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The city of Dallas was founded back in 1841, but most of the buildings you see today are a product of the 20th century. Fortunately, there are still places where you can see what life was like when Dallas was little more than a collection of farms, small businesses, and a few hundred head of cattle. The Dallas Heritage Center, located just south of downtown in Old City Park, is a recreation of a northern Texas town from 1840-1910, with 38 historic structures and a working Civil War-era farm. An afternoon exploring this wooded 13-acre indoor/outdoor museum is like a trip back in time, with a variety of interactive exhibits designed to give visitors a vivid picture of real life in the Old West. The Blum Brothers General Store (pictured), for example, dates back to 1892, when Simon Blum moved from Galveston to expand his family business. Today, it serves as the village's grocery, dry goods, hardware, and notions outlet. Then there's the Clementine Freight and Delivery Service, a livery shop that still sends out wagon teams to ferry people and freight around town. Chances are you'll find me in the Alamo Saloon, where today's visitors can do much as locals did 150 years ago: enjoy a beer and some conversation with friends. With five locally-produced microbrews on offer, however, I think today's beers are going to taste a lot better. Progress is good, sometimes. Starwood has properties throughout the Dallas area, including The Joule, Dallas, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection.

You just might forget you're in South Florida when you see the Coral Gables Venetian Pool. This 820,000-gallon natural pool was carved out of a spring-fed rock quarry in 1923, incorporating Venetian design elements such as vine-covered loggias, shady porticos, three-story observation towers, and cascading waterfalls that spill into a lagoon complete with a palm-lined island and coral rock caves. Sounds pretty nice, huh? The pool was the brainchild of Dade county commissioner and "back country" land promoter George Merrick. In contrast to what he saw as the uncontrolled chaos emerging in Miami, Merrick wanted the burgeoning Coral Gables community to be an elegant, Mediterranean-style city complete with fountains, esplanades, plazas, and gorgeous homes and buildings. The pool was the crown jewel of the community, and during its heyday, gondolas plied its waters and Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller (of the early Tarzan films) swam its impressive length. But you needn't be a depression-era bathing beauty to enjoy this amazing creation, because the Venetian Pool is open to the public, year-round. Guests at the nearby Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables might want to don a bathing suit and make tracks to one of the only swimming pools to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Seville is a spirited city. Its streets are always filled with music, dancing, and lively chatter especially during the the frequent festival seasons. But it's also a city where one can pass an afternoon of incredible tranquility. Consider these two words: Arab hammam. There's nothing I love more than to submerge myself into a warm tub of water. And when that warm tub of water happens to be located in a 16h century palace built by the viceroy of India, even better.

Aire de Sevilla opened about three years ago in the Santa Cruz area of Seville, just a ten minute walk past the cathedral, and down Calle Mateos Gago, from the marvelous Luxury Collection Hotel Alfonso XIII. All three baths (hot, warm, and cold water) are mixed sex, and bathers must wear swimsuits. If you forgot to bring your own, you can borrow one, and don't worry about a towel, it's provided free along with a robe, and even a pair of terry cloth booties. Once changed, you relax with a cup of tea in a quiet, candlelit room before taking the plunge. Stay in for up to an hour and a half and go ahead and add on a fifteen, twenty-five, or forty-five minute massage while you're at it.

Just twenty minutes from the center of Zagreb lies one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in Europe. The Fortress of Medvedgrad dates back to the 13th century, when it was built by Zagreb's Bishop Filip, and for more than 300 years it was used to defend the western border of the Hungarian-Croation state against invasions by the Tatars and others. It was abandoned in 1590, when an earthquake nearly destroyed it, and lay in ruins for centuries until a local preservation group undertook a decades-long restoration project in the 1970's. Today, Medvedgrad is one of the most scenic spots on Mount Medvednica, an imposing 1,032-meter peak that forms a striking backdrop to Croatia's capital city. After you've seen the fortress, take a few hours to explore the rest of the mountain, which has kilometers of hiking and skiing trails, a scenic cable car, and a handful of cafes where you can relax with a drink and a pastry. Starwood has three properties in Zagreb: the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel, the Westin Zagreb, and the Four Points by Sheraton Panorama Zagreb.

[image via Virtual Tourist]

The yo-yo can trace its origins back thousands of years to China, but it's truly an American icon, having first taken the country by storm in the 1930's, and again in the sixties and seventies. And while the yo-yo's popularity rises and falls with the times (sorry), there's one place it's always in fashion: the National Yo-Yo Museum. This quirky museum in downtown Chico, California boasts the world's largest public display of yo-yos, which is saying a lot. Come and see displays relating to the history of the yo-yo, an amazing range of yo-yos throughout the ages, and even the world's largest working yo-yo, the Big-Yo (pictured), which weighs in at a whopping 256 pounds. I'd like to see the yo-yo master who can "walk the dog" with that one. Museum admission is free, and tours are given every day that talk about the pioneers and superstars of this fascinating pastime. The museum is also the site of the National Yo-Yo Contest every October, when participants from around the world gather to show off their skills in five different divisions. If you're thinking about entering, you'd better start training now, because these guys and gals can do some amazing things with yo-yos. Guests at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel with a fondness for these tiny toys might enjoy a visit to this truly unique destination.

If you're in Mexico City and feel like you need some good luck, make your way over to the Mercado de Sonora. This quirky market is filled with vendors selling various amulets, charms, and potions designed to protect those who possess them, or bestow upon them health, wealth, and new love. Whatever you need, basically. Herbalists sell a wide range of curative herbs (pictured) along with special "witchcraft" herbs -- and the spells used to activate them. It's a little eerie if you think about it, but I'm sure it's the happy kind of witchcraft. Right? We can't vouch for the efficacy of these ancient talismans, but the market provides a vivid window into the belief system of a population whose underlying indigenous traditions often overshadow the western beliefs brought by the Spanish colonists. The Mercado de Sonora is a short taxi ride from the W Mexico City.

[image via worldisround]

There's no place on earth like the South of France, with its beautiful cliffs and beaches and abundant history and culture. In Juan-les-Pins, for example, guests at Le Méridien Garden Beach are just moments from the source of one of the most gripping tales in literary history. The nearby island of Lérins is the home of the Musée de la Mer, a museum dedicated to the mysteries and treasures of the sea that occupies the oldest section of Fort Royal. Visitors should start with a tour of the basement prison where the notorious Man in the Iron Mask was incarcerated for eleven years, a tale made famous by the writer Alexandre Dumas. No one is is really sure who this mysterious prisoner was, or if he even wore his trademark iron mask all the time (in fact, some sources claim the mask was velvet) but most agree that the unfortunate soul had probably run afoul of King Louis XIV, and back then you just didn't do that. (Don't worry, the mean Sun King isn't around anymore.) After pondering the vagaries of 17th and 18th century French society, head upstairs to take in the spectacular views of the sea from atop the fort. On a good day you can catch the scent of fresh eucalyptus, which grows in abundance on the island. Elsewhere in the museum, a collection of Roman antiquities recovered from shipwrecks might inspire a view budding treasure hunters out there, while shutterbugs will appreciate rotating photography exhibits that frame Mediterranean travel in a beautiful light. It's all so nice, you might just forget that Cannes is only ten minutes away.

The Xochimilco Floating Gardens are one of Mexico City's loveliest and most unusual attractions, drawing curious visitors to a festive yet tranquil oasis of shimmering waters and beautiful flowers. Considered the Venice of Mexico, visitors ply a maze of verdant canals in colorful boats known as trajineras (pictured), enjoying food and drink procured from floating vendors while mariachi bands play traditional music and some of the most beautiful plants, trees, and flowers in Mexico float by on all sides. The area of Xochimilco was the breadbasket for the early city of Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec empire. In the 15th and early 16th centuries, the Aztecs performed great feats of engineering and labor to create more than 80 miles of canals designed to move people and goods around the city and across Lake Texcoco. While much of the Aztec kingdom was destroyed during the Spanish conquest of 1521, the canals are a living reminder of the achievements of this ancient civilization. Xochimilco is located 28 kilometers south of central Mexico City, and is a perfect day trip for guests at the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers or any of Starwood's Mexico City properties.

Don't get the wrong idea about Dresden's Deutsches Hygiene-Museum based on its name. It's not a museum dedicated to the importance of brushing your teeth and changing your underwear every day. Instead, it's a fascinating study of the human body with a range of interactive exhibits designed to teach you the inner workings of the body and help you understand the complex systems that make you function. The Transparent Man, for example, features an anatomically accurate recreation of a human body with transparent glass skin that enables visitors to see the skeleton, circulatory system, and major organs of an adult human. Displays dedicated to eating and drinking, thinking and learning, and the art of coordination similarly shed light on these most basic yet little-understood facets of life. And, in a nod to contemporary priorities, a retrospective on beauty, skin, and hair serves to define the relationship between the body and the environment through sculptures, illustrations, and interactive exhibits. The museum is housed in a historical 1930 museum building located on the edge of the Great Garden, a baroque style park in central Dresden just minutes from the Westin Bellevue, Dresden.

Portland is one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world, with immaculately clean streets and an abundance of urban forest parks and green spaces. While the city is certainly walkable and bike-friendly, the best way to experience it just might be from the pristine waters of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. It doesn't take much to get out on the water. Outfits like the Portland Kayak Company offer kayak rentals as well as guided kayak tours of the Willamette River and nearby Ross Island. Even if you've never kayaked before, you'll be up to speed in no time, paddling past a blue heron rookery, spotting bald eagles and osprey, and taking in the beauty of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. In addition to the daytime tours, there are sunset and moonlight tours as well, which provide unparalleled views of the (energy-efficient) lights of the Portland skyline. Portland Kayak Company can be found at the RiverPlace Marina, which is just minutes from the Westin Portland and The Nines, Portland, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection.

[image via Portland Kayak Company]