By Fred Wright, Jr.

Hello, Sweet Maple
If you’ve never seen the annual ritual of collecting sap from New England’s maple trees, which is then rendered into that stuff we pour on our pancakes and waffles, now’s your chance. An estimated half-million gallons (1.8 million liters) of maple syrup are produced in Vermont each year, good reason to celebrate at the 5th annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend, held March 24-26 throughout Vermont. This is the official kickoff to the maple season, and the public has a chance to see trees being tapped and/or to visit sugarhouses where the sap becomes syrup. For details on which maple syrup producers are participating, as well as hours and directions, go to www.vermontmaple.org.

A Day with Flipper
For folks who have always wanted to get up close and personal with a bottlenose dolphin but are afraid of the ocean, The Mirage resort hotel in Las Vegas offers a new Trainer for a Day program. Up to four participants spend a day learning about dolphin behavior, health and well-being, as well as trainers’ tricks, like hand signals, before they get into a wetsuit to try the newly acquired knowledge on the marine mammals. The all-day package costs US$ 500, which includes a private lunch, a photo and other souvenirs, as well as admission to the resort’s “Secret Garden” and dolphin habitat. Each participant may also bring an observer for an additional fee of US$ 150. For more information, call 702-792-7889 or go to www.mirage.com.

Bargain Air Down Under
Now through October, U.S. travelers can fly to Tasmania for as little as US$ 899 (after a US$ 100 rebate) on a Qantas Tasmania Aussie AirPass that comes with extra in-country miles. The AirPass includes round-trip economy-class passage on selected flights from New York City, Los Angeles, Honolulu and San Francisco to either Hobart or Launceston ― plus two additional qualifying domestic flights within Australia for a period of 7 to 21 days. The AirPass must be booked by April 30 at www.atstours.com.

Gettin’ Out of the Doghouse
A forgotten Valentine’s Day isn’t the only way to get into the doghouse with a significant other — and some historic Maine inns have that figured out, offering a Get Out of the Doghouse package. Three Rockland-area inns offer a chance to “make up” for missed birthdays, anniversaries or any other special occasions. The package starts with your photo scanned into a doghouse picture with an “I’m sorry” note framed and placed in the room upon arrival, and continues with everything from olive branches to “Love on the Rocks” gourmet chocolates for the scorned. The two-night package ranges in price from US$ 298 to US$ 598 per couple, depending on choice of inn and time of year. For more information, call 877-762-4667 or go to www.HistoricInnsofRockland.com.

Play Ball! (And Sign Here)
The Quorum Hotel – Tampa, Florida, is offering a vacation package through March for baseball fans to enjoy Spring Training at the Tampa Legends Field. Guests can see the New York Yankees take the field, then they can go for the autographs. The package includes an autograph kit consisting of one baseball, a Sharpie pen and a disposable 35mm camera. The package goes for US$ 159 to US$ 249 for one night’s stay. And after a hard day at the ballpark, guests can enjoy a complimentary chair massage back at the hotel. For more information, call 877-478-6786 or go to www.QuorumTampa.com.

Food Alert Cards
For travelers with serious food allergies that travel with them, there’s now a business that provides laminated cards in a variety of languages. SelectWisely offers food translation cards over the Internet and ships them to more than 69 countries. Travelers with food-allergy and food restrictions like diabetes, vegetarian, gluten-free or lactose intolerance can select from a variety of cards in 15 different languages. Prices start at US$ 3.50 for an emergency card stating for example “Please take me to the hospital” in the language of choice. A Food Allergy Multi-Language Card is US$ 9.95. The customized food-alert cards are designed to be taken from waiter to chef in order to assure the customer that everyone understands the seriousness of his or her particular food allergy. For more information, go to www.SelectWisely.com.

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