How to Score Tickets to the 2012 Summer Olympics

LAY OF THE LAND Yellowstone is spread across 3,472 square miles, largely in Wyoming. Its five well-spaced entrances each lead to the Grand Loop, the main road, which traces a figure eight as it runs past the major attractions: Old Faithful and neighboring geyser basins, Yellowstone Lake, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, all accessible via short walkways. It takes at least three hours to drive from the forested south end, near Grand Teton National Park, to the range-filled plains of the north, on the Wyoming-Montana border. PLANNING The National Park Service website, nps.gov, details the full range of lodging options, from campsites to hotel suites, along with activities such as chuck wagon dinners and vintage-school-bus tours. For reservations, the site links to Xanterra, the concessionaire that runs 9 hotels and 5 out of the 12 Yellowstone campsites. (The other campsites, operated by the National Park Service, don't take reservations, so show up early, day-of.) Beware that other unaffiliated websites offer information on the park and may do bookings, but they often charge unnecessary fees. For summer, it's advisable to reserve at least six months in advance. GUIDES There are free ranger talks year-round; schedules are posted at nps.org and in Yellowstone Today, a quarterly newspaper. To delve deeper, sign up for one of the courses run by the park's educational group, the Yellowstone Association Institute, which offers a roster of multiday programs, such as Yellowstone for Families, a hands-on, four-day class geared to families with kids ages 8 to 12. It runs from June 6 to August 19, 2011; you can arrange to go from Monday to Friday or Friday to Tuesday (yellowstoneassociation.org, adults $669, kids $405 for four days, including lodging and two meals daily). YAI also has landscape-photo classes and private, naturalist-led outings (from $240 per day). A little-known benefit of studying with the Institute: the chance to stay at its Overlook Field Campus, a trio of large rental cabins in Gardiner, Montana that sleep 12 and normally rent for $400 a night. They have full kitchens, washers and dryers, and balconies with sweeping views. WHERE TO STAY Grant Village Campground Be prepared to give the size of your tent or the length of your RV. Open this year from June 21 to Sept. 25. 866/439-7375, campsites $20 for up to four people. Lake Lodge CabinsThree grades of cabins, many of which date to the 1920s, have been recently updated. All have private baths. 866/439-7375, from $69. The Old Faithful Inn This 1904 log master-piece has a five-story-tall lobby, and you can see Old Faithful from its public second-story deck. There's a range of room options, including old-fashioned, beadboard-paneled quarters; rooms with shared bathrooms down the hall are a bargain at $96. Doubles with bath from $126. Old Faithful Snow Lodge Western Cabins A collection of houses set in a field. Most have two queen-size beds, a private bathroom, and a front porch, and all are within easy walking distance of Old Faithful. Cabins from $96. The Roosevelt Lodge A 1920 lodge named for Yellowstone regular Teddy Roosevelt. Request your own tiny cabin with a wood-burning stove. Cabins from $65. WHERE TO EAT The Bear Paw Deli Sandwiches and ice cream, right off the Old Faithful Inn's lobby. Open from May 6 to Oct. 8. Ice cream cone, $2.75. Roosevelt Old West Dinner Cookout A nightly extravaganza, June 10 to Sept. 4, near Tower Junction. Wagon ride and dinner, $57 adults, $47 kids ages 3-11; 2 and under free; horseback rides to the dinner from $68 adults, $58 kids. Unless otherwise noted, you can contact sites by phone at 888/297-2757 or online at yellowstonenationalparklodges.com or xanterra.com.  

When it comes to family travel, few vacations fit all. Some clans are theme park junkies, or sybarites, or scholars. And then there's the rest of us, simply looking to catch up with relatives and friends in a relaxing setting. Fortunately, a world full of getaway possibilities awaits-and one of those, Yellowstone National Park, manages to satisfy pretty much everybody. Straddling the borders of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, the world's first national park is so vast and varied in its attractions (exploding mud pots, roving wolf packs, bison burgers...) that something would be wrong with you if you walked away unimpressed. Last August, during Yellowstone's second summer in a row of record visitors (more than 3.6 million), we joined the crowd. Consider this our unscientific survey of the many ways families travel now. The Family AdventurersWhen the Yings gather for a reunion, all ages bring their talents to the table. They hold contests to see who has the biggest beer belly and the longest leg hairs; they teach each other how to work a Chinese yo-yo; and, at the end of each day, they pack into a room and tell family stories. The latter often involves tales of Sue and C.N. Ying, the adored matriarch and patriarch, who had 10 kids and instituted a travel tradition in the 1970s. For their first reunion in 1977, they chose Yellowstone. Since then, there have been cruises, trips to D.C. and Lake Tahoe, and a giant celebration in honor of C.N.'s 100th birthday at the Tanglewood resort in Texas's Eisenhower State Park. C.N. lived to 102, and Sue passed away just last fall at 103. A group of 16 in total made it back to Yellowstone last summer, bunking in cabins at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Each day was filled with reflection. Says granddaughter Cathryn Wang, "We knew where to go because we brought our old photos and, at each spot, we recreated the shots." The  First TimersSisters Judy and Audrey Visser are still at the pony-ride stage, but their parents, Lori and Art, are practiced equestrians-and travelers. The couple spent a decade hopping planes and trains before taking two momentous trips to China, where they adopted their daughters. In the years since, Lori, a director of accounting, and Art, a salesman, have focused on domestic trips. To date, they've visited the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Alabama's Dauphin Island, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Vissers planned last summer's inaugural national-park trip for late in August, hoping to avoid the crowds that peak earlier in the month. For full immersion, the Vissers, along with Lori's sister Pam Hagerman, stayed in cabins at Lake Lodge, whose cafeteria overlooks Yellowstone Lake, with 141 miles of shoreline. The highlight for all was the day the girls got cowboy hats at the old Roosevelt Lodge, a cabin enclave reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. With their aunt, the girls took a chuck wagon ride, culminating in a campfire dinner, where Lori and Art, riding in on horseback, joined them. Judy and Audrey keep the hats on their bedposts at home, ready for their next adventure. The LearnersThere are certain facts about the park that Liza Dable, her husband, Dan, and their two boys, Benjamin, 9, and Jonathon, 11, are unlikely to forget. They know that Yellowstone is one of the world's largest calderas, measuring 45 by 30 miles, which also means it's a volcano-hence all those geysers and hot springs. And in a place of incredibly dramatic views, the Dables say few sites top Artist Point, overlooking the falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. "It was Thomas Moran's paintings of the falls that convinced Congress in the late 1800s to preserve the area as a park," Liza explains. The Dables picked up these details and more by taking part in Yellowstone for Families, a four-day guided course offered twice a week throughout the summer by the park's nonprofit educational arm, the Yellowstone Association Institute. This was the first vacation the Dables have taken that was fully run by someone else-down to the family photos. Each of the six kids in their group  used a camera (provided by the park) as they learned to identify everything from petrified forests to elk scat. On the last night, the program capped off with a photo show of everyone's work. "There was a perfect balance between organized activities and free time," says Liza, a quality-control manager. "Our boys got so much more out of this trip than they would have if they were just hiking around with Mom and Dad." The CampersGetaways are a rare treat for the Simpsons because all three are currently in school: Mom Dori is a double major in Spanish and French at Eastern Washington University, outside Spokane; Dad Steve, a drill sergeant in the Army Reserve, is studying to become a nurse practitioner; and 10-year-old Naomi is finishing fourth grade. When they do manage to escape, there's never any question where they'll be staying: in a tent. Vacation for the Simpson clan means camping, typically at a Washington state park, such as Dash Point on the Puget Sound. For Dori, these trips are also sentimental journeys, complete with a collection of 1970s equipment from her childhood. There's the two-burner propane stove on which, like her mother, she whips up pancakes and campfire stew; a trusty Coleman lantern; and the duct-taped canvas tent that she and her five siblings always shared. The family's two nights in Yellowstone were a lark, planned six hours in advance as they drove home from a family wedding in Houston. They stayed at the Grant Village campground, one of the biggest in the park, with 400 campsites, bathrooms, and-most important-showers: "We may love camping, but I draw the line at primitive," says Dori. "After all, this was our summer vacation." The StaycationersAs rangers at Yellowstone, Beth Taylor and Ivan Kowski estimate that a mere 5 percent of visitors venture off the walkways onto the 1,000 miles of trails. Beth works in the education department, teaching people to identify jackrabbit footprints and fairy slipper orchids. And out of Yellowstone's Backcountry Office, Ivan oversees 301 spectacularly situated campsites, each reachable only by foot, boat, or horseback, and free for the asking. The family lives in tiny Gardiner, Montana, just outside Yellowstone's north entrance. During the five-mile drive to school and work each morning, they tally the animal sightings: bald eagles, bighorn sheep, elk, and the occasional moose. On the weekends, there's the world's largest collection of exploding geothermal oddities to explore. Maya's favorite is Anemone, a geyser that, according to her, "fills up with water and then flushes like a toilet." Like everyone else, they love to stop at the Old Faithful Inn, the park's landmark lodge, for people-watching and ice cream cones. "Locally made ice cream-by Wilcoxson's, of Livingston, Montana-is sold at all the parks' general stores," Beth says. "It's outstandingly good." The RV'ersJohanna and David Swidrak are hands-on types: He's an artist and contractor whose business slogan is "CPR for Your Home," and she homeschooled their two girls for nearly a decade. Five years ago, when a neighbor in Bend, Oregon, posted a for-sale sign in the window of a 1992 40-foot Fleetwood RV, they saw a chance to take vacations into their own hands, too. Johanna's mother chipped in toward the purchase and uses the parked RV as her quarters when she visits for a month every summer. David's father and stepmother, who live in Tucson, have their own RV, and the two groups often convoy. At least once a year, the family takes a big outing; their favorite was the triple-header to Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and the Grand Canyon. (True, the trailer gets only 15 miles to the gallon, but there have been surprisingly few hidden costs.) David's parents were along for this particular adventure and parked a few pine trees away at Grant Village, one of 12 Yellowstone campgrounds with RV areas. The group biked and hiked by day, and barbecued and played card games by night. To celebrate Starla's 11th birthday, Johanna baked a chocolate cake in the RV oven, and they all sang around a bonfire built by David. Says Johanna: "Wherever we go, it's so nice to have our own place-and pillows!-to return to."

Standing in line is no way to spend a vacation—especially when those lines are longer than an inagural address. Yet the 16 million tourists who visit Washington from around the world every year wind up ensnarled in queues at major monuments for most of their trips. Follow these insights—from a resident expert, budget-minded foodie, and mom—to do D.C. just like a local, even during busy times like the inauguration. SEE PHOTOS OF D.C. 1. Start with an overview With Lincoln looming large over the National Mall and Arlington Cemetery beckoning two miles across town, it can be tough for first-time visitors to sort through the maze of D.C.'s must-see sites. The best way to dive in is with a brief introduction to them all. D.C. By Foot offers free walking tours that range from two-hour strolls along the Mall to a four-hour "All-in-One" epic that takes in the Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, and more. If you'd prefer to see the sights while sitting down, Old Town Trolley Tours runs nightly two-hour "Monuments by Moonlight" rides, which cruise past the FDR and Iwo Jima Memorials as evening falls (trolleys depart at 7:30 p.m. from Union Station, $35.10 for adults and $26.10 for kids age 4-12). 2. Catch million-dollar views—and classical tunes—all for free Sweeping vistas are a tall order in this low-rise city, where the height of buildings is regulated by an 1899 Act of Congress. But at 150 feet, the uncrowded Pilgrim Observation Gallery at the National Cathedral is your elevator to the sky, with unobstructed 360-degree views. Down on the ground floor you can attend free organ demonstrations every Monday and Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. and explore the architecture of this neo-Gothic behemoth. (Bring binoculars to spot the carved head of Darth Vader outside, near the top of the northwest tower). 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW, $10 suggested donation 3. Get lost in space Adults may see D.C. as a wonderland with more than 50 museums to explore. But those with children know to choose wisely—or pay the price. Home to vintage flying machines like Charles Lindburgh's 1927 Spirit of St. Louis plane and the 1969 Apollo 11 command module, the National Air and Space Museum is one of the most kid-friendly branches of the Smithsonian. Its lineup features a 20-minute planetarium show starring Sesame Street characters, and air-travel-themed story times, where little ones can keep their hands busy building model planes and rocket ships. Independence Ave. at 6th St. SW, free 4. Booking a White House tour is worth the effort It's not impossible to do a tour of the White House, but it does take some planning. And a lot of patience. Once you know when you are going to be in D.C., contact the office of your Member of Congress to request tickets. Requests can't be made more than six months in advance, but no less than 21 days before your trip. It can take five months to book one of the self-guided tours, though. Worth it to get access to the country's most important residence. 5. A new crew of fashion talent (really) For all of D.C.'s draws—power, monuments, and living history—shopping hasn't traditionally been at the top of the list. At least until recently. A string of fashion-forward shops has popped up around 14th St. and the U St. Corridor. Jiwon Paik-Nguyen (who has worked for Theory, J. Crew, and Polo Ralph Lauren) imported a little SoHo style to her hometown two-and-a-half years ago with Rue 14, where she stocks wares by BB Dakota and Jeffrey Campbell. And up the street, Christopher Reiter pulled the best contemporary housewares from his four-year adventures across Southeast Asia to fill the floor at Mulèh. 6. Eat breakfast with the cheetahs Looking for an early-morning destination to hit when the museums are shuttered? The 163-acre grounds of the National Zoo generally open by 6 a.m.(ish)—four hours before its exhibits officially come to life. Stick around and you'll be rewarded with the sight of six resident orangutans making their way—hand over hand—across an almost 500-foot-long stretch of cables connecting two areas. 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, free 7. Score a major game day deal Big-arena sporting events aren't usually known for their affordability, but baseball games at Nationals Park—where tickets start at $5—are one of the best bargains in town, especially when the team's running a special. In previous seasons, for example, groups of two or more pay just $14 a pop for upper-right field terrace seats, a hot dog, chips, and a drink on Saturdays and Sundays. On select Sundays, kids were even invited down to run the bases after the game. 1500 South Capitol St. SE 8. Go behind closed embassy doors Unless you're a diplomat, D.C.'s 175-plus international embassies are generally off-limits. But every May, the doors of some 30 missions—often located in historic mansions—open to the public for a day as part of the annual Passport D.C. outreach program. Guests have been able to sample lamb chops and Shiraz, watch a tae kwon do demonstration, or take in a fashion show at the Australian, Korean, and Saudi Arabian embassies, respectively, all for free. During prime afternoon hours, hit the embassies on International Drive, which tend to be larger and less hectic than the rest. 9. Explore the locals' arts scene On the first Friday of every month, D.C. residents flock to Dupont Circle, when the neighborhood's quiet constellation of galleries turns into a bustling, decidedly un-snooty fete. Start and end at the nonprofit Hillyer Art Space, the epicenter of the action; you can expect live music and the wine to flow freely until 9 p.m. 9 Hillyer Court NW 10. Know that history slept everywhere D.C.'s venerable hotels (The Hay-Adams, The Willard) have seen a lot of history pass through their gilded lobbies. Get some history on a smaller scale at the Tabard Inn. Located five blocks from the White House, this historic boutique hotel consists of three 19th-century row houses with 40 rooms and a brick and ivy-covered courtyard. It's quaint (that means no elevators and only a few TVs, on request), but it also has just the right comforts, like free Wi-Fi, a pass to the local YMCA, and free breakfast (homemade granola or freshly baked scones with cream). 1739 N Street NW, double rooms from $145 11. Save on hotels by timing it right Try to hit the city when Congress is away on recess and hotel rates plummet, typically April and August (the congressional schedule is listed online at senate.gov and house.gov). Even the swankiest hotels in town drop their rates by almost 50% when Congress clears out. 12. When it comes to crab cakes, you're going to have to choose sides Crab cakes are served in two kinds of settings in this town: down and dirty or rich and refined. Which school you pledge allegiance to is your business, of course, so we'll just arm you with tools to make your preferred choice. Frequented by Presidents Grant, Cleveland, and Theodore Roosevelt, according to local lore, the Old Ebbitt Grill lays claim to some justifiably famous crab cakes, made with fresh parsley and Old Bay seasoning (crab cakes $18). The waiters wear red bow ties and suspenders, and diners sit in mahogany and velvet booths beneath antique, gas-lit chandeliers. For the amazing, hole-in-the-wall alternative, grab a stool at the lunch counter (or a seat on the patio) at C.F. Folks Restaurant, where patrons love to chat with the owner—and legendary crank—Art Carlson (crab cake sandwich $14). 13. Where the locals go when they don't have a dinner reservation In the last few years, D.C.'s culinary scene has gone from an afterthought to one of the city's main attractions. Nowhere is the evolution more evident than the area of Capitol Hill known as Barracks Row. Here, the restaurants serve everything from soul food and Greek meze to authentic Indian cuisine. Find the majority of these low-key dining spots on 8th Street between Pennsylvania Ave. and M Street, where you can stroll along and window-shop the menus before choosing your favorite one. 14. Picnic under the stars (music and moonlight included) The National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden hosts magical—and free—open-air jazz fests every Friday from May to September. Locals know to arrive as early as 3 p.m. to stake out a patch of green on the six-acre lawn, which is dotted with dogwood trees and works by Miró and Calder. Listeners can pack picnics or grab dinner from one of many nearby food trucks or order a glass of homemade sangria from the garden's Pavilion Café. 7th St. and Constitution Ave. NW, free 15. From the mouths of babes. . . Don't be fooled by the National Building Museum's vast and pillared Great Hall. This place doesn't actually take itself too seriously. Past exhibitions featured 15 small-scale, intricately detailed replicas of famous buildings made entirely of Legos, and the Building Zone area stocks soft blocks for tykes to create their own monuments. Zippy, half-hour-or-less tours led by Junior Docents (ages 10 to 18) cater to a kid's perspective—and attention span. 401 F St., admission $8 16. Get a taste of Europe, D.C.-style On weekends, Meridian Hill Park is thronged with residents who come to marvel at the Neoclassical waterfall staircase. But on weekdays, visitors will have the aristocratic formal grounds (designed in the 1930s and modeled after Italy's grand gardens) to themselves. Fuel up at one of several espresso spots, such as U Street Cafe, along the U Street Corridor before setting out for a daytime passagiata in the park (1301 U Street NW; coffee, $2) 17. Reserve half-price tickets to the city's best shows—in advance Ticketplace, run by the nonprofit Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, sells half-price seats to concerts, plays, and operas by more than 100 metro D.C. groups throughout the year. Prime spots at a National Symphony Orchestra performance, for example, were listed online at $59 apiece, but those who booked through Ticketplace scored the same seats for only $30 a pop. You can purchase advance or day-of tickets online (upcoming shows are announced on its Twitter feed), or at their downtown outlet (407 7th St. NW). 18. Where to let your hair down For years, D.C.'s after-hours crowd patronized the tried-and-true bar scenes in the ultra-preppy Georgetown and post-college Adams Morgan neighborhoods. But these days, a new nightlife king is emerging in the up-and-coming Atlas District, a formerly gritty three-block strip near Capitol Hill that brings a surprising twist to its bars. At the H Street Country Club, revelers can play mini-golf and and dine on gourmet Mexican food. Other stand-outs: the year-old and decidedly authentic Bavarian Biergarten Haus, which keeps a dozen German brews on tap, and Dangerously Delicious Pies, which serves sweet and savory made-from-scratch baked goods until 3:30 a.m. on weekends. 19. Tray delicious You won't hear anyone cracking jokes about cafeteria food at the National Museum of the American Indian. The museum's sunny Mitsitam Café is considered one of the best lunch spots in town. It pays homage to Native American culinary traditions, with dishes such as buffalo burgers with green chiles ($7.25), maple-and-juniper-glazed salmon ($14.50), and mesquite piñon cookies ($4.50). 4th St. and Independence Ave. SW 20. Avoid the cherry- blossom crowds While tourists huddle beneath the trees along the Tidal Basin, D.C.'s locals opt instead for the tranquil terraced gardens at Dumbarton Oaks, an 1801 red-brick museum in Georgetown. Its quiet, manicured grounds are filled with cherry and magnolia blossoms, and its blog meticulously details the blooms on a daily basis—so you can schedule your visit accordingly. 1703 32nd St. NW, garden admission $8

1. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA Once the world's longest suspension bridge, the 1.7-mile Golden Gate has since been surpassed in size-but not in beauty. Hundreds of people walk the span from San Francisco to Sausalito each day, so you'll want to plan wisely. Bypass the two-hour meters at the overcrowded main lot off S.F.'s Merchant Road in favor of ample free parking at Crissy Field Center (crissyfield.org). There, fair-trade coffee awaits at the Warming Hut Café & Bookstore, a whitewashed shed near the shore that's the perfect place to fuel up for the gentle, half-mile Bay Trail to the bridge (415/561-3040, coffee $2). The Golden Gate's best-kept secret: Although it's closed to pedestrians after sunset, gates are opened for star-gazing cyclists. goldengatebridge.org   2. Highway 1, California Coast Sure, it stretches almost the entire length of California, but the part you're dreaming of covers only 123 miles along two nationally designated scenic byways between Monterey and Morro Bay. That's the stuff of road-tripping fantasies, where you'll be curving between windswept cliffs, towering redwoods, and the crashing surf below. You could whip through the whole stretch in less than three hours, but you'd miss out on worthy detours for swimming, kayaking, hiking, and jade-diving. Traffic conditions are continuously updated at the California Department of Transportation site (dot.ca.gov), and crowds generally thin out during the shoulder-season months of May and September.   3. Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, CA Each year, another 20 to 30 luminaries are added to the more than 2,400 celebrities already immortalized in pink terrazzo along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. The Official Hollywood Walk of Fame iPhone app ($2) tells you exactly where to find Bette Davis, the Beatles, and both Harrison Fords (the other one was a silent film star). Parking in Hollywood is notoriously challenging, so this is a rare moment when L.A.'s subway comes in handy: The Red Line, which runs between NorthHollywood and Down-town, stops at Hollywood and Vine; riders can leave their cars at one of the 1,500-plus free parking spots available at the North Hollywood and Universal City stops at the line's western end. walkoffame.com   4. Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, NV Where else in the world can you find a permanent circus, an indoor sky, and a slice of the Roman Empire? Truth is, Vegas is famous for taking thrills to new heights-more so now than ever. Last April, the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower at the Strip's north end debuted its SkyJump attraction, the highest "controlled free fall" in the world. (Think skydiving with a cable instead of a parachute.) Brave souls, who pay $100 for the privilege, can make the 108-story leap as late as 2 a.m. on weekends, when all the glittering lights amp up the drama. stratospherehotel.com   5. Hoover Dam, Boulder City, NV It's never been easier to visit this 75-year-old colossus, which provides 20 million residents of  California, Nevada, and Arizona with water and 1.3 million with hydroelectricity. Some new engineering is now helping the flow of the near-million annual visitors: a four-lane, 1,900-foot-long Hoover Dam bypass bridge. This bridge is the second-highest in the nation, perched at almost 900 feet above the rushing Colorado River. Avoid the intense summer heat (as high as 110 degrees) by planning your visit during January or February, when temperatures hover in the low 60s. But be sure to arrive by 3 p.m. to tour the dam itself; visitors aren't allowed to the top of the facility after dark, which comes as early as 4:30 p.m. during that time of year. hooverdambypass.org, tour $11.   6. Mount Rushmore, Keystone, SD You can't actually clamber over the presidents' heads like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. But the 500-foot-tall Mount Rushmore and the surrounding national forest still pack plenty of cinematic punch, thanks to the spiraling bridges, rock tunnels, and pinnacles of granite that line scenic Highway 89 north of Custer. There's no fee to see the busts (sculpted by 400 men), other than an $11 parking permit that, once paid, is good for the calendar year. Don't miss the equally epic Crazy Horse Memorial (crazyhorsememorial.org, entry $10), slated to be the world's largest cliff carving, just 15 miles away. nps.gov/moru   7. French Quarter, New Orleans, LA Everyone knows about the delights of New Orleans in the spring, when Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest turn the 70-block antebellum French Quarter into a rollicking 24-hour party, but an off-season visit delivers far morevalue. Hotels are a particular bargain during the summer months, when venerable institutions such as the 125-year-old Hotel Monteleone, a favorite haunt of Tennessee Williams, slashes its rates from the Mardi Gras high of $179 down to just $129 (hotelmonteleone.com). The deals don't stop there: The city was named the country's most affordable dining destination last November by Zagat Survey. And as part of an initiative by Coolinary New Orleans, more than 30 ritzy Quarter restaurants such as Antoine's offer three-course lunches for $20 during August and September. nomcvb.com   8. Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO Some Americans might be surprised to discover that the country's tallest man-made monument isn't the Statue of Liberty (305 feet) or the Washington Monument (555 feet)-it's St. Louis's Gateway Arch, a 630-foot wonder with vertigo-inducing views of paddle-wheel boats steaming down the Mississippi. Two tram services carry the 4 million annual visitors on four-minute rides to the top. Architecture buffs opt for the north leg, which features an exhibit on the arch's construction, while armchair historians make for the south leg, which focuses on 19th-century life along the St. Louis waterfront. Either way, you'll want to avoid gusty days, as the arch's apex can sway up to 18 inches. coreofdiscovery.com, $10.   9. National Mall, Washington, D.C. No story about American icons would be complete without the National Mall, that 1.9-mile stretch lined with dozens of memorials, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Capitol building, and the Washington Monument. We went one better and devoted an entire feature to D.C. Last year, the whole mall was outfitted with Wi-Fi hotspots, so you can always access our story online.   10. Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA As befits the birthplace of American democracy, access to Independence National Historical Park, home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, is free and easy. Tickets are required to visit Independence Hall from March to December, and a mere $1.50 fee allows you to reserve passes up to a year in advance-a good idea in the summer. Otherwise, plan to arrive right at 8:30 a.m., when the visitor center opens, to be sure of securing a spot on one of the day's 23 half-hour tours. History gets the rock-star treatment with Liberty 360, a 15-minute 3-D film that opened in September. The show-which is projected onto a 360-degree cylindrical screen-features an original score performed by 65 musicians as well as jaunty narration by a modern-day Benjamin Franklin. historicphiladelphia.org   11. Statue of Liberty, New York, NY Lady Liberty's crown, which reopened after an eight-year hiatus in 2009, is scheduled to close again in November (along with the rest of the statue) for at least a year's worth of safety upgrades, so act fast to see the famous 125-year-old French gift from the inside. As you exit the ferry at Liberty Island, you'll need to purchase a Crown Visit wristband at the information center. The only thing you're allowed to take inside is a camera. Even cell phones and wallets are no-gos, so travel light and bring two singles to feed the three-hour lockers where you'll stash your goods. (There's no change machine, and to complicate the matter further, only singles and dollar coins are accepted). One wardrobe must: shoes with good grip. Descending the crown's 354 steps can be a slippery affair. nps.gov, $3 admission, plus $9 for ferry ticket.   12. Times Square, New York, NY Even though the new pedestrian-only zones and bike lanes along Broadway between 47th and 42nd streets are threatening to turn the formerly frenetic Crossroads of the World into an oasis of urban calm, neon enthusiasts will still find a satisfying amount of hustle and bustle. The revamped TKTS booth at 47th Street and Broadway, whose translucent-red staircase-to-nowhere has fast become the area's prime spot for photo ops, is still the best source for discounted theater tickets. The smartest time to queue up is at 10:30 a.m.-between the morning commute and lunchtime rushes-when lines are shortest (tdf.org, from $50 for plays and $65 for musicals). For a hint of the area's former grittiness, head to the hole-in-the-wall Jimmy's Corner, an old-school boxing bar complete with jukebox, bowls of mixed nuts, and a gruff-but-friendly staff (212/221-9510, pints from $3).   13. Grand Canyon Skywalk, Tusayan, AZ This gravity-defying glass bridge, perched 4,000 feet above the floor of the Grand Canyon, on its western rim, has hosted more than 250,000 visitors a year since it opened four years ago-and the knee-buckling privilege doesn't come cheap. The only way to access the Skywalk is via Grand Canyon West, a tourist area run by the Hualapai tribe on land located outside the Grand Canyon National Park. The most affordable ticket option is the Legacy Gold package, an all-day pass that includes a meal, a tour, and tribal demonstrations along with the Skywalk ticket. grandcanyonwest.com, $87.   14. Millennium Park, Chicago, IL This 24.5-acre park in the heart of downtown Chicago opened in 2004, and is a wonderland of cutting-edge architecture and design. Playful, family-friendly, and free attractions include the Cloud Gate sculpture, which reflects the downtown skyline and visitors' faces like a series of fun-house mirrors, and Crown Fountain, a multimedia installation that pairs splash-worthy sprays of water with 50-foot-tall video portraits. millennium.org   15. Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA Ninety minutes southeast of Pittsburgh, Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece of indoor-outdoor architectural harmony draws 150,000 annual visitors attracted by the spectacle of three cantilevered levels made of concrete and sandstone that jut gracefully over a cascading 30-foot waterfall. Fallingwater celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with a series of special events. To experience the house at its most serene, aim for early May, when the redbud trees are in bloom. fallingwater.org, from $20.   16. Fenway Park, Boston, MA The oldest major-league baseball stadium in the country (Chicago's Wrigley Field is two years younger), Fenway Park turns 100 in 2012-and a 50-minute daily guided tour, which runs every hour on the hour between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on nongame days, celebrates its history. Newbies will want to stop by a Fan Services booth and ask for a free welcome message on the stadium's original, manually-operated scoreboard. If you're one of the first five to arrive at the booth, 35,000 people will see your name in lights-just like Yaz. mlb.com, tour $12.   SEE MORE POPULAR CONTENT 15 Places Every Kid Should See Before 15 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls 11 Things You Never Knew About Our Nation's Parks How to Score Tickets to the 2012 Summer Olympics Can You Spot the Travel Rip-off?