Travel Features - AP

PLZEN, Czech Republic - Order a beer at a restaurant or bar, and unless you've requested an ale, porter or stout, you'll probably be served the clear, golden brew behind our most familiar brands: Pilsner.

MILWAUKEE - Taliesin opens for the season in April, and officials there expect big crowds, despite the recession. Or maybe because of the recession.

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - Nine-year-old Connor Chandler discovered a Velociraptor skeleton the other day.

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii - The largest and southernmost of the Hawaiian islands is shaking, spitting, and stretching as it slowly expands into the ocean.

ST. LOUIS - The French who founded this city in 1764 left instructions for having a good time. The Germans brought the beer, built the brick mansions and got things organized. Henry Shaw, inspired by the gardens of his native England, created a magnificent botanical garden. The Italians gave us The Hill neighborhood of tidy working-class homes and terrific restaurants, bakeries and specialty food shops.

DELPHI, Greece - I saw the news on a sunny spring day, traipsing through ruins where the Oracle held court, in a place once deemed the center of the Earth.

EPHESUS, Turkey - If you're visiting Greece and its islands in the Aegean Sea, the ruins in Ephesus, Turkey, make a worthwhile side-trip. From the port of Kousadasi, it's about a half-hour to what was once a Roman city of a quarter-million people, but left in ruins by pestilence and earthquake. (Tours are available, and the best way to go.)

WASHINGTON - It's that time of year again, when a swath of the nation's capital becomes awash in a sea of pink.

PLAINS, Ga. - On the outskirts of Jimmy Carter's ancestral home, miles from the nearest interstate, sits a state shrine to Georgia's native president.

MILWAUKEE - It's possible, even pleasurable, to eat one's way through Wisconsin.

CAIRO, Egypt - It was a simple question that I know I posed correctly in Arabic.

SAN FRANCISCO - The original '49ers came armed with pickaxes, but it's possible to mine the pleasures of the City by the Bay without striking gold. Jump aboard a ferry or streetcar for a cheap tour of San Francisco's scenic splendor, grab a burrito from a Mission District taqueria and catch a glimpse of wild life, from the sea lions barking away at Fisherman's Wharf to the two-legged denizens of the Haight Ashbury District.

RINCON, Puerto Rico - So many beautiful beaches around the world are ringed by high-rise condos, trinket shops and traffic, with the same fast-food and hotel chains as all the other beaches.

HONOLULU - President Barack Obama doesn't need a restaurant guide when he visits Hawaii.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - There is no beach. No theme park. No casinos.

INIS MOR, Ireland - Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands west of Ireland, is famous for its wild, rugged beauty, a thousand miles of stone walls, stunning views across the Atlantic and clusters of ancient ruins.

NEW YORK - On a recent day, I gazed at the Arc de Triomphe, visited the world's largest gothic cathedral, dined on Viennese schnitzel and spaetzle, saw a few Rembrandts, and shopped at one of Spain's largest fashion retailers.

LAS VEGAS - The new M Resort, Spa and Casino has opened during what has been a tough stretch for casinos in Las Vegas, but chief executive Anthony Marnell III said timeless tenets — service and value — will push his company forward.

ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Given a choice between a snowy mountain and a sandy beach, I prefer the cold. But my wife is from Miami and my infant son howls when exposed to a chill. So this year I deferred to them, and we headed to Aruba.

CONCORD, N.H. - First, a rocket landed gingerly outside the door. Then, a huge space shuttle model took form inside.

NEW YORK - You could pay a lot of money for the privilege of donating your labor to a worthy cause somewhere around the world on a volunteer vacation. Or you could just throw your sleeping bag in the car, drive to a nearby park, and for as little as $150, spend a week in the wilderness rebuilding trails with other nature-lovers.

MIAMI - The economic downturn has forced states around the country to shutter historic sites and reduce visiting hours for parks. But in Florida, Illinois, California and a few other places, closures have been forestalled after outcries from the public and budget-juggling by officials.

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. - At the height of the Cold War, anti-aircraft missiles stood at the ready here in Florida's swamplands, protecting the South from a potential Soviet nuclear bomber attack launched from Cuba.

RIGA, Latvia - My hotel in Riga was bugged.

WASHINGTON - Federal safety officials report a spike last year in deaths from crashes of air medical, air taxi and tour flights.

DALLAS - Airlines are offering cheaper fares into June, indicating they're worried about filling planes right up to the start of the peak travel season.

NEW YORK - Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a tenacious negotiator, loved to communicate her mood and intentions in a more subtle way — through her brooches.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - Officials say no one was injured in a giant rockfall near Yosemite National Park's iconic Half Dome, but it did close a trail.