Top travel stories
From sun-bleached terrazzos overlooking the Mediterranean to cobbled piazzas lined with gelato shops, Italy does summer right. Many visitors flock to the country's most notable sights -- the Colosseum in Rome, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the Duomo in Florence and the Grand Canal in Venice. Others head away from the city, sampling food and wine in the Tuscan countryside, hopping from village to village in the Cinque Terre or paying homage to art in historic churches.
Summer is the best time to tour grand villas and their spectacular gardens; it's also host to slew of Italy's festivals, from horse races like the famous Siena Palio to smaller fetes of flowers, art, religion and music.
Of the 30 Major League Baseball parks that light up the country every spring and summer, a few stand out for history - Camden Yards and Cal Ripken, Jr., anyone - while others shine for their sparkling new waterfront property, such as Miami's Marlins Park. But then there are those that have fielded the dream team of thrilling views, rich lore and even richer food and drink for the ideal day out. Here they are.
For some people, vacations are meant for chillin' out, relaxing on beachy verandas and maximizing the pampering. But if you have spring fever and have bigger goals of counteracting your hedonism with a big physical challenge, it might be time for a trip you need to train for. Whether you're an ardent runner or an occasional plodder, we've found ten events worth every heartbeat you'll spend on said vacation. Here's to your health.
This time last week, I was already many hours into my day at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. A 4 a.m. wakeup call startled me out of bed, and by 5 a.m. I was outside the park with thousands of guests, counting down to the 6 a.m. early opening. In celebration of the start of a self-proclaimed "Monstrous Summer," Disney kept the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure open for 24 hours straight, while promoting the release of its new movie, Monsters University. I was on-site – first in Orlando, then in Anaheim – for some live reporting.
For the ultimate Appalachian road trip, hop on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the best of Southern mountain culture and views from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Whether you're planning a long weekend, or a relaxing week, here are some suggestions for seeing, doing, eating and sleeping along the historic 469-mile stretch.
Now that Memorial Day has passed and you've had your first delicious taste of summer, we know what you're thinking: What other summer travel adventures await? Information about how summer travel season will shape up is still coming in, but we've diligently crunched the available numbers* and we're betting we have a pretty good sense of how things how things are going to go. Are you? These are your summer travel odds.
