Follow the sun: beat the winter blues at these warm-weather escape hatches - Brief Article - Product/Service Evaluation

Travel America, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Diane Bair, Pamela Wright

Houston, America's fourth largest city, is 50 miles inland and offers a wealth of tourist attractions, including Space Center Houston, official visitors center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Also visit the new Downtown Aquarium and The Galleria, an Uptown Houston shopping mall with a giant indoor skating rink. Just 45 minutes from downtown is Galveston, a charming beach town filled with history.

The toughest thing about visiting New Orleans is deciding what to do. The Big Easy is chock full of activities and attractions that will keep you hopping day and night. And it just keeps coming. Look for a Tabasco-themed museum and store coming to two 19th century row houses in the Warehouse District within the next several months. (Tabasco's factory tours on Avery Island in south Louisiana are hugely popular.)

Of course, you won't want to miss the classic Crescent City haunts. Head to Jackson Square, the hub and heartbeat of the French Quarter, where you'll find street artists and musicians, restaurants, and shops. Be sure to pick up a free, self-guided map of the French Quarter (available from the Visitors Center), or sign up for one of New Orleans' famously fun tours. These include late-night ghost and voodoo tours, cemetery tours, swamp tours, and plantation tours.

Surprise: It wasn't New Orleans that invented Mardi Gras. In fact, the first troupe paraded through the streets of Mobile, Alabama, 20 years before the Big Easy folks got their act together. If you can't make it to Mobile for Mardi Gras (held in February or March each year), don't fret. There are plenty of rea sons year-round to visit this Southern belle on the Gulf Coast. Don't miss the magnificent Bellingrath Gardens and Home, with 800 acres of flowers, sculpture, reflecting pools, and more. Also, visit the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion, a 20-room grand structure and the city's most photographed building. The Fine Arts Museum of the South, Mobile Botanical Gardens, and the Oakleigh Historic Complex are also must-sees.

With more than 300 sunny days each year, is it any wonder that Phoenix, Arizona, is a mecca for sun-seekers? Even if you're the spontaneous type when it comes to vacation planning, Phoenix should be able to find a place for you. The nation's eighth largest city and environs, known as Arizona's Valley of the Sun, is home to numerous resorts, inns, and hotels, including many Mobil Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond winners. Lately, everybody's talking about the new Sheraton Wildhorse Pass Resort & Spa (www.wildhorsepassresort.com), located on a Native American Indian reservation. Designed to reflect the Gila River Indian community's heritage and culture, the 500-room property features an on-site equestrian center, four pools, and a huge spa offering indigenous Native American treatments to enhance body and spirit.

Palm Springs, California, desert playground of the rich and famous during Sinatra's heyday, is suddenly chic again. These days, active travelers are discovering there's more to Palm Springs than swimming pools and golf courses. Just outside of town is a splendid wilderness area, boasting three mountain peaks higher than 10,000 feet in elevation. Mount San Jacinto State Park and State Wilderness area encompasses 13,500 acres of wild country. Visitors can hike in from the park's west side (permits are required for hiking and backpacking) or ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway 2.5 miles up the mountain. There are several places to camp in the area, unless those cool blue hotel pools lure you back to town.