Outta Town Adventures

Many people choose London or Edinburgh when heading to the UK. This program looks at less discovered areas, just as full of history and modern life. We look at the Midlands region of England around Birmingham, and explore castles in the center of Scotland, highlighting a town called Ballater, which is the one nearest the Queen's Balmoral home. We do run into both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in this episode!

From the days of the "Summer of Love," San Francisco might have changed, but it's still so full of soul. We visit the major highlights and discover that the local produce and wine industry has sparked new life into the old commercial fishing areas. The Golden Gate Bridge will always be its glorious symbol!

Description changed to "Tijuana is currently enjoying a renaissance, attracting the attention of the New York Times, which named it #8 out of 52 "must-see destinations." Cruise ship passengers have had a decades-long love affair with Ensenada, and if you're wondering what makes Mexico's new wines so phenomenal, look no further than a tour to the Baja wine region of Guadalupe.".

Some places get known for their towers, waterfalls or skyscrapers, and others get a reputation for being centers of peace, reflection and healing. Sedona's brilliant red rock formations might have been the initial draw, but many tourists seek spiritual refreshment there, as in the carefree areas around Scottsdale, where activities range from rock climbing to walking labyrinths. Joshua Tree, California, is the location of a national park bearing unique trees, but UFO sightings and other phenomena have resulted in annual festivals that celebrate alterative theories.

A dwindling gold mining industry left many towns abandoned, but some have survived and continued with stories that add to history's vibrant fabric. See the remains of places where prospectors held out hope as long as they could, but also find out more about the unique fabric of a desert that has far more life than you'd expect at first glance.

A look at two completely different vacation hot spots located on opposite sides of the continent.

Formerly within the Soviet Union, this tourist destination is hot on the list of must-see locales for people who think they've seen it all. Extraordinary well-maintained tiled temples conspire with friendly Uzbeks to create a vacation that is simply unforgettable.

Mountain towns are a breath of fresh air, whether at their seasonal peak or at other times of year when their natural beauty shines through. Sun Valley, Idaho and Big Bear, California are picture-perfect template towns for successful mountaineering, whether on foot, skiis or bicycle!

Many travelers have happily discovered Lisbon and the Algarve, and Portugese wines have taken their place amongst the best in the world. This episode takes us to Lisbon, of course, but also southeast to the region of Alentejo, which is now finding its place on the map, both for tourism and a burgeoning wine industry.

Famous more these days as the birthplace of longsuffering Melania, Slovenia is one of the as-of-yet unsung havens where one can be transported into travel's simpler times. Good prices, down-home cooking and living traditions, the proximity of Italy and Croatia, not to mention a capital city (Ljubljana) that is charmingly walkable, should put this eastern European country on many bucket lists.

Most vacation seekers have discovered Los Cabos, but those who took the drive just slightly north stumbled happily on La Paz, another paradise on the Sea of Cortes. With 30% of the world's sea mammals all present, this is a diver's sublime haven.

This episode looks at three cities theatre not Amsterdam! Groningen, Leeuwarden and The Hague have at least two things in common: cheese and bicycles everywhere! We take a look at a few art museums in these well-established Dutch cities, all set in autumn weather colors.