TOURING

Travel America, Jan, 2001

Oahu & Maui

* Perillo Tours' deluxe "Two Islander" features three nights at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach and four nights at the Hyatt Regency Maui on Kaanapali Beach. Included are sightseeing, evening shows, and tree time. Twin rate starts at $2,239, including airfare from the West Coast. Contact: Perillo Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 577 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677; (800) 431-1515; www.perillotours.com.

Ride the Rails

* The Amtrak Crescent, a long-distance leisure train that travels daily from New York to New Orleans and points in between, offers a variety of travel packages. For example, a three-day, two-night tour from Atlanta and points south includes luxury hotel accommodations and four meals at the Silver Star Resort & Casino in Philadelphia, Mississippi, plus transportation from the Amtrak station at Meridian. Other packages feature the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Call toll-free (877) 276-2767 or visit the website, www.amtrakcres cent.com.

Western Trails

* Cosmos packages "Wild West Trails," an 11-day tour from Albuquerque to Dallas. Highlights include Santa Fe, Carlsbad Caverns, San Antonio, and Houston. Twin rate is $1,059. Contact: Cosmos (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123; (877) 325-0656; www.globusand cosmos.com.

Rhode Island

* National Trust Study Tours spotlights "Architecture, Art and Music in Newport," a July 12-16 trip coinciding with the city's Annual Music Festivals. Included are concerts in Gilded Age mansions built by America's first millionaire industrialists. Twin rate is $2,345. Contact: National Trust Study Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1785 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (800) 944-6847; www.nthp.org.

Northwest Rivers

* The new, 161-passenger Columbia Queen navigates the Columbia, Snake, and Willamette rivers during its seven-night, 1,000-mile journey from Portland, Oregon. Excursions feature Astoria and Cannon Beach, Oregon; and a Snake River jet boat ride in Hells Canyon, Idaho. The cruise is preceded by an overnight in Portland and visit to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Fares start at $2,100. Contact: Delta Queen Steamboat Company (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130-1890; (800) 297-3960; www.columbiaqueen.com.

Floral Finery

* Corliss Tours offers "Great Gardeners of the World," a March 5-10 trip featuring the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest indoor flower show in the world. Also included are visits to Pennsylvania Amish Country, the scenic Brandywine Valley, Longwood Gardens, and Delaware's Winterthur Estate. Twin rate is $1,445. Contact: Corliss Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 4042, Huntington Beach, CA 92605; (800) 482-4597.

Native Alaska

* World Explorer Cruises offers "Land of the Ancestors," a new 14-night itinerary in May, June, and July that includes visits to the Metlakatla Indian Reservation and Kodiak, home of the Aleutian Island Eskimos. The 737-passenger Universe Explorer also calls at Juneau, Skagway, Seward, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria, British Columbia. Twin rate from Vancouver starts at $1,995. Contact: World Explorer Cruises (TravelAmerica Magazine), 555 Montgomery St., Suite 1400, San Francisco, CA 94111; (800) 854-3835; www.wecmise.com.

All That Jazz

* Jazz, the smooth and spicy music that bubbled up from the cultural gumbo of the Mississippi Delta region, is the focus of selected five- and seven-night cruises in February and March on the historic, 174-passenger Delta Queen paddlewheeler. Embarking from New Orleans, each cruise will feature a performance by legendary clarinetist Pete Fountain. Fares start at $780 for five nights. Contact: Delta Queen Steamboat Company (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130-1890; (800) 543-1949; www.deltaqueen.com.

New Mexico Art

* National Trust Study Tours features an inside look at "Art in Taos and Santa Fe," a July 20-29 trip that includes visits with museum curators and artists. Highlights include Georgia O'Keeffe's home at Abiquiu, Santa Fe's Spanish Market, and Taos Pueblo. Guests stay at the Fechin Inn in Taos and La Fonda in Santa Fe. Twin rate is $3,295. Contact: National Trust Study Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1785 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (800) 944-6847; www.nthp.org.

New York State

* National Trust Study Tours presents "The Gilded Age of Upstate New York," a historian-led trip (August 16-22) from Albany. Tour members attend the races at Saratoga Race Course and visit Camp Sagamore, restored summer retreat of the Vanderbilts, and White Pine Camp, Calvin Coolidge's summer "White House." Cost is $2,495. Contact: National Trust Study Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1785 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (800) 944-6847; www.nthp.org.

Eastern Seaboard

* Delta Queen Coastal Voyages in May unveils its new 226-passenger Cape May Light and Cape Cod Light, named for historic lighthouses and designed to resemble the classic coastal packet ships of the late 1800s. Seven-night itineraries include Chesapeake Bay, New England, Canada, and the southeastern coast from North Carolina to Florida. Rates start at $2,585 per person, plus airfare. Contact: Delta Queen Coastal Voyages (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130-1890; (800) 846-8000; www.coastalvoyages. com.