New Orleans treasures a long musical heritage. Photo by Michael Terranova / New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp.

Live and Learn

by Andy Vladimir

Summertime and the living is easy, and so is traveling. Here are three ideas for things to do and places to go.

Celebrate the Louisiana Purchase The Big Easy

This year marks the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, celebrating one of the greatest real estate deals in history. Although there are festivities going on across the country, I recommend a visit to New Orleans, where theyre going all out.

Start by visiting the New Orleans Museum of Art, which until Aug. 31 is showing an exhibit called Jeffersons America and Napoleons France. In 1803, with a stroke of a pen, these two men bought and sold the heart of the American continent and forever changed the shape of the modern world. The exhibit includes paintings and sculpture, the original Louisiana Purchase documents, weaponry, Native American artifacts and rare personal items such as Jeffersons ivory notebook and French Empress Josephines jewels.

I recently visited New Orleans and found accessible just about everything I wanted to see, including a huge Harrahs Casino right in the middle of town. I did have some difficulty getting into Preservation Hall, the "birthplace of jazz," but I made it! Riverwalk Marketplace, a great indoor shopping mall, is right along the Mississippi River and within a few blocks of some of the best restaurants and jazz clubs youre likely to find anywhere.

The Hilton New Orleans Riverside borders the French Quarter, where all the action is. Moreover, it has a parking garage, which is a real advantage in this city. We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn, about four blocks away and half the price. I like this chain their accessible studios and one-bedroom suites are very reasonably priced.

One of my favorite restaurants is Galatoires on Bourbon Street, which serves French and Creole food. If youre an oyster lover, you absolutely must go to Dragos Seafood Restaurant in Metairie. This amazing restaurant serves more than 350 dozen oysters a day that are harvested fresh every morning from its own oyster beds in the bayou. Try them raw or grilled. Both restaurants are fully accessible.

If you want to take a short excursion, you can drive down to Biloxi, Miss., a tacky summer resort beach town on the Gulf of Mexico. Be sure and see Beauvoir while youre there; its the Jefferson Davis Presidential Home and Library. The Confederate Museum in the complex is completely accessible.

You probably wont want to leave Biloxi without seeing the famous Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Like other resorts at which gambling is the main attraction, this one has cheap rooms and food. Rooms start at $79, and theres an all-you-can-eat buffet for around $10.

Wheeling a nature trail Photo courtesy of Wilderness Inquiry

Celebrate the Louisiana Purchase Roughing It

For a real outdoor adventure go on a canoe or kayak trip with Wilderness Inquiry. Since its the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial you might want to paddle 45 miles of the 8,000-mile trail Lewis and Clark followed when President Jefferson sent them to explore the new territory.

The five-day trip takes place on Montanas Missouri River. The scenery is spectacular on this trip there are deep sandstone canyons, wild prairies, coyotes, antelopes and bighorn sheep. One night you camp at Slaughter River, where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805 on their way west and again in 1806 on their return trip. They described this area as "scenes of visionary enchantment."

	An outdoor adventure by canoe Photo courtesy of Wilderness Inquiry

You travel in 17-foot Old Town Trapper Canoes, which hold up to three paddlers. If youre in a wheelchair, there is enough staff along to lift you in and out of the canoes, and the camping sites, where you sleep in tents, are all accessible.

Wilderness Inquiry is the only organization I know of that really does take people with all kinds of disabilities into the wilderness. Moreover, they do it for a reasonable price, safely and with style. Almost all trips have a mixture of able-bodied and disabled persons. Sometimes one group will go off on a hike while the others stay and fish or roast marshmallows at the campfire.

Besides the Missouri River trips this year theyre offering a six-day trip kayaking in Washingtons San Juan Islands, a four-day family canoe adventure in the northern lakes of Maine, and a three-day Apostle Island kayaking adventure in Lake Superior, among others. They even have dogsled and ski trips in the winter!

For a complete catalog call (800) 728-0719 or look on the Web at www.wildernessinquiry.org.

Elderhostel

If you or your spouse is over 55, you qualify to go on an Elderhostel program. Elderhostel is a marvelous organization for people who want to learn about things theyre interested in. It has programs on almost every imaginable subject taught in interesting locations all over the world. With the help of Elderhostel staff I picked out some sites that are especially wheelchair friendly.

Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla. Here you can stay at Eckerds Continuing Education Center on the 267acre, tropical waterfront campus. The programs are each six days long and run from July through September. You can study everything from 20th-century Russian music or Broadway musicals to ghost stories and television newscasters. Theres a swimming pool, tennis courts and an exercise room you can use as well. July 6 to Sept. 14; $497 double occupancy.

	An Elderhostel class in a stimulating setting Photo by Jim Harrison

Watson Homestead and Conference Center, Corning, N.Y. This 600-acre facility is in the Finger Lakes and winery district. There are three wheelchair-accessible, motel-style rooms adjoining the dining room. Study about glassmaking in the world-famous Corning Museum of Glass, taste wines, listen to inspirational music, and enjoy writing, reading, and meditation. Sept. 7 to Oct. 3; $552-$602 double occupancy.

Geneva Bay Centre, Geneva, Wis. Located on scenic Lake Geneva, this area with its beautiful Victorian mansions and accessible lake path is a gorgeous place to spend a week this summer. Course titles include "Critiquing Show Business on Broadway," "Wisconsin Music Conservatory and Calatrava-Designed Milwaukee Art Museum," "Ireland: Rich in History and the Arts" and "The Joy of Singing Show Tunes in an Elderhostel Choir." July 6 to Sept. 26; $545-$615 double occupancy.

Toddhall Retreat and Conference Center, Illinois. Once a country estate located on 45 picturesque acres on the Southern Illinois bluffs and half an hour from downtown St. Louis, this facility includes a wilderness trail and a meditation labyrinth. Housing is in modern lodges that are wheelchair accessible and close to the dining room. Study "Writing Your Life Story," "How Our Memories Work," "Music From the Good Times and the Bad" and "The Lewis and Clark Expedition." July 6 and Aug. 17; $447 double occupancy.

My experiences with Elderhostel have all been positive. The meals, which are included in all programs, range from good to excellent, as do the accommodations. Field excursions, taxes and tips are also covered. Many programs are held on college campuses and other accessible sites.

Get more information or a catalog by calling (877) 426-8056 or visiting www.elderhostel.org.

To send feedback or questions about "To Boldly Go," write to Andy Vladimir in care of Quest or at andyvlad@bellsouth.net.