Rio Rico, Arizona

Travelling has never been easier than with
Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico’s Summer Paycation Program!

Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico has taken the worry out of affording a summer vacation. This wonderful program allows you to stay between 2 to 7 nights and pay just 1/3rd of your total room charges at check out. Then take up to 60 days to pay off the balance!

This unpretentious hotel is the ideal location to getaway, relax and renew your mind, body and soul. Enjoy tennis on four lit courts, a casual walking trail, an Olympic size outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi with areas for rest or visiting. Delight yourself at our on-site restaurant, San Cayetano for delicious dinner specials or the Saloon for fresh, crisp cocktails. The Rio Rico golf course is a rare jewel – a Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed 18-hole course; tree lined, tee-to-green fairway, with no houses along the course, and grand views of nearby mountains. The course offers an ambiance very serene and very pure which our regular golfers love. One of just two Trent Jones’ courses in Arizona, it is perhaps the most traditional in the best sense of the word. Located just 40 minutes south of Tucson, AZ and north of Nogales, Mexico, Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico demonstrates a down-to-earth, distinctive experience we’re sure you’ll enjoy.

Get that much deserved vacation and discover how easy it is to getaway.

Visit www.hhandr.com

Be sure to mention Summer Paycation

Amarillo, Texas

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

A picture may be worth 1,000 words but there are still some things that aren’t done justice by a photo. They are too big for a picture to truly convey their scale.

The Great Wall of China, which can be seen from space, is one. The view from Mt. Everest, which has been seen by so few people, may be another. And a canyon, like the Grand in the U.S. and Copper in Mexico, is hard to squeeze into a photo.

Now, visitors to Amarillo, TX can get a feel for the immense beauty of Palo Duro Canyon State Park thanks to new 360° panoramic pictures available on the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council web site (www.visitamarillotx.com).

The state park covers more than 30,000 acres and is just a small portion of the overall Palo Duro Canyon, which stretches more than 100 miles across the Texas Panhandle. It is located 25 miles southeast of Amarillo, at the end of state highway 217. It is open year round with a wide range of outdoor activities, like camping, mountain biking, hiking, birding, running and horseback riding. In the summer, the canyon hosts the outdoor musical drama TEXAS. And cabins on the rim and down in the park offer accommodations with stiffer walls than a tent.

But five scenes, taken by NewSpin 360 of Edmond, OK, present five very different views within the state park. Thanks to the utilities located on each scene, viewers can move to the left or the right and up or down to view the entire 360° of each scene. And as several people have said after seeing the photos, it is like flying through the canyon.

“The canyon was a perfect application for this 360° technology. For the first time, people have a chance to see the full-grandeur of this place,” Eric Miller, Director of Communications for the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council, says. “This may be the best single addition to our web site, ever.”

Again, see the photos through a link from the Amarillo CVC web site, www.visitamarillotx.com.

Mount Shasta Country, California

Siskiyou County, Mount Shasta Country,
welcomes visitors year round.

Siskiyou County, one of the largest counties in California is geographically diverse, with alpine forests, high deserts, wild and scenic rivers, high mountain lakes, and of course, magnificent Mount Shasta rising from the plain below to a height of 14,162ft. above sea level.

Siskiyou County, Mount Shasta Country, welcomes visitors year round. Summer recreation includes breathtaking extreme outdoor sports such as rafting class V rapids, climbing Mount Shasta, and cycling up steep mountain trails as well as the soft adventures, exploring gift shops and galleries, a family rafting trip on the gentler stretches of the Klamath, hot air ballooning, and enjoying some of the finest restaurants between San Francisco and Portland.

Winter recreation starts at Mt. Shasta Board and Ski Park which also runs a groomed Nordic center. Snowmobilers will delight in the hundreds of miles of groomed back country trails. Ice skating at Siskiyou Ice Rink in Mt. Shasta, snowshoeing and ice fishing draw visitors to the area. Mount Shasta is considered to be one of the top ten back country skiing destinations in the world.

www.visitsiskiyou.org

The Berkshires, Massachusetts

America's Premier Cultural Resort.

We all need a thrill now and then to keep life fun and interesting. Berkshire County’s visitors quickly find that this rural resort area—long known as a cultural mecca of museums, historic sites and performing arts venues—is also a year round hotbed of adventurous outdoor attractions for travelers of all ages and inclinations.

Located in western Massachusetts, the Berkshires is known as "America's Premier Cultural Resort." The scenic beauty in this four season destination enhances its world-class performing arts, museums and historic sites. It is home to Tanglewood, Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer residence; MASS MoCA, America's largest contemporary art center; Norman Rockwell Museum; Hancock Shaker Village; The Mount, Edith Wharton's Gilded Age Mansion & Gardens.

Those who take to the water will find plenty of rivers and lakes gracing the Berkshire hills. Bicycling through the county’s rolling landscape, a preferred pursuit since two wheelers were invented, has soared in popularity since the opening of the breathtakingly beautiful bike trail, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. Others prefer a slower pace for their outdoor activities—perhaps a hike? The two dozen state parks within the county provide a remarkable variety of terrain (and scenery) for a gentle walk or an invigorating march. The Appalachian Trail runs the full length of Berkshire County, offering through-hiking as well as myriad opportunities for beautiful day hikes on different sections.

Finally, if land and water adventures don’t suffice, take to the air. Worthington Ballooning provides hot air balloon rides to individuals and corporate groups and also offers tethered rides. Summer, winter or in between—in the Berkshires, both soft and serious adventurers will find plenty to stir their souls and quicken their heartbeat. For complete Berkshire County information, including a free Adventure in the Country brochure and Official Visitors’ Guide, visit www.berkshires.org.