Known for the stunning backdrop afforded by the towering Wasatch Mountains – and the endless opportunities for outdoor recreation they provide – Salt Lake offers visitors a uniquely vibrant and dynamic urban experience. As one of North America’s most accessible destinations, Utah’s capital city offers year-round excitement and activities for the entire family, alongside a contemporary edginess and vitality that’s helped the “new” Salt Lake become a renowned culinary destination.

Stretching 160 miles through Utah, the Wasatch Range makes a rugged, glacial backdrop for the 85% of the state’s population living within 15 miles. Mount Nebo is highest at 11,928 feet, but the peaks around Alta and Park City are most popular. "The greatest snow on earth" falls on these spectacular slopes. Lone Peak’s granite outcrops provide top climbing. Canyons and valleys are loved by fly-fishermen and hikers. After all that adventure, retire to a hip restaurant or enticing hot tub in chic Park City.

The Red River is the heart and soul of Shreveport, a cultural and gaming center on the Louisiana/Texas border. Riverboat casinos evoke the glamour and mystery of the past while providing modern travelers with thrills and excitement. If the tables aren't your style, take a trip over the neon-lit Texas Street Bridge to the horse-racing at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Shreveport's thriving sister city. Visitors can unwind in one of Shreveport's botanical oases and enjoy the area's fine waterfront dining, shopping and entertainment. Shreveport sizzles in the summertime but has a temperate climate for the rest of the year.

Conquering New York in one visit is impossible. Instead, hit the must-sees – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and then explore off the beaten path with visits to The Cloisters or one of the city’s libraries. Indulge in the bohemian shops of the West Village or the fine dining of the Upper West Side. The bustling marketplace inside of Grand Central Station gives you a literal taste of the best the city has to offer.

Artists, farmers, scholars and professionals come together in harmony in beautiful Northampton, where the Connecticut River winds through the wooded hills of the Pioneer Valley. Once home to such diverse notables as U.S. president Calvin Coolidge, abolitionist Sojourner Truth, author Kurt Vonnegut and punk rockers Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, and current home of the all women's Smith College, the city is famed for its arts scene and liberal values, plus a thriving lesbian community.