Sherman's Travel

Looking for a weekend getaway that provides a chance to show off your running or mountain biking chops – or learn how to paddle board on the largest alpine lake in the United States? Consider the Adventure Sports Week Tahoe, in Lake Tahoe, California, from June 15-24.

In its second year, this 10-day outdoor sports extravaganza draws both pro and amateur athletes. On tap are a series of triathlons and trail running events, including a 5K, 10K, and half marathon. There are also triathlons, a duathlon, paddle boarding, and swimming events, as well as pro clinics,  live concerts, and  family-friendly activities.

And, if you’re still looking for a last-minute Memorial Day getaway, Lake Tahoe’s popular Village at Squaw is offering an enticing deal: a whopping 50 percent discount, starting at just $58 per person, including resort fees (but not tax), in a double-occupancy condo.

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Is Michigan’s Henry Ford Museum a Detroit side trip, or vice versa? While the answer might be a matter of pride to the folks in Dearborn and Detroit, for the visitor it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference as long as you see parts of both places.

After writing about the Henry last week, it’s time to focus on the ten things worth doing when you visit what the kids call “the d.”

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My globetrotting ambitions should have been clear to my parents when at age 13 I chose as my bat mitzvah theme “Around the World with Liz.” The place cards looked like miniature passports, and each table represented a different country. Now that I’m twice as old as I was when I was called to read from the Torah for the first time, I decided to look back on that fateful day and count off how many of those “tables” I’ve actually visited:

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Long ago when I was eight years old, the word “awesome” was not used to describe vaguely impressive experiences. No one said, “Your new sweatpants are awesome,” or, “You have gum? Awesome.”

Back then the word was reserved for moments that actually inspired awe. So the first time I climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and Abe slowly began filling my line of sight, that was awesome.

Fast forward several decades and several hundred miles northwest of Washington, D.C., to the beginning of May in Dearborn, Michigan, where Pure Michigan and the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau brought me and a bunch of other travel writers to tour the Henry Ford Museum. As you might expect, cars, cars, and more cars of every make, model, and era are the stars of many of the Henry’s exhibits.

But the first display that caught my eye had a forlorn rocking chair, threadbare and stained with what I learned was hair tonic. A relic from one of Ford’s early automobiles, perhaps?

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I’ll admit, with only the tiniest amount of shame, that there are times when I turn into a crazy cat lady. Meeting Fa-raon, the fluffy, white Birman (pictured), at Hotel Le Bristol in Paris may have been one of those times.

Embarrassing girlish squeals and baby talk aside, hotel pets add to the unique character of a place and make it seem that much friendlier – especially for the kiddos. And who doesn’t like looking at cute animals?

Some hotel brands make pets an official part of their staff, like Kimpton’s “Directors of Pet Relations” (also known as playful puppies) or Fairmont’s Canine Ambassadors.

Others are less “pets” and more “animals that happen to live at the property,” such as the ducks that parade through the Peabody hotels each day, or the giraffes that hang out at Giraffe Manor in Kenya.

Whether feathered or furry, teeny-tiny or two-stories tall, we can’t get enough of these hotel pets. Check out all the adorable photos on our new Pinterest board!

Talk about a photo with bragging rights: Gripping the iconic orange-red cables of the Golden Gate Bridge, the world’s most famous span, at more than 700 feet in the air.

Sadly, you can’t do the real thing, but thanks to a new green screen photo experience – just one of the offerings unveiled today, leading up to the Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th anniversary celebration over Memorial Day weekend – you can pose for a photo that makes it looks like you did. (Yep, that’s me at the right, and I gleefully fooled my husband and parents – though they did notice that my hair, mysteriously, wasn’t blowing around.)

In addition to the Golden Gate Bridge Photo Experience ($20), which is ideal for San Francisco’s famously foggy days, new developments include the Bridge Pavilion, a 3,500-square-foot eco-friendly building that serves as a visitor center and gift shop with beautiful bridge-themed design and memorabilia; personally guided tours on the bridge, including the first-ever night tours; and much-needed enhancements to trails and signage around the southeast toll plaza. Read more

Food allergies cause an emergency room visit every three minutes, according to a study in the March 2011 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, a statistic that provokes many thoughts, especially this one: Nobody is going to take care of your family better than you, especially when you’re traveling with children who have food allergies.

Even if you’re one of those parents who is pathologically prepared for food-allergy related emergencies, you still may wish to scan the following tips or pass them on to another parent who is not always prepared (I fall into this latter group, despite having two kids out of three with food allergies). Whether your next trip brings you across the country or across town, keep the following tips in mind.

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Holidays are always a great excuse to take a trip with the whole family. Mother’s Day (May 13) is just around the corner and the 4.5-star, 4-Diamond Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate invites you to take a last-minute trip to celebrate this special day. Stay two nights over Mother’s Day weekend or the one after for $147 a night – a great rate that includes a Mother’s Day brunch for a family of four (two adults and two children, a value of $96), breakfast daily (worth $70), and 20 percent off spa services. With these extra you save more than $55 a night.

The warm and elegant Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is perfect for both a stay-in resort vacation and a visit to the theme parks via the Omni’s complimentary shuttle. Surrounded by two Greg Norman-designed golf courses, the property also features a spa, a family pool with waterslide, an 850-foot lazy river, a pool with private cabanas, five diverse dining experiences, and more.

To book, visit the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate website.

See our Orlando destination guide for more trip-planning information, then use our TravelSearch price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights.

Unwind in secluded Turks and Caicos at an all-suites, beachfront complex. Stay five nights at the Ocean Club Resort on the gorgeous island of Providenciales – including weekends – and receive the fifth night free. This means you’ll effectively pay $167 per night and save 30% on comparable hotels in the area.

Located on award-winning Grace Bay Beach, the Ocean Club Resort offers individually furnished suites with private balconies and kitchens or kitchenettes. Stretch out on a hammock along the beach or take a dip in the turquoise water, learning why Grace Bay is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The Ocean Club also features two swimming pools, tennis courts, a fitness center, a water sports center, and two on-site restaurants. For those who came to work on their swing, the Provo Golf and Country Club is just across the road.

To book, visit the Ocean Club Resort at MyTurksandCaicos.com or call 877-468-8757 and mention the Ocean Club’s “5th Night Free” promotion. A minimum five night stay is required.

See our Turks and Caicos destination guide for more trip-planning information, then use our TravelSearch price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights to Providenciales.

An annular eclipse of the sun – the kind that results in a dramatic “ring of fire” effect, viewable in the United States for the first time in 18 years – will take place around sunset on May 20, with solar celebrations and viewing events scheduled at dozens of national parks in the western United States.

The eclipse will have the best viewing in a 200-mile-wide diagonal swath from the California-Oregon coast all the way to west Texas. The most avid astro-philes, however, should head to the tiny southern Utah town of Kanarraville. It was identified by NASA officials as one of the prime “sweet spots” for viewing the rare phenomenon, during which the moon will block most of the sun.

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