Perhaps best known for its challenging downhill and cross-country skiing in winter, Stowe is even lovelier--and livelier--in summer and fall. Outdoor activities range from hiking to biking, blading to ballooning, while art, crafts, and theater programs abound. Great inns and restaurants make it easy to recharge your batteries, too. Home to President Thomas Jefferson and the University of Virginia, Charlottesville complements 250 years of American history with beautiful vistas, great hiking and canoeing, enjoyable wine tasting, and fascinating architecture. The toughest challenge is deciding what to do first!

My husband is a railfan. Can you suggest some train-themed inns in the northwestern U.S. for a birthday getaway? Here are some favorites. We have information on lots of other train-themed inns in our files, so let us know if you'd like recommendations for other parts of the country. Light sleepers should bring earplugs when visiting inns near an active train routes. Night-time train whistles, wheels click-clacking over the rails, and bells ringing at grade crossings are not a lullaby for everyone. In northern California, 50 miles south of the Oregon border, on the slopes of Mt. Shasta, is the old logging town of McCloud, home to the McCloud Bed & Breakfast Hotel, built in 1915 to house lumber mill workers. Painstakingly renovated, the inn now offers 17 lovely guest rooms and is known for its wonderful breakfasts and Saturday afternoon teas. Across the street is the Shasta Sunset Dinner & Excursion train, featuring a nostalgic train ride through spectacular mountain scenery, elegant dining, and restored vintage rail cars. Bordering Glacier National Park in Essex, Montana, the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana was built in 1939 to accommodate train crews who serviced the Great Northern Railway. The inn is a railfan's haven; fifty feet from the front door is a working rail yard, where idling helper engines wait to help push or pull trains over Marias Pass. You can even arrive by train; it's a flag-stop for Amtrak. Guest rooms and the restaurant are decorated with railroad memorabilia; four cabooses provide accommodations. Miles of hiking and cross-country trails lead from the front door. Just 90 minutes southeast of Seattle Washington, in South Cle Elum is the Iron Horse Inn, built in 1909 to house the railroad crewmen for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad. An extensive collection of railroad memorabilia will delight railfans; in addition to the ten guest rooms in the main house, families will love the two cabooses, each with a queen-size bed, three bunk beds, TV, refrigerator, deck, and private bath. The atmosphere is very casual; delicious breakfasts are served in a dining room decorated with model trains and railroad lanterns. Iron Horse State Park, originally the railbed, is now a 105-mile trail that leads hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers through canyons, long tunnels, along rivers, across bridges, and over mountain passes. Find a B&B | Specials | Recipes | Message Boards | Gift Certificates | Store | Book Online