Best Places to Visit in February

Top Picks Valentine’s Day
Why not woo your Valentine with a romantic getaway? We’ve rounded up the most romantic bed and breakfasts and we’ve got Valentine's Day vacation ideas that are equal parts sweet and sexy.
Snowboarding
Take advantage of the powder with a trip to the best snowboarding spots in the US. There are challenges and lessons at these top snowboarding trails, parks and pipes.
Costa Rica
February is prime time to visit Costa Rica when you can take advantage of the dry season with warm weather and little rain. Plan a classic Costa Rica adventure or check out the best eco-tourism on a road trip around Costa Rica.
Caribbean
Beat the winter blues on a tropical getaway to the Caribbean where the temperatures are balmy and the sunshine bright. Take your pick from the Top 10 Caribbean beaches.
New Zealand
If you have time for an extra-long vacation, catch the tail end of summer in New Zealand. Set off on a classic outdoor adventure Down Under and soak up the country’s natural beauty.
Europe
While you won’t be escaping the cold weather in Europe, you might avoid some of the crowds by visiting the Continent’s coolest cities in the off-season. Visit Paris or London for big-city fun with fewer tourists and even a few bargains.
Heli-skiing in Alaska
There are plenty of great skiing options around the world, but if you’re looking for an unusual extreme ski getaway, try heli-skiing in Alaska. The heli-skiing season only lasts for 12 weeks—from February through April—so take advantage of the adrenaline rush when you can.
Spring Break's Party Spots »
Here are our hints for a rocking spring break.
Wellness and Beauty Retreats »
See the planet and improve yourself along the way.
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Top 10 Most Haunted Places

Top 10 Most Haunted Places : Haunted Travels -

Whether you're a believer or not, America's towns are filled with true ghost stories passed down through time. From haunted fortresses and historic military spots to grisly tales of suffering and death, we've collected the country's most chilling real ghost stories.

Moundsville Penitentiary
Moundsville, West Virginia
During its more than 100 years in operation, the Moundsville Penitentiary in West Virginia was one of America's most violent correctional facilities and the final stop for almost 1,000 criminals. The prisoners lived in cramped quarters, which led to riots. Many men were hung or killed in the electric chair, while others were murdered by other prisoners. The prison closed in 1995, but according to some, the tortured spirits are still behind bars and in the bowels of the prison and may be seen or heard on a tour.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Weston, West Virginia
Once known as the Weston State Hospital, this asylum was home to thousands of people with mental illness, starting in 1864. Hundreds of people died here before the facility closed in 1994. Spirits are said to haunt the building and grounds today, dating back to the Civil War era when the asylum's grounds served as a military post. Paranormal tours of the facility feature 2-hour visits to the asylum's 4 main hot spots. The more intense Ghost Hunt is an 8-hour overnight paranormal adventure with experienced ghost-hunting guides.

Villisca Axe Murder House
Villisca, Iowa
On June 10, 1912, the old white frame house at 508 E. 2nd Street became a grisly crime scene. The heinous murder of Josiah B. Moore, his wife, their 4 children and 2 young girls who were overnight guests rocked the small town of Villisca, IA, and the murderer was never identified. Over the years, residents of the home reported visions of a man with an ax, children crying and unexplained paranormal activity. In 1994, the home was restored to its original condition with no indoor plumbing or electricity. These touches add to the chilling ambience during a lamplight tour from April through November or an overnight experience available by reservation for groups.

Sammie Dean
Jerome, Arizona
Jerome, AZ, is a former copper-mining town with a paranormal reputation that dates back to the Wild West. The town is now home to just 400 residents (down from 15,000 in its heyday), but legend has it there are plenty more ghostly residents from the days of mining accidents and shoot-out gunfights. One well-known spirit is the working girl Sammie Dean, a prostitute who was strangled by a customer in the old Crib District. Her beautiful spirit roams the alleys looking for her killer who was never found.

Cuban Club
Tampa, Florida
Cuban Club, also known as Circulo Cubano de Tampa, can be found in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood. In 1917 this spot was a popular hangout for Cuban immigrants who enjoyed the ballroom, outdoor band shell and cantina with a stage and dance floor. Today the compound, protected by the National Historic Register, hosts concerts and special events and is the setting for many ghost stories about spirits playing the Click Here!">piano and riding the elevators.

Fort Mifflin
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Built in 1771, Fort Mifflin is the country's only Revolutionary War battlefield that is still intact. There are 14 restored buildings on the grounds on the Delaware River and reportedly plenty of spirits from the past. Amongst the ghosts said to haunt the fort are a screaming woman whose cries are so loud that the Philadelphia police have been called to investigate, only to find no one there. Other characters in the local ghost stories include a faceless man wandering around the fort, a tour guide dressed in revolutionary garb and numerous children and dogs.

Manhattan Bistro
New York, New York
SoHo is one of Manhattan's hipster havens with trendy shops and gourmet restaurants. But you may get more than you planned for at dinner at the Manhattan Bistro (129 Spring Street), a French restaurant with a notable ghost. Juliana Elmore Sands was killed in this building in 1799 when she was thrown into a well in the basement. According to some ghost stories, her spirit, often called the Ghost of Spring Street, manifests itself as vapor rising from the kitchen floor and causes front-of-house mischief with flying ashtrays and shattered dishes.

Moon River Brewery
Savannah, Georgia
The Moon River Brewery brought its beloved beers to Savannah in 1999, but the building is one of the oldest in town, dating back to 1821. In its original incarnation, it was the City Hotel, a high-end hotel with a history of violence during the Civil War. Men were killed in the hotel during heated skirmishes, including a Yankee who was beaten to death by locals in 1860. Some bar patrons today say they've seen bottles mysteriously fly through the air and have witnessed guests being pushed, touched and even slapped by unseen forces. One resident apparition, Toby, is said to skulk around the billiard room looking for the next great bar brawl.

The Sultan's Palace
New Orleans, Louisiana
The house at 716 Dauphine Street is a classic French Quarter beauty with classic wrought-iron balconies and a large courtyard. But in the 1800s, this residence was a house of horrors for the Sultan, a wealthy man with a depraved lifestyle, multiple wives and children and a harem of women and young boys held against their will. Neighbors complained about the mysterious habits of this man who had a predilection for partying, opium and torture. But the greatest mystery in the house was the Sultan's demise when he was buried alive in the courtyard after his family and harem were hacked to pieces in a bloodbath by an unknown perpetrator. Today, his angry spirit is thought to be responsible for the unusual noises, loud music and strong incense smells that waft from the home, as well as unwelcomed advances on past female residents who swear the Sultan is still up to his old tricks of groping female visitors.

Calcasieu Courthouse
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Toni Jo Henry has been the talk of the small town of Lake Charles since the 1940s when she killed a man in cold blood. Just as notorious were her stunning good looks. The former prostitute charmed a gentleman in a pickup truck to give her a ride while she was walking the highway with a friend en route to spring her true love from a Texas prison. It took 3 trials for a jury to convict the wily Toni Jo, who had charmed the courtroom and jail staff and divided the town over her presumed guilt. In 1942, this murderous beauty known as Tiger Girl was the first female to die in the electric chair in the state. Her spirit lingers in the courthouse today, and workers there swear they feel her presence, hear her screams and even smell her burning hair. Many believe that she tinkers with office equipment, locks doors and meddles with everyday office life at the courthouse.

Top 10 Places of Mystery

Top 10 Places of Mystery : Haunted Travels -

Open your mind to new travel experiences by trading your usual fun-in-the sun vacation for 1 of these strange phenomena, unexplainable events or mysterious murder locations.

Crystal Skulls
Southern Mexico and Central America
Search ancient Mayan ruins throughout the jungles of southern Mexico and Central America for magical skulls. The legend claims that 13 crystal skulls, thought to be containers of great wisdom and mankind's destiny, were left behind by Mayan elders to be discovered by future generations. Five of the skulls have already been found -- 1 in Belize's Lost City of Lubaantun.

Nazca Lines
Nazca, Peru
Fly over enormous land figures -- including a dog, a monkey and a 900-foot bird -- along the southern coast of Peru. Although the lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca Indians some 2,000 years ago, no one is certain why or how they managed to produce such massive, complex forms. Some believe aliens created them as landing strips for their spacecraft.

Bermuda Triangle
Atlantic Ocean
Visit the 3 apexes -- Miami, San Juan and Bermuda -- of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The triangle earned its deadly reputation due to the unexplained disappearances of 80 aircraft and 60 boats since 1975. Intense electrical forces and a tunnel-like cloud have been reported, but other theories include rapidly changing weather patterns and alien abduction.

Ark of the Covenant
Ethiopia
Join the greatest religious quest of our time. The search for the Ark of the Covenant, the golden container thought to hold the Ten Commandments, dates back to 586 B.C., when it vanished from King Solomon's temple. Some scholars have speculated that the ark was brought to Ethiopia, while others believe the ark could be located in the Judean desert.

Oregon Vortex
Gold Hill, Oregon
Experience an unexplainable force field just off Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. Native Americans called it the The Forbidden Ground, and in the early 1900s, scientists speculated that the land contained crossed magnetic lines that produced a strange force field. It's been reported that the vortex can make things spin, create the illusion of a dramatic change in height, and other optical illusions.

The Boston Strangler
Boston, Massachusetts
Investigate and catch the real Boston Strangler. Between 1962 and 1964, 11 women were found strangled to death in their Boston homes. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the killings, but discrepancies in his story and advances in DNA testing led authorities to re-open the case in 2001.

The Loch Ness Monster
Inverness, Scotland
Spot Nessie in the Highlands of Scotland. After thousands of reported sightings and investigations, the Loch Ness Monster has been described as 15 - 40 feet long with 1 or several humps. Scientists speculate that it (if it truly exists) could be a prehistoric marine reptile with a long neck and flippers, while others believe it could be part of the eel family.

Crop Circles
Avebury, England
Decipher gigantic, intricate patterns found in the wheat fields of a small farming community. Crop circles have appeared around the world, but over 100 have been reported in Avebury within the last 12 years. Explanations for these frequent formations include hoaxes, the wind, the military, lasers and the ever popular extraterrestrial messages.

Easter Island Statues
Easter Island
Witness Polynesian giants 2,300 miles west of Chile and 2,500 miles southeast of Tahiti. When discovered in 1722, this 15-mile island was completely isolated and uninhabited except for 800 enormous statues. Their huge size and weight -- some standing 30 feet tall and weighing over 75 tons -- would have made them almost impossible to build and move.

Jack the Ripper
London, England
Retrace the steps of the world's most notorious serial killer. More than a century after the butchering of 5 prostitutes, the identity of Jack the Ripper remains a mystery. Visitors to London's East End can still experience that autumn of terror on the original Jack the Ripper Walk.

The Most Christmasy Places in America

Branson Area Festival of Lights
Branson, Missouri
The city of Branson is nestled in the Ozark Mountains about 250 miles from the gateway to the West, St. Louis, MO. Once a dying lumber town, Branson is now the country's live entertainment capital. It is home to scores of theaters and resort hotels that appeal to tourists year-round. And during that most wonderful time of the year, the hotels, theaters and townspeople all come together to produce the Branson Area Festival of Lights.

The festival starts November 1, and lasts 6 weeks, drawing about a million and a half visitors. The star of the festival is the Annual Adoration Parade -- a big, old-fashioned Christmas parade with over 50 bands and floats passing through historic downtown Branson. Something you won't see in any other Christmas parade is the Christmas cattle drive, where the cowboys of Branson's Great American Wild West show deck out their longhorns in the spirit of the season.

In addition to the parade and Christmas Click Here!">musicals put on by local theaters, the whole town is literally aglow with the Christmas spirit. The centerpiece of Branson's more than 8 million Christmas lights is the Winter Wonder Landing, featuring the world's only fountain that shoots fire as well as water. The fountain's display is choreographed to Christmas music and goes off every half hour.

Perhaps the most beautiful way to take in the spirit of Branson a horse and buggy ride through snow-covered hills. The ride ends with a breathtaking Christmas vista of the town below. You can even climb the 200-foot inspiration tower and enhance your view of this spectacular Christmas Wonderland.

National Christmas Center
Paradise, Pennsylvania
The National Christmas Center is the only Christmas museum in the entire world. Owner Jim Morrison unwrapped the museum in 1998 with just 3 exhibits. Today the museum overflows with hundreds of thousands of Christmas items, some more than 200 years old.

The center features 14 yuletide fantasy worlds, where visitors can meander through a life-size retelling of the The Christmas Story, followed by Tudor Towne, a whimsical village full of cuddly Christmas creatures. Make sure to stop at the North Pole for a dazzling display of Santa's workshop filled with animatronics.

Christmas season is also shopping season, and the National Christmas Center pays homage to the ghost of Christmas-shopping past with a Woolworth exhibit. Step back in time and see what it was like when Christmas shopping happened offline at the local 5 and dime.

With all these Christmas memories, it's no wonder more than 40,000 people visit this museum every year. Put a smile on your family's face, and make a stop at the country's most Christmasy museum during this year's 12 days of Christmas.

Las Vegas, Nevada
No American city parties harder than Las Vegas, and every December more than 3 million people flock here to celebrate the holidays. As proof that Christmas in Vegas is high-speed and high-octane, there's an annual holiday road race -- exclusively for Santa impersonators!

Witness a Christmas miracle Vegas-style by ice-skating in the Nevada desert. At Lake Las Vegas, you can lace up and hit the ice in the world's only floating rink.

Each year, Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall creates a winter wonderland spectacular. The experience boasts over half a million Christmas lights, a futuristic Christmas laser show and culminates in a magical Christmas snow shower. If you find yourself in the Nevada desert, dreaming of a white Christmas, then Sam's is the place for you!

If you want to witness Christmas done right on the Vegas Strip, there's only 1 place to be -- the world-famous Bellagio. The fountains at the Bellagio are already a must-see on any Vegas tour guide, but come December, the fountains dance only to Christmas carols. The botanical gardens at the Bellagio are home to a breathtaking display featuring a 49-foot-tall Christmas tree topped with an 8-foot star. 

Mall of America
 Minneapolis, Minnesota
At the Mall of America, bigger is better. It holds more than 520 stores, houses its own amusement park and stands at a staggering 4.2 million-square-feet. During the holiday season, 2-dozen wreaths are hung throughout the mall -- all of them 10 feet in diameter. Giant red ornament bulbs hang from the ceiling, each weighing in at 300 pounds.

Big gets even bigger upon visiting the mall's rotunda to see the Christmas trees. There are 2 massively decorated Christmas trees -- each of which is taller than a 4-story building! One of the Mall of America's main attractions is their Santa. Santa Sid is the most popular Santa in the country. In fact, you can book an appointment with his lap online, and with more than 700,000 mall visitors a week, that's a convenience we highly recommend.

Leavenworth, Washington
Leavenworth, WA is an American town with a Bavarian feel. Built against the backdrop of the Cascade Mountains, this picturesque town prides itself on its Old-World Christmas spirit. The first 3 weekends in December, this small town with just over 2,000 residents throws a Christmas lighting festival, drawing people from around the globe. Each morning the town's residents and visitors are awoken by the sound of the alpine horn, signaling a new day in Leavenworth full of the Christmas spirit.

During your stay, visit The Hat Shop, a local favorite; the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, boasting thousands of the Christmas chompers; and, of course, enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the white and drifted snow.

Saturdays and Sundays here end like a Dr. Seuss tale, with the townsfolk joining hands at 4:30 around the gazebo for the lighting of the tree and some good old-fashioned caroling.

FAO Schwartz
New York, New York
This yuletide institution is the biggest and oldest toy store in New York and features over 12,000 individual items sure to put a smile on anyone's face.

Each morning FAO opens with a ceremony. Three toy soldiers play a morning fanfare, and a red carpet is rolled out to welcome the shoppers who have patiently waited for the doors to open. If you're in New York City during the holidays, FAO should be second on your list only to the tree at Rockefeller Center.

Santa Claus, Indiana
Santa Claus, IN is a whole town dedicated to the Christmas spirit. What started as a name has become a way of life for this small Indiana town. Here, all the streets have Christmas-themed names, like Prancer Dr., Chestnuts Roasting by the Open Fire St., and Jingle Bell and Candy Cane lanes. Likewise, all the shops and businesses have Christmas-themed names.

Perhaps the most notable place in this small town is the Post Office, which has a unique picture postmark only found here. Some lost letters to Santa even get directed to this Saint Nick namesake -- and the very diligent town residents take the time to answer this lost mail, preserving the name of the town and the jolly old man.