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Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Introduction","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080507/080507-Walt%20Disney-hmed-253p.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Mickey Mouse at Disney World", "", "", "", "", "", "Joe Raedle", "Getty Images file", "273", "404", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/\"> <img src=\" http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/source-msnbc-com-newlogo.gif\" border=0></a><P ALIGN=LEFT><i>By Rob Lovitt, contributor</i></BR><br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"> Introduction </p></b><p><br>Call it the upside to the economic downturn: Airlines are slashing fares, hotels are dropping rates and cities across the country are touting free deals and affordable activities.</BR><br>So, where to go? Well, according to <A HREF=\"http://press.hotwire.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=190\" target=\"_blank\">a recent Hotwire study</A>, the best vacation values can be found in cities that combine reasonable travel costs (for example, low or discounted airfares, hotels and rental cars) and plenty of affordable entertainment options.</BR><br>And the winners are ... Orlando, Fla., and nine other cities. If any of them are on your travel to-do list this spring, click on the arrows above to learn ways to make the good deals even better.<br>";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Orlando, Fla.","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/090302_Orlando_hmed.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Family jumping in pool", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Masterfile Corporation", "273", "411", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Named the No. 3 destination for vacation value last year, Orlando snagged the top spot this year thanks to a slew of new deals and bargains. The <A HREF=\"http://www.orlandoinfo.com/smile/offers/\" target=\"_blank\">Orlando Smile Card program</A>, for example, offers discounts (free drinks, free nights, 2-for-1 admissions) at more than 100 local businesses through June 30. Also new this year, <A HREF=\"http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=FreeOnYourBirthdayPage\" target=\"_blank\">Disney is offering free admission</A> to one U.S. theme park to anyone who shows up on his or her birthday.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Atlanta","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/081104-atlanta-1-hmed-11a.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park ", "", "", "", "", "", "John Bazemore", "AP file", "223", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Music is definitely in the air in Atlanta this spring &#151; and a lot of it can be heard for free. Head to <A HREF=\"http://www.centennialpark.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Centennial Olympic Park</A> for the Music at Noon (12&#150;1 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays) and Wednesday Wind Down series (5:30&#150;8 p.m.), <A HREF=\"http://www.arts.emory.edu/calendar/gridview.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">Emory University</A> for student and faculty recitals and <A HREF=\"http://spiveyhall.org/concerts/index.php?secID=2&subSecID=3&eventType=14\" target=\"_blank\">Spivey Hall</A> at Clayton State University (in nearby Morrow) for a quartet of free concerts.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Denver","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_060605_DenverSS/060605_DenverSS_tease.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Denver skyline", "", "", "", "", "", "Stan Obert", "Denver Visitors Bureau", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Who says culture has to cost an arm and a leg? The <A HREF=\"http://www.denverartmuseum.org\" target=\"_blank\">Denver Art Museum</A> offers free admission to kids under 18 (through March 29) and to everyone on the first Saturday of every month. (Special exhibits are extra.) Meanwhile, seats for the <A HREF=\"http://www.coloradosymphony.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Colorado Symphony Orchestra</A> start at just $15, with upcoming performances featuring Tito Puente Jr., John Pizzarelli and the music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_060501_dallasSS/Slide_01G_-_Dallas_Skyline_tease.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Dallas skyline", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Dallas Convention & Visitors Bur", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Maybe they should just call April Free Art and Entertainment Month around the Metroplex. Deep Ellum, Dallas&#146; most eclectic neighborhood, hosts the <A HREF=\"http://www.meifestivals.com/deepspr.html\" target=\"_blank\">Deep Ellum Arts Festival</A>, April 3&#150;5. The <A HREF=\"http://mainstreetartsfest.org/home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival</A>, April 16&#150;19, bills itself as &#147;four days of fine art, food, fun and festivities.&#148; And the <A HREF=\"http://www.dentonjazzfest.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Denton Arts and Jazz Festival</A>, April 24&#150;26, promises more than 2,200 performers on six stages.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Phoenix","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_060710_phoenix/ss_060710_phoenix_tease.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Miami Art Deco hotel ", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>If you hurry, you can still make the tail end of the <A HREF=\"http://www.cactusleague.com\" target=\"_blank\">Cactus League baseball season</A>, which ends April 2. This year, visitors can catch two new teams &#151; the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians &#151; in two new ballparks where berm seating goes for as little as $8. Other seasonal deals include free outdoor movies at <A HREF=\"http://www.shopbiltmore.com/events.asp?id=9160\" target=\"_blank\">Biltmore Fashion Park on Friday nights</A> and <A HREF=\"http://www.elpedregal.com/pdfs/el_Pedregal_Wine__Jazz_Spring_Series_2009.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">free jazz concerts at el Pedregal</A> on Sunday afternoons.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Houston","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_060629_houston/ss_060629_houston_tease.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Johnson Space Center in Houston", "", "", "", "", "", "Matthew Stockman", "Getty Images", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Within walking distance of nearly a dozen hotels, <A HREF=\"http://www.discoverygreen.com\" target=\"_blank\">Discovery Green</A> is not only the newest park in downtown Houston (opened April 2008), it&#146;s also the city&#146;s most convenient spot for free entertainment. Among the zero-cost options this spring: Nintendo Wii tournaments (Thursdays through April 30), live music (Thursdays and Sundays) and exercise classes, including Pilates, Tai Chi and yoga (schedule varies).";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Los Angeles","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_060511_LAss/ss_060511_LAss_12.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Glenn Cormier/lacvb", "L.A. Convention & Visitors Burea", "273", "350", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Need a break from the crowds at the usual tourist spots? If so, make like a local and visit one of the surprising natural oases scattered around the metropolitan area. Head to <A HREF=\"http://www.sanpedro.com/sp_point/ptfmpk.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Point Fermin Park</a> in San Pedro, where the ocean views stretch to Santa Catalina Island, or to the <A HREF=\"http://www.laparks.org/dos/horticulture/sepulvedabasin.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve</a> in Van Nuys, where you can almost forget that you&#146;re just steps from the 405.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Tampa, Fla.","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-080112-tampa-travel/ss-080112-tampa-travel-tease.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Tampa skyline", "", "", "", "", "", "Chris O'meara", "AP", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Opened in January, the <A HREF=\"http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Tampa Bay History Center</A> is the latest addition to Tampa&#146;s bustling Channelside district. Inside, interactive exhibits span 12,000 years of local history and chronicle the influence of Native Americans, European explorers and modern-day tycoons. Adult admission is $12. For another slice of history, check out the &#147;Tarpon Tales and Sport Fishing in Early Florida&#148; exhibit, which opens at the <A HREF=\"http://www.plantmuseum.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Henry B. Plant Museum</A> on March 27 (admission: $5).";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Washington, D.C.","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/ArtAndPhoto-Fronts/TRAVEL/080611/080611-washington-hmed-3p.hmedium.jpg","","Image: U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument", "", "", "", "", "", "Haraz N. Ghanbari", "AP file", "273", "391", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>There are, of course, the many museums and monuments, but did you know Washington is home to more embassies than any other city in the world? You can visit dozens of them during the second annual <A HREF=\"http://www.passportdc.org\" target=\"_blank\">Passport DC</A> event, which runs April 30-May 9. Free highlights include an Embassy Open House (May 2) and International Children&#146;s Festival (May 9), with many embassies offering additional exhibitions and performances throughout the 10-day event.";

Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i++] = new Array("","Chicago","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_060724_chicago/ss_060724_chicago_tease.hmedium.jpg","","Image: cyclists in Chicago", "", "", "", "", "", "Charles Rex Arbogast", "AP file", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Travel_Lovitt_ValueVacations_090324[i-1].body = "<br><b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\"><headline/></p></b>Long famous for its public art and architecture, Chicago adds even more to the cultural mix this spring. On April 1, the iconic Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park will reopen after a $25 million renovation. From April 1 to May 31, the Chicago Tourism Center will showcase <A HREF=\"http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/about_the_city/press_room/chicago_office_of/Officially_Unofficial_-_Inspired_Art_for_Obama_Exhibition.html\" target=\"_blank\">&#147;Officially Unofficial &#151; Inspired Art for Obama</A>.&#148; And on April 9, <A HREF=\"http://www.millenniumpark.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Millennium Park</A> will unveil new installations by four of China&#146;s leading sculptors. None of it will cost you a dime.";

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