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Side Trips

Grand big houses

Compiled by JANET K. KEELER
Published August 14, 2005

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The grandest mansions in the country, from Budget Travel magazine:

- Kykuit (John D. Rockefeller); Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

- The Breakers (Vanderbilt heir); Newport, R.I.

- Shangri La (Doris Duke); Honolulu

- Fair Lane (Henry Ford); Dearborn, Mich.

- Aiken-Rhett House; Charleston, S.C.

- Winterthur (duPont heir); Wilmington, Del.

- Biltmore Estate (Vanderbilt heir); Asheville, N.C.

- Monticello (Thomas Jefferson); Charlottesville, Va.

- (William Randolph) Hearst Castle; San Simeon, Calif.

- Oak Alley Plantation; Vacherie, La.

FREE BEACH RIDE

The Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg wants its guests to see America's No. 1 beach. To do that, the hotel offers free shuttle service to Fort De Soto, recently named the best beach in the United States by Stephen Leatherman, or "Dr. Beach" as he is more commonly called. Fort De Soto's North Beach will be on the hotel's beach-shuttle route through October. For more information, call (727) 894-1000, ext. 2314.

FLORIDA TRAIN TRAVEL

Amtrak is offering an unlimited rail pass for travel by Floridians in Florida. The $249 pass is good for one year from the date of purchase for 28 destinations, including Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Daytona. If you've got a college student, the pass can be used to go back and forth. There are no blackout dates and holiday travel is included. For more information on Amtrak's Florida Rail Pass or other programs, visit www.amtrak.com or call toll-free 1-800-872-7245.

PRESS ON, HARRY

Elderhostel, a not-for-profit educational organization for older travelers, reports that the London bombings have had a "negligible impact" on its Harry Potter-themed tours of England.

The Potter programs, designed for travelers with grandchildren, include earthbound games of Quidditch; workshops on make-believe wizardry; and visits to an owl conservancy and Alnwick Castle, used in the movie for exterior shots of Hogwarts. For details, go to www.elderhostel.org or call toll-free 1-877-426-8056.

NOT ROUGHING IT

The Web site www.hostels.com lists a number of lodgings that are considered "luxury" hostels.

While hostels are known for inexpensive dorm rooms, some also have private rooms with private bathrooms and amenities that range from saunas and spas to tango lessons and gyms. For example:

- The Home Deluxe Hostel in Valencia, Spain, has a balcony on every room, free Internet access and free breakfast. Rates are from $28 a person a night for double occupancy or twin private rooms.

- The Base Backpackers in Auckland, New Zealand, has a sauna and spa and also offers a floor exclusively for female travelers. Twin private rooms start at $29 a night.

- The Clay Hotel/Miami Beach International Hostel, in South Beach, has single private rooms from $56 a night and twin private rooms from $31 a night per person. All rooms have private bathrooms, air conditioners, ceiling fans and a refrigerator.

WALKING IN BERLIN

Want to join a walking tour of Berlin? Click on "Sightseeing" at the city's Berlin Tourist Information - www.berlin-tourist-information.de/index.en.php - and then the subheading "City Tours," which also has a section on sightseeing at water level on the city's rivers. There is also information about visiting landmarks such as Peacock Island and Frederick the Great's Sanssouci Palace. On the main page, take a look at package offerings and ticket services. For all the information imparted on those pages, the attractive little map of Berlin's districts is not operational; you'll have to look elsewhere on the Internet for city maps if you want to do some planning.

- Compiled by JANET K. KEELER from staff reports and the Chicago Tribune and Associated Press. She can be reached at 727 893-8586 or krieta@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 12, 2005, 09:25:04]