Reader TTS

​SUN AND SHOP IN FLORIDA​ Delray Beach, Florida, Fort Lauderdale’s lesser-known neighbor to the north, is blessed with long stretches of uncrowded sand and locally owned boutiques, bars and

restaurants on lively Atlantic Avenue. By contrast, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens ($15, adults; $13, 65 and older) provides a peaceful respite for lovers of culture and cultivation.

It earned a 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award. Galleries in the Pineapple Grove Arts District are another worthy diversion. Stay in Old Florida style at the yellow stucco Colony Hotel

& Cabaña Club, where rooms (some accessible) start at less than $175 during the spring off-season in May and June. Margaritaville at Sea is an affordable cruise option. Courtesy

Margaritaville at Sea ​ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE Crave a change in latitude with booze in the blender? Jimmy Buffett fans and thrifty cruisers now can board the Margaritaville at Sea line for

cheap sailings from Palm Beach, Florida, to the Bahamas and back. Two-night outings on the 1,680-passenger _Paradise_ start at about $97 per person, not including fees, taxes, tips and

alcohol. Active service members, veterans, doctors, nurses, first responders and teachers sail free when sharing a stateroom with a paying passenger. Highlights include a show featuring

Buffett hits, the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar and cabins with whimsical tropical décor. In Freeport, Bahamas, guests can laze on the beach or splash out $99 on a swim-with-pigs excursion. The

Franklin Park Conservatory offers accessible and budget-friendly activities. Courtesy Experience Columbus ​HELLO, COLUMBUS! Ohio’s once-under-the-radar vacation destination, billed by the

Experience Columbus marketing association as a one-day drive for more than half the U.S. population, is rolling out the welcome mat with a “Live to Break Free” spring promotion. Experience

Columbus is giving away two tickets to the stunning Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (usually $19-$22 for adults) or the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium ($27.99-$29.99 for

out-of-town adult guests) when hotels are booked via experiencecolumbus.com. Spring attractions include a cherry blossom festival April 1-9. Sample craft beer in the Brewery District or

stroll the brick streets of German Village, established by early settlers. Scarf up an $18 sausage sampler with German potato salad at century-old Schmidt’s Sausage Haus while listening to

live oompah music. Veterans, active-duty military and gold star families get free admission to the National Veterans Memorial and Museum (normally $18 for adults, $16, 65 and up), which

honors all service branches. Sandhill cranes are one of the many wildlife attractions on Grand Island. Alamy CRANE-WATCHING NIRVANA IN NEBRASKA​ Novice and veteran bird-watchers from around

the world flock to the Grand Island, Nebraska, area in springtime. The draw: an annual northward migration of more than 500,000 gray and tan sandhill cranes along the Platte River. Best

viewing opportunities generally are from the second half of March to early April. Later, see swarms of other migrating birds. The National Wildlife Federation says more than 300 species have

been sighted over the central Platte River. You can take a guided tour, but a free public viewing deck is available at the county’s River Park. Another lure: The area has inexpensive

lodgings and campgrounds.  Actor Morgan Freeman was one of the founders of the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. Alamy MUSIC LOVERS’ MECCA IN MISSISSIPPI​ Drive the U.S. 61 “Blues

Highway” south of Memphis, Tennessee, past acres of cotton fields to hear live music and trace the roots of this quintessentially American music genre. Dine and dance at the Ground Zero

Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, cofounded by actor Morgan Freeman. Visit the nearby Delta Blues Museum ($12; $10, seniors 65-plus) and stay at one of the most offbeat lodgings in the

nation. The funky Shack Up Inn (“The Ritz We Ain’t,” its website proclaims) includes restored tin-roofed sharecropper cabins updated with indoor bathrooms and kitchenettes. Cabins, some

named for blues greats, can be less than $100 a night and have hosted everyone from international road trippers to Nashville songwriters looking for an inspirational place to pen a hit.

Music greats such as Ike Turner, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits have stayed there.