Great American Learning Vacations: Hundreds of Workshops, Camps and Tours That Will Satisfy Your Curiosity and Enri ch Your Life
by By Consolo, Paula (EDT)
Category: Travel , United States , West , Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)

The most authoritative and comprehensive guide to vacations with a purpose in the United States, from restoring a 19th-century hand-hewn log house in Florida to painting desertscapes in Taos, New Mexico, and searching for humpback whales off the Alaska coast.   Archaeological digs, arts and crafts workshops, birding, campus vacations, cooking schools, cultural tours, environmental cruises, foreign-language immersion programs, garden tours, music programs, nature camps, New Age centers, painting workshops, photography workshops and tours, spas and fitness centers, volunteer vacations (research and public and community service), whale-watching cruises, writing conferences and workshops.  Profiles of major organizations offering trips in each field.  In-depth reviews of hundreds of perennially popular workshops, camps, programs, and tours.What makes one program better than others and how to choose one that's right for you.  Details on what you'll eat--from homemade banana-bread French toast in a Colonial inn to fish grilled over an open fire.  Specifics on where you'll sleep--luxury hotels, antiques-filled town houses, single-sex bunk rooms, college dorms, even yurts and tepees.   How much it costs and what you get for your money.  Where to turn for more information--umbrella organizations, magazines, newsletters, and books.