March good time to visit San Francisco arboretum

March good time to visit San Francisco arboretum
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Spring comes early in San Francisco, and March is the perfect time to visit the Strybing Arboretum, a 55-acre horticultural oasis in Golden Gate Park.
The arboretum has 26 separate gardens with 7,500 varieties of plants from around the world, from brugmanias in the South American collection to the new Australian garden's lilly-pilly tree, which bears edible purple fruit. The magnolias also will still be in bloom in March, and the rhododendron flowers will be on their way.
Admission to the arboretum is free. It's open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and holidays. Call (415) 661-1316 for details or visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org.
Gardeners who are in town March 16-20 will also want to check out the San Francisco Flower & amp; Garden Show at the Cow Palace. Go to www.gardenshow.com for more information.
Traveler Howard Hillman lists key sites in China
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sophisticated travelers who've compared their favorite destinations against the Hillman Wonders of the World -- an online list compiled by travel writer Howard Hillman -- can now check out their knowledge of China's wonders.
Hillman has created a 63-page guide to China at www.hillmanwonders.com/china, and he's revised his list of 1,000 wonders to include his take on that country's most glorious destinations. China earned 60 spots on the Wonders of the World list, more than any other country, with wonders like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Hong Kong Harbor, cruising the Li and Yangtze rivers, and the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors.
Italy earned the second-highest number of hits on the list, followed by the United States, India, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Egypt and Greece.
Magazine highlights women hunting guides
NEW YORK (AP) -- Do you think of working as a hunting and fishing guide as a mostly male occupation?
The March issue of Outdoor Life profiles five of the best guides in North America -- all of whom who happen to be women.
Canadian guide Heidi Gutfrucht has never missed a day of hunting in 25 years, according to the magazine. Maine-based fishing guide Bonnie Holding hosts fly fishing clinics for women recovering from breast cancer. Alisha Rosenbruch-Decker is featured on the cover of the magazine in her native Alaska, where she specializes in trophy brown bear and sheep hunts. Niki Atcheson of Butte, Mont., grew up hunting dangerous game in Africa, while Dusty Byrd, an Alaskan guide, specializes in drift boat trout and char fishing.
Magazine sites obscure vacation destinations
NEW YORK (AP) -- Looking for a new spring-break destination?
Consider these recommendations from the March issue of Outside magazine.
Spring skiing -- not to mention snowboarding and dogsledding -- is big in Crested Butte, Colo., where Crested Butte Mountain Guides (www.crestedbutteguides.com) offers a four-day "Spring Break Blast" in the backcountry, complete with alpine hut.
Tulum, Mexico, is just 90 minutes from Cancun but you won't have to share the beach here with everyone else on spring break. And the Mayan ruins are spectacular.
Joshua Tree National Park in California offers world-class rock climbing and a secluded desert playground just 150 miles from Los Angeles. A beginner's course in climbing is offered from Vertical Adventures, (800) 514-8785.
Finally, Cabarete in the Dominican Republic is known as a kiteboarder's paradise, and the downtown mile-long strip is jammed with bars, restaurants, hotels and the beat of merengue music.