Tired of the daily grind? Ready to blow off some steam? Need to get away? Look no further! Here are 9 Vacation Ideas for a Spring Fling that up’s your energy. Go for a weekend or a week. Just go!

Can you name the three kinds of seals cruising around San Diego Bay?   Most people can name two, but the third might stump you.

First in the mind of anyone connected to the military are the Navy SEALs, the elite operational forces of the Naval Special Warfare Command, whose Pacific Fleet teams are based in San Diego.  These SEALs are highly regarded, highly skilled teams of warriors who undergo the toughest training in the world.  Their name, Sea, Air and Land Forces, comes from the elements in and from which they operate; their mystique comes from the fact that they operate in a clandestine manner, conducting dangerous operations. They are often seen on training excercises on San Diego Bay.

His shiny black eye never blinked. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other waiting for an opening. Slowly… ever so slowly…his head creeped up and to the right. I held my breath. His algae-covered, yellowed teeth glistened with saliva. I wanted to move but didn’t dare. Just then, a white blur split the air above him as muscular jaws flew open then snapped down with a satisfying crunch, crunch, crunch. It was over. I began to breath again.

I’ll bet ever since you were old enough to remember, you’ve avoided stepping on a crack, walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, and black cats crossing your path.  These things fill us with foreboding…without really knowing why!  It’s just out there, in some mysterious realm.

While we take great pains to avoid these superstitious acts, we are inexplicably drawn to the supernatural, to ghostly things, and really do like to be scared out of our wits.  How else to explain that stories of ghosts and of journeys into the spirit world are one of the most popular of literary genres, that kids love haunted houses, that ghost hunters and psychics communing with the departed make great TV, that movies invoking the supernatural draw lines at the box office, and that people flock to Ghost Tours in cities with rich histories such as New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, Boston, and even little St. Augustine and Key West.

Smell the mixture of salt and mangrove mud as you stare out at impossibly blue-green waters. When I go to Key West, Florida one of my favorite side trip, vacation ideas is visiting Islamorada, Florida. The vibe there is very tropical with lots of food choices and they are known for excellent charter fishing. I decided to stop in at the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant, since I had heard so much about it. I’m glad I did.

St. Patrick’s Day is a popular Holiday in the United States. In 1737, Irish immigrants in Boston celebrated the Day for the first time. In 1766, the original St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in New York City. Since then the Green wearing, Guinness drinking, corned beef eating revelers have made March 17th a day to remember.  Here’s a list of the 10 most popular St. Patrick’s Day Parades to attend.

Planning to visit San Francisco? You can see it on one of the many San Francisco Tours – from a San Francisco cable car, by ferry, on a bike, by Segway, on foot — or, you can start going to step class now because one of the most unique ways to see the City By the Bay is by walking along some of its 600 magical stairways. Experience just one, and you’re hooked!

Shamu…you complete me.

If you are looking for excellent Tours and Attractions, one of my favorite Theme Park Attractions in Orlando, Florida is SeaWorld. Put this one on your list. I like the size of the grounds for easy navigation, the variety of venues and shows and the relaxing pace.

Spent the day there on Sunday and really had a blast! The weather was perfect, the staff was friendly and the animals were in a playful mood.