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One of the most salient aspects of the Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden is that it basks in a balmy Mediterranean climate. Cool mild winters and warm dry summers permit the cultivation of both native species and hundreds of exotic ones from around the globe. Whether hailing from the South African Cape, Chile, Australia, or the Mediterranean region itself, year-round, there is always something of particular interest. An entire horticultural world beckons within the 127 acres of the gardens. Collections are roughly grouped by The Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia, and encompass bamboos, palms, tropical rarities, desert species, herbs of the world, rose gardens and citrus groves. The Arboretum's famous peacock (see video) adds moving color to the landscapes while keeping the snail population under control. Water features like Baldwin Lake host migrating bird species and offer refreshing coolness. Plant society sales and meetings occur all through the year, offering rare specimens not easily found at most nurseries. It's a great resource for anyone who has the desire to delve deeper into the cultivation of particular species, whether it be orchids, chrysanthemums, ferns, daylilies, or into the precise arts of bonsai and ikebana. Increasingly, the Arboretum is focusing on the unique challenges of gardening and landscaping in a dry climate, with demonstration gardens and opportunities to learn about green living, water conservation, and organic gardening. These valuable lessons can be taken home and put into practice on even the smallest piece of Eden. Visits to the Arboretum can be planned from any of Starwood's 23 Los Angeles area hotels, including the nearby Westin Pasadena or the Sheraton Pasadena.

For some great hiking just minutes from Denver, check out Castlewood Canyon State Park. Located south of the city in Franktown, it boasts excellent hiking, picnicking, rock climbing, and sightseeing. Trails range from just half a mile to four miles, and can be combined for longer journeys. Bring plenty of water and some snacks, because the winding Cherry Creek flowing along the canyon floor provides a host of gorgeous rest stops where your lunch comes with amazing natural views. Other highlights include a natural amphitheater and the Bridge Canyon Overlook Gazebo, which affords perfect photo-ops and plenty of romantic sunsets. You can even find remnants of local history in the ruins of Castlewood Dam, which burst in 1933, sending a 15-foot-high wall of water into Denver. Best of all, after a day of rigorous exercise, you can shower and relax before a fantastic dinner in town. Starwood has eight hotels in and around Denver, including the Westin Tabor Center, Denver.

[image via Colorado State Parks]

A trip to a Croatian cemetery may strike you as a somber and bizarre way to spend your time in Zagreb, but the Mirogoj Cemetery is considered one of the most stunning cemetery parks in Europe, with its beautiful gardens and artistic headstones.

Depart the Westin Zagreb and head to the cemetery, located just shy of three miles north on the slopes of Medvednica mountain. Created in 1876, green cupolas top the 30-foot wall surrounding the park, whose main building features stunning arcades (successions of arches). The cemetery inters members of all faiths, from Catholic to Jewish to Muslim, as well as those who aren't religious at all, and has served as the final resting place for some 300,000 souls, including famous Croatians ranging from poets to former presidents to a Nobel prize-winning chemist. A stroll through the grounds reveals stunning mosaics, chapels, frescos, and statues. Get a taste of Croatian history by visiting the Monument to Fallen Croatian soldiers in World War I and the "Wall of Pain" intended to honor those who died in the Croatian War of Independence, among other war memorials. Should you be in Zagreb on All Saints' Day or All Souls' Day, a trip to the cemetery is an absolute must as thousands and thousands are candles are lit on these days in memory of those passed.

[image via Wikimedia Commons]

Calling all foodies: There's so much more to eating than what's on the plate today. Get a mouthful of culinary history at the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University (which counts Emeril Lagasse and Tyler Florence among its graduates), located just a mile away from the Westin Providence.

This premier all-things-food museum has everything from presidential china to cookbooks dating to the 1500s on display - one donor gave the museum some 7,500 rare cookbooks - to menus that give you a taste of what it was like to dine on ships, railroads, and airlines (for instance, if you flew United on Easter Day in 1947, you got to dine on oven-glazed ham with raisin sauce, candied sweet potato, and asparagus tips in butter...plus bread, salad, and dessert). The range is truly astounding: You'll travel back to a time of antique cast-iron stoves and refrigerators with motors on top, see how kitchen gadgets have evolved throughout the years, and get to watch a documentary about how one master cake decorator adorns cakes several feet tall. Be sure to check out the 4,000-square-foot diner exhibit, which catalogs this history of the roadside diner.

[image via Culinary Arts Museum, photo by Stephen Spencer]