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Touring - travel companies and organized tours - Brief Article

Manhattan Marvels

* For great views of New York City, consider a ride on one of Gray Line's new double-decker buses. Narrated tours offer hop-on, hop-off privileges all around town. From the Times Square area, the two-hour Downtown Loop ($30 adults, $20 ages 5-11, valid for 24 hours) includes stops at the Empire State Building, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, Soho, and South Street Seaport. The Uptown and Night loops are other options. An All Loops ticket ($45 adults, $30 children) covers all routes and is good for 48 hours. Contact: Gray Line, (800) 669-0051; www.grayline newyork.com.

Sports Crazy

* Esoteric Sports Tours offers a variety of hotel/ticket packages to major events like February's Winter Olympics in Utah, the Kentucky Derby and Indianapolis 500 in May, baseball's All-Star Game in Milwaukee (July), and golf tournaments like the US Open and Masters. Contact: Esoteric Sports Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 2005 Woods River Lane, Duluth, GA 30097; (800) 321-8008; www.esotericsportstours. com.

Kentucky Bluegrass

* Tauck World Discovery packages "Kentucky Bluegrass and Tennessee Country" on an eight-day program that includes such attractions as the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Other highlights are North Carolina's Biltmore Estate and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Twin rate is $1,660 from Louisville. Contact: Tauck World Discovery (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 5027, Westport, CT; (800) 788-7885; www. tauck.com.

Golden West

* Cosmos packages "Golden West Adventure," a 14-day circuit from Los Angeles. Highlights include Palm Springs, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Carmel, and Santa Barbara. Twin rate is $1,029. Contact: Cosmos (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123-2980; (877) 325-0656; www. globusandcosmos.com.

Best of Hawaii

* Globus offers a 13-day "Grand Hawaii Vacation," a four-island package that mixes sightseeing with plenty of free time. Highlights include Pearl Harbor, a Waikiki dinner cruise, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Maui's Haleakala National Park. Twin rate starts at $2,747 from Los Angeles. Contact: Globus (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123-2980; (877) 325-0656; www.globusand cosmos.com.

See the Southwest

* Cosmos offers "Southwestern Vistas," a six-day tour from Las Vegas to the canyonlands of Arizona and Utah. The itinerary includes the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. Twin rate is $699. Contact: Cosmos (TravelAmerica Magazine), 5301 S. Federal Circle, Littleton, CO 80123-2980; (877) 325-0656; www. globusandcosmos.com.

Deep South

* Collette Vacations offers "New Orleans & The Deep South," an eight-day trip that starts with three days in the Crescent City. Also included are Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi; and St. Francisville and Lafayette, Louisiana. Twin rate starts at $999. Contact: Collette Vacations (TravelAmerica Magazine), 162 Middle St., Pawtucket, RI 02860; (877) 584-7364; www.collette vacations.com.

Spring In Pennsylvania

* National Trust Study Tours offers an April 6-11 tour to Philadelphia and the Brandywine Valley. Featured are the prestigious Philadelphia Antiques Show, Longwood Gardens, and the Biddle family's Andalusia with James Biddle, past president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Twin rate is $2,450. Contact: National Trust Study Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1785 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (800) 944-6847; www.nthp.org.

Massachusetts Islands

* National Trust Study Tours focuses on the maritime heritage of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on a June 2-8 trip from Providence, Rhode Island. Highlights include Nantucket's Whaling Museum and the Vineyard's gingerbread cottages. Twin rate is $2,495. Contact: National Trust Study Tours (See address above.)

Women Only

For women of all ages and abilities, cross-country ski camps in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Colorado are organized by Ski for Yourself Camps, (303) 499-0436; www.Women SportsWorks. com. Cost is $660 to $1,165 for four days.

Explore Utah

Hiking, white-water rafting, and backcountry four-wheel drive trips in Utah are offered by Tag-A-Long Expeditions (TravelAmerica Magazine), 452 N. Main St., Moab, UT 84523; (800) 453-3292; www.tagalong. com. Family packages are available.

Early Aviators

The Dayton (Ohio) Aviation Heritage National Historical Park this fall will unveil Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center, which will feature museum exhibits on famous sons Orville and Wilbur Wright. At Huffman Prairie they mastered the art of flying and from 1910 to 1916 operated a flight school. Contact: Greene County Convention & Visitors Center, (800) 733-9109; www.greene countyohio.org.

New York City

A new walking tour in midtown Manhattan spotlights the landmark buildings, artwork, and gardens of Rockefeller Center. Featured are the famous ice skating rink, NBC's "Today Show" studio, and Radio City Music Hall. The 75-minute tours, offered every half hour daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., depart from the NBC Experience Store. Audio headsets for each tour member make it easy to hear the guide. Tickets are $10, or $8 for children and senior citizens. A $21 combination ticket includes the NBC Studio Tour as well. For details, call (212) 664-7174.

Auto Racing

Trips to February's Daytona 500 and NASCAR Winston Cup racing events around the country are packaged by Sports Empire (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 6169, Lakewood, CA 90714-6169; (800) 255-5258; www.sports-empire.com.

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