Wire Travel

MINNEAPOLIS - Watch enough television and your mind can feel like it's dissolving into liquid cheese. Thank goodness for those magic moments, the ones that make you proud to own a TV rather than being deeply ashamed. Even though the 2011-12 season was less than inspiring, I found 10 reasons this winter and spring to celebrate:

MIAMI - This year's crop of new and improved hotels in South Florida runs the spectrum from eco- and budget-friendly to extravagantly splurge-worthy. Chic boutiques, family-friendly chains and intimate hideaways all beckon to tourists - or locals seeking a quick backyard escape.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - The 10-foot-tall, red-blue-and-silver Transformer Optimus Prime stomps his way through the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park - sending adults and kids scrambling.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - What an appealing slice-of-life California town, an easy day trip by car or train. Come for the history, stay for the food. This restaurant-intensive ranch town is the oldest community in Orange County. If San Juan Capistrano - or SJC - had a dating profile it would say: "Self-deprecating, authentic, still likes a good time."

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Hop. I know, it sounds like a dance craze in 1937. But really, it's what you do when Southern California gets you down and you need to drink small-batch beer, eat Northwestern locavore meals and see bike commuters in the rain. My wife, daughter and I hit Portland, Ore., for a few days last August. Here's the report.

ISLAMORADA, Fla. - Mark Terrill led a couple on bicycles down a narrow road lined by perfectly manicured trees, flowers and shrubs. At the end was the crystalline white sand beach of The Moorings Village, a luxurious 18-acre resort along the Atlantic Ocean that formerly was a coconut plantation.

DEL MAR, Calif. - The coastal town is quiet and peaceful when the horses aren't running. Stay at L'Auberge del Mar Resort & Spa and visit Free Flight, an exotic bird sanctuary.

Henry loves fetching his tennis ball and playing tug with his stuffed animals. About 6 years old, the Shih Tzu mix likely has many good years left.

Strong auto manufacturing and output from utilities pushed industrial production to swell 1.1 percent in April, its fastest growth rate in more than a year.

Americans plan to travel in slightly higher numbers this summer, according to surveys, starting with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston may have a reputation for expensive (and often starched) elegance, but there are options for vacationers who want to kick back at a low-pressure Lowcountry beach. Welcome to Folly Beach.

Doing time on the prison tour circuit? Here are some other tours you won't want to miss.

JACKSON, Mich. - There's new glamour in the slammer.

Oahu is the hub of Hawaiian tourism, and anyone who has visited Waikiki during spring break or summer vacation knows why the island has the nickname "The Gathering Place." Here are a few items I picked up on my visit last month (and since my return):