From the highlands in the north to the central region's plantations and south to the Gulf Coast, Alabama lives up to its reputation as a "state of surprises."
The cities and towns in the north, built around the southernmost peaks of the Appalachians, are a mix of new offerings and old mysteries. Here are the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville and the Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport.
The dark, fertile soil of central Alabama was perfect for growing cotton and with the outbreak of Civil War, the region became a fierce battleground.
Alabama's capital, Mongomery, was where delegates from seceding southern states organized the Confederate government in 1861. It was here, too, that the nation's first memorial to the civil rights movement was dedicated.
Nearby Selma provides a glimpse of pre-Civil War grace and charm and more recent civil rights history.
In the wiregrass region of southeast Alabama, named for the tough, razor-like vegetation farmers cleared to make way for crops, you encounter small towns, wide front porches and great little places to sample southern cuisine.
The Gulf Coast offers Mardi Gras and miles of beaches. Alabama claims that, contrary to popular belief, it is Mobile, not New Orleans, which originated Mardi Gras in the United States. Mobile is where the first parading carnival society, the "Cowbellions," took to the streets in 1830.
This region, featuring wide stretches of sugar-white beaches, warm waters and mild temperatures year-round, is a water enthusiast's delight.
Alabama's many events and festivals include the special "pilgrimages" each spring during azalea blooming time, when historic homes and buildings open their doors for tours.
Tour dates are arranged so you can begin in the Gulf Coast Delta, where spring comes early, and enjoy tours in more northerly towns as azaleas sweep the state in vibrant colors.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Seward Polar Bear Jump
Seward
907-224-3094
February Fur Rendezvous,
old-time fur trappers
festival, Anchorage
907-274-3531
February Iceworm Festival
Cordova
907-424-7260
March Iditarod Dogsled Race
passes through
Anchorage
907-274-3531
Summer Alaska Native
Performance Series
Anchorage
907-343-4326
June Nochalawogya Festival
Athabascan cultural
festival, Tanana
907-366-7160
June All-Alaska Logging
Championships
Sitka
907-747-3225
June Solstice Festival
Moose Pass
907-465-2010
June Sitka Summer Music
Festival
Sitka
907-747-8601
June Campbell Creek Classic
Anchorage
907-274-3531
June-July Anchorage Music
Festival, Anchorage
907-263-2787
July Fairbanks Folk
Festival, Fairbanks
907-465-5774
July Golden Days, Gold
Celebration
Fairbanks
907-465-1105
July World Eskimo-Indian
Olympics, Fairbanks
907-452-6646
August Alaska Music Festival
Talkeetna, near Denali
907-683-1266
August Tanana Valley Fair
Fairbanks
907-452-3750
August Southeast Alaska State
Fair, Haines
800-458-3579
August Alaska Bald Eagle Music
Festival, Haines
800-458-3579
August Salmon Derby
Cordova
907-424-7260
August Gold Rush Days
Valdez
800-874-2749
Aug.-Sept.Alaska State Fair
Portage Valley
907-745-4827
Alaska Division of Tourism
P.O. Box E
Juneau, AK 99811-0800
907-465-2010
Alaska Public Lands Information Center
(Offers help traversing wilderness areas)
Old Federal Building
Anchorage, AK 99510
907-271-2737
Alaska, the largest state in the U.S., is also one of the most remarkable. The state known as the "Last Frontier" is home to some of the most spectacular wildlife and mountain ranges in North America.
Alaska became a U.S. territory in 1867 when Secretary of State James H. Seward purchased it from Russia for 7.2 million dollars. "Seward's Folly," as it was called then, turned out to be quite a bargain at 2 cents an acre.
Alaska entered the union on Jan. 3, 1959.
The name Alaska comes from the Aleut word for "The Great Land." Its 586,000 square miles make up almost one-fifth of the land mass of the United States.
Alaska has 3 million lakes over 20 acres in size and 19 mountain peaks more than 14,000 feet high, including Mt. McKinley which at 20,320 feet is the highest peak on the continent. This state boasts ice fields bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
It also contains four stupendous mountain ranges -- the Brooks Range, the Wrangell Mountains, the Chugach Mountains and the Alaska Range, home to Mt. McKinley.
Alaska is inhabited by four native ethnic groups -- the Tlingit people of the southeast, the Athabaska nation of the interior and south central regions, the Aleuts of the Aleutian Islands and the Eskimos, who live within the Arctic Circle.
With its forests of spruce, yellow cedar and hemlock, Alaska is also home to many kinds of wildlife. Developers and conservationists in Alaska struggle over the best use of these vast lands.
In Alaska, you can see the bald eagles congregate in the southeastern panhandle of the state or the Kodiak brown bear on Kodiak Island, one of the largest carnivores in North America. In Alaska's distinct geographical regions, you find a diverse palette of plant and wildlife.
The panhandle of the southeast is a vast archipelago where fjords, island rain forests and swamps called muskeg, combine to create a natural haven for wildlife. The plentiful
marine mammals of Glacier Bay National Monument attract sea kayakers and others hoping for a close-up view. The state capital at Juneau is located on its own island in the
northeastern panhandle.
South central Alaska, with its tremendous annual rainfall and abundant wildlife, includes Kodiak Island, the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound.
The interior and far north of Alaska is a land of barren tundra broken by imposing mountain peaks. In the summer, nights are only four hours long but in winter the lack of sunshine makes for temperatures constantly below -50 degrees F.
If you go as far north as the Arctic Circle, there is never-ending summer sun and a three-month long winter. It may sound uninhabitable, but this region is home to fur seals, polar bear and walrus as well as the spectacular atmospheric displays of the Aurora Borealis.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Jasper in January
winter festival
403-852-3858
February Calgary Winter Festival
403-268-2688
April Red Buckle Rodeo
Red Deer
403-343-7800
May Edmunton International
Children's Festival
403-426-4811
May Calgary International
Children's Festival
403-426-4811
June- Banff Festival of the
August Arts
403-762-6157
June Calgary International
Jazz Festival
403-294-2200
June Jazz City International
Festival, Edmonton
403-432-7166
June Red Deer Highland Games
Scottish festival
403-343-7800
June Ponoka Annual Stampede
Ponoka
403-783-0100
July Ukranian Pysanka
Festival, Vegreville
403-632-2771
July Calgary Exhibition and
Stampede, Calgary
800-661-1260
July Edmonton Klondike Days
403-426-4055
July Medicine Hat Exhibition
and Stampede
403-526-3979
August Edmonton Folk Music
Festival
403-429-1899
November Banff Festival of
Mountain Films
403-762-6157
November Canadian Finals Rodeo
Edmonton
Alberta Economic Development and Tourism
10155-102 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 4L6 Canada
800-661-8888
403-427-1905
Dramatic landscape, a rich cultural heritage, friendly people, cowboy rodeos and the largest shopping center in the world can all be found in Alberta.
The Canadian Rocky Mountains, evergreen forests, crystalline lakes, semi-desert "badlands" and sophisticated cities are all available in this western province.
Edmonton, the provincial capital, also known as "Gateway to the North" because of its access to the region's resource-rich frontier, offers the West Edmonton Mall, unique galleries and a rich, summertime array of cultural celebrations.
The mall offers swimming, giant aquariums, golfing and luxury hotels with rooms designed in period styles.
Fort Edmonton Park is Canada's largest historical park and hosts 19th-century frontier life reenactments.
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in northern Alberta offers a colorful look at prairie life of another culture. Costumed interpreters recreate the lives of the Ukranian immigrants that settled the region with cooking, weaving and churning demonstrations housed in 30 historic buildings.
Calgary, in southern Alberta, enjoys an international reputation as the host city of the XV Winter Olympics. It is also home to the renowned Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. The world-famous rodeo has been held here every July since 1912.
The Canadian Rockies have been an international destination since the first group of skiers arrived here in 1900. Today, Alberta boasts a number of resorts in beautiful settings.
Alberta also offers intrepid travelers a taste of the old West on a trailride or horsepack trip. Anglers try their luck in hundreds of rivers in pursuit of trout, northern pike, walleye or Arctic grayling. There are also a multitude of fly-in fishing lodges here.
Along the west edge of Alberta, there is a line of national parks, including Jasper and Banff. In Jasper National Park, you can find wild whitewater rafting, fishing and horseback riding.
Call for exact dates and times.
January New Year's Competition
Powwow, featuring 90
tribes. Tucson
602-622-4900
January Annual Arizona Polka
Festival, Mesa
602-495-9904
January Annual Dixieland Jazz
Festival, Lake Havasu
City
800-624-7939
January Annual Bed Races
Oatman
602-768-7400
February Annual Winterfest
Flagstaff
800-842-7293
February Annual Gem & Mineral
Show, Tucson
602-322-5773
February Annual Oldtime Fiddle
Contest, Safford
602-428-5158
March Annual Desert Classic
Invitational Team
Roping, Phoenix
602-254-4393
March Heard Museum Guild
Annual Indian Fair and
Market, Phoenix
602-252-8840
April San Tan Arts Festival
Chandler
602-732-7000
April Annual Children's Fair
Phoenix
602-825-9792
April Int. Mariachi
Conference, Tucson
602-884-9920 x. 245
May Justin World Bull
Riding Championship
Scottsdale
800-638-4253
May Annual Wyatt Earp Days
Tombstone
602-457-2211
June Annual Hopi Artists
Exhibition, Flagstaff
602-774-5211
June Pine Country Chili
Cookoff, Flagstaff
602-526-4314
June Frontier Days and
World's Oldest Rodeo
Prescott
602-445-3130
July Annual Arizona State
Loggers/Sawdust
Festival, Payson
602-474-4515
July Annual White Mountain
Native American Art
Festival and Market
Pinetop and Lakeside
602-367-4290
August World's Oldest
Continuous Rodeo
Payson
800-552-3068
September Navajo Nation Annual
Tribal Fair
Window Rock
602-871-6702
October Arizona State Fair
Phoenix
602-252-6771
October Fiesta de los Chiles
Tucson
602-326-9255
December Festival of Lights
Boat Parade
Page
602-645-1001
Arizona Office of Tourism
1100 West Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
602-542-8687
Arizona Parks and Recreation Association
3124 E. Roosevelt
Phoenix, AZ 85008
602-267-7246
The landscape of Arizona ranges from golden desert to red canyons, from lush riverbanks to Alpine peaks. No matter what season, you can find perfect temperatures and sunny skies for your vacation here.
You can raft through the mile-deep and 186-mile-long Grand Canyon, soar on a balloon ride, hike across a desert or scale the sides of mesas.
Arizona's cities, including its capital, Phoenix, are home to professional sports teams, excellent stores, theater, ballet and a wide array of nightclub scenes. Phoenix boasts a symphony, Tucson has a Mexican folklore museum and Flagstaff has a museum that specializes in native American life.
The state also offers Western and Indian art, rodeos, parades and pioneer days celebrations.
In Canyon Country, you see the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff and Sedona. This high, cool country gets plenty of snow in winter.
The northeast corner of the state is home to Navajo and Hopi reservations, plus spectacular scenery and prehistoric ruins. Central Arizona features rolling grassland and ancient Indian ruins in the Verde Valley.
In high country, you have towering mountain peaks, and in southeastern Arizona you have Old West country with mining towns like Tombstone and Bisbee and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to explore.
Call for exact dates and times.
Jan.- Field Trials
March Blue Mountain Wildlife
Demonstration Area
Booneville
April Festival of Two Rivers
Arkadelphia
April Racing Festival of the
South, Oak Lawn Park
Hot Springs
April Spinach Festival
Alma
April Arkansas Folk Festival
Ozark Folk Center
Mountain View
501-269-3851
May Old Timer's Days Arts
and Crafts Festival
Van Buren
June Old Fort River Festival
Fort Smith
June Diamond Festival
Murfreesboro
August Annual Logan County
Gospel Music Convention
Booneville
September Arkansas Old-Time
Fiddle Championships
Ozark Folk Center
September National Championship
Chuckwagon Races
Clinton
501-745-8407
Late Arkansas/Oklahoma
Sept.- State Fair
early Oct.Fort Smith
October Annual National Wild
Turkey Calling Contest
& Turkey Trot Festival
Yellville
501-449-4676
Late Nov. Thanksgiving in the
Ozarks
Ozark Folk Center
Early Ozark Christmas
Dec. Ozark Folk Center
Arkansas Department of
Parks & Tourism
1 Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-7777
Arkansas is brimming with vacation possibilities, from the Ozark and Ouachita highlands and Arkansas River Valley in the north, to the Mississippi River Delta country in the east and down to the Timberlands region in the south.
You can visit the resort cities of Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, Mountain Home, Hardy and Heber Springs or take advantage of cultural opportunities in Little Rock, Fayetteville and Mountain View. You can learn some history lessons firsthand in Fort Smith, Van Buren, Helena and El Dorado.
Arkansas history has been well-preserved in historic sites, museums and Civil War battlefields. Admitted to the Union in 1836, Arkansas derives its name from an Indian tribal name. The current pronunciation was settled upon by a legislative committee in 1881.
Arkansas, known as The Natural State, has a population of 2.4 million and an abundance of natural resources, including 17.2 million acres of forests and 600,000 acres of lakes. Most of the larger lakes are in the mountain valleys of the Ozarks and Ouachitas and are among the cleanest in the nation.
Arkansas offers many opportunities for outdoor adventure, but few can match the excitement of a canoe trip down a wild whitewater stream. For more information about canoeing, write for the Arkansas Floater's Kit from the state's Department of Parks and Tourism.
Hiking, bicycling, camping, fishing and exploring caves are only a few of the recreational activities you can enjoy. In addition, Arkansas has the only diamond mine open to the public on the North American continent, situated in the town of Murfreesboro.
The four seasons are an attraction in themselves. Landscapes change with the calendar, providing endless variety from the fertile delta to the forested mountains.
Call for exact dates and times.
March- Pacific Rim Whale
April Festival, Ucluelet
and Tofino
May May Ball and Rodeo
Clinton
May Buccaneer Days
Esquimalt
June Du Maurier Int. Jazz
Festival, Vancouver
June Canadian Int. Dragon
Boat Festival
Vancouver
June Only in Lillooet Days
Lillooet
June Cultus Lake Indian
Festival, Cultus Lake
June Country Music Festival
and Jamboree, Mill Bay
June International Folkfest
Victoria
July Squamish Days Loggers'
Sports, Squamish
July International Bathtub
Races, Nanaimo
July Victoria International
Festival, Victoria
July Chuckwagon Races
Kamloops
July B.C. Open Sandcastle
Competition, Parksville
July 1 Canada Day celebrations
areawide
August Salmon Days
Sointula
August Powwow Days
Kamloops
August Elk Bugling Competition
Kimberley
August Gold Panning and Canoe
Race, Taylor
August 124th Cowichan
Exhibition, Duncan
September Annual Bluegrass
Festival, Chilliwack
September North Thompson Fall
Fair and Rodeo
Barriere
September Fall Fairs
Summerland, Princeton
and Keremeos
October Octoberfest
Squamish
October Sunshine and Borscht
Grand Forks
December Festival of Trees
Chilliwack
December Christmas Carol Ship
Parade, Vancouver
Ministry of Tourism
802, 865 Hornby Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6Z 2G3 Canada
800-663-6000
Tourism British Columbia
Box C-34971
Seattle, WA 98124
Many consider British Columbia to be Canada's most scenic province. Perched on the western edge of Canada in the Pacific Northwest, this region contains lush, coastal forests, glacial mountains and a large array of wildlife, including killer whales.
The Rocky Mountains run the length of the province and forests of fir, cedar and pine cover about 60 percent of British Columbia. Ten percent of the region is dedicated to agriculture and more than 90 percent of the province's land is owned by the provincial government.
Vancouver Island, tucked in the southwest corner, offers an appealing mixture of rugged outdoors and genteel small towns. You can kayak or cruise around the island and watch schools of killer whales frolic off the coast.
Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and continues to resemble the outpost of the British Empire that it once was in the 1800s. Many consider this one of the quaintest and safest cities in North America.
Interior and southwestern British Columbia is home to the popular resort town of Whistler. Snow-capped glacial mountain ranges, great stretches of dramatic waterfront and vast evergreen forests cover this area.
Vancouver is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the West, with its spectacular backdrop of mountains. This city is growing rapidly and has an international flavor with its classical Chinese garden and Paris designer boutiques.
You can visit dude ranches, gold rush towns and old West towns in the interior region. Or enjoy the lush fruit harvests in the lakes region of Okanagan Similkameen.
The Kootenay region offers incredible scenery, major mountain ranges and two ranges, the Selkirks and Monashees that are renowned for heli-skiing.
In the province's north, once home to a vast fur trading empire, you find the ancestral homes of many of British Columbia's "First Peoples." On the Queen Charlotte Islands, primordial rain forests still stand, and this is the terrain where you can experience the magnificent Northern Lights.
U.S. citizens do not have to have a passport or visa to enter Canada. However, proof of citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
Citizens of other countries who wish to visit Canada while in the U.S. require a valid passport.
Call for exact dates and times.
January South Lake Tahoe
Winter Celebration
South Lake Tahoe
702-586-7000
January Whale Watch
Big Sur
408-667-2315
January Palm Springs Int.
Film Festival
Palm Springs
619-322-2930
January Native American Film
Festival
Los Angeles
213-221-2164
January Chinese New Year Fest
& Parade
San Francisco
415-982-3000
February Riverside County's
National Date Festival
Indio
619-863-8245
February Bok Kai Festival
Fest of Chinese water
god, Marysville
916-742-2787
March Santa Barbara Int.
Film Fsetival
Santa Barbara
805-963-0023
March Annual Mendocino Whale
Festival, Mendocino
800-726-2780
707-961-6300
March Annual Mariposa County
Storytelling Festival
Mariposa
209-966-2456
March Annual Graffiti
Weekend, Ridgecrest
800-847-4830
619-375-8202
March Agua Caliente Heritage
Festival, Palm Springs
619-325-5673
Mar.-April Wildflower Bloom
Depending on rainfall
Borrego Springs
619-767-4684
Lancaster
805-942-0662
April Northern Calif.Cherry
Blossom Festival
San Francisco
415-563-2313
April Renaissance Pleasure
Faire, San Bernadino
800-523-2473
April Mexicayotl Azteca
Dance Festival
San Diego
619-691-1044
April California Herbfest
Squaw Valley
209-332-2909
April Bunka-Sai Festival
Japanese cultural fest
Torrance
310-328-1238
April Sacramento Valley
Scottish Games and
Gathering, Roseville
916-863-0727
Late Apr. Stockton Asparagus
Festival, Stockton
209-466-6653
Late Apr. Fallbrook Avocado Fest
Fallbrook
619-728-5845
Late Apr. Presidio Days
Santa Barbara
805-965-0093
April-May San Francisco Int'l
Film Festival, S.F.
415-567-4641
April-May William Saroyan Fest
Fresno
209-221-1441
May Selma Raisin Festival
"Raisin Capital of the
World," Selma
209-896-3315
May Annual Harvest Fest
Escondido
619-743-8207
May "Art in the Park"
Family Arts Festival
Merced
209-384-0676
May Mother Lode Roundup
Parade and Rodeo
Sonora
800-446-1333
209-533-4420
May Oakdale Chocolate
Festival & Tasting
Oakdale
209-847-2244
Mid-May Annual Wildflower Show
Julian
619-765-1857
Mid-May Calaveras County Fair
and Jumping Frog
Jubilee, Angels Camp
209-736-2561
May Annual Paso Robles
Wine Festival,
Paso Robles
800-322-3471
805-238-0506
May Kingsburg Swedish Fest
Kingsburg
209-897-2925
Mid-May Russian River Wine
Festival, Healdsburg
800-648-9922
707-433-6935
Late May Urban American Indian
Art Exposition
Los Angeles
213-221-2164
Late May Feats of Clay
Kiln contest, Lincoln
916-645-9713
Late May Horned Toad Derby
Coalinga
209-935-2948
Late May Annual Sacramento Jazz
Jubilee, Sacramento
916-372-5277
Late May Holy Ghost Festival
Portuguese festival
Ferndale
707-786-9640
Late May The Great Monterey
Squid Festival
Monterey
408-649-6544
Late May I Madonnari Italian
Street Painting Fest
Santa Barbara
805-569-3873
May The World Champion
Great Arcata to
Ferndale X-Country
Kinetic Sculpture Race
Ferndale
707-725-3851
May Red Bluff Memorial Day
Drag Boat Races
Red Bluff
800-655-6225
916-527-6220
June Annual Fabric Festival
San Diego
619-296-3161
June Patterson Apricot Fest
Patterson
209-892-3118
June Mainly Mozart Festival
San Diego
619-558-1000
June Brew-Ha-Ha
Half Moon Bay
415-726-7416
June SF Ethnic Dance Fest
San Francisco
415-474-3914
June Sonoma-Marin Fair
Ugly dog contest
Petaluma
707-763-0931
June California Railroad
Festival, Sacramento
916-323-8073
June Huck Finn Jubilee
Victorville
714-780-8810
Late Jun 49er Festival, mining
heritage, Groveland
209-962-5281
June Annual Monterey Blues
Festival, Monterey
408-394-2652
June AFI LA Int'l Film Fest
Los Angeles
213-856-7707
July Tahiti Fete of San
Jose, San Jose
408-266-6579
July Mark Twain Days Fourth
of July, Angels Camp
209-754-3521
July-Aug. Festival of Arts/
Pageant of the Masters
Laguna Beach
714-494-1145
July Annual Lotus Festival
Los Angeles
213-485-8745
July Bayhill Champagne Fest
San Bruno
415-588-2933
July Carmel Bach Festival
Carmel
408-624-1521
July Gilroy Garlic Festival
Gilroy, even garlic
ice cream
408-842-1625
July World's Largest Salmon
Barbecue, Fort Bragg
707-964-2313
August Hungarian Festival
Torrance
213-463-3473
August Old Spanish Days
Santa Barbara
805-962-8101
August Latin American Fest
San Diego
619-296-3161
August Annual Blackberry Fest
Lower Lake
800-525-3743
707-994-0688
August Great Gatsby Festival
South Lake Tahoe
916-541-5458
August Fresno Salsa Festival
Fresno
209-251-6347
August Shakespeare at Benbow
Lake, Garberville
707-923-2211
August Oakland Chinatown
Streetfest, Oakland
510-893-8979
September Carmel Shakespeare
Festival, Carmel
408-649-0340
September California Balloon
Festival, Clovis
209-298-2395
September Tuolomne Mewuk Indian
Acorn Festival
Tuolomne
800-446-1333
209-928-3475
September Annual Wild West Film
Festival, Sonora
800-446-1333
Late-Sept. California Indian Days
Roseville
916-920-0285
October Bowlful of Blues
Ojai
805-646-7230
October Lithuanian Fair
Los Angeles
213-665-4082
October NCWA Civil War Re-
enactment, Fresno
408-927-7651
Oct.-Nov. San Francisco Jazz
Festival
San Francisco
415-864-5449
October Int. Festival of
Masks, Los Angeles
213-937-5544
November Day of the Dead/Dia
de los Muertos
Celebration
Los Angeles
213-383-7342
November Intertribal
Marketplace,
Los Angeles
213-221-2164
December Una Pastorella
Santa Barbara
805-965-0093
December Annual Christmas on
the Prado, San Diego
619-239-0512
December Channel Islands Harbor
Parade of Lights
Oxnard
805-985-4852
California
Office of Tourism
P.O. Box 189
Sacramento, CA 95812-0189
800-862-2543
California State Parks
800-444-7275
California, nicknamed the Golden State, is a land of such vast cultural and geographic contrasts that it could be 10 states in one.
Along the coast, the temperatures are warm and mild, while inland there are climactic extremes, ranging from snowcapped peaks to arid deserts.
With its beautiful coastline, fertile valleys, snowy mountains and vast golden deserts, California offers anything and everything.
Los Angeles County, the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States, is home to Beverly Hills, Malibu and Venice beaches, Marina del Rey, Long Beach ("the Coney Island of the West"), Pasadena and arid Antelope Valley.
Hollywood, also in L.A. County, was just a tiny farm town when filmmakers first scouted locations here in 1909. Lured by the endless sunshine, they turned Hollywood into the "Entertainment Capital of the World."
When Universal Studios opened in 1914 with the philosophy that making movies itself was entertainment, Hollywood became a tourist attraction in its own right.
North of Los Angeles, the Central Coast with its cypress trees and fog-bound cliffs, is home to the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, the Salinas birthplace of John Steinbeck and Santa Barbara, once a Spanish stronghold in Old California.
The Central Valley is one of the richest agricultural regions in the world. The state capital, Sacramento, is found here.
East of this valley is the High Sierra, the stupendous mountains held sacred by the Indians and photographed by Ansel Adams. This fantastic range stretches across nearly two-thirds of the state and includes lovely Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.
San Francisco, Santa Cruz and the wildflower-strewn Gold Country to the north bear little resemblance to their southern neighbors. The North Coast area is a land of towering redwoods, rushing streams and fertile vineyards that spans the coastline from San Francisco to the Cascade Mountains on the Oregon border.
In California, you can find the newest trends as well as the oldest living things on earth, the Bristlecone pine trees of Inyo National Forest, are estimated to be more than 4,600 years old. California can fufill the most humble and most extravagant travel aspirations.
Call for exact dates and times.
January National Western Stock
Show and Rodeo, Denver
January Annual Norwest Bank
Cowboy Downhill
Steamboat Springs
800-922-2722
February Ice Fishing Contest
Walden
March Monte Vista Crane
Festival
March Spring Equinox Festival
Springfield
April Annual Mountain Man
Rendezvous, Kit Carson
May Annual Music and
Blossom Festival and
Royal George Rodeo
Carson City
May Grand Olde West Days
and Wild Game and
Roadkill Cookoff
Craig
June- Aspen Music Festival
Aug.
June Colorado Freedom
Festival, Boulder
June-July Greeley Independence
Stampede
July Deltarado Days
Delta
July Frisco's Fantastic
Fourth, Frisco
July Annual Winter Park
American Music Festival
August Eastern Colorado
Roundup and Washington
County Fair
Akron
September Aspenfest and Chili
Cookoff, Creede
719-658-2374
September Telluride Hang Gliding
Festival
September Denver International
Airshow, the largest
in the U.S.
October Colorado Performing
Arts Festival
Denver
November Chocolate Festival
Creede
November Telluride Winter
Festival Series
Colorado Tourism Board
1625 Broadway Suite 1700
Denver, CO 80202
800-COLORADO
800-265-6723
National Park Service
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225
303-969-2000
Touch a vein of gold. Wake up to the sun rising over a snowcapped mountain. Raft down a raging river or explore the rooms of a 700-year-old Anasazi cliff dwelling.
All this is possible in Colorado.
Colorado covers 104,247 square miles and more than 35 percent of the state is open to the public. There are national parks, monuments, forests and some of the nation's best skiing. You can watch a professional ball team or take a solitary trek through the Rocky Mountains in this special state.
There are nearly 1,000 species of animals to watch as you canoe, cycle or mountain climb. You can try your lasso at a dude ranch, rest at a mountainside resort or take a train ride through the mountains.
At the end of the day, you can soak in hot springs and watch the sun set on some of the most spectacular scenery in the U.S.
Call for exact dates and times.
Jan. Warm Up to Winter
Farmington Valley Area
Feb. Salisbury Invitational
and U.S. Eastern Ski
Jumping Championship
Satre Hill, Salisbury
Feb. 12th Annual Hartford
Flower Show, Hartford
Civic Center
203-529-2123
March Maple Sugar Making
Demonstration, Flanders
Nature Center, Woodbury
March Connecticut Antiques Show
State Armory, Broad St. &
Capitol Ave. Hartford
March 103nd Annual 50th Conn.
Artists' Juried Exhibit
Slater Memorial Museum
Norwich
203-887-2505
April Hockanum River Canoe Race,
various locations
April Conn. Horse Celebration &
Trade Fair, Yale
University, New Haven
April Conn. Storytelling
Festival, Conn.
College, New London
July Sailfest 93, New London
July New Haven Jazz Festival
New Haven Green
Nov. 16th Annual Antiques Show,
Lockwood-Matthews Mansion
Museum, Norwalk
203-838-1434
Nov. 19th Annual Arts &
Crafts Fair, Vernon
Center Middle School,
Vernon
203-872-0587
Dec. Yuletide Tours of Mystic
Seaport, Mystic
203-572-0711
Tourism Division
Connecticut Department of Economic Development
865 Brook Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3405
800-282-6863
Conn. Historical Commission
59 South Prospect Street
Hartford, CT 06106
203-566-3005
Bureau of Parks and Forests
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
203-566-2304
Connecticut
Commission on the Arts
227 Lawrence Street
Hartford, CT 06101
203-566-4770
Connecticut has a deep historical heritage, from the Revolutionary War up to its role in the Industrial Revolution. To preserve its land and historical treasures, the state has set aside more than 100 state parks and forests and dozens of wildlife preserves.
With historical landmarks, colonial homes, quaint villages, lakes, green pastures and 250 miles of shoreline, Connecticut has much to offer visitors.
Despite its more than 3 million residents, nearly two-thirds of Connecticut's land area is open space. The population is concentrated in the southern and western sections of the state along Long Island Sound and near the New York border.
The primary tourist destinations are the shore, with its scenic coves and harbors filled with windjammers, the Litchfield Hills and the beautiful Connecticut River Valley.
Individual attractions include the famed Mystic Seaport and nearby Mystic Marinelife Aquarium, Lake Compounce Festival Park in Bristol, the Nautilus Memorial in Groton, the Valley Railroad in Essex, the Banford Trolley Museum in East Haven and the homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe in Hartford.
Biking the state's rolling hills, canoeing the Connecticut River, horseback riding through farms and fields and balloon rides are favorite fair weather activities here.
When the snow flies, skiers flock to Connecticut's 11 downhill and cross-country ski areas, and the numerous state parks. State forests are open to Nordic skiers and snowshoers and sleigh rides are also popular.
A number of cultural attractions -- theater, opera, ballet, concerts and nationally-ranked museums and art galleries -- can also be enjoyed indoors during inclement weather.
Call for exact dates and times.
April Great Delaware Kite Open
Lewes
302-645-8073
May Blessing of the Fleet
Lewes
302-645-8073
June Annual Zwaanendael
Heritage Garden Tour
Lewes
302-645-8073
Oct. Coast Day
Nov. World Championship
Punkin' Chunkin'
Lewes
302-645-8073
Dec. Candlelight House Tour
Bethel
Dec. Victorian Christmas
Odessa
Dec. Farmer's Christmas
Dover
Dec. Candlelight Tours
New Castle
Delaware Tourism Office
99 Kings Highway
P.O. Box 1401, Dept. RB
Dover, DE 19903
800-441-8846
Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce
73 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
800-441-1329
From windjamming and dee-sea fishing on the Atlantic to touring colonial villages, the nation's second-smallest state offers a wide range of recreational opportunities.
It's not difficult to see why the Dutch and Swedes settled in Delaware in the early part of the 17th century. The state shares the beautiful Delmarva Peninsula with Maryland, and juts into the Atlantic. The Delaware River glides down from the Pennsylvania border and melds with the ocean in Delaware Bay.
The state takes its name from the Delaware tribe who first inhabited the area and it was the first state to ratify the Constitution. The area has retained much of its historical character -- colonial buildings complement the more modern architecture of small cities, and quaint historic villages, like Odessa, dot the countryside.
The state's principal attraction is its seashore. Visitors come from Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and cities in New Jersey to swim, relax and bike along the coast or sail and fish offshore. But the state has much more to offer.
Several inland state parks and the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, a 15,000-acre refuge for migrating and resident waterfowl, provide camping, hiking, canoeing, biking and fishing opportunities.
Northern Delaware is home to the scenic hills of the Brandywine River Valley and Wilmington, the state's largest city. As home to more than half of the Fortune 500 companies, Wilmington is often referred to as the corporate capital of the world.
Dover, the state capital, sits in the state's center. The Capital Complex is a square that has changed little since it was laid out in 1722, following William Penn's 1683 design plans.
The famed beaches of Rehoboth, Dewey and Bethany cluster in the state's lower righthand corner near Rehoboth Bay and are the reasons this area is known as the "nation's summer capital."
Nearby Fenwick Island is where Mason and Dixon planted their first fateful marker. The state's southern and western borders follow the Mason Dixon Line, making it the only state to lie both north and east of the line.
In addition to its natural attractions, the sites most often visited by tourists include the mansions in the Brandywine River Valley, the Ft. Christina Monument -- site of the founding of New Sweden, du Pont's Winterthur Museum, Hagley Museum in Wilmington, Dover Down's International Speedway and Old Swedes Church built in 1638, the oldest Protestant church in the country that is still in use.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Chinese New Year Parade
H Street NW between
5th and 8th Sts.
202-724-4091
February Black History Month
Smithsonian
202-357-2700
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Memorial Library
202-727-032
February Abraham Lincoln's B'day
Lincoln Memorial
202-619-7222
Mid-March U.S. Botanic Gardens
to mid- Spring Flower Show
April 202-225-7099
Late National Cherry Blossom
March Festival, various
- early locations
April 202-737-259
April White House Spring
Garden Tours
202-456-2200
April - Imagination Celebration
May annual performing arts
festival for young
people, John F. Kennedy
Center for the
Performing Arts
202-416-8000
Memorial Military Band Summer
Day Concerts, various
through locations
Labor Day Army Band: 703-696-3399
Marine: 202-433-4011
Navy: 202-433-2525
Air Force: 202-767-5658
Late June Festival of American
- early Folklife, National Mall
July 202-357-2700
September Black Family Reunion
National Mall
202-659-2372
September Annual Croquet
Tournament, Ellipse
202-463-0880
October Taste of D.C. Festival
Pennsylvania Avenue
between 9th & 14th Sts.
202-724-4093
October White House Fall
Garden Tours
202-456-2200
November Veteran's Day
Ceremonies, Vietnam
Veterans Memorial
202-619-7222
December National Christmas Tree
Lighting/Pageant of
Peace, Ellipse
202-619-7222
Washington,DC Convention
and Visitors Association
1212 New York Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
202-789-7000
FAX 202-789-7037
Smithsonian Information
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20560
202-357-2700
202-357-1729 (For Hearing Impaired)
The District of Columbia, packed with museums, monuments and imposing structures, is where the nation's business is conducted and its history preserved.
When you visit any of the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C. or its National Zoo, you enter the world's largest museum complex. Established in 1846, the Smithsonian holds 139 million artifacts and specimens. You see everything from dinosaur bones to spacecraft, from Persian manuscripts to the Star Spangled Banner.
Few pass through Washington without seeing the awe-inspiring Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Vietnam Veterans Memorial or the Washington Monument.
In the U.S. Capitol, you see firsthand the workings of government, as well as historic treasures, grand paintings and statuary. Also on Capitol Hill are the offices of members of Congress and the Senate, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the Folger Shakespeare Library and Union Station.
Other points on the tourist itinerary include the White House, National Archives, Ford's Theater and the Washington National Cathedral. You may want to stroll the sidewalks of Georgetown, with its unique shops, restaurants and restored homes.
With the help of a guidebook or a resident Washingtonian, you can discover some of the lesser known monuments, museums, historic sites and interesting neighborhoods.
Washington, however, does not lack for green spaces, including the National Mall, the terraced formal gardens of Dumbarton Oaks near Georgetown, Rock Creek Park and the U.S. National Arboretum. In the summer, enjoy a mule-drawn barge trip along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from Georgetown to Great Falls, Maryland.
Call for exact times and dates.
January Annual Seafood Festival
Islamorada
305-664-5596
January Art Deco Weekend
Festival
Miami Beach
305-672-2014
February Edison Festival of
Lights, Fort Myers
813-334-2550
February Florida State Fair
Tampa
813-621-7821
February Mount Dora
Arts Festival
904-383-2165
February Coconut Grove
Arts Festival
Miami
305-447-0401
March Carnival Miami/Calle
Ocho, Little Havana
Miami
305-644-8888
March St. Cloud Spring Fling
407-892-1005
April Conch Shell Blowing
Contest, Key West
305-294-9501
April Beaches Weekend
Festival, Jacksonville
904-247-6236
May Sanibel Shell Fair
Fort Myers
813-472-2155
June Billy Bowlegs Festival
Fort Walton Beach
800-322-3319
July Hemingway Days Festival
Key West
305-294-4440
August American Waterski Assoc.
Nationals & U.S. Open
South Walton
800-822-6877
Sept. Labor Day Rodeo & Parade
Okeechobee
813-763-6464
October Bonefish Tournament
305-743-5422
November Creative Arts Festival
Naples
813-598-7560
December King Mango Strut
Coconut Grove
305-444-7270
Florida
Department of Commerce
Division of Tourism
126 W. Van Buren Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2000
904-487-1462
Outside urban areas and man-made theme parks, there is much of the old and natural Florida to see and enjoy. You find crystal-clear springs, thousands of rivers and lakes, lush forests, wildlife refuges and more than 1,000 miles of open beaches.
Scuba diving, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, canoeing and hiking are just a few of the activities to enjoy in the Sunshine State.
Florida's long history as a prime tourist destination began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when railroad barons Henry B. Plant and Henry M. Flagler laid tracks across Florida and built luxury hotels.
In the 1920s, hundreds of hotels sprang up on Miami Beach and along Florida's West Coast. Although hurricanes and economic depression soon brought development to a standstill, Florida remained a popular tourist destination and after World War II its popularity soared to new heights.
In southernmost Florida, the Everglades are one of the country's outstanding national parks. It is known for its birdlife, alligator population and the rare Florida panther. But the Everglades' eco-system hangs in a delicate balance and is maintained only through constant protective measures.
Big Cypress National Preserve in southwest Florida is a varied land of trees, marshes and prairies. Most cypress trees are of the dwarf pond variety. But a few giant cypresses, some 600-700 years-old, remain having escaped loggers' saws.
The preserve contains 31 miles of the Florida Scenic Trail, which, when complete, will stretch the entire length of the state ending at the Gulf Islands National Seashore in northwestern Florida.
The famed Florida Keys are small in size, but large in the lore of pirates, tales of the sea and vacation possibilities. Snorkeling is a must when you visit Key Largo, with its coral reef park and 184-square-mile marine sanctuary.
On the southeastern tip of Florida is Biscayne National Park, encompassing Biscayne Bay, keys, coral reefs and the Florida Straits. With its extraordinarily clear and refreshingly clean water, the park is a paradise for marine life and water birds, as well as boaters, anglers, snorkelers and divers.
In south central Florida is Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake within the continental United States, providing some of the best freshwater fishing anywhere.
You also will enjoy exploring cities and towns, for example, Miami Beach's collection of Art Deco style buildings, which have earned a spot on th National Register of Historic Places, the canals and waterways of Greater Fort Lauderdale, the Mediterranean-influenced architecture of Boca Raton and central Florida's Mount Dora, a charming 19th-century cluster of historic homes and antiques shops.
Much of central Florida, retains a rural flavor, including citrus groves, cattle ranches, horse farms, 1,400 lakes and the largest sand pine forest in the world, the Ocala National Forest.
In eastern Florida, the Canaveral National Seashore features incredible stretches of undeveloped beaches, reached by boardwalk crossovers giving access to the beach without endangering native dune vegetation.
In Daytona, the Museum of Arts and Sciences features one of the largest collections of Cuban art in the country and the finest specimen of a giant prehistoric Ground Sloth in North America.
The northeast region of Florida provides a glimpse of the past - wilderness, antebellum homes and preserved hamlets of a Florida that once was, including St. Augustine, the oldest European settlement in the United States, founded in 1565.
Please call for exact times and dates.
January King Week
Atlanta
404-524-1956
March Georgia Folk Festival
Perry
912-452-9327
March Cherry Blossom Festival
Macon
912-751-7429
late Antebellum Jubilee
March & Stone Mountain Park
early Stone Mountain
April 404-498-5702
April Arts Aloft Festival
with balloon rallies
Valdosta
912-333-1807
April Dogwood Festival
Atlanta
404-952-9151
April Crawfish Festival
Woodbine
912-576-3211
May Prater's Mill Country
Fair, Dalton
706-275-6455
(also held in Oct.)
May Andersonville Historic
Fair, Andersonville
912-924-2558
(also held in Oct.)
June Georgia Field Trials
Waynesboro
June Bicycle Ride Across
Georgia - ends in
Savannah
July 4 Peachtree Road Race
Atlanta
July Civil War Encampment
Atlanta
404-814-4000
Sept. Powers'Crossroads
Country Fair and
Art Festival
706-253-2011
Sept. Barnesville Buggy Days
706-358-2732
Sept. & Oktoberfest
October Helen
706-878-2181
October Big Pig Jig
Vienna
912-268-8275
October Georgia Peanut Festival
Sylvester
912-776-6657
October Georgia National Fair
Perry
December Berry College - Oak Hill
Victorian Christmas
Celebration, Rome
706-291-1883
Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism
P.O. Box 1776
Atlanta, GA 30301
404-656-3590
Georgians take pride in making visitors feel "like family" in the Peach State. In addition to the welcoming atmosphere, you find beautiful gardens, lush swamps, historic towns, pristine beaches and a wealth of recreational opportunities.
Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi, stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Trail's southern terminus is at Springer Mountain, Georgia.
Mild winters and sunny summers make the state a gardener's paradise. Dogwoods, azaleas and magnolias, flowers that have come to epitomize the South, turn Georgia into a garden each spring.
Centuries-old oaks provide welcome shade and the leaves of hardwood trees paint the mountainsides in glorious colors in the fall.
Georgia has a long tradition of hunting and fishing, and, thanks to its moderate climate, some of the best golf anywhere.
Here, history is very much a part of the present in the buildings dating from Colonial times, the sites evoking the Civil War and the local residents who take the time to give you their own personal views of the past.
The state's growth and development is guided by the desire to preserve the qualities that make it so special.
Georgia's oldest city, Savannah, has preserved its architectural heritage and today has the largest Historic District in the country, with 2.2 square miles of houses and buildings dating from the 1700s and 1800s.
Atlanta, the capital, is no longer the sleepy Southern city immortalized in Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind." Home of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Atlanta also boasts art galleries, a symphony, dance troupes and art and music festivals.
Georgia's history as the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement is widely recognized and each year thousands visit the Martin Luther King Center of Nonviolent Social Change.
You can visit the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta or the National Historic Site of Plains, Georgia, former President Carter's hometown.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Georgia home, the Little White House in Warm Springs, remains as it was the day he died in 1945. There is an F.D.R. museum and state park in Pine Mountain.
Also in Pine Mountain are the Callaway Gardens, featuring the Day Butterfly Center, a remarkable conservatory for up to 1,000 living tropical butterflies.
There's the magical Okefenokee Swamp Park in southeastern Georgia where alligators lurk in the shallows of the dark water and exotic birds fly overhead.
Please call for exact times and dates.
Jan. Narcissus Festival
Chinese New Year
Festival
808-533-3181
Feb-March Hawaiian Cultural Arts
Expo, Maui
808-661-2777
Feb. Buffalo's Big Board
Surfing Classic
Makaha Beach, Oahu
Feb. Hawaii Mardi Gras
Honolulu, Oahu
March Annual Oahu Kite
Festival
808-922-5483
March Cherry Blossom Festival
Honolulu, Oahu
808-949-2255
March Kamehameha Schools
Annual Song Contest
Honolulu, Oahu
808-266-7654
April Annual Hawaiian
Festival of Music
Honolulu, Oahu
May Annual Lei Day
Celebration
Honolulu, Oahu
808-266-7655
May Maui Lei Day
Celebrations
808-879-1922
June11-12 King Kamehameha Day
State holiday
June 25 Annual Hula Competition
Honolulu, Oahu
July 3 Lantern Boat Ceremony
and Bon Dance, held
statewide to honor
departed souls
Aug. 15 Floating Lantern
Ceremony, 2,000
paper lanterns floating
out to sea. Waikiki
808-595-2556
Sept.3-5 Annual Steinlager Queen
Liluokalani Long
Distance Canoe Race
Honaunau to Kailua Bay
808-325-1417
Oct. 17- Aloha Festivals
30 Statewide
808-944-8857
Oct. 10 Annual Bankoh Molokai
Hoe Outrigger Race
Oahu 808-261-6614
Nov.11-13 Kona Coffee Cultural
Festival
Kailua-Kona
808-322-4430
Nov.28- Hawaii Int. Film Fest
Dec. 11 Honolulu, Oahu
808-944-7203
Hawaii Visitors Bureau
Waikiki Business Plaza
Honolulu, HI 96815
808-924-0266
Hawaii Visitors Bureau
Empire State Building
Suite 808
350 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10118
212-947-0717
Hawaii is the 50th state of the Union and arguably the most beautiful tropical paradise in North America.
Visitors are greeted with fragrant flower leis. On this group of islands, mountains are skirted by ocean and swaying palm trees and starry nights make the region magical.
The sun shines year-round and there are miles of unspoiled beaches, secret waterfalls and volcanoes still taking shape on the skyline.
In addition to providing unspoiled tropical paradise, the islands offer lavish Polynesian revues, intriguing local cultures and active nightclubs.
Hawaii is made up of eight major islands, Hawaii, which is the biggest, Kahoolawe, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Niihau and Kauai.
Sea kayaking, deep-sea fishing, hiking, tours of rain forests and scuba diving are but a few of the activities available.
If possible, try to schedule your visit during Aloha Week, when Hawaii recalls its past. The festival was started in 1946, when Hawaii was undergoing tremendous cultural changes and many wanted to preserve its rich Polynesian history. Officials established the week-long holiday to celebrate its music, dance and culture.
Aloha Week is celebrated on all islands during September or October and includes street festivals, conch choirs, concerts, athletic competition and cultural entertainment.
Please call for exact dates and times.
January Sandpoint Winter
Carnival. Snowshoe
softball, Sandpoint
208-263-2161
February Lionel Hampton/
Chevron Jazz Festival
Moscow
208-882-1800
Jun-Aug Idaho Shakespeare
Festival. Theatre
under the stars.
Boise
208-336-9221
Early-June Massacre Rocks
Rendezvous, mountain
men festival.
American Falls
208-548-2672
Mid-June Cherry Festival
Emmett
208-365-3485
June National Old-Time
Fiddlers Contest.
Weiser
208-549-0450
June Iron Horse Roundup.
Celebration of rail.
Twin Falls
208-733-3974
July Rendezvous in the
Park, Music festival
Moscow
208-882-1800
Mid-July High Country Cowboy
Festival
Driggs
800-443-8146
July Gooding Basque Assoc.
Picnic, festival of
the Basque people.
Gooding
208-934-4402
July-Aug. Sun Valley Music
Festival, Driggs
208-726-9491
August Idaho Int. Folk
Dance Festival
Rexburg
208-356-5700
August Shoshone-Bannock
Indian Festival.
Fort Hall
208-785-0510
August Chief Lookingglass
Days. Traditional
Pow Wow by Nez Perce
Indian tribe.
Kamiah
208-935-2525
August Coeur d'Alene Indian
Pilgrimage, "The
Coming of the Black
Robes" ceremony
Cataldo
208-682-3814
Late-Aug Ketchum Wagon Days
Celebration
Sun Valley/Ketchum
800-634-3347
September Idaho Spud Day
64th Annual festival
of the potato
Shelley
208-357-7662
September Clearwater County
Fair and Lumberjack
Days International
logging competition
Orofino
208-476-4335
Early-Oct. Idaho State Draft
Horse Int.Contests
and exhibitions.
Sandpoint
208-263-2161
Idaho Department of Commerce/Idaho
Travel Council
700 West State Street
Boise, ID 83720
800-635-7820
Tucked in the nation's Northwest, Idaho, with its concentration of lakes, mountains, magnificent wildlife and rushing rivers, is an undiscovered gem in the American West.
The rugged mountains that line Idaho's northeastern border with Montana shelter it from harsh Canadian winds.
In 1805, Lewis and Clark were the first white men to see Idaho. It is still possible to follow the route of their epic trek by following U.S. Route 12. You can hike or take a packtrip into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness region, which remains almost untouched since Lewis and Clark's visit.
Idaho is still home to the Shoshone and Nez Perce Indians who were here when Lewis and Clark arrived.
Idaho has almost 2,000 lakes, more than any other state in the Northwest. The wild rapids of the Salmon's Middle Fork earned it the name, "River of No Return." And the Snake River on the Oregon border creates Hells Canyon, towering more than 7,900 feet high in places, which is the deepest gorge on the continent.
Call for exact dates and times.
April Dutch Days Festival
Fulton
815-589-4545
April- Celebration: A Festival
May of the Arts
Charleston
217581-2113
May International
Horseradish Festival
Collinsville
618-344-2884
May Chicago International
Art Expo
312-787-6858
May Greater Chicago In-
Water Boat Show
Waukegan
708-249-3133
May Annual Chicago Blues
Festival
312-744-3315
May Gaelic Park Irish Fest
Oak Forest
708-687-9323
June- Chicago Neighborhood Sept. Festivals
312-744-3315
June- Ravinia Festival
Sept. Chicago
312-RAVINIA
June Annual Old Canal Days
Lockport
815-838-4744
June- Annual Dixon Petunia
July Festival
815-284-3361
July Chicago Country Music
Festival
312-744-3315
Aug. Southern Illinois Sweet
Corn and Watermelon
Festival
Mount Vernon
618-242-5725
Sept. International Ethnic
Festival
Springfield
800-545-7300
Sept. Chicago Jazz Festival
312-744-3315
Oct. Chicago International
New Art Forms Exposition
312-787-6858
Oct. Chicago International
Film Festival
312-644-FILM
Oct. Annual Trail of Tears
Wagon Train
Pope, Johnson, Union
and Alexander Counties
618-833-8697
Dec. Holiday Magic Festival
Brookfield
708-485-0263, ext. 365
Illinois Tourist Information Center
310 South Michigan
Suite 108
Chicago, IL 60604
312-793-2094
Illinois Bureau of Tourism
Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
620 East Adams Street
Springfield, IL 62701
217-782-7139
Illinois Bureau of Tourism
Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
2309 West Main Street
Marion, IL 62959
618-997-4371
Chicago Office of Tourism
Historic Water Tower
in the Park
806 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
800-ITS-CHGO
800-487-2446
The Prairie State is the heart of the Midwest. Surrounded on most sides by water -- the Wabash River on the east, Lake Michigan to the north and the Mississippi to the west -- Illinois is home to just about any recreational activity one could want.
For the outdoor enthusiast, there are miles of trails, waterways, Shawnee National Forest and state parks to be explored. History buffs can visit Lincoln's homestead and the Cahokia Mounds. Those interested in architecture, arts and culture can spend weeks or months in the museums, clubs and theaters of Chicago, one of the country's most beautiful cities.
Though sixth in the nation for population, Illinois still retains vast rural expanses and more than 4 million acres of forested land.
In addition to the 250,000-acre Shawnee National Forest, Illinois's natural beauty is preserved in 66 state parks, 17 state conservation areas, nine fish and wildlife areas, four forests, three recreation areas and one parkway encompassing almost 200,000 acres.
Hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing and boating are popular in the state parks during spring, summer and fall. Winter provides the cushion for cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, skating, dogsledding, ice fishing and lots more.
The state's population is centered in the northeast in Chicago, with its sprawling suburbs, and along Lake Michigan's shore.
Lake Michigan serves as a mini-ocean, providing water sports for thousands. Anglers explore the depths with their lines on charter boats out of Waukegan, and huge marinas make Chicago look like Boston or San Francisco. Sailing and swimming are also very popular.
The north's sailing, shopping centers, state parks and lakes give way to the "Grand Prarie" of central Illinois. Huge expanses of grasslands are interrupted by farms, universities, Springfield, the state capital, Amish towns and the region where Abraham Lincoln spent his boyhood.
Southern Illinois is the state's most sparsely populated region. Low mountains, steep hills, lakes and the Ohio River punctuate the region and provide excellent biking, hiking, camping and watersport opportunities.
The state's native American heritage is evident from its place names, including Illinois, Chicago and Ottowa, Indian trails and native historic sites.
Call for exact dates and times.
April Clifty Falls Kite
Flying Festival
May Wyandotte Woods
Traditional Music Fest
June Celebration of the
Lakes
Chain of Lakes State
Park
July Celebrate Summit!
Summit Lakes State Park
Sept. Balloonfest
Columbus
Sept. Annual Valparaiso
Popcorn Festival
Valparaiso
219-464-8332
Sept. Johhny Appleseed
Festival
Fort Wayne
219-483-0057
Sept. Chautauqua of the Arts
Madison
812-265-5080
Oct. Columbus Ethnic
Festival
812-376-2502
Dec. Conner Prairie by
Candlelight
317-776-6000
Dec. Over the River and
Through the Woods
Vevay
812-427-2655
Indiana Department of Commerce Tourism Division
One North Captiol
Suite 700
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2288
800-289-6646
The Hoosier State's diverse topography, sand dunes along Lake Michigan, the heavily glaciated region of the north, fertile rolling plains in the central region and the hilly and forested southern area, provides the backdrop for a variety of recreational activities.
Much of the northern half of the state is flat and rural except for the industrial area around Gary in the state's northwest corner, near Lake Michigan and Chicago.
All roads in Indiana seem to lead to the state's largest city, Indianapolis, home of the fabled Indy 500. The city sits almost dead center in the state's middle and it is the hub of the state's arts and culture.
Not too far from "Indy," just off Route 65, is Columbus, the nation's 6th ranked city in terms of outstanding architecture.
The Indiana state park system is one of the oldest in the country and protects caves, canyons, lakes, waterfalls, sand dunes, fossil beds, Indian mounds and wildife.
The Hoosier National Forest is a huge swath of green in the state's hilly south, broken into two sections. The northern half encircles Monroe Lake and borders Brown County State Park. The southern half is the more extensive of the two and stretches for miles south from Bedford to the Ohio River along the Kentucky border. Backpacking, hiking and camping are popular in the forest.
Fall delivers red and gold foliage and is an ideal time for hiking and bicycling. Especially popular are the trails that wind through the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and around Mount Baldy, a 123-foot tall living sand dune that creeps inland several feet per year.
The Hoosier Bikeway System has a well-developed 800-mile network of biking trails which connect several state parks and thread their way from the state's north central region to the far southwest.
When winter blankets the area, cross-country skiers slap on their slats and explore state and county parks. Only 35 minutes from Chicago, Lake County makes a great winter getaway.
Elkhart County in the north is home to the second-largest Amish enclave in the country and is just a few hours to many of the Midwest's large cities -- Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland. Many visitors come to this area to observe the Amish people's quiet way of life.
Indiana's most frequently visited sites include Lincoln's boyhood home, Benjamin Harrison's home, George Rogers Clark Memorials, Wyandotte Cave and the Indiana dunes.
Larry Bird's home in French Lick is a favorite of Celtic fans.
Call for exact dates and times.
May Tulip Time Festival,
Pella
515-628-4311
May Dubuque Festival
Dubuque
800-798-4748
June My Waterloo Days
Waterloo
319-233-8431
June Iowa Festival
Iowa City
319-337-9637
June Lewis & Clark Festival
Lewis & Clark State Park,
Onawa
712-423-1801
June Burlington Steamboat Days/
American Music Festival,
Burlington
319-754-4334
July Rivercade
Sioux City
712-277-4226
July Bix Beiderbecke Jazz
Festival, Davenport
319-324-7170
July Nordic Fest
Decorah
319-382-9101
July National Balloon Classic
Indianola
515-961-8415
Aug. National Hobo Convention
Britt
515-843-3867
Aug. Iowa State Fair
Des Moines
515-262-3111
Aug. Great River Days
Muscatine
319-264-5666
Sept. Midwest Old Threshers
Reunion
Mount Pleasant
319-385-8937
Oct. Octoberfest
Amana
319-622-3828
Oct. Madison County Covered
Bridge Festival
Winterset
515-462-1185
State of Iowa
Division of Tourism
200 East Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-242-4705
Iowa Department
of Natural Resouces
Wallace State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0034
515-281-5145
(Provides state park and outdoor recreation information.)
Iowa Department
of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Building
600 East Locust
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-6258
The Hawkeye State's rolling plains stretch from the mighty Mississippi to the Missouri River, across a land rich with history. The legacy of native Americans and settlers from Northern Europe combine to produce a rich cultural heritage.
The economy of Iowa is still largely dependant on agriculture, which produces miles and miles of corn fields, unspoiled countryside and scenic small towns. Iowans are also famous for their hospitality.
There is much land preserved for public use at 76 state parks and more than 1,000 county parks, recreation and wildlife areas. Walkers, hikers and cross-country skiers find adventure in the hills, forests and riverbanks of these areas.
Iowa is also a favorite of bicyclists who enjoy its gentle hills and quiet roads.
In the northwest corner of the state, you find the lakes region with numerous small rivers and creeks, and several lakes near Des Moines and Cedar Rapids that provide water recreation of all types.
Tourist favorites include Effigy Mounds National Monument, a prehistoric Native American burial sight and Living History Farms in Des Moines, fully-operating period farms. There are also riverboat cruises and casino gambling on the Mississippi; Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, and DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge, a major stopping ground for migrating birds.
Please call to verify dates.
Feb. International Pancake Day,
20-23 Liberal
316-624-6427
April PRCA Rodeo
30-5/1 Fair Grounds, Stafford
316-234-5266
April Prairie Days
30-5/1 Independence
316-331-1890
May Civil War Encampment
1-2 Fort Scott
800-245-3678
May Wichita River Festival
7-16 Wichita
316-267-2817
May Santa Fe Trail Days
29-31 Larned
800-747-6919
June International Forest of
18-20 Friendship Celebration
Atchison
800-234-1854
July Fiesta Mexicana
13-17 Topeka
913-232-5088
Aug. 7th Annual Polka Days
20-22 Great Bend
316-792-2402
Sept. Little Balkans Days/PAACA
3-5 Little Balkans Folklife
Festival
Pittsburg
316-231-1000
Sept. Fifth Annual Indian Arts
10- Show and Market
10/24 Lawrence
913-864-4245
Sept. Kansas State Fair
10-19 Hutchison
316-431-3923
Sept. Beloit Chautauqua
17-19 Beloit
913-738-5045
Sept. Walnut Valley Festival &
17-20 National Flat-Picking
Championships
316-221-3250
Oct. Oztoberfest '93
15-17 Liberal
316-626-0170
Nov. 11th Annual Christmas in
26- "Old Dodge City"
12/25 316-255-8186
Kansas Travel
and Tourism Division
Kansas Department
of Commerce and Housing
700 Southwest Harrison Suite 1300
Topeka, KS 66603
800-252-6727
Nearly all the outdoor pursuits an adventure traveler could want are available in Kansas.
You can retrace the paths of the Plains Indians up the Twin Mounds, where they watched covered wagons roll west, or walk the Pony Express route. You can paddle streams into the Ozarks or bicycle along rolling plains and past pastures, farmland and quiet villages.
The state parks of Kansas are numerous and varied. They preserve the delicate sand hills of the Arkansas River Valley and the foothills of the Ozarks. They surround rock formations and protect prehistoric cave drawings and the former hideouts of the notorious Dalton Gang.
Thousands of city and county parks and more than 170 lakes and reservoirs also provide recreational opportunities to visitors, in addition to the state's 23 parks.
Fish and wildlife abound in Kansas. In addition to lakes, there are more than 55,000 ponds and 10,000 miles of fishing streams. Walleye, white bass, crappie, bluegill and channel cat are plump and plentiful and have given Kansas a good reputation among fishermen.
The state's position along migratory flyways invites birdwatching for waterfowl. Cheyenne Bottoms, one of the nation's most important wetland areas, hosts more than 10,000 ducks and geese each fall.
Whitetail deer are often spotted in all regions of the state, and muledeer and antelope roam the western counties.
There are many canoe trails that are appropriate for both beginners and advanced paddlers.
History can be revisited here, from native American encampments to the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of "Little House on the Prarie."
Famous pioneer trails, such as the Santa Fe, Oregon, Chisholm and Smoky Hill routes, traverse the state. There are also towns and forts that figure prominently in the Old West. And during the Civil War period, there were so many conflicts here the state was called "Bloody Kansas."
Tourist attractions include the Agricultural Hall of Fame and National Center in Bonner Springs, Dodge City-Boot Hill and Frontier Town, the historic Cowtown, forts Scott and Larned and the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Discovery Center.
Topeka and Wichita, the state's two largest cities, provide a broad range of cultural activities.
Call for exact dates and times.
Jan. A Day with the Eagles
& Land Between the Lakes
Feb. 502-924-5602
February Moonbow Weekend
Cumberland Falls State
Resort Park
606-528-4121
April Kentucky Derby Festival
Louisville
800-923-3378
(through May 2)
April American Quilter's
Society National Show &
Contest
Paducah
502-898-7903
May Kentucky Derby
Louisville
502-636-4400
June The Egyptian Event
Lexington
606-231-0771
June Great American Brass
Band Festival
Danville
606-236-4692
July Kentucky Family Reunion
Lexington
606-233-4303
August Kentucky State Fair
Louisville
502-367-5291
Sept. Knott County
Gingerbread Festival
Hindman
606-785-5134
Sept. International
Banana Festival
502-472-2975
Sept. Bluegrass Fan Fest
Owensboro
502-684-9025
October Daniel Boone Festival
Barbourville
606-546-6062
Nov. & Candlelight Tours
Dec. My Old Kentucky Home
State Park
800-323-7803
Kentucky Department of Travel Development
P.O. Box 2011
Frankfort, KY 40602
800-225-8747
Kentucky is one of four states in the nation designated a commonwealth, and Kentuckians will tell you their Bluegrass State is a land of "uncommon wealth."
Kentucky is famous for its Bluegrass region and horse racing, but it has much more - thriving metropolitan areas of Louisville and Lexington, historic Fort Boonesborough, scenic train rides, paddlewheel riverboats, outstanding recreation opportunities, interesting museums and festivals you should not miss.
In the central Kentucky town of Harrodsburg, you can take a trip back in time at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, the most completely restored Shaker village in the country.
Nine of the state's most scenic river sections, covering 114 miles, are designated Kentucky Wild Rivers - free flowing with undisturbed shorelines. These rivers offer many opportunities for canoeing and rafting. Houseboating is also a popular activity on Kentucky's larger lakes.
Kentucky's five nationally-designated outdoor areas cover close to 1 million acres. One of the most popular is Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in eastern Kentucky. It offers breathtaking views of the mist-ringed Appalachians, little-changed since Daniel Boone opened the way to other settlers moving west more than 200 years ago.
You can hike to the isolated Hensley Settlement, a self-sufficient Appalachian community that flourished from 1903 to 1951.
The vast, unspoiled Daniel Boone National Forest stretches through the entire eastern Kentucky region. At a state park on the Virginia border, you find the largest canyon east of the Mississippi and the magnificent Cumberland Falls, the "Niagara of the South." During a full moon the falls' mist creates a unique "moonbow."
For a spectacular wilderness experience, head for the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, one of the country's newest national parks.
In south central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave, the longest cave in the world, winds for 300 miles under a 52,000-acre national park. Ancient artifacts and mummies found here indicate that people began venturing into the cave as many as 4,000 years ago.
In the 1800s and early 1900s, the cave saw weddings, performaces by Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth and singer Jenny Lind, and the establishment of a hospital for tuberculosis patients. In the cave's absolute blackness dwell many rare and unusual animals, including eyeless fish and blind beetles.
Western Kentucky boasts one of the largest and most varied recreation areas in the country, featuring the 170,000-acre Land Between the Lakes on the Tennessee border, devoted entirely to the preservation and enjoyment of the outdoors.
Call for exact dates and times.
February Mardi Gras
statewide
For New Orleans,
contact Greater New
Orleans Tourist &
Convention Commission
504-566-5068
February Louisiana Boudin
Festival, Broussard
800-346-1958 or
318-837-9541
March Livestock & Poultry
Show, Baton Rouge
504-771-3510
March Iowa Rabbit Festival
Iowa
318-582-7176
April Shrimp & Seafood
Festival, Meraux
504-279-1921
April Franklin Parish
Catfish Festival
Winnsboro
318-435-7607
Late Apr. New Orleans Jazz &
& early Heritage Festival
May 504-522-4786
May Calumet Powwow
New Orleans
504-246-5672
June Bayou Lacombe Crab
Festival, Lacombe
504-882-5528
June Melrose Plantation
Arts & Crafts Festival
Melrose
800-259-1714 or
318-352-8072
July World Championship
Pirogue Races
Crown Point
504-689-2663
July Bastille Day
Celebration
Lafayette
800-99-BAYOU or
318-233-4077
July Louisiana Oyster
Festival, Cut Off
504-632-6990
August Baton Rouge
Blues Festival
504-383-1825
September Louisiana Shrimp &
Petroleum Festival
Morgan City
504-385-0703
September Drake Salt Works
Festival, Goldonna
318-628-4461
October Natchitoches
Pilgrimage, tour of
historic homes
318-352-8072
Late Nov.- Christmas in
early Jan. New Orleans
504-569-2630
December Junkanoo - Children's
Creativity Fest
Opelousas
318-948-9321
December Christmas in the Pines
Ruston
318-251-8622
Louisiana Office of Tourism
P.O. Box 94291
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9291
504-342-8119
800-33-GUMBO
Office of State Parks
P.O. Drawer 44426
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4426
504-342-8111
Each region of Louisiana has a distinct geographic and aesthetic flavor. Pine-studded hills skirt the Arkansas border in the north, bluffs border the Mississippi River in the east and prairies dominate the landscape of the southwest.
The highest point in the state is Driskill Mountain in Bienville Parish at 535 feet, and the lowest is New Orleans with an elevation of five feet below mean sea level.
New Orleans, founded in 1718, has the French Quarter, ballet, museums, a never-ending succession of blooming flowers, elegant 19th-century homes, jazz festivals and of course, Mardi Gras.
Louisiana's capital, Baton Rouge, is situated in the heart of plantation country where white-columned mansions sit alongside the gently curving Mississippi River. The diversity of birdlife which drew naturalist and painter John James Audubon to this region in the 1820s is still evident today in the woods along the bayous. Atchafayala Swamp, the nation's largest undeveloped wetlands, is a haven for wildlife.
Southern Louisiana, extending to the Gulf of Mexico, is known as Cajun country where one can experience a unique culture of folk music, dancing and savory cooking. This region, settled by French-speaking Acadian refugees in the 18th century, is known for its joie de vivre.
Traveling north, one finds landmark plantations, slow-flowing bayous, the Kisatchie National Forest, cotton fields, catfish farms, crawfish ponds and Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase Territory founded in 1714.
Northern Louisiana is known as a sportsmen's paradise, with abundant fish and game. There are opportunities to waterski on lakes, explore swampland wilderness, visit museums and battlefields and savor regional cooking.
Please call to verify dates.
Dec. New Years Portland
31 Portland
207-772-9012
Feb. Annual National Toboggan
6-7 Championship, Camden
March New England Sled Dog
13-14 Races, Rangeley
207-864-5364
June Maine's 10th Annual
12-13 Rockhound Roundup,
Portland
207-774-1738
June Windjammer Days,
21-24 Boothbay Harbor
207-633-2353
July Maine Poets Festival
6-8 Institute for Advanced
Thinking, Belfast
July Schooner Days, Rockland
9-11 207-596-0376
Aug. The Maine Festival of the
5-8 Arts, Thomas Point Beach
Brunswick
207-772-9012
Aug. Topsham Fair
8-15 Topsham
207-729-1943
Aug. Skowhegan State Fair
12-21 Skowhegan
207-474-2947
Sept. Blue Hill Fair,
2-6 Blue Hill
207-374-9976
Sept. Common Ground Country Fair
24-26 Windsor
207-23-5115
Oct. Fryeburg Fair
3-10 Fryeburg
207-935-3268
The Maine Publicity Bureau
P.O. Box 2300
Hallowell, ME 04347-2300
207-582-9300
With splendid mountain peaks, 6,000 lakes and ponds, 17 million acres of forests, 32,000 miles of rivers and streams, and 3,478 miles of scenic coastline, Maine deserves its "Vacationland" title.
The state has been a favorite among tourists and travelers since Henry Thoreau explored its wild terrain more than a century ago.
Beaches, quaint fishing towns and numerous islands line the extensive coastline and historic villages dot the inland countryside.
The state is home to spectacular Acadia National Park, often referred to as the "jewel in the crown" of the national park system. Acadia is an oceanside playground surrounded by several peaks and boasts the only fjord in the lower 48 states.
The northern half of this sprawling state is sparsely populated. There are a few "large" towns along its eastern border with Canada, but the remainder of northern Maine is a massive expanse of forest, home to hundreds of sporting camps. Here you find Baxter State Park, which contains Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The Moosehead Lake area, a fine fishing destination, and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a favorite among canoe campers, also are found in northwestern Maine.
The Kennebec, Dead and Penobscot rivers provide some of the most thrilling whitewater rapids in the nation and attract thousands to northern Maine annually.
Between Baxter, Acadia and the White Mountain National Forest which blankets the Appalachians at the Maine/New Hampshire border, there is some of the finest hiking available in the Northeast. Brilliant fall foliage adds to the equation.
Acadia and nearby Bar Harbor, the fishing villages and the islands provide bicyclists from all with spectacular scenery.
Whale watching, charter sailing and windjammer cruises are offered the length of the coast and are also favorite pastimes.
In winter, skiers from throughout the Northeast flock to the good-sized peaks of Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley and Sunday River outside Bethel. With so much wild acreage available, snowshoers, cross-country skiers and dogsledders can travel for miles without seeing another person.
During Maine winters, many snowmobilers travel great distances to ride through the Maine woods. Stretched end to end, Maine's snowmobile trails would loop from Miami to Maine and back six times.
Portland, the state's largest city and cultural hub, is a charming city with more restaurants per capita than any other city except San Francisco. It is also the only city of its size with a full-sized orchestra. Galleries, museums, theaters and clubs round out Portland's cultural offerings.
The state has long been a haven for artists of national repute, and there are a number of colonies which dot the coast providing good viewing opportunities during the summmer.
Call for exact dates and times.
Feb. National Outdoor Show
South Dorchester School
Golden Hill
410-397-3517
Feb. African American
Community Celebration,
Walters Art Gallery
Baltimore
410-547-9000
March Springtime in the Woods,
-April Stevenson
410-252-5490
March Maryland Archaeology
Week,
Various Locations
410-514-7660
March Greater Baltimore
Hamboree and Computer
Fest
Maryland State
Fairgrounds
Timonium
410-426-3378
April Rites of Spring
Maryland State
Fairgrounds
Timonium
410-554-2662
April Annapolis Waterfront
-May Annapolis
410-268-8828
June Delmarva Chicken
Festival Cambridge
410-228-3575
June Maryland Outdoor
Adventure Expo
Seneca Creek State Park
Gaithersburg
301-924-2127
June Columbia Festival of
the Arts, Columbia
410-381-0520
July 56th Annual Sailing
Regatta, Rock Hall
410-639-7253
July Celebrate Annapolis:
Wine,Food and Music
Festival
Annapolis
410-263-3323
August Party on the Bay
Statewide
410-974-5300
August 17th Annual Maryland
-Sept. Renaissance Festival
800-243-7304
Sept. National Hard Crab Derby
Somers Cove Marina
Crisfield
800-782-3913
Sept. Skipjack & Land Festival
Deal Island
410-742-9271
Sept. Maryland Wine Festival
Westminster
800-654-4645
October Olde Princess Anne Days
Princess Anne
410-651-1705
November Women's Fair in Largo
301-925-5370
Nov. Maryland Christmas Show
-Dec. Frederick
301-898-5466
December Antietam National
Battlefield Memorial
Illumination
Sharpsburg
301-733-7373
Maryland Office of
Tourism Development
217 East Redwood Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-333-6611
Maryland has been a favorite among travelers for its Allegheny Mountains and the beautiful and bountiful Chesapeake Bay, which splits the state almost in two geographically.
As a key state in the Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War, the "Old Line State's" natural features are enriched by an almost palpable historical legacy.
A great deal of the state's tourist industry is centered around the bay, with its quaint colonial homes and working fishing villages. Scenic cruises, windjamming and fishing on its waters, bicycling along its shores, and dining on fresh crab are favorite activities.
There are a number of state and national parks along the Chesapeake Bay and state forests in the western panhandle's Appalachian Mountains, which form a wedge between Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Hiking, camping and cross-country skiing in the western hills are popular activities. The state's highest peak, Backbone Mountain (3,360 feet) provides nice views of the surrounding area.
Annapolis, the coastal resort community of Ocean City, Fort McHenry near where Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" during the War of 1812, Antietam and South Mountain Battlefields, the Edgar Allan Poe house and the National Aquarium are primary tourist attractions.
With the metropolitan areas of Baltimore, New York, Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, all within a three-hour drive, there are a host of cultural activities nearby.
Favorite destinations include the Maryland Academy of Sciences, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Opera Company.
Horse racing also draws thousands annually to Preakness, the International at Laurel Race Course and the Maryland Million at Pimlico.
Call for exact dates and times.
Feb. Boston Festival
Boston
617-367-0021
April The Boston Marathon
Boston
508-435-6905
June Harborfest
-July Boston
617-227-1528
July Yankee Homecoming Days
-August Newburyport
508-462-6680
Sept. King Richard's Faire
-October Carver
508-866-5391
November Nantucket Noel
Nantucket
508-228-1700
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
100 Cambridge Street
13th Floor
Boston, MA 02202
800-447-6277 or
617-727-3201
(From the East Coast)
Ever since the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, visitors have been coming to Massachusetts for its surf and sand, woods and farms, old-world charm and cosmopolitan culture.
From a traveler's perspective, the state can be divided into distinct regions: The North Shore where quaint Yankee villages skirt the coast; Greater Boston, a hub of arts, academics and political activism; Cape Cod, a gently curving, arm-like peninsula with sand dunes, shops and 300 miles of beaches; Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, two beautiful islands beneath the cape, and the Berkshires, the scenic farmland that inspired Hawthorne, Melville, Wharton, Dickinson and Rockwell.
Each season delivers something new to the Bay State, spring flowers, summer sun, fall foliage and winter snow, each supporting a wide range of recreational activities.
In Massachusetts, you can bike on the Cape or islands in summer or cross-country ski in the Berkshires in winter. Along the coast, you can go sailing, fishing and whale watching. Hiking and downhill skiing are popular on the mountain slopes in the western half of the state.
The green swaths of national and state parks dot the Massachusetts map preserving land and historical paths such as the Mohawk and Freedom Trail, which pass through historically significant areas.
Boston, the Berkshires and Provincetown anchor the state artistically, each area hosting enclaves of writers, musicians and painters and renowned galleries and museums. The Worcester Art Museum is also a favorite.
Call for exact dates and times.
January North American
International Auto Show
Detroit
Feb. Dog Sled Championships
March Maple Syrup Festival
Bloomfield Hills
May Tulip Time
Holland
June Lical Festival
Mackinac Island
906-847-6418
July Michigan Brown Trout
Festival
Alpena
517-354-4181
August Michigan Festival
East Lansing
517-351-6620
August Upper Peninsula State
Fair
Escanaba
906-786-2192
Sept. Michigan Wine and
Harvest Festival
Kalamazoo
616-381-4003
Sept. Detroit Festival
of the Arts
313-577-5080
Oct. Red Flannel Festival
Cedar Springs
616-696-2262
Nov. Michigan Christmas
Tree Festival
616-396-4221
Michigan Dept. of Commerce Travel Bureau
Box 30226
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-0670
Michigan is the most unusually shaped of the contiguous U.S. states. The Straits of Mackinac divide the state into two distinct regions -- the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
The Upper Peninsula, linked to northern Wisconsin on one side and bordered by lakes Superior and Michigan on the others, is a wilderness playground.
The state's 18,000 acres of forested land is heavily concentrated in the Upper Peninsula but spreads down the handprint of the Lower Peninsula, halting at the knuckles.
Situated in the southern region is the state's industrial center -- Detroit, Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.
Outside the manufacturing centers, small and quiet towns abound. The towns of southern Michigan are reminiscent of northern Europe with their pleasant pastures and fields.
Because of the massive, oceanic expanse of the Great Lakes and the number of inland lakes and waterways, Michigan is extremely popular with anglers, sailors and paddlers.
Along the state's western edge are the unique Sleeping Bear Dunes and National Lakeshore which rises 400 feet above Lake Michigan. The 600-acre mountain of sand can be explored by foot or dune buggy.
The five-mile "Big Mac" Mackinaw Bridge that connects the Upper and Lower peninsulas is one of the longest in the nation.
At one time, residents of the Upper Peninsula (U.P. as they call it) were more familiar with the roads of Wisconsin than the rest of their own state before "Big Mac" was built. The lakefront resort communities that grew up around Hancock and Houghton, home of Michigan Tech University, have little in common with southern areas of the state.
Hikers, backpackers and campers revel in the welcome remoteness of the well-preserved wilds of this 320-mile-long, lake-studded Upper Peninsula. The massive Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests cover much of U.P., and state parks, wildlife preserves and national lakeshores cover virtually all of the rest.
Winter snows lure cross-country skiers, snowshoers, dogsledders and snowmobilers to the backcountry, and downhillers can choose from any of several ski resorts.
Call for exact dates and times.
April Minnesota Horse
Exposition
State Fairgrounds,
St. Paul
12-472-2485
April Swayed Pines Folk
Festival
St. John's University
Collegeville
612-363-2594
April Festival of Nations
-May St. Paul
612-647-0191
May Balloon Classic
St. Cloud
612-259-0417
June Cheese Fest
Pine Island
507-356-4591
June Midsummer
Scandinavian
Festival
Mora
612-679-5792
June International
Polkafest
Chisholm
800-372-6437
June Minnesota Sunfest
Apple Valley
800-296-5175
July Jumpfest
Albert Lea
800-345-8414
July National Soaring
Contest
Albert Lea
800-345-8414
July Sesquicentennial
Stillwater
612-439-7700
August Duluth
International Folk
Festival
Duluth
800-438-5884
August NI-MI-WIN
Spirit Mountain
Duluth
Dec. International
Festival of Trees
Minnesota Landscape
Arboretum
Chanhassen
612-443-2460
Minnesota Office of Tourism
100 Metro Square
121 Seventh Place East
St. Paul, MN 55101-2112
800-657-3700
With more than 16,000 acres of forested land, 25,000 miles of rivers and streams and 12,000 lakes, Minnesota is one of the premiere adventure travel destinations in the U.S.
The state takes its name from the Dakota Sioux who settled in the region more than two centuries ago, calling it "minisota" or "land of sky-tinted waters."
Most of Minnesota has remained in its natural state, preserved by Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, 65 state parks, 55 state forests and two national forests.
The Mississippi's headwaters are near Grand Rapids in the north and Lake Superior serves as the state's northeastern border.
With its extensive network of wilderness waterways, Minnesota lures canoeists, campers and anglers from around the nation.
Backpackers can lose themselves in the vast northern wilderness, and bicyclists, walkers and hikers enjoy hundreds of miles of trails throughout the state.
Winter's white transforms the state into a virtual paradise for cross-country skiers, snowmobilers and dogsledders. Trails are concentrated in the pine and hardwood forests in the wilds of the north, but extend throughout the rolling countryside of the south and surround the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
There are also several downhill ski areas that accommodate everyone from the nervous novice to the experienced skier who wants to experience the largest vertical drop in the Midwest.
The Twin Cities lie in the heart of the state and serve as its business and cultural centers. The pair boast a host of theaters, galleries and museums and each has its own professional orchestra.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Martin Luther King, Jr.
Celebration, Jackson
February Mardi Gras Celebrations
Natchez & Gulf Coast
March Spring Pilgrimages
Columbus, Vicksburg,
Natchez, Port Gibson &
Gulf Coast
April World Catfish Festival
Belzoni
May Gum Tree Festival
Tupelo
May Magnolia Festival
Hernando
May Shrimp Festival and
Blessing of the Fleet
Biloxi
June Slugburger Festival
Corinth
June Mississippi Int.
Balloon Classic
Greenwood
July Civil War Reenactment
Vicksburg
800-221-3536
July Choctaw Indian Fair
Philadelphia
601-656-1742
July Annual Deep-Sea
Fishing Rodeo
Gulfport
800-237-9493
August Elvis Presley
Commemoration Day
Tupelo
601-841-1245
September Possum Town
Pig Festival
Columbus
601-328-4532
September Delta Blues Festival
Greenville
601-335-3523
September Magnolia Storytelling
Festival, Natchez
601-442-7061
October Fall Muster at Beauvoir
Biloxi
800-237-9493
October Mississippi State Fair
Jackson
601-961-4000
December A Victorian Christmas
in Natchez
December Christmas Tours
Aberdeen
Mississippi Division of Tourism Development
P.O. Box 22825
Jackson, MS 39205
800-647-2290
Translated from the Choctaw language, "Mississippi" means "Father of Waters," an appropriate description for the mighty river that forms this state's western border and continues to be a powerful force in Mississippi's development.
Heavily laden cargo barges still navigate this majestic river's muddy waters and colorful paddlewheelers transport passengers back to the days of southern belles and rowdy riverboat gamblers.
The history of the Old South comes alive in splendid antebellum mansions and carefully preserved Civil War battlefields, including the Vicksburg National Military Park, in Mississippi.
Using your imagination, you can almost hear the faint strains of a long forgotten melody, the soft rustle of hoop skirts and the clatter of horse hooves here. You can imagine the roar of cannon fire, the smoke and flames that followed Sherman's "march to the sea" during the Civil War and the terror of siege and battle.
The civil rights movement of the 1960s, the most dramatic phase of the state's history since the Civil War, is commemorated in collections and sites throughout the state.
Indian mounds remind visitors that the state was once the domain of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians and dozens of other native American tribes whose names have been lost. These tribes once fished the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico and tracked buffalo along the old Natchez Trace.
Today, the Natchez Trace is a scenic parkway, a favorite route of bicyclists, stretching from Natchez, Miss. to Nashville, Tenn.
Mississippi's culture preserves a rich legacy of music, arts, festivals and food. The blues, jazz and country music can all be traced here. Jackson hosts the International Ballet Competition, held in only four other cities worldwide.
The Magnolia State is rich in natural beauty - forests, fertile farmlands, rolling hills and a panoramic coastline.
Seventeen million acres of woodlands provide the setting for hiking, camping and hunting, while a generous sprinkling of lakes and reservoirs offer sailing, skiing and freshwater fishing.
The Mississippi Beach area offers the excitement of deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as sunning and swimming along the world's longest man-made beach. The state's perpetually mild climate makes it a favorite destination for golfers, who can enjoy the game year round.
Call for exact dates and times.
Feb. Winter in La Vieille
Mine
Old Mines
314-438-4377
March 31st Annual Ice Show
Jefferson City
314-634-6482
April Lake of the Ozarks
Dogwood Festival
Camdenton
314-346-2227
April Dogwood/Azalea Festival
Charleston
314-683-6509
April- Storytelling Festival
May St. Louis
314-53-5911
May Valley of Flowers
Festival
Florissant
314-837-0033
May Maifest
Hermann
314-486-2744
May Lewis and Clark
Rendezvous
Charles
314-946-7776
June Scott Joplin Ragtime
Festival
Sedalia
816-826-2271
June Riverfest
Cape Girardeau
314-335-1388
June Hillbilly Days
Lebanon
800-334-6946
June National Tom Sawyers
Days
Hannibal
314-221-2477
July VP Fair
St. Louis
314-434-3434
July Blessing of the Fleet
St. Louis
314-521-9103
July- Ozark Empire Fair
August Springfield
417-833-2660
August Jour De Fete
Ste. Genevieve
314-883-7097
August Missouri State Fair
Sedalia
816-826-0570
August Missouri River Festival
of the Arts
Boonville
816-882-7977
Sept. Santa-Cali-Gon
Independence
816-252-4745
Sept.- National Crafts Festival
Oct. Branson
417-338-2611
November National Crafts
Festival/Country Cross
Stitch & Sale
Branson
417-338-8210
November Current Works 1993
Kansas City
816-474-1919
November American Royal Livestock
Horse Show & Rodeo
Kansas City
816-221-9800
Nov.- Annual Holiday Exhibit
December St. Louis
314-725-1177
November Ozark Mountain Christmas
Ozark Mountain Country
800-678-8766
Missouri Division
of Tourism
Truman State
Office Building
P.O. Box 1055
Jefferson City, MO 65102
314-751-4133
Missouri Arts Council
Wainwright Office Complex
111 North Seventh Street
St. Louis, MO 63101-2188
314-340-6845
Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
P.O. Box 1176
Jefferson City, MO 65102
314-751-3443 or
800-334-6946
Missouri Association of Fairs and Festivals
P.O. Box 734
Concordia, MO 64020
816-463-7091
Missouri sits at the heart of the nation's two most important waterways -- the Missouri and the Mississippi -- and its geography, industry and recreation are defined by these rivers.
This state is home to the Ozarks, the massive Mark Twain National Forest, numerous large lakes, rivers, national wildlife preserves and more than 12 million acres of forest. As a result, it is a mecca for many outdoor enthusiasts.
Missouri is so large and diverse, it can be divided into several vacation areas.
The northern region has a rich historical heritage. It is the birthplace of the Pony Express, where Samuel Clemens spent his boyhood and home to several old mining towns.
The state's central region hosts its largest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City. Situated between the two is the Ozark region, one of the nation's favorite vacation areas.
In the southeast corner is the "River Heritage" area, which skirts the west bank of the Mississippi. This terrain has forests and hills, cotton fields and bayou-like lowlands.
Fishing is good and accessible across almost all of the state, and anglers will find largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, crappie, walleye, muskelunge, rainbow and brown trout, pan fish, stripers white bass and catfish waiting to bite their lures.
Canoeing, hiking and nature study are enjoyed along most every waterway. Wildlife observation is especially popular in the Squaw Creek, Swan Lake and Mingo National Wildlife Refuges. Deer, bald eagles, pheasants, geese and bobwhite quail are often spotted.
Cave exploration is popular from Ozark Caverns, which is explored regularly by naturalists with hand-held lanterns, to Marvel Cave, the nation's third-largest cavern with a chamber 20 stories high and a waterfall of 505 feet.
A number of trails have been set aside for biking and walking through forest parks, preserves and countryside.
Life on the Mississippi has changed a great deal since Samuel Clemens celebrated the folklife of the area in his satires, but it is likely he would still feel at home. Much of the area retains its quaint small-town charm and riverboats continue to navigate the river.
Call for exact dates and times.
April International Wildlife
Film Festival
Missoula
406-728-9380
April Buzzard Days
Celebrates return of
turkey vultures.
Makoshika State Park,
Glendive
406-365-8596
Mid-May Miles City Bucking
Horse Sale
Miles City
406-232-6585
Mid-May Buffalo Feast and
Powwow, St. Ignatius
406-745-2951
Mid-May Annual Whitewater
Festival & Celebration
Bigfork
406-837-9914
June Montana Traditional
Jazz Festival, Helena
406-752-4100
June Western Days, mule-
drawn wagon parade
Stevensville
406-777-2685
Late-Jun Custer's Last Stand
Re-enactment
Hwy 87, west of Hardin
406-665-1672
Late-Jun Pioneer Days
Scobey
406-487-5559
Jun-Jul Smith Wagon Train
Roundup
406-323-2520
July 4 Annual American/
Canadian Outhouse
Races and Country
Showdown
Scobey
406-487-2293
Mid-Jul Libby Logger Days
Libby
406-293-4167
Jul-Aug Red Lodge Mountain
Man Rendezvous
Red Lodge
406-446-2325
August Huckleberry Festival
at Trout Creek,
official huckleberry
capital of Montana
406-827-3664
August United People Powwow
& Cultural Rendezvous
Missoula
406-728-2180
August Annual Roundup Cattle
Drive, Roundup, MT.
800-257-9775
August Montana Cowboy Poetry
Gathering
Lewistown
August Threshing Bee
Museum grounds, Huntley
406-967-2680
August Barnes Steam & Power
Show, Belgrade
406-388-4433
September Annual Milk River Wagon
Train, oldest annual
continuous wagon train
Malta
406-654-1794
September "Running of the Sheep"
Sheep Drive, rivals
running of the bulls
in Pamplona, Spain.
Reedpoint
406-326-9911
September Laurel Herbstfest
German heritage fest
Laurel
406-628-4508
October Yakarama Festival &
Yak Sale, Polson
406-883-3504
October Oktoberfest
Anaconda
406-563-2422
Travel Montana
Montana Dept. of Commerce
1424 Ninth Avenue
Helena, MT 59620
800-541-1447
406-444-2654
406-444-1200
(TDD-telephone device for the hearing impaired)
Montana, the Treasure State, is a land of stupendous beauty. Its western territory is dominated by the Rocky Mountains while the Great Plains dominate its eastern region.
Montana was partially explored by Lewis and Clark and it was acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. This state, whose capital is Helena, was host to the infamous Battle of Little Big Horn.
Montana's rich fields bloom with wildflowers, daffodils, yellow bells and lavender crocus in the spring. The state's long summer days are perfect for whitewater rafting on the Flathead River or a horseback ride through the majestic plains or mountains.
In autumn, summer's bounty comes to harvest, the Bitterroot Mountains explode with color and harvest festivals abound. Montana's Big Sky Country is also downhill and Nordic ski country and the perfect place to snowmobile or dogsled.
You can find wildlife in Montana every season. Elk, bison, bald eagles, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and the little ptarmigan inhabit Montana's mountains and valleys.
Ten American Indian tribes have roots in what is now Montana -- the Blackfeet, Crow, Chippewa Cree, Salish, Northern Cheyenne, Sioux, Gros Ventre, Pend D'Oreille, Assiniboine and Kootenai.
You can see native American rock paintings at the Pictograph Cave State Park near Billings. Thousands of years ago, dinosaurs once roamed these plains -- four of the eight Tyrannosaur fossil discoveries occurred in Montana. You can see evidence of these ancient times at the Museum of the Rockies in Yellowstone Country.
In this land of cowboys, battlefields, rivers and badlands, if you are looking for outdoor adventure, you've come to the right place.
Call for exact dates and times.
March Wings Over the Platte
Grand Island
800-658-3178
April 121st Annual Arbor Day
Celebration
Nebraska City
402-873-3000
June Grundlovfest
(Danish Days)
Dannebrog
308-226-2237
June Cottonwood Prarie
Festival
Hastings
402-462-4159
June NEBRASKAland Days
North Platte
308-532-7939
June Stromsburg Swedish
Festival
Stromsburg
402-764-7511
July Fort Kearny Stampede
Kearny
308-234-9513
July Nebraska's Official
Fourth of July
Celebration
Seward
402-643-4189
July Oregon Trail Days
Gering
308-436-5662
July Nebraska's Big Rodeo &
Parade
308-346-5010
August Massacre Canyon Powwow
Trenton
308-334-5574
August 32nd National
Czechoslovakian Festival
Wilber
402-821-2485
Sept. Ogallala's Indian
Summer Rendezvous
Ogallala
308-284-4066
Sept. River City Roundup
Omaha
402-554-9610
Sept. Nebraska American
Indian Days Celebration
Scottsbluff
308-635-6267
Oct. 2nd Annual Nebraska
Cowboy Poetry Gathering
& Old West Days
Valentine
402-376-1942
Oct. Old West Balloon Weekend
Scottsbluff
308-632-5667
Dec. Star City Holiday
Festival
Lincoln
402-441-7391
Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism
700 South 16th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
800-228-4307
Since the days of the Pawnees and pioneers, travelers have enjoyed the herds of buffalo, fields of corn, expansive lakes and unusual sand formations that make Nebraska's landscape distinctive.
The Missouri River serves as the state's eastern border and is where most of the state's major cities have developed. The state's 23,000-mile network of rivers, which stretch westward from the Missouri, is the longest of any U.S. state. Lakes and reservoirs punctuate the arid countryside and are usually natural extensions or sources of the rivers. Canoeing and fishing are popular activities.
The Nebraska Sandhills, the world's largest, stabilized sand dune formation, cover more than a quarter of the state in the north central region. This is the state's least populated region with only two people to every square mile. It is also home to more than 1,500 natural lakes and sits atop an enormous natural aquifer that would cover the entire state to a depth of 34 feet if it were above ground.
There are two large national forests in the Sandhills that are popular recreational areas. Rivers glide through pine-walled canyons alongside oceans of prairie grass near the sandhills.
Due to the state's strong historic heritage, there are many parks highlighting Nebraska's history including Buffalo Bill's Scout Ranch, Arbor Lodge State Park and Chimney Rock Historic Site.
Today, walkers, bikers and horseback riders enjoy exploring the numerous historic pioneer trails including the Oregon, Mormon, Overland Stage, Texas cattle drives and Pony Express.
Nebraska sits along one of North America's principal bird migratory routes. Several National Wildlife Refuges serve as resting areas for migrating birds and harbor many species of fauna. An incredible variety of waterfowl including Canadian and snow geese, pelicans and bald eagles can be seen during various seasons. For six weeks in spring, a half-million sandhill cranes use the Platte River as an avian rest stop on their way to their nesting grounds.
Omaha and Lincoln, respectively the state's largest city and capital, offer numerous and varied cultural opportunities.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Truckee Lions Sierra
Sled Dog Races
916-587-3276
February Black History Week
Las Vegas
March Snowfest
North Lake Tahoe
916-583-7625
April Int. Collegiate
Mining Competition
Elko
702-738-4091
April Boulder City Spring
Jamboree
702-456-6695
May Clark County
Artists Show
Boulder City
702-456-6695
May Nevada Open Road
Challenge
Ely
702-289-8877
May Chili Cook-off and
Cinco de Mayo
Virginia City
702-847-0500
June Reno Rodeo
702-329-3877
June Red Mountain Powwow
McDermitt
702-532-8742
July Carl Hayden Daze and
National Hollerin'
Contest
Jackpot
702-755-2321
July Nugget Jazz Festival
Sparks
702-356-3300
August Nevada State Fair
Reno
702-322-4424
August Pony Express Horse
Racing
Ely
702-289-8877
September Best in the West
Nugget Rib Cook-off
Sparks
702-356-3300
September Great Reno Balloon
Race
702-826-1181
September Virginia City Camel
Races
702-847-0311
October Chili Cook-off
Carson City
702-885-0411
December National Finals Rodeo
Las Vegas
702-731-2115
Nevada Commission
on Tourism
Capitol Complex
Carson City, NV 89710
702-687-4322
800-237-0774
In Nevada, you can see world-famous entertainers, try your luck in casinos, explore historic ghost towns, hike through deserts and ski the high country around Reno and Lake Tahoe.
Famed explorer John C. Fremont's 1848 expedition with Kit Carson opened up Nevada, previously part of Mexico, to U.S. settlers. Soon, Mormons, gold and silver miners en route to Comstock Lode in Virginia City and farmers, found their way to this diverse state. In the 1930s, a new breed of entrepreneurs -- gamblers -- appeared on the landscape and never left.
Today, gaming and tourism represent a significant chunk of Nevada's state budget. Thousands of tourists visit the state each year to try their luck at casino tables, hike around the 85 percent of the state that is controlled by the federal government or ski the slopes around Reno and Lake Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe is the largest Alpine lake in North America and the second-deepest.
Nevada also offers "cowboy country," where you can attend rodeos and follow the trails of the Pony Express and wagon trains. There are hundreds of square miles of Indian reservations that offer spectacular scenery and petroglyphs telling the history of the state's native American inhabitants.
Call for exact dates and times.
July Canada's Irish Fest
Chatham and Newcastle
506-778-8810
July Int. Festival of
Baroque Music
Lameque
506-344-2246
July Festival de la
Francophonie
International festival
of French culture
Tracadie
506-395-9746
July Shediac Lobster
Festival
506-532-8932
Late July Foire Brayonne
Celebrates Republic of
Madawaska culture
Edmundston
August Festival by the Sea
Performing arts
Saint John
August Acadian Festival
Caraquet
506-727-6515
Sept. 7 Corn Boil and Pie
Baking Contest
Doaktown Historic Park
Oct. 11-13 Festival de la
Gastronomie
Edmundston
New Brunswick Economic
Development and Tourism
P.O. Box 12345
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 5C3 Canada
800-561-0123
in U.S. and Canada
New Brunswick is home to a mixture of French, Irish and British cultures who inhabit a heavily-wooded region of northeast Canada. Roughly 85 percent of this province is forested, making it an area of pristine beauty.
New Brunswick is bilingual, with most speaking both French and English. About 35 percent of the population is French-speaking.
The region is home to the St. John River Valley, often referred to as the Rhine of North America. The area was originally traveled by the Malecite and Micmac tribes, and later explorers and soldiers, Acadians and Loyalists, Scots and Danes.
As you cross the border into New Brunswick from Quebec, you enter what is known as the Republic of Madawaska. Edmundston, situated nearby, is the capital of this predominantly French-speaking republic.
In New Brunswick, you can visit the Kings Landing Historic Settlement in Fredericton, the province's capital, or the coastline along the Bay of Fundy. The tides along the Bay of Fundy are gigantic, one was measured at 48.6 feet, the equivalent of a four-story building.
Along the way, you will find dozens of quaint bed and breakfast facilities, hotels and fine restaurants.
Call for exact dates and times.
Feb. Dartmouth Winter Carnival
Hanover
603-795-2143
May Annual Lilac Time Festival
Lisbon
603-838-6777
June Turn-of-the-Century
Weekend
Sunapee Region
603-258-3530
June Annual Market Square Days
Portsmouth
603-431-5388
June 3rd Annual Monadnock
Balloon & Aviation
Festival
Keene
603-352-1303
June Portsmouth Jazz Festival
Portsmouth
603-436-7678
July Annual Canterbury Fair at
Shaker Village
Canterbury
Aug. Annual League of New
Hampshire Craftsmens Fair
Sunapee
603-224-1471
Aug. Annual New Hampshire
Antiques Show
Manchester
603-239-4188
Aug. Attitash Equine Festival
Bartlett
603-374-2372
Aug. Trail By Candelight
Portsmouth
603-436-5824
Aug. Lakes Region Fine Arts &
Crafts Fest
603-279-6121
Sept. Riverfest
Manchester
603-669-7377
Sept. New Hampshire's Highland
Games at Loon Mountain
Lincoln
603-964-9634
Oct. Warner Fall Foliage
Festival
603-456-3098
Dec. Learn-to-Ski-Free in New
Hampshire
New Hampshire Office of Travel and Tourism Development
P.O. Box 856
Concord, NH 03302-0856
603-271-2666
Up-to-the Minute
Seasonal Information
800-258-3608 or
800-262-6660
New Hampshire was one of the first places Europeans settled in America and it is easy to see what attracted early settlers to the state.
Hills and mountains, including Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast at 6,288 feet, gaze over verdant forests and blue lakes.
People continue to settle and stay in the Granite State for its natural beauty, small-town charm and comfortable cities. New Hampshire was recently voted "Most Livable State" by an independent research firm.
Quiet towns with green fields, Federal-style homes and white picket fences punctuate the countryside.
Almost 90 percent of the state is forested. State parks and beaches, wildlife reserves, protected natural areas are numerous and preserve much acreage.
The expansive White Mountain National Forest, much of it wilderness, surrounds the Presidential Range and is a favorite spot for hikers, bikers, backpackers and campers. Cross-country skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers find the area fascinating to explore during winter. A varied and plentiful wildlife population call the area home -- from gentle moose to loons.
Mountain climbers enjoy the challenge of the Presidential peaks and Mt. Monadnock, near the state's southern border. At 3,165 feet, Monadnock is the single most-climbed mountain in North America.
For those who prefer the path less traveled, rock climbing in the White Mountains and backpacking along the Appalachian Trail, with stays in a unique system of huts and lodges provided by the Appalachian Trail Club, are invigorating and scenic options.
New Hampshire's fall foliage attracts thousands here to enjoy the brilliance of autumn.
Winter finds the state's two dozen downhill ski areas and 30 cross-country touring centers filled with skiers enjoying steep inclines and quiet valleys.
New Hampshire's large lakes are nationally recognized. Lake Winnipesaukee was made famous in the film "On Golden Pond." Lake Sunapee, another favorite among vacationers, is so large it requires three lighthouse sentries.
Surrounded by peaks, the state's lakes are both scenic and active. Walking, hiking and biking around their shores and fishing, skating and ice-sailing on their surfaces are all popular pastimes.
Though it's the state's smallest region, the seacoast is one of New Hampshire's largest tourist attractions for its swimming, sandy beaches, quaint colonial villages, Revolutionary era forts, whale watching cruises and winding, coast-hugging drives.
The state's small cities -- Manchester, Concord and Portsmouth -- as well as its college towns of Hanover and Durham serve as the state's art and cultural hubs. Shopping at the outlets of North Conway is always popular among visitors.
Call for exact dates and times.
February- New Jersey Flower &
March Garden Show
Somerset
908-560-9020
March John Murphy Memorial
Flounder Tournament
Rumson
908-741-7411
April Shad Festival
Lambertville
609-397-0055
May Tour of Somerville
Somerville
908-725-0461
June New Jersey Seafood
Festival
Belmar
908-681-2900
July- New Jersey Festival of
August Ballooning
Readington
908-236-6733
August Hambletonian Day
East Rutherford
201-935-8500
August New Jersey State Fair
Cherry Hill
609-392-6600
September Wings 'N Water Festival
Stone Harbor
609-38-1211
September Garden State Wine
Grower's Fall Festival
908-475-3671
September New Jersey State Ethnic
Festival
Jersey City
609-777-0881
October Victorian Week
Cape May
609-884-5404
October Chatsworth Cranberry
Festival
Chatsworth
609-859-9701
November Grand Chrismtas
Exhibition
Millville
609-825-6800
December George Washington
Crossing the Delaware
Titusville
609-737-9304
State of New Jersey Department of Commerce and Economic Development, Division of Tourism
Mary G. Roebling Building
Trenton, NJ 08625-0826
800-537-7397
609-633-7287
Enjoy the view from atop a roller coaster or mountain peak; soak in the sun on a wide expanse of beach or paddle a canoe through the nation's largest wilderness waterway east of the Mississippi.
Peruse antique shops or stroll through fishing villages. Tour vineyards and farms. You can do all of this in New Jersey, the nation's fifth-smallest state.
The state boasts 127 miles of beaches, 1 million acres of pine forest, mountains, rivers and 800 lakes.
Commuter territory and the state's industrial center encompass New Jersey's northeast. But in the northwestern corner, the Appalachian region provides good hiking, ballooning, camping, canoeing and winter skiing.
In the Delaware River region, the state's inner elbow, history and nature meet. About 100 battles were fought on New Jersey soil during the Revolution and historical attractions are plentiful. The place where George Washington crossed the Delaware near Trenton and his former headquarters at Morristown are now popular tourist attractions.
The Pine Barrens wilderness area, 1 million acres of preserved forests and waterways, draws canoeists, fishermen, hikers and campers from all across the country.
The shore region, on the backside of Jersey's elbow down the length of the state, offers beautiful biking, deep-sea fishing, swimming, sailing and surfing opportunities. Seaside towns, historic sites, horse farms, and the beautiful Atlantic provide a spectacular backdrop.
Gamblers and amblers alike find Atlantic City exciting. Wander the streets familiar from the Monopoly board game (do not stop at jail), or enjoy the casinos and restaurants that line the boardwalk. Beautiful beaches are only a few miles away.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Snowball Classic Rodeo
Farmington and
Bloomfield
800-448-1240
February Mardi Gras in the
Mountains
Red River
800-348-6444
March Fishing Fantasy
Albuquerque
505-768-3483
March Skiesta
Los Alamos
505-662-5725
April Easter Sunday
Celebration
Indian Pueblo Cultural
Center
Albuquerque
505-843-7270
April American Indian Week
and Gathering of
Nations Powwow
Albuquerque
505-843-7270
April-May Magnifico!
Arts celebration
Albuquerque
800-284-2282
May Living Desert State
Park Mescal Roast
Carlsbad
505-887-5516
May Southwest Jamboree
Lordsburg
505-542-9864
June New Mexico Arts and
Crafts Fair
Albuquerque
505-884-9043
July 2-4 Freedom Days
Farmington
800-448-1240
July Frontier Days
Silver City
800-548-9378
August Mariachi Spectacular
Albuquerque
505-277-2931
September New Mexico State Fair
and Rodeo
Albuquerque
505-265-1791
September Fiesta de Santa Fe
Santa Fe
505-983-4331
October Kodak Albuquerque Int.
Balloon Fiesta
505-821-1000
October Corrales Harvest
Festival
505-898-5610
November Indian National Finals
Rodeo
Albuquerque
505-265-1791
December Ye Merry Olde Christmas
Faire
Albuquerque
505-296-1491
Dec. 25 Matachines and Dances
numerous pueblos
505-852-4265
New Mexico
Department of Tourism
Joseph M. Montoya Building
1100 St. Francis Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87503
800-545-2040
Retrace the Old Santa Fe Trail, walk the streets where Billy the Kid ruled or follow the routes of the conquistadores in this remarkable state.
Fiestas, Native American feast days, rodeos and art exhibits are all part of the fabric of New Mexico.
In prehistoric times, the Mimbres branch of the Mogollon people created sophisticated designs for pottery that are still copied today. New Mexico's Pueblo Indian artisans are considered the finest silversmiths today, and the architecture of New Mexico's Indians is considered the most sophisticated of its era.
This state has enchanted artists and writers for decades, including Thornton Wilder, Ansel Adams, Willa Cather, Marsden Hartley, D.H. Lawrence and Georgia O'Keeffe.
Its landscape of caverns, mountains, lakes and "Badlands" has intrigued movie-makers, hikers, trekkers and bicyclists for years. The Taos and Santa Fe region is renowned for its clean light, colorful scenery and friendly people.
This state offers you a glimpse of the past, a chance to join a cattle drive or an opportunity to philosophize on the mysteries of life atop a mesa or in the unique Carlsbad Caverns.
New Mexico contains a wealth of public land covering wilderness regions and soaring bluffs, and representing more than half of its 122,666 square miles.
Call for exact dates and times.
Jan. Annual Winter Festival
Grafton
518-279-1155
Feb. Annual Winter Carnival
Saranac Lake
800-347-1992
March 9th Annual New York
Flower Show
New York
212-757-0915
May 36th Annual White Water
Derby, Upper Hudson River
North Creek
518-251-2612
May 31st Annual Gen. Clinton
Canoe Regatta
Cooperstown/Bainbridge
607-967-8700
May Lilac Festival
Rochester
716-546-3070
May 9th International Festival
New York
212-581-7029
May DanceAfrica Bazaar
Brooklyn
718-636-4100
May- Reflections '93
June Rochester
716-232-1363
May- SeaFest '93
August New York
212-245-0072
May- River Arts Festival
August Woodstock
914-679-2100
June Empire State Regatta
Albany
518-434-2032
June 124th Running of the
Belmont Stakes
Belmont
June- Lake Placid Horseshow
July Lake Placid
518-523-2445
July Black Arts and Cultural
Festival
Albany
518-473-0559
July Canalfest
Erie Canal
East and West Tonawanda
716-692-5120
July The Philadelphia Orchestra
Summer Residency
Saratoga Springs
518-587-3330
August 29th Annual Antique Boat
Show
Clayton
315-686-4104
July- New York Renaissance
Sept. Festival
New York
914-351-5171
Sept. 21st Annual Adirondack
Balloon Festival
Glen Falls
518-761-6366
Sept. 47th Annual Shinnecock
Powwow
Southampton
516-283-6143
Oct. Crafts at Rhinebeck Fall
Festival
Rhinebeck
914-876-4001
Nov. New York Marathon
New York City
212-397-8222
New York State
Division of Tourism
1 Commerce Plaza
Albany, NY
800-225-5697
New York State Parks
Albany, NY 12238
518-474-0456
800-456-CAMP
800-465-2267
New York Convention and Visitors Bureau
212-397-8222
When most people think of tourism and New York, either the Big Apple (New York City) or Niagara Falls come to mind.
What usually doesn't come to mind are more than 18 million acres of forested land, clean beaches, Great and small lakes, quiet rivers, caves, and the highest skiing peak in the East.
One of New York's best-kept secrets is Adirondack Park, a sprawling forest about five-times the size of Rhode Island situated in the northern, mountainous region of the state. Adirondack Park stretches almost the entire length of Vermont and encompasses large peaks, several lakes and rivers and almost limitless recreation activities.
Nordic and downhill ski areas, including the renowned Lake Placid resort, are sprinkled about the park and hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails thread their way throughout. Hiking, fishing, boating and canoeing are popular summer activities.
A second protected region, Catskill Park in the Catskill Mountains, falls between the Connecticut and Pennsylvania borders not far from the Hudson River. Because of their proximity to several large cities, the Catskills have also become a favorite tourist destination. Several large peaks, lakes and mysterious ice caves make this region unique.
The land that surrounds and separates the parks, stretching to the Canadian border along the St. Lawrence Waterway and westward to lakes Ontario and Erie, is dotted by state parks, wildlife preserves and quaint country towns.
Covered bridges, pastures and several lakes punctuate the rolling hills. Bicyclists and walkers find the state fascinating to explore.
The roads and paths of New York have been trod through the years, by Mohawks and Redcoats, colonists, mountain men and pioneers. Each group has left their legacy. A history buff could spend months or years exploring the state.
Thousand Islands, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence Waterway and Lake Ontario, draws many more visitors than its name suggests to the region for water sports and lakeside camping.
The Hudson Valley also provides the lakes and streams necessary for water sport enthusiasts and paddlers of all types.
Arts and cultural attractions are dispersed geographically, usually centered around the state's several cities: New York, Buffalo, Binghamton, Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, Schenectady and Albany.
Some of the more well-known individual attractions include Saratoga Springs' racing and spas, the Chautauqua Institution, and The Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow and home of Washington Irving, both situated in North Tarrytown.
Don't forget the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and Fort Ticonderoga, site of a pivotal Revolutionary War battle.
Call for exact dates and times.
February Stephenville Winter
Carnival
709-643-2795
March Labrador City Winter
Carnival
709-944-3602
March Labrador 400 Int.Dog
Sled Race
Labrador City
709-282-3101
April Art Exhibition
Stephenville
709-643-3060
June La St. Jean Baptiste
Traditional Walk Across
the Mountains
Cape St. George
709-644-2050
June Seafaring Festival
St. John's Day
709-576-8065
July 1 Canada Day celebrations
July Hangashore Folk
Festival, Corner Brook
709-643-2680
July Humber Valley
Strawberry Festival
709-635-3861
July Burin Peninsula
Festival of Folk Song
July 250th Celebration of
North West River
709-497-8533
July Newfoundland and
Labrador Craft Fair
St. John's
709-753-2749
August Annual Newfoundland and
Labrador Folk Festival
St. John's
709-576-8508
August Annual Heritage Fnd.
Folk Festival
Terra Nova National
Park
709-533-2801
Newfoundland and Labrador
Tourism and Promotion
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, Newfoundland
A1B 4J6 Canada
800-563-6353
Tucked in the northeast corner of North America, Newfoundland is a world unto itself.
Created when two land masses collided more than 1 million years ago, Newfoundland and its Labrador region are marked by rugged mountains, vast basins, emerald fields and shorefront villages.
The Vikings established a village on Newfoundland's northern tip 500 years before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America.
Because it is Canada's most eastern province, Newfoundland has had a 1,000-year history with Europe. Today, there are more than 60 English dialects, mixed with French and native American languages, spoken on Newfoundland.
The first official colonies in this region were founded in the early 1600s, but people lived here long before that. The first aboriginals lived here more than 9,000 years ago.
The island of Newfoundland is the world's 16th-largest island, situated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The entire province, which is about the size of California with 10,000 miles of coastline, has 565,000 residents. Labrador, the eastern half of the Ungava Peninsula, is a wild land with only 30,000 inhabitants.
The province is home to many fishermen who still dry cod in the sun. The region is where the warm Gulf Stream meets the northern flow of water. You can find puffins, seabirds, whales and other wildlife here.
There are 25 species of whales, more than 300 kinds of birds, thousands of caribou and the world's most southerly tundra, all within a 90-minute drive of the province's modern capital of St. John's.
St. John's is North America's oldest European settlement with a 400-year history.
Newfoundland and Labrador offer an intriguing mixture of old and new. There are airports, roads, ferries and the latest in wines and fashion. But it is the old that sets Newfoundland apart.
Old values dominate, including the family, the community and the land, and have produced a friendly culture.
To enter Canada, all U.S. citizens need is proof of residency. Passports are not required. You may stay in Canada for up to 180 days without a visa.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day Gospel Fest
Greensboro
919-373-7400
February Waxhaw Woman's Antique
Show and Sale, Waxhaw
704-843-2886
February Anniversary Celebration
of the Battle of Moores
Creek Bridge
Currie
919-283-5591
March Annual Hi Neighbor
Volleyball Tournament
Asheville
704-259-5800
March Annual Gold Leaf Square
& Round Dance Festival
Wilson
919-243-6105
April Carolina Dogwood
Festival, Statesville
704-872-6673
April Bennett Place Surrender
Reenactment Program
Durham
919-383-4345
May Annual Hanggliding
Spectacular, Nags Head
919-441-4124
May Surf & Sand Century
100-mile Outer Banks
bicycle tour
919-261-3068
June Annual Old Homes Tour
Beaufort
919-728-5225
June Blue Ridge Mountain
Fair Craft Festival
Sparta
919-372-5473
July Grandfather Mountain
Highland Games &
Gathering of Scottish
Clans, Linville
704-733-1333
August Annual Mountain Dance
& Folk Festival
Asheville
704-258-6107
September N.C. Apple Festival
Hendersonville
800-828-4244
October Indian Summer Days
Craftsman's Show & Sale
Ahoskie
919-332-2042
October Octoberfest & Windsurf
Regatta Celebration of
the Winds, Frisco
919-995-5208
Nov. & Children's Festival
December Land, Wilmington
919-762-0200
North Carolina Travel and Tourism Division
Department of Commerce
430 North Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27611
800-VISIT NC
800-847-4862
919-733-4171
FAX 919-733-8582
From the grand mountain ranges of the west to the Outer Banks islands on its eastern shore, North Carolina is a land of beauty and endless vacation opportunities.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, covering more than 250 miles between the Virginia border in the north and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the south, offers spectacular views.
For a more active look at the mountainous country, hike the Appalachian Trail or try whitewater rafting, canoeing or kayaking.
In this rugged wilderness area, you find the Nantahala National Forest and nestled in the Snowbird Mountains is the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, 3,800 acres of virgin woods. Here you also find the Qualla Boundary reservation, home of the eastern band of Cherokee Indians.
In North Carolina, there are museums depicting native culture, a folk art center displaying handicrafts and artisans demonstrating their skills, ranging from carving dulcimers to creative pottery.
Descending into the foothills region, yiou can see history come alive in the restored 18th-century Moravian village of Old Salem. You can visit a museum of the area's famous furniture industry or attend the Shakespeare Festival at High Point or visit the Guilford Courhouse National Military Park in Greensboro, site of a key battle in the Revolutionary War.
The city of Charlotte has museums, lovely parks, a variety of performances and special events and the nation's largest church complex, Calvary Church.
Central North Carolina features state parks and recreation areas where you can canoe, fish, camp and hike. There are museums depicting another era, such as the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey and the Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly. You can go horseback riding or cycling, play golf or visit the PGA/World Golf Hall of Fame.
On the Outer Banks' barrier islands, discover wild ponies, lighthouses, towering sand dunes and deserted beaches. Visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial or spend time on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, famous for surf fishing and windsurfing.
Call for exact dates and times.
June Fort Union Trading Post
Rendezvous
Williston
701-572-9083
June Riverfront Days
Fargo
701-235-2895
June Fort Seward Wagon Train
Jamestown
701-252-6844
June Scandinavain Hjemkomst
Festival
Fargo
701-237-6134
June Roughrider Days
Dickinson
701-225-5115
July Mandan Maycee Rodeo Days
Mandan
701-222-4308
July North American Regatta
Pick City
701-224-2525
July North Dakota State Fair
Minot
701-852-3113
August Champions' Ride Rodeo
Sentinel Butte
701-872-3745
August Pioneer Days
West Fargo
701-282-4444
Sept. United Tribes Powwow
Bismarck
701-255-3285
Sept. The Great American
Folkfest
Bismarck
701-223-5660
Oct. Norsk Hostfest
Minot
701-852-6000
North Dakota
Parks and Tourism
604 East Boulevard
Bismark, ND 58505
800-435-5663
From the Red River Valley to the Badlands or from wide expanses of prairie to the mighty Missouri, you can find dozens of recreational activities in North Dakota.
Once ruled by the powerful Sioux, North Dakota's natural beauty is preserved by more than 60 national wildlife refuges, numerous state parks and preserved grasslands.
But population growth is not threatening wildlife here. With 638,000 residents, North Dakota is one of the least populated states in the U.S. About one-third of North Dakota's residents are of Scandinavian descent and are known for their warm hospitality.
The state traditionally ranks in the top three in the U.S. for barley, flaxseed, wheat and rye harvests, and its huge expanses of grain fields stretch for miles.
The state's only significant forestland is clustered around several small lakes near the Turtle Mountains at the Canadian border. The area is popular for camping, fishing and recreational boating.
In the southwest corner are multi-colored buttes, tablelands and gorges of the Badlands. The Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park preserves the former President's cabin and herds of longhorns and buffalo roam on 110 square miles of this wild land.
In this region, Lake Sakakewa was created by a dam on the Missouri and provides a water playground for the arid plains.
The eastern half of the state, the Red River Valley, harbors both the majority of cities and one of the world's richest agricultural regions. Pembina Hills in the northern part of the valley provide outstanding hiking and fishing.
In the lakes and gardens region in the north central part of the state are a number of lakes stocked with fish. Here also is the only park in the world dedicated to peace. The International Peace Garden's floral beauty annually attracts visitors from around the world.
In winter, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers appreciate the miles of trails in the region and downhill skiers can be found lining the slopes of Winter Park.
North Dakota was one of the last battlefield sites in the wars between U.S. troops and native American Indians. It was here that Sitting Bull, Gall and Crazy Horse resisted the invading gold miners and Custer's troops.
Custer irrevocably changed the history of the West when he initiated gold mining trips into Sioux territory, enraging the tribe. The fateful battle that bears his name was fought in about 20 minutes in 1876. Soon thereafter the overpowered Sioux were herded onto reservations. Relics of the plains's historic heritage, in the form of forts, Indian reservations and villages, are scattered throughout the state.
Cultural activities are found around the state's capital, Bismark, and the city Fargo.
Call for exact dates and times.
Early Jan. Sunrise Festival
Held night before the
first day of sunlight
after one month of
darkness. Inuvik
403-979-2607
February Mixed Broomball Tour.
Hay River
403-874-2471
March Cabin Fever Days
Fort Liard
403-770-4104
March Wood Buffalo Frolics
Fort Smith
403-872-2014
March Caribou Carnival
Inuit and Dene
festivals
Yellowknife
403-873-9698
April Mad Trapper Jamboree
Inuvialuit games.
Aklavik
403-978-2351
April Toonik Tyme
Celebrates
Spring's arrival
Iqaluit
819-979-4095
May Umingmuk Frolics
Cambridge Bay
403-983-2337
June Kingalik Jamboree
Inuit traditional games
Holman
403-396-3706
June 19 Annual Midnight Madness
Celebrate summer
solstice, Inuvik
403-979-4321
July Annual Great Northern
Arts Festival, Inuvik
403-979-3536
August Inummarit Music
Festival, Arviat
819-857-2841
October Delta Daze
Inuvik
Northwest Territories
Economic Development
and Tourism
Box 1320
Yellowknife
Northwest Territories
X1A 2L9 Canada
800-661-0788
FAX 403-873-0294
The Northwest Territories are considered the last great wildlife refuge in the world.
This pristine region, totalling 1.3 million square miles, makes up nearly one-third of Canada's land area and is home to only 55,000 people.
This northern land, which stretches 1,988 miles from coast to coast, contains two of the largest lakes in the world. It is also home to Virginia Falls on Great Slave Lake, which is twice the height of Niagara, and the massive Mackenzie River.
Magnificent glaciers surround the highest mountain on Ellesmere Island, near the North Pole. Today, all the spectacular features of the Northwest Territories are accessible.
Countless generations of native northerners have lived off the land in the Northwest Territories and the province has a deep commitment to environmental protection.
Four rivers, the Thelon, Kazan, South Nahanni and Soper, are nationally-protected waterways. The region boasts five national parks, including the legendary Nahanni where river torrents carve their way through steep canyons in the heart of the Mackenzie Mountains, and Wood Buffalo National Park, a sub-Arctic wilderness where the world's largest herd of free-roaming bison graze.
The territories also protect the last and only nesting grounds of the rare and endangered whooping crane.
You can see Baffin Island with its awe-inspiring preserve of frozen peaks and glaciers.
This is the perfect environment for outdoor adventurers and eco-minded vacationers. There are also many guides and oufitters who are eager to make your dreams come true.
You will find small villages and native settlements with sometimes no roads to link these hamlets. There are several native tribes here, including Dene, the people of the northern forest and the Inuit. There are nine native languages spoken, from Inuktitut to Chipewyan. Most people speak English as well.
U.S. citizens do not have to have a passport or visa to enter Canada. However, proof of citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
Citizens of other countries who wish to visit Canada while in the U.S. require a valid passport.
Call for exact dates and times.
January New Year's Levee
Various locations
January- Victoria County Winter
February Games, sporting and
cultural events
February Chilli Willi Winter
-March Carnival, Springhill
March- Maple Festival Suppers
April Held province-wide
April Eastern Canadian
Fisheries Exhibition
Yarmouth
April Springtime at the
Forum, celebrating
crafts, food and art
Halifax
May Festival Acadien
d'Halifax/Dartmouth
May Annual 18th-Century
Military Encampment
Scottish cultural
event, Hardwood Lands
Hants County
May- Scotia Festival of
June Music, Halifax
May Annapolis Valley Apple
Blossom Festival
Windsor to Digby
June Shelburne County
Lobster Festival
Shelburne County
June N.S. Teddybear
Jamboree, Falmouth
June Balmoral Annual
Jamboree, Balmoral
Mills
July 1 Canada Day Celebrations
province-wide
July 1 Gathering of the Clans
Scottish Event
Pugwash
July Queens County
Privateer Days
Liverpool
July Festival Acadien de
Clare
July Maritime Old Time
Fiddling Contest
Dartmouth
July Festival of the Tartans
New Glasgow
July Mahone Bay Wooden Boat
Festival,Mahone Bay
August Musique Royale
province-wide
August Halifax Int. Buskerfest
August Hector Scottish Fest
Pictou
August Scottish Fiddling Fest
St. Ann's
September Sheffield Mills Harvest
Fair
September South Shore Festival
of the Arts
South shore counties
September Bridgetown Ciderfest
October Harvestfest
Yarmouth
November Christmas at the Forum
Halifax
Nova Scotia Department of
Tourism and Culture
P.O. Box 130
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2M7 Canada
800-565-0000 (in Canada)
800-341-6096
Nova Scotia Visitor
Information Centre
800-565-0000 (in Canada)
800-341-6096 (U.S.)
Nova Scotia offers a rich blend of unspoiled seacoast, soothing woods, bountiful wildlife and some of the friendliest people in North America.
The French settled in Nova Scotia in 1605 and founded Port Royal. Their descendants, called Acadians, now live along St. Mary's Bay in an area known as French Shore. Many of the Acadians were driven out of Nova Scotia and there now exists the Evangeline Trail, named for Longfellow's fictional heroine of the forced migration.
You can hike along countless trails, including the Evangeline, Cabot, Sunrise and Glooscap in this province or visit fashionable and cosmopolitan Halifax. The second-largest natural harbor in the world separates Halifax from its twin city of Dartmouth.
This is a wonderful region for fishing, bicycling, hiking, rockhounding and shopping. Both French and English are spoken almost everywhere.
U.S. citizens do not have to have a passport or visa to enter Canada. However, proof of citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
Citizens of other countries who wish to visit Canada while in the U.S. require a valid passport.
Call for exact dates and times.
Jan. Buckeye Classic
Sled Dog Race
Newbury
216-888-9585
Jan. World's Toughest Rodeo
Dayton
513-278-4776
Feb. Ohio Winter Ski Carnival
Mansfield
419-522-7393
Feb. Winterfest
Youngstown
216-744-2223
Feb. Traditional Powwow
Lima
419-228-1097
Feb.- Central Ohio Home and
March Garden Show
Ohio State Fairgrounds
Columbus
March Watercolor Ohio
Coshocton
614-622-8710
March National Home and
Garden Show
Cleveland
216-529-1300
March Great Midwest Quilt
Show and Sale
Dayton
513-932-1817
March Ohio Wine and Arts
Festival
614-444-1974
April Spring Floral Festival
Cincinatti Zoo
513-559-7721
July Annie Oakley Days
Greenville
August Shaker Woods Festival
Columbiana
216-457-7615
Sept. Beavercreek Popcorn
Festival
Beavercreek
513-426-3235
October Dayton Art Institute
Oktoberfest
513-223-5277
Nov.- Christmas in Colonial
Dec. America
Statewide
State of Ohio's Division of Travel and Tourism
P.O. Box 1001
Columbus, OH 43266-0001
800-BUCKEYE
800-282-5393
With sandy beaches, verdant parks, quaint farming communities, wineries and more Amish enclaves than anywhere else in the world, Ohio has much to offer travelers.
The Buckeye State is surrounded by water on three sides -- it cradles Lake Erie in the north and is bordered by the Ohio River on the south and east. These bodies of water, combined with several lakes inland, including one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, provide waterborne recreation.
Rivers thread down from Lake Erie, irrigating the land and producing lush green countryside and fertile soil.
The mountains and hills that once provided the coal that fired the nation's industries are now scenic and hikable. They provide inclines for downhill skiing during winter and cross-country skiers enjoy the trails at their base.
Ohioans and their guests enjoy canoeing, sailing and fishing on more than 26,000 miles of waterways. Birdwatching along the Great Lakes flyway is another favorite pastime.
Though the state has more large and medium-sized cities than any other U.S. state, and is ranked seventh in population with close to 11 million people, it has protected much of its natural beauty in 72 parks covering 207,000 acres.
Ohio is equally famous for its industrial production and its agriculture. Biking through charming farmland and rural countryside is a favorite activity.
The Amish, a Mennonite Protestant sect, live as if in the 19th century on quiet rural farms. They wear simple clothing and travel by horse-drawn buggies. Ironically, while they search for a quiet, simple life separate from society, they have become a huge tourist attraction. People love to watch them tend fields, raise barns and just go about their day.
Ohio has been home to many presidents, including Garfield, Grant, Harding, Harrison, Hayes, McKinley and Taft, and astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. The state has an interesting historical heritage.
The mystical mounds built thousands of years ago by a prehistoric people are protected and are frequent tourist destinations. Each of the homes of the presidents are also preserved as museums, and there are several colonial villages that host reenactments.
Cultural activities are generally associated with the state's larger cities. Primary individual tourist attractions include Sea World in Aurora, a German Village in Columbus, the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, King's Island and Cedar Point amusement parks and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Call for exact dates and times.
January International Finals
Rodeo, Oklahoma City
405-236-5000
February Longhorn World
Championship Rodeo
Tulsa
918-596-7177
February Bullnanza
Guthrie
405-282-3004
February World Championship
Hog Calling Contest
Weatherford
405-772-3301
March Timed Event
Championship of the
World,top 25 all-around
cowboys compete
Guthrie
405-282-3004
late Mar. Fort Washita Fur Trade
& early Rendezvous
April 1840s reenactment
Durant
405-924-6502
April Rattlesnake hunts and
accompanying events:
Waurika, 405-228-2713
Apache, 405-588-2880
Waynoka, 405-824-6651
Okeene, 405-822-3005
Mangum, 405-782-2444
April Festival of the Arts
Oklahoma City
405-236-1426
April Cimarron Territory
Celebration and Cow
Chip Throw, Beaver
405-625-4726
April Crystal Festival
Cherokee
405-596-3053
May Gilcrease Rendezvous
Fair, Tulsa
918-582-3122
June Annual Tulsa Powwow
Tulsa
918-835-8699
June Chisholm Trail Festival
Yukon
405-354-4513
June Route 66 Cruise
statewide
405-495-7866
June FreeWheel
family bike ride across
the state, Durant to
Caldwell, Kansas
918-581-8385
June Red Earth Festival
Oklahoma City
405-427-5228
July Pawnee Indian Veterans
Homecoming & Powwow
918-762-2108
July International Brick &
Rolling Pin Festival
Stroud
918-968-3321
August Oklahoma All-Night
Singing, Konawa
405-925-3434
August Annual Freedom Rodeo &
Old Cowhand Reunion
Freedom
405-621-3276
September Cherokee National
Holiday, Tahlequah
918-458-5698
Mid-Sept. State Fair
to early Oklahoma City
October 405-948-6700
October Festival of the Horse
Oklahoma City
405-842-4141
October National Children's
Cowboy Festival
405-478-2250
November Will Rogers Days
wreath-laying, parade,
other events remember
state's favorite son
Claremore
918-341-2818
December Territorial Christmas
Celebration, step into
Victorian past
Guthrie
405-282-1947
(starts Nov. 26)
December World Championship
Barrel Racing
Oklahoma City
405-278-8900
Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department
P.O. Box 60789
Oklahoma City,OK 73146-0789
800-652-OKLA
800-652-6552
405-521-2409 (local calls)
State park and resort info:
800-654-8240
FAX 405-521-3992
Oklahoma State Arts Council
Jim Thorpe Building
Room 640
Oklahoma City,OK 73105-4987
405-521-2931
Oklahoma Assoc. of Fairs
and Festivals
P.O. Box 2527
Stillwater, OK 74076
405-372-8617
Oklahoma Historical Society
Historical Building
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-2491
Oklahoma is a rich patchwork of cities and towns, red rock canyons, windswept prairies, forests and vast waters that mirror panoramic blue skies.
The granite mountains, wheat fields and buffalo-inhabited plains of the southwest give way to the mesas, buttes, gypsum sand dunes and expansive praires of the northwest. The northeast's emerald hills and lakes blend into the pine-timbered mountains, evergreen forests and whitewater rivers of the southeast.
Central Oklahoma is "frontier country," conjuring up images of cowboys, cattle drives and wide open spaces.
Parks and campgrounds of diverse topography wait to the explored: alabaster caverns, waterfalls, sheer cliffs and an eerie landscape of salt plains storing a treasure of buried crystals.
The state's history ranges from ancient Indian civilizations, great cattle drives and pioneer settlement to oil empires.
Oklahoma history took a dramatic turn on September 16, 1893, when a pistol shot rang out and more than 100,000 settlers raced for their free share of 7 million acres of land known as the Cherokee Strip. These former buffalo hunting grounds of the Cherokee Indians were transformed in just a day.
Before Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907 as the 46th state, it was known as Indian Territory and today more native Americans live in Oklahoma than anywhere else. Some 67 different tribes reside here and a wide variety of festivals and events are held each year, including Red Earth, the world's largest gathering of American Indians. Held in Oklahoma City, Red Earth features dance competitions.
Bluegrass music and other music styles are showcased in festivals, concerts and competitions throughout the state and art galleries feature the priceless works of America's foremost Western and Indian artists.
Action and thrills await you at rodeos across the state, from small-town gatherings to world championships. You can take a turn working as a cowboy for a week at a guest ranch.
Active adventures are plentiful, whether it's hanggliding off Buffalo Mountain, scuba diving in Broken Bow Lake, skydiving over the prairie, riding a dune buggy through Little Sahara or canoeing on the Illinois River.
For an adventure of another kind, take a drive along famous U.S. Route 66.
Call for exact dates and times.
January North Victoria Frost
Fest, area wide
705-738-4813
January Northern Lights Winter
Carnival, Thunder Bay
807-625-2305
February Huntsville Winter
Wonderfest
705-789-8113
February Snowsnake Tournament
Iroquoian winter games
519-759-2650
March Return of the Tundra
Swans, Aylmer and Grand
Bend
519-773-9241
July 1 Canada Day
Province-wide
November Children's
Environmental Festival
Toronto
416-973-3000
Nov.-Dec. Winter Festival of
Lights, Niagara Falls
416-356-6061
December Wonder Kingdom
family festival
Toronto
800-363-1990
Ministry of Culture Tourism and Recreation
77 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2R9 Canada
800-ONTARIO
800-668-2746
Ontario is a unique province that offers something for everyone. It has 250,000 lakes and more rivers than can be counted. The landscape is an exciting mix of vast forests, rocky peaks, hills and and lush farmland.
Ontario is the second-largest province in Canada, covering 412,582 square miles. One-third of Canada's people, more than nine million, live in Ontario.
The name Ontario comes from the Iroquois word "Skanadario," meaning beautiful water. Forests cover 310,369 square miles, and 90 percent of these woods are owned by the government.
White settlers arrived in this region in the 1600s. The first Hudson Bay Company fort was established at Moosonee on James Bay in 1673. The long-standing rivalry between Great Britain and France for this region came to an end in 1759, with Great Britain the victor.
The American Revolution south of Canada proved to be good news for Ontario. Not only did the war prompt the creation of Canada, it became the mecca for 80,000 American colonists who remained loyal to the British crown and discreetly moved north to Ontario.
Almost overnight, forests were hacked down to make way for this population boom.
As agriculture and the timber industry grew, immigrants from Britain began to flood the province. Some settled in the elegant town houses of Toronto, Kingston and other small cities.
Despite wars and skirmishes and coalitions with neighboring provinces, life continued relatively happily in Ontario up through the 20th century. Daredevils went over Niagara Falls in barrels, the Women's Christian Temperance Union agitated for Prohibition and Mrs. Dionne gave birth to quintuplets.
The Group of Seven Toronto painters revolutionized Canadian art and in the north a railway worker threw a hammer at what he thought was the glitter of a fox's eye and hit the world's richest silver vein.
With the discovery of gold and nickel deposits, and with its timber, paper and agricultural industries, Ontario became the country's richest province.
Ontario is home to two international cities, Toronto on Lake Ontario which is also the province's capital, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.
In Ottawa, the Parliament Buildings are set high on a hill overlooking the Ottawa River. The center block is crowned by the 302-foot Peace tower with a carillon of 53 bells. A white light burns on top of the tower when Parliament is in session and an eternal flame burns in front of the Parliament buildings as a symbol of Canada's 100 years of nationhood.
Call for exact dates and times.
February Oregon Shakespeare
Festival, Ashland
503-482-4331
February Newport Seafood & Wine
Festival, Newport
800-262-7844
503-265-8801
March All-Northwest
Barbershop Ballad
Contest, Forest Grove
503-357-3006
April Pear Blossom Festival
Medford
503-734-7327
April Blossom Festival
Hood River Valley
800-366-3530
503-385-2000
April Great Astoria Crab
Feed & Seafood
Festival, Astoria
503-325-6311
May Tygh Valley Rodeo
All-Indian Rodeo
Tygh Valley
503-544-3371
May Rhododendron Festival
Florence
503-997-3128
June Linn County Pioneer
Picnic, celebrated
annually since 1900
Brownsville
503-466-5666
June Rockhound Powwow,
Rock collectors fest
Prineville
503-447-6760
Jun-Jul Annual Chamber Music
Northwest Summer
Festival, Portland
503-223-3202
June Rogue River Rooster
Crow, Rogue River
503-582-0242
July 2-4 St. Paul Rodeo
Pacific Northwest's
largest, St. Paul
800-237-5920
503-633-2151
July 2-5 Molalla Buckeroo
One of Northwest's
oldest rodeos, Molalla
503-829-6941
July 3-5 World Championship
Timber Carnival
Albany
503-928-2391
503-926-1517
Mid-Jul Da Vinci Days
Celebration of art,
science & technology
Corvallis
503-757-6363
July Miner's Jubilee
Gold-mining festival
Baker City
800-523-1235
503-523-5855
Late-Jul Oregon Coast Music
Festival, Coos Bay,
North Bend, Charleston
503-267-0938
800-824-8486
Late-Jul Chief Joseph Days
Joseph
503-426-4622
503-432-1015
Jul-Aug Great Oregon Steamup
Steam-powered farm
equipment show
Brooks
503-393-2424
August Scandinavian Festival
Junction City
503-998-6154
Aug-Sept Oregon State Fair
Salem
503-378-3247
September Pendleton Round-up
Famous rodeo
800-457-6336
503-276-2553
September Oktoberfest
Mt. Angel
503-845-9440
503-845-2456
September Alpenfest, Swiss-style
harvest festival
Wallowa Lake
503-432-4704
November Annual Kraut & Sausage
Feed and Bazaar
Held annually for over
58 years
503-359-5425
December Rickreall Christmas
Pageant, Rickreall
Pageant produced
yearly for 5 decades
503-623-2959
Oregon Tourism Division
775 Summer Street N.E.
Salem, OR 97310
800-547-7842
After traveling nearly 2,000 miles of rugged wilderness in ox-drawn wagons, the settlers who followed the Oregon Trail found themselves in the "land of promise" of snowcapped peaks and lush valleys.
Almost 150 years after that famous journey, Oregon remains a land of natural beauty, wonderful seafood, fantastic shorelines and lush mountain wilderness.
You can follow scenic highways along portions of the Oregon Trail or visit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and see the original wagon ruts of those first settlers.
Different regions of the state can vary widely in climate and terrain. From the warm, wet coastal regions to the near desert conditions of the southeastern part of the state, Oregon contains rain forests as well as deserts and Alpine mountains.
Oregon's capital city is Salem, situated in the northwest part of the state and home to the state fair.
Portland, the City of Roses and Oregon's largest city, is home to 1.5 million people, two rivers, 23 theatre companies, 50 galleries and museums and thousands of acres of parks.
The majestic Pacific coast with its pine-covered islands is one of the highlights of the state, as is Hell's Canyon Gorge, the deepest chasm in North America. Majestic Mt. Hood is another of Oregon's natural wonders as are the vast sand dunes of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, created by glaciers more than 15,000 years ago.
Other sites include the incredible prehistoric fossils at John Day National Monument, one of the most important fossil finds of the 20th century.
See the incredible volcanic cinder cones of Crater Lake and don't miss Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
Oregon, nicknamed the Beaver State, has the state motto, "The Union."
Call for exact dates and times.
Jan. Pennyslvania Farm Show
Harrisburg
717-787-5373
Feb. 5th Annual Presidential
Jazz Weekend
Philadelphia
212-636-1666
Feb. Penn's Woods West Folk
and Arts Festival
Mercer
800-637-2370
Feb. President's Weekend at
Valley Forge National
Historical Park
215-783-1077
March Pennsylvania Maple
Festival
Meyersdale
814-634-0213
May Pittsburgh Folk Festival
412-281-5173
May Greater Harrisburg Arts
Festival
717-238-5180
May- Longwood Gardens
Sept. Festival of Fountains
215-388-6741
June Air Show '93
Wilkes Barre/Scranton
717-346-0671
July Pennsylvania
Renaissance Faire
Cornwall
717-665-7021
August Three Rivers Regatta
Pittsburgh
412-261-7055
August Das Awkscht Fescht
Macungie
215-435-5102
August Lebanon Bologna Fest
Lebanon
717-272-8555
Sept. Harrisburg Kipona
Celebration
717-255-3020
Sept. Keystone Country Fair
Altoona
800-84-ALTOONA
Sept. 25th Annual Chadds Ford
Days
Chadds Ford
215-388-7376
Oct. Pennsylvania State
Flaming Foliage Festival
Renovo
717-923-2642
Pennsylvania Office of Travel Marketing
Department of Commerce
453 Forum Building
Harrisburg, PA 17210
717-787-5453
Bureau of State Parks
P.O. Box 8551
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8551
800-63-PARKS
800-637-2757
Provides information on state park facilities.
Bureau of Forestry
P.O. Box 8552
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8552
717-783-7941
Provides information of public use of state forests.
Since Quaker William Penn founded "Penn's Woods" centuries ago, Pennsylvania has been a haven for travelers.
Pioneers picked up their Conestoga Wagons in Lancaster before pushing westward. Today, visitors head to Lancaster to visit the peaceful Amish community that still travels in much the same fashion, by horse and buggy.
Pennsylvania's network of state highways, nearly 45,000 miles, is longer than New Jersey and New England's combined. The land that the road bisects, anchored in the west by Pittsburgh and the east by Philadelphia, is beautiful and wild in many regions.
The Appalachian and Allegheny mountains form a spine in the center of the state, sloping down to lowlands near Philadelphia at one end and Lake Erie on the other. The mountains, especially the Poconos in the northeast, provide an Alpine playground during all seasons.
The expanse that surrounds the sizable cities is remarkably rural. The state has managed to retain its colonial charm and many historic buildings dot the countryside.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary during 1993, the state park system with 114 parks is widespread. Parks are within a 25-mile radius of every citizen in the state, and there are more than 7,000 sites, both wild and with electric hook-ups, for campers to choose from.
Hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and canoeing, especially in the Susquehanna Valley, are popular activities.
The Allegheny National Forest Region, a half-million acres of unspoiled forest, sits in the state's northeast corner near the New York border.
The forest boasts miles of hiking trails, more than 300 miles of snowmobile trails and 44 miles of paths for cross-country skiers. Along the way, travelers can glimpse more wildlife than in any other area of the state. Black Bear, whitetail deer, turkey, grouse, pheasant, and elk all wander the woods.
Anglers flock to the forest in search of creeks teeming with walleye and trout. The area also is home to the "Pennsylvania Grand Canyon" a 1,000-foot drop at Pine Creek in Tioga County.
For those more interested in art and culture than the outdoors, Pennsylvania obliges. Philadelphia is the artistic hub of the state, but cultural activities abound throughout. The well-known Wyeth family of painters reside in Chadds Ford, and the nearby Brandywine River Museum has one of the finest collections of Wyeth paintings available. Nearby, Lancaster harbors an enclave of artists.
Pennsylvania's place in American history is well carved and history buffs gravitate to the region. Decisive battles of the Revolution were fought on Pennsylvanian soil, and the Civil War began when troops crossed the Mason Dixon line along its border with Maryland. The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, then the largest city in the colonies.
The state's primary individual tourist attractions include Independence Hall, National Historic Park, Franklin Institute Science Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art, all in Philadelphia. Other features are Valley Forge National Historic Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania Dutch Country and Hershey Park.
Call for exact dates and times.
February Charlottetown Winter
Carnival
902-892-5708
May Ceilidh at the Irish
Hall, Charlottetown
Irish and Scottish
music
902-566-3273
June Charlottetown Festival
902-566-1267
June Annual Arrival of Anne
at Green Gables House
Cavendish
902-963-2082
June Summerside Highland
Gathering, piping and
Celtic performance arts
Summerside
902-436-5377
June Annual West River
Festival, Churchill
902-675-3389
July 1 Canada Day Celebration
(all areas)
July Old Farm Day
Orwell Corner Historic
Village
902-651-2013
July Old Time Scottish
Square Dance
Richmond
July Annual Lobster Shanty
North Shore and Shine
Montague
902-838-4733
July- Northumberland
Aug. 1 Provincial Fisheries
Festival, Murray River
902-962-2633
August Hydroplane Regatta
Summerside
902-436-2153
August Annual Highland Games
Eldon
902-659-2337
August National Acadian
Festival, Mont-Carmel
902-854-2227
August Annual Community
Harvest Festival
Kensington
902-836-3509
September Evangeline Region
Agricultural Exhibition
and Acadian Festival
Abram-Village
902-436-4877
September Maritime Horseshoe
Players Assoc. Annual
Tournament, Summerside
902-436-8797
September P.E.I. Festival of the
Arts, island-wide
Prince Edward Island
Department of Tourism
Visitors Services
P.O. Box 940
Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Canada C1A 7M5
800-565-0267
Prince Edward Island is a lush, green island filled with friendly people, fantastic coastline, fresh seafood and spectacular cycling routes.
This is the home of Anne of Green Gables, rich red soil, sand dunes and sawgrass, Malpeque oysters, lobsters and mussels you can dig yourself.
The island has clean air, warm ocean water due to its sheltered location on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and rolling hills of potato fields. You find fresh bread and blueberries at roadside stands and welcoming bed and breakfast establishments just waiting for guests.
From end to end, Prince Edward is 140 miles. Its capital is Charlottetown, which has a population of only 16,000.
A traveler can reach the island by air or by ferries, which sail from New Brunswick, and Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine.
The island has little traffic and its country roads and trails are ideal for cycling. Novice cyclers will need about a week to tour half the island. There are also ample opportunities to walk and hike on the national and provincial parks. The marked trails in the Dalvay, Stanhope and Cavendish areas lead hikers through farmland, woods and marsh.
A new trail developed through the wetlands of the Indian River Sanctuary near Kensington is an excellent spot for bird observation.
There are also ample opportunities to golf, paddle or sunbathe at the many parks and beaches. And many say the windsurfing conditions off Prince Edward are ideal.
In winter, Prince Edward is a favorite spot for cross-country skiers who can take advantage of off-season rates at many hotels and restaurants.
There are several Nordic touring centers and many routes for snowmobiling. The island also has figure skating rinks and programs for residents and visitors.
U.S. citizens do not have to have a passport or visa to enter Canada. However, proof of citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
Citizens of other countries who wish to visit Canada while in the U.S. require a valid passport.
Call for exact dates and times.
April Canada Goose Festival
Plaisance
May Argenteuil Int. Rafting
Festival, Calumet
May Images du Futur
Old Port, Montreal
May Festival de threatre des
Ameriques
Montreal
June Festival of Quebec
Musicians, Tadoussac
June Le Tour de L'Ile
World's largest cycling
event, Montreal
June Festival de L'art
Quebecois de la Nature
Laval
June Shrimp Festival
Matane
June Jazz and Blues festival
in Quebec
July Montreal Int. Jazz Fest
July Quebec Int. Summer
Festival, Quebec
July Drummondville World
Folklore Festival
July Just for Laughs Festival
Montreal
August Blueberry Festival
Mistassini
August Innu Nikamu
Native Indian bands
perform, Maliotenam
August Hot Air Balloon Festival
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
August Int. Gourmet Festival
Montreal
August World Film Festival
Montreal
Sept. Quebec Int. Film
Festival, Quebec
October Snow Goose Festival
Montmagny
Tourism Quebec
P.O. Box 979
Montreal, Quebec
H3C 2W3 Canada
800-363-7777
Quebec is a vast land with many faces.
There are regions washed with sea spray. In the Far North, there is a kingdom of caribou, forests, fish and game.
This is also the region where the French and English worlds merge and sometimes collide.
Here you find the charm of the French-speaking Quebecois, warm and friendly people renowned for their sense of fun and adventure.
In the south, you can visit Quebec City, famous for its winter festivals and its European character and cuisine. Near the border of New York and Vermont, there is the cosmopolitan city of Montreal.
In the far north, are the Inuit Indian people, with their unique culture.
In the middle of the province are fabulous parks where you can kayak, raft on whitewater, hike, trek and bicycle. Among the most beautiful is the nature reserve of the Laurentides.
Jacques Cartier set foot in Quebec in 1534 and took possession of the territory in the name of his French King. In 1642, Paul Choedey de Maisonneuve established a small dwelling in what has become Montreal.
In 1759, the English captured Quebec and took control of the rest of what was called "New France" in 1763. The French, through the Quebec Act of 1774, retained the rights to their own language, religion and civil law.
In 1987, the Meech Lake Agreement was signed to assure constitutional protection for Quebec's efforts to preserve its French language and culture. The measure, which had to be approved by all provincial legislatures, failed in 1990 when Newfoundland and Manitoba failed to approve it.
Despite the political skirmishes over its language and identity, Quebec retains a rich heritage and connection to its ethnic heritage.
The province covers 523,859 square miles and has 6.7 million residents.
Call for exact dates and times.
Feb. Newport Winter Festival
Newport
401-849-8048
Feb. Mid-Winter Eastern
Surfing Associaton
Championships
Narragansett
401-789-1954
March Irish Heritage Month
Newport
401-849-8048
May Gaspee Days
Warwick
401-781-1772
June Annual Newport Outdoor
Art Festival
401-846-7843
June- The World Scholar
July Athlete Games
Newport
401-849-9724
July Newport Music Festival
401-846-1133
July Wickford Art Festival
401-295-5566
July Newport Regatta
401-846-1983
August Ben & Jerry's Newport
Folk Festival
401-847-3709
August JVC Jazz Festival
Newport
401-847-3700
Sept. Providence Waterfront
Festival
401-785-9450
Sept. 4th Annual Taste of
Rhode Island
Newport
401-846-1600
Oct. International Quahog
Festival
Wickford
401-885-6061
Nov. Montgolfier Day Balloon
Regatta
Providence
401-253-0111
Dec. Christmas in Newport
401-847-1000
Rhode Island
Tourism Division
7 Jackson Walkway
Providence, RI 02903
800-556-2484
The United States's tiniest state is big on tourism.
The Ocean State has always been a haven for those who enjoy deep-sea fishing, quietly sailing in Narragansett Bay, or lounging beachside along the 384-mile shoreline. Its islands, particulary Block Island, and the town of Newport on Rhode Island's mainland are popular destinations for travelers.
Picturesque fishing villages line both the Atlantic coast and Narragansett Bay, and there are almost always boats available to take travelers out to sea for fishing, windjamming or whale watching. Biking along the coast, and around the spectacular islands, is also a favorite activity.
Several state parks dot the eastern half of the state, particularly along the border with Connecticut, providing hiking, walking and camping opportunities during summer and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in winter.
There are four national wildlife refuges -- three are on the mainland and one sits at the tip of Block Island. Birdwatchers flock to these areas that serve as stopovers for harbor birds on their journey along the Atlantic Flyway.
Numerous species visit or live in the refuges, including the piping plover, peregrine falcon, owls, hawks, woodcock, osprey, scaups, mergansers, scoters and several other types of waterfowl. Gray fox, river otter, coyote, white-tailed deer, opossum and other mammals also reside in the preserves.
Rhode Island's history stretches back to the mid 17th century when Roger Williams founded Providence after being exiled from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Through the years, the state has managed to retain its colonial charm. Old homes and historic sites dot the small villages and are integrated into the small city of Providence.
Providence, the state' capital, serves as the cultural hub of the region.
Newport is the most famous of Rhode Island's tourist destinations. It is home to a number of opulent summer "cottages" and hosts one of yachting's most prestigious races.
The primary tourist attractions include Newport mansions, yachting races, Touro Synagogue, Newport, built in 1763, and the first Baptist Church in America, Providence, built in 1638.
Call for exact dates and times.
May Vesna Festival
Ukranian Celebration
of Spring
Saskatoon
306-931-8659
May Golden Sheaf Awards
Yorkton Film and Video
Festival
Yorkton
306-782-7077
June MOSAIC - Festival of
Culture
Regina
306-757-5990
June- Saskatchewan Jazz Fest
July Saskatoon
June Frontier Days Regional
-July Fair and Rodeo
Swift Current
306-773-2944
July Wood Mountain Wagon Trek
Willowbunch to Wood
Mountain
306-642-4632
July Big Valley Jamboree
Craven
306-721-6060
July Saskatchewan Handcraft
Festival
Battleford
306-653-3616
Aug. Buffalo Days
Regina
306-781-9200
Aug. Folkfest
Saskatoon
306-931-0100
Sep.- Western Canada Old Tyme
Oct. Fiddling Championship
306-773-6030
Nov. Saskatoon Fall Fair and
Mexabition
Saskatoon
306-931-7149
Nov. Wintergreen Craft Fair
Regina
306-653-3616
Late Canadian Western
Nov. Agribition, premiere fair
Regina
306-565-0565
Tourism Saskatchewan
Department of
Economic Development
1919 Saskatchewan Drive
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 3V7 Canada
800-667-7191
306-787-2300
Saskatchewan sprawls over 250,000 square miles in the heartland of Canada. In the south, you find sun-drenched wheat fields and to the north, forested wilderness.
The name of the province comes from the Plains Indian word "kisiskatchewan" meaning "the river that runs swiftly," referring to the Saskathewan River that bisects the province.
The most popular image of Saskatchewan is the tabletop prairie that appears to stretch forever. Nearly 60 percent of Canada's wheat is grown here. Fields of ripening wheat, canola and mustard dazzle the viewer with their brilliance and contrast against the bold, blue Saskatchewan sky.
The flat southern expanse of wheat and ranching country is interrupted in spots by some spectacular landscapes. The Big Muddy Badlands and Grasslands National Park offer a wide range of perspectives of Saskatchewan. The rugged hills and deep coulees near Eastend have given the area around this southwest town the nickname "Valley of Hidden Secrets."
There are also desert areas near Douglas Provincial Park and Good Spirit Lake. In the far north, Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park protects the world's most northern sand dune formations.
Northern Saskatchewan offers another world entirely. The Precambrian wilderness is a land of evergreen forests and more than 100,000 lakes, whitewater rivers and rapids.
This north country boats some of the best fishing and canoeing on the continent.
One of Saskatchewan's top tourism destinations is Prince Albert National Park, where hiking and nature observation opportunies are plentiful. Here you find elk, deer, badger, moose, wolves and bison.
To learn more about the Plains Indians, who lived here for thousands of years, visit the Wanuskewin Heritage Park just outside Saskatoon. Nearly 6,000 years worth of artifacts which detail Indian life and culture are preserved and interpreted. Aboriginal history is also on display in Regina, at the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History's new First Nations Gallery.
U.S. citizens do not have to have a passport or visa to enter Canada. However, proof of citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
Citizens of other countries who wish to visit Canada while in the U.S. require a valid passport.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Grand American Coon
Hunt, Orangeburg
803-534-6821
February Lowcountry Oyster
Festival, Charleston
803-577-4030
February Africa Alive
Rock Hill
803-329-2121
March Spring Tour of Homes
Beaufort
803-524-0363
March Possum Creep Festival
Barnwell
803-259-3416
April World Grits Festival
St. George
803-743-5002
April Chicken Strut
Bethune
803-334-6785
May Carolina Legends: A
Musical Celebration
803-285-7451
May Spoleto Festival USA
Charleston
803-722-2764
June Juneteen Festival
commemorating end of
slavery on June 19,1865
Greenville
803-271-4612
June S.C. Festival of
Flowers, Greenwood
803-223-8411
July 3 Hillbilly Day
Mountain Rest
803-638-6871
July Freedom Weekend Aloft
Greenville
803-232-3700
July S.C. Tobacco Festival
Lake City
803-394-3431
August Waccamaw Riverfest
Conway
803-248-2273
August Foothills Festival
Easley
803-855-5629
Sept.- Wildewood Polo Matches
to Nov. Columbia
803-782-9994
September Golden Leaf Festival
Mullins
803-464-6204
October Poke Sallet Reunion
Chesnee
803-461-3102
October Moja Arts Festival
showcasing African-
American and Caribbean
cultures
Charleston
803-724-7305
October S.C. State Fair
Columbia
803-799-3387
November Heritage Celebration
St. Helena Island
803-838-2432
November Chitlin' Strut
hog calling contests,
music, crafts, chicken
dinners and chitlins
Salley
803-258-3485
December Catfish Stomp
Elgin
803-438-2362
December Lights Before Christmas
Riverbanks Zoo
Columbia
803-779-8717
South Carolina
Division of Tourism
P.O. Box 71
Columbia, SC 29202
803-734-0122
FAX 803-734-0138
South Carolina has beautiful beaches, historic Charleston and resort islands in the east and gentle, rolling blue hills in the west. From coast to mountains, there is much to explore in the Palmetto State.
In this special state, you can raft the rapids of the Chattooga or join in a rousing Appalachian dance at Oconee State Park.
You may stroll through magnolia-scented gardens and serene old churchyards or pull up a porch rocker, sit back and smell the honeysuckle.
Share secluded island beaches with the shorebirds. Canoe on gentle currents through stands of oak and cypress trees, bike down quiet roads, waterski on clear lakes or hike mountain trails with impressive vistas.
Fish legendary waters, golf on celebrated greens and feast on world-famous seafood.
As you travel around this state, you learn much of the nation's history because South Carolina has played a key role during the last three centuries.
The first British property seized by force by American Revolutionary soldiers was Fort Charlotte on July 12, 1775 and on Dec. 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Soon after, federal Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor fell to the Confederates.
Since 1786, the capital of the Palmetto State has been Columbia in the midlands, a hub of the arts, education and history.
Call for exact dates and times.
March Schmeckfest
Freeman
605-297-4150
June Fort Sisseton
Historical Festival
Fort Sisseton State
Park
605-448-5701
June Czech Days
Tabor
605-463-2331
July Black Hills Roundup
Belle Fourche
605-892-2676
July Sitting Bull Stampede
Mobridge
605-845-2387
July Burke Stampede Rodeo
605-775-2621
July Black Hills and
Northern Plains Indian
Powwow and Arts
Exposition
Rapid City
605-341-0925
July Days of 1910
Celebration
Timber Lake
605-865-3416
Aug. Days of '76
Deadwood
605-578-1876
Aug. Milbank Trainfest
605-432-6656
Aug. Prairie Village
Threshing Jamboree
Madison
605-256-3644
Aug.- South Dakota State Fair
Sept. Huron
605-352-1431
Sept. Northern Plain Tribal
Arts
Sioux Falls
605-334-4060
Dec. Frozen Foot Rendezvous
Oakwood Lakes State
Park
605-693-4589
South Dakota Tourism
711 Wells Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501-3369
605-773-3301
Made up of the Badlands, the Black Hills, the Missouri River, the second-largest cave system in the world, the pristine Black Elk Wilderness Area and many miles of open prairie, South Dakota is an adventure traveler's paradise.
The mighty Dakota Sioux once rode here, and their legacy has not disappeared. Approximately 70,000 Sioux still live in the state and continue to celebrate their native traditions. More than 100 museums, shops and visitor centers display native handicraft and artifacts. The popular film "Dances With Wolves" was filmed here on what was once Sioux land.
Travelers have been journeying through South Dakota since the days when the land schooners of the pioneers made their way west. The state's history is well preserved in several tourist destinations and is matched only by its overwhelming natural beauty.
America's oldest mountains, the Black Hills, rose out of the surrounding flatlands 60 million years ago, about the time the dinosaurs disappeared. They cover an area 50 miles wide and 120 miles long and rise as high as 7,000 feet. The Sioux were very attached to the area and fought and died to keep it wild.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Jewel Cave and Devils Tower National Monument and four national parks lie within the Black Hills.
Badlands National Park is about 50 miles to the east.
The park's 380 miles of eroded formations look like a moonscape or an ocean drained. Its mighty spires, haystack hills, natural bridges, chasms, and low-slung buttes are some of the gems in this national park.
A ring of limestone surrounding the granite core of the Black Hills houses a network of 68 caves which are hundreds of millions of years old. Adventurous spelunkers don hardhats and explore the area. Two of the caves, which include 80 miles of passageways, are preserved as national parks or monuments.
South Dakota's Great Lakes were formed in 1944 when Congress decided to dam the Missouri. They cover 900 miles of open water and 3,000 miles of shoreline. Canoeists and boaters of all kinds skim above the surface, and anglers find over three dozen species of fish below. The most popular are walleye, chinook salmon and northern pike.
The Missouri River continues its southward journey through a 60-mile stretch of unspoiled wilderness in the southeastern corner of the state. As part of the National Wild and Scenic Program, the region is a favorite among paddlers.
Six National Wildlife Refuges protect portions of South Dakota, four of which are centered around the more than 100 Glacial Lakes in the state's northeast corner.
These natural features combined with 40 state parks and innumerable wildlife species -- from wild burros, mustangs and buffalo to mountain goats, antelope, bighorn sheep and hundreds of species of birds -- make South Dakota a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.
Plus, the state is sparsely populated with fewer than 10 people per square mile.
When snow falls, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers and downhill skiers descend on the state to enjoy the 150 inches of snow that falls annually on the Black Hills area.
Ghosts towns, forts, old villages, reservations and recreated pioneer settlements also entertain history buffs all throughout the state.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Eagle Watch Tours
Reelfoot Lake State Park
Tiptonville
901-253-7756
(Dec. 1 to mid-March)
February International Indoor
Tennis Championship
Memphis
901-765-4400
March Tennessee Old-Time
Fiddlers Championship
Clarksville
615-648-0001
April Mule Day
Columbia
615-381-9557
April Dogwood Arts Festival
Knoxville
615-637-4561
April World's Biggest Fish
Fry
Paris
901-642-3431
May Trenton Teapot Festival
Trenton
901-855-0979
June International Country
Music Fan Fair
Nashville
615-889-7503
June Riverbend Festival
Chattanooga
800-322-3344
July Folk Medicine Festival
Red Boiling Springs
615-699-2180
August Elvis International
Tribute Week
Graceland Mansion
Memphis
800-238-2010
August International Grand
Championship Walking
Horse Show
Murfreesboro
615-890-9120
Sept. Tennessee State Fair
Nashville
615-862-8980
October Fall Craftsmen's Fair
Gatlinburg
615-436-7479
Nov. & Smoky Mountain Christmas
Dec. Dollywood
Pigeon Forge
615-428-9488
Tennessee Department of
Tourist Development
P.O. Box 23170
Nashville, TN 37202-3170
615-741-2158
Tennesse Arts Commission
320 6th Avenue North
Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37243-0780
615-741-1701
Tennessee's diverse and beautiful landscape, rich musical heritage and colorful history provide an array of attractions to entice every visitor.
Tennesseans spend a lot of time outdoors and it's easy to see why. Houseboating, hanggliding, hiking, horseback riding, camping, canoeing, whitewater rafting and water skiing are a few of many ways to enjoy this state. In the winter, you can crosscountry ski at Roan Mountain, the South's only Nordic skiing resort park.
The 29 major lakes and 19,000 miles of streams are studded with marinas and public access areas. Wherever you are in Tennessee, you are never more than an hour's drive from one of 50 state parks, such as the Reelfoot Lake State Resort Park, a wintering ground for bald eagles. Created by a series of severe eathquakes during the bitter cold winter of 1811-12, Reelfoot Lake is one of the nation's finest natural fish hatcheries. The largest state park is Natchez Trace, covering more than 43,000 acres.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border features 900 miles of trails along streams and through forests into the wllded stillness of the Smokies. Restored log cabins and barns stand as reminders of those who carved a living from this wilderness decades ago.
Civil War buffs will want to visit Shiloh National Military Park in southwestern Tennessee and Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park on the Georgia border.
Tennessee's music has its roots in the folk songs of Appalachia and you can hear it today at bluegrass festivals and fiddlers' jamborees. You can find music in Memphis, the city that gave birth to the blues and to the rock 'n roll of Elvis Presley, and in Nashville, famous for the traditional country music of the Grand Ole Opry and for the contemporary sounds recorded on "Music Row."
Call for exact dates and times.
January Southwestern Exposition
Livestock Show & Rodeo
Fort Worth
817-877-2400
January Texas Citrus Fiesta
Mission
210-585-9724
February Southwestern Livestock
Show and Rodeo
El Paso
915-532-1401
February Mardi Gras! Galveston
800-351-4237
800-351-4236 (in Texas)
February Texans and Winter
Texans International
Spring Music Fest
Weslaco
210-464-7767
February Houston Livestock Show
to March and Rodeo
713-791-9000
December Lights Spectacular,
Hill Country Style
Johnson City
210-868-7684
December National Cutting Horse
World Championship
Futurity
Fort Worth
817-244-6188
All Second Monday Trade
months Days, buy, sell, trade
everything from animals
to antiques
Bowie
817-872-3180
Texas Department of Commerce / Tourism Division
P.O. Box 12728
Austin, TX 78711
512-462-9191
Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744
512-389-4800
In Texas - 800-792-1112
It's not hard to think of Texas as an entire country. This sprawling state is 800 miles wide and nearly that far long, with sunny seacoast, mile-high mountains, dense forests and cactus-studded desert.
The Texas climate is varied, but has one dominant characterisitc -- sunshine. Outdoor activities can be enjoyed at nine national and state forests and 114 state parks.
The varied landscape includes eerie subterranean chambers, mountain vistas, spectacular canyons and sandy seashores.
Parks accenting the Lone Star State's historical heritage preserve centuries-old Spanish missions, the San Jacinto Battleground where U.S. soldiers took Texas from Mexico in 1836, rough-hewn frontier army forts and dignified mansions from bygone eras.
Each city and region of Texas offers unique sites to explore. In central Texas, the state capital of Austin, is a gateway to Hill Country. Just south of this region, the city of San Antonio attracts visitors to its famous Alamo and many festivals. In northern Texas, the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area spans 100 miles and encompasses a population close to 4 million.
One of America's great playgrounds can be found at Texas's coastal bend, spanning a 115-mile arc along the Gulf Coast. The bay cities of Houston and Galveston are centers of commerce and recreation. Corpus Christi is a favorite vacation spot.
At the southern tip of the state is the Rio Grande Valley on the Mexican border. Sun-drenched El Paso, the westernmost city, is also one of Texas's most popular tourist destinations.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Annual Utah Winter
Games, statewide
801-975-4515
January Sundance Film
Festival
Park City
801-328-FILM
March Hostler Model
Railroad Fair
Ogden
801-629-8444
May Golden Spike
Anniversary,
Promontory
801-471-2209
June Junio Gina Bachauer
International Piano
Competition and June
Festival,
Salt Lake City
801-521-9200
June- Utah Shakespearean
September Festival, Cedar City
801-526-7884
July Utah Folk and
Bluegrass Festival
Snowbird
801-521-6040
July Pioneer Day
Celebration
Held statewide
July- Festival of the
August American West
Logan
800-225-FEST
September White Mesa Ute
Council Bear Dance
Blanding
801-678-2201
September Utah Navajo Fair
Bluff
801-678-2285
October Utah State Chili
Competition
St. George
801-628-1658
November Christmas Lighting of
Temple Square
Salt Lake City
801-240-3318
Utah Travel Council
Council Hall Capitol Hill
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
801-538-1030
Ski Utah, Inc.
150 West 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
801-534-1779
From red rock canyons to desert valleys, from world-class ski slopes to the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah offers visitors a wide range of recreational and cultural attractions.
The state is home to hauntingly beautiful Bryce Canyon, with its delicately carved rock spires, and Canyonlands National Park, the state's largest national park with rock formations that are millions of years old.
Utah has five national parks, six national monuments, two national recreation areas and one national historic site.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management manages most of Utah's canyon land and deserts, which make up 43 percent of the state, and state parks account for 9 percent of Utah's land area. Another 4.6 percent of Utah is controlled by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Utah has 14 alpine ski areas blanketed by 500 inches of snow each year, and six cross-country ski areas, nine within an hour's drive of Salt Lake City.
The broad range of recreation opportunities in Utah attracts thousands of hikers, river rafters, bicyclers, mountaineers and wildlife watchers each year.
In Salt Lake City, the state's capital situated 4,330 feet above sea level, is the famed Mormon Temple and the Salt Lake Tabernacle housing the huge pipe organ that accompanies the Mormon Tabernacle choir. In addition to its religious connections, the city offers a fine symphony, ballet and art museum.
Situated 17 miles outside the city is the Great Salt Lake, the second saltiest body of water in the world after the Dead Sea.
Call for exact dates and times.
February Winter Carnival
Brattleboro
802-254-4565
March Annual U.S. Open
Snowboarding
Championships
Stratton
802-297-2200
April Annual Vermont Maple
Festival
St. Albans
802-524-5800
May Annual Spring Farm
Festival
Woodstock
802-457-2355
June Annual Lake Champlain
Balloon Festival
Champlain Valley
802-899-2993
June Annual Discover Jazz
Festival
Burlington
802-863-7992
June Ben & Jerry's One World
One Heart Festival
Location TBA
802-244-6957
July Annual Vermont Quilt
Festival
Northfield
802-485-7092
July Annual Midsummer
Festival of the Arts
Montpelier
802-299-ARTS
July Annual Fiddlers Contest
Hardwick
802-472-5501
August Annual Southern Vermont
Craft Fair
Manchester
802-362-1788
August Star Party
St. Johnsbury
802-748-2372
August Bennington Battle Day
Celebration
802-447-3311
August Annual Champlain Valley
Fair
Essex
802-878-5545
Sept. Vermont State Fair
Rutland
802-775-5200
Sept.- Northeast Kingdom Fall
Oct. Foliage Festival
Various locations
802-472-5700
November Annual Vermont Hand
Crafters Burlington
Craft Fair
802-462-2438
December Annual Wassail Festival
Woodstock
457-3555
Vermont Department of
Travel and Tourism
134 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
802-828-3236
The lush green pastures and verdant mountains of Vermont draw many to this state.
Perhaps the most Yankee in character of all the New England states, Vermont is best known for the Green Mountains and the beautiful Northeast Kingdom. But the state has a wealth of cultural activities, quaint colonial towns, covered bridges, miles of unspoiled scenery and, of course, Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
As the only New England state without a seacoast, Vermont fills the water quotient with 107 mile-long Lake Champlain and about 400 lesser water bodies.
After the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain is the largest inland lake and a paradise for anglers and boaters. A cluster of state parks lines the lake's shores as does the beautiful, progressive city of Burlington.
Many come to Vermont to hike, rock climb, camp or ski in the wilds of the massive Green Mountain National Forest. Several peaks reaching 3,000 feet afford striking views of the summer green landscape. The Long Trail winds up, down and around the mountains from Massachusetts to Canada for adventurous trekkers.
The three counties bordering Canada make up the Northeast Kingdom, known for its thick woods, rural vistas and quiet glacial lakes. Lake Willoughy, a 600-foot-deep lake tucked between mountains, affords spectacular views from an uncrowded beach at its north end. Local legend has it that a beast akin to the Loch Ness Monster resides in nearby Lake Memphremagog.
Canoeists and rafters appreciate the spring swells on the West River and midsummer sails down the Winooski, Connecticut, Missiquoi, Lemon Fair and Batten Kill rivers.
Biking the quiet roads and lanes that wind past cow pastures, colonial villages and forests is another favorite among travelers.
The advent of autumn paints the green hills in a brilliant orange and red hue, and attracts thousands of visitors from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York City.
Snowfall delivers even more tourists seeking out one of the 56 ski areas that the state offers. Skiing in Vermont, particularly in Stowe, Sugarbush, Bolton Valley and Killington, is among the best in the East.
As the home of the University of Vermont, and a charming, lakeside city, Burlington is the hub of the state's cultural and artistic activity.
Call for exact dates and times.
January Annual Chili Softball
Tournament, Alexandria
703-922-9841
January Lee-Jackson-King Day
Newport News
804-247-8523
February Living History in
Celebration of Black
History Month
Museum of the
Confederacy, Richmond
804-649-1861
March Woodlawn Plantation
Needlework Exhibition
Alexandria
703-780-4000
April Virginia Horse Festival
Lexington
703-463-4300
April Historic Garden Week
Statewide
804-643-7141
May Virginia Mushroom
Festival, Front Royal
800-338-2576
May Fiesta de Primavera
Lovingston
804-263-5392
June Potomac River Festival
Colonial Beach
804-224-7531
June Bike Virginia - The
Annual Bicycling
Adventure Tour
Bristol to Floyd
804-229-0507
June Hampton Jazz Festival
804-727-1102
July Annual Wild Pony Swim
and Auction
Chincoteague
804-336-6161
August Annual Old Fiddlers'
Convention, Galax
703-236-2184
August East Coast Surfing
Championships & Sports
Festival
Virginia Beach
804-437-4700
September Folklife Festival
Vinton
703-983-0613
September Virginia Peanut
Festival, Emporia
804-634-9441
October Virginia Fall Foliage
Festival, Waynesboro
703-949-6505
November Assateague Island
Waterfowl Week
Chincoteague
804-336-6577
December Jamestown Celebration:
A Traditional English
Christmas
Jamestown Settlement
Williamsburg
804-229-1607
Virginia Division
of Tourism
1021 E. Cary Street
Tower II
Richmond, VA 23219
804-786-2051
FAX 804-786-1919
Virginia is home to awe-inspiring mountains, sandy beaches, starlit landscapes and an unparalleled range of American heritage.
Virginia was home to the first permanent English settlement in the "New World" and the birthplace of eight presidents.
More major Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than in any other state. Today, the Old Dominion State's appeal is as broad and diverse as its geography and as abundant as its history.
Virginia stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. The Appalachian Trail runs along the western bend of Virginia. Barrier islands off the eastern shore offer some of the East Coast's most exciting saltwater fishing.
You can visit warm beaches of Hampton Roads, elegant James River plantations and giant limestone caverns along the Shenandoah Valley. Scenic highways such as Skyline Drive and the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway provide marvelous views.
In northern Virginia, a region rich in Revolutionary and Civil War history, you may visit the Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, Mount Vernon and the Manassas and Fredericksburg battlefields. Vienna's Wolf Trap Farm Park is the country's only national park dedicated to the performing arts.
The Tidewater and Hampton Roads region is home to the Jamestown Settlement and Colonial Williamsburg, the largest restored 18th-century town in the world. Here also, is Virginia Beach, the popular resort area with miles of Atlantic Ocean beach.
Virginia's eastern shore, a 70-mile long peninsula with quaint towns and barrier islands, is a haven for snow geese and home for herds of wild ponies. The Pony Penning, a roundup of wild ponies, takes place each summer on Assateague Island. The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island is one of the largest rare-bird sanctuaries on the East Coast.
Central Virginia has the state capital of Richmond, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, where surrender terms were signed ending the Civil War.
Call for exact dates and times.
April Skagit Valley Tulip
Festival, Mount Vernon
206-428-8547
April-May Washington State Apple
Blossom Festival
Wenatchee
509-662-3616
May Viking Festival
Poulsbo
206-779-4848
May Northwest Folklife
Festival, Seattle
206-684-7200
June Prospector's Days
Republic
509-775-3361
July McCleary Bear Festival
McCleary
206-495-3200
July Darrrington Bluegrass
Festival, Darrington
206-436-1788
July Pacific Northwest Arts
& Crafts Fair, one of
the largest in country
Bellevue
206-454-4900
July Pacific Northwest
Scottish Highland
Games, Enumclaw
206-522-2541
August Logger's Jubilee
Morton
206-496-5321
August Omak Stampede and World
Famous Suicide Race
Omak
800-933-6625
August Gig Harbor Jazz
Festival, Gig Harbor
206-627-1504
August Washington State Int.
Kite Festival
September Bumbershoot
Seattle
206-684-7200
September Wooden Boat Festival
Port Townsend
206-385-3628
September Western Washington Fair
One of 10 largest fairs
in the nation
Puyallup
206-841-5045
September Odessa Deutschfest
Odessa
509-982-0049
September Annual Indian Days
Celebration & Powwow
White Swan
509-865-5121
September Annual Washington State
Autumn Leaf Festival
Leavenworth
509-548-5807
October Issaquah Salmon Days
Issaquah
206-392-7024
October Cranberry Festival
Long Beach, Ilwaco
800-451-2542
206-642-2400
November Northwest Wine Festival
Pasco
509-375-3399
State of Washington Tourism Division
P.O. Box 42500
Olympia, WA 98504-2500
206-586-2088 or
206-586-2102
The Evergreen State of Washington is known for its beautiful coastline, snow-crowned peaks, great seafood, stately rivers, fruit orchards and maritime climate.
The coast was first sailed by Spain's Bruno Hezeta in 1775, followed by Capt. Robert Gray of the U.S. in 1792. The abundant wildlife attracted fur traders to the region and the discovery of gold inspired settlers to make the hazardous journey westward. Washington became the 42nd state on Nov. 11, 1889, with the state capital in Olympia.
Bordered by Canada on the north, Idaho on the east and Oregon on the south, Washington state is divided by climate and geography into two distinct regions.
The western area along the coast is green, forested and rain-soaked. The eastern region is much drier, giving rise to the nicknames "wet-siders" and "dry-siders" for residents of western and eastern Washington respectively.
Natural wonders include the San Juan islands, Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens of volcano fame, the world's only non-tropical rain forest along the Hoh and Queets Rivers and the snowy Cascade Mountains.
If you're looking for salmon fishing, hiking, sea kayaking or cherry-picking, Washington is the place for you.
Call for exact dates and times.
Late Jan. Mountain State
25K Cross-Country Ski
Marathon
Davis
304-866-4114
Mid-Jan. Winter Festival
-March of the Waters
Berkeley Springs
800-447-8797
February Fenton Gift Shop Sale
annual event by maker
of collectible glass
Williamstown
304-375-7772
February Seniors on Skis
cross-country workshops
for ages 50+
Davis
800-CALL WVA
Mid-March Appalachian Weekend
Pipestem
800-CALL WVA
April W.V. Dance Festival
Charleston
304-348-0220
April House and Garden Tour
Charles Town,
Martinsburg, Harpers
Ferry, Shepherdstown
800-848-8687
Memorial Three Rivers Coal
Day Festival/River Regatta
Weekend Fairmont
304-363-2625
Memorial Vandalia Gathering
Day celebration of state's
Weekend multiple heritages
Charleston
304-348-0220
Early Blue and Grey Reunion
June Civil War Reenactment
Philippi
304-457-3700
June Mountaineer Country
Glass Festival
Morgantown/Star City
304-599-3407
June W.Va. State Folk
Festival, Glenville
304-462-7361
June 20 Statehood Celebration
Wheeling
304-348-0220
Early Mountain State
July Art and Craft Fair
Ripley
304-372-7000
July Canaan Mountain Series
off-road bicycle races
Davis
304-259-5286
August Hatfields & McCoys
Festival, Matewan
304-426-8740
August State Fair of
West Virginia
Lewisburg
304-645-1090
Late Aug. Native American
Powwow Festival
South Charleston
304-746-5552
Late Aug. Charleston Sternwheel
& early Regatta
Sept. 304-348-6419
September W.Va. Oil & Gas
Festival
Sistersville
304-652-2939
Early Mountain State
Oct. Forest Festival
Elkins
304-636-2717
Columbus Apple Butter Festival
Day Berkeley Springs
Weekend 800-447-8797
Nov. - Festival of Lights/City
Jan. of Lights, Wheeling
304-243-400
December Old Tyme Christmas
Harpers Ferry
800-848-TOUR
West Virginia Division of Tourism and Parks
2101 Washington Street E
P.O. Box 50315
Charleston, WV 25305-0315
800-CALL WVA
800-225-5982
Nestled in the heart of the mid-Atlantic region, West Virginia offers visitors awe-inspiring scenery, a multitude of recreation opportunities, historical attractions and unique arts and crafts.
Whether you are looking for an athletic adventure or relaxing getaway, the Mountain State has something for you.
You find recreation and sightseeing opportunites at the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the New River Gorge National River, the Bluestone National Scenic River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area.
In summer and spring, visitors can try whitewater rafting on some of the most challenging and historic rivers in the country.
For a slower pace, try hiking, horseback riding or biking through woodland trails or spend an evening under the stars at an outdoor drama. Crystal-blue lakes provide ample opportunity for swimming, fishing and boating.
Travelers who visit the state from late September to late October see fall foliage at its colorful peak. In winter, downhill and cross-country skiing traverse the state's hills and slopes.
Cities such as Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling offer symphony concerts, museums, country-music jamborees, thoroughbred and greyhound racing and fine dining.
Throughout the year, West Virginia hosts a variety of fairs and festivals honoring everything from strawberries to woodchopping.
Whatever your taste, West Virginians invite you to visit their state for "a welcome change."
Call for exact dates and times.
January Winterfest
Milwaukee
800-837-FEST
January World Championship
Snowmobile Derby
Eagle River
15-479-4424
February American Birkebeiner
Hayward/Cable
800-872-2753
February Klondike Days & World
Championship Oval Sled
Dog Sprints
Eagle River
715-479-6400
May Syttende Mai Folk
Festival
Stoughton
608-873-7912
May Great Wisconsin Dells
Balloon Rally
800-22-DELLS
June Great Wisconsin
Balloon Festival
Little Chute
414-788-7390
June Summerfest
Milwaukee
800-837-FEST
July Honor the Earth Powwow
Hayward
715-634-2100
July German Fest
Milwaukee
800-837-FEST
July Lumberjack World
Championships
Hayward
715-634-2484
July Annual EAA
International Fly-In
Convention
Oshkosh
414-426-4800
August Wisconsin State Fair
Milwaukee/West Allis
414-257-8800
August Great River
Festival of Jazz
La Crosse
608-785-1434
August Irish Fest
Milwaukee
800-837-FEST
September William Tell Festival
New Glarus
608-527-2095
October World Dairy Expo
Madison
800-447-4094
November Holiday Folk Fair
Miwaukee
414-271-4000
Wisconsin
Tourism Development
P.O. Box 7970
123 West Washington Avenue
Madison, WI 53707
800-432-TRIP
800-432-8747
Wisconsin is wrapped in waterways -- Lake Superior to the north, Lake Michigan to the east and the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers to the west.
The state boasts nearly 15,000 inland lakes and 1.1 million acres of recreational lakes, rivers and streams. The abundance of water has enriched the state's soil, sustaining the hundreds of agricultural and dairy farms that have become the state's trademark.
The state's slow pace, tranquil country life-style and the warm hospitality of its inhabitants make it an ideal place to visit. Its farmers are mostly of northern European descent and have retained much of their ethnic traditions and heritage. Wisconsin's Ethnic Settlement Trails run around Door Peninsula on Lake Michigan and down the state's eastern border, exploring one of the largest concentrations of ethnic communities in the country.
Wisconsin's northern half is not as developed as the south, and is covered by green forests punctuated by several lakes and wetlands. About 1 million white-tailed deer dart through the forests and many miles of rivers meander south in this region.
Green belts made up of more than 70 state and national parks, forests and recreational areas spread across northern Wisconsin.
The largest wooded expanses are found in the Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests and Northern Highland State Forest. Hiking, camping, rafting and canoeing in these areas are popular activities.
The state is a haven for anglers, with more than 2,444 trout streams and another 5,002 warmwater streams extending nearly 18,000 miles. Their total mileage would more than circle the globe at the equator.
Water travel on the Great Lakes and Mississippi attracts thousands of visitors each year to the many quaint port towns. Door County gets its name from the French explorers who called it Porte des Mort -- Door of the Dead -- for the powerful waves that drove ships onto the rocks. Scuba divers enjoy exploring the 200 charted wrecks that sleep in Davy Jones's freshwater locker.
Much of the nation's cheese is produced by Wisconsin's dairy farms in the rolling hills of the southern half of the state. Many of its 400 cheese factories welcome visitors. The network of backroads that link farms and dairies to the outside world roll through the countryside and provide splendid biking trails.
The state indeed is famous for its biking with more than 10,000 miles of trails. Quiet roads wind through forests, past glacial lakes and small towns. The explosion of mountain, or off-road, biking has led the state to develop one of the most extensive trail networks in the country.
When winter falls, snowmobilers hastily descend upon the state for its 15,000 miles of connected trails (almost 5.5 times the distance from New York to Los Angeles), the largest network in the nation.
The state is also a haven for cross-country and downhill skiers with 350 trail systems for the former and 36 resort facilities for the latter.
Wandering the winter woods of Wisconsin, visitors may hear the yipping cries of dogs, given that dogsledding is a favorite activity here.
The state's large cities, including Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison, provide a rich array of artistic and cultural attractions.
Call for exact dates and times.
Mid-Feb. Wild West Winter
Carnival in Riverton
Mid-Feb. Winter Carnival and
Dog Sled Races
April Championship
Snowmobile Hill Climb
Jackson
May Old West Days
Jackson
June Frontier Festival
Cody
June Hulett Rodeo
Late June Chili Cookoff
Evanston
June Woodchoppers Jamboree
Encampment
June Indian Days and Powwow
Fort Washakie
June Mustang Days
Celebration, Lovell
Early July Cody Stampede Rodeo
Cody
July Pioneer Days
Lander
July Legend of Rawhide
Re-enactment, Lusk
July Grand Teton Music
Festival
Teton Village
Mid-July Sheridan Wyoming
Rodeo, Sheridan
July Laramie Jubilee
Days, Laramie
July Medicine Bow Days
Medicine Bow
Late July Cheyenne Frontier
Days, Cheyenne
800-227-6336
Early Aug. Central Wyoming Fair
Casper
August Grand Targhee
Bluegrass Festival
Jackson
August Wyoming State Fair
Douglas
Sept.3-6 Fort Bridger
Rendezvous, Fort
Bridger
307-782-3272
Mid-Sept. Jackson Fall Arts
Festival, Jackson
December Torchlight Parade
Teton Village
Wyoming Division of Tourism
I-25 at College Drive
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-7777
Grand Teton National Park
Moose, WY 83012-0170
307-733-2880
Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone, WY 82190
307-344-7381
Situated in the Rocky Mountains, Wyoming is home to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Devils Tower and Flaming Gorge Park. This diverse region can suit any recreational whim.
This uncrowded, uncomplicated and friendly state has high plains, desert, grasslands and mountains. The two crown jewels of Wyoming are Yellowstone National Park, the world's first national park, and the Grand Tetons, which provide some of the best downhill and Nordic skiing in the U.S. at Jackson Hole.
In northern Wyoming, there is the eerie and unique Devils Tower plateau, which was made famous in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
Medicine Bow and Flaming Gorge country in southern Wyoming offers a range of natural and cultural splendors and is where the state's capital, Cheyenne, is situated.
Cheyenne, named for the Cheyenne Indian people who inhabited southeastern Wyoming before white settlers arrived, was established in 1867 when the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were laid. In the city's early years, city dudes mingled with mule skinners, soldiers, railroaders, lawmakers, outlaws and rustlers.
In the central region of the state, the Oregon Trail became a natural route of travel over the prairies and the Rocky Mountains. Today, you can follow its route and see historic re-enactments.
In the northwest region, you find Yellowstone and all its wonders. This region, made up of 3,472 square miles, became the first national park in 1872.
South of Yellowstone, you find Grand Teton National Park, which was first established in 1929. It was enlarged in 1950 to include most of the Jackson Hole National Monument area.
Call for exact dates and times.
February Annual Yukon Quest
Top North American
mushers compete in
1,000-mile race from
Whitehorse to
Fairbanks, Alaska
February Yukon Sourdough
Rendezvous, dog sled,
mad trapper, beard
growing contests.
Whitehorse
403-667-2148
March Atlin Mail Run
Noncompetitive re-
enactment of historic
dog team mail run.
Whitehorse
403-668-4032
March Percy De Wolfe Memorial
Race and Mail Run
210-mile dogsled race
Dawson City to Eagle
Alaska
403-993-6704
March Annual Curling Bonspiel
Watson Lake
403-536-2104
May Annual Sourdough
Stompers Square and
Round Dance Jamboree
Whitehorse
403-633-2256
June Yukon Gold Midnight
Marathon, Whitehorse
403-668-4236
June25-27 Yukon Int. Festival of
Storytelling
Whitehorse
July23-25 Annual Dawson City
Music Festival
403-993-5584
July 1 Canada Day Celebration
Teslin and Watson Lake
Aug.13-16 Discovery Days
Commemoration of gold
discovery, Dawson
403-993-5434
Aug.13-16 Annual Yukon River
Gold Rush Bathtub Race
Whitehorse
403-667-2148
Sept. 5 The Great Klondike
Outhouse Race
Dawson City
403-993-5575
Yukon Tourism
P.O. Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2C6 Canada
403-667-5340
Yukon Quest
International Ltd.
P.O. Box 5555
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 4Z2 Canada
403-668-4711
The Yukon's history as a Canadian territory spans less than a century, but already it is a region full of exciting tales of gold and oil fever and spectacular natural beauty.
The great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 put the Yukon on the map for many. Hundreds struggled to reach this remote region of western Canada for a chance to strike it rich. But most of the challenge was in getting there.
They crossed the Chilkoot Pass, scrambling up icy steps that were cut into the nearly-vertical cliff on the Alaskan coastline. The Canadian Mounties required the gold seekers to carry more than a year's-worth of supplies, over 1,700 pounds, with them to ensure their survival.
By 1900, a narrow gauge railway had been driven through the coastal mountains connecting Skagway, Alaska to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Today, the White Pass & Yukon Route railway runs summit excursions and buses also transport the intrepid visitor.
Travelers to the Yukon find pristine wilderness and a sense of tranquility in this serene region. There are about 30,000 people living on the Yukon's 184,569 square miles.
There are remnants of the gold rush, quaint turn-of-the-century buildings in Carcross and Dawson City, ghost towns and abandoned Indian villages.
You will see the remains of gold mines, including picks, shovels and weather-worn dredges. Museums contain gold rush relics, artifacts and diaries revealing the stories of romance, adventure and despair.
You can also explore the culture of native Indians, who say they have lived here since the time when the "crow" made the world and all living things.
Archaeologists estimate the first humans lived in the Yukon more than 10,000 years ago, traveling here from northeast Asia during the last Ice Age. There are eight distinct tribes belonging to the Athapaskan and Tlingit language families.
A tradition common to all the native tribes was the belief that they must show respect for the land and the animals to ensure misfortune did not befall them.
European fur traders, who arrived in 1842, and later the gold rush, brought a large influx of white settlers into the Yukon. Recently, the Indians have tried through education and political and social activism to keep their culture and traditions alive.
U.S. citizens do not have to have a passport or visa to enter Canada. However, proof of citizenship or permanent resident status is required.
Citizens of other countries who wish to visit Canada while in the U.S. require a valid passport.
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