By Greg Baedeker

After an exhausting run of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, you need a vacation.  It’s important to get out of New Orleans from time-to-time to keep your sanity.  With Spring Break near, what do you choose: sun or snow?

For sun close to home, everyone knows the Destin-Panama City Beach area.  A mere four-to-five hour drive from New Orleans, the Redneck Riviera is known for its white sandy beaches, fresh seafood, and great night life.  For a partying Spring Break check out Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort in Panama City Beach.  The Sandpiper is famous for being Spring Break Party Central, and with a nightclub right in the hotel you can’t go wrong.

For some different Florida sun, consider Orlando, which has a little bit of everything for everyone.  Sure, it’s Mickey Mouse Central, but there are even things in Magic Kingdom that any Wicked Stepmother could love.

Getting there is easy; Orlando is about a 12 hour drive from New Orleans, or non-stop flights on Southwest were available for $220 at press time.  Orlando can be anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees warmer than New Orleans during the spring, so chances are you’ll have good weather.

If you decide to go to Orlando be sure to reserve a hotel well in advance.  A great hotel to consider is Rosen Shingle Creek.  Rosen Shingle Creek is situated on 230 acres of lush landscape and is Central Florida’s newest and most luxurious hotel. Its stunning grand lobby welcomes you into a world of lavish choices, complete with luxury accommodations, enticing restaurants, and a championship golf course.  Rosen Shingle Creek also features plenty of swimming pools and a world-class spa if golf is not your thing.  Visit their website www.rosenshinglecreek.com for more info.

On any visit to Orlando you’ll for sure want to include a visit to Walt Disney World.  Walt Disney is now comprised of four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.  The parks are fairly close to each other and can be reached via the Disney Monorail; however, to cut down on your monorail time it’s best to visit Epcot and Magic Kingdom together on one day and Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom on the other.  Disney World of Sports is also home to the Atlanta Braves Spring Training games; check the web for dates and you can catch some baseball as well.

If you are travelling without children then two days at Disney should suffice, and you may be more interested in visiting Universal Studios.  Universal is a little less fairy tale-ish and features more roller coasters and thrill rides.

Universal is now made up of two parks that are just a few hundred yards from each other.  In between the parks are a Hard Rock Café, Margaritaville, Emeril’s Orlando, and other such restaurants.  Some highlights at Universal include the Dueling Dragons Roller Coaster, the Jurassic Park Rolling River ride, and the Shrek 4-D show.

If thrill rides are your thing be sure to check out Fun Spot Action Park.  Located a few blocks from the shopping mecca of Prime Outlets on International Drive, Fun Spot offers all sorts of great rides for kids and grown-ups alike without the long lines or character fluff.  Fun Spot’s star attraction is their multi-level go-kart tracks.

While sun is nice, a little snow may be better…especially with the hot summer right around the corner.  Every person should try skiing at least once in his life, and this may be the time for you.  When considering ski resorts, you have to go with the King: Vail, Colorado.

Vail is consistently rated the top ski resort in North America.  Not only is it one of the most efficiently run resorts in the U.S., but it’s the biggest.  Vail is seven miles wide and features 5,289 acres of freeride terrain.  On average there are only two skiers per acre, so you know that you’ll have plenty of room to maneuver.  Vail’s longest run is a whopping four miles long.

The best way to get to Vail is to fly directly into Vail Airport via Houston, Atlanta, or Dallas on any of the major carriers.  A flight at press time was only $275 round trip, and Vail Airport is a mere 25 minutes from the resort; this is a much better (and often cheaper) route than flying to Denver and then driving the 2 1/2 hours to Vail.

There are many options of where to stay in Vail, ranging from budget to extravagant.  The internet is a great place to research where to stay, with sites like VRBO and Homeaway offering properties for rent by owner.  There’s also a new Holiday Inn property in Vail that is affordable and offers free shuttle service to the ski areas.

If you have never skied before, lessons are a must.  Vail offers fantastic packages for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skiers.  First time skiers can book three days of lessons with lift tickets and rentals for $380…which breaks down per day to about the same price as a ticket to Disney.

The town of Vail is known for its amazing restaurants; again, the internet is your best bet to researching where to eat.  Forget about jambalaya and gumbo, though.  Vail and Colorado are known for their wonderful lamb, venison, buffalo, and other game animals.  For a real adventure make a reservation at Tennessee Pass Cookhouse in nearby Leadville; there you hike to a small cabin (called a yurt) on the side of a mountain that has no electricity to dine on food cooked with gas or over wood.

No matter if you choose sun or snow, it’s best to start planning right away if you haven’t started yet.  You can also try vacation packages from many of the airlines that include flight, hotel, and rental car.  Get out of town and get rested before the start of the busy festival season!