Smithsonian Mag's Destination America

If the weak dollar has put travel to Europe out of your reach, stay closer to home and plan a trip around "Destination America," as showcased in Smithsonian Magazine.

The magazine recommends cultural destinations including Louisiana's Cajun country, where you'll find good food and music; the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, with literary and artistic connections to figures like Herman Melville and Norman Rockwell; Alcatraz, the former federal prison and National Park site on an island off San Francisco; Galena, Ill., the "outdoor museum of the Victorian Midwest," where historic architecture includes Ulysses S. Grant's post-Civil War mansion; and the (civilian) sailing community of Annapolis, Md.

The magazine also lists festivals and diversions including Burning Man, the arts festival, Aug. 27-Sept. 3, in Black Rock Desert, Nev.; a Balloon Festival, Sept. 20-23, in Glens Falls, N.Y., near Lake George and the Adirondacks; the National Hamburger Festival, July 21-22, in Akron, Ohio; the new Underground Railroad bike route, which begins in Mobile, Ala., and runs 2,000 miles to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada; Batfest 2007, Sept. 1-2, where Austin, Texas, salutes its bat colony - 1.5 million of the critters; and the Pageant of the Masters, July 7- Aug. 31, in Laguna Beach, Calif., where costumed actors strike poses to recreate 3-D, living, breathing tableaus of 35 works of art.

Details and some online-only features are available at http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com.