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On Your Landmark, Get Set, Go! Driving Tours to Historic Hotels in the West and all across the United States

By now, we should all be willing to put our faith in the National Trust for Historic Preservation, responsible for saving hundreds of places around the country for posterity. Affiliated with the Trust is the Historic Hotels of America group, which is interested in the same thing--keeping our heritage instead of throwing it out, or allowing it to slide away unnoticed. To keep up our interest in this mission, The Historic Hotels have come up with eight groupings around the country of Historic Driving Journeys, 81 of them, in fact, so that we can utilize these places to the fullest.

The 81 journeys are tied to more than 515 packages offered by the nearly 200 quality hotels who are members. To be selected for inclusion, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, or recognized locally as having historic significance.

On these suggested trips, you can look forward possibly to exploring the ghost towns of Colorado's Crystal River Valley, taking an art class in Santa Fe, flying over Grand Teton National Park or joining a covered-wagon cookout in the Wyoming mountains, just to mention a few of the offerings.

You can easily locate all the destinations currently being featured by going to the Historic Hotels of America Web site, www.historichotels.org. Or you can phone Traveling America, Inc. toll-free at 877/782-2045. The Web site outlines the important locations for each destination and the specific inclusions of each themed package. Driving trip packages involving the Historic Hotels are also available through the more than 500 AAA club offices or through many independent travel agents, and are featured on Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) and www.americanexpress.com.

In addition to America's Western Treasures, the other groups of packages include Gateway to the South, Northeastern Adventures, Midwestern Heritage & Lore, Historic Towns, Luxury and Leisure, Backroads and Byways, and City Breaks.

When booking, you select a theme, destination and travel dates, and get a package that includes prepaid lodging at an Historic Hotel, breakfast daily, parking, admissions to attractions, museums and historic sites, plus information about no-cost activities in the area. You get a Personal Travel Portfolio with a complete story-based itinerary, along with detailed driving directions, restaurant recommendations, useful information for unexpected situations and suggestions for further reading.

In America's Western Treasures, you'll encounter the highlights of a city, and may enjoy such articles as "Hooray for Hollywood," "Scenic Drives in Colorado" and "The Many Faces of San Francisco."

Again, log onto www.historichotels.org or phone 877/782-2045.


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