USA Travel Guide

California has its fair share of big name national parks – Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite National Park among them. However, there are some lesser-known state parks that offer just as much outdoor adventure (and they’re often less crowded about it). Up in the San Francisco Bay, for instance, where you might expect miles and miles of uppity wine land, you can visit the strikingly beautiful Mount Diablo State Park. In fact, let’s go now!

Mount Diablo State Park is a 20,000-acre public reservation established around, you guessed it, Mount Diablo. The unmistakable “double pyramid” of Mount Diablo is a common sight to Northwestern Californians. If you’re traveling in, though, the mountain range is more than just a Bob Ross painting on your horizon. It’s a choice destination for a little outdoor fun.

A $10 per vehicle fee gets you into Mount Diablo State Park, and from there the options are many. Don’t be ashamed if you, like most visitors, head straight to the summit. A breathtaking view of Mount Hamilton, the Sierra Nevada, San Francisco and even the Golden Gate Bridge await you from the staggering 4,000 foot-high perch. While you’re there, take the chance to visit the Summit Museum, a daily attraction known as much for its impressive stone architecture as its exhibits.

Now that you’ve got that out of your system (and who can blame you), make time for other things to do in Mount Diablo State Park:

• Mary Bowerman Trail – a gentle trail located near the summit, incredible views the whole way round
• Rock City – don’t you have to go for the name alone? Features large rock formations and small caves
• Diablo Valley Overlook – another great vantage on the Golden Gate, spanned by that famous bridge
• Deer Flat – a more challenging 1.6-mile hike that holds the promise of wildlife sightings
• Fossil Ridge – like fossils? If yes, check out Fossil Ridge

The California State Parks Department knows more about Mount Diablo State Park than I ever will, so you can get some finishing information on their Web site. I’m just here to give you that spark!

Well, that and great hotel recommendations. The nearest major city to Mount Diablo is San Francisco, but we actually prefer to stay a little closer in the affluent city of Pleasanton.

Have fun exploring Mount Diablo State Park, one of America’s Parks.

Last year we ran a poll of favorite Spring Break destinations – mountains, golf resorts, big cities, that kind of thing – and the overwhelming winner was beaches. Like turkey on Thanksgiving, I guess there are times when the oldies really are the goldies.

Then again, there are some places you can keep a tradition alive and still do something new. Tell your friends you’re going to North Carolina for Spring Break, and what’s more, you’re still going to the beach, and you might attract a few raised eyebrows. Not to worry, though, you know you made the right decision.

Spring Break Beaches near Wilmington, North Carolina
The call it Cape Fear, but there’s nothing scary about miles of soft sandy beach, old soul attitude and authentic, of-the-land atmosphere. Put more simply, the beaches of North Carolina feel real in way that a lot of resort destinations don’t. Let’s look at our favorites:

• Carolina Beach – Often frenetic during the late Spring Break season, Carolina Beach brings a cosmopolitan energy to Cape Fear that you won’t find anywhere else. Surfers and scuba divers love Carolina Beach, as does anyone who looks for as much personality as things to do.
• Kure Beach – nearby Kure Beach couldn’t be more different from its neighbor. Come to Kure Beach for a calmer, quieter atmosphere ideal for afternoons of relaxation. The main attraction, the Kure Beach Fishing Pier, is a popular choice for anglers any time.
• Wrightsville Beach – And then there’s Wrightsville, our favorite. The quality of the beach itself (the sand and the surf) is unmatched in the area, and the whole coast has a village atmosphere that manages to charm without being stuffy. Sailing is a popular activity near Wrightsville Beach.

You can learn more about beaches in North Carolina and order a free brochure and area guide at http://www.gocapefearcoast.com/

All three of these beaches are within 18 miles of one of our favorite East coast cities, Wilmington, North Carolina. For exciting days of the beach and fulfilling nights back in town, we recommend a stay in Wilmington.

Have a blast on Spring Break 2010 among the beaches of North Carolina.

I’ve never been a professed fan of 90’s alt-rock outfit the Gin Blossoms. At most I know one of their songs. But if I was a Gin Blossoms fan, I’d be one of the luckiest Gin Blossoms fans in the world. Since 2002, I’ve had the opportunity to see them live and for free four times! And yet, I never have…

I take you on this strange digression only because the opening stage act at this year’s Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival is the one and only Gin Blossoms. Join me, won’t you, and skip out on yet another chance to see this no doubt incredible band.

(I also missed the chance once to see Blue Öyster Cult for free; now that one stings a little).

The 18^th Annual Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival in Biloxi, Mississippi is just the kind of festival I can get behind: there’s an array of festival fun, but ultimately it all comes down to the food. Call’em crayfish, call’em crawdads, call’em mudbugs – whatever you call’em, they’re good eats, and at the MS Coast Crawfish Festival, they’re boiling, roasting and frying up over 20,000 lbs. of’em Cajun-style.

If you want your pick of the best bugs, pony up ten bucks for a tasting ticket and sample from all the teams competing in the Saturday Crawfish Cook-off. For the cost of your ticket, you can even cast a vote in the People’s Choice award. Whether you pay premium or not, there will be plenty of food on-hand, so bring that appetite of yours no matter what.

If you can pull yourself away from the concessions long enough, you might just have a little fun with your feast. The Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival boasts a humongous midway packed with carnival rides and prove-your-manliness games. The rides are actually pretty affordable, but you can skip the hassle of constantly fishing for your wallet by picking up a Pay-One-Price Armband offering unlimited rides (except on Saturdays )

If you prefer musical mudbug mastication, drop by the show stage to see a merry mix of used-to-be-famous and never-was-famous stars. On the first Friday you have the ubiquitous Gin Blossoms, and on following nights you can see the original beat boxer, Doug E. Fresh, as well as The Wailers, Midnight Star and a band featuring most of Santana (but not actually Santana).

All-in-all, it’s one Biloxi Bash that you festivals fans don’t want to miss.

The 18^th Annual Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival will be held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi on April 15-18 and April 22-25, 2010. Get more information here.

Have fun at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival in Biloxi, Mississippi!

I support the “observance” of St. Patrick’s Day in Washington D.C., I really do. I think liquid medicine is just about the only remaining course of action up on Capitol Hill. (Besides, under current healthcare, it’s the only medicine most everyone can afford). I want all the Senators, Representatives and of course Mr. Obama to drop all the pedantic nonsense, get crazy drunk and proceed to hash things out bro-style.

It’s gonna look awful. C-SPAN meets Jersey Shore. But when all is said and done, we might just have our country back.

You can celebrate the season, too, at the 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Washington D.C. (and if you’re heading in, we’ve got the perfect hotel, so check that out below).

D.C. is a city known for fabulous parades. With so many incredible buildings to set the scene, how could it not be? But without a doubt, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the annual favorites. A spectacle in every sense, the parade culminates popular music, fantastic floats, military reverence, color guard, dance, drums, celebrity guests and a keg-full of Irish swagger.

When I saw that the founder of Chase Bank had been made Grand Marshal, I almost puked out my own intestines, but then I read closely to find that it was actually the founder of Chevy Chase Bank, a D.C. local institution (now owned by Capitol One). That made me feel a little bit better.

Back on message: the 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Washington D.C. will be held Sunday, March 14, and run along Constitution Avenue from 7^th to 17^th Streets. You can watch from anywhere along the parade route, of course, or you can purchase grandstand tickets for a comfy seated view of the action. Sitting down is nice, but for $10 a person, I’d rather just stand. The parade is only two and a half hours long anyway.

Learn more about the Washington D.C. St. Patrick’s Day Parade here.

Have fun at the 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Washington D.C.

If yesterday’s pick, Santa Monica Beach, was a little too predictable for your Spring Break beach vacation, maybe you should be thinking East Coast instead. If you can believe it, not all of the East’s top beaches line the coast of Florida. Head towards the southern tip of Virginia and you’ll find the charming bayside community of Hampton Roads, home to quaint Buckroe Beach and massive Virginia Beach.

Buckroe Beach
Though not as famous as nearby Virginia Beach, Buckroe Beach is terrific family destination to compliment any Spring Break in Virginia. The beach is modestly sized (about three-quarter mile), but is in top condition following a recent renovation by the city of Hampton.

In fact, there’s a lot new about Buckroe, which is currently in the middle of a major revitalization project. Top activities include swimming of course, and also picnicking, paddle-boating and fishing off the new pier. You won’t get several days of fun out of Buckroe, but it’s well worth an afternoon. Learn more.

Virginia Beach
The real star of any Virginia Spring Break, Virginia Beach boasts a world-record holding 28 mile-long beach, and with that much room to stretch out, you can bet that it brings every kind of Spring Break crowd. Another cool thing about the area is the city of Virginia Beach itself, which features near-endless entertainment. You can check out the Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Beach Amusement Park, Virginia Zoo, Mount Trashmore, several museums and state parks, the historic boardwalk and, naturally, lots and lots of shopping. Pound for pound, mile for mile, Virginia Beach offers more to love than just about any other beach in the country.

Families, college kids and rumpshakers need certainly apply! Learn more.

Have fun for Spring Break 2010!

Feels like Spring Break snuck up fast this year, but that’s not gonna stop the USA Travel Guide team from rolling out a few top picks for 2010. College students, vacationing families (and anyone else), welcome to Spring Break 2010.

First to the docket: Santa Monica Beach in splendorous Santa Monica, California. It’s the quintessential American beach in a lot of ways. There’s boardwalk entertainment nearby, there’s always a chance to spy a celeb, and most importantly, it’s the very same beach where they filmed “Baywatch”. This beach changed our expectation of beaches forever.

Too much? Alright, let’s just look at all there is to do:

• Santa Monica Beach – the main attraction. Santa Monica Beach is a sizzling scene come Spring Break, with miles of tanned bodies writhing to the same beat. The busier it gets, the crazier the party, so why not add yourself to the mix.
• Nightlife – a lot of people keep the party going late into the night, but you shouldn’t let your close proximity to the L.A. club scene go to waste. Head back to your room, throw on your best, and hit the town.
• Montana Avenue – Spring Break in Santa Monica means sensational shopping. Montana Avenue is the beach scene’s Beverly Hills, sure, but the real star of this stretch is the “dressed down” celebs.
• Santa Monica Pier – the “World Famous” Santa Monica Pier is a must-do for dining and cool afternoon entertainment. Visit Pacific Park, an admission-free amusement park (you pay by the rid featuring a heart-pounding over-the-water rollercoaster.

And don’t forget, Spring Break in Santa Monica can quickly become Spring Break in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach or Malibu. If you’re willing to drive, even San Diego or Enseñada, Mexico are within reach. Make Spring Break 2010 in California one to remember.

Have fun and stay safe for Spring Break 2010!

It’s a children’s museum that a parent can love, it’s a nationally accredited zoo, it’s a top downtown Dayton, Ohio attraction, and it has a name you can set your watch by: the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery brings a whole lot of “yes” to the Midwest. Let’s check it out together.

The history of the Boonshoft tendrils all the way back to the 1800’s, when the Dayton Museum of Natural History first began. Actually, the Natural History Museum was the history of the Boonshoft for nearly 100 years, when the idea for a dedicated children’s museum finally crept its way onto the scene

Noting their similar goals, the Dayton Museum of Natural History and this new children’s museum combined from day one to create the Dayton Museum of Discovery. The museum was later named for majority benefactor Oscar Boonshoft.

With no other zoo, aquarium, planetarium or science center in town, the Boonshoft Museum of Discover sets out to do it all and succeeds admirably. Bring along the kids or simply visit yourself for a day of fun and learning at any age.

So what do we like:

• Wild Ohio Zoo – this AZA-accredited “zoo within a museum” is modest in scope, but always a worthwhile visit. While I’m partial to the creepies and crawlies, the two river otters are the most popular exhibit.
• Tidal Pool – if aquatic animals are your bag, the Tidal Pool offers a chance to meet sea stars, sea cucumbers, anemones and more.
• Science on a Sphere – this hi-tech exhibit consists of a large animated globe that is used to display fascinating shows about our planet and solar system. Kind of an IMAX in reverse. See it in action (not from the Boonshoft).
• Mead Tree House – it must be the boy in me, but tree houses are awesome. This artificial tree house is a children-geared exhibit, so if you’ve got the little ones in tow, don’t skip it.

The museum regularly hosts temporary and traveling exhibits. View the current schedule.

The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio is open daily but for a few holidays, and better yet, it’s way affordable. Only $8.50 for adults and $7.50 for children (2-12). As you can probably guess, the Boonshoft is a popular field trip destination, so I recommend calling ahead and trying to dodge the school groups. Learn more.

Hotels in Dayton, Ohio:
Stay less than 2 miles away at the Ramada Plaza Dayton Hotel. The hotel features a free area shuttle the travels to the museum as well as a kid-friendly Atrium Fun Center for swimming, games and play. A good choice for families in a business-minded city. Learn more about the Ramada Plaza Dayton Hotel.

Have fun!

Welcome back to USA Travel Guide. Two opening thoughts:

1. Can you believe that hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, of all people, was the first to break the news?
2. I love John Cena. The man can wrestle, he can act, he can crack a joke … he’s the muscle-head version of a triple-threat.

It’s time for “Destruction in the Desert” as WrestleMania XXVI comes to the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. Although the action is still more than a month out – the rumble kicks off on March 28, 2010 – the bill is already jam-packed with titanic matches and lots more fun to go with.

Some of the biggest names in the game will be there, shirts thoroughly removed, to settle some scores:

• Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Edge
• The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
• WWE Champion Batista vs. John Cena
• 8-Person Ladder Match Starring Christian

For the trouble of your trip, you’ll certainly get more than one day of bone-breaking action. There’s a full week of WrestleMania XXVI activities leading up to the big night. They’re brining back the charity art showcase, WrestleMania Art, as well as WrestleMania Axxess, a massive fan event with your opportunity to meet the wrestlers, the WWE Divas and even a few legends. See the schedule.

Live music always plays a big part of WrestleMania, but if they’ve released the schedule, I can’t find it. Anyway, last year it was Kidd Rock and one of the Pussycat Dolls, so expect something like that, and if you really want to know, stay glued to the official Web site. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

The University of Phoenix Stadium is located slightly out of the way in Glendale, Arizona, but we’re going to stay cozy in Phoenix at one of our favorite. A couple recommendations for you:

• Crowne Plaza Phoenix – this stylish North Phoenix hotel offers discount rates for guests attend events at University of Phoenix Stadium. Since the offer ends April, this is great timing.
• Hotel Highland at Biltmore – a little boutique flavor awaits you at this charming Phoenix, AZ hotel in the Biltmore district. Amazingly, the only thing that isn’t “upscale” about this joint is the price.

Have fun this March 28, 2010 at WrestleMania XXVI in Phoenix!

Let’s face it: we are a sports worshiping country. We watch’em every Sunday, we dress up in special attire, and we celebrate in some of the most famous churches in the world: Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, Fenway Park … … … TD Garden? Okay, so the Garden might not be the most famous arena we could feature today, but that’s the power of Celts fans.

Besides, the TD Garden proves that when it comes to stadiums, age isn’t everything. Since it opened in 1995, the Garden has been a major stage for professional and college sports, and not just because it’s home to two titanic teams. While both the NBA’s Boston Celtics and NHL’s Boston Bruins bring illustrious histories to the Garden, the stadium is fast building a legacy of interest all its own.

In 2004, the Democratic National Convention at the then-named FleetCenter introduced the nation to a handsome, charismatic, big-eared nobody that just four years later became President Barack Obama. As a concert stage, the Garden has seen some of the world’s biggest acts – The Who, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Madonna and even the bad boys from Boston themselves, Aerosmith.

The Garden is still known best for sports, though. Along with the Bruins and Celts, the arena is the yearly home of the Beanpot, a college hockey square-off between the major Boston area schools – Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University. In its time, Boston has also hosted the Women’s Final Four and several NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball regionals. Add WBA boxing and WWE exhibitions, Smackdown and Raw, and the TD Garden event schedule is always packed.

So it’s busy, and those events are top notch, but that’s not why we love the TD Garden. We chose it today, because it managed to replace its predecessor, the Boston Garden, gracefully. It pushed ahead into the world of modern stadia, but retained some of that old-school flavor. For Celts fans especially, the Garden feels like home with the incorporation of the unusual parquet floor that the Celtics have played on since 1946. It’s not the exact same floor, but original pieces from the Garden floor we’re “stitched” into the geometric patterns that give the new court its one-of-a-kind look. It’s the little things like this that give TD Garden its soul, under any name.

Want to go see it? This is the time to do it! Both the Celtics and Bruins are looking at a busy schedule over the next month, so if you don’t have tickets already, it’s time to start looking. Recommendations include:

Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens, March 2
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers, March 21

Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, March 17
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, April 4

Learn more about the TD Garden and purchase tickets here.

If you’re traveling in to the game, our choice of Boston hotels near TD Garden is the Holiday Inn Boston at Beacon Hill. At less than half a mile from the arena, you can literally walk to your seat (and save big time on parking by doing so). On top of that, the hotel is quick from the airport and offers free high-speed Internet.

Have fun at the TD Garden, one of America’s Stadiums.

If you’re anything like me, you didn’t much care about the La Brea Tar Pits until Arnold Schwarzenegger took a face plant into them in Last Action Hero. Turns out there’s, like, a whole museum and stuff. Do something different the next time you cruise L.A.’s Miracle Mile and visit the Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park.

Compared to the massive dinosaur skeletons you’ll see at the flagship facility, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the Page Museum has a relatively modern collection. The oldest of its finds, a chunk of wood, dates back only 40,000 years, and all of its once-mobile specimens date back only 10,000-40,000 years. This is as much a warning as it is a fact: at the Tar Pits, you will not see dinosaurs!

What you will see is an exhaustive collection of remarkably preserved and perilously restored bird, mammal and plant fossils fished from the inky depths of La Brea. Well, they dig them out of the ground like a normal excavation, but the process in these asphalt-strewn pits is not without considerable challenge. It’s something you’ll learn a lot about at the museum.

At the park you’ve got the pits themselves, many of which you can explore free of charge and at your leisure, and then you’ve got the Page Museum, which does carry a small free but benefits you by adding some context to all the holes in the ground. Inside the museum you’ll see the very best specimens from an enormous collection of over 3 million bones and fossils.

Fossils on display, bits and whole skeletons, include the remains of Harlan’s ground sloths, American bison, American mastodons, Columbian mammoths, saber-tooth tigers, dire wolves, California condors, mountain lions, prehistoric skunks, mice, rabbits, several kinds of bear, and the partial skull of one human.

Until recently you could watch a live excavation at Pit 91 during the summer months, but the dig has gone on temporary hiatus with no set schedule to restart. It’s definitely a missed feature for you summertime visitors.

The Page Museum is located at 5801 Wilshire Boulevard in Hancock Park in Los Angeles. Make it to the museum, you won’t have any trouble finding the Pits. The Page Museum is open daily except for select holidays, offers daily tours as park of the Hancock Park guided tour, and charges an adult admission of $7. Learn more.

Hotels in Los Angeles, CA
If you’re traveling in, stay well and for not too much money at either of today’s recommendations:

• Holiday Inn Express – Century City Hotel – This surprisingly chic HI Express is never overpriced and is located just 5 miles from the pits. Stay “green” with their hybrid car package.
• Holiday Inn LAX Airport Hotel – Stay simple in Los Angeles at this airport hotel which was recently renovated up to a more than modern standard. The hotel is 100% smoke-free and offers an airport shuttle.

Have fun visiting the Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California.