LAHINCH

 CLARE: This western county, known traditionally as Thomod, is mostly flat, and occupies the area from the River Shannon estuary, guarded by Loop Head, to the broad waters of Galway Bay. Amongst its many outstanding tourist attractions are the Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, and the amazing limestone district called the Burren, with its many caves, underground streams and rare flora.
Edna O'Brien an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer described as "the most gifted woman writing in English" was born in County Clare.

Lahinch, fronted by a mile long sandy beach fringing Liscannor Bay is a popular resort for bathing and golf. The golf course (18 holes) is situated in the sand dunes backing the beach. There is good coastal scenery on either side of the town and inland are some pretty glens, including the glen of the Cullenagh River to Ennistymon. Across the bay is the fishing village of Liscannor where John P. Holland (1841-1914), the inventor of the submarine was born.

Visit Clare

ST LUCIA

  Lake St Lucia is the largest estuary in southern Africa. It covers some 36 000 ha. And this huge expanse of water is a nature lover's paradise. Surrounded by rare coastal forest, lily-covered pans, grasslands teeming with reedbuck and unspoilt beaches. The lake was proclaimed as a game reserve in 1895 to protect the hippo, and hundreds of these great beasts still live in its shallow waters.

The attractions of the vast lake and scenic estuary with its game reserves, hutted camps, caravan parks... and crocodiles and hippos - together with prolific bird life, and abundant fishing.

St Lucia invites visitors to sample a whole spectrum of wilderness treats: like birdwatching, skindiving, game viewing, beach exploring, hiking, or just sitting and listening to the call of the Fish Eagle as the sun sets... Situated at the mouth of the estuary is the bustling village of St Lucia.

 

 

GRAND FORKS

 The oldest major city and perhaps the most cosmopolitan one in North Dakota, Grand Forks is home to the state's leading university and a major Air Force base. The North Dakota Museum of Arts and Chester Fritz Auditorium highlight the arts community of the state's second-largest city. The Center for Fine Arts and local galleries add to the cultural mix. The campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks offers both a wide variety of activities and places for quiet contemplation. Grand Forks has a water-slide complex with a miniature golf course, terrific riverside city parks and 63 holes of great golf, including the truly outstanding Grand Forks Country Club. Summer activities offer fun for all during Summerthing, Catfish Days, Heritage Days and Friends and Neighbors Day.

United by the joining of the Red Lake River and the Red River, Greater Grand Forks is an area of rolling plains and winding waters. Fun-filled activities and events offer excitement year  round.

MELROSE

 Though not a large place, Melrose packs a lot of interest and has a great choice of eating places and accommodations as a bonus. Its most conspicuous feature is its handsome abbey, originally founded in 1136. Amid the ruins, some lavish ornamentation still survives: carved into the walls are fruit and foliage and numerous little figures, even a pig playing the bagpipes high on the walls. It is worth taking the time to have a look around. Melrose Motor Museum and Priorwood Gardens, next door to the abbey, are two other attractions.

VIEW FROM THE EAST * THE SQUARE

GENERAL VIEW * LOWOOD BRIDGE AND RIVER TWEED

The town is overlooked by the three-peaked silhouette of the Eildon Hills. This distinctive landmark was chosen by the Romans as a navigating aid. In the surrounding countryside are other features well worth including on any tour.

SUMMERSIDE

 One of the earliest accounts of a ship launching at Summerside seems like scenes from a dream: "a fully rigged schooner, drawn by a team of sinewy oxen, tailed by a crowd of wide-eyed school children for its launching into the ice of the harbour." The Age of Sail in this region was a time of great excitement and economic activity. Summerside has gained a reputation for hosting international level events, from softball tournaments to Highland Games. The college of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada is based in Summerside, and weekly concerts are held there.

View from Wharf of SUMMERSIDE

At the new waterfront development called Spinnaker's Landing, visitors enjoy a stroll among the shops or a snack at an open-air cafe accompanied by the sounds of musical entertainment. In fact this town espouses the "never a dull moment" philosophy, starting with the town crier's daily proclamation of high noon at Spinnaker's Landing, and continuing throughout the summer with a whole series of festivals and sports events.

City of Summerside

BURNIE

 Burnie is Australian's newest city, proclaimed by Her Majesty the Queen on 26th April, 1988. The rapid expansion of Burnie, now Tasmania's forth largest town, is based on one of the state's largest industrial enterprises, Associated Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd. Situated on Emu Bay, 148 km west of Launceston, Burnie has a busy deepwater port, which serves the west coast mining centres. Other important industries includes plants for the manufacture of titanium oxide pigments, dried milk, chocolate products and cheese. The area’s natural attractions include forest reserves, fossil cliffs, waterfalls and canyons and panoramic ocean views from nearby Round Hill.      

Tasmania North West Coast. View over the city of Burnie

Along its main streets are many attractive 19th-century buildings decorated with wrought ironwork. Today the city has shed its industrial character, although some industry survives, notably the Lactos company, which has won many awards for its French- and Swiss-style cheeses. The sampling room has tastings and a café. Burnie also has a number of gardens, including Fern Glade, where platypuses are often seen feeding at dusk and dawn. 

PORT WASHINGTON

Port Washington, with its touch of New England charm, is nestled on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan, just north of Milwaukee.  With its Art Deco lighthouse and picturesque harbor, it is as charming as any coastal village. Downtown is adjacent to the harbor and features the largest collection of pre-Civil War buildings in the state. Walking tours take visitors through the historic district, past lighthouses and memorials and into specialty shops such as an old-fashioned meat market and fish smokehouse. Enjoy lakefront festivals, spend a day sport fishing or bike the 30-mile Interurban Trail. Along the lakeshore, Harrington Beach State Park offers a mile of pristine beach along Lake Michigan. At this 715-acre state park you can camp, sunbathe, picnic, hike, bird watch, fish or practice astronomy.

For more information, log on to visitportwashington.com

NORWICH

 

City of Stories

Overlooked by most tourists, this compact city, made rich in the Middle Ages by the wool trade, has enough sightseeing to fill a long weekend, as well as interesting shopping (especially along St. Benedict's Street), excellent restaurants, and a vibrant arts scene due, in part, to the presence of the University of East Anglia. Exploration naturally starts at the Market Place, permanently covered by the striped awnings of a large, open-air market.

 THE GUILDHALL AND GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE

All around lie a host of flint-faced churches (32 medieval churches), as well as medieval streets such a cobbled Elm Hill, lined with overhanging and brightly plastered buildings. But the top sight has to be the cathedral, which features a magnificent display of over 1,000 multicolored roof bosses depicting dramatic scenes in miniature along its grand nave and around its cloisters. The large, serene cathedral close, with elegant Georgian houses, feels like a well-kept village.

ST JOHN'S CHURCH AND ST GILES STREET

Norwich has no shortage of museums. The largest, in the castle complex, excels in its enormous teapot collection and galleries of works by John Crome and John Sell Cotman, outstanding landscape artists of the well-respected Norwich School. Also enjoyable are the Bridewell Museum, a nostalgic look at Norwich's industries, and Stranger's Hall, a rambling, old merchant's house.

VisitNorwich: The City of Stories

NORTH BAY

 A busy year-round tourist city on the eastern shore of Lake Nipissing, well-known for fishermen, hunters and railway buffs and offering many activities. It's winter wonderland for downhill and cross-country skiers. A centre of beautiful churches, theatre and music. Main Street, the business thoroughfare, is a modern and progressive shopping Avenue.

"Chief Commanda II" Cruise. A three- or six-hour boat cruise following the voyageur route across Lake Nipissing go to the Upper French River. (Government Dock: July - Labor Day)
Carnaval d'Hiver. The local French community organizes an exciting week of sports and social events. (Early February)
Dionne Homestead Museum. The original Dionne farmhouse, made of logs, has been restored and furnished with memorabilia of the famous quints.

 

 

MAIN STREET * CRUISE BOAT " CHIEF COMMANDA" [1958]

 

North Bay Area Museum. Organized in 1977, it houses many relics of the early rail, lumber, steamboat and pioneer eras.
Memorial Drive. Wends its way through 2 km of shoreland parks, marina facilities, and sandy beaches accessible at over 20 points.
Canadore College Nature Trails. Miles of all-season nature trails on this 304 ha campus. Part of the network includes Duchesnay Falls with its roaring spring waterfalls and scenic overhangs.

 

Destination Ontario: North Bay

IOWA

 Centrally located in the heart of North America, at the crossroads of the U.S. Interstate system, Iowa is the hub of hospitality. Temperatures vary enough by time of year to provide a wide range of outdoor activities - from crisp autumn color tours to cross-country ski treks through frosty winter wonderlands, from sunny springtime camping to statewide summer bike rides. Although Iowa is thought of as an agricultural state, manufacturing is the largest source of personal income. Iowa is the food capital of the world. It harvests more grain than any other state.

 

NICKNAME: THE HAWKEYE STATE

CAPITAL CITY: DES MOINES

STATE BANNER
The Iowa banner was officially adopted in 1921. The state flag consists of three vertical stripes - blue, white and red. The eagle carries the state motto: "Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain".

STATE FLOWER: WILD ROSE
The flower was chosen as an Iowa symbol in 1897 because it decorated the silver service Iowans presented that year to battleship USS Iowa. Wild roses are found throughout the state and bloom from June through late summer.

STATE BIRD: EASTERN GOLDFINCH
The lithe, little "yellow canary" is plentiful in Iowa, often staying through the winter. Seeds from dandelions, sunflowers, ragweed and evening primrose are the main source of food for the eastern goldfinch.

 

Travel Iowa