QUICK HITS.

Tie the knot for free: If you show up between noon and 5 p.m. Feb. 29 at Florida's scenic Cypress Gardens with a marriage license and a fiance, you can get married for free. To celebrate Leap Year's romantic role, the tropical-garden theme park, located near Winter Haven, will provide the admission, the music, the minister or notary, a wedding photo and a mini-reception. (Your guests will have to buy tickets, however.) Information: [phone], Ext. 362.

Still a draw: The Grand Canyon drew more visitors last year despite two recent government shutdowns that limited access to the popular tourist attraction. The visitor total climbed to 4.9 million, an increase of 4 percent over the 4.7 million who visited in 1994, spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said Tuesday. The National Park Service, which manages the 1.2-million-acre park, had expected the total to exceed 5 million for the first time, however.

The park was closed for several days in November by the first federal shutdown and then, with state and private donations, was kept open only on a limited basis during the second shutdown.

Gone camping: Tips on Trips and Camps, a camping organization, will host a free open house for parents to learn about children's residential summer camps. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at in the lower field gym, John Thomas Dye School, 11414 Chalon Road, Los Angeles. Information: [phone].

Popular: Spain has knocked the United States out of its long-held position as the second most popular tourist draw in the world, according to federal tourism officials. France retained its spot at the top in 1995 despite a slight decrease in visitors.

The World Tourism Organization's 1995 ranking of international tourist arrivals show: 1. France: 60.6 million, down 1.13 percent; 2. Spain: 45.1 million, up 4.38 percent; 3. United States: 44.7 million, down 1.7 percent; 4. Italy: 29.2 million, up 6. 2 percent; 5. China: 23.4 million, up 10.9 percent; 6. United Kingdom, 22.7 million, up 7.92 percent; 7. Hungary, 22.1 million, up 3.09 percent; 8. Mexico, 19.9 million, up 16.11 percent; 9. Poland, 19.2 million, up 2.2 percent; 10. Austria, 17.7 million, down .6 percent.

Calm down: Beginning Feb. 1, stressed-out travelers who stay at Novotel New York can get some help winding down: a digital sound soother that provides background noise ranging from seaside sounds to the chirp of crickets and the croaking of frogs; a contoured foot massager; and an electronic massage pad to massage back, hips, thighs and calves. Information: [phone].

On the flat: "No Stairs to Climb in London" is an access guide for the mobility impaired and those who want to avoid climbing. The guide by Barbara Donchess, who is disabled, provides information on theaters, shops, hotels and attractions throughout Great Britain. While the guide is not designed for wheelchair users, there is information that may be useful. For a copy, send $4.95, which includes postage, to Perky Publications, 5 South St., Canton, Mass. 02021.

No-show charge: Visa, the credit-card giant, will impose penalties - up to one day's rental charge - on travelers who reserve rental cars at peak times, guarantee the reservations with a Visa card, then fail to show up, according to the trade publication Travel Weekly. Although Hertz and Avis say they do not plan to adopt the program, other rental-car companies likely will implement it, the magazine said.

Mountain trail: Scaling heights of 4,600 to 6,000 feet in places, a new 1,000-mile snowmobile trail network starts in St. Maries, Idaho, and crosses the Bitterroot Range of the Rockies into Montana. The network, operated by several government and private entities, opened Dec. 9. The main trail passes directly through the Idaho towns of Wallace, St. Regis and Superior, where the streets are accessible to snowmobilers. The closest airports are in Spokane, Wash., and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

A complete trail guide is available by calling [phone]. It includes a trail map as well as listings of all services, among them equipment rentals, lodging and restaurants. There are check-in points along the trail, staffed by Forest Service and resort personnel.

Rest stop: A new, two-story public restroom recently opened in Zhengzhou, China, that offers hand driers, clothes hooks, marble dressing tables and a reception area with telephone, fax machine, television, air conditioning, a sofa and the makings for a pot of tea.