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 USA
10th Edition

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 USA
10th Edition

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Published by:

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ISBN: 978-0-470-04726-2
Editor: Naomi P. Kraus
with Mike Kelly and Anuja Madar
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5 4 3 2 1
 Contents
List of Maps viii

1 Planning Your Trip to the USA 1

1 When to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 7 The 21st-Century Traveler . . . . . . . . .13
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Online Traveler’s Toolbox . . . . . . . . .14
3 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 8 Getting Around the United States . . . .14
4 Health & Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Tips for Digital Travel
5 Specialized Travel Resources . . . . . . . .9 Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
6 Planning Your Trip Online . . . . . . . . .12 9 Special-Interest Vacation Planner . . .19
Frommers.com: The Complete 10 Tips on Accommodations . . . . . . . . .26
Travel Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

2 New England 29
1 Boston & Cambridge . . . . . . . . . . . .29 6 Newport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Take Me Out to the Ballgame . . . . . .40 7 Providence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
2 Cape Cod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 8 Southern Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
3 Martha’s Vineyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 9 The White Mountains
4 The Berkshires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 of New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
5 Mystic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 10 The Maine Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
A Casino in the Woods . . . . . . . . . . .72 Staying & Dining at the
White Barn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

3 The Mid-Atlantic 103

1 New York City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Simple, Relaxed Luxury . . . . . . . . . .151
Park It! Shakespeare, Music 5 Philadelphia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
& Other Free Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 6 Side Trips from Philadelphia: The
2 Historic Highlights of the Amish Country, the Brandywine
Hudson River Valley . . . . . . . . . . . .132 Valley & More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
3 Upstate New York Highlights . . . . .135 All Things Chocolate . . . . . . . . . . .169
Cooperstown: Checking Out 7 Pittsburgh & Western
Baseball’s Best Moments . . . . . . . .139 Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
4 Highlights of the New Jersey Shore: 8 Baltimore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Atlantic City & Cape May . . . . . . . .140 9 Washington, D.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
A Vegas Resort in Atlantic City . . . .145
iv CONTENTS

4 The Southeast 214

1 Jefferson’s Virginia: Charlottesville 9 Myrtle Beach & the
& Monticello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214 Grand Strand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278
Another Nearby Presidential 10 Wilmington & the Outer Banks . . . .282
Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218 11 Pinehurst: Where Golf Is King . . . . .286
2 Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220 12 Charlotte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288
3 Williamsburg & Colonial Virginia . . .222 13 The Blue Ridge Parkway . . . . . . . . .290
4 The Shenandoah Valley . . . . . . . . . .233 14 Asheville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
A Side Trip to Warm Springs 15 Great Smoky Mountains
& Hot Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239 National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296
5 Atlanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240 16 Highlights of Kentucky . . . . . . . . . .300
6 Savannah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254 17 Eastern Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . .310
7 Hilton Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263 18 Nashville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314
8 Charleston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268 19 Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323

5 Florida 332
1 Walt Disney World & Orlando . . . . .332 Five Fabulous Historic Hotels . . . . .376
FASTPASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336 5 Everglades National Park . . . . . . . .386
2 Highlights of Northeast Florida . . . .356 6 The Keys & Key West . . . . . . . . . . .388
3 Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beach . . . .363 7 Tampa & St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . .397
4 Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367

6 The Gulf South 412

1 Birmingham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .412 3 Highlights of Mississippi . . . . . . . . .427
2 Montgomery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421 Visiting Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432
The Civil Rights Trail . . . . . . . . . . . .423 4 New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Cruise through Mobile . . . . . . . . . .427

7 The Midwest 453

1 Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453 6 Milwaukee & Highlights
2 Cleveland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .477 of Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .512
3 Cincinnati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .489 7 Minneapolis & St. Paul . . . . . . . . . .519
4 Indianapolis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .494 8 Kansas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .531
5 Detroit & Highlights Best Bets for Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . .534
of Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502 9 St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .541
10 Branson & the Ozarks . . . . . . . . . . .550
 CONTENTS v

8 The Northern Rockies & Great Plains 557

1 The Flathead & Montana’s 7 The Black Hills & the Badlands
Northwest Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . .557 of South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .592
2 Glacier National Park . . . . . . . . . . .565 8 Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .599
3 Bozeman & South-Central 9 Oklahoma City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .604
Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .568 Ride ’em Cowboy . . . . . . . . . . . . . .607
4 Little Bighorn Battlefield 10 Omaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .610
National Monument . . . . . . . . . . . .573
It’s All Happening at the Zoo . . . . .611
5 Jackson Hole & Grand Teton
National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .574
Best Bets for Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . .612
6 Yellowstone National Park . . . . . . .583

9 Texas 615
1 Dallas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .615 5 San Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .642
2 Fort Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625 6 Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .650
3 Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .630 7 The Hill Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .658
4 Galveston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639 8 The Trans-Pecos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .661

10 Colorado & Utah 664

1 Denver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .664 7 Salt Lake City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .702
2 Boulder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .675 8 Park City: Utah’s Premier
3 Rocky Mountain National Park . . . .678 Resort Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .709
4 More Highlights of the Northern 9 Zion National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . .716
Colorado Rockies . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682 10 Bryce Canyon National Park . . . . . .719
Hitting Colorado’s Slopes . . . . . . . .684 11 Capitol Reef National Park . . . . . . .722
5 Colorado Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692 12 Arches National Park . . . . . . . . . . .725
6 Southwestern Colorado . . . . . . . . .696

11 The Southwest 728

1 Las Vegas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728 7 Monument Valley & Canyon
2 Reno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .746 de Chelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .790
3 Phoenix & Scottsdale . . . . . . . . . . .754 8 The Petrified Forest &
Painted Desert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .794
4 Tucson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .766
9 Albuquerque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .796
Two World-Class Spas . . . . . . . . . .774
10 White Sands National
5 Central Arizona & Sedona . . . . . . . .778
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .803
6 Flagstaff & the Grand Canyon . . . .782
11 Carlsbad Caverns National Park . . . .804
vi CONTENTS

12 Santa Fe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .806 Hitting the Slopes of Taos . . . . . . . .819

13 Taos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .815

12 California 824
1 San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .824 Burgers & Bullets at the
2 The Wine Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . .842 Iron Door Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . .878
Find the New You—in a 8 Santa Barbara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .887
Calistoga Mud Bath . . . . . . . . . . . .844 9 Los Angeles & Environs . . . . . . . . .890
3 The Northern Coast . . . . . . . . . . . .849 Seeing the Stars at Work . . . . . . . .899
4 The Monterey Peninsula & 10 The Disneyland Resort . . . . . . . . . .908
the Big Sur Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . .856 11 San Diego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .911
5 San Simeon: Hearst Castle . . . . . . .868 12 Palm Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .926
6 Lake Tahoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .870 13 Death Valley National Park . . . . . . .931
7 Yosemite National Park . . . . . . . . .877

13 The Pacific Northwest 933

1 Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .933 6 Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .965
A Sporting Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . .948 7 The Oregon Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . .976
2 The San Juan Islands . . . . . . . . . . .952 8 The Columbia River Gorge &
3 The Olympic Peninsula & Mount Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .982
Olympic National Park . . . . . . . . . .956 9 Willamette Valley Wine Country . . . .984
4 Mount Rainier National Park . . . . .961 10 Crater Lake National Park . . . . . . . .984
5 Mount St. Helens National Two World-Class Festivals
Volcanic Monument . . . . . . . . . . . .963 in Southern Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . .985

14 Alaska & Hawaii 987

1 Southeast Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .987 4 Honolulu & Oahu . . . . . . . . . . . . .1004
Arriving by Cruise Ship . . . . . . . . . .988 5 Maui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1011
2 Denali National Park . . . . . . . . . . . .998 6 The Big Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1018
3 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1001 Coffee Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1023

Appendix A: The Best of the Rest 1024

1 Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1024 4 North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1033
Soaking in Hot Springs . . . . . . . . .1026 The Park That Launched
2 Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1027 Them All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1034
3 Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1030 5 West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1036
Rising from the Ashes . . . . . . . . .1032 A Hotel Fit for Congress . . . . . . . .1037
 CONTENTS vii

Appendix B: State Tourism Offices 1040

Appendix C: For International Visitors 1044

1 Preparing for Your Trip . . . . . . . . .1044 Fast Facts: For the International
2 Getting to the U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . .1047 Traveler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1048
3 Getting Around the U.S. . . . . . . . .1047

Appendix D: Useful Toll-Free Numbers & Websites 1053

Index 1056
 List of Maps

The USA—Major Interstate Routes 2 Downtown St. Paul 523

New England 31 Kansas City 533
Boston 34 St. Louis 543
Martha’s Vineyard 61 The Northern Rockies &
Newport 75 Great Plains 558
The Mid-Atlantic 104 The Black Hills 593
Manhattan Neighborhoods 111 Texas 617
New York City: Midtown Accommoda- Dallas–Fort Worth Area 618
tions & Dining 120 Houston 633
Atlantic City 142 Central San Antonio 645
Philadelphia 156 Central Austin 653
Downtown Baltimore 181 Colorado & Utah 665
Washington, D.C. 192 Downtown Denver 668
The Southeast 216 Downtown Salt Lake City 705
Williamsburg Historic District 225 The Southwest 730
Atlanta at a Glance 241 Phoenix, Scottsdale & the Valley
Savannah 255 of the Sun 756
Charleston 269 Tucson 768
The Blue Ridge Parkway 291 Central Albuquerque 797
Nashville 316 Downtown Santa Fe 807
Memphis 324 Central Taos 817
Florida 333 California 825
Miami Beach & South Beach 371 San Francisco 828
Key West 395 Los Angeles 892
Tampa & St. Petersburg 398 San Diego Area 913
The Gulf South 413 Balboa Park 917
The French Quarter 437 The Pacific Northwest 935
The Midwest 454 Downtown Seattle 938
Chicago 466 Portland 968
Cleveland 479 Alaska 989
Downtown Minneapolis 521 Hawaii 1005
Acknowledgments
This book has been created from dozens of Frommer’s guides covering the United States, and it
simply couldn’t exist without the tireless efforts of our many talented writers. They deserve spe-
cial recognition for spending countless hours hitting the pavement, inspecting hotels, sampling
restaurants, chasing down information, and visiting attractions so they can offer you the best
logistical tips.
Thanks for a job well done year in and year out to: Lesley Abravanel, David Baird, Harry
Basch, Rich Beattie, Elizabeth Canning Blackwell, Shane Christensen, Victor Fiorillo, Elise
Ford, Jeanette Foster, Bill Goodwin, Mary Herczog, Mark Hiss, Edie Jarolim, Paul Karr, Lesley
King, Don and Barbara Laine, Erika Lenkert, Herbert Bailey Livesey, Laura Miller, Marie
Morris, Eric Peterson, Matthew Poole, Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince, Laura Reckford, Kurt
Repanshek, Linda Romine, Karl Samson and Jane Aukshunas, Neil Schlecht, Brian Silverman,
Karen Snyder, David Swanson, Mary K. Tilghman, and Charles Wohlforth.
Special thanks also go to another group of contributors, who covered destinations especially
for this guide: Amy Donohue (Atlantic City and Cape May), Victor Fiorillo (Philadelphia),
Karen Snyder (Atlanta), Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince (Carolinas and Georgia), Linda
Romine (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi), Amy Eckert
(Pittsburgh, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, and St. Paul), Beth Reiber (St. Louis, Kansas
City, Branson, Oklahoma City, and Omaha), David Baird (Texas), Karl Samson (Oregon),
Matthew Poole (Reno), Harry Basch (South Dakota), and Bill McRae (Idaho).
Major kudos to on-staff contributors Christine Ryan, Ian Skinnari, Heather Wilcox, Katie
Robinson, Jon Scott, David Lytle, Melinda Quintero, and Naomi Kraus. Special thanks to
editorial intern Megan Murray for her assistance.
This book also owes much to our on-staff cartographers: Roberta Stockwell, Elizabeth
Puhl, Guy Ruggiero, Andrew Murphy, and Andrew Dolan.
An Invitation to the Reader
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and
more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information
with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommenda-
tion, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s USA, 10th Edition
Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially
true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making
your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experi-
ences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to
stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets,
all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.

Frommer’s Icons & Abbreviations

This book uses three feature icons that point you to the great deals, family-friendly options,
and top experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for:

Kids Best bets for kids and advice for the whole family

Value Great values—where to get the best deals

Best The best hotel, restaurant, or attraction in the city or region

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa
DC Diners Club MC MasterCard

Frommers.com
Now that you have this guidebook to help you plan a great trip, visit our website at www.
frommers.com for additional travel information on more than 3,500 destinations. We update
features regularly to give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information avail-
able. At Frommers.com, you’ll find scoops on the best airfares, lodging rates, and car rental bar-
gains. You can even book your travel online through our reliable travel booking partners. Other
popular features include:
• Online updates of our most popular guidebooks
• Vacation sweepstakes and contest giveaways
• Newsletters highlighting the hottest travel trends
• Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions
 1
Planning Your Trip to the USA
Imillion
f the United States has one defining quality, it’s variety. This vast area of some 3.6
square miles—it’s 2,500 miles from New York to Los Angeles, and that again
to Hawaii—has something for everyone.
Although TV, suburban sprawl, strip malls, and chain restaurants have a homoge-
nizing effect, America hasn’t yet become a monolithic place. Each region still speaks
with its own accent, enjoys its own favorite foods, and has its own political and social
attitudes. Indeed, you sometimes wonder if we aren’t one nation but an amalgam of
50 little countries. We’ve seen New Yorkers floored by the laid-back pace of the West
Coast (but ultimately thrilled by the “enforced” relaxation), and southerners slightly
frazzled by the Big Apple’s breakneck pace (but totally enthused by the vast number
of shopping and dining opportunities in the space of a few square miles). Whatever
you want to see, do, or eat, you’re likely to find it within the vast and diverse confines
of the United States of America.
WHAT’S HERE & WHAT’S NOT
It’s not easy to boil down the essence of islands, but we chose to focus on Martha’s
such a huge, varied, complicated country. Vineyard instead. Few travelers have time
No doubt, some of you will look at the to visit both, so we used the space to
table of contents and raise an eyebrow at include more detailed and useful infor-
what’s missing. That’s sure to be the case mation on the Vineyard, which is larger
with any guide professing to cover the and easier to reach. We’ve applied the
entire United States. same sort of logic to our destination
This book doesn’t pretend to be com- choices throughout. In the end, we’ve
prehensive. It’s simply not possible to come up with a list of destinations that’s
cover every great destination in the coun- representative of the very best America
try in one usable volume. We did, how- has to offer—cities, national parks,
ever, concentrate on a select group of beaches, resort areas, and more.
destinations that will appeal to a wide And because we recognize the diversity
cross section of domestic travelers, be of American travelers and their interests,
they road-trippers, business travelers, out- you will find at least some information on
door enthusiasts, history buffs, or every single state in the Union inside
museum lovers. This way, rather than these pages. In appendix A, we highlight
glossing over lots of destinations with the best offerings of five states that would
coverage that’s broad but an inch deep, otherwise get the (undeserved) short end
we’ve been able to offer you in-depth, of the stick.
practical coverage you can really use. We hope you’ll discover your own
Take, for example, Martha’s Vineyard America as you hit the road and start
and Nantucket: We’d love to cover both exploring. If you’d like more coverage of
2 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

The USA—Major Interstate Routes

Victoria Vancouver BRITISH Lake
COLUMBIA ALBERTA Winnipeg
SASKATCHEWAN
MANITOBA
Seattle Regina
Winnipeg
WA
90 15
Portland 82
Missoula 29
84 MT ND
Helena Fargo Fa
90 Billings 94
94
5 OR Boise
ID Sheridan
Rapid
15
Jackson City SD
Sioux S
84
86 25
90 Falls 90
15
WY
84 29

80 80
Sacramento Reno
Cheyenne NE
Salt Lake Lincoln
City Lin
80 NV Boulder
80
29
San UT
Francisco 70 Denver
CA 15 Colorado 70
5
Las Springs
CO KS
Vegas 25
Santa Wichita Wich
Barbara AZ
15 Santa OK 35
40 Flagstaff Fe
Los Oklahoma
Amarillo City
Angeles 17 40
10
Albuquerque 27
San Diego Phoenix
8 NM Wichita
44
Mexicali 25
Tucson Lubbock Falls
Dallas
10 Ft.
19 El Paso 20
Worth Wo
10
TX
35
10
45
Hermosillo Austin
PACIFIC 10
San Houst
Chihuahua Antonio
OCEAN 37

Nuevo Laredo
MEXICO
Brownsville
wnsville
Monterrey
Matamoros
Mata
Legend Culiacan
95 Interstate Highway
National Capital
International Boundary
State Boundary
AL State (abbreviation)
 P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A 3

Ontario
New
CANADA Brunswick
Quebec
ME
29
e Superior 95
ak Montreal
Sault Ste. Marie Quebec
L

argo
MN L Augusta
Ottawa

ak
35 89 NH
eH
87 VT 93 Portland
uron
an

75
St. Paul NY 91 Boston
Lake Michig

ario
Minneapolis Toronto Ont MA Cape
Sioux 94
WI L. 90 Albany
43 Niagara Falls Cod
0Falls 90 Milwaukee
MI 75 69
87
84
Providence
Detroit
90
81
95
RI
35
94 96
E rie 84 CT
29
94 L.
Cleveland
PA 80
80
IA 90 78
95
New York City
Chicago 80 90
80 Pittsburgh Philadelphia NJ
Des 69 75 77 83
ncoln Moines 55
65 71
70
76
MD Atlantic City
74
29 Indianapolis 70 OH 68 Baltimore DE
Kansas
IL 70 Cincinnati WV 66 Washington, D.C.
57 74
City IN 79 81
95
70
64 Charleston VA Richmond
St. 70
71
MO Louis Louisville 85

hita44 44
55 65 KY 75 81
24 85
77
NC Raleigh
35 Nashville 40 40 Charlotte
TN 24 Asheville 95
40
Memphis 65 77 Wilmington
AR 40 75 85
26
SC
Little 55 Birmingham
Rock Atlanta 20 ATLANTIC
30 30 20 GA 95 Charleston
MS AL 16 OCEAN
Ft. 20 Savannah
orth Jackson 75
65
LA 55 59 Jacksonville
35 Mobile 10
10
Tallahassee
45 10
10 75

10 New Orleans Orlando

ton Houston Tampa 4

37 St. Petersburg
FL
95
75

Miami

amoros Gulf of Mexico

0 200 mi
N
0 200 km
4 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

the destinations covered here, or if any of complete list of destinations covered by

them prompt you to explore further—if Frommer’s guides at the end of this book.
you want to see Nantucket, say, after the Happy trails!
Vineyard has charmed you—chances are Note: International visitors, be sure to
good that we have a more dedicated, check out appendix C as well for planning
in-depth guidebook for you; see the information tailored exclusively to you.

1 When to Go
Climate differences are dramatic across regions—New England is practically
the United States. When it’s shivering famous for its nor’easters—though some
cold in New England, the upper central mid-Atlantic winters in the not-too-
states, and Alaska, it’s sunny and warm in distant past have been remarkably mild
Florida, California, and Hawaii. When (and others have been frigid—the unpre-
it’s raining cats and dogs along the North- dictability of the weather in this region is
west coast, it’s dry as a bone in the South- always a safe topic of discussion).
west desert. It can be a pleasant 75°F Summer can be brutally hot and
(24°C) on the beaches of Southern Cali- humid in the Southeast (and is also prime
fornia in summer, yet 120°F (49°C) just hurricane season), but spring and fall last
a few miles inland. longer there, and winter is mild—with
And there isn’t a nationwide high or snow the exception rather than the rule.
low season. In summer, room rates are The Gulf South summers are often excep-
highest on the Northeast and mid- tionally sticky and hot, though winters
Atlantic beaches but lowest on the sands (except in the mountain areas) are gener-
of hot-and-humid Florida (though not in ally mild, if rainy. Southern Florida’s best
Central Florida, where rates can reach season is from January to April, though
sky-high proportions) and in the sticky cold snaps can turn it nippy for a few
climes of the Gulf South. Winter snows days. The central states see harsh winters
virtually close the great Rocky Mountain and scorching summers. Southwest
national parks and the major tourism weather varies from east Texas’s hot,
centers of the northern Great Plains, but humid summers and mild winters to Ari-
they bring crowds to the nearby ski zona’s dry, 110°F (43°C) summers and
slopes. Alaska is usually well below freez- pleasant, dry winters. Nevada is similar,
ing until summer, when the midnight sun though it tends to get a bit chillier in win-
smiles down on warm days, and higher ter. The mountains of Colorado, Utah,
hotel rates greet the tourist crowds. and the Northwest have dry, moderately
Hawaii is warm year-round, but winter hot summers and cold, snowy winters.
brings massive amounts of rain—and The California coast is fine all year except
higher prices. early spring, when it rains; the Northwest
The Northeast and mid-Atlantic states coast is wet most of the time except July.
have their summer beach season from The long and the short of it: Late
June to Labor Day and their great fall spring and early fall are the best times to
foliage in September and October. Cli- visit most of the country. See “Special
mate can vary wildly in these regions: Events & Festivals” in all of the chapters
One day can be warm and lovely, the next that follow for more dates around which
muggy and miserable. Winter storms are to plan your trip.
not an infrequent occurrence in these
 M O N E Y M AT T E R S 5

2 Money Matters
ATMS You must have one to rent a car, and
Nationwide, the easiest and best way to hotels and airlines usually require a credit
get cash away from home is from an card imprint as a deposit against
ATM (automated teller machine), some- expenses. (Note: Businesses in some U.S.
times referred to as a “cash machine,” or cities may require a minimum purchase,
“cashpoint.” The Cirrus (& 800/424- usually around $10, before letting you
7787; www.mastercard.com) and PLUS use a credit card.)
(& 800/843-7587; www.visa.com) net- ATM cards with major credit card
works span the country; you can find backing, known as “debit cards,” are
them even in remote regions. Look at the now a commonly acceptable form of pay-
back of your bank card to see which net- ment in most stores and restaurants.
work you’re on, then call or check online Debit cards draw money directly from
for ATM locations at your destination. your checking account. Some stores
Be sure you know your personal identifi- enable you to receive “cash back” on your
cation number (PIN) and daily with- debit-card purchases as well. The same is
drawal limit before you depart. Note: true at most U.S. post offices.
Remember that many banks impose a fee
every time you use a card at another
TRAVELER’S CHECKS
Traveler’s checks are usually accepted in
bank’s ATM, and that fee can be higher
the U.S., but foreign visitors should make
for international transactions (up to $5 or
sure that they’re denominated in U.S.
more) than for domestic ones (where
dollars; foreign-currency checks are often
they’re rarely more than $2). In addition,
difficult to exchange.
the bank from which you withdraw cash
You can buy traveler’s checks at most
may charge its own fee. To compare
banks. Most are offered in denominations
banks’ ATM fees within the U.S., use
of $20, $50, $100, $500, and sometimes
www.bankrate.com. For international
$1,000. Generally, you’ll pay a service
withdrawal fees, ask your bank.
charge ranging from 1% to 4%.
CREDIT CARDS & DEBIT CARDS The most popular traveler’s checks are
Credit cards are the most widely used offered by American Express (& 800/
form of payment in the United States: 807-6233, or 800/221-7282 for card
Visa (Barclaycard in Britain), Master- holders—this number accepts collect
Card (Eurocard in Europe, Access in calls, offers service in several foreign lan-
Britain, Chargex in Canada), American guages, and exempts Amex gold and plat-
Express, Diners Club, and Discover. inum cardholders from the 1% fee.); Visa
They also provide a convenient record of (& 800/732-1322)—AAA members can
all your expenses, and they generally offer obtain Visa checks for a $9.95 fee (for
relatively good exchange rates. You can checks up to $1,500) at most AAA offices
withdraw cash advances from your credit or by calling & 866/339-3378; and
cards at banks or ATMs, provided you MasterCard (& 800/223-9920).
know your PIN. If you do choose to carry traveler’s
Visitors from outside the U.S. should checks, keep a record of their serial
inquire whether their bank assesses a 1% numbers separate from your checks in
to 3% fee on charges incurred abroad. the event that they are stolen or lost.
It’s highly recommended that you You’ll get a refund faster if you know the
travel with at least one major credit card. numbers.
6 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

3 Travel Insurance
The cost of travel insurance varies widely, Access America (& 866/807-3982;
depending on the cost and length of your www.accessamerica.com); Travel Guard
trip, your age and health, and the type of International (& 800/826-4919; www.
trip you’re taking, but expect to pay travelguard.com); Travel Insured Interna-
between 5% and 8% of the vacation tional (& 800/243-3174; www.travel
itself. You can get estimates from various insured.com); and Travelex Insurance
providers through InsureMyTrip.com. Services (& 888/457-4602; www.travelex-
Enter your trip cost and dates, your age, insurance.com).
and other information, for prices from
more than a dozen companies. MEDICAL INSURANCE
Note: Many tour operators, particu- Although it’s not required of travelers,
larly those offering trips to remote or health insurance is highly recommended.
high-risk areas, include insurance in the Most health insurance policies cover you
cost of the trip or can arrange insurance if you get sick away from home—but ver-
policies through a partnering provider, a ify that you’re covered before you depart,
convenient and often cost-effective way particularly if you’re insured by an HMO.
for the traveler to obtain insurance. Make LOST-LUGGAGE INSURANCE
sure the tour company is a reputable one, On flights within the U.S., checked bag-
however: Some experts suggest you avoid gage is covered up to $2,500 per ticketed
buying insurance from the tour or cruise passenger. If you plan to check items
company you’re traveling with, saying it’s more valuable than what’s covered by the
better to buy from a “third party” insurer standard liability, see if your homeowner’s
than to put all your money in one place. policy covers your valuables, get baggage
TRIP-CANCELLATION insurance as part of your comprehensive
INSURANCE travel-insurance package, or buy Travel
Trip-cancellation insurance will help Guard’s “BagTrak” product.
retrieve your money if you have to back If your luggage is lost, immediately file
out of a trip or depart early, or if your a lost-luggage claim at the airport, detail-
travel supplier goes bankrupt. Permissible ing the luggage contents. Most airlines
reasons for trip cancellation can range require that you report delayed, damaged,
from sickness to natural disasters to the or lost baggage within 4 hours of arrival.
State Department declaring a destination The airlines are required to deliver lug-
unsafe for travel. gage, once found, directly to your house
For more information, contact one of or destination free of charge.
the following recommended insurers:

Travel in the Age of Bankruptcy

Airlines go bankrupt, so protect yourself by buying your tickets with a credit
card. The Fair Credit Billing Act guarantees that you can get your money back
from the credit card company if a travel supplier goes under (and if you request
the refund within 60 days of the bankruptcy). Travel insurance can also help, but
make sure it covers against “carrier default” for your specific travel provider. And
be aware that if a U.S. airline goes bust midtrip, a 2001 federal law requires other
carriers to take you to your destination (albeit on a space-available basis) for a
fee of no more than $25, provided you rebook within 60 days of the cancellation.
 H E A LT H & S A F E T Y 7

4 Health & Safety

HEALTH Skin cancer is one of the fastest-growing
The United States doesn’t present any illnesses in the United States and it
unusual health hazards, provided travelers doesn’t take much time in the sun to do
take reasonable precautions. Lyme Dis- serious damage. Remember that children
ease, carried by deer ticks, is a growing need more protection than adults do.
concern in the woodlands of the North- The other natural hazards for outdoor
east and mid-Atlantic, but you can seri- enthusiasts include poison ivy (learn to
ously minimize your risk by using insect recognize and avoid it) and hazardous
repellent and by covering up when hiking wildlife (never approach a wild animal or
in the deep woods. Should you get bitten feed it). To minimize risks, never hike
by a tick or notice a bull’s-eye-shaped rash alone, notify someone of your planned
after hiking or camping, consult a doctor hiking route, always carry a first-aid kit,
immediately. Another insect-related ill- and check in with park rangers to get the
ness that’s become a nationwide issue is lowdown on possible hazards in the area
West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes. in which you’re hiking. If you’re hiking in
Again, use insect repellent and avoid forested areas during hunting season, be
swampy areas during the summer mos- sure to wear brightly colored clothing.
quito season, and you should encounter If you plan to head into the great out-
no problems. To keep from contracting doors, keep in mind that injuries often
rabies, avoid contact with wild animals, occur when people fail to follow instruc-
no matter how cute or friendly they tions. Believe the experts who tell you to
appear. If you even think you may have stay on the established ski trails and hike
been exposed, see a doctor at once. only in designated areas. Follow the
In the Rocky Mountain states and the marine charts if you’re piloting your own
high elevations of the Southwest, one of boat. If you’re rafting, wear a life jacket. If
the biggest health concerns is altitude you’re biking or rock climbing, be sure to
sickness. Don’t arrive in Denver plan- use appropriate safety gear. Mountain
ning to tackle the Rocky Mountains on weather can be fickle at any time of the
the same day—the only thing that will year, so carry rain gear and pack a few
happen is that you’ll end up short of warm layers. Watch out for summer
breath, exhausted, or worse. The best way thunderstorms that can leave you
to avoid this is to ease your transition drenched or send bolts of lightning your
into high altitude climates, drink lots of way. In the Southwest, a summer storm
water, and get plenty of rest; if you have can easily cause a flash flood, so be cau-
breathing difficulties, your doctor may be tious and keep your wits about you.
able to prescribe medication to ease any When camping, always inquire if
difficulties. campfires are allowed in the area in which
If you plan on visiting some of the you are traveling. Some of the country’s
country’s sun-soaked spots, limit the time worst forest fires in recent years were
you spend in direct sunlight and bring started by careless campers who didn’t fol-
sunscreen with a high protection factor low proper safety protocols.
(at least 25). Apply it liberally—and Tap water is safe to drink throughout
often. This advice goes double if you’re the country, though you can get bottled
climbing at high altitudes, where the air is water pretty much everywhere if you pre-
thinner and it’s far easier to get a serious fer it. Water in the wild should always be
burn (even if the climate is actually cold). treated or boiled before drinking it.
8 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

The United States Centers for Disease inside pocket. In theaters, restaurants,
Control and Prevention (& 800/311- and other public places, keep your pos-
3435; www.cdc.gov) provides up-to-date sessions in sight.
information on health hazards by region Always lock your room door—don’t
and offers tips on food safety. assume that once you’re inside the hotel
If you suffer from a chronic illness, con- you are automatically safe and no longer
sult your doctor before your departure. For need to be aware of your surroundings.
conditions like epilepsy, diabetes, or heart Hotels are open to the public, and in a
problems, wear a MedicAlert identifica- large hotel, security may not be able to
tion tag (& 888/633-4298; www.medic screen everyone who enters.
alert.org), which will immediately alert DRIVING SAFETY Driving safety is
doctors to your condition and give them important too, and carjacking is not
access to your records through MedicAlert’s unprecedented. Question your rental
24-hour hot line. If you have dental prob- agency about personal safety, and ask for
lems, a nationwide referral service known a traveler-safety brochure when you pick
as 1-800-DENTIST (& 800/336-8478) up your car. Obtain written directions—
can give you the name of a nearby dentist or a map with the route clearly marked—
or clinic. from the agency showing how to get to
Pack prescription medications in your destination. And, if possible, arrive
your carry-on luggage, and carry them in and depart during daylight hours.
their original containers, with pharmacy If you drive off a highway and end up in
labels—otherwise they won’t make it a dodgy-looking neighborhood, leave the
through airport security. Also bring along area as quickly as possible. If you have an
copies of your prescriptions in case you accident, even on the highway, stay in your
lose your pills or run out. Don’t forget an car with the doors locked until you assess
extra pair of contact lenses or prescription the situation or until the police arrive. If
glasses. you’re bumped from behind on the street
SAFETY or are involved in a minor accident with
Although tourist areas are generally safe, no injuries, and the situation appears to be
U.S. urban areas have their fair share of suspicious, motion to the other driver to
crime. You should always stay alert; this is follow you. Never get out of your car in
particularly true of large cities. If you’re in such situations. Go directly to the nearest
doubt about which neighborhoods are police precinct, well-lit service station, or
safe, don’t hesitate to inquire at the hotel’s 24-hour store. You may want to look into
front desk or at the local tourist office. renting a cellphone on a short-term basis.
Avoid deserted areas, especially at One recommended wireless rental com-
night, and don’t go into public parks after pany is InTouch USA (& 800/872-7626;
dark unless there’s a concert or similar www.intouchusa.com).
occasion that will attract a crowd. Park in well-lit and well-traveled areas
Avoid carrying valuables with you on whenever possible. Always keep your car
the street, and keep expensive cameras or doors locked, whether the vehicle is
electronic equipment bagged up or cov- attended or unattended. Never leave any
ered when not in use. If you’re using a packages or valuables in sight. If someone
map, try to consult it inconspicuously— attempts to rob you or steal your car,
or better yet, study it before you don’t try to resist the thief/carjacker.
leave your room. Hold on to your pock- Report the incident to the police depart-
etbook, and place your billfold in an ment immediately by calling & 911.
 S P E C I A L I Z E D T R AV E L R E S O U R C E S 9

5 Specialized Travel Resources

TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES MossRehab (www.mossresourcenet.org);
Most disabilities shouldn’t stop anyone the American Foundation for the Blind
from traveling in the U.S. There are more (AFB) (& 800/232-5463; www.afb.org);
options and resources out there than ever and SATH (Society for Accessible Travel
before. & Hospitality) (& 212/447-7284; www.
The Golden Access Passport gives sath.org). AirAmbulanceCard.com is
visually impaired or permanently disabled now partnered with SATH and allows
persons (regardless of age) free lifetime you to preselect top-notch hospitals in
entrance to all properties administered by case of an emergency.
the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish The community website iCan (www.
and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Ser- icanonline.net/channels/travel) has desti-
vice, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nation guides and several regular columns
the Bureau of Land Management, and the on accessible travel. Also check out the
Tennessee Valley Authority. This may quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons
include national parks, monuments, his- (www.emerginghorizons.com.); and Open
toric sites, recreation areas, and national World magazine, published by SATH.
wildlife refuges.
You may pick up a Golden Access Pass-
GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELERS
The International Gay and Lesbian
port at any NPS entrance fee area by
Travel Association (IGLTA) (& 800/
showing proof of medically determined
448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.
disability and eligibility for benefits under
org) is the trade association for the gay
federal law. Besides free entry, the Golden
and lesbian travel industry, and offers an
Access Passport also offers a 50% discount
online directory of gay- and lesbian-
on federal-use fees charged for such facili-
friendly travel businesses; go to their web-
ties as camping, swimming, parking, boat
site and click on “Members.”
launching, and tours. For more informa-
Many agencies offer tours and travel
tion, go to www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm
itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian
or call & 888/467-2757.
travelers. Among them are Above and
Many travel agencies offer customized
Beyond Tours (& 800/397-2681; www.
tours and itineraries for travelers with dis-
abovebeyondtours.com); Now, Voyager
abilities. Among them are Flying Wheels
(& 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.
Travel (& 507/451-5005; www.flying
com); and Olivia Cruises & Resorts
wheelstravel.com); Access-Able Travel
(& 800/631-6277; www.olivia.com).
Source (& 303/232-2979; www.access-
Gay.com Travel (& 800/929-2268 or
able.com); and Accessible Journeys
415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or
(& 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339;
www.outandabout.com), is an excellent
www.disabilitytravel.com). Avis Rent a
online successor to the popular Out &
Car has an “Avis Access” program that
About print magazine. It provides regu-
offers such services as a dedicated 24-
larly updated information about gay-
hour toll-free number (& 888/879-
owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly
4273) for customers with special travel
lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife,
needs; special car features such as swivel
and shopping establishments in every
seats, spinner knobs, and hand controls;
important destination worldwide.
and accessible bus service.
The following travel guides are avail-
Organizations that offer assistance
able at many bookstores, or you can order
to travelers with disabilities include
10 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

them from any online bookseller: Sparta- those aged 55 and over. ElderTreks
cus International Gay Guide (Bruno (& 800/741-7956; www.eldertreks.com)
Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld. offers small-group tours to off-the-
com/gayguide) and Odysseus: The Inter- beaten-path or adventure-travel locations,
national Gay Travel Planner (Odysseus restricted to travelers 50 and older.
Enterprises Ltd.); and the Damron guides INTRAV (& 800/456-8100; www.
(www.damron.com), with separate, intrav.com) is a high-end tour operator
annual books for gay men and lesbians. that caters to the mature, discerning trav-
eler (not specifically seniors), with trips
SENIOR TRAVEL that include guided safaris, private-jet
Mention the fact that you’re a senior when adventures, and small-boat cruises.
you make your travel reservations. Many Recommended publications offering
hotels offer discounts for seniors. In most travel resources and discounts for seniors
cities, people over the age of 60 qualify for include: the quarterly magazine Travel 50
reduced admission to theaters, museums, & Beyond (www.travel50andbeyond.
and other attractions, as well as dis- com); Travel Unlimited: Uncommon
counted fares on public transportation. Adventures for the Mature Traveler
Members of AARP (formerly known as (Avalon); 101 Tips for Mature Travelers,
the American Association of Retired Per- available from Grand Circle Travel
sons), 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC (& 800/221-2610 or 617/350-7500;
20049 (& 888/687-2277; www.aarp.org), www.gct.com); and Unbelievably Good
get discounts on hotels, airfares, and car Deals and Great Adventures That You
rentals. AARP offers members a wide range Absolutely Can’t Get Unless You’re Over
of benefits, including AARP: The Magazine 50 (McGraw-Hill), by Joann Rattner
and a monthly newsletter. Anyone over 50 Heilman.
can join.
The U.S. National Park Service offers FAMILY TRAVEL
a Golden Age Passport that gives seniors To locate accommodations, restaurants,
62 years or older lifetime entrance to all and attractions that are particularly kid-
properties administered by the National friendly, refer to the “Kids” icon through-
Park Service—national parks, monu- out this guide.
ments, historic sites, recreation areas, and Familyhostel (& 800/733-9753; www.
national wildlife refuges—for a one-time learn.unh.edu/familyhostel) takes the
processing fee of $10, which must be pur- whole family, including kids ages 8 to 15,
chased in person at any NPS facility that on moderately priced U.S. and interna-
charges an entrance fee. Besides free entry, tional learning vacations. Lectures, field
a Golden Age Passport also offers a 50% trips, and sightseeing are guided by a
discount on federal-use fees charged for team of academics.
such facilities as camping, swimming, Recommended family travel websites
parking, boat launching, and tours. For include Family Travel Forum (www.
more information, go to www.nps.gov/ familytravelforum.com), a comprehensive
fees_passes.htm or call & 888/467-2757. site that offers customized trip planning;
Many reliable agencies and organiza- Family Travel Network (www.family
tions target the 50-plus market. Elder- travelnetwork.com), an award-winning
hostel (& 877/426-8056; www.elder site that offers travel features, deals, and
hostel.org) arranges study programs for tips; Traveling Internationally with
 S P E C I A L I Z E D T R AV E L R E S O U R C E S 11

Your Kids (www.travelwithyourkids. AFRICAN-AMERICAN

com), a comprehensive site offering sound TRAVELERS
advice for long-distance and international Black Travel Online (www.blacktravel
travel with children; and Family Travel online.com) posts news on upcoming
Files (www.thefamilytravelfiles.com), events and includes links to articles and
which offers an online magazine and a travel-booking sites. Soul of America
directory of off-the-beaten-path tours and (www.soulofamerica.com) is a compre-
tour operators for families. hensive website, with travel tips, event
Frommer’s and the Unofficial Guides and family-reunion postings, and sections
both publish a “With Kids” series that on historically black beach resorts and
features some of the major tourist desti- active vacations.
nations in the United States. Agencies and organizations that pro-
vide resources for black travelers include:
WOMEN TRAVELERS
Rodgers Travel (& 800/825-1775;
More and more hotels in the United
www.rodgerstravel.com); the African
States are ratcheting up security measures
American Association of Innkeepers
for women traveling alone on business or
International (& 877/422-5777; www.
for pleasure. Some are even offering
africanamericaninns.com); and Hender-
secure “women only” floors, with the
son Travel & Tours (& 800/327-2309
added perk of spa services.
or 301/650-5700; www.hendersontravel.
Check out the award-winning website
com), which has specialized in trips to
Journeywoman (www.journeywoman.
Africa since 1957. For more information,
com), a “real life” women’s travel-infor-
check out the following collections and
mation network where you can sign up
guides: Go Girl: The Black Woman’s
for a free e-mail newsletter and get advice
Guide to Travel & Adventure (Eighth
on everything from etiquette and dress to
Mountain Press), a compilation of
safety; or the travel guide Safety and
travel essays by writers including Jill
Security for Women Who Travel by
Nelson and Audre Lorde; The African
Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer (Travelers’
American Travel Guide by Wayne
Tales, Inc.), offering common-sense tips
Robinson (Hunter Publishing; www.
on safe travel.
hunterpublishing.com); Steppin’ Out by

On Your Own or with a Furry Friend

Prefer to do your traveling alone? So long as you avoid all-inclusive resorts and
vacation packages (which base their prices on double occupancy), you likely won’t
face the dreaded “single supplement,” a penalty added to the base price of a
room or package. For more information, Eleanor Berman’s latest edition of Trav-
eling Solo: Advice and Ideas for More Than 250 Great Vacations (Globe Pequot),
a guide with advice on traveling alone, either solo or as part of a group tour.
If, like John Steinbeck, you want to take your dog (or cat, or whatever) with
you for companionship on your travels, many hotels across the U.S. (for exam-
ple, all Motel 6 properties) will be happy to roll out the welcome mat for your
pet. For travel tips and advice on traveling with Fido or Fluffy, head online to
www.petswelcome.com, www.pettravel.com, and www.travelpets.com.
12 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

Carla Labat (Avalon); Travel and Enjoy pathfinderstravel.com), which includes

Magazine (& 866/266-6211; www. articles on everything from Rio de Janeiro
travelandenjoy.com); and Pathfinders to Ghana as well as information on upcom-
Magazine (& 877/977-PATH; www. ing ski, diving, golf, and tennis trips.

6 Planning Your Trip Online

SURFING FOR AIRFARE If you plan on bidding for a hotel
The most popular online travel agencies room on Priceline, be sure to visit the
are Travelocity (www.travelocity.com or BiddingForTravel website (www.bidding
www.travelocity.co.uk); Expedia (www. fortravel.com) before placing the bid; it
expedia.com, www.expedia.co.uk, or features a fairly up-to-date list of hotels in
www.expedia.ca); and Orbitz (www. the U.S. that Priceline uses in major cities
orbitz.com). and you’ll get a fairly good idea of how
In addition, most airlines now offer much to bid for a hotel in your selected
online-only fares that even their phone area. The downside is that the site does
agents know nothing about. For the web- not offer information on Hotwire
sites of airlines that fly to and within the hotels—for help in getting a good hotel
United States, go to appendix D. room on that site, try www.better
Other helpful websites for booking air- bidding.com.
line tickets online include: It’s always a good idea to get a confir-
• www.biddingfortravel.com mation number and make a printout of
• www.cheapflights.com any online booking transaction.
• www.hotwire.com And keep in mind that hotels at the
• www.kayak.com top of a site’s listing may be there for no
• www.lastminutetravel.com other reason than that they paid money
• www.opodo.co.uk to get the placement.
• www.priceline.com SURFING FOR RENTAL CARS
• www.sidestep.com For booking rental cars online, the best
• www.site59.com deals are usually found at rental-car com-
• www.smartertravel.com pany websites, although all the major
SURFING FOR HOTELS online travel agencies also offer rental-car
In addition to Travelocity, Expedia, reservations services. Priceline and
Orbitz, Priceline, and Hotwire (see Hotwire work well for rental cars, too;
above), the following websites will help the only “mystery” is which major rental
you with booking hotel rooms online: company you get, and for most travelers
the difference between Hertz, Avis, and
• www.hotels.com Budget is negligible.
• www.quickbook.com
• www.travelaxe.net TRAVEL BLOGS &
• www.travelweb.com TRAVELOGUES
• www.tripadvisor.com To read a few blogs about destinations
Of the sites listed above, we really like within the United States, try:
Travelaxe. It’s an excellent free program • www.gridskipper.com
that can help you search multiple hotel • www.salon.com/wanderlust
sites at once, even ones you may never • www.travelblog.com
have heard of—and conveniently lists the • www.travelblog.org
total price of the room, including the • www.worldhum.com
taxes and service charges. • www.writtenroad.com
 T H E 2 1 S T- C E N T U R Y T R A V E L E R 13

Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource

For an excellent travel-planning resource, we highly recommend Frommers.
com (www.frommers.com), voted Best Travel Site by PC Magazine. We’re a
little biased, of course, but we guarantee that you’ll find the travel tips,
reviews, monthly vacation giveaways, bookstore, and online-booking capa-
bilities thoroughly indispensable. Among the special features are our pop-
ular Destinations section, where you’ll get expert travel tips, hotel and
dining recommendations, and advice on the sights to see for more than
3,500 destinations around the globe; the Frommers.com Newsletter, with
the latest deals, travel trends, and money-saving secrets; our Community
area featuring Message Boards, where Frommer’s readers post queries and
share advice (sometimes even our authors show up to answer questions);
and our Photo Center, where you can post and share vacation tips. When
your research is done, the Online Reservations System (www.frommers.
com/book_a_trip) takes you to Frommer’s preferred online partners for
booking your vacation at affordable prices.

7 The 21st-Century Traveler

INTERNET ACCESS AWAY and Wayport (www.wayport.com) have
FROM HOME set up networks in airports and high-class
W I T H O U T YO U R O W N hotel lobbies. IPass providers (see below)
COMPUTER also give you access to a few hundred
It’s hard nowadays to find a city that wireless hotel lobby setups. To locate
doesn’t have a few cybercafes. Although other hotspots that provide free wireless
there’s no definitive directory for cyber- networks in cities around the world,
cafes—these are independent businesses, go to www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/
after all—two places to start looking are WirelessCommunities.
at www.cybercaptive.com and www. For dial-up access, most business-class
cybercafe.com. hotels in the U.S. offer dataports for lap-
Aside from formal cybercafes, most top modems, and a few thousand hotels
public libraries in the United States offer in the U.S. and Europe now offer free
Internet access free or for a small charge. high-speed Internet access. In addition,
Avoid hotel business centers unless major Internet service providers (ISPs)
you’re willing to pay exorbitant rates. have local access numbers around the
world, allowing you to go online by plac-
W I T H YO U R O W N C O M P U T E R ing a local call. The iPass network also
More and more hotels, cafes, and retailers has dial-up numbers around the world.
are signing on as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) You’ll have to sign up with an iPass
“hotspots.” Mac owners have their own provider, who will then tell you how to
networking technology, Apple AirPort. set up your computer for your destina-
T-Mobile Hotspot (www.t-mobile.com/ tion(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to
hotspot) has wireless connections at more www.ipass.com and click on “Individu-
than 1,000 Starbucks coffee shops als Buy Now.” One solid provider is
nationwide. Boingo (www.boingo.com)
14 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

Online Traveler’s Toolbox

Veteran travelers usually carry some essential items to make their trips eas-
ier. Following is a selection of handy online tools to bookmark and use.
• Airplane Food (www.airlinemeals.net)
• Airplane Seating (www.seatguru.com; www.airlinequality.com)
• Maps (www.mapquest.com)
• Subway Navigator (www.subwaynavigator.com)
• Time and Date (www.timeanddate.com)
• Travel Warnings (http://travel.state.gov; www.fco.gov.uk/travel; www.
voyage.gc.ca; www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice)
• Universal Currency Converter (www.xe.com/ucc)
• Visa ATM Locator (www.visa.com)
• MasterCard ATM Locator (www.mastercard.com)
• Weather (www.intellicast.com; www.weather.com)

i2roam (www.i2roam.com; & 866/811- rent a phone that does from InTouch
6209 or 920/235-0475). USA (& 800/872-7626; www.intouch
Wherever you go, bring a connection global.com) or a rental car location, but
kit of the right power and phone adapters, beware that you’ll pay $1 a minute or
a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet more for airtime.
network cable—or find out whether your If you’re venturing deep into national
hotel supplies them to guests. parks, you may want to consider renting a
satellite phone (“satphone”). It’s differ-
USING A CELLPHONE ent from a cellphone in that it connects to
Just because your cellphone works at satellites rather than ground-based towers.
home doesn’t mean it’ll work everywhere Unfortunately, you’ll pay at least $2 per
in the U.S. (thanks to our nation’s frag- minute to use the phone, and it only
mented cellphone system). It’s a good bet works where you can see the horizon (i.e.,
that your phone will work in major cities, usually not indoors). In North America,
but take a look at your wireless company’s you can rent Iridium satellite phones from
coverage map on its website before head- RoadPost (www.roadpost.com; & 888/
ing out; T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel are 290-1606 or 905/272-5665). InTouch
particularly weak in rural areas. If you USA (see above) offers a wider range of
need to stay in touch at a destination satphones but at higher rates.
where you know your phone won’t work,

8 Getting Around the United States

BY PLANE list of airlines, with their toll-free num-
For long-distance trips, the most efficient bers and websites.
way to get around the United States is by
GETTING THROUGH
plane, even in these days of increased
THE AIRPORT
security and poor airline service. See
• Arrive at the airport 1 hour before a
appendix D at the end of this book for a
domestic flight and 2 hours before an
 G E T T I N G A R O U N D T H E U N I T E D S TA T E S 15

international flight; if you show up travel shops and Brookstone stores

late, tell an airline employee and he (or online at www.brookstone.com).
or she will probably whisk you to the
F LY I N G F O R L E S S : T I P S F O R
front of the line.
• Beat the ticket-counter lines by using G E T T I N G T H E B E S T A I R FA R E
airport electronic kiosks or even • Passengers who can book their ticket
online check-in from your home either long in advance or at the last
computer, from where you can print minute, or who fly midweek or at
out boarding passes in advance. less-trafficked hours may pay a frac-
Curbside check-in is also a good way tion of the full fare. If your schedule
to avoid lines. is flexible, say so, and ask if you can
• Bring a current, government-issued secure a cheaper fare by changing
photo ID such as a driver’s license or your flight plans.
passport. Children under 18 do not • Search the Internet for cheap fares
need government-issued photo IDs (see “Planning Your Trip Online,”
for flights within the U.S., but they above).
do for international flights. • Keep an eye on local newspapers for
• Speed up security by removing your promotional specials or fare wars,
jacket and shoes before you’re when airlines lower prices on their
screened. In addition, remove metal most popular routes. You rarely see
objects such as big belt buckles. If fare wars offered for peak travel
you’ve got metallic body parts, a note times, but if you can travel in the off-
from your doctor can prevent a long months, you may snag a bargain.
chat with the security screeners. • Join frequent-flier clubs. Frequent-
• Use a TSA-approved lock for your flier membership doesn’t cost a cent,
checked luggage. Look for Travel but it does entitle you to better seats,
Sentry certified locks at luggage or faster response to phone inquiries, and

Tips Coping with Jet Lag

Jet lag is a pitfall of traveling across time zones. If you’re flying north-south and
you feel sluggish when you touch down, your symptoms will be the result of
dehydration and the general stress of air travel. When you travel east-west or
vice versa, however, your body becomes thoroughly confused about what time
it is, and everything from your digestive system to your brain is knocked for a
loop. Traveling east, say from San Francisco to Boston, is more difficult on your
internal clock than traveling west, say from Atlanta to Hawaii, because most
peoples’ bodies are more inclined to stay up late than fall asleep early.
Here are some tips for combating jet lag:
• Reset your watch to your destination time before you board the plane.
• Drink lots of water before, during, and after your flight. Avoid alcohol.
• Exercise and sleep well for a few days before your trip.
• If you have trouble sleeping on planes, fly eastward on morning flights.
• Daylight is the key to resetting your body clock. At the website for Outside
In (www.bodyclock.com), you can get a customized plan of when to seek
and avoid light.
16 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

Tips for Digital Travel Photography

• Take along a spare camera—or two. Even if you’ve been anointed the
“official” photographer of your travel group, encourage others in your
party to carry their own cameras and provide fresh perspectives—and
backup. Your photographic “second unit” may include you in a few shots
so you’re not the invisible person of the trip.
• Stock up on digital film cards. At home, it’s easy to copy pictures from
your memory cards to your computer as they fill up. During your travels,
cards seem to fill up more quickly. Take along enough digital film for
your entire trip or, at a minimum, enough for at least a few days’ of
shooting. At intervals, you can copy images to CDs. Many camera stores
and souvenir shops offer this service, and a growing number of mass mer-
chandisers have walk-up kiosks you can use to make prints or create CDs
while you travel.
• Share and share alike. No need to wait until you get home to share your
photos. You can upload a gallery’s worth to an online photo sharing serv-
ice. Just find an Internet cafe where the computers have card readers, or
connect your camera to the computer with a cable. You can find online
photo sharing services that cost little or nothing at www.click
herefree.com. You can also use America Online’s Your Pictures service, or
commercial enterprises that give you free or low-cost photo sharing:
Kodak’s EasyShare gallery (www.kodak.com), Yahoo! Photos (www.
photos.yahoo.com), Snapfish (www.snapfish.com), or Shutterfly (www.
shutterfly.com).
• Add voice annotations to your photos. Many digital cameras allow you
to add voice annotations to your shots after they’re taken. These serve as
excellent reminders and documentation. One castle or cathedral may
look like another after a long tour; your voice notes will help you distin-
guish them.
• Experiment! Travel is a great time to try out new techniques. Take pho-
tos at night, resting your camera on a handy wall or other support as
your self-timer trips the shutter for a long exposure. Try close-ups of flow-
ers, crafts, wildlife, or maybe the exotic cuisine you’re about to consume.
Discover action photography—shoot the countryside from trains, buses,
or cars. With a digital camera, you can experiment and then erase your
mistakes.
—From Travel Photography Digital Field Guide, 1st Edition
(John Wiley & Sons, 2006)

prompter service if your luggage is earn you thousands of miles for doing
stolen or your flight is canceled or your everyday shopping. With more
delayed, or if you want to change your than 70 mileage awards programs are
seat. And you don’t have to fly to earn on the market, consumers have never
points; frequent-flier credit cards can had more options. Investigate the
 G E T T I N G A R O U N D T H E U N I T E D S TA T E S 17

program details of your favorite air- ranging from 19 to 25 (some companies

lines before you sink points into any that will rent to the under-25 crowd will
one. Consider which airlines have nevertheless assess underage driving fees
hubs in the airport nearest you, and, of of up to $25 per day extra), and some also
those carriers, which have the most set maximum ages. Others deny cars to
advantageous alliances, given your anyone with a bad driving record. Ask
most common routes. To play the fre- about rental requirements and restrictions
quent-flier game to your best advan- when you book to avoid problems later.
tage, consult Randy Petersen’s Inside Car-rental rates vary even more than
Flyer (www.insideflyer.com). Petersen airfares. The price you pay depends on the
and friends review all the programs in size of the car, where and when you pick it
detail and post regular updates on up and drop it off, the length of the rental
changes in policies and trends. period, where and how far you drive it,
whether you purchase insurance, and a
BY CAR host of other factors. A few key questions
Usually, the most cost-effective, conven- could save you hundreds of dollars; you
ient, and comfortable way to travel should comparison-shop and be persistent
around the United States is by car. Many because reservations agents don’t often vol-
highlights of the country just can’t be unteer money-saving strategies.
seen any other way.
The interstate highway system connects • Is a weekly rate cheaper than the daily
cities and towns all over the country; in rate? If you need to keep the car for 4
addition to these high-speed, limited- days, it may be cheaper to keep it for
access roadways, there’s an extensive net- 5, even if you don’t need it that long.
work of federal, state, and local highways • Does the agency assess a drop-off
and roads. Note: To help you plan your charge if you do not return the car to
driving routes, check out “The USA— the same location where you picked it
Major Interstate Routes” map at the up? Is it cheaper to pick up the car at
beginning of this chapter the airport instead of a downtown
If you plan on driving your own car location?
over a long distance, then automobile- • How much tax will be added to the
association membership is recommended. rental bill? Local tax? State use tax?
AAA, the American Automobile Associ- Some state’s rental-car taxes can top
ation (& 800/222-4357; www.aaa.com), 25% of the base rate, so be sure you
is the country’s largest auto club and sup- know exactly how much you’ll be
plies its members with maps, insurance, paying in total before making a deci-
and most important, emergency road sion. Recently, many online booking
service. The cost of joining is $58 for a sites have begun posting the total
single member. rental price of a car instead of just the
If your destination is too far from home base rates.
to drive, but will require a car once you • What is the cost of adding an addi-
arrive, see appendix D at the end of this tional driver’s name to the contract?
book for a list of car-rental agencies, with Before you drive off in a rental car, be
their toll-free numbers and websites. sure you’re insured. Hasty assumptions
These national companies have offices at about your personal auto insurance or a
most airports and in many cities. You rental agency’s additional coverage could
must have a valid credit card to rent a end up costing you tens of thousands of
vehicle. Most also require a minimum age, dollars—even if you’re involved in an
18 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

accident that was clearly the fault of Most major credit cards offer some
another driver. degree of coverage as well—if they were
If you already hold a private auto used to pay for the rental. Terms vary
insurance policy, you are most likely cov- widely, however, so be sure to call your
ered for loss of or damage to a rental car, credit card company directly before you
and liability in case of injury to any other rent.
party involved in an accident. Be sure to If you’re uninsured, your credit card
ask whether your policy extends to all provides primary coverage as long as you
persons who will be driving the rental car, decline the rental agency’s insurance.
how much liability is covered in case an That means the credit card will cover
outside party is injured in an accident, damage or theft of a rental car for the full
and whether the type of vehicle you are cost of the vehicle. (In a few states, how-
renting is included under your contract. ever, theft is not covered; ask specifically
The basic insurance coverage offered about state law where you will be renting
by most car-rental companies, known as and driving.) If you already have insur-
the Loss/Damage Waiver (LDW) or ance, your credit card will provide sec-
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), can ondary coverage—which basically covers
cost as much as $20 per day. It usually your deductible.
covers the full value of the vehicle with no Credit cards will not cover liability,
deductible if an outside party causes an the cost of injury to an outside party,
accident or other damage to the rental and/or damage to an outside party’s vehi-
car. In many states, you will probably be cle. If you do not hold an insurance pol-
covered in case of theft as well (ask before icy, you may seriously want to consider
making any assumptions). Liability cov- purchasing additional liability insurance
erage varies according to the company from your rental company, even if you
policy and state law, but the minimum is decline collision coverage. Be sure to
usually at least $15,000. If you are at fault check the terms, however: Some rental
in an accident, however, you will be cov- agencies cover liability only if the renter is
ered for the full replacement value of the not at fault; even then, the rental com-
car but not for liability. Some states allow pany’s obligation varies from state to state.
you to buy additional liability coverage
for such cases. Most rental companies BY TRAIN
require a police report to process any Long-distance trains in the United States
claims you file, but your private insurer is are operated by Amtrak (& 800/USA-
not notified of the accident. RAIL; www.amtrak.com), the national

Other Transportation Options

Traveling the U.S. in a recreational vehicle (RV) is an increasingly popular way
of seeing the country. One good RV-rental agency with locations all over the
country is Cruise America (www.cruiseamerica.com). It would take dozens of
pages to thoroughly discuss the ins and outs of RV travel, so if you’re thinking
of hitting the road this way, check out Frommer’s Exploring America by RV.
If you’re more of the Easy Rider sort and have dreams of cruising the country
on a motorcycle, know that you’ll need a special motorcycle license and that
almost every state also requires that riders wear a helmet. The best outfit for
renting a bike nationwide is EagleRider (& 888/900-9901; www.eaglerider.com).
 S P E C I A L - I N T E R E S T VAC AT I O N P L A N N E R 19

rail passenger corporation. Be aware, how- segment of your journey in Canada.

ever, that with a few notable exceptions Meals and sleeping accommodations are
(for instance, the Northeast Corridor line extra. Reservations are generally required
between Boston and Washington, D.C.), and should be made for each part of your
intercity service is not particularly fabu- trip as early as possible. For full details
lous. Delays are common, routes are lim- and prices on this pass and on regional
ited and often infrequently served, and rail passes (in California and Florida), call
fares are seldom much lower than dis- Amtrak or check its website.
count airfares. That said, if time isn’t an Amtrak also offers rail/fly packages
issue, train travel can be a very scenic that allow travelers to fly to their destina-
method of traveling the country. If you tion in one direction and to take the train
choose to travel by train, do it for the in another.
experience, not for the convenience.
There are discount rail passes sold to BY BUS
U.S. residents who want to see the coun- Bus travel is often the most economical
try by rail though you’ll need quite a bit form of public transit for short hops
of time on your hands to make the pass between U.S. cities, but it can also be
worth your while. Rail travelers can buy a slow and uncomfortable—certainly not an
North America Rail Pass, good for up to option for everyone (particularly when
30 days of unlimited travel in economy Amtrak, which is far more luxurious,
class on Amtrak (& 800/USA-RAIL; offers similar rates). Greyhound/Trailways
www.amtrak.com) in the U.S. and (& 800/231-2222; www.greyhound.
Canada, except on the Acela Express com), the sole nationwide bus line, offers
trains and the Auto Train that run on the several pass and discount options geared
East Coast. There’s also a peculiar to domestic travelers.
quirk—you must travel at least one

9 Special-Interest Vacation Planner

Here’s a sampling of companies that offer available on newsstands throughout the
escorted adventures and tours, and some country, or online at http://outside
suggestions on where to go to enjoy your mag.com.
favorite activities. For information on the Mountain Travel—Sobek (& 888/
individual states mentioned below, see 687-6235 or 510/594-6000; www.mt
the appropriate destination chapter in sobek.com) is perhaps the granddaddy of
the book. adventure-travel companies, guiding its
own trips and acting as an agent for other
ADVENTURE-TRAVEL outfitters. It began with river rafting,
COMPANIES which is still its strong suit. Backroads
Scores of “soft” and “hard” adventure- (& 800/462-2848 or 510/527-1555;
travel companies have sprung up in www.backroads.com) originally sold bicy-
recent years. Most travel agents have cat- cle tours, but now has walking, hiking,
alogs that list upcoming trips. More than cross-country skiing, trail running, and
500 different tour operators are repre- other trips. It’s especially noteworthy for
sented in the Specialty Travel Index having options catering to adults traveling
Online at www.specialtytravel.com. solo. Bicycle Adventures (& 800/443-
Another good source of up-to-date infor- 6060 or 360/786-0989; www.bicycle
mation is the monthly Outside magazine, adventures.com) offers biking, hiking,
20 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

and cross-country skiing, as well as other Banks of North Carolina (chapter 4); the
multisport options in the West Coast dramatic California coast (chapter 12);
states, the Rocky Mountain states, and the Oregon coast (chapter 13); the San
Hawaii. Tours are tailored to ability levels; Juan Islands near Seattle (p. 952); and
some are designed for families, others for the road circling the Big Island of
solo travelers. The venerable Sierra Club Hawaii (p. 1018). Exceptional mountain
(& 415/977-5522; www.sierraclub.com) biking is also available in most of West
offers a number of trips each year. Virginia’s state parks (p. 1036). Biking
These and other operators plan their is an excellent way to see some of the
adventures at least a year ahead of time, national parks, especially Shenandoah
so ask them or your travel agent for their (p. 233), Yosemite (p. 877), Yellowstone
schedules and catalogs as far in advance as (p. 585), Grand Tetons (p. 576), and
possible. Glacier (p. 567).
An ongoing nationwide program is
WHERE SHOULD I GO FOR . . . ? converting some 50,000 miles of aban-
BEACHES Miami (chapter 5) and doned railroad beds into biking-and-
Southern California (chapter 12) have walking paths. For a list, contact the
the best beaches in the continental Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 1100 17th
United States, though they all pale in St. NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC
comparison to the spectacular sands on 20005 (& 202/331-9696; www.rail
all the islands of Hawaii (chapter 14). trails.org), which celebrated its 20th
The entire Atlantic is lined with sand anniversary in 2006.
where you can sun and swim in the sum- Several companies and organizations
mer, and you’ll find no shortage of resorts offer escorted bike excursions, including
and beach motels. If you try hard Backroads and Bicycle Adventures (see
enough, you can even find a little unde- “Adventure-Travel Companies,” above).
veloped solitude at the Cape Cod American Youth Hostels (& 301/495-
National Seashore near Provincetown, 1240; www.hiayh.org) has trips for its
Massachusetts (p. 57) and at Cape members. CrossRoads Cycling Adven-
Hatteras National Seashore on North tures (& 800/971-2453; www.crossroads
Carolina’s Outer Banks (p. 285). cycling.com) offers nationwide excur-
The Maine coast (chapter 2) is sions, including California to Massachu-
gorgeous, but too cold for actual swim- setts and Maine to Florida.
ming. The same goes for the lovely, dra-
matic scenery in Northern California BIRDING The entire East Coast is on
(chapter 12) and along the Oregon coast the Atlantic Flyway for migrating water
(chapter 13). birds and waterfowl. You can see them all
the way from the Maine coast (chapter 2),
BIKING Biking is a great way to see particularly Monhegan and Machias
the country up close and personal. Except islands, to the Wellfleet Wildlife
for the interstate highways, you can bike Sanctuary on Cape Cod, and on south to
on most roads in the United States. Maryland’s eastern shore, where Chin-
Among the best are the Maine coast, coteague National Wildlife Refuge on
Cape Cod, and the hills of New Eng- the Maryland-Virginia line is the best bet
land—especially Vermont (chapter 2); (& 757/336-6122).
Virginia’s rolling Shenandoah Valley Shorebirds also migrate along the
(chapter 4); the combined Skyline Drive Pacific side of the country, with good
and Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and viewing anywhere along the Washington
North Carolina (chapter 4); the Outer
 S P E C I A L - I N T E R E S T VAC AT I O N P L A N N E R 21

and Oregon coasts but especially in CANOEING & KAYAKING There’s a

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in wide variety of rivers, streams, lakes, and
southeastern Oregon. sounds for canoeing and kayaking enthu-
Once endangered, the bald eagle is siasts. In fact, most cities with rivers run-
now widespread across the country. ning through them now have a contingent
Dozens make their winter home at Lake of outfitters.
Cachuma near Santa Barbara in Califor- Out in the hinterlands, some of the
nia. In January they flock to the Skagit best paddling takes place along Maine’s
River north of Seattle to feast on salmon, coast (chapter 2) or through its 92-mile
and you can even spot them while riding Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a series
a Washington State ferry through the San of remote rivers, lakes, and ponds.
Juan Islands (p. 952). In September, In summer, it’s hot and humid in
look for them along Alaska’s southeast- Florida’s Everglades National Park
ern coast (chapter 14). Alaska also has (p. 386), but winter offers great opportu-
many other birds not found in the lower nities along a maze of well-marked trails.
48 states. You can rent canoes at the main park cen-
In the Arizona (chapter 11) desert, ter at Flamingo.
Ramsey Canyon Preserve is internation- The peaceful lakes of Minnesota’s
ally known as home to 14 species of Boundary Waters Canoe Area north of
hummingbird, more than anywhere else Minneapolis are another good choice.
in the United States. San Pedro Riparian Puget Sound’s San Juan Islands
National Conservation Area is another (p. 952) near Seattle are enchanting when
good spot in Arizona, with more than seen by canoe or kayak. San Juan Kayak
300 species. Expeditions (& 360/378-4436; www.
For tropical species, head to Florida sanjuankayak.com) and Shearwater
(chapter 5), especially to Everglades Adventures (& 360/376-4699; www.
National Park (p. 386). shearwaterkayaks.com) both have multi-
Hawaii’s (chapter 14) tropical birds are day trips to the islands, and biologists and
found nowhere else on earth, including the naturalists lead educational expeditions
rare o’o, whose yellow feathers Hawaiians sponsored by the nonprofit Sea Quest
once plucked to make royal capes. Large Expeditions (& 888/549-4253 or 360/
colonies of seabirds nest at Kilauea 378-5767; www.sea-quest-kayak.com).
National Wildlife Preserve and along the For a truly unique kayaking experi-
Na Pali Coast on Kauai; and Molokai’s ence, you can paddle among the hump-
Kamakou Preserve is home to the back whales taking their winter break in
Molokai thrust and Molokai creeper, Hawaii. Contact South Pacific Kayaks
found nowhere else. (& 800/776-2326 or 808/661-8400;
For information about escorted bird- www.southpacifickayaks.com).
watching trips, contact Field Guides For general information, contact the
(& 800/728-4953 or 512/263-4795; American Canoe Association, 7432
www.fieldguides.com) or Victor Eman- Alban Station Blvd., Suite B226, Spring-
ual Nature Tours (& 800/328-8368 or field, VA 22150 (& 703/451-0141;
512/328-5221; www.ventbird.com). The www.acanet.org), the nation’s largest
National Audubon Society (& 212/ organization, for lists of trips and local
979-3000; www.audubon.org) runs clubs.
superb bird-watching programs for both CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS The
aspiring and experienced naturalists. Civil War started in 1861 at Fort Sumter
22 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

in Charleston, South Carolina (p. 271). Fall is also quite spectacular in the
Battles raged all over the South during Rockies, especially in Colorado (chapter
the next 4 years. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 10); in West Virginia’s mountains
took Vicksburg, Mississippi (p. 431), (p. 1036); and in the Wisconsin Dells
after a long siege, and Gen. William (p. 519).
Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta Tauck World Discovery (& 800/788-
(p. 240), but the most famous fighting 7885; www.tauck.com), Maupintour
took place within 100 miles of Washing- (& 800/255-4266 or 913/843-1211;
ton, D.C. (p. 191). This area has more www.maupintour.com), and several other
national battlefield parks than any other escorted tour operators have foliage tours;
part of the country. see your travel agent.
It won’t be in chronological order, but FISHING The United States can boast
you can tour them by starting at the bat- of record-setting catches and has every
tles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, type of fishing invented—from surf-
and The Wilderness in and near Freder- casting off Cape Cod or Cape Hatteras
icksburg, Virginia (chapter 4). Proceed to flicking a fly in Maine or Montana.
north to the two Battles of Manassas (or Fly-fishing camps are as prolific as fish
Bull Run) southwest of Washington, then in the Maine woods. Grant’s Kennebago
north across the Potomac River to the Camps in Oquossoc has 18 of them,
Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, built on Kennebago Lake in 1905. Over
Maryland. From there, go northwest in Vermont, Orvis (& 800/548-9548;
through Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to www.orvis.com) runs one of the top fly-
the Battle of Gettysburg (p. 173), the fishing schools in the country. See chap-
turning point of the war, in south-central ter 2 for more on New England fishing.
Pennsylvania. Gettysburg is perhaps the The nation’s other great fly-fishing area
most moving and well preserved of the is in the Montana and Wyoming moun-
battlegrounds. You’ll also pass several bat- tains near Yellowstone National Park
tlefields driving through the Shenandoah (p. 585), made famous by A River Runs
Valley (chapter 4). Through It. The top river out here is
FALL FOLIAGE Fall in New England Montana’s Madison, with headquarters
(chapter 2) is one of the great natural starting in the park, but cutthroat trout
spectacles on earth, with rolling hills make the Snake River over in Wyoming
blanketed in brilliant reds and stunning almost as good—and the resort of
oranges. The colors start to peak in mid- Jackson Hole offers luxury relief within
September in the Green and White casting distance (see chapter 8).
mountains of Vermont and New Hamp- Most ports along the nation’s seaboards
shire, and then bleed down into the have deep-sea charter-fishing fleets and
Berkshires of Massachusetts. The colors less expensive party boats (all you have to
move progressively south down the East do is show up for the latter). The best
Coast, through New York’s Hudson tropical strikes are in the Florida Keys
River Valley (p. 132), into October, (p. 388) and off the Kona coast of the
when bumper-to-bumper traffic jams Big Island in Hawaii (p. 1018). Alaska
Virginia’s Skyline Drive through (chapter 14) is famous for summertime
Shenandoah National Park (p. 233). The salmon and halibut fishing, with the
precise dates for prime viewing vary from biggest in the Kenai River and on
year to year, depending on temperatures Kodiak Island, which has the state’s best
and rainfall, but the local newspapers and roadside salmon fishing.
TV stations closely track the coloration.
 S P E C I A L - I N T E R E S T VAC AT I O N P L A N N E R 23

FLOWERS & GARDENS Flower A few travel companies have escorted

lovers have many opportunities to stop tours of gardens, others include them on
and smell the roses, especially in Port- their general sightseeing excursions, and
land, Oregon (p. 965), which calls itself still others organize trips for local botani-
the City of Roses. Many other cities have cal gardens or gardening and horticul-
gardens of note, including Atlanta, tural groups. Check with those in your
Boston (p. 29), Denver (p. 666), New hometown for upcoming trips, or try
Orleans (p. 438), New York (p. 103), Maupintour (& 800/255-4266 or 913/
Seattle (p. 933), and Tucson (p. 766). 843-1211; www.maupintour.com).
Longwood Gardens in the Brandywine GOLF & TENNIS You can play golf
Valley (p. 172) is noted for its green- and tennis almost anywhere in the coun-
houses as well as its grounds. The Bilt- try, although the southern tier of states,
more Estate in Asheville, North Carolina where the outdoor seasons are longest,
(p. 294), has a walled English garden on offer the best opportunities. In the South-
its 25 acres. Magnolia Plantation near east, top golfing destinations are Pine-
Charleston, South Carolina (p. 271), is hurst, North Carolina; Hilton Head
famed for its azaleas, camellias, and 60- Island and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
acre cypress swamp. If you like gardens (chapter 4); and almost anywhere in
from the Elizabethan era, head for Colo- Florida (chapter 5). You can get informa-
nial Williamsburg, Virginia (p. 222). tion about most Florida courses, includ-
It’s also a spectacular sight to see the ing current greens fees, and reserve tee
commercial flower farms of Washington times through Tee Times USA (& 888/
State’s Skagit Valley. In the spring, tulips 465-3356 or 904/439-0001; www.tee
and daffodils carpet the farmlands sur- timesusa.com). This company also pub-
rounding the town of La Conner with lishes a vacation guide that includes many
great swaths of red, yellow, and white. In stay-and-play golf packages.
March and April, the town hosts an In the Southwest, the twin desert cities
annual Tulip Festival; the countryside of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona
erupts with color in a display that (p. 754), have some of the country’s most
matches the legendary flower fields of the luxurious golf resorts. The same can be
Netherlands. See chapter 13 for more on said of Palm Springs and the Monterey
Washington. coast in California (chapter 12).
You may also be interested in seeing And Hawaii (chapter 14) has some of
wildflowers in bloom out West. Spring- the most famous and most unique
time brings glorious color to the Texas courses in the world.
Hill Country (p. 660), just north of San Most of the nation’s top golf resorts
Antonio. The deserts of New Mexico, also have excellent tennis facilities. For
Arizona, and Southern California the top 50 tennis resorts, see Tennis mag-
(chapters 11 and 12) are also magical in azine’s rankings each November. Good
the spring. Two of California’s prettiest choices include the Ritz-Carlton Key
viewing areas are Anza-Borrego Desert Biscayne in Key Biscayne, Florida
State Park, near San Diego, and the (p. 382), Tampa’s Saddlebrook Resort—
Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, in the Tampa (p. 409), and Sea Pines Planta-
high desert near L.A. There are also beau- tion on Hilton Head, South Carolina
tiful spring blooms in the Washington (p. 267).
Cascades, especially in Olympic National
Park (p. 956) and throughout the Rocky MOUNTAIN BIKING If mountain
Mountains (chapter 10). bikes are your thing, you’ll find plenty of
24 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

dirt roads and backcountry pathways to available, contact the individual park you
explore. Many national parks and forests plan on visiting.
have a good selection of trails—Acadia RIVER RAFTING The most famous
National Park’s (p. 98) carriage roads, place to run the rapids is the Grand
for example, are unique. You can also take Canyon (p. 782), with steep walls that
guided tours through 60 miles of con- tower above you as you race down the
nected trails in the Sebago Lake area, Colorado River. It’s also the most popu-
near the New Hampshire border, with lar spot, with bumper-to-bumper rafts in
Back Country Excursions (& 207/ summer.
625-8189; www.bikebackcountry.com). You may have less unwanted company
Out in Colorado (chapter 10), ski on the Colorado upstream in Utah—
areas often open their lifts to bikers in the which also has good rafting on the Green
summer. Winter Park is considered the River. Call the Utah Travel Council
state’s mountain-bike capital (& 800/ (& 800/200-1160 or 801/538-1030;
903-PARK or 970/726-4118). The www.utah.com) and ask for a copy of
state’s single best route, the 30-mile Tip- Raft Utah. The Snake River south of
perary Creek Trail, ends at Winter Park. Yellowstone National Park near Jackson
Another popular area is the Bryce, Zion, Hole, Wyoming, is also a best bet. The
and Canyonlands regions of southern Snake River flows into Idaho, where its
Utah (chapter 10). Contact Rim Tours wild Hells Canyon offers exciting rides—
(& 800/626-7335; www.rimtours.com) as do the Salmon and Middle Fork rivers.
or Escape Adventures (& 800/596- For more information, see chapter 8.
2953; www.kaibabtours.com), based in The New River cuts a dramatic, 2,000-
the town of Moab. foot-deep gorge through the Appalachian
West Virginia (p. 1036) is a top desti- Mountains inside New River Gorge
nation for mountain biking; especially National River Recreation Area (p. 1039),
good spots are Canaan Valley Resort and near the town of Beckley, West Virginia,
Backwater Falls State Park. making it the most scenic rapids route in
The companies mentioned under the east.
“Biking,” above, also offer mountain-
biking expeditions throughout the coun- SCENIC DRIVES There are so many
try and abroad. wonderful driving tours that it’s impossi-
ble to offer anything like a comprehensive
NATURE & ECOLOGY TOURS Not list, but here are just a few favorites.
just for bird-watchers, the National In New England (chapter 2), the
Audubon Society (& 212/979-3000; dramatic Kancamagus Highway (N.H.
www.audubon.org) has its Ecology Camp 112) cuts through New Hampshire’s
on Hog Island off the Maine coast and White Mountains between Lincoln and
another in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming, Conway. Nearby is the privately owned
and it sponsors ecology excursions to such Mount Washington Auto Road, to the
places as California’s Death Valley. The top of one of the tallest peaks in the east.
Sierra Club maintains base camps in the The loop road in Maine’s Acadia
Rockies and sponsors a wide variety of National Park is another beauty.
nature- and conservation-oriented trips In the Southeast (chapter 4), you can’t
(& 415/977-5500; www.sierraclub.com). beat Virginia’s Skyline Drive and the
On a tour sponsored by a conservation Blue Ridge Parkway, which continues
association, you’ll learn more about our south to North Carolina’s Great Smoky
national parks than you could just by Mountains near Asheville.
driving through them. To find out what’s
 S P E C I A L - I N T E R E S T VAC AT I O N P L A N N E R 25

You’ll traverse a wild and undeveloped including some wonderful Old West
portion of Monongahela National Forest towns. And visitors to Rocky Mountain
on the Highland Scenic Highway in National Park should not pass up a drive
West Virginia (appendix A), a drive on the exceptionally scenic Trail Ridge
that’s especially beautiful during fall Road, especially in spring when the
foliage season. wildflowers are in bloom and wildlife is
The Historic Coastal Highway out in force.
stretches along the eastern coast of In the Southwest (chapter 11), the
Florida, offering up prime ocean views Kaibab Plateau—North Rim Parkway
and lots of wildlife. winds itself through the trees of Kaibab
In the Gulf South (chapter 6), the National Forest before landing at the sce-
Natchez Trace Parkway winds through nic northern edge of the Grand Canyon.
forested beauty in the states of Missis- In the Arizona desert, the drive from
sippi, Tennessee, and Alabama on the way Phoenix through Prescott and Sedona
from Natchez to Nashville. Another good includes huge red rocks and the cool oasis
option in this region is the stunning of Oak Creek Canyon. The desert’s most
beauty (including trees, rock formations, spectacular scenery is in Monument
and waterfalls) along the Red River Valley on the Arizona–Utah border in
Gorge Highway in Kentucky. For pic- Navajo and Hopi country and the nearby
ture-perfect views of marshlands and Canyonlands.
their accompanying wildlife, look no Out in California and the Pacific
further than the Creole Nature Trail in Northwest (chapters 12 and 13), driving
Louisiana. doesn’t get any more dramatic than it is
In the Great Plains (chapter 8), a driv- along the California and Oregon coasts.
ing tour of Glacier Country in Montana Up in Alaska (chapter 14), one of the
puts you on Going-to-the-Sun Road world’s great drives begins in Anchorage
through Glacier National Park, one of the and leads roughly 50 miles south on the
great summertime drives in the country. Seward Highway to Portage Glacier;
Over the border in Wyoming, the chipped from the rocky Chugach Moun-
Beartooth Scenic Byway (U.S. 212) tains, the Turnagain Arm provides a plat-
from the northern part of Yellowstone form for viewing an untouched landscape
National Park east to Red Lodge climbs full of wildlife.
over 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass, from Out in Hawaii (chapter 14), the drive
where you can see mile upon mile of from Honolulu to Oahu’s Windward
Wyoming and Montana mountains. coast on Highway 61 offers an unparal-
Custer State Park in the South Dakota leled view down from the near-vertical
Badlands offers not one, but three scenic Pali cliff. The narrow, winding Hana
auto routes, though if you have time for Road on Maui will reward your driving
only one, make it Iron Mountain Road. skills with wonderful seascapes.
In Colorado, a driving tour of the For a comprehensive list of the major
Western Slope follows the Million scenic byways and roads in the U.S.,
Dollar Highway (U.S. 550) across check out the U.S. Department of Trans-
11,008-foot Red Mountain Pass, an portation’s America’s Byways website at
unforgettable drive. The San Juan Sky- www.byways.org; while you’re online, be
way, a 236-mile circuit that crosses five sure to request their free America’s Byways
mountain passes, takes in the magnificent map.
scenery of the San Juan Mountains,
26 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

SKIING New England may have WHALE- & WILDLIFE WATCHING

started downhill skiing in the United The best whale- watching on the East
States, but for the best, forget about the Coast leaves from Provincetown on Cape
East altogether and head for the deep Cod (p. 56), where some boats sight
powder out West. humpbacks and finbacks with a 99% suc-
Colorado (chapter 10) is endowed cess rate from April to November.
with more than two dozen ski resorts, On the West Coast, you can see Pacific
including world-renowned Aspen, Vail, gray whales during their spring and fall
Breckenridge, and Wolf Creek; Utah migrations from Point Reyes National
(chapter 10) is home to Alta, Beaver Seashore north of San Francisco; Depoe
Mountain, Snowbasin, Park City, and Bay and other points on the Oregon coast;
Deer Valley; and Taos (p. 815) in New and the San Juan Islands near Seattle,
Mexico has well-known slopes. In Cali- which also have orcas. See chapters 12 and
fornia’s Sierras, Lake Tahoe (p. 870) is 13 for more information on these areas.
home to Alpine Meadows, Heavenly The port of Sitka (p. 992) in southeast-
Resort, and the famous Squaw Valley ern Alaska, Kenai Fjords National Park,
USA. And there’s Jackson Hole (p. 576) and nearby Seward are great spots to
in Wyoming, plus the Big Mountain watch humpbacks feeding in summer—
and Big Sky resorts nearby in Montana plus a profusion of seals, otters, and other
(chapter 8). marine mammals.
New England (chapter 2) does have For many humpbacks, the fall migra-
good cross-country skiing, especially at tion takes them south to sunny Hawaii
the Trapp Family Lodge Cross-Country (chapter 14), where they frolic in the warm
Ski Center (& 800/826-7000 or 802/ waters from December to May. They are
253-8511; www.trappfamily.com) in best seen here from Maui’s west coast.
Stowe, Vermont, and the entire village of For wildlife watching, you can see
Jackson, New Hampshire, which is laced moose in Rocky Mountain National
with a network of ski trails maintained by Park (p. 680) in Colorado, maybe a bear
the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation in the Great Smoky Mountains (p. 298),
(& 800/927-6697; www.jacksonxc.org). or alligators and other critters in Florida’s
Moving south along the East Coast, you’ll Everglades (p. 388). But the best places
find good options in Lake Placid, New to spot a variety of animals are undoubt-
York (chapter 3) and Snowshoe in West edly the national parks out west and in
Virginia (appendix A). Out West, many Alaska. Without question, Yellowstone
of the downhill resorts mentioned above (p. 585) offers some of the top opportu-
have cross-country trails as well. The best nities, with an abundance of elk and
are in Yosemite (p. 233), Yellowstone bison. Some of them will walk right up to
(p. 585), and Glacier (p. 567) national your car. Glacier (p. 567) has this and
parks. The rims of the Grand Canyon more—mountain elk and the occasional
(p. 782) and Bryce Canyon (p. 721) grizzly bear. Alaska’s Denali (p. 998)
national parks also present some unusual national park offers visitors a great chance
skiing venues. to see grizzlies and other types of bears.

10 Tips on Accommodations
The United States has a wide range of inns (where George Washington really
accommodations: from roadside chain did sleep!). And there are tons of excel-
motels, to park lodges, to rental condos, lent campgrounds located all over the
to mammoth themed resorts, to historic country.
 T I P S O N AC C O M M O DAT I O N S 27

For a list of the major hotel and motel season or on holidays. To lower the cost
chains’ telephone numbers and websites, of your room:
see appendix D. In the individual chapters • Ask about special rates or other
in this book, we also provide information discounts. You may qualify for
on local reservation services, if available. corporate, student, military, senior,
Most state tourism offices put out directo- frequent flier, trade union, or other
ries or other information on available discounts.
accommodations—contact them and • Dial direct. When booking a room
they’ll be happy to send you the informa- in a chain hotel, you’ll often get a bet-
tion. Much of the information is also ter deal by calling the individual
available on the states’ tourism websites. A hotel’s reservation desk rather than
list of all 50 state tourism bureaus is avail- the chain’s main number.
able in appendix B. • Book online. Many hotels offer
If you prefer the intimacy and charac- Internet-only discounts, or supply
ter of a bed-and-breakfast, there are sev- rooms to Priceline, Hotwire, or Expe-
eral reservation agencies and online dia at rates much lower than the ones
websites that deal solely with B&Bs. A you can get through the hotel.
few of these B&B-only websites include • Remember the law of supply and
Inntravels.com, Bed & Breakfast Inns demand. Resort hotels are most
Online (www.bbonline.com), North crowded and therefore most expen-
American Bed & Breakfast Directory sive on weekends, so discounts are
(www.bbdirectory.com), and Bedand usually available for midweek stays.
Breakfast.com. Business hotels in downtown loca-
For historic lodging in the United tions are busiest during the week, so
States, look no further than the Historic you can expect big discounts over the
Hotels of America (& 800/678-8946; weekend. Many hotels have high-
www.historichotels.org), operated in con- season and low-season prices, and
junction with the National Trust for His- booking even one day after high sea-
toric Preservation. We’ve noted several son ends can mean big discounts.
hotels rich in American history through- • Look into group or long-stay dis-
out the book. counts. If you come as part of a large
For information on campgrounds and group, you should be able to negoti-
RV parks in the United States, pick up the ate a bargain rate. Likewise, if you’re
comprehensive Frommer’s RV & Tent planning a long stay (at least 5 days),
Campgrounds in the U.S.A. You can also you might qualify for a discount. As a
contact the National Association of RV general rule, expect 1 night free after
Parks and Campgrounds (www.go a 7-night stay.
campingamerica.com); or KOA (& 406/ • Avoid excess charges and hidden
248-7444; www.koa.com), which operates costs. When you book a room, ask
numerous campgrounds and RV parks all whether the hotel charges for park-
over the country. ing. Use a cellphone, pay phones, or
SAVING ON YOUR prepaid phone cards instead of dial-
HOTEL ROOM ing direct from hotel phones, which
The rack rate is the maximum rate that a usually have exorbitant rates. Don’t
hotel charges for a room. Hardly anybody be tempted by the room’s minibar
pays this price, however, except in high offerings: Most hotels overcharge for
water, soda, and snacks. Finally, ask
28 C H A P T E R 1 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO T H E U S A

about local taxes and service charges, twin, queen- or king-size beds. If you’re a
which can increase the cost of a room light sleeper, request a quiet room away
by 15% or more. from vending machines, elevators, restau-
• Book an efficiency. A room with a rants, bars, and discos. Ask for a room
kitchenette allows you to shop for that has been most recently renovated or
groceries and cook your own meals. redecorated.
This is a big money saver, especially If you aren’t happy with your room
for families on long stays. when you arrive, ask for another one.
• Consider enrolling in hotel “fre- Most lodgings will be willing to accom-
quent-stay” programs, which are modate you.
upping the ante lately to win the loy- In resort areas, particularly in warm
alty of repeat customers. Frequent climates, ask the following questions
guests can now accumulate points or before you book a room:
credits to earn free hotel nights, airline • What’s the view like? Cost-conscious
miles, in-room amenities, merchan- travelers may be willing to pay less for
dise, tickets to concerts and events, a back room facing the parking lot,
discounts on sporting facilities—and especially if they don’t plan to spend
even credit toward stock in the partic- much time in their room. If, on the
ipating hotel, in the case of the Jame- other hand, you can’t do without that
son Inn hotel group. Perks are view of the ocean, the skyline, the
awarded not only by many chain Strip, whatever, then be prepared to
hotels and motels (Hilton HHonors, pay extra for it.
Marriott Rewards, Wyndham ByRe- • What’s included in the price? Your
quest, to name a few), but individual room may be moderately priced, but
inns and B&Bs. Many chain hotels if you’re charged for beach chairs,
partner with other hotel chains, car- towels, sports equipment, and other
rental firms, airlines, and credit card amenities, you could end up spend-
companies to give consumers addi- ing more than you bargained for.
tional incentive to do repeat business. • Is there a resort fee? These are recent
LANDING THE BEST ROOM and particularly heinous schemes
Somebody has to get the best room in the (anywhere from $5–$20 per day!)
house. It might as well be you. You can dreamed up by hotel executives try-
start by joining the hotel’s frequent-guest ing to make an extra dime off travel-
program, which may make you eligible ers. They ostensibly cover items (local
for upgrades. A hotel-branded credit card calls, a bottle of water, a newspaper,
usually gives its owner “silver” or “gold” the electricity in your room) that
status in frequent-guest programs for free. used to be free, but that you’re now
Always ask about a corner room. They’re being charged for. And these extra
often larger and quieter, with more win- charges are never included in the
dows and light, and they often cost the quoted rate. You’ll find this sort of
same as standard rooms. When you make gouging mostly at resorts in the
your reservation, ask if the hotel is reno- major resort destinations such as
vating; if it is, request a room away from Florida and Hawaii, but we’ve seen
the construction. Ask about nonsmoking even small chain hotels in some of
rooms, rooms with views, rooms with these areas assessing this fee.
 2
New England
O ne of the greatest challenges of traveling in New England is choosing from an
abundance of superb restaurants, accommodations, and attractions. Do you want the
mountains or the beach? Shining cities or quiet vistas? In this chapter, we give you an
overview of one of the most historic regions of the United States, and still one of the
most vital. We start in Massachusetts with Boston; go out to Cape Cod and Martha’s
Vineyard; swing through the Mystic seaport in Connecticut and then around to
Rhode Island’s glamorous Newport and revitalized Providence; and return to Massa-
chusetts to the Berkshires. We head inland to the natural glories of southern Vermont
and New Hampshire’s White Mountains, then up the rocky, majestic Maine coast.

1 Boston & Cambridge

Boston embodies contrasts and contradictions—it’s blue blood and blue collar, Yan-
kee and Irish, home to budget-conscious graduate students and free-spending com-
puter wizards (still!). Rich in Colonial history and 21st-century technology, it’s a living
landmark whose unofficial mascot is the construction worker. A new highway, a dra-
matic new bridge, and new buildings of all sizes are altering the landscape of eastern
Massachusetts.
Take a few days (or weeks) to get to know the Boston area, or use it as a gateway to
the rest of New England. Here’s hoping your experience is memorable and delightful.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Plane Most major domestic carriers and many interna-
tional carriers serve Boston’s Logan International Airport (& 800/23-LOGAN;
www.massport.com/logan), across the harbor from downtown. Access to the city is by
subway (the “T”), cab, and boat. The subway is fast and cheap—10 minutes to Gov-
ernment Center and a one-way fare of $1.25. Free shuttle buses run from each ter-
minal to the Airport station on the Blue Line of the T daily from 5:30am to 1am. The
Blue Line stops at State Street and Government Center, downtown points where you
can exit or transfer (free) to the other lines. A cab from the airport to downtown or
the Back Bay costs about $22 to $30. The ride into town takes 10 to 45 minutes,
depending on traffic and the time of day.
The trip to the downtown waterfront (near cabstands and several hotels) in a
weather-protected boat takes 7 minutes and costs $10 one-way. The free no. 66 shut-
tle bus connects all terminals to the Logan ferry dock. Harbor Express (& 617/
222-6999; www.harborexpress.com) runs to Long Wharf, behind the Marriott Long
Wharf hotel. It operates every 20 minutes on weekdays from 7am to 8pm (Fri until
11pm), and every 30 minutes from 10am to 6pm on weekends. Hours are shorter in
the winter.
30 CHAPTER 2 . NEW ENGLAND

By Train Amtrak (& 800/USA-RAIL or 617/482-3660; www.amtrak.com) serves

all three of Boston’s three rail centers: South Station, on Atlantic Avenue; Back Bay
Station, on Dartmouth Street across from the Copley Place mall; and North Station,
on Causeway Street near the TD Banknorth Garden. Each train station is also a rapid-
transit station (& 800/392-6100 outside Massachusetts, or 617/222-3200;
www.mbta.com). A commuter rail serves Ipswich, Rockport, and Fitchburg from
North Station, and points south and west of Boston, including Plymouth, from South
Station.
By Car Boston is 218 miles from New York; driving time is about 41⁄2 hours. From
Washington, it takes about 8 hours to cover the 468 miles; the 992-mile drive from
Chicago takes around 21 hours. Driving to Boston is not difficult, but if you’re think-
ing of using the car to get around town, you won’t need one to explore Boston and
Cambridge.
The major highways are I-90, the Massachusetts Turnpike (“Mass. Pike”), an east-
west toll road that leads to the New York State Thruway; I-93/U.S. 1, which extends
north to Canada; and I-93/Route 3, the Southeast Expressway, which connects with
the south, including Cape Cod. I-95 (Mass. Rte. 128) is a beltway about 11 miles
from downtown that connects to I-93 and to highways in Rhode Island, Connecticut,
and New York to the south, and New Hampshire and Maine to the north. The Mass.
Pike extends into the city and connects with the Central Artery (the John F. Fitzger-
ald Expwy.).
VISITOR INFORMATION Contact the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau, 2 Copley Place, Suite 105, Boston (& 888/SEE-BOSTON or 617/536-4100,
or 0171/431-3434 in the U.K.; www.bostonusa.com). It offers a comprehensive infor-
mation kit ($10) with a planner, guidebook, map, and coupon book; and a Kids Love
Boston guide ($5). Free smaller planners for specific seasons or events are often available.
The Cambridge Office for Tourism, 4 Brattle St., Suite 208, Cambridge (& 800/
862-5678 or 617/441-2884; www.cambridge-usa.org), distributes information about
Cambridge. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, 10 Park Plaza, Suite
4510, Boston (& 800/227-6277 or 617/973-8500; www.massvacation.com), distrib-
utes the Getaway Guide, a free magazine with information on attractions and lodgings,
a map, and a seasonal calendar.
The Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center, 15 State St. (& 617/
242-5642; www.nps.gov/bost), across the street from the Old State House and the
State Street T, is a good place to start exploring. National Park Service rangers staff the
center and lead free tours of the Freedom Trail. The audiovisual show provides basic
information on 16 historic sites on the trail. The center is wheelchair accessible and
has restrooms. It’s open daily from 9am to 5pm.
The Freedom Trail begins at the Boston Common Information Center, 146
Tremont St., on the Common. The center is open Monday through Saturday from
8:30am to 5pm, Sunday from 9am to 5pm. The Prudential Information Center, on
the main level of the Prudential Center, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am
to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. The Greater Boston Convention
& Visitors Bureau (& 888/SEE-BOSTON or 617/536-4100) operates both centers.
GETTING AROUND When you reach your hotel, leave your car in the garage and
walk or use public transportation. Free maps of downtown Boston and the transit sys-
tem are available at visitor centers around the city. If you must drive in town, ask at
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the front desk for the quickest route (which may not be obvious from a map or map-
ping website).
By Public Transportation The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or
MBTA (& 800/392-6100 or 617/222-3200; www.mbta.com), is known as the “T,”
and its logo is that letter in a circle. It runs subways, trolleys, buses, and ferries in
Boston and many suburbs, as well as the commuter rail. Its website includes maps,
schedules, and other information.
Newer stations on the Red, Blue, and Orange lines are wheelchair accessible; the
Green Line is being converted. All T buses have lifts or kneelers; call & 800/LIFT-
BUS for information. To learn more, call the Office for Transportation Access
(& 617/222-5438 or TTY 617/222-5854).
32 CHAPTER 2 . NEW ENGLAND

All’s Fare on the T

In January 2007, the MBTA completed its conversion to automated fare collec-
tion, with a concurrent fare increase. Tokens are no longer accepted; the three
payment options are now cash, a pre-paid paper CharlieTicket, and a pre-paid
plastic CharlieCard. The CharlieCard offers the greatest cost savings, including
free transfers between subway and bus. For information about where and how
to purchase a CharlieCard, check the website or quiz the phone representatives
for details before your trip.

Red, Blue, and Orange line trains and Green Line trolleys make up the subway sys-
tem, which runs partly aboveground. The fare is $2 cash, or $1.70 with the Char-
lieCard. Transfers within these lines are free, however, bus transfers are an additional
$1.50 for cash riders (free for CharlieCard customers). Route and fare information
and timetables are available through the website and at centrally located stations. Ser-
vice begins around 5:15am and ends around 12:30am. A sign on in every station gives
the time of the last train in either direction.
T buses and “trackless trolleys” (buses with electric antennae) provide service
around town and to and around the suburbs. The local bus fare is $1.50, or $1.25
with the CharlieCard; express buses are $3.50 and up ($2.80 and up with the Char-
lieCard). Exact change is required. Important local routes include no. 1 (Mass. Ave.
from Dudley Sq. in Roxbury through the Back Bay and Cambridge to Harvard Sq.),
nos. 92 and 93 (between Haymarket and Charlestown), and no. 77 (Mass. Ave. from
Harvard Sq. north to Porter Sq. and Arlington).
The MBTA Inner Harbor ferry connects Long Wharf (near the New England
Aquarium) with the Charlestown Navy Yard—it’s a good way to get back downtown
from “Old Ironsides” and the Bunker Hill Monument. The fare is $1.70 (at press
time, the CharlieCard was not yet available for ferry service). Visit www.mbta.com or
call & 617/227-4321 for information.
Taxis are expensive and not always easy to flag—find a cabstand or call a dispatcher.
To call ahead, try the Independent Taxi Operators Association (& 617/426-8700)
or Boston Cab (& 617/262-2227). Boston Cab can dispatch a wheelchair-accessible
vehicle; advance notice is recommended. In Cambridge, call Ambassador Brattle
(& 617/492-1100) or Yellow Cab (& 617/547-3000).
FAST FACTS If you need medical attention, your hotel concierge should be able to
help you. Hospital referral services include Brigham and Women’s (& 800/
294-9999), Massachusetts General (& 800/711-4-MGH), and Tufts New England
Medical Center (& 617/636-9700). An affiliate of Mass. General, MGH Back Bay,
388 Comm. Ave. (& 617/267-7171), offers walk-in service and honors most insur-
ance plans.
Downtown Boston has no 24-hour drugstore. The CVS at 155–157 Charles St.
(& 617/523-1028), next to the Charles/MGH Red Line T stop, is open until mid-
night. The CVS at the Porter Square Shopping Center, off Mass. Ave. in Cambridge
(& 617/876-5519), is open 24 hours.
On the whole, Boston and Cambridge are safe cities for walking. As in any urban
area, stay out of parks (including Boston Common, the Public Garden, and the
Esplanade) at night unless you’re in a crowd. Areas to avoid at night include Boylston
 B O S TO N & C A M B R I D G E 33

Street between Tremont and Washington, and Tremont Street from Stuart to Boyl-
ston. Try not to walk alone late at night in the Theater District and around North Sta-
tion. Public transportation is busy and safe, but service stops between 12:30 and 1am.
The 5% sales tax does not apply to food, prescription drugs, newspapers, or cloth-
ing that costs less than $175; the tax on meals and takeout food is 5%. The lodging
tax in Boston and Cambridge is 12.45%.
SPECIAL EVENTS & FESTIVALS Every March 17, a 5-mile parade salutes both
St. Patrick’s Day and the day British troops left Boston in 1776 (& 800/888-5515).
Patriot’s Day, the third Monday in April, features reenactments of the events of April
18 and 19, 1775, which signified the start of the Revolutionary War, as well as the
running of the Boston Marathon; call the Boston Athletic Association (& 617/
236-1652; www.bostonmarathon.org). The Boston Pops Concert and Fireworks
Display, held at Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade during Boston, Massachu-
setts, Independence Week, culminates in the famous Boston Pops’s Fourth of July
concert. The program includes Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with actual cannon fire
that segues into the fireworks. On the Web, head to www.july4th.org.
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN BOSTON
CityPass (& 888/330-5008; www.citypass.com) is a booklet of tickets to the Harvard
Museum of Natural History, Kennedy Library, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Sci-
ence, New England Aquarium, and Prudential Center Skywalk. The price (at press
time, $39 for adults, $21 for children 3–11) represents a 50% savings for adults who
visit all six attractions, and having a ticket means you can go straight to the entrance
without waiting in line. The passes are on sale at participating attractions, from
the website, and through the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau
(& 800/SEE-BOSTON; www.bostonusa.com).
CityPass’s main competition is the Explorer Pass, a spinoff of the Go Boston Card
(& 800/887-9103 or 617/742-5950; www.gobostoncard.com) that covers its own list
of attractions. The Explorer Pass (www.explorerpass.com) is good for 2 days and costs
$39 for adults, $29 for children—a deal, but fitting in all 10 destinations to score the
full savings takes serious planning. The original Go Boston card includes admission to
more than 60 Boston-area and New England attractions, dining and shopping dis-
counts, a guidebook, and a 2-day trolley pass. If you strategize wisely, it’s a great value.
Prices range from $49 for 1 day to $159 for 7 days, with discounts for children and
winter travelers. Purchase through the website; at the office in the Ferry Terminal
behind the Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf (off Atlantic Ave.); or from the Bostix
booths in Faneuil Hall Marketplace (closed Mon) and Copley Square.
T H E T O P AT T R A C T I O N S
Faneuil Hall Marketplace Kids Since Boston’s most popular attraction opened in
1976, cities all over the country have imitated the “festival market” concept. The com-
plex of shops, food counters, restaurants, bars, and public spaces is a magnet for
tourists and suburbanites. The five-structure complex sits on brick-and-stone plazas
that teem with crowds shopping, eating, performing, viewing performers, and people-
watching. Quincy Market is the central Greek Revival–style building; its central cor-
ridor is an enormous food court. On either side, glass canopies cover full-service
restaurants as well as pushcarts that hold everything from crafts created by New Eng-
land artisans to hokey souvenirs. In the plaza between the South Canopy and the
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