Does a little mystery entice you?  Enjoy some mystery and mayhem on the high seas at the annual Whodunit Halloween Mystery Cruise.  Sailing from Long Beach, California on Carnival’s Inspiration on 26 October, your all-inclusive vacation includes a 3-night Baja Mexico cruise, a costume party and your own starring role in this thriller.  Contact me at Wanderful Cruises for details!

There are 14 events scheduled for the month of May alone to celebrate the Best of British Festival, running 25 May to 26 July in Winchester.  Those events include author Claire Tomalin’s take on Charles Dickens, a hog roast to celebrate the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, a reading of the Churchill letters and a chat with Field Marshal Lord Vincent.    Dame Judi Dench is headlining this festival; so put this on your to-do list.

The Peabody Memphis, a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond historic hotel in Tennessee, epitomizes southern hospitality and charm.   A symbol of elegance and good taste, it attracts visitors worldwide.  Of course, it’s within easy reach of many Memphis attractions like Beale Street, the Memphis Museum of Rock & Soul, Orpheum Theatre, FedEx Forum (home of the Memphis Grizzlies), AutoZone Park, Graceland and Sun Studio.   But arguably its greatest attraction are the rooftop residents:  five ducks who’ve been marching their way down from the Duck Palace to the Italian marble lobby fountain at the direction of their revered Duck Master since 1933.   The march is held every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.; you better arrive early if you want to secure your place along the red carpet running from the elevator door to the fountain.  The ducks are yours to cherish from 11 until the five o’clock run, when it’s back in the elevator and up to the penthouse suite, so to speak, for those plucky mallards.

Orca whales are seen the most in San Juan Island between May and October when the salmon runs are strongest.  Only 90 miles north of Seattle, San Juan Island provides visitors with an array of boating and kayaking excursions to observe these highly social oceanic dolphins.  Learn more about the killer whale at the museum in Friday Harbor, the main city on San Juan Island.  You can get there via the Washington State Ferries from Anacortes.

If you thought the views from the London Eye were amazing, wait until the viewing galleries for The Shard at London Bridge Quarter open next February.  Hailed as a vertical city, the glass pyramid undergoing final construction in London will offer 40 mile views across the city.  The Shard is the EU’s tallest building at 1017 feet.   You can pre-register now for updated visitor information.

Are you ready for a foot stomping good time?  Then join the National FastDance Association for 8 nights of swing and shag aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas on 7 December from New Orleans.  Calling on Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth, your completely packaged vacation includes a kickoff dance and prior night’s hotel stay in New Orleans, all transfers, swing and shag dance workshops on sea days, a hosted cocktail party, prizes, and more!  Contact me at Wanderful Cruises for details.

Dr. Albert C. Barnes was a Philadelphia native and co-inventor of an antiseptic silver compound used in the prevention of infant blindness.  The product’s commercial success enabled Dr. Barnes to acquire a vast art collection comprising post-impressionist and early modern art.  Beginning on 19 May founding members of the Barnes will be the first to experience the collection at its new home in Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  Nestled on 4.5 acres of landscaped grounds, the new building features a light-filled indoor court, functional classrooms, and intimate galleries surrounded by a series of external garden spaces.  A special exhibition gallery will feature regular temporary exhibitions of past and contemporary art to complement the Barnes Foundation’s collection.  Nonmembers won’t feel left out of the action.  During the weekend of 26 May, 56 consecutive hours of free access and activities for all ages will feature some of Philadelphia’s finest cultural and performing arts organizations, such as Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Relâche, Peter Tang’s Chinese Music Ensemble, and AfroTaino Productions.

In the ultra luxe enclave of Belvedere Island, California, a one-square-mile suburb of San Francisco, stately homes command spectacular views of San Francisco, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Mt. Tamalpais.  One stunner is Locksley Hall, a 10,000-square-foot house that sits at the tip of Belvedere Island.  On offer for a mere $65 million in 2005, its wraparound veranda with Corinthian columns affords a 360-degree view of the above-named sights.  Belvedere is derived from the Italian expression for “beautiful view.”  Yes, indeed.

The Historic Village at Allaire in Farmingdale, New Jersey promotes the historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance of the Historic Howell Works, a mining and manufacturing company founded by industrialist James P. Allaire and one of the earliest examples of a company town.  Its Howell Iron Works Company Store, arguably the largest general store in the state when it was built, has been retailing goods for 175 years.  Other notable venues in the village include workers’ residences such as the row houses, the foreman’s cottage, the manager’s house, the gardener’s cottage and the mansion, a 1790 farm house that Allaire ultimately occupied.

London, England is a treasure trove of cultural enrichment, architectural design and—airports?  That’s right.  As if Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City weren’t enough to service London and the surrounding area, you now have a sixth option:  Southend.  Located less than 40 miles east of Central London and less than 38 miles from Stratford, Southend is easily accessible to passengers by car, rail, coach, bus or taxi.  The airport officially opened on 5 March.  easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, celebrated its inaugural flight from Southend to Belfast on 2 April.  With flights to other popular European destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Malaga, the seaside resort-turned-air hub may give the other contenders a run for their money.