On a visit to the Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, South Dakota, time travel back to the Ice Age when Columbian and Wooly mammoths roamed the region. The remarkable facility is one of the world’s largest and richest mammoth sites, one where the big animals’ bones lie in situ, or as found.

Winter is a special time for us to visit the beach. With no crowds, it’s easy to enjoy the peacefulness of a stroll along the sand accompanied by the sounds of surf. Virginia and South Carolina lure work weary urbanites like us with shore solitude, civilized accommodations and low winter rates.

Our favorite time to visit Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, is winter. After all, the worst thing about Yellowstone National Park is the summer crowds and the best things are the wildlife and the geothermal features. In winter the former are gone and the latter remain.

At a year-round, grande dame resort such as The Balsams, New Hampshire, the downhill runs, admittedly, tend more toward mild than wild. But what the resort may lack in slopeside thrills, it makes up for in style and fabulous food.

The pristine setting convinced Alissa, my then 13-year-old daughter, to go cross-country skiing with me. A denizen of high-speed downhill runs, Alissa thought that plowing ahead on level ground with skis was a boring exercise for fuddy-duddies only. That is until she took her first glide.

Whenever we explore an urban destination, we typically purchase a city pass. For one fee these cards provide access to many attractions. In Europe, the cards come in handy because most cover transportation on public buses and subways.

Watching one of the earth’s largest creatures burst from the water in front of you and plunge back into the deep is an experience you will remember forever. Two great places in Canada to go whale watching: Tadoussac, about two hours from Québec City, and also off Newfoundland to spot humpbacks.

For decades, pods of Pacific gray whales have made the 5000-mile journey from Alaska to Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico, where the protected lagoons provide safe havens for birthing and nursing. February to mid-March, prime whale season, offer the best chance for up-close encounters.

Two good reasons to visit the Dominican Republic: winter is whale-watching season and Club Med Punta Cana recently opened 32 upmarket, family suites.

Washington, D.C. intrigues visitors with several new experiences. Foil an espionage plot at the International Spy Museum, figure out our Neanderthal connections at the National Museum of Natural History and find out what ordinary foot soldiers felt while fighting the Civil War. Come visit again.