FESTIVALS & FAIRS Festivals & Fairs ...

BOSTON HARBORFEST Waterfront & Historic Downtown Locations Throughout Boston, 617-227-1528, www.bostonharborfest.com Over 225 events incl. walking tours, concerts, revolution-era historical reenactments, harbor cruises, whale watches, dinner tours, fireworks & Colonial high tea [7/1-7/6].

BRIMFIELD OUTDOOR ANTIQUES SHOW Rte. 20, Brimfield, MA, 413-283-6149. Over 1000 antiques & collectibles dealers from around the country line up along mile-long strip of lots. Tues.-Sun., daybreak till 6 p.m. Free-$5. [7/8-7/13, 9/2-9/7].

FINGER LAKES WINE FESTIVAL 607-535-2481, www.flwinefest.com Wine-tasting festival held at Watkins Glen International Race Track [7/18-7/20]. Designated drivers & minors get discounted tickets?plus you can take advantage of non-alcoholic entertainment incl. seminars, arts & crafts vendors, music & food court.

NORTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT BALLOON FESTIVAL & CRAFTS FAIR Goshen Fairgrounds, Rte. 63, Goshen, CT, 860-489-FEST, www.nwballoonfest.com Hot-air balloons, tethered balloon rides, "hot-air balloon glow," live entertainment, fireworks, inflatable rides, food & games pervade rural Connecticut?plus, don't miss the Hare & Hound Hot Air Balloon Contest! [6/27-6/29].

29TH-ANNUAL SANDCASTLE & SCULPTURE DAYJetties Beach, Nantucket Island, Nantucket, MA, 508-228-1700, www.nantucketchamber.org Contest lasts all afternoon w/prizes in various categories awarded. Register in advance to participate [8/16].

Tourism

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK Bar Harbor, ME, 207-288-3338, www.nps.gov/acad More than 40,000 acres incl. Mount Desert Island, Maine's largest island. Lots of water?ocean coastline, inland lakes & ponds?means lots of fishing, boating & swimming. Also many trails to hike plus biking on car-free carriage roads, built by John D. Rockefeller in the early 1900s. Park offers Ranger-led hikes incl. educational info about geology, plant life & human history. Art galleries, antique shops & accommodations in Bar Harbor.

ATLANTIC CITY For more info contact Atlantic City Visitors Bureau, 800-262-7395 or 888-228-4748. http://www.atlanticcitynj.com The East Coast gambling & gaming mecca is easy to reach by bus. Greyhound (800-229-9424) & Academy (212-947-1710) offer daily NY departures at frequent intervals; Grey Line (212-397-2600) picks up passengers in select neighborhoods?how convenient! All buses drop off passengers at a major casino. Casinos offer Vegas-style open buffets. While you're there check out Wild Wild West, (609-340-2000) one of the newer casinos on the strip which, consequently, has cleaner carpets & prettier cocktail waitresses. Curiously & perhaps a bit desperately, the place is tricked out as a frontier town, inside & out. Don't miss the wanna-be-Vegas animatrons of a gold prospector, complete w/pop-up prairie dogs plus a howling coyote that, for all we know, could be nothing more than someone's stuffed pet. Trump Taj Mahal (609-449-1000) has seen better days?its glitter not so glittery, its chintz, chintzy. Still a good bet for cheap afternoon tables & smiling ladies. Caesar's (609-348-4411) offers just about the same amenities & odds?aka losing?as any other casino, but you always win by self-parking in their unlimited duration lot for a couple bucks. Trump Plaza, (609-441-6000) the grand old dame of the strip, still holds her own w/fine gaming, decent rooms & occasional live music in the lobby. It's a great spot to rub shoulders with old-school A.C. regulars decked out in sequined satin & leisure suits. When you need to get off the floor, hit Deja Vu, (609-348-4313) the only non-casino club we've ever found on the strip. They promise two floors of dancing & six bars...we've stumbled in on decent beer specials & the worst music that side of the Statue, but no one can resist a down-and-dirty ass-shaking. The Madison House (800-523-8699) is our favored non-casino hotel, but only when we're gambling with our accommodations. As with everywhere on the boardwalk, their room prices fluctuate according to the day of the week, season & crowds. We've lucked into a double room for less than $200 on a Saturday night (go late, pray for vacancies).

FOXWOODS RESORT & CASINO1-800-foxwoods, 39 Norwich Westerly Rd. Mashantucket, CT, www.foxwoods.com "Escape to Foxwoods and experience the utmost in comfort, pleasure and excitement in a breathtaking setting of natural beauty." Run by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Foxwoods is the largest resort casino in the world feat. gaming at six casinos, entertainment incl. rides, theaters, arcades & a spa & dining at 24 restaurants. It's so convenient in fact, that pushing through the blue-haired ladies will be quite a task!

CONNECTICUT 800-CT-BOUND, www.ctbound.org The southernmost of the six New England states & only an hour away by train or car. Metro North's New Haven line offers service from Grand Central Terminal to Stamford, South Norwalk, New Haven & many towns in between. Special sightseeing promotions incl. packages to Foxwoods Casino & Gillette Castle (info 800-638-7646). Amtrak isn't worth the extra money to the seaboard?New Haven is simply a stop on the Penn Station-Boston corridor, but Amtrak does run to Hartford (800-872-7245). Bus service is available from Greyhound (800-231-2222), Bonanza (800-556-3815) & Peter Pan Trailways (800-343-9999). Occasionally your trip will feat. a terrible video screening. Once you're there, check out the New Haven's Shubert Performing Arts Center, offering backstage tours of the theater where South Pacific, My Fair Lady, Carousel & Oklahoma had their world premieres; or visit the country's largest maritime museum, Mystic Seaport, famous for its tall ships & recreated 19th-century fishing village (888-9-SEAPORT). The northern corner of the state, Quiet Corner, is exactly that?a quiet cluster of cottages from the 18th & 19th centuries incl. the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry. If quaint cottages & pre-abolitionist school-houses aren't your thing, take a shopping trip to the Antiques Marketplace in Putnam. Connecticut boasts an array of summer events incl. The 6th-Annual American Heritage Festival (860-721-2975). Festival dramatizes some of the state's history w/Revolutionary encampment & battle plus a muster led by Wethersfield's Colonel Chester Fife & Drum Corps. Most events are free [6/1 & 6/2]. Like the American Heritage Fest, Connecticut summer events tend towards the historically educational. Later that month is the Antique & Classic Boat Show at the Connecticut River Museum [7/20-7/21]. The rest of the summer months are packed w/events, most of which incl. one or more of the following: food, music & water. For a comprehensive list of all the cruises, dances, concerts & festivals taking place this summer, go to www.tourism.state.ct.us/Events/

THE HAPMTONS Beautiful beaches, fine dining, million-dollar waterfront properties, celebrity sightings & a plenitude of summer activities all a Jitny ride away, make the Hamptons a favorite vacation spot for heiresses & wannabes. Also a sacred oasis from the summer's intense heat, there are several classy (& sometimes pricey) inns like A Victorian on the Bay, which rent roomy suites w/bay windows opening onto a view of the ocean (631-325-1000). For boat rentals & fishing charters, try Montauk's Daybreaker Charters (631-668-5070), Montauk Sports Fishing (631-668-2019) or six-passenger service from Montauk Charter (631-668-2117). Before choosing a date for your trip, log on to the Shakespeare Festival's website for their theatrical summer performance sched. In Hampton Bays, you can take a five-mile, self-guided hike through Red Creek Park (631-283-6000 x233). Keep your eyes peeled for true New York locals incl. pheasant, deer, blue heron & red-tailed hawks. If you're not up for the walk, go to Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk & saddle up for horseback riding along the beach & through Theodore Roosevelt County Park. On the other hand, you can always opt out of all physical activity & spend your time observing classy English sporting events. On six Saturdays in July & August, the Bridgehampton Polo Club hosts serious, sophisticated & star-studded polo competitions (212-421-1367). You can reach the Hamptons by air, water or road. Twin-engine planes leave LaGuardia & fly to East Hampton w/Shoreline Airlines (800-443-0031). Executive Airlines sponsors private charters from LaGuardia to East Hampton (631-537-1010). The Long Island Rail Road offers service all along the summer resort route (718-217-LIRR). The Hampton Jitney is a rolling social club, 631-283-4600 for res. & sched. info. Once you're there, pick up a Dan's Papers or Sag Harbor Express for info on local events or just ring Puffy, Martha or Calvin. Beware, Lizzie has paid her jailhouse dues, so standing too close to the rear of SUVs is once again a danger.

HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK 800-CALL-NYS, http://iloveny.state.ny.us, www.hudsonvalley.org Metro North offers many routes to the Valley on the Harlem line, some in conjunction w/local carriers, (212-532-4900 for sched. & fares). Amtrak stops in Rhinecliff & Poughkeepsie (800-872-7245). Shortline Bus offers service to & from New York (800-631-8405). Plenty of restaurants, cafes & bakeries; 26 antique shops; street after street of hand-crafted gift & art shops?plus a number of quaint inns located just an hour from the city. During summer months, the Valley hosts antique fairs & musical festivals. The Italian Gardens in Hyde Park are formal gardens w/reflecting pools, terraces, loggia & three levels of annuals, perennials & roses. State parks, most of which have campgrounds, hiking trails, lake swimming & fishing, incl. Edward R. Murrow Park in Pawling (845-855-1131), Ferncliff Forest in Rhinebeck (845-876-3196), Pinewoods Park in Hyde Park (845-229-8086), Poet's Walk Park in Poughkeepsie (845-473-4440) & James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley (845-452-1489).

MASSACHUSETTES 617-727-3201, www.massvacation.com Easy access for New Yorkers makes Boston & Cape Cod favorite summer destinations. Boston offers a good weekend's worth of activity, best taken on foot. Visit the Public Garden for a ride on the Swan Boats of Make Way for Ducklings fame, then step across the street to the Bull & Finch Pub, the real-life incarnation of the Cheers pub. Shopping in Boston centers around Downtown Crossing, where three major streets intersect: Newbury St., filled w/pricey boutiques & 19th-century townhouses; Faneuil Hall Marketplace, known by New Englanders as Quincy Market & Copley Place, is Boston's own South Street Seaport. Check out some seafood spots in Boston for lobster & clams?steer clear of oysters until September. If you're less interested in metropolitan vacation spots, Massachusetts offers plenty of biking, hiking, fishing & swimming tours, plus the beaches of Cape Cod. No visit to the Cape is complete without a clam chowder sampling?the Annual Cape Cod Chowder Festival is held in Hyannis, usually in late June (800-449-6647 or 508-778-WCOD for info). Chatham, at the "elbow" of Cape Cod, is one of the more beautiful towns. Seaside houses have been falling into the ocean since the Atlantic sandbar broke, but the ocean's currents are already in reverse?so maybe they'll find their way back. The landscape visibly changes over seasons as the ocean redeposits sand, recreating the natural barrier that formed Chatham Bay, popular w/windsurfers. The Chatham Lighthouse is over 100 years old & sits at the entrance to the town's beach. Provincetown, an artists' colony w/an entrenched gay & lesbian population, also the home of Norman Mailer, is at the northernmost tip of the Cape. Martha's Vineyard, a Methodist summer campground in the 1800s, is part of every New Englander's upbringing, whether through experience or lore. Check out the whaling port of Edgartown & Oakbluff's Flying Horses, America's oldest carousel. Nantucket Island lies 30 miles off Cape Cod. The best way to see the island is on bike or foot. Nantucket Town has cobblestone streets along which sea captains' houses still stand.

VERMONT, 800-VERMONT, www.1-800-vermont.com Made up primarily of communities w/populations under 2500 & boasting a state population of only 575,000 people (roughly the same as that of the Upper East Side), Vermont is the nation's most rural state & the only one that allows gay civil unions. The pine-tree-covered hills are not quite mountains, but they rival some of the taller skyscrapers in Manhattan. There are miles of trails, hundreds of lakes & ponds plus a plethora of outdoor activities, incl. fishing, hiking, swimming & biking. Montpelier is a small cluster of houses w/a few restaurants & shops. Sarducci's (802-223-0229) offers the best Italian food in town, but if you don't feel up for the wait, Angeleno's Pizza (802-229-5721) serves a up a nice slice of pie?just don't opt for anything but their pizza. Head Northwest & you'll stumble across Burlington, a small town that offers a cobblestone strip of clothing shops (mostly heavenly outlets) & a quaint park overlooking one of Vermont's many lakes. Stop by the Rusty Scuffer (802-864-9451) for a lobster dinner or a plate of stuffed clams; the highlight of eating out in Burlington, however, is NECI, New England Culinary Institute (802-862-6324)?excellent pastries, wonderful desserts & creative, delicious dinners prepared by young chefs-in-training. Wherever you eat, remember to bring your ID if you look under 40?you'll be carded everywhere. The Vermont Festival of the Arts is held in Mad River Valley during the month of August. Housed in various small towns & villages, this festival feat. numerous Vermont artists in several different galleries. Call 800-517-4247 for more info.

Guided Tours/ Package Tours

BROOKS COUNTRY CYCLING & HIKING 212-874-5151, www.brookscountrycycling.com NY-based touring co. pres. short trips within the tri-state area. Cycling-abroad excursions are also available & incl. first-class hotel stays & fine dining. After pedaling by the castles & palaces of France's Loire Valley or cycling past the vibrant gardens of Holland, you can unwind in elegant accommodations & drink up. Or you can spend a day biking close to home; ride lengths vary depending on the rider's preference or experience. Day trips incl. bike rentals?or BYOB. Also "multi-sport" vacations in NY or MA incl. cycling, hiking, camping & kayaking.

EUROBIKE TOURS 800-321-6060, www.eurobike.com Guided bike tours in Spain, the Loire Valley, Provence, Burgundy, Ireland, Eastern Europe & Scandinavia, provided by the first U.S. company to offer bike trips to Europe. Guided walking & hiking packages are also available. Meals & accommodations incl.

LONG ISLAND RAILROAD ONE-DAY GETAWAYS718-217-LIRR, www.mta.nyc.ny.us Guided tours leave from Penn Station. Packages incl. the annual "Strawberry Festival," among others. Call for more info, check the website or pick up brochure in Penn Station.

THE SUNDANCE RR3, Sundance, UT, 801-225-4107, www.sundanceresort.com This 6000-acre Mountain Village, founded as an Artists' Community in 1969 by Robert Redford, feat. hiking, horseback riding, fly fishing & mountain biking in spring & summer. Summer programs incl. Art Shack Studios program w/daily classes in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, jewelry & pottery. Accommodations are both rustic & elegant; cottages w/fireplaces & roomy bedrooms.

Eco Tourism

ALLIANCE FOR A LIVING OCEAN 2007 Long Beach Blvd., N. Beach Haven, NJ, 609-492-0222, www.livingocean.org Non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the beaches clean hosts biking trips, arts & crafts fairs & volunteer trash pick-up days. Call for info.

EXPLORAMA 800-707-5275, www.explorama.com Explorama offers tours of exotic rainforests plus beautiful accommodations. Choose between a week away, a weekend away, or anything in between. The Canopy Walkway in Peru hoists you 120 ft. above ground into the leafy realms of mammoth foliage. If you're afraid of heights, stay down below & do some hiking or take advantage of the view from the lodges.

KITTATINNY CANOES 102 Kittatinny Ct., Dingmans Ferry, PA, 800-FLOAT-KC. Whitewater rafting, canoe, tubing & kayaking vacations on the Delaware River. Prices from $26-$31/day.

LONG ISLAND GREENBELT TRAIL CONFERENCE 23 Deer Path Road, Central Islip, NY, 631-360-0753, www.hike-li.com Trails incl. 20-mile Nassau-Suffolk trail w/both easy, flat nature trails & steeper, more challenging terrain & rock climbing. Trails are free & open to the public. Volunteer-guided tours are available. Some sectors of trail require permits. Call for info.

HUDSON VALLEY, NY www.canals.state.ny.us/exvac/cruise Be a part of the fifth-annual Canal Cruise adventure through NY's canals, beginning in Whitehall, through "Flight of Five" in Waterford, to Tonawandas, down Champlain Canal & the Erie Canal to end up in Buffalo [7/8, register by 6/1]. If you want to take a canal trip on a bike, look into the Cycle the Erie Tour. Eight-day, 400-mile tour from Buffalo to Albany (7/7-7/14). For canal-cycling event information, contact NYPCA at www.nypca.org/canaltour

OUTWARD BOUND 800-341-1744, www.outwardbound.org Classic adventure travel. Each expedition requires every participant's involvement, making Outward Bound more survival school than tourism outfit. Those who complete the journeys return changed, high off the religious communion the tribe experienced while hacking at underbrush, lifting cargo up mountains & going without showers or running water for days. Nearly 200 courses are offered, from five- to 70-day programs, incl. sailing, mountaineering, sea kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, white-water rafting & cross-country skiing.

TREK AMERICA 800-221-0596, www.trekamerica.com Backpacking in Alaska, Mexico, Belize, Grand Canyon & other locations in the North. Small groups of travelers walk cross-country, camping, eating fresh food purchased en route to destinations & occasionally stopping off in cities to indulge in restaurants & hotels. Program stresses freedom & friendship.