by forces of both the North and South.The castle is nestled on 50 heavily wooded acres with Gupton Run running through it.

Howden Castle is located on Highway 9 in Ben Lomand, California. Construction was started in 1927 and completed in 1932. It was built by Robert Howden, who modeled it on castles of his native country, Scotland. The stones of the original castle foundation walls were hand picked and set. Poems and scenes by Scottish authors Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns were etched into the windows of the castle. From 1939 until 1946, the castle was owned by a Santa Cruz doctor, Howard Sullivan and his wife. It remains a tourist attraction and in 1979 was determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Gillette Castle is located on a bluff overlooking the Connecticut River. The three-story structure was the home of director, actor, and playwright, William Gillette, who completed the castle in 1919. The castle is one of Connecticut’s leading attractions, drawing more than 300,000 people in 1995.The castle was purchased in 1944 by the state and since then,it has been maintained as a state park. Gillette Castle is open daily for tours.

Gothic Revival Castle is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was built in 1849, restored in 1882, placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1976, and again restored in 1995. Mark Twain once remarked that this was the “ugliest” building on the Mississippi river.

Hammond Castle is located on the coast of Massachusetts near Gloucester. The castle which was constructed between 1926 and 1929, was the home and laboratory of John Hays Hammond Jr. Mr. Hammond was an inventor who was a pioneer in remote control and held over four hundred patents. The building is a collection of 15th, 16th, and 18th century architectural elements and sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

Castle in the Clouds is located in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. It was built by the eccentric millionaire Thomas Plant. It is now part of the 5000 acre Castle Springs estate which is the location of the Castle Springs water bottling plant. Tours of the plant and the castle are available.

Biltmore Estate is located in Asheville, North Carolina and is the largest home in the United States. It is a replica of a French chateau with approximately 250 rooms. The castle offers guided tours through the garden and you can climb onto Biltmore’s roof where mountains unfold before you.