Wire Travel

This is the only country that gives you a bath before they send you home.

MIAMI - A cool ocean breeze cut the day's humidity. Dresses up to there in hot pink sequins and acid yellows colored the sidewalks. It was around midnight on a Thursday in Miami's South Beach neighborhood, and the evening was just getting started.

LOS ANGELES - When Whitney Houston died last year, one of the first pieces of audio memorabilia that swarmed the Internet was the isolated vocal track from her 1985 recording of "How Will I Know." Trust us, it will simultaneously give you chills and make you cry.

OMAHA, Neb. - While everybody talks about the "flyover" states, few people stop to see what all the chatter is about. In the midsection of the United States sits Nebraska, a state that boasts treasures worthy of unfastening your seatbelts and putting your tray-table in its upright position.

JUDY GAP, W.Va. - North Fork Mountain is special.

PARIS - Tired of airports, I recently opted for the overnight train from Rome to Paris (393 euros - about $511 for ticket and single compartment, raileurope .com). It was an icy cold when I disembarked at Gare de Lyon on a bright, clear Sunday late winter morning, with daytime temperatures dipping into the 40s. But regardless of the frosty reception, the City of Light has its pleasures any time of year. The most obvious in March is the lack of tourists. Hotels offer deals, restaurants don't always need reservations, and French is more commonly heard in a city that can swell with more than 1 million tourists a day during peak summer periods.

SAN FRANCISCO - Tucked away in the Marina District, on a spit of land jutting into San Francisco Bay, lies one of this city's hidden treasures.

It's so cold, they closed the igloos. The icebergs are shivering. Two of my toes are slightly frostbitten. Yesterday my life seriously flashed before my eyes on a dogsled ride through the mountains.

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK - Jagged peaks, a lucky glimpse of a bear or moose, and, of course, glaciers - these sights are just the tip of the iceberg at Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana.

Now that we're finally shaking off the cold of winter, it's time to start thinking about spring travel plans. Here's a chance to enjoy more than just a pleasant travel excursion. These festivals in North and South Carolina are guaranteed to provide a laugh or two and an opportunity to experience something out of the ordinary.

HARRODSBURG, Ky. - Guests who eat breakfast at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill probably don't even give a second thought to the syrup that covers their stacks of pancakes. But if they ask, they'll get a history lesson.

LOS ANGELES - We admire this sugared peak from our downtown L.A. offices on the clearest winter days, a 10,000-foot postcard of pleasures. Indeed, Mt. Baldy offers challenging (though limited) ski terrain. Serious hikers use it to train for Everest. In short, this SoCal playground offers something for almost everyone.