Sure, the cold weather seems like it will never end, but we can assure you that springtime will come again – sooner than you think! So it's time to start planning your spring break getaways! And don't worry if you can't travel far. Our guidebooks can help you find new and fun places right outside your front door! Here are a few great ideas from some of our newest guidebooks for Canada, the UK, and US:
111 Places in Bournemouth – Escape to beautiful beaches in Bournemouth and enjoy a family vacation on England's Dorset Coast. Bournemouth hosts nearly 2,000 of the 20,000 beach huts in England – that's 10%! Go look for this particular one, #2359 is the oldest beach hut of all.
111 Places in Bradford – Apperley Bridge Marina in West Yorkshire, England, is part of the
prestigious Waterfront Mews development and sits alongside The Leeds and Liverpool Canal, the longest in Britain built as a single waterway. You can hire your own canal boat for a relaxing float for half or an entire day. Some boats offer a lovely afternoon tea among the ducks and swans.
111 Places in Canterbury – Once you've visited the famous Canterbury Cathedral, head on over for a full 18 holes at Herne Bay Mini Golf. It's a fun course, with tricky obstacles, potted palms and colorful murals. Established in 2006, this course is a vibrant part of local seaside reverie when the sun is out, and even more so at dusk when the lights come on. Like mini-golf everywhere, this is the place to go for good times with friends and family.
111 Places in County Durham – What's warmer weather without ice cream? Obviously, the place to go when you're in England's County Durham is Archer's Ice Cream. Take your pick of their classic and unique flavors on this dairy farm - from chocolate and ginger to raspberry pavlova and black forest gateau – and then go meet the cows themselves! If you time it right, you'll meet the sweet calves too.
111 Places in Denver – Meanwhile, out on the American Front Range in Denver, Colorado, we're starting to think about putting away our skis and hitting the water. Confluence Kayaks can help you pick the right kayak for you because there is a wide variety of types of kayaks, which might be surprising to the uninitiated. Confluence can also help with your winter sports too, but we're planning for spring and summer fun right now!
111 Places for Kids in Houston – Everything's big in Houston, including the exhibits at Dinosaur Park. At this outdoor museum, you'll find realistic, life-size dinosaurs with striking skin and color variations to give a better understanding as to how they looked when they were alive. Look for the 123-foot Diplodocus, the longest dinosaur that ever lived. Kids can join a fossil dig and play on the bones of ancient creatures!
111 Places in Philadelphia – Everybody loves a soft, chewy, salty Philadelphia pretzel. But one family loves them a little more than the rest of us. When they redid the sidewalk in front of their house, they embedded a tiny metal pretzel into the sidewalk, a tribute to their home town that will be there forever - or at least as long as the sidewalk lasts. This book tells you the full story of this tiny local treasure – and where to find it!
111 Places in Ottawa – You probably won't meet Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau in Ottawa, but you can meet Makwa (Black Bear), Mukaday-Wagoosh (Black Fox), Migizi (Eagle), Gwiingwiishi (Grey Jay), and Kitagokons (Fawn / Young Deer). These local celebrities are some of the rare Ojibwe Spirit Horses that now have a permanent home at Mādah.k. Farm in Western Ottawa’s Greenbelt. Through the roots-driven organization Indigenous Experiences, the farm offers experiences in Indigenous Peoples culture, history, food, and arts through festivals and special events.
111 Places in Seattle – You might find this bench fairly uninviting. A bit grungy even. Kurt Cobain felt the same way about it. The lead singer and guitarist of the iconic band Nirvana used to sit on this bench in Viretta Park and do some of his best contemplating and maybe even songwriting too. This is no longer the original bench, which was sold at auction in 2014. But you'll find inspiration just sitting in this spot.
If these places got your imagination flowing for things to do and places to see this spring, go to our website to enjoy all the 111 Places guidebooks to the cities and regions you hope to explore!
And when you pick your book, learn about the 111 Places Challenge, where you can win free books just by going out and visiting the places in any of our books!