What can you expect to find? Popular guidebooks by Lonely Planet, Frommer’s, Fodor’s, Moon Handbooks, National Geographic and Let’s Go are scattered throughout this geographically organized collection.

Travel memoirs evoking a strong sense of place, phrase books, travel bags, DVDs, and alternative guides such as the Off the Beaten Path series complement the more traditional guides and help you plan an escape you will never forget.

For an outdoor-focused getaway, choose to visit a National Park detailed in National Geographic’s new Guide to National Parks of the United States.  Woodall’s North American campground directory is a valuable, time-saving resource for RVers. For pet-friendly places to stay, Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook lists AAA-approved lodging.  Road trippers will appreciate Rand McNally’s road atlas for US, Canada and Mexico, shelved at the end of the travel section.

 Nontraditional guides present unique perspectives and often detail lesser known attractions not found in the more popular guidebooks.  Graphic USA: An Alternative Guide to 25 US Cities, is researched, written and illustrated by artists living in those cities.  Discover Native America is an exceptional historical and cultural overview of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.  Marci Penner’s 8 Wonders of Kansas! Guidebook is a must-have for Kansas travelers.

Travel bags for destinations such as Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago and even Alaska can be reserved and checked out for three weeks.  Pick up a brochure of your favorite attraction and add it to the bag to share with others.

Thinking about a European vacation? Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring: Big Trips on Small Budgets is a good starting point. If Paris is your dream getaway, pick up Blue Guide’s Paris to learn about the famous museums, art and architecture you’re about to explore. Reduce cultural barriers and check out the phrase books for languages such as German, French and Italian. These easy-to-transport books are at the beginning of the travel section.

If you’re considering volunteering during your vacation, prefer eco-friendly lodging or desire to travel to some faraway, exotic locale, spend time flipping through the books on the Places to Go shelves for inspiration.  Armchair travel enthusiasts will want to pick up a copy of Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers, the Best American Travel Writing series, or watch a DVD about a place that intrigues you.  Travel memoirs–often adventurous–are fun beach reads.  Many can be found in the Travel Stories section. Some authors I suggest are Jeffrey Tayler, Bill Bryson, Kira Salak and Tim Cahill. 

Take a trip to the library this summer, save money on planning expenses, and share your stories with us!

Sometimes when you need a break, the best vacation is one with your closest girlfriends. The destination possibilities of girlfriend getaways are endless. Here are a couple ideas of getaways you many not normally think of to help you start planning.

Gourmet Retreat at Casa Lana

Want to learn the basics of fine cooking or enhance your culinary skills? Gourmet Retreats at Casa Lana in Napa Valley is a great place to spend some quality time with your girlfriends to advance your culinary knowledge and skills. Casa Lana provides a range of options from a relaxing weekend to a five day boot camp for food enthusiasts at any level. Only 12 students are allowed in the class so the instructors are able to provide personal interaction. Casa Lana has their own gardens full of herbs, vegetables, and fruits to help you master your creations. You can choose to stay at Casa Lana or choose from the available bed and breakfasts, resorts, or hotels in the area.

Be sure to stop by the American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts, or COPIA, in Napa. COPIA is a nonprofit center whose mission is to “explore, celebrate, and share the pleasures and benefits of wine, its relationship with food, and the significance to our culture”. Classes are held here daily. For 45 minutes and $15 you can receive cooking classes focused on the current season. Not interested in more classes? No problem. General admission to the center is free and includes daily wine tasting and a basic introductory to wine, food, and gardening.

Explore the Waters of the San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands is located in northwest Washington and surrounds Seattle, Vancouver British Columbia, and Victoria British Columbia. The San Juan Islands consist of 180 islands – the most popular being Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan. All the islands welcome visitors year round. Lopez Island is ideal for bicycling, kayaking, and relaxing. Orcas Island is ideal for calmer water sports and cycling. San Juan is the most diverse island of the three and home to Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor is the center of activity with art galleries, boutiques, bookstores, water-view restaurants, and plenty of activities for water enthusiasts.

Sea kayaking is very popular among the San Juan Islands due to easily spotted wildlife both on and off shore.  Outdoor Odysseys offer “Women on the Water” sea kayaking and camping tours that take you to islands only accessibly by boat. Guided by women, the ladies-only “Women on the Water” trips immerse you within the culture of the islands. Outdoor Odysseys also offers shorter and longer durations as well as coed tours.

Get Rejuvenated at Lake Austin Spa Resort

Who wouldn’t want to enjoy a nice stay at a spa resort to be pampered with your girlfriends? Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas sits on 19 lakefront acres in the Texas Hill Country. You won’t get bored at Lake Austin where they have many fitness classes to participate in including tai chi, yoga, trek and spin class, canoeing, kayaking, meditation, dance, and so much more. There are also “discovery classes” in healthy cooking, nutrition, relationships, gardening, and more. The LakeHouse Spa has 30 treatment areas to perform their 100 types of therapeutic massages, body scrubs and wraps, baths, facials, and healing therapies. The Iris Salon features hair, makeup, and nail treatments. Lake Austin Spa Resort can be a bit on the pricey side, but they offer great specials. The “girlfriend getaway” special features six or more of your closest girlfriends with discounts up to 40% off.

Put your healthy cooking classes from Lake Austin Spa Resort to good use by stopping by Austin Farmers Market (AFM) and Whole Foods. At AFM you can purchase fruits, vegetables, honey, and flowers produced from the Hill Country by local farmers. They’re available Saturdays 9am – 1pm and Wednesdays 8:30am – 1pm year round. While you’re at the AFM at Lamar and 6th Street, be sure to stop by Whole Foods (on the adjacent corner) which features both organic and natural food and products.

Experience the Beaches in Kauai, Hawaii

Kauai, Hawaii, which is the fourth largest island, features over 40 exotic beaches. Kauai is also known as “Garden Isle” for their tropical greenery, beaches, exotic trees and flowers nurtured with the perfect amount of rain water, eccentric roosters, and island birds. There are four main areas of Kauai: North Shore, East Side or “Coconut Coast”, South Shore/Poipu Resort, and the West Side.

The North Shore is known for their rugged mountains, sea cliffs, and beautiful beaches, most notably Hanalei Bay. The Napali Coast State Park takes up 17 miles of the northwest coastline and can only be seen by sea, air, or by hiking.

The east side of the island is known as the “Coconut Coast” for their clusters of coconut trees and golden beaches. Kealia Beach is the beach to visit to watch surfers and boogie boarders ride the waves. Also, the east side is the best place to shop for souvenirs, especially at Kapaa Town and the Coconut Marketplace.

The South Shore is the sunny and “hopping” side of the island since the airport is located here. Poipu Beach is the area that you will want to focus on if you want a sunny beach. Poipu Beach can get crowded during the busy summer season, so if you want privacy go to Maha’ulepu which is more rugged and remote. Maha’ulepu is a beach, but it is also a research site as well as a habitat for endangered plants and animals.

The west side is best known as the location where Captain James Cook first came when he found Hawaii. The two main beaches you’ll want to hit here are Kekaha Beach Park and Lucy Write Beach Park.

There’s plenty to do in Hawaii than just beaches, so get immersed in the culture and enjoy the island culture.

Become Immersed in the Culture of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, and a great destination for a girlfriend getaway. There’s so much to see, do, and experience in Buenos Aires: shopping, wine tasting, antique hunting, tangoing, viewing the public art, and so much more!

If you want to find some good shopping deals – Buenos Aires is where you want to go since they have both American and European clothing chains at a fraction of the cost. There are also fabulous local chains and unique boutiques that you won’t want to miss.

Argentina is the fifth largest wine producer in the world. You won’t want to miss wine tasting on the famous Malbecs, Torrontes, and Tempranillos.

In historic San Telmo neighborhood you’ll find the best antique shops. On Sundays, San Telmo’s Plaza Dorrego has a fair – Feria de Antiquedades – where you’ll find antiques, handcrafts, jewelry, and scarves.

Don’t forget to take a tango lesson before you leave for Buenos Aires! Once you’re in Buenos Aires you won’t miss seeing a tango dance on the streets of San Telmo neighborhood, which occurs every day of the year. If you forget to take tango lessons before you leave the states, you can get lessons from one of the tango masters at Piazzollo Tango where group lessons are only $6!

As you’re driving through the various neighborhoods in Buenos Aires you’ll witness the public art, especially if you’re on Avenida Figueroa Alcorta. Be sure to stop by the United Nations Park so you can see the giant, shiny aluminum flower sculpture. If you pay close attention you’ll notice the flower’s petals open during the day and close during the night.

Check out these books to help you start planning your girlfriend getaway:

The Complete Idiots Guide to Girlfriend Getaways

Best Girlfriend Getaways Worldwide

50 Best Girlfriend Getaways in North America

Suzy Gershman’s Where to Buy the Best of Everything

Ever been on a girlfriend getaway?

If so, share where your destination was. If not, where would your top pick be?

(Remember all destinations a fictional, travel at your own risk!)

Travel To Sunny Tatooine!

Looking for fun in the sun(s)?  Tatooine’s twin suns will satisfy your tanning needs.   This secluded planet (deep in the Outer Rim) may be exactly what you’re looking for.  Pod Racing is just one of the many events to try one’s luck.  Visit the Mos Eisley shopping district for souvenirs.  For the truly unusual, the Jawa traders will help you out.

Hoth-A Winter Wonderland!

Prefer something colder…much colder?  Then travel to the ultimate arctic paradise…Hoth.  The year-long winter allows for a wide array of outdoor sports.  Ski the slopes of Mount Wampa, race your SnowSpeeder or sit back and enjoy the Tauntaun Rodeo.  Don’t forget to bundle up!

Experience The Culture Of Naboo!

From the Grand Boulevards to the palatial estates, Naboo has something for everyone.  Tour the great museums of science and art.  While you relax at one of the many sidewalk cafes, a Gungan Parade might suddenly begin.  Or for a romantic getaway, may we recommend venturing out to the lake country?

Visit The Wonder Of Cloud City!

One cannot describe the dizzying awe of Cloud City.  This playground of privilege can be your home away from home.  Enjoy a sumptuous feast, pamper yourself with a Tibanna Spa Treatment, or simply stroll the promenades. You truly belong here among the clouds.

Lose Yourself In Coruscant!

When a city covers the whole planet, you know you can find everything!  Attend the Grand Opera one night,  grab some grub at Dexter’s Diner the next.  Experience the seat of power with a tour of the Galactic Senate or become one with the Force at the Jedi Temple.  Wherever your journey may take you, all roads lead to Coruscant!

Where would you go on a Star Wars Vacation?

*Photo coutesy of Lucasfilm, LTD.

There are actually two types of B&Bs; the B&B inn and the B&B home. The B&B inn is a multi-room structure devoted to housing overnight visitors. They often have luxurious features such as down comforters and elegant décor and can be relatively expensive. The B&B home is a family residence whose owners have decided to supplement their income by making a few rooms available to rent. These are usually less expensive.

Today, thanks to the internet, you can find B&Bs that fit your price range, location of interest and even your personality. You can choose from a pampered, romantic stay in wine country to a spell on a working ranch, or take the kids on a farm stay. Many B&Bs are historic buildings kept in the style of the time period, but with modern amenities. Usually breakfast is included in the price and often cooked by the host.

You can go as far away as Europe or sometimes as close as your own home town. The Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association has online listings with prices, descriptions, amenities and links to the websites of most B&Bs listed. From there, you can often view the rooms and make reservations. Many establishments will cater to weddings, scrapbook parties, family reunions and other gatherings.

For a stay in a turn of the century house with all the gorgeous architectural details look to The Tea Rose Inn Bed & Breakfast in Hays, Kansas. Built in 1909 it’s located in a historic district along with many shops, restaurants, antique shops and art galleries. The Inn has four rooms with charming names like the Rose Room and the Peacock Room. It also boasts a breakfast that is a “culinary event” and an afternoon tea.

If luxury is what you crave, try the Southmoreland on the Plaza. Just a block and a half off the Plaza in Kansas City, it boasts “classic New England B&B ambiance with small hotel amenities” such as complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, turndown service and luxury linens. With twelve rooms to choose from, each room has a special feature including jacuzzis and fireplaces.

For a completely different atmosphere, there is the Wild Horse Canyon Bed & Breakfast 10 miles from Dighton in western Kansas and 30 minutes south of I-70. While the setting is the big draw (there’s actually a Wild Horse Canyon, sometimes called Devil’s Canyon), there’s also the experience of staying on a working ranch in comfortable, peaceful surroundings. You can walk the nature trails, hunt or take a short drive to historic Dodge City after a full country breakfast.

You don’t have to go to France or even California to stay in the heart of wine country. Try the Hermann Hill Vineyard Inn and Riverbluff Cottages in Hermann, Missouri. You can choose from a suite in the Inn or in one of the Riverbluff Cottages. Both offer magnificent views and luxurious amenities including jacuzzis in every suite that make this a perfect place for a romantic getaway. A recent visitor says, “It was more personal than a big hotel and they paid more attention to details.  It was nice and we plan to go back.”

Resources -

The Complete Guide to Bed & Breakfasts

The Complete Idiots Guide to Girlfriend Getaways

Picture credits

http://www.tearose.net/

http://www.southmoreland.com/

http://www.wildhorsecanyonbnb.com/

The Eiffel Tower

 The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic structures in the world. It was built in 1889 and was created to be the entrance into the 1889 World Fair. When it was built it was the tallest building in the world, a title that it held for over 40 years.

Today, you can visit the Eiffel Tower and visit the restaurants located on the first and second levels. Each of these levels can be reached by either stairs or an elevator. The third level only available by means of elevators. Each level gives breath-taking views of the city.

The Louvre

The Louvre is one of the most well known art museums in the world and is home to some of the most famous pieces of art in the world, including da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and works by Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Johannes Vermeer. The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in the 12th Century and was repeatedly extended until it reached the size it is today. It is the most visited museum in the world, averaging 15,000 visitors daily.

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe was created in honor of those who perished in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. It was completed between 1833 and 1836. The French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I is housed in this historic location. You are able to take an elevator to near the top where there is a museum which tells of its history. You are also able to take a flight of stairs to the top of the Arc, from which you will be able to enjoy a beautiful view of the city.

Champs Elysees (shopping, Tour de France)

The Champs Elysees is one of the most famous streets in the world, as well as one of the most expensive places to own property. It is filled with shops ranging from Nike and the Disney Store to Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss, restaurants, and other places to visit. It is also home to the Arc de Triomphe and, if you are lucky enough to be there on July 22nd, it is the ending of the last stage of the Tour de France, the famed bicycle race that runs throughout all of France.

The Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral is a French Gothic cathedral that was finished in 1345 and is widely considered to be one of the best examples of its kind. It contains an organ with 7,800 pipes, some of which date back to the 18th century. This is also the setting for Victor Hugo’s famed novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Musee d’Orsay

The Musee d’Orsay is a museum in Paris containing primarily French art dating back to 1898, including works from such famous artists and Monet, renoir, and Van Gogh. Originally built as a railway station, by 1939, the station was outdated as the platforms no longer suited the trains that were in service. By 1970, plans were in place to tear down the building to build a new hotel, but it was saved and placed on the list of Historic Monuments. Plans to turn it into a museum were started in 1974 and the Musee d’Orsay was opened in 1986.

Resources to help you on your journey:

Fodor’s 2012 Paris

Let’s Go Budget Paris: The Student Travel Guide

Paris: The Collected Traveler

Photo Credits:

Eiffel Tower

The Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

The Notre Dame Cathedral

Champs Elysees

Musee d’Orsay

Paris

The Canadian Rockies are much closer to the Pacific Ocean, which makes them much wetter than the American Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming. Combined with their more northerly location, they have been historically much more heavily glaciated than the American Rockies and still are today. In addition, the Canadian Rockies are made of more easily eroded sedimentary rock instead of the harder metamorphic rock in the United States.

The heavier glaciation and softer rock makes the Canadian Rockies much more easily carved by ice than the American Rockies and gives them their distinctively vertical shape, with expansive U-shaped valleys in between the mountains compared to the V-shaped valleys more common in the United States.

Whereas glaciers are small and rare in the American Rockies, they are large and extensive on the Canadian side, expanding at times into large “icefields” that stretch across many mountains and are many square miles in size. Many lakes at the edge of glaciers typically contain “glacial flour”. This is a milky white sediment fine enough to remain suspended in the lake and lend a distinctive opaque turquoise color easily recognizable to the Canadian Rockies. Finally, the increased moisture results in especially thick, green foliage and often misty, cloudy days when compared to the drier, sunnier American Rockies to the south.

Seven contiguous parks make up the Canadian Rocky Mountains UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are the four National Parks Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay, and the three British Columbia Provincial Parks Mount Assiniboine, Mount Robson, and Hamber. In addition to the spectacular scenery, Jasper National Park also contains the Burgess Shale, one of the largest and most important fossil beds in the world and invaluable to modern science’s understanding of biological history on Earth.

To the south is the fifth and last National Park in the Canadian Rockies, Waterton Lakes, which borders Glacier National Park to the south in the United States.

In 1932 the two parks were combined into the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and in 1995 it too was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Connecting Lake Louise, Alberta in Banff National Park to Jasper, Alberta in Jasper National Park is the 140-mile long Icefields Parkway, completed in 1940. It is intended specifically for sightseeing and commercial vehicles such as semi-trucks are prohibited. The Icefields Parkway accesses the Columbia Icefield and has frequently been called the most beautiful drive in the world.

Like many of their famous American cousins across the border, the Canadian Rockies National Parks were created primarily by the railroad industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in order to produce a market for tourism. In this case establishment of the parks was the result of the Canadian Pacific railroad, which is still synonymous with the area and built many of the magnificent hotels that dot the region.

Information about the Canadian Rockies can be found in various Canada-themed books at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. A few of the TSCPL books that inspired this article are Florian Schulz’ Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, Marion Harrison and Peter Thompson’s Explore Canada: The Adventurer’s Guide, and Reader’s Digest’s Through the Great Canadian Wilderness.

While Northern California is known as “wine country”, the Midwest – even  Kansas – has wineries worth visiting. This blog features five noteworthy wineries in Kansas, all less than two hours from Topeka. The featured wineries would be a wonderful day trip for wine tasting, to see the production process of the winery, and enjoy one-of-a-kind gift shops.

Salina – Smoky Hill Vineyard and Winery

Smoky Hill Vineyard and Winery is the largest winery in Kansas. Located in Salina, Wichita, and Wilson, Smoky Hill Winery believes in helping people find the perfect wine for them based on foods that enhance the flavor of the wine. They have over two dozen reds, whites, and specialty wines. Online you can find a handy terminology page that will help sharpen your wine knowledge.
Enjoy wine tasting Monday through Saturday 10-6

Basehor – Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery

Located on 30 acres, Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery produce 7,000 gallons annually from their 10 variety of grapes. Holy-Field use Native American and French hybrid grapes in their wine. They hold events throughout the year including mystery dinner theater dinners and summer musical events.
Enjoy wine tasting Monday through Friday 10-6, Saturday 9:30-6, Sunday 12-6

Paxico – Wyldewood Cellars Winery

Wyldewood Cellars have created three different types of wine: fruit wines, native grape wines, and their award winning elderberry wine. In their gift shop they also sell their jellies, fudge, vinegars, and syrups they produce from the wines, as well as Kansas food products.
Enjoy wine tasting Monday through Saturday 8-6, Sunday 12-6

Eudora – Davenport Orchard Vineyard and Winery

Davenport Orchard started in 1997. They have several types of fruit wines, whites, reds, blush, and sparkling. They also have a Topeka outlet called Matrot Castle. Matrot Castle’s website offers different recipes to cook using their wines.

Eudora tasting room is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 4-7 and Saturday and Sunday 1-5.

The Matrot Castle tasting room is open Saturdays 11-6

Wamego – Oz Winery

Located in downtown Wamego, Oz Winery is not your typical, everyday winery.  Instead of your usual wine labels and titles, Oz Winery incorporates the Wizard of Oz into each wine they produce. They have several different types of wine: reds, whites, blush, dessert, and sparkling. They opened in 2007, and attract travelers all around to have a once in a lifetime wine tasting experience!

Enjoy wine tasting Monday through Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 12-5

Search the Catalog for Great Wine Related Books

 Kansas Guidebook for Explorers

The Ultimate Wine Companion

Exploring Wine

Unquenchable: A Great Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargin Wines

Wine for Dummies

Food and Wine Magazine

Been to a winery (Kansas or elsewhere) that was a fun experience? Please share, I’d love to hear from you!

1.  Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism is promoting their free day at State parks this Saturday, March 31.  Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a relaxing afternoon at a park or lake you’ve never visited.

2.  Explore your creative side and enter a Kansas poetry contest.  Contest ends Friday, March 30, at 5:00 p.m.  See the Travel Kansas website for details and more ideas for in-state destinations.  Check out Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems for inspiration.

3.  Fee-free days at National Parks during 2012 were announced recently.  The next free admission days are during National Park Week, April 21-29.

4.  Schedule a day trip to Kansas City and experience the World’s Fairs exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  Exhibit begins April 14.

5.  The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s collection is getting rave reviews.  Admission to this recently opened museum is free to see the permanent collections, and there are walking trails on the museum grounds.  Location:  Bentonville, Arkansas.

6.  Powell Gardens, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, offers a variety of educational classes–enrollment fee required.  Check their website for a list of what you can expect to see blooming each month.  Order lunch in their cafe and enjoy it on the outdoor patio surrounded by flowering plants.

7.  Drive to south-central Nebraska and participate in the Harlan County White Pelican Watch.  Harlan County Lake is just across the Kansas border, in the Central Flyway, and attracts migratory songbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds.  Remember to pack binoculars.

8.  Gas prices can make a huge dent in your travel budget, so for your road trips try the free GasBuddy app on your smartphone to save a little money.  Keep in mind some prices are based on non-credit card transactions.  Listen to NPR’s March 26 review of this app to learn more.  And while wandering the backroads can be entertaining, it comes with a price.  Consider using Mapquest and Google Maps to find the most direct route to your destination if you want to save gas money.

9.  Stop by the Travel Neighborhood in the library to help you plan your spring getaway.  Kansas and Kansas City travel bags can be checked out for three weeks and reserved.

10.  For local activities, check Visit Topeka to find out what’s happening, and check the April/May Library News for exciting–and free!–library events.

From comic books shows to chili cook-offs, fun fairs and festivals are held all across America.  Whatever your interest, I’m sure someone, somewhere is celebrating it.

Fiesta San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, April 19-29

For over 100 years, San Antonio residents gather for an 11 day party.  This multicultural event features fun, food and music spread all around the city.  The highlight is the massive Battle of the Flowers Parade on April 27.  Many events require tickets, so advance planning is a must.

For more information: http://www.fiesta-sa.org/

RoboGames 2012, San Mateo, CA, April 20-22

Robots, Androids, and Automotons of all kinds compete in a variety of events in this “Olympics for Robots”.  Builders from all over the world test their creations in a variety of catagories, including: Lego, Combat, and Obstacle Run.  Which ones have the “real steel”?

For more information: http://robogames.net/index.php

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA, April 27-May 7

Travel down to the Big Easy for a week of music and food.  Since 1970, Jazz Fest (as it’s commonly called) has featured music of all types: from rock to blues to country, and everything in between.  And then, of course, the food:  over 70 food vendors feature both mainstream and eclectic fare.

For more information:  http://www.nojazzfest.com/

Of course, you can find information on a variety of vacation destinations by visiting the Library’s Travel Neighborhood.  Happy Travels!

Vatican City

 The home of Pope Benedict XVI and the only independent country to be enclosed within another country.

It is also the home of St. Peter’s Basilica. If you travel up into the dome, you will be treated to one of the best views of your trip: a 360 degree view of Rome. You have the option of taking the stairs up, which is quite a feat as the staircase is 320 steps long! You also have the option of taking the elevator, at least for part of the trip. Just remember that there is a strict dress code: no shorts, bare shoulders, or miniskirts. They will not allow you to enter if you do not follow this code.

You also have the opportunity to visit the famous Sistine Chapel, which was painted by Michaelangelo in the early 16th Century and is housed within the Vatican. While photography is not allowed in the chapel, the views of the paintings are well worth it.

Colosseum

 The Colosseum is something that everyone has heard of, but it’s hard to imagine it until you have the opportunity to actually see it. To imagine the size and grandeur of it. In ancient times, Rome would hold their games in the Colosseum. Gladiator fights, people fed to lions, and much more occurred here. It’s an intimidating sight. There are often people dressed as gladiators outside who will take their picture with you for a fee.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain was completed in 1762 and legend says that anyone who throws a coin into the fountain is assured a return trip to Rome.

Pantheon

 A building dedicated to the gods of Ancient Rome, the Pantheon was built in approximately 126 A.D. It is now used as a Catholic church with masses still being held there.

Catacombs

 The catacombs are the burial places of the dead in ancient Rome. There is amazing art on the walls and an incredible feeling of the history buried in these locations. However, they can be a little scary if you are afraid of being underground.

 Eating and Shopping

 The food in Rome is fabulous! I was only there for a few days, but everywhere I went had amazing food. As you can probably imagine, the pasta was the best I have ever had in my life. To feed your sweet tooth, try gelato. It is similar to ice cream, but better. There are stores that sell gelato like a Baskin Robbins sells ice cream in the United States. They are everywhere!

For those who love to shop, you can do it on any budget. Rome is one of the fashion capitals of the world, meaning that some of the most famous designers in the world sell their wares here. For those on a more restricted budget, there are street vendors who will sell you anything from clothes to accessories to random knick-knacks.

The following books are available in your library’s Travel Neighborhood to help you plan your trip!

The Rough Guide to Rome

National Geographic Traveler: Rome

Fodor’s Exploring Rome

Time Out Rome

Photo Credit for St. Peter’s Basilica

Photo Credit for the Sistine Chapel

Photo Credit for the Colosseum

Photo Credit for the Trevi Fountain

Photo Credit for the Pantheon

Photo Credit for the Catacombs

Photo Credit for Feature Photo