Put Leap Year's Extra Day to Good Use With a Trip to These Destinations
This year, 2024, is a leap year. While February 29th may feel like just another day, why not put that extra time to good use by traveling? Explore a new town or extend an already-planned vacation just a bit longer. Below are four destinations that make a perfect spot to visit this time of year.
Spend a few nights in Lake Placid, New York
Stay with High Peaks Resort for three nights, from February 24 through March 5, 2024 and get the fourth night free. Discover cozy rooms with Mirror Lake views, savor historic dining at Dancing Bears Restaurant, and embrace winter adventures in the Adirondacks.
The resort is the perfect place to make a homebase while exploring the Adirondacks, with easy access to Whiteface Mountain (35-minute drive), the Olympic sites, and many other top attractions in the area. The resort offers three unique lodging experiences, from a traditional hotel experience in the High Peaks Resort, to a modern retro-vibe in the Lake House, to privacy and serenity in the Waterfront Collection (including suites with fireplaces!). Guests enjoy sweeping views of the Adirondack mountains, arts and crafts, family movie nights, s’mores building and marshmallow toasting, birds of prey demonstrations and dining specials in Dancing Bears Restaurant. Make this Leap Year unforgettable at High Peaks Resort. Book now and experience a magical Lake Placid getaway.
Eat out in Raleigh, North Carolina
If you haven't visited Raleigh recently, there's no time like the present, and 2024 is packed with exciting new restaurants, bars, and breweries. Raleigh is an ever-evolving capital city that artfully blends tradition with innovation, creativity with sciences and excitement with relaxation.
In the past year, the city has seen several new dining establishments open:
- SAAP, which means 'delicious' in Laotian, is the newest restaurant from Chef and Laos native Lou Bounsanga, formerly of Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana. SAAP's menu is divided into small plates, large plates and a wok section for fried rice and noodle dishes. The restaurant overlooks the stunning Downtown Cary Park.
- Beloved Raleigh Chef Cheetie Kumar and partner Paul Siler opened their much-anticipated new restaurant, Ajja, in the Five Points neighborhood. Kumar's new eatery features an indoor-outdoor area with bright, fresh Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes.
- Head to Madre for a celebration of motherly hospitality and the beautiful way of life along the Mediterranean that offers fresh and inventive Spanish tapas. Madre's interior was thoughtfully conceived by local designer, Bryan Costello, well-known for his collaborations with Heights House Hotel and the NCMA Cafe.
- Eastcut Sandwich Bar, specializing in East Coast sandwich culture, was the first restaurant to open in Raleigh's new Iron Works development.
- Now open in the Smoky Hollow District is Midwood Smokehouse, a wildly popular Charlotte-based barbeque joint known for its all-hickory-smoked barbeque.
- After much success with his northern Virginia and Maryland locations, Chef Victor Albisu opened Taco Bamba in Raleigh with its menu honoring traditional flavors and boasting Raleigh-themed items like the Sir Walter torta with Carolina-style beef franks and the Wolfpack poutine. Local restauranteur
- Giorgios Bakatsias opened three new restaurants in Raleigh in 2023: Giorgio Pizza Bar, Las Ramblas and East End Bistrot.
- Finally, downtown Raleigh is now home to Chido Taco, a casual Mexican restaurant serving traditional street tacos, quesadillas and burritos while also offering an assortment of tequilas and mezcals.
The fun doesn't end there. A slew of new breweries and bars also opened last year including Ashley Christensen's Fox's Liquor Bar (re-opening after a three-year hiatus), East Bower Cider Company (Raleigh's first cidery), Cuya Cocktail Bar (a cocktail bar and music garden perched in the middle of Glenwood South and the sister bar to Cortez), Incendiary Brewing (from Winston-Salem) and Gussie's (a comfortable, lounge-like space for the community with a grab-and-go retail shop and bar known for specialty drinks and chef-driven sharable bites) to name a few. Long-time Raleigh favorites, Kings and Neptunes have both reopened post-pandemic under new management offering live music and always a good time. Finally and fortunately, Raleigh's oldest movie theater The Rialto Theater was saved, renovated and reopened. Originally built in 1942 in the Five Points neighborhood, this classic and historic theater features live music, comedy acts, showings of foreign and independent films as well as the Rocky Horror Picture Show every third Friday at midnight.
Go wine-tasting in Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County's wintertime allure is multifaceted for travelers seeking a special experience. Stonemason Cellars has unveiled its new tasting room in Historic Railroad Square in Downtown Santa Rosa, a space that seamlessly blends tradition with modern design. Stonemason Cellars commitment revolves around cultivating the finest Sonoma County fruit to craft wines that boast both elegance and robust flavors, exemplifying the distinct characteristics of the region's terroir. Visitors to the new tasting room are invited to savor a curated selection of high-quality, limited-production wines. Each wine is meticulously handcrafted in the Stonemason Cellars vineyards, utilizing sustainable and organic farming practices. Elevating the tasting experience, guests can pair their tastings with an array of artisanal small bites, thoughtfully chosen to complement and enhance the flavors.
Gundlach Bundschu Winery has achieved Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) status, recognized by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). Known for their premium estate wines and a longstanding commitment to sustainability, the Bundschu family prides themselves in their 165 years of operation with a sustainability mindset. To attain ROC status, companies must first have a nationally recognized organic certification, such as CCOF. The certification involves meeting rigorous prerequisites related to soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness for farmworkers. ROC(R) requires extra measures like zero use of chemical pesticides, organic cover cropping, composting, and the use of livestock. This certification reflects a commitment to holistic farming practices and aligns with the current trend of conscious consumerism, offering individuals a sense of contributing to positive environmental and social impacts through their purchases of ROC(R) products.
Also in 2024, Mill Creek Vineyards is celebrating its 50th commercial wine vintage. Founded by the Kreck family in 1965, Mill Creek Vineyards stands as a trailblazing winery in the Dry Creek Valley appellation. Synonymous with a commitment to quality and tradition, the family-owned and operated establishment integrates vineyard care and winemaking, reflecting a genuine passion for crafting exceptional wines. Located in Healdsburg, the winery's estate is a testament to the marriage of expertise and terroir, resulting in award-winning wines that have earned acclaim. 2024 festivities will honor the enduring legacy and dedication that define this remarkable family winemaking journey.
Take a dive off the coast of Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola's best-kept secret, unparalleled diving experiences, is quickly making the destination a favorite amongst the diving community, especially those looking for eco-friendly diving experiences. Experienced divers can descend about 200 feet beneath the emerald waters to view the USS Oriskany, aka “The Mighty O.” This shipwrecked 872-foot aircraft carrier now acts as the world's largest artificial reef, hosting an entire marine ecosystem. Affectionately nicknamed the “Great Carrier Reef,” divers can swim among goliath grouper, sea turtles, sunfish, eagle rays, tuna, amberjack, and tropical fish as they explore Pensacola's deeper waters. The Three Coal Barges dive site offers a beginner's experience and gets its name from three barges that broke free in 1974 and sank just a few miles from shore. Today they lie end-to-end in a field of bridge rubble, creating a rich undersea habitat in just 50 feet of water, providing easy navigation for first-time divers.
Pensacola's dive shops and charters have long been known for being stewards of the Gulf. For those interested in arranging travel plans to experience one of Pensacola's many dive sites, the winter season is suggested when water visibility is at its highest.