Last week, a star performer at SeaWorld tragically killed its trainer before a live audience. The star in question was a killer whale named Tilikum, who was captured in the wild off the coast of Iceland many years ago. Since his capture, he has been made to perform for audiences in theme parks in Canada and the United States. While debates may rage about whether or not creatures like killer whales should be kept in captivity and turned into performers, there’s no question that seeing such an animal in its natural habitat is an incomparable—and elusive—experience.

Orlando is already renowned for its family-friendly attractions, but Universal Orlando is giving kids--and quite a few adults!--a new reason to book a flight to Florida: a Harry Potter amusement park.

I'm all about getting sporty on my trips. When I was training for the NYC marathon, I had to visit Washington, D.C. at a crucial point of my training. Instead of halting training or spending hours running on the hotel treadmill, I hired a running guide through City Running Tours who took me on a sightseeing run through our nation's capital.

So when I heard about a physical fitness event  -- again, in Washington, DC -- coming up on October 11, I thought I would share it with you. Bike for the Heart is a day-long event put on by the Sister to Sister organization, a group dedicated to educating women about heart health and risk prevention and providing free heart health checkups.

The day consists of four events:

 - a family-friendly five-mile bike ride around our nation's capital (this would be my choice)

The man who once said, “I’ll always be Peter Pan in my heart,” had enough money, at age 29, to realize his own personal Neverland. When Michael Jackson purchased 2,700 acres in Santa Barbara County’s Los Olivos hills, he set out to create a retreat where he’d never have to grow up. He populated the grounds with whimsical landscaping, wild animals, manufactured lakes, and even a steam-powered railroad.

For years, Michael Jackson lived there within a giant mansion overlooking Neverland Ranch’s various amusements, including a giant ferris wheel, a zoo (remember Bubbles the chimp?), a classic carousel, and a glorified tree house. He sprinkled the property with a video arcade and movie theater, tennis courts, and a clock made entirely of flowers. Then he opened up the doors of his ranch, and invited children in. And we all know what happened after that...

Recently, the Roaming Gnome and I had the opportunity to visit Universal Orlando. Oh the fun we had -- I faced my fear and rode The Incredible Hulk Coaster and R.Gnome got down and sang "All the Small Things" at the Rising Star karaoke bar.

But it was not all fun and games! There was work to be done as well. At the top of the list was spreading the word about Universal Orlando's sweet summer offer. There were lots of interviews on that deal and others, but just in case you missed it, you can watch this video for details on the deal, our Traveler Confidence Report and Universal Orlando's soon-to-open Rip Ride Rockit!

About 10 years ago, Hollywood wasn’t really much to see. Rundown and dirty, you had to dodge the homeless and their shopping carts to see the handprints in the ground at Mann’s Chinese Theater. The stars on the Walk of Fame had lost their luster, and many tourists went back home disappointed. But last weekend, I headed to Hollywood for the first time in years, and was shocked. It’s got its star power back! The streets are clean, the stars are bright, and stores like H&M have opened up and are thriving. Once again, Hollywood is the land of movie stars and fancy cars--and I was about to have a weekend straight out of the pages of Us Weekly.

Photo: Me and a scary new friend at the Quarantine movie premiere.

Did you know that in Mexico you can visit a place where you go through a mock border crossing? Uh, yeah. That's right. For extreme tourists or practicing wanna-be crossers there is a tourist attraction that is luring (and also is alluring) to some who are looking for an, er, escape.

Today’s theme park goers have more than 600 amusement parks and traditional attractions to choose from in the U.S. alone, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, leaving adrenaline-seekers a myriad of options for their next vacation. With spring break approaching and vacationers making their getaway plans, Travelocity editors dug deep to compile coasters, thrillers and soakers from across the country that top the list of amusement park favorites.