Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory offers visitors an incredible range of experiences that reflect the diversity of the landscape, from the Willamette Valley’s wineries, flower farms and farm-to-table dining to the iconic 11,250-foot peak of Mt. Hood itself. Adventurers can enjoy skiing and snowboarding all winter long, as well as hiking and mountain biking in warmer months. Cities near Portland also offer a wide selection of craft breweries, tax-free shopping, and a thriving arts scene.

Located 4,000 feet up the southern slope of Mt. Hood, Government Camp is an acclaimed destination for winter recreation including the Mt. Hood Skibowl and Timberline Lodge ski resorts. Home to a wide array of mountainside dining, shopping and lodging options, Government Camp also offers year-round opportunities to travel the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway or the historic Barlow Road and follow in the path of pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

The Okanagan Valley, in the interior of British Columbia, is a popular Canadian vacation destination known for skiing in the winter and watersports in the summer. The area's quaint towns and lush vineyards are connected by a network of clear blue lakes and rivers and surrounded by rolling, sun-dappled hills. Head to Kelowna for one of several wine festivals or to Penticton for the sugary summer Peach Festival. To the south is Osoyoos, home to an arid desert filled with rare plants and animals.

With its gleaming skyscrapers set amid glittering lakes, Minneapolis makes for an attractive and fun getaway. A truly year-round destination, the city offers activities for every season. In winter, one can explore the downtown area through more than seven miles of glass-enclosed skyways. In addition to keeping you warm, they create a lively thoroughfare filled with speciality shops, restaurants and services. Whether you want to escape the winter cold or the summer warmth, the Mall of America offers shopping, dining and entertainment options for any time of the year and every member of the family. Art lovers have plenty to see at the Minneapolis Art Institute, Walker Art Centre and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, which all house world-renowned collections. The theatre scene is thriving. With more than thirty theatres, Minneapolis has more seats per capita than any U.S. city except New York. See a Broadway show and enjoy dinner and live jazz at a fabulous restaurant. With kids in tow, check out the Science Museum of Minnesota, where visitors can produce their own video, or come face to face with a shark at the UnderWater Adventures Aquarium. In summer, the action moves outside. Known as "The City of Lakes," Minneapolis has 22 lakes located within city limits and many more in the surrounding area. In town, hordes of locals and tourists in-line skate or stroll around Lake Calhoun, stopping for ice cream along the way. Just outside of town, Fort Snelling State Park offers outdoor recreational activities from hiking to biking and golf to boating. No matter when you visit, Minneapolis offers lots for everyone to enjoy.

The sprawling University of Wisconsin sets the tone for this college town of cafes, bookstores, brewpubs, numerous restaurants (more per capita than anywhere else in the U.S.) and a good share of cultural and historical attractions. Stunning glacial waterways make the City of Lakes one of the more picturesque state capitals in the country. More than 250 parks offer residents and tourists plenty of recreational areas to choose from. If you visit the campus, be sure to try the famous Babcock Ice Cream at Memorial Union or Babcock Hall, before or after a visit to the Elvehjem Museum of Art's collection of Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities. And to really get into the college spirit, head over to State Street's eclectic range of ethnic restaurants. Be sure to try the mouth-watering bratwurst sandwich on a homemade bun at State Street Brats, a student favourite. At the end of State Street, the white granite, Roman Renaissance-style Capitol dominates the skyline and offers an observation platform for views of the city and lakes.

In this university town in western Venezuela, it's possible to relax in a park honoring Beethoven, sample more than 800 flavors of ice cream in a Guinness-record-holding shop and ascend into the surrounding snow-capped Andes mountains via the world's longest and highest cable car. The historic downtown, centered on Plaza Bolivar, contains an impressive church inspired by Spain's Toledo Cathedral. Adventure tour companies run paragliding, mountain biking and trekking excursions outside the city.