Isle of Palms

Oregon Coast

San Diego

San Diego's Balboa Park

Ithaca

Duluth

Corpus Christi

Phoenix

Cleveland

Boulder

Denver

New Orleans

South Florida

By now, you are probably sweltering in the summer heat. If you are like me, and love the water, you want to enjoy a weekend or vacation at the beach. But the cost of gas is so high that you wonder if you can find a beach to enjoy without driving.

The Isle of Palms is an island near the Mount Pleasant section of Charleston. It's easy to spend a few days here, soaking in the sun and swimming in the warm ocean. This family-oriented beach is very expansive with great sand, a chance to watch the dolphins, pick up sea shells, walk along the beach, and-if you get up early enough-watch the sun rise over the nearby fishing pier.

The beach is popular and a good choice for walking or running in either high or low tide. The ocean here is warm and a good place to swim. According to Jared Becknell at the Palms Hotel, the beach at Isle of Palms has won the blue tide award for many consecutive years or having the cleanest beach in South Carolina. --Read More--

How about a memorable vacation in the Pacific Northwest-that you can enjoy without driving? Today's column spotlights one of these areas.

Clatsop County on Oregon's Pacific Coast, just a two-hour bus ride from Portland, is a welcome change from a big city. Walking and biking are popular. Many areas are easy to reach by public transportation. Visitors love the small town atmosphere and how easy it is to walk to most places you need to go.

Art lovers and outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the quiet beauty of Cannon Beach. There are galleries, and performances of musicals, serious drama, and comedies at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse This is a more quiet beach with art galleries, a four-mile beach walk, and a free summer town shuttle bus that takes residents and visitors between the three sections of Cannon Beach: Downtown, Midtown, and Tolovana. --Read More--

San Diego, California is an exceptional city in many ways. This popular city offers a special reason for beach lovers without cars to come here: an in-town beach that is a short ferry boat ride from downtown. Stay downtown, and you can enjoy not only Coronado Beach, but also many of San Diego's other beaches as well as many other attractions.

Coronado Beach has some of the whitest sand on the California coast, and wide beaches with gentle surf and no undertow. This makes it ideal for children and beginning swimmers or surfers. Swim, surf, sail, body board, fish, or just fall asleep in the sun. Other activities here include beach volleyball, tide pool exploration, and kite flying. There is also a bike path south of the Hotel Del Coronado. --Read More--

Photo Credit Joanne DiBona

A good way to sample what is special about San Diego is to visit Balboa Park: the largest urban park in the United States (according to Balboa Park staff) (www.balboapark.org, or call [619] 239-0512. You will want to spend several days here if you have the available time. In addition to walking trails and playgrounds, you can experience the park's stunning Spanish Renaissance architecture, and a wide variety of things to see and do. Balboa Park, just minutes from downtown San Diego, is the nation’s largest urban park. It’s easy to spend several days here.

The park houses 15 museums, ranging from art to science and from air and space to natural history or anthropology. If you love the outdoors, allow time to explore the wide variety of gardens. The San Diego Zoo is world famous --Read More--

As autumn approaches, the changing leaves, mountains and lakes exert their special spell. At this time of year, you want a mountain or natural lake escape that is scenic, walkable, and (preferably) away from a big city.

New York State is a magical world, especially during fall. A great choice for a weekend getaway is Ithaca: home of Cornell University, Ithaca College, and much more. Lovers of the outdoors will enjoy Lake Cayuga (one of the Finger Lakes), scenic gorges, Ithaca Falls, and much more. . --Read More--

Weekend getaways don't need to be limited to major cities and metropolitan areas. Frequently, smaller cities and vacation spots can be enjoyed without driving. For example, this month's weekend getaway is Duluth, Minnesota, located on Lake Superior-largest of the Great Lakes.

Gene Shaw, from Visit Duluth (the city's visitor center) is our guide to a car free weekend in Duluth.Tom Elwell, from Duluth Transit, has tips about how to enjoy your weekend by bus, walking, and bicycle.

Enjoy the Downtown-Waterfront area’s restaurants, art galleries, attractions and the world famous Aerial Lift Bridge. The Duluth Harbor is on one side and the 7 mile long public beach is on the Lake Superior side.  Kids love to “skip rocks” on the Canal Park side of Lake Superior and thousands of visitors walk, bike or roller blade the 7.2 mile long “Lake Walk” that is everyone’s place to see the Largest of the Great Lakes from her shores line. --Read More--

Would you enjoy a vacation that includes a downtown with lots to do, trolleys, a Harbor Ferry, and an opportunity to enjoy both popular beaches near downtown, and the unspoiled Gulf beach? Then, Corpus Christi, Texas may be the perfect vacation spot for you.

If you don't want to drive, downtown Corpus Christi is a convenient location to stay during your visit. Several attractions are within walking distance, and two popular beaches are a short bus ride away.

Because of its bay location, there is very little seaweed and no undertow, making McGee Beach the perfect location for children. Swim—from April until Thanksgiving; enjoy the view of sailboats, wind surfers, and shrimpers hauling in their catch or turn street-side to watch the pedal carts and passersby. McGee Beach has a pier, with rest rooms and a small restaurant, where you can bring a rod and some bait and try your hand at fishing. --Read More--

When we think of a weekend vacation without a car, Phoenix does not usually come to mind. But that is changing, thanks largely to new light rail and subway systems. Since Phoenix’s light rail system opened on December 27, 2008, a non-driving weekend in Phoenix can be fun and easy to accomplish. In this month’s column, Scott Dunn, from the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, (assisted by customer service reps from Valley Metro in Phoenix) shares some tips for anyone who wants to visit Phoenix for the weekend without driving.

Metropolitan Phoenix is about the size of Delaware and encompasses more than 20 cities and towns. Sometimes, the most rewarding trip to Phoenix is one that keeps it simple. Limiting your visit to locales accessible by light rail certainly simplifies things. You might miss out on the dining and nightlife of Scottsdale or the sports and entertainment of Glendale, but you’ll still get a great sense of the city’s Southwestern character and possibly have a more satisfying visit than if you try to drive all over the place and see all Metropolitan Phoenix’ attractions. --Read More--

Today’s weekend getaway is Cleveland, Ohio: a transit-friendly area that can be easily reached inexpensively either by bus (www.Megabus.com) or air (Southwest Airlines). Once you arrive, there is so much to do that your only problem is choosing how you will best enjoy your time here.

Sit front and center for your favorite Broadway blockbuster. Cruise a crooked river at sunset or commune with Costa Rican butterflies. Sample ethnic delicacies at a bustling public market. Ride the vintage rails of a scenic railroad through a national park. Dine in the restaurant of a celeb chef. Shop for retro collectibles at a vintage toy store. Visit the home of gridiron greats. Admire the work of artistic masters at our museums and release your inner rock star at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. --Read More--

Cleveland 84 Photo - Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 United States

Last month, we spotlighted Denver. This month, we focus on the nearby college community of Boulder. Boulder is much more compact, a great choice for biking or walking enthusiasts, and has the world-renowned University of Colorado. Also, unlike many other communities, Boulder’s downtown includes many locally owned businesses (rather than the chains that are so common elsewhere).

The easiest way for out-of-town visitors to reach Boulder is by plane. From Denver International Airport (DIA), RTD’s (Regional Transit District) hourly Sky Ride service to Boulder costs $13 each way. The Boulder Transit Center is in downtown Boulder, and is served by most RTD (Regional Transit District) buses serving Boulder. Downtown Boulder is also the most convenient area to stay, during your visit. --Read More--

As you plan your weekend getaway to Denver, take time to read this article (written by a Denver writer, and recommended by Visit Denver: the official travel and visitor bureau for Denver): http://www.denver.org/transportation/get-around-denver-without-car

Many visitors may not want the hassles of choosing which of Denver’s many attractions to visit. If you are one of these people, an organized tour may be the best solution. For information about local tours, visit http://www.denver.org/transportation/colorado-tours

Non-drivers should focus on downtown Denver, and use RTD buses and free 16^th Street mall shuttle to get around. Visit RTD’s website: http://www.rtd-denver.com, or call (303) 299-6089 for live customer service from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends and holidays (all times are mountain time). --Read More--

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New Orleans is well known for its annual Mardi Gras celebration, and for being the birthplace of jazz. But the city is more than Mardi Gras and jazz. It’s also grand Greek revival mansions of the Garden District, river cruises on the Mississippi River, parks, festivals, a college community (Tulane and Loyola), and of course the famed French Quarter with its music, restaurants, and bars. Unfortunately, a weekend here is never long enough.

There is so much to do—and so little time to do it. You will probably want to spend at least one evening in the famed French Quarter, sampling the bars and music. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau recommends that anyone interested in music should visit Frenchmen Street, also known as the local's Bourbon Street. The clubs that line this street give you a sample of every genre of music, including brass, jazz and zydeco. Fabulous food is a bonus at many of these places. --Read More--

This month, we will spotlight South Florida. This popular, expensive, and traffic-clogged area includes Palm Beach and Palm Beach County, Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, and Miami/Miami Beach and Dade County.

There are airports in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. Each county has its own transit system, and visitor center. Tri-Rail, operated by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, is a commuter rail system (operating every day) that links all of these areas.

When planning your trip, contact these visitors’ centers and transit systems:

Miami Beach and Dade County

Visitor Information: www.miamiandthebeaches.com/ (305) 539=3000 or

(800) 933-8448 (toll-free)

Dade County Public Transit: www.miami-dade.fl.us/transit (305) 770-3131 --Read More--