Nominate your own distinctive destination

Nominate your owndistinctive destination
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Is your city or town a great place to visit?
Consider nominating it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of "Distinctive Destinations" for 2006.
The National Trust bestows this title on 12 communities each year that have a strong sense of place and offer authentic experiences to visitors.
Criteria include a commitment to historic preservation, dynamic downtowns with locally owned small businesses, interesting architecture, cultural diversity and walkability.
For details, visit www.nationaltrust.org/ddd or call (202) 588-6141.
The contest ends Nov. 4.
Previous winners have included Annapolis, Md.; Natchez, Miss.; Oberlin, Ohio; Burlington, Vt., and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Free trip contest
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville is spreading the word about its family-friendly attractions by giving away a family vacation.
You can register for a chance to win the package at www.gotolouisville.com -- or call (800) 626-5646 -- until Aug. 31. One winner will be chosen on Sept. 1.
The winner will get a two-night stay at the Galt House Hotel with breakfast for four and four tickets to six of Louisville's top attractions.
They include the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Louisville Slugger Museum, the Speed Art Museum, the Louisville Science Center and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.
Surfing destinationsbeside the ordinary
OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- Think of great surfing destinations and California and Hawaii are likely to come to mind.
But how about the Mediterranean in the south of France, where the waves just happen to be at their best in September -- an ideal time to visit the region, after the crowds of summer vacationers have departed.
Or Pichilemu, on Chile's Pacific Coast, where the waves break to the left -- perfect for "lefty" surfers who put their right foot forward and face waves on the left (unlike most surfers who put their left foot first and turn to the right).
These are some of the destinations on a list of 10 different types of surfing trips from TransWorld Surf's August issue. The magazine also recommends uncrowded Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka; Jeffreys Bay, South Africa; Moorea, an island near Tahiti; Bali; the Moroccan coastline, especially the Taghazoute region of the North Atlantic; the legendary 20-foot-high waves of Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania; and of course, Oahu, Hawaii, and the California coast between San Diego and San Francisco.
Grenada's affordableCaribbean alternative
CARRIACOU, Grenada -- It's not as easy to reach as some other Caribbean destinations, but the island of Carriacou is an affordable and uncrowded alternative to some of the region's more popular vacation spots.
The September issue of Caribbean Travel & amp; Life offers a profile of the island, which is part of the Grenadines, located between St. Vincent and Grenada. Just 13 square miles, with a population of 6,000, it can be reached by ferry or small plane from Grenada.
The magazine says double rooms at hotels like the Silver Beach, the Green Roof Inn and Hotel Laurena run under $70 in low season and up to $80 in high season.
Car rentals can be had for about $37 a day in low season and $46 a day in high season. A typical dinner of Creole-style conch might run $13 a person, while snorkeling on Sandy Island, including boat transfer and gear from Carriacou Silver Diving, is $20.
For more information on visiting the island, go to www.grenadagrenadines.com or call (877) 708-9554.
Combined dispatches