By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

Our world seems to be having a Sixties moment, what with the “Summer of Love” psychedelic posters at the Smith College Museum of Art (www.smith.edu/artmuseum) and the upcoming “Hippie Chic” fashion exhibition at the MFA (www.mfa.org). The Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History (www.pacmusee.qc.ca/en/home) is doing its bit by commemorating the one and only visit to Montreal by the Beatles on September 8, 1964. They arrived at 2:20 p.m., played two shows, and left for the airport at 11 p.m. It was brief, but Montreal has never forgotten, and the exhibitions chronicle the Fab Four and the local reaction in wonderful detail. You don't need to come from Montreal to appreciate the band's profile from playing skiffle in Liverpool to their chaotic final sessions that led to the “Let It Be” film and album. One interactive exhibit features Beatles karaoke, with the chance to sing along with old film clips.

Exhibits carry through to the dissolution of the band, but one postscript exhibit recounts the Bed-In by John Lennon and Yoko Ono from May 26 to June 2, 1969, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. They wanted everyone “to give peace a chance.” Not coincidentally, Montreal's new wax museum, the Grévin (www.grevin-montreal.com), recreates the famous couple and the famous bed. The show at the Archaeology and History museum, “The Beatles in Montreal,” is up through March 30, 2014.

Photos by David Lyon for the Boston Globe

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Vacationing Americans 25 and older will spend $84 billion on hotels this summer, with the average traveler booking a bit more than seven nights over the season, according to a new survey by Room Key, a meta search engine built by hoteliers. Nearly three quarters said price will drive their decisions, and 66 percent reporting that location also plays a part, with 58 percent saying hotel amenities are a key factor as well.

“Value reigns supreme in the search for hotels this summer, even as the economy improves,” said Room Key Chief Marketing Officer Stephany Verstraete, adding that today’s traveler looks beyond rates to perks like free WiFi or breakfast and the ability to earn loyalty points.

Among those Americans planning to stay in a hotel for leisure from May to August, they expect to spend, on average, $1,134, which translates to an estimated national trend of $84 billion on hotel rooms. Seven of 10 travelers surveyed expect to spend the same per night this summer as they did last year, and 16 percent plan to spend more. Last year, 45 percent paid between $100 and $200 a night, while 40 percent paid less than $100.

More people are less trusting of having others book their travel, the survey said: 77 percent said they will be their own travel planners this summer, with only 15 percent letting their spouse or significant others handle it, regardless of gender.

Relaxation topped the list of why people will travel this summer, with 59 percent saying they plan to take it easy. Big-city sightseeing came in second at 39 percent, followed by family or school reunions (38 percent), gambling (32 percent) and natural park exploration (28 percent). More than half will take a spouse or significant other, 42 percent will travel with immediate family, and 26 percent will vacation with friends.

As to holiday weekends, more than half plan to stay home. About 32 percent will travel for the Fourth of July and 22 percent for Labor Day.

Fun survey facts: 45 percent of respondents would not want rooms near the elevator, 43 percent passing on rooms near the ice machine, 28 percent avoiding rooms near the restaurant or bar and 26 percent voting the first floor low on their location preferences.

For more information, visit www.roomkey.com

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

A couple of years ago we wrote about a National Park Service walking tour of Woodstock, Vermont during the Civil War period. It was researched and developed by historian and author Howard Coffin, who was born in Woodstock and scoured the historic records to piece together what life was like on the home front during those tumultuous years. The tour will be offered again this summer; see www.nps.gov/mabi for details.

Six of Coffin's ancestors served in the Vermont regiments and his fascination with the Civil War knows no bounds. He has just published a new book, Something Abides: Discovering the Civil War in Today's Vermont (Countryman Press, $35), that sheds the same light on the entire state. Based on six years of research and numerous miles of driving through the Green Mountain State, Coffin identifies more than 2,500 extant sites that were affected by the Civil War and organizes them by county.

“Vermont's Civil War sites are everywhere, on back roads, at the ends of roads, by busy downtowns, at crossroads, in store blocks, on islands, in remote woods, in fields, in churches and cemeteries, and on college campuses and school grounds,” Coffin writes. And he fully expects readers to seek them out. “Take with you an 'Official Vermont Road Map,'” he advises, “one of the best maps in all 50 states. And it's free.”

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

This probably won't come as much of a surprise to many, but at least now a survey backs it up: Many people are ticked off by technology.

Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean and Mexico Resorts recently surveyed travelers about the tech ties that bind us all on vacation, some 1,184 people in all (53 percent male, 47 percent female), and made some notable and completely understandable findings:

--85 percent of respondents had experienced being annoyed by someone chatting loudly on their cell phone while traveling
--50 percent reported checking their own emails and voicemails several times a day - while on vacation
--36 percent said they did it on the beach
--82 percent used their social-network channels to stay connected
--More than 50 percent felt staying connected to work added to their stress while vacation
--30 percent said they gave their cell numbers to clients while on vacation
--31 percent reported being tempted to toss their cell phones into the ocean (frankly, we thought that would be higher)

So who does that bother? Not the spouses or traveling companions of those taking the survey. A scant 15 percent of respondents felt that their connectivity bugged their spouses, partners or fellow travelers.

Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts has engineered a solution - if you're willing to take it. The company has launched a new "Braincation" program, offering tech-free zones at each of its nine properties in the Caribbean and Mexico. Starting in December and running through winter, designated "peaceful" areas at each resort will encourage tech-loving guests to disconnect and not use anything with a plug or battery and to just enjoy themselves. Which, technically, is what being on vacation is all about. And you don't need a survey to know that.

For info on the resorts, visit www.paradisebymarriott.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Swissotel Hotels & Resorts is expanding its holdings in China with a new deluxe hotel being built in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, the transportation hub of south-central China. Swissotel Changsha will be part of a mixed-use development featuring an office tower, and is scheduled to open in 2014.The hotel will have 400 rooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, meeting and banquet facilities and a Purovel Spa.

Swissotel President Meinhard Huck said Changsha is one of China's most important economic centers and that the new hotel is "another important step in our expansion in China where we already manage several five-star hotels."

Over the next four years, other Swissotel expansions include hotels in Russia, India and Turkey.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

In the category of interesting but not essential information: American Express Spending and Saving Tracker has released some info on our travel habits. Seems that U.S. workers have an average of eight unused vacation days this fall, and many will lose them at year's end, a whopping 74 percent plan to use them over the fall months.

Why? Survey says: It's more affordable, according to 31 percent of those traveling this fall, with 23 percent of fall travelers choosing off-season destinations like the Caribbean and Hawaii, where the deals are better this time of year. We're not sure how the family and friends feel about this, but 35 percent of those traveling will save more money by staying with them.

The tracker also shows 26 percent of travelers booking farther in advance, and 21 percent offsetting costs by using loyalty points. Other info: 37 percent will travel domestically this fall, while just seven percent will take it outside U.S. borders. The two most popular international travel spots are Europe (32 percent plan going there) and the Caribbean (29 percent).
And closest to home: 27 percent plan staying nearby to take in their area's fall foliage.

Not surprisingly, American Express not only tracks travel, it plans it for you, which you can check out at  American Express Travel Insiders.

By Patricia Harris & David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

We've known Cambridge-based Larry Millman as a fellow travel writer for at least 20 years now, and when meet up with him and exchange notes of where we've been, our highlights usually involve warm places with good food and wine. Larry's generally involve ice, rocks, wild creatures, and mushrooms. Long ago we became resigned to the fact that we are travelers, and he is by nature an adventurer who never carries a ''computer-type device'' on his travels ''lest I become tethered to the world I left behind.''

Lawrence Millman's newest book, Hiking to Siberia: Curious Tales of Travel and Travelers, came out on Tuesday. Published by a tiny Buffalo press called sunnyoutside, it's a modest compendium of 20 essays about the joys and vicissitudes of travel (which, he notes, shares an etymology with ''travail''). It's small enough to tuck in a backpack to read a tale each night before crawling into a sleeping bag – or to lay by the bedside to encourage dreams of far-off places and the strange characters who inhabit the margins of the world. As Millman writes of himself, ''If a wrong turn can be made, I will find a way, God or his absence willing, to make it....''

We wouldn't have it any other way.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Call it barefoot chic: At the new Beach House Turks and Caicos, slated to open Oct. 22 as Grace Bay's first boutique hotel, "No Socks Allowed" signage will be found on specialty items throughout, reminding guests to kick off their shoes and socks and relax. Beach House has 21 one- and two-bedroom suites (each a minimum 1,150 square feet) with what hotel officials call interior designs melding Caribbean with New England, showcasing crisp whites and blue hues. French doors frame views of the expansive beach and open to oversized patios that have daybeds. Suites also have culinary nooks where private chef dinners and surprise treats can be placed in the refrigerator.

The hotel also has a 90-seat Beach House Restaurant, run by Chef Eric Vernice, a native of France, who has created eight-course meals. According to hotel folks, menus will focus on one item, such as lobster, a unique spice or a country, with each course more unique than the last, paired with wines and cocktail teasers.

If it sounds pricey, it is: Nightly rates run from $532 to $1,038 on weekends and holidays, with special rates available in shoulder seasons. For more information, visit www.beachhousetci.com or call 855-946-5800.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The Epicurean, a 137-room boutique hotel in Florida has a targeted opening date of November 2013, with groundbreaking slated for this October. The hotel, located in the Hyde Park historic distric of South Tampa, will feature a large, state-of-the-art culinary classroom, high-end bistro, wine shop, rooftop lounge, full-service spa and a retail and production bakery and pastry shop. Developers call it a "food-focused hotel."

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The Definitive Caribbean Guide, an online destination resource, will be available via a new e-book list and mobile content as part of major expansion plans announced by its owners, Definitive World Guides Ltd. The announcement was made along with news of the appointment of Adrian Moss as publishing director and opening of new offices in Cheltenham, England. The e-book list, when launched, will offer in-depth and comprehensive island coverage for the Caribbean traveller, with user-friendly features and independent reviews. The first titles are expected later this fall, followed by the launch of the mobile app next year. For more information, visit www.definitivecaribbean.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

No one likes sitting straight up in an airplane seat for nine hours. But Turkish Airlines makes it bearable with great food and an amazing selection of movies, games and other diversions on the little screen in the seat in front of you designed to keep those people busy who just can't sleep on a plane unless they're lying down. And that would be me.

I was on a Turkish Airlines flight out of JFK to Istanbul recently, a bit more than nine hours outgoing, around 10 coming back, and I have to say, the seats in economy class were a little on the tight side. Granted, I'm a shade more than six-feet tall and fidgety even when not confined to a small space for nine hours, but these seats had me squirming to find a comfortable enough place to catch some z's. While it didn't work for me, all around me where sleeping passengers in vertical, or near-vertical positions, so it can be done. Helping could be the snooze kit they pass out, with eye shades, ear plugs and socks.

What sets Turkish Airlines apart is the food, exquisite throughout, no matter the class level. Granted, first-class food is likely more remarkable (they have chefs on board), but the economy-class fare was the best I've ever had, from choices of roasted chicken or fish, with roasted vegetables, and all other manner of Turkish food, including kebab, eggplant cooked a variety of ways, cheeses (including the most delicious Turkish white cheese), tomato, olives, you name it. And that's just dinner. When the sun popped up later in the flight as we neared Turkey, out came breakfast, with delicious omelet and side dishes, all filling and perfectly prepared. All along the way you could have any alcoholic beverage you wanted; for my money (well, no money, booze is free) I found Turkish wine surprisingly good.

It's no surprise then that last year, Turkish Airlines beat out 18 other carriers from around the world as the best provider of in-flight food in a poll done by flight-comparison site, Skyscanner. Also last year,Skytrax World Airline Awards gave the carrier second place in economy-class catering, premium economy-class catering and business-class catering. Turkish Airlines is growing as well; it has four U.S. gateways (N.Y., L.A., Chicago and Washington) and adds Houston in April.

Another huge plus: A whopping assortment of movies and TV shows to watch on the little touch screen before you, which also has games, live BBC programs, documentaries, science shows, Wi-Fi access (supposedly for a fee, but I got it free for some reason, no complaint here) and nose-camera view which is fun to watch on takeoff and landing. Back and forth I saw four full-length movies, from the mainstream ("Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," a wonderful film) to the little-known ("Another Earth," an engrossing drama and Sundance winner) to the exquisitely ethnic ("Istanbul," made in 2011 starring Dutch actress Johanna ter Steege as a jilted wife who stumbles her way to Turkey).

If you have to be in a cramped seat for nine hours, well fed and entertained is not a bad way to spend it.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Travelers to the Bahamas can snag some savings this fall and winter at Nassau Paradise Island, which is offering an "Instant Savings" promotion. Book up until Oct. 15 and get $300 instant savings when booking an air-inclusive, six-night stay, or $200 on a four- or five-night stay at any of Nassau Paradise Island's participating hotels. Travel must be completed by Feb. 28. For info on the deals and hotels offering them, and to book, visit www.nassauparadiseisland.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Ah, Halloween, when the livin' is scary and you're hard pressed to narrow your choices of where to go for a frightfully good time. A group that formed a couple years ago takes the ghoulish guesswork out of making your decision, listing haunted attractions from coast to coast.

The Haunted Attraction Association was created in 2010, when the International Association of Haunted Attractions and the Haunted House Association merged. According to the new association, the haunted industry has ramped up the scare factor to a hugely profitable level over the past 25 years, now generating roughly $300 million with an estimated 2,500 haunted attractions worldwide attracting millions and employing tens of thousands. The Haunted Attraction Association, based in Winnetka, Illinois, is the only official association in the haunting industry, according to its president, Patrick Konopelski.

"This industry is one of the most exciting places to be," he said. "While it's rise may have started with the increasing popularity of Halloween 20 to 25 years ago, there is now an entire extended Haunt Season, which starts in September and runs through November, that appeals to Baby Boomers and all ages."

The association's stated mission is to promote a network of scary stuff, such as haunted houses, haunted hayrides, scream parks, mega-haunts, Halloween festivals, haunted outdoor trails, corn mazes and amusement park Halloween events. The website lists them from coast to coast and internationally, all the way to New Zealand. New England listings include the Trail of Terror in Wallingford, Conn.; Barrett's Haunted House in Abington, Mass., and Witch's Woods in Westford, Mass.; Fright Kingdom in Nashua, N.H.; Ghoullog in Jackson N.H.; and Spooky World/Nightmare New England in Litchfield, N.H.

To find a suitable scare near you, visit www.iahaweb.com/HauntFinder.aspx For info on the Haunted Attraction Association, visit www.hauntedattractionassociation.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Angel Fire Resort, in the southern Rockies of New Mexico, has opened a multi-station zipline tour at the summit of the resort's ski mountain, which includes one blazing-fast component that has you going downhill, strapped belly down into a safety harnesses and blasting head first down the mountain. The Angel Fire Zipline Adventure Tour is the first of its kind in New Mexico, resort officials said. Another signature segment of the tour includes a tandem zipline, where you shoot down the mountain, above the forest floor some 50 stories, on a 1,600-foot tandem zipline.
The three- to four-hour adventure, costing $89 per person, starts at the 10,600-foot summit (which dwarfs the northeast's highest peak, Mount Washington in New Hampshire, with its comparatively scant 6,288 feet), though a tamer version is available for those with young families.
The zipline tour is part of the resort's new Summit Adventure Center, an activity park at the top of the ski mountain, which includes Eurobungie, mountain biking, disc golf, horseshoes and hiking. Check out the video of the head-first ride on YouTube and all that other stuff that may seem pretty laid back compared to ziplining. For all resort info, check out www.angelfireresort.com and check out some pretty hairy rides at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-M4knrH_7w&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUoHqD62Uyo&feature=youtu.be

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Are you good at social media, creating video clips, at least 18 and want to travel to China and India with a chunk of pocket money? Check out CheapOair's new "Traveler of the Year" competition that seeks those who can best show how to travel the world for less.

Two semi-finalists, chosen by CheapOair's social media followers, will take a journey, one to China, the other to India, with $7,500, courtesy of CheapOair, a leading online travel agency that recently introduced its "Travel the World for Less" campaign, and created this contest to mark it.

The two semi-finalists will be sent on a series of challenges highlighting how the destinations can be experienced to the fullest, even on a budget. All tasks, from finding places to stay to buying souvenirs will be documented by photos, video, social media and blogs. After reviewing the content, the brand's social media followers will again pick the winner - who gets another $5,000 in travel money from CheapOair.

"Through the competition, we are offering our customers a great opportunity to engage in the online travel conversation, and to associate our brand with that conversation," said Binti Pawa, a vice president at CheapOair who is spearheading the contest and other marketing initiatives. "We want to show our customers that, in addition to great travel deals, we have integrated our website, blog and social media channels to truly help them travel the world for less, including expert insights on what to do and how to save once they've arrived."

To enter, travelers can submit three- to five-minute videos to CheapOair's "Traveler of the Year" website, http://contests.cheapoair.com/traveleroftheyear/, featuring their own tips and tricks for cheap travel. Their content will be accessible on the contest site, CheapOair blog and social media channels. Initial video entries will be judged on creativity, demonstrated travel experience, ability to produce quality videos and content and screen presence. To enter, you have to be 18 or older, hold a valid U.S. passport, be able to travel from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12, to either China or India, and have an interest in traveling and the challenges that always come with it.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

SATA Airlines announced an air and hotel package for travelers over 65, which includes roundtrip air to the Azores from Boston, six nights lodging with breakfast, an island tour and all transfers. The rates start at $989 per person ($629 plus tax, based on double occupancy). Travelers can choose from three of the nine islands in the Azores and various hotels. Travel is valid from Oct. 1 to Feb. 28, 2013. To book, visit www.sata.pt, or call 800-762-9995.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Century House on Nantucket, which began life as a lodging house in 1833 and is reportedly the oldest continually operating in on the island, won a 2012 Editors' Choice Award in Yankee Magazine's Travel Guide to New England. The inn, a short walk from downtown, is a veritable showcase for plein-air artists, who regularly stay at the inn, trading lodging for their art work. Hundreds of painting adorn the Century House walls, each with a story that innkeepers Gerry Connick and Jean Ellen Heron will gladly tell you about.

Rates at the inn start at $175 per night depending on the date, and they include a breakfast Connick creates daily, heavy on healthy fruits, that is dubbed "Gerry's Berry Buffet Breakfast." For information on the inn, visit www.centuryhouse.com, or call 508-228-0530.

By Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

LEXINGTON, Ky. — What else could it be called but the Tour d'Elegance? Once a year, vintage Rolls Royces, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, and even Corvettes and MGs parade serenely through the roads of Bluegrass country. It's one of the most popular events in the Concours d'Elegance, a four-day celebration of our love affair with beautiful automobiles. The ninth annual event takes place on July 19-22.

Last year, event co-chairs Tom and Connie Jones led the 90-mile drive in their 1936 Rolls Royce 20/25. “As a young man I loved muscle cars,” Tom said. “But then I started noticing the lines on Italian cars, and then I discovered the classics. They are unique.” Tom likened becoming a classic car aficionado to becoming a wine connoisseur — leaving the “rot gut” behind as he became more knowledgeable and sophisticated. He has a similar passion for the landscape of central Kentucky. “We have some of the most wonderful roads here,” he said. Each year the tour follows a different route and there's little chance that organizers will run out of good options. “The only criteria are that we pass through horse country and that drivers discover something that is specifically Kentucky,” Tom said.

This year's route on Sunday, July 22, winds through the rolling hills of horse country, visits Elk Creek Vineyards, Kentucky's largest winery, and features lunch at Fasig-Tipton, the oldest thoroughbred auction company in North America. The tour, by the way, is not limited to classic cars, but welcomes those of us with Maserati tastes and Mazda budgets. For more information, see www.keenelandconcours.com.

Photo of Tom Jones with his Rolls Royce by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Lark Hotels, which earlier this year opened Captain Fairfield Inn in Kennebunkport, recently opened two more inns, the Chapman House in Nantucket, and the Attwater in Newport, both boutique hotels.

The Chapman, located at 20 North Water St. in a circa 1717 structure, has 11 guest rooms redesigned by Rachel Reider Interiors of Boston. The hotel is the sister property of Lark Hotel's 18-room Veranda House around the corner, which dates to 1684 and opened in 2006. Rates at the Chapman, which opened June 16, start at $129 a night. For more information, visit www.chapmanhousehotel.com

The Attwater, built in 1910, has 12 guestrooms, also redesigned by Rachel Reider Interiors, and is located at 22 Liberty St., within walking distance of Newport?s hot shopping and dining centers, Cliff Walk and the mansion district. It opened June 1, and rates start at $159 a night. For information, visit www.theattwater.com

Lark Hotels is run by Robert and Leigh Blood, who bought the Attwater for $1.05 million and Chapman for $1.45 million, according to Hotel Business magazine.

Chapman House photo credit: Rare Brick

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

The exhibition of photographs by Annie Leibovitz at the Concord Museum is simply called ''Pilgrimage.'' It's an apt title. It turns out that Leibovitz, perhaps the best known portrait photographer of our era, is a model for traveling with imagination and curiosity.

She took these environmental photographs as part of a several-year-long self-assignment to visit places that held a particular interest for her. By and large, they were spots associated with major artists, thinkers, and public figures – Elvis Presley's Graceland, Virginia Woolf's desk in the ''room of one's own with a lock on the door,'' and Ghost Ranch studio in New Mexico, where Georgia O'Keeffe and her landscapes became one.

The individual pilgrimages of the title may have been a checklist of what Leibovitz called ''crazy places,'' but they were ultimately only points of departure.

Once Leibovitz arrived, she followed strings of associations wherever they would lead her. Concord is a good case in point. She came to photograph the site of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond. Finding a pile of rocks, she discovered more palpable Thoreau artifacts at the Concord Museum--where she became fascinated with Ralph Waldo Emerson's books. Being in Concord led her to Orchard House, where she became captivated by the Alcotts. ''Ultimately,'' she said during a recent press walk through the exhibition, ''I had to get out of Concord. You could do a whole book here!''

Leibovitz's joy in discovering and embracing the unexpected is a good lesson for all travelers, even those of us who will never capture the piquancy of O'Keeffe's box of homemade pastels in all the shades of her beloved desert. But studying the photos can teach us how to look more closely--even if not through a camera viewfinder--to identify the fleeting but wondrous experience that links us across time to the people who drew us to a place. Leibovitz, for example, was ''enamored'' of Emerson's wall of books. ''It fits so many minds in the town,'' she observed.

The exhibition of ''Pilgrimage'' is a collaboration between the Concord Museum (200 Lexington Rd., Concord, 978-369-9763, www.concordmuseum.org) and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House (399 Lexington Rd., Concord, 978-369-4118, www.louisamayalcott,org). It is on view at the Concord Museum through September 23.

Photo by David Lyon for the Boston Globe

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Upscale Bal Harbour Village on the northern fringe of Miami Beach, is trying to lure visitors this summer and fall with offers for families.

The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, which opened up in January, has its "Sunsational Savings" offer, which includes a fourth-night free, $100 resort credit and a "Royal Cabana" for a day. Rates start at $499 per night, through Oct. 1. The resort also has its "Love Your Family" package, with rates from $499, a $50 resort credit, use of a Royal Cabana for a day, and a choice of a Starwood Preferred Guest Kids Pass or St. Regis Kids Pass for the full stay.

The hotel is one of four in the village. Up by Bal Harbour Beach is the five-star One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa, which is also offering a fourth night free, along with free Wi-Fi, no resort fee, and a beach experience that includes the usual (chairs, umbrellas) and the rather unique -- chilled scented towels, flavor-infused ice water, cooling mists and a dune area for the kids to play in.

Rates here start at $349 a night, good through Sept. 30.

Another hotel, the historic, Euro-style Sea View Hotel noted for its milkshakes, also has a fourth-night free offer at its newly renovated resort, along with free continental breakfast.

The fourth lodging option is at the Bal Harbour Quarzo hotel, on the Intracoastal Waterway, where guests get 10 percent off a one-night stay, 20 percent off two or 30 percent off three or more nights. Through Nov. 30, rates start at $220 a night at this boutique hotel that offers a new beach service this year and has free Wi-Fi and outdoor pool.

The village also has the Bal Harbour Beach Camp, a satellite children's club of the Miami Children's Museum run at the Sea View Hotel for those aged 3-10, with themed sessions. Family friendly eats are found at the Bal Harbour Shops' restaurants, that include La Goulue and Carpaccio. The Books & Books store runs a weekly story time for kids every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. And Haulover Park, between the Atlantic and Intracoastal Waterway, is a favorite of families to hang out flying kites or go out on the water on fishing charters.

For more information and booking options, visit www.balharbourflorida.com

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, a two-week showcase of music, dance and theater in New Haven runs June 16-30. This is the 17th annual event, one that routinely brings 100,000 to the Connecticut city to take part in the festivities, organizers say. This year's event includes performances by Grammy-nominated Carolina Chocolate drops, Red Baraat & Noori, Mark Morris Dance Group, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion and Roseanne Cash. Many of the events are free.

Mary Lou Aleski, executive director of the festival, said, “The collection of artists and thinkers that we have gathered for Festival 2012 proves once again that we offer a nationally unique combination of top-notch performances and accessibility, from free concerts on New Haven Green and the best in contemporary theater and dance, to free lectures and conversations with the world’s brilliant minds, we offer a little of everything for everyone to enjoy.”

Other highlights include the American premier of a new production from the National Theatre of Scotland, “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart.” The festival will also offer a classic performance of works from Mark Morris Dance Group “A Lake,” “Jesu Meine Freude,” and “Gloria,” with Morris conducting the performance of orchestra and chorus.

Philippe Petit, the wire walker who committed what has been called the “artistic crime of the century” in 1974 when he walked a wire between the World Trade Center towers, is the opening speaker of the festival series of lectures and conversations. Cash closes the festival with a free concert on New Haven Green.

For information and scheduling, visit www.artidea.org

Mark Morris Dance Group/Photo by Stephanie Berger

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Hilton HHonors, a loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide's 10 hotel brands, launches a new global promotion, Triple Your Trip, which earns club members triple points Fridays through Sundays and double points Mondays through Thursdays for hotel stays between July 1 and Sept. 30. The hotel brands are Waldorf Astoria Hotels, Conrad Hotels, Hilton Hotels, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations.

HHonors members can register for the promotion at www.hhonors.com/triple. Stays can be booked, and must be completed by, Sept. 30. For more information and to join Hilton HHonors, visit www.hhonors.com

By Patricia Harris & David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

Journalists have long been famous for keeping bars in business, and now the bars of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group (www.neworleans-food.com) in New Orleans are returning the favor. Ever since the 175-year-old Times-Picayune announced it will trim its printed edition back to three days a week beginning this fall, New Orleanians have been wringing their hands. The Brennan Group decided to dedicate its ''Cocktails for a Cause'' program to keeping the reporters and editors of the Times-Picayune working on “the stories that matter most to New Orleanians.” Starting June 8 and for the foreseeable future, each of the five bars will feature a Save the Picayune cocktail. Twenty percent of the proceeds will go into a fund for adversely impacted Times-Picayune employees. For example, the café b (pictured above) will serve the “Stick to 7 (Days),” a drink of Stoli Sticki vodka, fresh lemon juice, and honey syrup. Help keep a great newspaper afloat? We can drink to that.

Photo courtesy café b.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

The 33rd edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal comes to life June 28 to June 7, with a program of not just jazz, but hip hop, soul and more. Some pretty upscale hotels are offering packages for the festival, which include the Hyatt Montreal, a four-star hotel and official hotel of the festival, with packages starting at $304 per person; the Delta Montreal, a four-star stay, with packages starting off at $284; Square Phillips Hotel & Suites, a four-star hotel, rates starting at $247; and L'Appartement Hotel, a three-star lodging, rates from $203.Prices are in Canadian dollars, taxes not included.

Those packages include: Two nights; two breakfasts; one ticket for a concert in the TD Jazz d'ici La Presse series (subject to availability); one ticket for a concert in the Rythmes series (subject to availability); 15 percent off any indoor concert ticket (subject to availability); one accreditation offering free admission to the jam sessions at Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan and to the Montreal Guitar Show; a festival t-shirt, shoulder bag with logo, souvenir book, three hours of music to download and a $10 rebate on a culinary walking tour.

There are a number of activities connected with the festival, including a jazz dinner cruise aboard the Bateau-Mouche, $136 per person; a culinary walking tour of Little Burgundy, birthplace of Oscar Peterson and the first jazz and blues bars in Montreal, $55 per person; and Star Wars Identities - The Exhibition, at the Montreal Science Center, $23 per person.

For info on all activities, packages and specials, check out www.montrealjazzfest.com