Check Out Where GMA Weekend Window Has Been

ByABC News

October 8, 2004, 1:24 PM

Tucked inside the heart of Vermont, Woodstock is the definition of idyllic beauty. During the fall, when fiery foliage stands out against clear blue skies, it's not hard to see why Woodstock has been dubbed "the prettiest small town in America."

"Vermont is truly the best state to come to for ideal foliage because we have such a diversity of hardwood trees here that turn a huge variety of colors throughout the fall," said Annette Compton of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce. "We've got everything from bright yellows to subtle purples."

There's no better way to admire the palette of colors than from high above the trees.

"Here in the Woodstock area, probably the most exciting thing you can do is go hot air ballooning. We have a benefit for viewing foliage that is unavailable any other way," said Gary Lovell, owner of Balloons Over New England. "In a balloon, we literally tickle the treetops. We are in the foliage. Trees look very different from above than they do from below."

The hills and valleys of Vermont make the state ideal for a ride through the skies.

"This area of Vermont is made for hot air ballooning. It's spectacularly scenic," Lovell said. "Very often, these waterways will give us a little mist and a little fog that in the early morning hours is just spectacular. I love watching the world wake up below me."

Woodstock offers plenty to see down on the ground as well. First settled in 1768, the town retains much of its colonial history.

"Woodstock, Vt., is the quintessential New England village. It's a place where you can relax, unwind, enjoy life at a different pace," said Compton. "Enjoy nature the way it's supposed to be. I notice in the late fall there's a silence that falls over the land. It's a little bit disturbing. But you know everything's going to sleep and it will be back in the spring."

One park preserves the aura of a time gone by.

"We're very proud in Woodstock to have the only national park in the state of Vermont," said Compton. "The Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historic Park has provided a place for people to walk, to ride their horses, to commune with nature."

According to Compton, the people of Woodstock have reason to believe they're truly blessed.

"Jacob Collomer, who was one of the native sons here, once said, 'The good people of Woodstock have less reason to yearn for heaven than others,' " she said. "I think that's true. It's really a special place."

Nestled in the Sierra Mountains on the California-Nevada state line, Lake Tahoe is an area most people associate with skiing.

But it is a pleasure to visit in the fall as well.

"Lake Tahoe is 72 miles around," said Dale Connor of the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. "It's 1,645 feet deep, which makes it the second-deepest lake in North America behind Crater Lake. And it's the largest alpine lake in North America."

The lake is also known for its color.

"Lake Tahoe is called 'the Jewel of the Sierras' due to the fact that it's such an emerald, beautiful blue color," said Mark Kimbrough of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association.

The color comes from a combination of elevation and high-quality air.

"We are in such a beautiful area, and such a high elevation and the air up here is so clean up here that the sky really reflects well on the water," Kimbrough said. "So it gives it that really strong blue color that people seem to enjoy."

White sand around the lake contrasts with the water's rich blue hue.

"Sand Harbor is part of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park," said Connor. "What's striking about Sand Harbor is the white sands compared to the very, very blue water. We have great big boulders and rocks everywhere that just make this beautiful, and it has a great backdrop to it with the mountains behind it."

Of course, the lake isn't beloved just because of its color.

"People like to go Kayaking at Lake Tahoe, [and] they also go boating and jet skiing," Connor said. "And people just like to come to the beach and just sit here and soak it all in."

During the fall, the oranges and reds of the trees mix with the blue of the lake to make a spectacular sight -- the better to enjoy during outdoor activities.

"It's a great time of year to come to Lake Tahoe in September and October," Connor said. "The leaves are starting to change colors, and there are a lot of great hiking opportunities. The Tahoe Rim Trail, which goes all the way around the lake, is very popular."

The trail took about 20 years to build.

"The Tahoe Rim Trail was a vision that one of the recreational officers had for the U.S. Forest Service, for placing a trail all the way around the mountain tops above Lake Tahoe," Kimbrough said. "They built a 165-mile trail all around the mountain tops above Lake Tahoe, which has become one the premier trails in the country."

Bikers take advantage of the trail along with their hiking companions.

"Some of the best rides that take place happen in the fall here," Kimbrough said.

No matter how the trail is traversed, the effect is the same.

"The natural beauty … people are drawn to that," Connor said. "If you look around, you'll see why people are here."

Whistler is nestled in the hills of British Columbia, Canada, about 80 miles from Vancouver. While many associate the village with skiing and other winter sports, Whistler's about much more than just snow.

"One of the beauties of the town of Whistler is that it's right in the middle of the action. People have discovered that it doesn't go away after the winter season and in fact, in many ways, it gets better," said Steve Podborski, member of the Vancouver Winter Olympics committee.

From beach volleyball to canoeing to golf, Whistler offers a host of year-round outdoor activities.

"You name it, you can do it here," said Podborski. "All you have to figure out is how you can get some sleep in."

The village of Whistler was designed to evoke the feel of an era past.

"The village was built in 1980 and the whole idea was to be a pedestrian village without cars and have a vibe like a European village, and it really does," said Whistler resident Cathy Jewett.

Centuries ago, before Western civilization reached Whistler, the area was populated by Inuits, the people indigenous to Canada.

"Annukshuks are something that the Inuit people of Northern Canada would make. They were stone men. Annuk means man, shuk means stone," Jewett said.

The Whistler Mountaineer train travels the scenic route between Whistler and north Vancouver.

"The Whistler Mountaineer runs between two world class centers, North Vancouver and British Columbia, following along the majestic shoreline of the Coastal Mountains," said Doug Rogers, Whistler Mountaineer train manager.

Rogers described the picturesque ride.

"We'll pass cascading waterfalls, with the mountains in the distance, the snow capped peaks. It truly is just a phenomenal journey," he said.

Another way to experience the splendor of Whistler is to take a gondola ride to the top of Blackcomb Mountain.

"One of the most spectacular sights you can see when you're riding up the gondola is to break through the cloud level and to be up above the clouds and have blue sky," said Jewett.

With so much natural brilliance, residents can't help but love the mountain village.

"It's a beautiful place," Jewett said. "I don't get tired of waking up every morning and looking out my bedroom window. It's the scenery, it's the terrain, it's the whole experience. I'm not tired of it and I never will be."

Whistler Mountaineer Train

The best way to get to Whistler Village is aboard the new Whistler Mountaineer Train, which departs daily from North Vancouver and journeys through the famed Sea-to-Sky Corridor, along North America's southern-most fjord, Howe Sound, past mountain peaks, waterfalls and spectacular glacial-fed rivers canyons. The train also features a restored, century-old open-air observation car, and slows down for all the best vistas. The Whistler Mountaineer, which started service in May, has been extremely popular, especially as improvements continue to be made on the road to Whistler in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. For more information go to: www.whistlermountaineer.com .

For information or reservations on Whistler Village, call 1-800-WHISTLER or visit www.whistler.com or www.tourismwhistler.com.

Block Island is located 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Formed more than 10,000 years ago by glaciers, the island is home to 800 people during the winter months.

"It's what we like to say is your escape from the mainland," said Susan Shea, executive director of the Block Island Tourism Council.

The island's geography includes bluffs, coastal scrub and grassland as well as beaches and an ocean, according to Scott Comings, director of the Nature Conservancy of Block Island.

"It's just a spectacular place to live and visit," he said.

Conservation has been a big part of Block Island's history.

"At this point, we have about 43 percent of the land in some sort of conservation," he said.

Block Island is known for its lighthouses, especially the North Lighthouse and the Southeast Lighthouse, which sits atop a 200-foot clay bluff.

Block Island Harbormaster Christopher Willi attributes the island's popularity to its charm.

"It's a very low key, relaxing atmosphere," Willi said. "It doesn't matter if you're the Prince of Wales or a blue collar worker from the city, you come here and you get treated the same."

In addition to charm, Willi said, the island has recreational boating, kayaking, biking and hiking.

For tourists planning a visit, there are plenty of places to stay.

"Block Island has numerous inns, B and Bs, hotels, most of which are the original buildings extending back as far as the 1800s. They've all been restored," Shea said. "The hotels on the island are known for their wrap-around porches that face the ocean."

But for Comings, the island's highlight is still nature.

"In addition to the grasslands and the beaches and the bluffs, we have a lot of beautiful ponds sprinkled throughout the island," he said. "Fall sunsets are just spectacular. And if you're in the right spot … it's just amazing, like very few places in New England."

Crater Lake National Park is located in southern Oregon at the crest of the Cascade Mountain range, about 100 miles east of the Pacific Ocean.

The lake was formed when a 12,000-foot-tall volcanic peak lost so much of its underground magma during an eruption that it collapsed, caving in on itself to form a colossal pit.

"It's really important for people to realize that they are inside a volcano here," said Mark Buktenica, an aquatic biologist. "They are inside the volcano here and looking out."

On average, the volcano walls are at a height of 1,000 feet above the lake's surface.

"Sounds like a lot," said Dave Grimes, a park ranger, "until you realize the lake is almost 2,000 feet deep."

Explaining the cause of the lake's intense blue color requires an understanding of a complicated physics formula, Buktenica said.

"To make it very simple, Crater Lake is very blue because the water is so pure," he said. "Molecules of water scatter blue wavelengths of light in all directions, and then those scattered particles -- some of those -- come up to the surface and meet your eye."

Even in mid-summer, there are still snow banks throughout the park, according to Grimes. The park's waterfalls are fed by melting snow trickling down through the rocks.

"Crater Lake is unique in that you can't see it from far and wide like most lakes," Grimes said. "It's that surprise of finding a lake at the top of a mountain that I think a lot of visitors find amazing."

Hells Canyon is home to the wild and scenic Snake River -- a 71-mile stretch between Idaho and Oregon

The Snake River is at the bottom of the deepest canyon in North America -- deeper than the Grand Canyon. It measures 8,000 feet from Devil Peak down to the river.

The area is remote, rugged and steep, so the best way to see it is by boating, rafting, horseback riding and hiking.

"Jet boat is a way to navigate the river," said Dan Fleshman, who works for Captain Beamers Jet Boat Tours. "You don't have to worry so much about shallow areas. You can keep the boat up on plane."

Hikers should start off in the valley at 700 feet above sea level and end up at a turn-around point at 1,450 feet above sea level.

Some of the ancient Indian writings are 7,200 years old. No one in any existing Indian tribes can decipher the writing -- three male figures painted in red paint are pictographs.

Most of the writing is petroglyphs.

Boating in the canyon is also very popular. In the upper river, you'll go from class 3 and 4 rapids to class 5 rapids in the high flows.

People often come to the area in the summertime to camp, relax and play Frisbee.

High on the Oregon skyline and up on the rocky ridge, hikers can see a rock formation resembling Mr. Potato Head playing the piano.

Visitors can also find mule deer and great blue harems along the river. There is always a special Rocky Mountain big horn sheep along the water with its young.

In Southeast Utah lies 76,000 acres of a gorgeous national park called Arches. Arches has over 2,200 natural arches in the park, the highest concentration in the world.

"The place is, it's addictive. It lures people in and a lot of people never quite get around to leaving this area," said park ranger Murray Shoemaker. "What's the attraction? Color, texture, it's always changing here, different times of the year, different times of the day. The light changes, creates these dramatic shadows, incredible colors."

The landscapes are a product of erosion, caused by the Colorado River. Water is trying to flow down into the river and carves the landscape.

The process is a long one and no one knows how long these arches will be around.The Delicate Arch is the park's icon arch. It's on the Utah state license plate.

"If this place doesn't touch you on some deeper level, there's something wrong with you, Murray said. "I get people all the time coming in going, 'This is the most beautiful place I've ever been to.' … I've had people come in and say they like it better than the Grand Canyon.

For more information about the park, click here.

In the middle of the country's seventh-largest city lies Balboa Park. It was recently named one of the top 20 parks in the world. Its 1,200 acres are home to museums, gardens and a world-famous zoo, and it sees more than 12 million visitors each year.

"It's often referred to as the crown jewel of San Diego," said David Kinney, the park's House of Hospitality executive director. "Originally it was called City Park. And in 1910 they changed the name to Balboa Park, leading up to the celebrations to honor the opening of the Panama Canal in 1915."

The botanical garden was created during the first World Expo between 1911 and 1915 and it housed nearly 2 million plants. Besides the plethora of cultural institutions, including several performing arts centers, the park is home to the San Diego Zoo.

"We have roughly 4,000 animals, representing over 800 species," said Richard Schwartz, a spokesman for the zoo. Those include pandas, polar bears and koalas.

To learn more about the park and the zoo, visit their sites at balboapark.org. and sandiegozoo.org.

Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park is a magical place with its unusual orange and red rocks and spires, which are called hoodoos.

"The term hoodoo derives from the word voodoo or mystical and magical, that sort of thing," said Colleen Bathe, a park ranger. "People through the ages, the Native Americans, they have revered the hoodoos. They think they are mysterious and the legends say they feared them because of the mystery and the voodoo connotations."

Individual spires can be up to 100 feet tall. Some of the most amazing hoodoos have large holes, called windows, which you can see right through. The best part is that you can walk around the serene park and connect with the awe-inspirng nature.

"In contrast to the Grand Canyon, this place is up-close and personal," Bathe said. "You can really grasp it. You can actually get down in the canyon amongst the hoodoos and feel intimate with the park."

To watch "Good Morning America Weekend Edition's" visit, click here.

Typee Island, Ga., is the perfect place to be if you like outdoor activity. Not only does it have beautiful beaches, the island is also rich with tidal creeks.

"During the week there's not many people out here, so we are able to listen to the birds that are flying around," said Ronnie Kemp of Sea Kayak Georgia.

"What makes the area so unique is the marsh," said Marsha Henson of Sea Kayak Georgia. "The marsh is this really dynamic, ever-changing habitat where the water is just like nature soup."

The island is also home to the nation's oldest lighthouse.

July 16, 2006

Revere Beach in Revere, Mass., is home to some beautiful and intricate sand sculptures. The beach is host to the third annual New England Sand Sculptural Invitational which attracts the likes of sculptor Sean Fitzpatrick.

"This is a tribute to Revere Beach's glorious past," he said. "Back in the day, this was the Coney Island of its day. It had roller coasters, carousel horses. Because there was no air-conditioning, if you wanted to have fun at the beach and cool off, this was the place to come."

Fitzpatrick said that his sculptures, which are made of quarry sand, could take 1,000 man-hours to make. The master sculptors were aided by volunteers in a two-day effort.

Because the sculptures are made of quarry sand, which hold together well, Fitzpatrick said they will not be destroyed by the rain, but rather just given some texture.

Each year, five million people visit Missouri's Ozarks to enjoy the rugged terrain. Although Missouri is a landlocked state, the Lake of the Ozarks is 95 miles in length and the Ozarks have 1,150 miles of shore line -- equal to California's coastline.

"We have coves and waterways and just a variety of different areas here on the lake," said Trish Roberts of the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. "You can boat; you can fish."

Park Superintendent Nancy Masterson said the earliest settlers thought Indians named the Ozarks Ha Ha Tonka because of the area's large spring.

"The translation was carried through the ages to mean laughing waters," she said. "I think people just like to come and dream, when they come to this area, of how things could be."

Philadelphia is considered the cradle of American democracy. It is there that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 -- 230 years ago. The founding fathers -- including Benjamin Franklin, second President John Adams and third President Thomas Jefferson -- voted in the Pennsylvania State House, known as Independence Hall, that the original 13 colonies should separate from Great Britain. Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, his long-time home. The city also gave birth the seamstress Betsy Ross, who made the first American flag.

Lake Powell, the second largest man-made lake in the United States, is a lot more than just a mecca for houseboats. The lake, which was created on the Utah-Arizona border by the Glen Canyon Dam, has been enchanting visitors since the 1960s with its gorgeous scenery.

"I don't think there's anything like this anywhere," said Steven Ward of Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas. "You got the crystal clear water. You got the huge, giant, 2,000-foot sandstone cliffs, the blue sky. Those colors together make it absolutely beautiful."

The beauty of the lake has been attracting wake boarders, too.

"Powell is really recognized as a wakeboarding lake," said Mike Ennen, a professional wake boarder. "This is unreal, unreal lake. Best scenery out of anything in the world for wakeboarding. And it just goes on forever."

At 186 miles long, Lake Powell is awe-inspiring.

"There's actually more coast line on Lake Powell than there is on the entire West Coast of the United States because it's so long and narrow and has all these fingers and canyons stretching off of it," said Kevin Schneider, a park ranger with Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The surrounding canyons help make Lake Powell so special.

"The finger canyons of Lake Powell are often called slot canyons," Schneider said. "They're wonderful places to explore because they're incredibly intimate experiences. You get into these narrow red rock canyons, and you really have a sense of closeness with the park and resources here."

"It's got everything," Ward said of the lake. "It's got the narrow canyon where your boat barely fits through the crack. It's got the high walls where you may be in the canyon that may be 20 feet wide, but the walls are 500 feet high. It's a quiet that most people have never heard before."

To watch the video of Weekend Window's visit, click here.

For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/glca/ and www.lakepowell.com

*External links are provided for reference purposes. ABC News is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

This Sunday, "Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited Newport, R.I. One of America's oldest cities, founded in 1639, Newport offers a diverse community of fisherman, yachtsman and summer visitors. Among Newport's greatest attractions are the old American mansions, where turn-of-the-century New Yorkers would spend their summers. Architecturally exquisite, these mansions are referred to as America's castles. One notable mansion, "The Breakers," built between 1892 and 1895, once was occupied by the Vanderbilt family, and is now open for public viewing. The old and the new live in harmony in Newport, with many restaurants, stores and attractions to also visit.

To watch the video of Weekend Window's visit, click here.

For more information on Newport, R.I., click here.

For a whale of a trip, nature enthusiasts must add the San Juan Islands, a group of small islands off the coast of the Washington state, to their must-vacation list.

You don't even have to leave dry land to see whales. At Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island, from May and through September, the whales come so close to the shore that even landlubbers can enjoy a great view.

"We've determined over the years that about one-third of the time these killer whales will pass by within five feet of the kelp, which means right next to the rocks," said Dr. Robert Otis, a professor of psychology at Ripon College in Wisconsin who studies orcas in the summertime.

But most visitors want to get even closer to the whales by taking a whale-watching tour.

"If you're coming out here for the first time, one of the commercial whale-watch boats is the experience of a lifetime," said Capt. Brian Calvert, former port commissioner of Friday Harbor, the main gateway for travel in the San Juan Islands.

"All of a sudden, whales will pop up out of nowhere," he added. "It's just a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

And there are lots of whales to see in the San Juan Islands, according to Capt. Dan Wilk of Orcas Island Eclipse Charters, which gives whale-watching tours that leave from Orcas Island.

"There are 89 whales total in all, 3 pods, that live in our area here," Wilk said.

The San Juan Islands are about more than just whales. They're about porpoises, too.

"The porpoises love to follow and bow ride," Calvert said. "That's actually our favorite, is to get out on the bow and hang out on the bow, and watch the porpoises jump up underneath you. Life doesn't get much better than that."

The San Juan Islands have a loyal following of nature lovers.

"These incredible animals are living out here; this is their world," Otis said. "We are visitors to that world. We see, year after year, people returning. Especially if they've seen the whales on more than one occasion, they'll continue coming back. It's addictive."

* External links are provided for reference purposes. ABC News is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

"I think the small-town mentality is getting lost," Dempsey says. "I think the manner, the respect, the sense of community in a world that is completely out of control -- I think I value it more than ever."

Maine, with its breathtaking coastlines, is a land of tradition, and lobster is an important and delicious tradition. Being a lobsterman is a job that is often passed down through the generations. And cooking lobster is not taken lightly. It's practically the state dish.

Dempsey says he wants to move back to this gorgeous state.

"The older I get, the more I really want to back to that environment, especially with a child," he said. "You know, I talk to my wife daily about how I can't wait to move back there full-time to raise my daughter there."

To see a video of Dempsey's Maine, click here.

The Ferrari Challenge Rally is friendly competition for Ferrari owners organized by Ferrari. During the three-day road rally the Ferrari owners drive through the northern California countryside and enjoy the scenery.

"We started out in Napa Valley because it's beautiful countryside," said Maria Homann McNeil, Ferrari Challenge manager. "The wine country and all those little tiny roads. The countryside's wonderful. The mountain range gives a great opportunity for driving, so they can experience the great views."

The rally -- a race which is held on a private road -- covers 800 miles and is in its ninth year. The participants drive up the coastline to Monterrey and, at times in designated areas, are allowed to floor the gas pedal and enjoy the power of the car.

"I wanted to do something really fun, and Ferrari started doing these rallies and driving these great cars on great roads and wonderful locations," said Richard Losee, this year's rally winner. It "allows you to have a little competition in a friendly manner, and you see some of the most beautiful roads and country anywhere."

The Columbia River Gorge begins just east of Portland, Ore. It runs 80 miles along the Columbia River and spans a little bit of both Oregon and Washington. It is the only sea level passage through the Cascade Mountain range. A trip to the Columbia River Gorge is not complete without a visit to one of its 77 waterfalls.

Multnomah Falls is the most-visited site in the Columbia River Gorge. It's the second-tallest waterfall in the United States at about 620 feet. It plunges from underground springs up by Larch Mountain, then comes down in a single line, falls into an upper-plunge pool and finally into a lower-plunge pool.

"I think the sound of a waterfall is a very incredible feeling," said Beth Kirschhofer of Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. "And when you close your eyes and listen to a very powerful waterfall, especially in the springtime, it's almost like the sound of a freight train coming through."

Kirschhofer said that the volume of the waterfalls change depending on the season. Sometimes, they overflow and create new waterfalls that are only visible for a few months, other times they are dried up. They each have their own unique character.

While Louisville, Ky., is famous for the derby, it's Lexington that's known for its horse country.

"I think when you first come to Lexington you're surprised at the openness of the landscape," said Sandy Hatfield, the stallion manager at the Three Chimneys Farm. "We have lots of undulating hills, our paddocks and fields with rolling green grass, lots of black fences, beautiful farm houses and barns. It's amazing... it's like driving through a natural park."

Ted Bassett of Keeneland Race Course said that Kentucky's natural resources make it the perfect place for horses. Within the city's 25-mile radius, there are 450 thoroughbred breeding farms, and horse lovers flock there from all over the world.

"This is very much an international business," said Dan Rosenberg, president of Three Chimneys Farm. "Thoroughbred horses are an international currency, if you will."

People also come to Lexington to get a peek of famous past winners like Smarty Jones, who now lives at Three Chimneys Farm.

"It's a great place for people who love horses and love green grass and sunshine to come to," said Hatfield. "I think it's a great place for people to visit. And once they come here they come back year after year."

To see a video of Lexington, click here.

Whittier, Alaska, calls itself the gateway to Prince William Sound, which has amazing wildlife, including orcas and sea otters. The remote town of Whittier was "built by the military for the military," said Peter Denmark of Alaska Sea Kayakers.

In 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in the sound, causing a massive oil spill. The environment there is beginning to recover, but the beauty never died. Whittier's coastline, with its fjords and tidewater glaciers, is a must-see for lovers of natural beauty.

Santa Fe, N.M., with its gorgeous mountain range views, has long attracted artists, including the legendary Georgia O'Keeffe.

"Artists are drawn to New Mexico for a variety of reasons," said Barbara Buhler Lynes, curator of Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. "The light is very unusual, very specific, and the clarity of the contours in the landscape is very appealing."

Once the artists come, it's hard to leave such a rich natural environment, where they can even use the soil and clay as paints.

"Sometimes I like to say New Mexico is like your wife," said Juanito Jimenez, an artist. "You fall in love with her and she's never gonna let you go, and I look upon New Mexico like that too."

Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, was created in 1885 as the world's third national park. It is deeply tied to Canada's natural history.

"The uniqueness is … the wildlife, the fact that it's a pristine national park," said David Roberts a vice president of Alberta Fairmont Hotels. "What you see today is here for the next 100 or so years."

The park boasts a complex and unique ecosystem.

"Every animal in the park has an important," said Daymon Miller of Discover Banff tours. "It's kind of like a jigsaw puzzle: It all fits together and if you take out a piece it has an effect. … Wolves are dependent on the elk population. All of these things are connected together. If one of these things are lacking, it has an effect on everything else."

The Golden Islands are barrier islands off the coast of Georgia that are characterized by 17.5 miles of undeveloped beaches, oak trees and wild horses. They are also a birder's paradise, according to Carey Ferrara of the Georgia Department of economic development.

"We have osprey that nest on the island," he said. "We have wood stork, an endangered species, here on the island."

The island is also a favorite place among America royalty. JFK Jr. was married at the First African Baptist Church on Cumberland Island. The Greyfield Inn on the island is run by descendants of the Carnegie family.

"The coast of Georgia is just a diamond in the rough," said Tim Matthews a business owner on St. Simons Island. "It's got a great coastline. You are the farthest point west on the East Coast. You have calm waters and calm weather."

Springtime in the nation's capital is synonymous with cherry trees. There are more than 3,750 cherry trees that are set to blossom in Washington, D.C. The trees were a diplomatic gift from the people of Japan and include 12 different varieties. The most common is the Yochino cherry.

"All of that combination together sort of creates this very pink cloud that almost hangs over the Tidal Basin that is just magical to be a part of," said Diana Mayhew, the executive director of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The Cherry Blossom festival is a signature springtime event in Washington, D.C. It draws about one million tourists and residents to the city over the festival's two-week period.

It's just off the coast of Los Angeles, yet miles away: Catalina Island looks much like California did 200 years ago -- a wilderness of oak, cactus, and sage, with secluded coves surrounded by ocean with lush kelp forests and abundant sea life.

Among Santa Catalina Island's greatest natural blessings are its rugged, sinuous shoreline and the crystal-clear waters that encircle the island. The island is about 58,000 acres with 58 miles of shore line.

In this wild kingdom, animals abound. Expect to see the Catalina Island fox, a sub species of the mainland grey fox, and buffalos grazing.

Click here to learn more about Catalina island.

There was no "Weekend Window" today because "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" was broadcast live in New Orleans in honor of Mardi Gras.

Padre Island National Seashore on Texas' Gulf Coast is famous for spring break partying. But it is also a good place to get away from it all. It is the world's longest barrier island and is 113 miles from the top to the bottom. Seventy of those miles are protected and will stay undeveloped.

"Padre Island National Seashore is unique for the beach," park ranger William Botts said. "We've got more wilderness beach here, probably, than any place in the world."

The island is home to an array of animals, like the Kemps Ridley sea turtles, which are protected there.

"We collect the eggs from the Kemps Ridley sea turtle," Botts said. "They are transported to a hatchery facility. The hatchlings are collected and brought down to the beach. We let them out and they slowly crawl down the beach."

The Laguna Madre on the bay side of the island is a haven for windsurfers. There, the water averages only about three feet deep.

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 and is the world's first national park. It covers about 2.2 million acres, which is bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. The park has two-thirds of the world's geysers, including Old Faithful, which erupts about every hour and a half and goes 180 feet into the air.

"We're sitting on top of a volcano," said Will Yavorsky, a park ranger. "And that heat, that magma that is sitting down in the volcano is what's heating all the ground water and sending up to the geysers and hot springs."

There are also about 4,900 buffalo in the park.

"These are huge animals," said Yavorsky "They weigh about 2,000 pounds. That's bigger than your car, maybe bigger than your truck."

Mount Washington in New Hampshire is the highest point in the United States at 6,288 feet above sea level. It is also one of the spots for the country's roughest weather. Observers live atop the peak for eight days in a row to study the weather, even though the only way to get there in the winter is by snow cab. Hurricane winds are a way of life on Mount Washington -- they occur 100 days a year.

"Where we sit, as the highest point in New England, we have a unique opportunity to observe weather phenomena that doesn't happen anywhere else," said David Balfrey, a weather observer.

When you visit Maui, be prepared to spend a lot of time in your car -- because if you don't, that means you missed out on the famous road to Hana. The gorgeous drive along Maui's coast offers ample opportunity to stop along the way and hike down to the beach or up to the waterfalls. But the road isn't for the faint-hearted: At 52 miles long, it includes about 600 curves and 56 one-way bridges. Yet it's worth it for the beautiful views you won't see anywhere else in the world.

The first permanent settlers came to Jackson Hole, Wyo., in the 1880s, and what they found there was so incredibly beautiful, they decided to stay. Today, people come to what many call "the last and best of the Old West" for world-class skiing. Those in the know call it the "steep and deep" -- which refers to the difficult terrain of the Tetons and the average snowfall of over 600 inches.

If you want to take time off from the slopes, you can go for a dog sled ride to a thermal spring. You also can visit the National Elk Refuge, a 25,000-acre area that is home to over 5,000 elk that come to this winter range because it has milder temperatures and less snow than areas in higher elevations.

Istanbul, Turkey, is a shopper's paradise. The 550-year-old Grand Bazaar offers 4,000 shops -- about half of which sell jewelry -- in a maze of 56 streets. No trip to Turkey is complete without also visiting the Spice Market, selling any type of spice you can think of, or a carpet shop, as Turkish rugs are famous. To make sure you have energy for all the shopping, stop into a Turkish coffee shop for some delicious Turkish coffee.

"We have roughly 4,000 animals, representing over 800 species," said Richard Schwartz, a spokesman for the zoo. Those include pandas, polar bears and koalas.

To learn more about the park and the zoo, visit their sites at balboapark.org. and sandiegozoo.org.

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited New Mexico because it really lights up during Christmastime. That's because they put luminarias -- paperbags that are lit by the candles inside, which are anchored by sand -- on rooftops, steps and anywhere else they can think of. This makes New Mexico, whose state nickname is the "Land of Enchantment," even more enchanting than usual.

The "Bavarian village" of Leavenworth, Wash., was born in the early 1960s.

The town has been there longer. But when Leavenworth's economy dropped off in the 1940s, people there decided to create a Bavarian village to draw in tourists because of the quaint location -- nestled between the mountains and the river.

"The river, the mountains and the scenery is so like the area around Garmish and Obermagow in Germany," said Arlene Blackburn, a local historian.

This time of year, the village offers sleigh rides and holds its annual Christmas Lighting Festival. This is the festival's 36th year.

"We have 20 miles of mini lights in the birch trees," said Bill Rietveldt the coordinator of the Christmas Lighting Festival. "We have thousand and thousands of light bulbs in the pine trees. We keep the Christmas spirit alive. We really do."

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited Washington State's Olympic National Park, which boasts of North America's only temperate rain forest as well as the longest strip of undeveloped coastline in the continental United States. The park has mountains and glaciers, too. The rain forest has an annual rainfall of 144 inches, and the moisture makes for an incredibly rich ecosystem. One of the first things you notice in the park is an abundance of moss. You might also spot an elk. The park holds a wilderness preserve that is home to many elk, which play an important role in keeping the forest open by eating the forest floor vegetation that otherwise might create an impenetrable jungle. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/olym/

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited California's Sequoia National Park. The Sequoia trees, some of which are 2,000 years old, are the largest living things in the world. Many of the park's nearly 1 million visitors gaze at "General Sherman," which is the largest tree by volume. While some visitors venture deep into the wilderness of the park, you don't have to go too far from the main areas to experience peace and quiet. Wildlife lovers hope to spot bears and owls. For more on Sequoia National Park, click here.

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited Chicago with Jim Belushi, star of "According to Jim." Belushi, who grew up in Chicago, loves the city's skyline. He loves landmarks like the Water Tower. He especially loves the food. "There isn't a bad restaurant in Chicago," he says. "When I drive into Chicago, the first thing I do is … stop at Portillo's Hot Dog." He also hits the House of Blues. It's what Belushi says is a "must do" and the best music venue in the city. Comics like Belushi can appreciate the world-famous improv troupe "Second City," which has inspired the humor of "Saturday Night Live." Most of all, Chicago is his home. "It's where I feel connected," Belushi said. "It's where I feel the most me."

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited Nashville with country music star Lee Ann Womack, who has lived there for 20 years. She brought "GMA" to the Ryman Theater, which she described as "Carnegie Hall for country." For a taste of Nashville history, check out the Belmont mansion, which is one of the largest houses built in Tennessee before the Civil War. You can also visit The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's estate, which is just outside the city limits. For more on Nashville, click here.

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey's hometown of Turner, Maine. When not acting, he lives in Harpswell, which is outside of Brunswick. His mother lives next door and takes care of his farm. Maine, with its breathtaking coastlines, is the land of lobster. Being a lobsterman is a job that is often passed down through the generations. And cooking lobster is not taken lightly. It's practically the state dish. "I think the small-town mentality is getting lost," Dempsey says. "I think the manner, the respect, the sense of community in a world that is completely out of control -- I think I value it more than ever."

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited Salem, Mass., to see how the historic city celebrates Halloween. Fall's darkest celebration is taken very seriously in Salem, where the "Festival of the Dead" runs from the second week in October until the big day. But all year long you can visit the Salem Witch Museum and Witch Dungeon Museum. Find out more about Salem and how the city observes Halloween at www.salemweb.com.

"Good Morning America's" Weekend Window visited Sanibel Island, Fla., a unique island in the Gulf of Mexico that has been rebuilding since being hit hard by Hurricane Charley in August 2004. Now, this special place is in the path of Hurricane Wilma. Sanibel Island is known for its exquisite and often rare sea shells, as well as its amazing bird watching at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. For more information on Sanibel Island, visit www.sanibelisland.com.