With Cup Match just three months away, many already have a destination in mind. For those still deliberating, there's a tempting list of possibilities.

Airlift to Florida, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, Newark, Baltimore, Canada and England, with connections beyond, opens ever-increasing opportunities. Some lucky travellers able to add more vacation time can go further afield.

That old perennial standby Las Vegas is changing so fast anyone away from there a few years will find major surprises. We'll take you to Nevada soon for some current updates.

For travellers interested in staying closer to home, there are almost endless offerings and we'll hop-scotch through a sample of them here.

If you're bound for a favourite city, there's some interesting and unusual attractions you may have bypassed, or never considered as a possibility.

Setting aside time to explore just one new worthy site will add a different dimension to your trip. We know what you're really looking for is R and R, time- out, a change of pace, the opportunity to recharge your battery.

But discovering something both interesting and a learning experience is a bonus. By coincidence, three unusual ones that came to our attention are all in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, which we've enjoyed as a uniquely lively museum, will focus on pirates in a special exhibit. Entitled "Teal Pirates", it emphasises the genuine article who roamed the West Indies during the heyday of privateers.

Main focus of attention is the Whydah, a British ship taken over by 18th-century pirates in the Caribbean. The museum has labelled it "the only authentic pirate ship ever recovered".

But Bermudians with their knowledge of things maritime will know more about such ships that have been salvaged than this writer.

Whydah sank off the coast of Cape Cod during a ferocious storm with few survivors and that event is recreated here in very realistic fashion. Now 250 years later, more than 200 artifacts have been recovered and are on display. They include cannons, swords, coins and treasures "looted from at least 50 ships".

Visitors are introduced to ship Captain Sam Bellamy and the colourful 143 men who were his crew. The shipwreck was discovered by underwater explorer Barry Clifford.

The exhibit opens in late May and runs until November 2. Cost includes admission to special exhibits and the Franklin Institute. Adults pay $23.25, children agedfour to 11 $17.50 and seniors $18.50. Evening rates are offered from Wednesday through Saturday. Adults pay $15, children and seniors $11. There are special rates for groups of 15 or more.

It opens at 9 a.m. with last entry at 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday through Saturday, last entry is 8 p.m. and on Sunday last entry is 7 p.m.

One of America's premier science centres, favourite permanent exhibits include The Franklin Air Show where the Wright Brothers' 1911 Model B Flyer is on display with other aircraft, the Sports Challenge with its batting cage, and The Train Factory, where visitors can board a 350-ton Baldwin steam locomotive.

It also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Museum and is both educational and fun, appealing to all ages.

Admittedly touring factories isn't everyone's cup of tea. But this traveller has always found them both educational and most interesting. A few hours at some exceptional one during your trip could be very rewarding.

Starting in school, we were exposed to a steady stream of such tours, with teachers intent on broadening our minds. Being shown the inner workings of Chicago's Continental Illinois Bank and the area Federal Reserve facility gave us an insight into major bank operations.

And to make sure we kept our eye on the straight and narrow, there was even a very extensive visit to the Illinois State Penitentiary!

Joining my parents on conventions, we went off on tours of everything from Ford Motor Company's River Rouge Plant that covered all the steps involved in making a car . . . from the steel mill, to a stamping plant, to the assembly line. It was fascinating stuff. From a Buster Brown Shoe factory to one making Caterpillar Tractors, we were kept busy while father attended conferences, and it was always remarkable to see how things were made.

My first job out of college involved editing a corporate magazine for a steel company, helping write its annual report, publications, and so on. As a consequence, there were numerous tours of other steel companies, who were also members of the Iron and Steel Institute. In retrospect, it was a unique opportunity as the youngest member of that group.

One such tour of Standard Oil of Indiana's refinery is remembered for its grand finale, which led through the research lab en route to lunch in the dining room. Giant Madagascar cockroaches in cages being used for who knows what kind of research did not enhance our appetite.

Consider picking one catering to your personal interest. One that's quite different is Harley Davidson's Vehicle Operation in York, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. It should hold special appeal for the men in the family. What many label "the most coveted motorcycle on the planet" have been manufactured since 1903.

Factory tours at this plant offer visitors a behind-the-scenes chance to see how they're made. They're guided, totally free and offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended summer programmes. The tour centre and gift shop are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For up-to-date information, call 877-883-1450 or check www.harley-davidson.com

Would it surprise you to learn one doesn't need to fly off to Europe to find castles, but some surprising ones actually exist in Pennsylvania? It certainly did me.

These are all National Historic Landmarks and owe their existence to a very unusual and talented individual. The man behind the castles was Henry Mercer, born in Doyleston, Pennsylvania in 1856.

A true Renaissance man, he became a tile maker, antiquarian, archaeologist, writer and artist.

Very involved in the arts and crafts movement of the early 20th century, his tilework is in historic buildings world-wide. Places such as Pennsylvania's State Capitol and Boston's Gardner Museum are some.

His "castles" and tile factory are open to visitors in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which is easily accessible just north of Philadelphia.

Fonthill, built in 1910, has 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces and 32 staircases. Walls are decorated with a variety of the elaborate and detailed tiles for which he was acclaimed, along with items from around the world.

Mercer Museum is a six-storey concrete castle dating to 1916. In it, his enormous collection of everyday, early American objects is displayed. They range from folk art, tools of every type, furnishings, even a whaler's boat and assorted horse-drawn carriages.

It's not every day one observes a vintage fire engine suspended overhead. Eclectic, to say the least, there is so much in this treasury that it takes hours to view.

Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works still uses Mercer's techniques for hand-making decorative tiles and mosaics. Would that all factories had such an imaginative decor . . . this one resembles a vintage Spanish mission.

Check www.mercermuseum.org., www.buckscounty.org / departments / tileworks, and www.fonthillmuseum.org. Hours are seasonal and admission can be by combination ticket.

For example, Fonthill Castle and the Mercer Museum cost $12 as a package for adults. Special senior and youth rates were not available at press time.

Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation administers the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, while the Mercer Museum and Fonthill are operated by Bucks County Historical Society and accredited by the American Association of Museums.

They're located on Route 313, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. For further information, the contact number is (215) 345-0210.

Next week we're off to discover more unusual, off-beat Cup Match possibilities. Not destinations for your whole weekend, but unusual places to spend some time if you're in that particular area.

One is the Spy Museum in Washington, DC, a real conversation stopper which was actually designed, created and run by people who were actually spies.

It's been widely acclaimed, and justly so.