Virginia flower show

Virginia flower show
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- It's cold on the sand, but it's spring inside the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The Virginia Flower & amp; Garden Show, from Friday to next Sunday, has both casual gardeners and horticultural fanatics covered, with lectures, indoor landscape displays and more than 130 vendors selling all things green. Glean tips from the pro responsible for Disney World's theme gardens, watch gardeners go head to head in the Floral Challenge and learn to cultivate fleeting spring blooms such as Dutchman's breeches and trout lilies. Kids' fun includes a toga party (complete with laurel-making), puppetry and a magic show. The show, in the center at 1000 19th St., runs Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10. For more information: (757) 853-0057, www.vafgs.org.
Party in Motown
DETROIT -- Detroit is hosting Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5, and the city is throwing a party to celebrate. The Motown Winter Blast will be held in downtown Detroit Feb. 2-5. The event is being billed as a winter festival with a snowshoeing course, ice skating and skating shows in Campus Martius park, a snow slide, ice sculptures and dog sledding demonstrations. Dog-lovers will be able to visit and pet the pooches when they aren't racing. There will also be live music, vendors, rides in restored Model Ts, entertainment for children and a "Taste of Detroit," in which local restaurants serve up some of their best fare. Some 200,000 people attended the festival when it was first staged a year ago to kick off the countdown to this year's Super Bowl. For details, go to www.motownwinterblast.com or call (313) 963-8418.
Shooting the Canyon
WASHINGTON -- If you've ever tried taking photographs of the Grand Canyon, you know it's not as easy as you might have thought. Depending on your vantage point and the lighting at the time of day you're shooting, you can end up with what looks like a picture of a dark stone wall that doesn't begin to convey the grandeur and subtleties of the landscape. The January issue of National Geographic magazine features dramatic pictures of the canyon taken by photographer Michael Nichols, along with some recommendations for where in the park you can get the best shots. "It doesn't take technical expertise to shoot the Grand Canyon," Nichols said. "It takes patience to get the right atmospherics and light." Nichols says Bright Angel Trailhead, a popular spot for visitors to the South Rim, is a good place to get images of the canyon after a fresh snow. There was snow when Nichols visited last May; roads are plowed to keep the South Rim accessible during winter. Desert View -- on the East Rim drive, about 25 miles east of the South Rim's Grand Canyon Village -- is a good spot to shoot sunsets and classic canyon rock formations, while Cape Royal -- on the North Rim, about 23 miles southeast of Grand Canyon Lodge -- is "the place to be at sunset." Nichols recommends Toroweap Overlook -- located on the northwest rim of the Grand Canyon in the Arizona Strip -- for sunrises.
Hiking in Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- If your idea of a vacation in Florida has more to do with mangroves than Mickey Mouse or Miami, check out the "Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State." The new $29.95 book, by Sandra Friend, is one of a series of guides about outdoor adventures published by the University of Florida. Each of the 12 chapters covers a different part of Florida, with listings for more than 500 trails from the Panhandle to the Gulf to the Atlantic, Everglades, Keys and central parts of the state. Best of all, you don't have to be in tiptop shape or an expert on the outdoors. Many of the hikes are loops of a mile or two, easily managed by families and travelers in average physical condition. Listings include driving directions to the nearest parking area or trailhead, trail conditions, highlights to watch for such as wildlife and interesting varieties of flowers and trees, and activities like kayaking or fishing.
Post-Katrina bus tours
NEW ORLEANS -- Bus tours of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina have begun taking tourists to some of New Orleans' most misery-stricken spots. The Gray Line New Orleans tour was sold out for its inaugural run Jan. 4. For $35 per adult, $28 for children, passengers were taken past the Superdome, the Convention Center and neighborhoods damaged by Katrina and the subsequent flooding. Residents have been at odds over whether the tours are crass and morbid exploitation, or a good way to help people grasp the enormity of the disaster. The three-hour tours, called "Hurricane Katrina -- America's Worst Catastrophe," start at the edge of the French Quarter, then drive past the Superdome and Convention Center, where thousands suffered in the heat for days without food or water. The company has pledged to give $3 per ticket to Katrina-related charities. For details, visit www.graylineneworleans.com or call (800) 535-7786.