Best Spring Trips 2016

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Washington State

PERFECT FOR: Families

WHY: While parents focus on the millions of tulips in bloom, kids will delight in marching in the wacky Not So Impromptu Kiwanis Tulip Parade (April 9), visiting an alpaca farm, and participating in other hands-on activities at the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. “There’s a lot for families to do in Skagit County, not just go to the tulip fields,” says Stephanie Lynn, a local mom and owner of the Skagit Kid Insider family event and activity guide. “Kids love the tulip fields because they’re farms and there’s dirt. Several farms, including Tulip Town, let kids get out in the fields, even if it’s raining. I have the greatest pictures of my kids with their colorful umbrellas, raincoats, and boots surrounded by the blooming tulips. Give your kids a camera so they can take photos in the tulip fields, and you’ll end up with some fun photos from different angles.”

WHERE: Skagit Valley is in western Washington State, about 75 miles north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, or Sea-Tac. Burlington, one of the biggest communities in the area, is billed as “the crossroads of Skagit Valley.” Blooming tulip fields can be seen in Mount Vernon (at I-5) west to La Conner, a waterfront village on Skagit Bay.

STAY: Burlington has a large concentration of modern chain hotels—including Hampton Inn & Suites—with family-friendly amenities such as a free breakfast buffet and indoor pool. Historic La Conner is home to several charming bed-and-breakfasts, which could be suitable for parents traveling with one child or teens.

EAT: The festival’s best meal deal is the Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue, held 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily (April 2-24) at the lodge in Hillcrest Park. Plates include a drink, wood-grilled wild salmon, baked potato, garlic bread, coleslaw, and a dessert for $12 (small) or $15 (large). There are two playgrounds (toddler and big-kid) in the park, as well as walking paths, picnic tables, and grassy areas. And when you’re out touring the fields, buy picnic supplies or stop for a scoop of ice cream (cash only) served in a fresh-baked waffle cone at the Snow Goose Produce Market on Fir Island Road.

BEST BET: Tulip Town has a designated kite-flying field open during the festival. There are kites for sale in the Tulip Town shop, or you can bring your own. On weekends, watch professional kite flyers perform aerial tricks in the skies above the field.

DON’T MISS: No experience is required to take a guided trail ride at Lang’s Horse and Pony Farm in Mount Vernon. Both private rides and group rides for four to ten people are available. Options range from a 15-minute pony ride for kids to a two-hour trail ride. All ages are welcome, and reservations are required.

FUN FACT: Skagit County produces more tulip, iris, and daffodil bulbs than any other county in the United States. County farmers produce 95 percent of the red potatoes grown in Washington State. The bulbs and spuds are among more than 90 different crops—including blueberries, green peas, and Jonagold apples—that come from Skagit farms.

HELPFUL LINKS: Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Visit Skagit Valley, and Skagit Kid Insider

Sicily, Italy

PERFECT FOR: Cultural mavens

WHY: Sicily packs an impressive seven UNESCO World Heritage sites into an area roughly the size of Vermont. The newest entry: the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale inscribed in July 2015. Spring—before the summer crowds and hot summer weather arrives—is a good time to visit any of the sites. And May is one of the best months of the year to see Val di Noto (Noto Valley), eight late baroque towns in southeastern Sicily. During Noto’s annual l’infiorata (flower festival), the town’s picturesque Via Corrado Nicolaci is carpeted with elaborate flower-petal mosaics. See the floral mini-masterpieces and tour the impressive cathedrals open during the festival. From Noto, Sicily native Rossella Beaugié, a founding director of The Thinking Traveller villa rental company, recommends heading toward Sicily’s southernmost tip to take in one of the island’s less visited beaches. “The Vendicari Nature Reserve, a very short drive away, is then the perfect escape for a swim and some bird-watching,” she says.

WHERE: Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, is located off the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula. The two main airports are Palermo on the northern coast and Catania on the east-central coast.

STAY: Agritourism, or farm stays, are available in rural areas throughout Sicily, including areas in or near a World Heritage site. Options include the historic Villagrande Wine Resort on the eastern slope of Mount Etna and Borgo Levante, a six-bedroom farmhouse (open April to October). Or rent a private villa from Think Sicily, a division of The Thinking Traveller. Villas range in size from one to eight bedrooms or more, and many have pools. For an additional fee, villa guests can schedule guided Think Experiences such as hikes, tours, and workshops led by a local historian, architect, or archaeologist.

EAT: May to September, granita, Sicily’s sweet sugar-ice-fruit slush, is readily available in a rainbow of colors and flavors, such as traditional lemon, wild strawberry, toasted almond, pistachio, mulberry, and peach. Flavors vary based on what’s in season. The semifrozen dessert is served in a glass with a spoon and sweet brioche bun. Dip bite-size pieces of the brioche into the slush. And don’t wait to eat it for dessert. Locals eat granita for breakfast or a light lunch. Have at least one granita at Noto’s legendary Caffé Sicilia, opened in 1892.

DON’T MISS: Take a day trip to the southwestern coast to tour Selinunte, one of the largest archeological parks in Europe. Housing the ancient Greek city of Selinous, the visually stunning site sits on top of a cliff facing the sea. There are eight ruined temples and ancient acropolis, and, as London's Independent newspaper first reported in November 2015, the current excavation has unearthed a relatively well-preserved city buried under the sand. Surrounding the site are vineyards, olive groves, and fields dotted with wildflowers and the city’s namesake wild celery (selinon in Greek).

TRAVEL TIP: There’s volcanic activity across Sicily’s eight-island Aeolian archipelago, but only one island, Stromboli, sputters and spews swirling gases, ash, and incandescent lava fragments almost constantly. The more spectacular eruptions of hot lava can arc more than 1,200 feet into the air. Take a guided hike to the summit (before sunset) to peer down into the glowing crater.

HELPFUL LINKS: Italian Tourism and Sicily Tourism

Falkland Islands

PERFECT FOR: Nature lovers

WHY: The wild and windswept Falkland Islands archipelago is home to more than 227 species of identified birds, herds of fur and elephant seals, hundreds of thousands of penguins, and the largest black-browed albatross colony in the world. From mid- to late April, it’s possible to spot fledgling black-browed albatross chicks in remote nesting colonies on Beauchêne Island, the mountain Steeple Jason, and Westpoint Island. By May, the young pelagic birds are ready to take flight and can be seen heading north toward Brazil. And since spring is the slow winter off-season in the Falklands, it’s likely you’ll encounter more gentoo, rockhopper, and Magellanic penguins than fellow travelers. “The weather isn’t always good to us, but what can you expect from an island so close to the notorious Cape Horn?” says Falklander, freelance designer, and adventurer Saul Zuvic. “On those days when the wind behaves and the sun sets slow and low to the west, not many places beat [the Falklands].”

WHERE: The Falklands are located in the South Atlantic approximately 400 miles east of the South American mainland and 850 miles north of the Antarctic Circle. The archipelago has more than 770 islands. The largest island, East Falkland, is home to the capital city, Stanley, and the international airport.

STAY: Darwin House is a six-room farmhouse overlooking Choiseul Sound in the Darwin settlement (Charles Darwin, the famed naturalist, reportedly spent a night on this site during his 1833 visit). The East Falkland lodge is convenient for overland and interisland touring and wildlife viewing. It’s also fully sustainable—a wind turbine generates electricity, and much of the produce served in the restaurant is grown on the property. The international airport is only about 45 minutes away, the Goose Green airstrip is nearby, and guests can arrange van rides to the airport, the ferry port (and gentoo penguin rookery) in New Haven, Stanley, and other East Falkland locations. The Darwin House is open September to May.

EAT: At the Malvina House Hotel restaurant in Stanley, start with a local squid appetizer, such as kung pao with candied walnuts, mixed vegetables, and sweet-chili spicy sauce. Follow up with a plate of fish and chips made with local-caught kingklip, a firm whitefish (and a primeval-looking member of the cusk eel family).

BEST BET: FIGAS offers reduced “round-robin” fares that allow passengers to tag along on shuttle flights across the Falklands. The round-robin option helps FIGAS fill unsold seats and gives visitors an opportunity to take an extended scenic flight that stops at multiple remote locations. Being a round-robin passenger is all about the journey, not the destinations, since you can’t get off the plane at any of the intermediary stops.

FUN FACT: The average wingspan of an adult black-browed albatross (known locally as a “mollymawk”) is about eight feet wide. Once young albatross spread their wings and leave their nests in the Falklands, it will be five years or more before they return to dry land. When they do, they’ll likely head back to their original nesting colonies to breed.

HELPFUL LINK: Falkland Islands Tourist Board

Anguilla, British West Indies

PERFECT FOR: Spring breakers

WHY: Anguilla ticks all the right spring break boxes: more than 33 sugar-white-sand public beaches; a thriving live-music scene; and miles of coral-filled, turquoise waters. What’s not here—high-rise hotels, megaresorts, and hordes of partying college kids—keeps the sun-bleached island blissfully low-key and off the list of typical Caribbean spring break hot spots. That’s not to say there’s not plenty to do. Learn how to kiteboard or paddle a glass-bottom kayak with Anguilla Watersports. Watch the boat races, eat fresh seafood, and listen to local string bands at the annual Festival Del Mar (March 26-27). Or plan your getaway to coincide with the island’s biggest reggae party of the year: the annual Moonsplash (April 21-24). Hosted by celebrated Anguillan reggae artist Bankie Banx at The Dune Preserve, Moonsplash is one of the oldest independent music festivals in the Caribbean. Don’t miss the final act: a free Sunday beach party for locals, visitors, and musicians.

WHERE: Anguilla is located in the eastern Caribbean less than ten miles north of St. Martin.

STAY: Families on spring break have space to spread out at CéBlue Villas & Beach Resort overlooking Crocus Bay. The hillside property’s eight luxury villas (three to five bedrooms) have private saltwater pools, gourmet kitchens, and expansive indoor and outdoor living spaces. Crocus Bay’s shallow, warm water is ideal for young children. Older kids can kayak, snorkel, and windsurf. A more budget-friendly option for college students is the nearby Lloyd’s Bed and Breakfast. Opened in 1959 as one Anguilla’s first guesthouses, the inn has a cheery yellow exterior and 13 individually styled rooms decorated in the vibrant colors of the Caribbean. Rates include breakfast.

EAT: Johnno’s Beach Stop is a must-stop for the fresh fish—including West Indian snapper and Caribbean stewed conch—and the dancing under the stars. The laid-back seafood shack and beach bar is located on the sand at Sandy Ground. On Sunday afternoons there’s live jazz. Johnno’s is closed on Mondays.

BEST BET: The 20 or so food stalls at the Festival Del Mar all serve local seafood such as lobster, crayfish, conch, snapper, and calamari. Sample a variety of fish as well as local-favorite sides including conkies (dumplings made with sweet potato, pumpkin, coconut, and spices and steamed in a banana leaf) and hot johnnycakes—Caribbean-style fritters made with a fried or baked cornmeal-and-flour batter.

DON’T MISS: Go snorkeling or diving. Certified divers can charter trips to wreck sites and reefs teeming with aquatic life such as spiny lobster, angelfish, nurse sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles. The calm, protected waters of secluded coves like Little Bay are ideal for novice snorkelers. Schedule a private snorkeling or dive trip with Shoal Bay Scuba.

FUN FACT: Amerindian peoples first inhabited Anguilla about 4,000 years ago. The island’s original name, Malliouhana, is an Amerindian (Arawak) word meaning “arrow-shaped sea serpent.” It’s widely thought that Christopher Columbus christened the island “Anguilla” (Spanish for “eel”) when he sailed by (but never landed on) the long, narrow land mass in 1493.

HELPFUL LINKS: Anguilla Tourist Board and the Anguillian

Tea Plantations, Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan, China

PERFECT FOR: Trailblazers

WHY: Collectively, the ancient tea plantations of Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er form the largest cultivated tea plantation in the world. More than a million ancient tea trees—some more than a thousand years old and most between ten and 30 feet tall—grow in the understory of the rain forest. Jingmai’s tea plantations are under consideration for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage list, and there is a fledgling tea tourism industry. For the moment, however, Western travelers remain a rare sight in the ethnic villages and cloud-shrouded valleys of Jingmai. Trailblazers—such as Missoula, Montana, residents Heather and Jake Kreilick, who visited the area in June 2015—are rewarded with a rare glimpse of a tea culture that has remained relatively unchanged for a millennium.

“You pass through pockets of villages, where you see people in constant production mode: building and remodeling houses, hauling tea on motorbikes, working in the tea trees, working on tea production,” says Heather, who made the trip with her husband and two children to learn about the Yunnan teas sold at the family’s Lake Missoula Tea Company. “One of the villages we went to had over a hundred [centenarians]. We were told that [their longevity] was because of their diet and isolation.”

WHERE: The Jingmai Mountain ancient tea plantations are located in the southwestern corner of Yunnan, the southwestern-most province in China (bordering Myanmar). The closest international airport is Xishuangbanna Jinghong. From here, it is about three hours by car or five hours by public bus to the base of Jingmai Mountain.

STAY: The exclusive Bolian Resort & Spa, Jingmai, is a Relais & Châteaux property located on a working Pu’er tea plantation. There are 30 one- to three-bedroom villas set among the tea plants and a Tea SPA, winner of China’s Best Spa Concept of the Year in 2015. Available sustainable tourism activities include visiting a tea factory, participating in a tea ceremony, and taking guided hikes. More affordable accommodations—including hostels, guesthouses, and rooms in private homes—are available in some of the villages. One good option is the Bulong Gongzhu (Bulong Princess) in Jingmai.

EAT: Jingmai Mountain’s most coveted tea is pu-erh, an earthy, dark elixir with a musty aroma. A foodie favorite for its probiotic characteristics (and known as an appetite suppressant), pu-erh is somewhat of a fine wine of teas: It gets better with age. Here, drink copious amounts of pu-erh (including raw, or green, and ripe, or black) directly from the source. Other Yunnan teas to try include oolong, white, black, and green. While you sip, snack on some crunchy tempura tea leaves, lightly battered and fried leaves served with chili sauce for dipping.

INSIDE TIP: If you want to travel without a guide, Heather and Jake Kreilick recommend creating a detailed itinerary outlining precisely where you want to go and what you want to do in each location. Before your trip, have the itinerary translated into Chinese. Carry the English and Chinese versions of the itinerary (and maps in English and Chinese) with you so that you can ask for directions, purchase bus tickets, and decipher place-names as you travel.

FUN FACT: Jingmai Mountain was part of the Yunnan trunk of the ancient Tea Horse Road, the legendary network of China-to-Tibet commercial routes. There were multiple pathways in the “road,” which gets its name from its primary use in the 11th century as a way for China to trade tea for Tibetan horses. At the time, the going rate (set by the Sichuan Tea and Horse Agency) was 130 pounds of tea for one horse.

HELPFUL LINKS: Yunnan Tourism and GoKunming

Onbashira Festival, Suwa, Nagano, Japan

PERFECT FOR: Festivalgoers

WHY: Suwa’s Onbashira Festival takes place only once every six years. So if you miss 2016’s event, you’ll have to wait until 2022. Celebrated for more than 1,200 years, Onbashira (“the honored pillars”) involves replacing the sacred pillars at the four shrines (two Upper and two Lower) of Suwa-Taisha, Suwa’s Grand Shrine. The DIY pillar project—done entirely by hand—begins with the felling of massive fir trees. Locals use ropes to pull (and, more terrifyingly, ride) the huge logs down steep hills. Making it to the shrine involves river crossings and festive processions through the streets. The pageantry unfolds over two months, April and May, and in two stages—Yamadashi (the tree toppling portion) and Satobiki (parading and pillar raising). Nagano resident Blair Guardia, who serves as a foreign consultant for the Nagano Prefecture Tourism Department, recommends planning a visit to coincide with Satobiki (May 3-5, 2016, at the Upper shrine or May 14-16, 2016, at the Lower shrine). “The most dangerous portion of the festival is over, and everyone celebrates in a colorful parade toward the shrine,” Guardia says. “The pillars are raised with participants still clinging tightly and cheering, a truly awesome spectacle.”

WHERE: Suwa-Taisha is located northwest of Tokyo in the Suwa region of Nagano.

STAY: Kamisuwa Onsen Shinyu in Suwa city is a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn) with tatami-matted rooms and communal onsen (hot spring baths). Request a room overlooking Lake Suwa. Rates include breakfast and dinner in the onsen’s Miko Ryoutei restaurant. Take the free (for guests) Shinyu-Go shuttle bus from the Kamisuwato train station to the inn. The bus also shuttles guests to the Suwa shrines and other local attractions.

EAT: Sample some Suwa specialties, such as a bowl of unagi (freshwater eel), and regional snacks including shio yōkan (soft jelly candy seasoned with salt) and taisha senbei (rice crackers baked with peanuts). Suwa also is a sake brewing hub. Take a sake-tasting walking tour along the quarter-mile stretch of Koshu Highway, where five sake breweries—Masumi, Maihime, Reijin, Honkin, and Yokobue—are located and are open most weekdays for tours. Some also have weekend hours. Reservations are required.

DON’T MISS: In late spring, cruise around Lake Suwa on one of the ubiquitous swan-shaped tour boats or small pedal boats. Then visit Takashima Castle, known as “the floating castle” because it once stood on a small island in the lake. Most of the original 16th-century castle was dismantled in the 1870s. In 1970, the donjon (castle keep), Kabuki gate, and the corner turret were reconstructed. Climb to the top of the three-story donjon for stunning views of the surrounding Takashima Park (and, if you’re lucky, its blooming cherry trees), Lake Suwa, and the Yatsugatake Mountains.

TRAVEL TIP: Locals spend years preparing for the spring Onbashira Festival. That makes it difficult for outsiders to participate in any of the festival’s signature hands-on activities, such as pulling down the trees and placing the pillars. There are less crowded komiya no Onbashira (downsized versions of the spring event) held in Suwa’s smaller communities from late August to late October. These smaller events are more likely to have opportunities for the public to pitch in and be part of a pillar construction crew.

HELPFUL LINKS: Go! Nagano and Japan National Tourism Organization

San Sebastián, Spain

PERFECT FOR: Foodies

WHY: San Sebastián (or Donostia in Basque), the unofficial Basque culinary capital, is a European Capital of Culture 2016 (referred to as “DSS2016EU”), along with Wrocław, Poland. Epicureans eager to sample the city’s legendary pintxos (Basque tapas) can add DSS2016EU spring events—including the Stop War Music Festival (March 25-27) and the World Puppet Festival (May 28-June 5)—to their food-filled itineraries. San Sebastián’s location on the Bay of Biscay provides a steady stream of fresh fish and seafood for chefs in the city’s impressive Michelin-starred restaurants and for the chefs-in-training at the world’s only Basque Culinary Center.

“The anchovies in particular are a common revelation for many visitors,” says John Warren, managing director of San Sebastián Food, a culinary travel company specializing in Basque Country food tours and classes. “Nobody ‘likes’ anchovies, but when they try the delicious salt-conserved Cantabrian variety or the vinegar-cured boquerones expertly prepared on toasts at Bar Txepetxa, they become immediate converts.”

WHERE: San Sebastián, part of the Basque autonomous community, is located on the northeast coast of Spain, 12 miles south of the French border. The closest international airports are Bilbao (about an hour east by bus) and Biarritz, across the border in France (less than an hour by bus).

STAY: The 25-room Villa Soro is a Gatsby-esque estate reinvented as a luxury hotel. Rooms are split between the 19th-century mansion and a converted carriage house in the back. Splurge on a deluxe villa room with a balcony. Rates include free bike rentals—the city’s main surfing beach, Zurriola, and historic district are within easy biking distance.

EAT: Follow the locals’ lead when sampling pintxos by barhopping at a leisurely pace. Order a drink such as txakoli (a slightly sparkling white wine), pale green cider, or an ice-cold caña (small glass of beer) and only one or two pintxos per bar before moving on. And use your hands, not a dish, to hold your small-bite skewer. When you’re ready to try the next bar, let the bartender (who’s likely to be keeping track) know what you had, and pay the bill.

INSIDE TIP: At restaurants and bars, toss any used paper napkins on the floor. It’s the local custom, and it makes cleaning up easier for the staff.

FUN FACT: Unbeknownst to most casual tourists, there are secret Basque cooking-centered social clubs hiding in plain sight on the streets of San Sebastián. Called txokos (pronounced CHO-kos and meaning “gastronomic societies”), these members-only food fraternities first appeared in the late 1800s as a way to keep Basque language, culture, traditions, and recipes alive under Spanish rule. San Sebastián’s txokos date back to 1870. Originally the clubs were for men only. Now many allow women to attend; however, the men buy and prepare all the food.

HELPFUL LINKS: San Sebastián Tourism and San Sebastián Food

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

PERFECT FOR: Celebrating the National Park Service centennial

WHY: Remote Great Basin is one of the lesser known national parks, yet it is among the most diverse in terms of its natural features, making it a prime spot to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. Within the isolated park are deserts and playas, the marble Lehman Cave ecosystem, fossils and rock formations, creeks and springs, Nevada’s only glacier, and, in spring, snowcapped mountain peaks.

“Spring is a beautiful time to visit the park, as snow melts away and reveals the landscape beneath,” says Great Basin National Park ecologist Gretchen Baker. “Snowmelt means more water is dripping into Lehman Cave. This water adds to the speleothems [mineral deposits] and collects in pools that reflect the beautiful cave formations.”

Spring also is prime time to see animals, including bats and marmots, emerging from their hibernation. Look for marmots along Baker Creek Road, and hike in the lower elevations (higher trails are still snow covered) to see early spring flowers like spiny phlox, Nevada biscuit-root, Indian paintbrush, and plantainleaf buttercup.

WHERE: Great Basin National Park is located in east-central Nevada. The closest town is Baker (five miles east) and the nearest major airports are Salt Lake City International (about 230 miles northeast) and McCarran International in Las Vegas (about 300 miles south).

STAY: Lodging near the park is limited. The closest option is Hidden Canyon Bed and Breakfast, which, as billed, is located in a canyon just outside the park. All 11 guest rooms (two deluxe singles and nine two-room suites) are in the Roseberry Court building just under three-quarters of a mile from the main lodge. Rates include breakfast, and since the closest restaurants are 14 miles away, you’ll appreciate their family-style dinner option. Guests can rent two- or four-seater all-terrain vehicles to explore the 375-acre property and surrounding area. The B&B opens April 1 for the 2016 season.

EAT: Before heading to the park, have breakfast—such as homemade biscuits and gravy, hash browns, sausage patties, green chili omelets, and waffles—at the Silver State Restaurant in Ely. The old-school diner is a local favorite and popular with parkgoers, since it’s one of the only places to eat that’s open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

DON’T MISS: Plan to visit May 20-22 to join in the Great Basin BioBlitz, the annual citizen-scientist program designed to contribute to the science knowledge of the park. This year’s focus is on birds (little is known currently about what birds are present in the park in May), and activities include field trips, a live-bird presentation featuring rescued birds, conservation talks, kids’ photography programs, and ample opportunities for photographers to document as many species as possible.

INSIDE TIP: BioBlitz is free and open to all ages. Registration isn’t required but is recommended to help park staff plan for the event. To register, email Gretchen Baker at Gretchen_Baker@nps.gov.

FUN FACT: Night skies at Great Basin National Park are among the darkest in the United States. The location’s combination of high elevation, low humidity, and minimal light pollution create ideal conditions for stargazing on clear, moonless nights. During a new moon phase (when the moon is not visible) the nightly celestial show can include the Andromeda galaxy, the Milky Way, thousands of stars, multiple planets, meteors, satellites, and star clusters.

HELPFUL LINK: Great Basin National Park

National Blues Museum, St. Louis, Missouri

PERFECT FOR: Music lovers

WHY: Be among the first to “Become a Legend” at the new National Blues Museum (opens April 2). The highly interactive format leads museumgoers through the blues experience, beginning with creating a stage name and including writing songs, playing instruments, recording and mixing music, and creating audio files to play, save, and share on social media. Repeat visitors can add more layers to their songs on subsequent trips. “We’re proud to have the museum in St. Louis because we have a blues music history dating back to the winter of 1892–93, when W.C. Handy [dubbed “the father of the blues”] lived here,” says Dave Beardsley, museum co-founder and publisher of the STLBlues.net online blues resource and St. Louis live-music guide. The music was then known as ragtime, in which the blues are rooted. “That experience inspired Handy to write one of the most recorded blues songs in history, ‘St. Louis Blues’ … That rich heritage of the blues is as alive and thriving in St. Louis as it ever has been.”

WHERE: The museum is part of the new MX (Mercantile Exchange) district, a downtown dining, entertainment, and retail hub located a few blocks from the city’s iconic Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The interior of the arch is temporarily closed for renovation from January 4 until March 2016.

STAY: A museum neighbor worth checking into is the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis, opened in 2014 in the renovated Mayfair Hotel, built in 1924-26. Glamorous furnishings such as tufted faux-leather headboards give the 182 rooms and suites a “golden age of Hollywood” vibe (a nod to the Mayfair’s celebrity guests that included Cary Grant and John Barrymore). About eight miles west of the museum (take light-rail or a cab), the retro Moonrise Hotel is steps away from music clubs, restaurants, and vintage shops in the historic Delmar Loop district.

EAT: Hometown Sugarfire Smoke House is bringing its award-winning St. Louis barbecue (pulled pork, beef brisket, and baby back ribs) to a new location, next door to the National Blues Museum. About a mile south is Broadway Oyster Bar, a raucous New Orleans French Quarter-style restaurant and bar pairing Big Easy eats (such as po’boys, crawfish, and Louisiana Gulf oysters) with live music nightly.

BEST BET: Make a pilgrimage to the legendary Blueberry Hill restaurant and bar in the Delmar Loop for live music several nights a week in the lower-level Duck Room (where Chuck Berry used to take the stage one Wednesday per month). Blueberry Hill also serves the signature St. Louis appetizer: toasted beef ravioli. While in the Loop, see who’s performing at The Pageant and its Halo Bar lounge, and browse the record collection at Vintage Vinyl, which also hosts occasional live-music sessions.

DON’T MISS: Visit the free attractions—including the Saint Louis Art Museum (closed Mondays), Saint Louis Zoo, and Missouri History Museum—at Forest Park. The 1,293-acre park (450 acres bigger than New York’s Central Park) is one of the nation’s largest urban parks and is easily accessible from downtown via MetroLink (Forest Park/DeBaliviere Station).

FUN FACT: When St. Louis insurance executive Sid Salomon, Jr., and his ownership group were awarded a National Hockey League (NHL) franchise in 1967, there reportedly was no question what the team would be called. At the time, Salomon was quoted in local papers as saying, “The name of the team has to be the Blues. It's part of the city where W.C. Handy composed his famed song while thinking of his girl one morning.”

HELPFUL LINKS: Explore St. Louis, National Blues Museum, and STLBlues.net

Futaleufú River Rafting, Patagonia, Chile

PERFECT FOR: Adventurers

WHY: Thundering out of the Andes and across Patagonia is one the world’s last great white-water wilderness rivers: Chile’s Futaleufú, or Fu. The Fu’s clear turquoise-to-teal waters rumble more than 120 miles through Chile. Each bend in the river seems to reveal a new awe-inspiring vista—steep canyon walls, giant granite boulders, Andean glaciers, snowcapped mountains, and primeval forests. The 47 rapids on the Fu range from easy Class II to extremely challenging Class V. Early spring marks the close of rafting season (December to mid-April), making now one of the last opportunities to experience the Futaleufú in 2016. “March is actually an excellent time to do the Futaleufú [pronounced Foo-tah-lay-oo-FOO], with stable weather and excellent water levels,” says Earth River Expeditions founder and owner Eric Hertz, who pioneered conservation awareness and commercial rafting trips on the river in the early 1990s. “Our most popular month is December with the holidays, but actually the weather's typically better in March than in December.”

WHERE: The Futaleufú River is located in northern Patagonia, originating in Argentina’s Amutui Quimey Lake and flowing west through Chile to the Pacific. The gateway to Futaleufú rafting is Puerto Montt, commercial and transportation hub of Chilean Patagonia. The closest international airport is in Santiago. From there, the flight takes an hour and 45 minutes to get to Puerto Montt.

STAY: Rates include lodging, which begins at the Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas, where every guest room has a view of Lago Llanquihue and the snowcapped, Mount Fuji-like volcano Osorno. Remaining nights are spent at intimate wilderness properties, including the lakeshore cabins at Yelcho en la Patagonia; Tineo Patagonia ecolodge; and Uman Lodge, a remote cliff-top retreat perched 500 feet above the upper Futaleufú Valley.

EAT: Earth River expeditions include daily lunches at a local restaurant or remote picnic site, such as on the banks of a stunning waterfall swimming hole. Also included are daily chef-prepared breakfasts and dinners served at the lodges. One of the most popular dishes prepared on trips is Chilean asado, spit-barbecued lamb roasted slowly over an open fire.

FUN FACT: Near its source in Argentina, the Futaleufú River is dammed to produce hydroelectric power. Once the water clears the dam, it is free-flowing through Chile to the Pacific. To prevent similar construction and other unsustainable development on the Chilean portion of the Fu, Earth River Expeditions created a trust to purchase large chunks of land along the river and also founded the Futaleufú Riverkeeper conservancy. The 2013 short documentary  Fighting for the Futaleufú highlights the effects that hydroelectric dams would have on the Futaleufú watershed.

HELPFUL LINKS: Earth River Expeditions and Futaleufú Riverkeeper