United States of America

Skiers will be happy to learn that the new 119-room Courtyard Lake George, set on the “Queen of American Lakes,” has partnered with Gore Mountain, the popular alpine ski resort, to offer guests time- and money-saving packages in 2017.

It was snowing in New York City at 5 pm on December 30, 2016, when I stepped out of the Port Authority at Eight Avenue and 41^st Street into the traffic of people, buses and cars at the edge of Times Square. How appropriate! Frozen water crystals are falling from the evening sky, as I am on my way to a pre-New Year’s Eve, behind-the-scenes viewing of the nearly six-ton, twelve-foot diameter “Big Crystal Ball!”

Looking to heat up your winter with a cozy snow-bound rendezvous? You’ll want to head to Michigan, which tends to get covered with snow each year. But where you can go to experience that picturesque getaway that isn’t utterly crowded? A little gem of a town about 3-hours North of Detroit called Oscoda, which has access to the

Corsair Ski Trails and offers 44 miles of groomed trails within the Huron National Forest.

Wilmington, N.C., is a vibrant riverfront city flowing with culture, style, energy, creativity and hospitality. The city’s River District pays tribute to both the past and the future by seamlessly blending its charming historic district with the more modern architecture of the north end, along with shops, cafes and attractions. Here is a look at several of Wilmington’s unique neighborhoods.

The top luxe locales to visit when traveling to New York City this holiday season.

Snowbirds looking to escape the cold, but who prefer a temperate rather than tropical climate, will find the best of both worlds in Santa Rosa County, along Florida’s Panhandle. The destination has a plethora of affordable rental condominiums and homes, and RV campgrounds.

Originally built in 1909, the historical St. Anthony Hotel is a true treasure in San Antonio, TX. The hotel invites guests to spend the holidays in luxury and take in all downtown San Antonio has to offer.

Are you up to the last weekend of the taste and decorate challenge? Each year the Shawangunk Wine Trail puts together its popular Fineries at the Wineries event where visitors get to taste wine and add a trinket to a holiday wreath. This year, the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast, located within the picturesque region, has put together a ‘Sip and Decorate’ package, where they'll trim your wreath with its very first trinket, as you head off to sip and decorate your way to more than a dozen wineries along the Shawangunk Wine Trail.

The name says it all: Santa Claus. That is, the place, not the person – although he definitely is a huge presence in the town that bears his name. “America’s Christmas Hometown,” Santa Claus, IN, holds its annual Christmas Celebration the first three weekends of December – and what a holly-jolly time for every generation.

In 1967 nearly 100,000 young people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, turning San Francisco, CA into the epicenter of a cultural phenomenon known as the Summer of Love. During this transformative time, music, fashion, art and new ideas flourished and there was a feeling that everything was possible.