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Oak is abundant in the 14,000-volume library, while art is found in almost all of the dozen and a half-odd rooms. Numerous depictions of [John Quincy Adams] and Abigail Adams, John Quincy and Louisa Adams, their contemporaries and relations hang on the walls and depict them at various stages in their lives. Our guide told us that John Adams, subject to vanity and pride like the rest of us, placed the portrait that he felt least flattering in the butler's pantry, the darkest part of the house. Across town are the houses where both John and John Quincy Adams were born. The two saltbox homes that sit side by side were built in 1663 and 1681 and stand as the oldest U.S. presidential birthplaces. John Adams' father, also named John Adams, and his mother, Susanna Boylston Adams, had four children in one house in what was then the North Precinct of Braintree. The house next door was bequeathed to John, the future president, in his father's will, and it was there that on July 11, 1767, John and Abigail's second child and first son, John Quincy, was born.

Since 1925, the local guys now known as saltwater cowboys have spent late July rounding up the wild ponies roaming free on Assateague Island, across Assateague Channel from Chincoteague, which is today a fully protected national seashore. On that Wednesday, the cowboys lead 100 or so ponies across the channel at slack tide on their storied swim, first made famous in Marguerite Henry's 1947 book, \"Misty of Chincoteague.\" Inside is a Misty marketplace, selling everything from Breyer horse models depicting Misty's genuine line to enough copies of Marguerite Henry's horsey novels to fill any kid's bookshelf. In a back room is the Memories of Misty Museum. Posters promoting the 1961 movie \"Misty,\" based on Henry's book, are on the walls, and in display cases are vintage photos taken during the filming of the movie here on Chincoteague, including snapshots of Henry with Beebe family members; the real Maureen Beebe and child actress Pam Smith, who played her; and other cast members in character as Chincoteague Beebes. 1) Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce Photo - The pony swim and penning, left, starts at Assateague Island. 2) AP Photo - Below, the wild ponies are rounded up by saltwater cowboys, who lead them across a channel onto Chincoteague Island. 3) Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce Cover Photo - And they're off: The herd takes to the water at Assateague Island National Park.; It's Pony Time. On a swim from Assateague in Maryland to Chincoteague in Virginia, these wild animals put on a show. Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce Cover Photo - And they're off: The herd takes to the water at Assateague Island National Park.

Prefer a locale on theme park property? In September 1999 Universal Orlando opened its first on-site lodging, Portofino, a major step in making this movie wonderland an all-inclusive resort. On a trip to Italy several years ago, Steven Spielberg was awed by the Mediterranean coast-hugging hamlet of Portofino. Spielberg suggested it as a model for a new hotel about to be built in Orlando; and nobody argues with Spielberg. From the trompe l'oeil paintings coating the hotel's exterior to the uneven roofline to the waterside piazza, accuracy is a hallmark of this pseudo Italy, right down to the imported olive trees. Everything at the Peabody Orlando, 27 stories high and 891 rooms full, is ducky. The soap in the guest rooms comes in the shape of ducks. Ask to take home your leftovers at the Peabody's B-Line Diner and your food comes wrapped in a tinfoil duck. The paintings on the walls at Dux, the hotel's signature restaurant, are of ducks. But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't find duck in any form on the menu. 1) Universal Studios Photo - For those who crave a bit of continental luxury on theme-park location, the Portofino Bay Hotel brings a taste of seaside Italy to Universal Orlando. 2) Peabody Orlando Hotel Photo - At the Orlando Peabody, the \"Duck Master\" puts his charges through their paces, left: 3) Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Photo - birds also rule the roof of the Swan winge of the Swan and Dolphin at Disney World, below. 4) Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort Photo - A \"Kidsuite,\" above, awaits inside a room at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort at Lake Buena Vista

Did the father of the country really throw a silver dollar across the fabled river? One can find the answer, sort of, at any of three of Washington's homes, all open to the public in Virginia. [George Washington] Birthplace National Monument sits near the region's other famed river, the Potomac, about 40 miles east of Fredericksburg. Ferry Farm, where young George came of age, is on the outskirts of Fredericksburg. And the home where he lived as an adult, Mount Vernon, is about 16 miles from the nation's capital that is named after him. If George Washington did indeed throw a silver dollar across the Rappahannock and chop down his father's cherry tree, the deeds were accomplished here, on the site of his boyhood home just across the river from historic Fredericksburg. The narratives telling those tales flowed from the prodigal pen of Parson Mason Weems at the turn of the 19th century. They are also the among the main reasons why this patch of real estate was saved in 1996 from being paved over and replaced by a (shudder!) Wal-Mart. It is now owned and operated by George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation, which also owns and operates Historic Kenmore, the nearby plantation home of Washington's sister Betty. Washington lived here from ages 6 through 20, and no buildings from his time stand. The original Washington main house burned on Christmas Eve 1740, when George was 8. Augustine Washington's replacement home lasted into the early 1800s, but it died a slow, crumbling death. The sole existing structure, a small, boxy, frame building with a brick chimney, was long regarded by locals as Washington's first surveyor's office. Research has since shown that it is built from materials dating to the 1890s and was probably a farmhand's house. Then again, the work done in the 1890s may have been a refurbishment of a much older building.

Nearby skiing: Alpine skiers staying at either inn head to Bromley (nine lifts, 43 trails and a vertical drop of 1,334 feet) a half hour away, and Stratton Mountain, 40 minutes away, with 16 lifts (including four high-speed, six-passenger lifts), 90 trails and a 2,003-foot drop. Cross-country skiers are usually found testing trails at Hildene (Robert Todd Lincoln's estate in Manchester) or Wild Wings in Peru. Those looking to tackle Robert Frost's \"road not taken\" make tracks to mountainous Merck Forest in Rupert, with 28 miles of ungroomed old logging roads. Unlike the fictitious [Dick Loudon], the very real [Maria von Trapp] was innkeeper of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. Von Trapp, matriarch of the family immortalized in \"The Sound of Music,\" came here in 1940, two years after escaping Hitler's Austria. Set your eyes on the surrounding mountains, and you will see why Maria chose this part of Vermont as her new home. Until her death in 1987, Maria was often seen greeting guests and signing her autobiography. Her son Johannes has taken over as company president. Nearby skiing: The Trapp Family Lodge maintains 55 kilometers of groomed and 45 additional ungroomed cross-country trails. The nearest alpine area is Stowe Mountain Resort, consisting of Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak (11 lifts, 48 trails). You will find Nordic skiing at Edson Hill (40 kilometers of groomed trails), Mount Mansfield (35 groomed kilometers) and Topnotch (25 groomed kilometers).

One becomes familiar here with the tale of Dr. [James Naismith] and his peach baskets. He was, in December 1891, a frustrated YMCA instructor straining his brain cells as he tried to devise an indoor game for rough, tough students tired of dull winter gym activities such as weight room and medicine ball workouts. Naismith came up with a plan which involved two cardboard boxes and a soccer ball. When the janitor could not find cartons, peach baskets were substituted. The rest is sports history. Lodging: Hilton Garden Inn, 800 W. Columbus Ave., next to hall of fame, 413-886-8000, doubles: $69-$199; Springfield Marriott, 1500 Main St., downtown Springfield, 413-781- 7111, doubles: $79-$165; Red Roof Inn, 1254 Riverdale St. (US5), exit 13A off I-91, 10 minutes from hall of fame, West Springfield, $47.99-$75.99. Photos by [Michael Schuman] - 1) The 246 enshrinees are honored with portraits on the third floor, top photo, 2) while above, a young girl tests her rebounding skills and 3) compares wingspans with a pro. 4) The new Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., has three levels, right, including a ground floor where you can shoot some free throws. Newsday Map / Linda McKenney - Area of detail - Springfield Massachusetts (not in text database).; COURTING FANS. At the new basketball hall of fame in Massachusetts, you can shoot hoops, call a game and learn some history. Cover Photo by Michael Schuman - Basketball Hall of Fame

He continues, \"There has been no revolution known in the history of mankind so memorable in its consequences ... \" The pews are filled with onlookers, some from the 19th century and wearing black coats or white frocks, others from the 21st , donning shorts, tee- shirts and Red Sox caps. Josiah Snow, a Southbridge, Mass., patriot wrote those words to celebrate the Fourth of July more than 150 years ago. Today they are part of a recreated Independence Day service. While the village common was the geographical center of most farming communities at the time, the spiritual and governmental center was the meetinghouse. The true separation of church and state was years in the future, and theology mixed with nationhood was common at the time. So was a two-hour-long meetinghouse service, which mercifully is reduced to a half hour for modern day visitors. Sturbridge lodging: Old Sturbridge Village Lodges and Oliver Wight House (10-room historic inn), 391 Main St., 800-733-1830, 508- 347-3327; doubles: $90-$120, packages including village admission and continental breakfast are available; Publick House Historic Inn & County Motor Lodge, 295 Main Street, (800-782-5425, 508-347- 3313), doubles and suites in main building and motor lodge: $104- $165; Days Inn, 66-68 Haynes St., doubles: $75-$150. Old Sturbridge Village Photos/Thomas O'Neill - 1) Above and 2) below, an exhibit on life in New England during the 1830s is on display at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts through January 2004. 3) Left, launching a stars-and-stripes balloon during last year's Fourth of July festivities.; An Old-Fashioned Fourth. At Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, an Independence Day the way it used to be. Old Sturbridge Village Photo/Thomas O'Neill - Volunteers in full military regalia fire a musket salute during holiday celebrations.

A guide focusing on the family's Irish heritage might point out the linen bedspreads embroidered with shamrocks and thistles in the master bedroom where the president was born. Another guide discussing [Rose Kennedy]'s influence on the children may direct your attention to the nursery, where a replica of young John's christening dress and his favorite books, \"King Arthur and His Knights\" and \"Billy Whiskers,\" are displayed. Rose said that she only chose books endorsed by reputable sources, such as schools or children's bookshops, although she admitted finding the drawings in \"Billy Whiskers\" too crude for her own tastes. Nearby is a simulated street corner, quintessential \"Main Street USA\" in 1960. Showing on two Zenith television sets in the window of Smith's Appliance Store are clips of \"Leave It to Beaver\" and \"77 Sunset Strip,\" punctuated by Kennedy presidential campaign ads. One window down is the JFK campaign headquarters with vintage buttons, brochures and bumper stickers. Kids will wonder about relics from the dark ages, such as the black rotary phone and manual typewriter. 1) National Park Service Photo - Clockwise from bottom left: The nursery at the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site at 83 Beals St., Brookline, Mass., where Kennedy was born; 2) a 1960 presidential campaign poster; 3) Photo by [Michael Schuman] - The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza in Dallas; 4) Photo by Robert Schoen - the Oval Office exhibit at the 5) Photo by Robert Schoen - John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, shown below.; ON THE JFK TRAIL. Had he lived, [John F. Kennedy Jr.] would have been 85 this week. In Boston and Dalas, they're keeping his memory alive.

Original pen and ink drawings, and if you look closely you can see a few places where white paper with corrections has been placed on the original strips, supplement posted descriptions of major \"Peanuts\" characters. Although \"Peanuts\" first appeared in October 1950, the exhibit is heavy on [Charles Schulz]'s later work. But distributed among the more recent strips are relics from \"Peanuts\" infant years, before the characters developed the personalities that would make them household names. In a strip dated Oct. 4, 1953, an unrecognizable Snoopy, looking more puppy-like with a flatter head and smaller neck, actually acts like a real dog, chasing a bird around his yard until he is tired and out of breath. Not all on view is traditional wall art. A small collection of vintage 1960s bobble-head dolls in one gallery dominates a display devoted to merchandising magic. In another, visitors examine the art of adding color to comics, from Schulz's way of assigning a numbered color from a chart to a specific area of his drawings to today's high- tech computerized comics. While adults sit in an easy chair and screen videos of Schulz explaining his craft, their kids can pore over an assortment of \"Peanuts\" books or fashion their own \"Peanuts\" strips in brochures stacked by the television monitor. In addition, a wall-length time line details the highlights of the lives of both Schulz and his characters. Avid \"Peanuts\" aficionados will likely already know how Schulz's drawings for his high school yearbook in 1940 were rejected and that Peppermint Patty made her debut in 1966. But how about this piece of \"Peanuts\" lore: Charlie Brown was first called a blockhead in 1958.

That impromptu taste test was part of the annual \"17th Century Celebration\" held the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Historic Deerfield in western Massachusetts. The 14 museum houses which comprise the complex known as Historic Deerfield date from the early 1700s to the mid 1800s. An herbs expert, known in her day as a simpler, (\"simples\" were home remedies) passed around small glass containers of sage mixed with oil, to bring out the essence of the sage. The potent fragrance cleared out our sinuses, and we learned that was its purpose. This was no basic potpourri mixed purely for aesthetics. \"It would be rubbed on your temples to get rid of headaches,\" we were told. Cook then offered us a sample of sugar-coated ginger, explaining that even in the 17th century ginger was regarded as an antidote for uneasy stomachs. Contemporary folklore also dictated that a horse chestnut in one's hand cured arthritis and three juniper berries in one's pocket allowed \"the wind to be at your backs and you to be safe when you walked in the woods.\" There is more here than herbs. Upstairs a basket maker graciously noted, \"If I didn't have your help I'd need six hands,\" as he thanked the kids who held down strips of ash wood as he did his craft. He described his methods as those used by early New Englanders-a combined art of traditional English basket-making skills and Indian fish-basket-making techniques.