Carnival Cruise Lines to sail from Mobile, Ala.

Carnival Cruise Linesto sail from Mobile, Ala.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- Carnival Cruise Lines plans to offer cruises from Mobile starting next year. Now based in New Orleans, the 1,452-passenger Holiday ship will depart from Mobile beginning Oct. 16, 2004. The cruise line will offer four- and five-day trips to the western Caribbean. City leaders have worked for years to lure a cruise line to Mobile, which already has a busy commercial port. Another line, Holland America, offered a cruise out of Mobile on a trial basis earlier this year.
Directory listshistoric U.S. hotels
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has issued its 2004 directory of "Historic Hotels of America," which lists accommodations connected to American heritage in 42 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and New Brunswick, Canada.
The hotels range from urban palaces to small inns and rustic lodges, from the seashore to the mountains and the plains. They include the Royal Palms, a 20th-century industrialist's mansion converted into a Southwestern-style luxury resort; the Best Western in Gettysburg, Pa., with a legacy dating back to the Civil War; and the Old Tavern, a cozy lodge in Grafton, Vt., that was founded in 1801 as a stagecoach stop on the Boston-to-Montreal run.
For a copy of the directory or help in making reservations, call (202) 588-6295 or visit www.historichotels.org.
National Gallery showfeatures Eckersberg
Washington's National Gallery of Art has opened an exhibition of paintings encompassing the Napoleonic period by Danish artist Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. His nudes are a marvel of light upon flesh but he's a bit weak on anatomy. However, his paintings of early 19th-century sailing ships and his history paintings are excellent and interesting. The exhibit closes Feb. 29. Address is 4th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Telephone is (202) 737-4215, and Web site is www.nga.gov.
On the trail of funand efficiency in Va.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Northern Virginia has created Shopping Trail and Heritage Trail, complete with maps and a Web site, to help visitors plan fun and efficient trips to the area.
The Shopping Trail includes traditional malls such as Tysons Corner, Tysons Galleria and Fair Oaks Shopping Center, mega-outlet centers such as Potomac Mills and Leesburg, and quaint historic shopping districts such as Old Town Alexandria, Occoquan and Middleburg.
The Heritage Trail includes 35 historic sites ranging from Mount Vernon to the new National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
The two new trails complement Golf Trail, launched last summer. Marriott hotels in the region are offering visitors special vacation package rates as well.
For more information, visit www.visitnorthernvirginia.com or call (703) 642-4676.
Order passes aheadfor vacation in France
PARIS (AP) -- Planning a trip to France? You can save time and money by ordering passes ahead of time that give you access to 70 museums and monuments in and around Paris, including the Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums and the Chateau de Versailles. Passes are available for one, three or five days and are valid for an unlimited number of visits. Each pass comes with a list of all attractions, with telephone numbers, addresses and hours of operation. The passes start at $21 for one day. Also available are cards that allow unlimited travel by public transportation in the greater Paris region, and passes to attractions in the French Riviera and the Rhine River Valley. Visit www.museumpass.com.