7 Amazing One-Tank Trips

120 miles (one-way)
Mountainous Catskill Park, the East Coast's answer to Yellowstone (well, sort of), encompasses the old Borscht Belt resorts and the town of Woodstock, namesake of the historic 1969 concert. At the park's edge, the Dai Bosatsu Buddhist monastery in pretty Livingston Manor offers tours of the lakeside Japanese architecture (by appointment) and weekend introductions to Zen Buddhism.

52 miles
Idyllic scenery that inspired writers from Pearl S. Buck to James Michener is just the beginning. In arts-obsessed New Hope, the Bucks County Playhouse is a traditional testing ground for Broadway productions, and the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle in Doylestown offer Early American crafts demonstrations. Other area activities include antiques hunting, gallery hopping and river tubing. 

8 miles
Alexandria's brick-and-cobblestone Old Town boasts row upon row of 18th- and 19th-century buildings, including Gadsby's Tavern, where George Washington reviewed his troops; the house where Robert E. Lee grew up; and Christ Church, where both men worshipped. Washingtonians descend on the area for its cute boutiques, art galleries and wonderful restaurants. 

150 miles
Wisconsin is known for cheese, beer and its eco-conscious, gay- and family-friendly capital — a university town brimming with culture. En route from Chicago, stop in the Swiss enclave of Monroe, with its many cheese producers. In Madison, take in the State Street Walking Tour, the new Museum of Contemporary Art, Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace community center and the twice-weekly Dane County Farmers' Market. 

136 miles
Hole up in a romantic inn, and explore Great Barrington's specialty shops and restaurants at your leisure. Follow the Housatonic River Walk, a bucolic path along the river that once powered mills and factories, and stroll through the W.E.B. DuBois River Garden, named for the civil rights leader who was born 200 feet away. 

54 miles
Due north from America's fourth-largest city, you can browse antiques in the old railroad town of Spring, tour the waterways of Woodlands by water taxi and sample the vintages along the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. When you reach the lake, you'll find myriad water sports, golf and virtually unlimited hiking along the Lone Star Hiking Trail in Sam Houston State National Forest. 

70 miles
Sonoma County, Napa Valley's larger but less visited neighbor, is endowed with five major wine regions, a lightly traveled coastline, a farm trail and specialty nurseries that dot country roads. Base yourself in Occidental, famous for its family-style Italian dinners, and enjoy its quirky shops and galleries and its remote Grove of Old Trees, a protected stand of primeval, old-growth redwoods. 

• Beautiful American castles
• Must-visit international destinations
• World's best cruise ports
• Romantic getaways for couples
• America's historic walks and trails