All that jazz -- coming to Montreal for the 30th time

One of North America's premier musical events, the Montreal Jazz Festival, will celebrtate its 30th anniversary June 30-July 12. Among the many performers will be such greats as Ornette Coleman, Tony Bennett, Oliver Jones, Joe Cocker, Al Jarreau, Jeff Beck, Jackson Browne, Buddy Guy, Brian Setzer Orchestra, and Dave Brubeck. There will be many new events, many free events, and many old favorites such as the Montreal Guitar Show.

For details, visit montrealjazzfest.com. For a 30th anniversary hotel-and-event package, starting at about $150 U.S., click here.

A Caribbean treasure hunt awaits you

Through May 23, you can try to win one of 70 daily trips for two to Curacao, but it gets even better. You also have a chance to  be one of 10 finalists who will fly to the Caribbean island where pirates once roamed, and have a chance to uncover where $500,000 is hidden. Maybe the odds aren't with you, but it sounds like fun.

You can enter once a day at www.curacaotreasure.com.
 

An animal-oriented trip around the world

Travelers who love animals should love the movie "earth," now in theaters. I certainly did. From the desert to the mountains to the tundra to the rainforest, the film amazes, delights and surprises as it shows the spendors and dangers of nature. Among my favorite scenes was that of a New Guinea bird of paradise trying to impress a female by strutting his stuff -- and I do mean strutting. And because this is Mother's Day, let us mention that some of earth's finest mothers are depicted: birds teaching their babies to fly, an elephant protecting her calf from predators, and a whale taking its child 4,000 miles,  from the tropics to Antarctica,  in search of food.

Let's not forget wondrous Worcester

Worcester, in central Massachusetts, is an often-overlooked tourist destination. Recently, I spent several enjoyable hours with a 5-year-old at the city's science-oriented EcoTarium, and thought about pleasing places, such as the Higgins Armory Museum with its  shining armor, the Worcester Historical Museum, the Hanover Theatre and the Tower Hill Botanic Garden. There are several other attractions, too.

   For discounts and coupons, click here.

Hurricane humor

New Orleans has hardly forgotten Hurricane Katrina, but the city can sometimes smile about it. Take the inscription on this T-shirt still being sold:  “Drove My Chevy to the Levy but the Levy Was Gone!” Another shirt defines FEMA as “Fix Everything, My Ass.”