Travel Features - AP

ORLANDO, Fla. - At ICEBAR Orlando, patrons don't need to order drinks on the rocks.

MIAMI - It might be notorious for its late-night party scene, swanky beach hotels with steeply priced drinks and the beachgoers who wear barely-there $300 swimsuits, but vacationing Miami-style doesn't have to cost a fortune.

PARIS - The city of light has an unfortunate blight: the locals' reputation for rudeness. That's why a group of friendly Parisians have banded together to show complete strangers around their Paris, the one not found in travel books — for free.

CUMBERLAND ISLAND, Ga. - John Fry mashes the brakes and curses under his breath as a pack of wild hogs scurries across the narrow dirt road, where spiky palmetto fronds claw at both sides of his National Park Service pickup truck.

TOLEDO, Ohio - Ghosts and ghouls — friendly ones at that — are about to take over America's zoos.

SYDNEY, Australia - Where to go for lunch on a sunny spring day in Sydney? Why, the same place you'd go on a cloudy day, or your birthday, or even after late-night clubbing.

RUTHERFORD, Calif. - Lucy did it. And you can, too — stomp grapes, that is. Wineries from Napa to New York are rolling out the barrel for those inclined to squish a little merlot between their toes.

INDIAN LAKE, N.Y. - When the brown duck swam close, the dog sat higher, alert and tensed in the canoe. She watched intently as the bird passed only feet from the boat's bow on the Adirondack lake, the surface glistening in afternoon sunshine.

CHICAGO - Chicago has a reputation as a working-class city for a reason. Sure, there are fancy Gold Coast shops and $500-a-night hotel suites, but it's also possible to see Chicago's famous lakefront, eat its famous food and enjoy distinctive cultures on the cheap.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. - In this storied harbor town where the Mayflower landed nearly 400 years ago, generations of Americans have claimed and reinterpreted the Pilgrim story.

CUMBERLAND, Md. - Can we all just get along?

STRASBURG, Pa. - Just keep chugging, and you could become a star.

VENICE, Italy - For centuries, Venice has captivated travelers with an array of romantic images: gondola rides through glistening canals at sunset, homes painted in vibrant hues of periwinkle and plum.

KAKUM NATIONAL PARK, Ghana - This primeval forest in southern Ghana boasts 300 species of birds, unique monkeys and the highly endangered forest elephant and bongo antelope.

QUITO, Ecuador - As the sun descends, street lamps take over, illuminating grandiose colonial plazas, antiquated historic buildings and romantic balconies that line the major streets of capital city Quito's "Centro Historico" district in Ecuador.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels penned their Communist Manifesto — "a specter is haunting Europe, the specter of communism" — in a cabaret overlooking Brussels' spectacular Grand-Place.

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - An elegant museum in Cartersville's modest downtown has become a surprising sanctuary for Western art collectors.

SEATTLE - Home to Microsoft and Starbucks, grunge rock and a constant rainy drizzle, Seattle is defined by the collision of urban soul and natural beauty. It's also a great destination for the budget-conscious traveler. An abundance of outdoor activities and a pulsing arts community make it the perfect place to visit while holding onto spare change.

MAZOMANIE, Wis. - It's a step back in time when walking through downtown's Brodhead Street — with its brick and stone storefronts, pillars and railings still intact from the mid-1800s.

PARIS - Tourists looking for old Paris charm and a taste of "La Vie en Rose" should head to Belleville, a largely overlooked part of the city and the birthplace of Edith Piaf.

PHILADELPHIA - Memorial Hall, one of the jewels of the Centennial Exposition of 1876, had lost its luster many years ago.

BARCELONA - Spain's northeastern city of Barcelona, set between verdant mountains and the Mediterranean sea, basks in a well-earned reputation as one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations.

MYSTIC, Conn. - Ten years in Jerusalem, a city with only two significant seasons — hot summers and cold, damp winters — made me determined to have the best autumn possible my first year back on the East Coast.

YANGON, Myanmar - In the colonial heyday of this elegant Victorian hotel, gentlemen in white dinner jackets and ladies in flowing gowns sipped cocktails on the shaded verandah as the sun went down, enjoying a welcome respite from the tropical heat.

SPRING GREEN, Wis. - Thousands come each year to the Wisconsin River valley where Frank Lloyd Wright built his home and tested his ideas about building in harmony with nature.

ORANGE, Va. - It isn't exactly common to make a house two-thirds smaller, or to remove the indoor plumbing. But that's what's been done at Montpelier, the plantation mansion of President James Madison.

NEW YORK - With the economy slumping and fuel prices soaring, facials and massages may not be a top priority for consumers on a budget.

NEW YORK - Once upon a time, Halloween was a one-day event. Then the pumpkins and parties started moving back to the weeks between Columbus Day and Oct. 31.