New York

The Corning Museum of Glass in the town of Corning, nestled amid the spectacular scenery of the Finger Lakes Region, doesn't just show how glass is made. The museum encourages visitors to don protective gear and make their own decorations in a hot glass studio. Just in case your first efforts fall short of the artistic ideal - well illustrated in the museum's glittering are glass exhibitions and displays of centuries old artifacts - there is a working glass studio that shows how it should be done.

It's one thing to watch the bobsled competition during the Winter Olympics from the comfort of your living room; quite another to ride the rattling ice-rocket into the zigzag turn yourself. For a first-hand, truly memorable experience, take a bobsled or luge ride at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Hoevenburg outside Lake Placid. The rides, taken with a professional driver and break-man, are available year-around. Not many outsiders associate New York with fine wines, yet the Finger Lakes area, known for rushing waterfalls and deep glacial lakes is also making a name as a leading wine region. Its 80 wineries produce over 100 million bottles of wine annually, making the region the second largest wine producer (by volume) next to California. The five mail lakes, (Ganadaigua, Cayuga, Keuka, Ontario and Seneca) all have official wine routes.

Mohonk Mountain House, located near New Paltz, has a worldwide reputation attributable partly to the grand hotel's historic charm, and partly to its picture perfect setting. Visitors with stamina can hike along the cliffs of the Mohonk Preserve, squeeze through gaps between giant boulders, then climb a thin ladder embedded in the rock to the top of the cliffs. Their reward: a spectacular birds-eye view of the region's lush rolling hills and forest.