While Napa is well-known for its plentiful vineyards and production of fine California wine, the area also possesses a prime collection of local brews. This is the Battle of the Brews' 16th year in Sonoma County, and vacationers who book Napa Valley timeshare rentals in late March can be a part of the ale action.

Presented by the 20-30 Club of Santa Rosa, this year's event will add two new competitions to the festival itinerary. In the first annual Craft Cup, some of the most prominent micro-breweries from around the country will offer judges their best specialty craft beers to compete for the title. Additionally, the Bite Club Eats 'Wich Hunt will highlight the most delicious sandwiches from local chefs.

Over 30 breweries, 20 different food vendors and live music performances will satisfy guests all day long.

While guests on timeshare vacations are enjoying themselves at the indulgent affair, they will also be actively participating in a charitable organization, as all of the proceeds of the event directly benefit the lives of young children in need in Sonoma County through the Active 20-30's Youth Benevolent Fund.

San Francisco is an urban hotspot for art, famed restaurants, chic wine bars, specialty boutiques and more. Vacationers with timeshare rentals in the busy city will have jam-packed agendas during their visit, dining at the trendy pubs and cafes and savoring the breathtaking sights of the Golden Gate Bridge, Telegraph Hill and Chinatown. For those who land hot vacation deals in the spring and venture to the West Coast, three starkly different festivals await, offering a celebration of culture, the arts and nature in the city of San Francisco.

Chinese New Year Festival & Parade
Aside from celebrations in Asia, the San Francisco Chinese New Year festival is the largest spectacle to ring in the new year. Travelers who book vacation rentals in San Francisco during the month of February can take part in this massive parade on Saturday, February 11. Involving two major fairs – the Chinese New Year Flower Fair and Chinatown Community Street Fair – a Miss Chinatown USA competition, and the New Year Parade, the massive celebration is the largest general market event in Northern California, according to its official website.

The year 2012 will mark the year of the Dragon. According to ancient Chinese culture, the Dragon is the mightiest of all zodiac signs. The 2012 New Year Parade in San Francisco will have many floats featuring the ferocious creature and will end traditionally with the Golden Dragon and over 600,000 firecrackers.

San Francisco International Film Festival
The longest-running film festival in the Americas, the San Francisco International Film Festival has grown since 1957, transforming into a two-week showcase of film discovery and innovation featuring over 150 films. Approximately 80,000 individuals attend the cinema extraordinaire each year.

This past fall season, Bay Area audience members were given the opportunity to delve deep into the various genres of film and make their own assumptions on which cinematic debut should be held higher than the rest. The acclaimed festival will take place in spring 2012.

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
Another widely acclaimed celebration of Asian tradition, the 45th annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Northern California will hit the streets on Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, and April 21-22.  The event garners an attendance of roughly 200,000 people, celebrating Japanese culture in San Francisco’s Japantown. Food booths, cultural performances, martial arts, live bands, the annual Queen program and more will fill Post Street between Laguna and Fillmore during this two-weekend event.

Travelers booking cheap vacation deals in Hawaii during the spring can soak in the rich island culture at the annual Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration from April 8-14, 2012. The spectacle first spread joy to Hawaiians in 1964, and preserved and promoted the art of hula and the native heritage through education every year since. Individuals of all ages are invited to share their knowledge of the art of ancient and modern hula.

Consisting of art exhibits, craft fairs, demonstrations, performances and a parade, the festival leaves little room for idle time among its anxious guests. The most anticipated event of the entire festival is the three-day hula competition, a celebration that honors the island’s history and culture to future Hawaiian generations.

The preparation for the Hawaiian dance festival is much longer than the seven-day period of celebration. Hula studios and instructors in Hawaii and on the U.S. mainland hold seminars and workshops year-round to teach the art of hula, native chants, Hawaiian clothing, the language and overall history of the people.

The festival dedicates its celebration each year to King David Kalakaua, who claimed the Hawaiian Kingdom throne in 1874 until his death in 1891. Known as the Merrie Monarch, the ruler cherished the arts and restored cultural traditions during his reign. Thousands of participants join in the hula celebration each year and those who book vacation rentals on Hilo in Hawaii can learn from new and old generations of Hawaii’s rich history of music and dance.

Outdoorsy families on the hunt for vacation rentals jam-packed with natural recreation can book their next trip at Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America.

Families can savor the outdoors in all its glory, including the clear water of the lake, the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains, massive groves of pines and sunsets that take their lucky viewer’s breath away. South Lake Tahoe can entertain the most hard-to-please child, with hot-air balloon rides, helicopter tours and enormous arcades. For families who choose to take advantage of the natural world in its prime, the outdoor activities of Lake Tahoe’s south shore are what brings visitors back year after year. Whether travelers snag hot vacation deals at the enormous lake of the Golden State in the winter or summer, the list of enjoyable activities is endless.

Winter at Lake Tahoe
The ski resorts at South Lake Tahoe attract skiers and snowboarders of all levels with their well-manicured slopes, and those looking for a cross-country tour can cruise through the acres of backcountry trails.

For the out-of-the-box winter enthusiast, opportunities to snowshoe or snowmobile are available at the wide variety of resort rentals in South Lake Tahoe. For an even wilder experience, the winter enthusiast can engage in activities such as human sled bowling or dog sledding.

South Lake Tahoe summer fun
Outdoor activities in the summertime at the pristine West Coast lake can send a lover of the great outdoors into a joyful frenzy, not knowing where to begin. Of course, at the continent’s largest lake, water recreation is a given. Climb aboard a sailboat for a sunset cruise, ride a speed boat at Zephyr Cove, or partake in a family fishing competition in the waters of the lake with 75-feet visibility below.

Hiking through Desolation Wilderness can be a week-long adventure, exploring its subalpine and alpine forest, granite peaks and glacial valleys and lakes. Some of the greatest trails for hiking run parallel to legendary mountain biking courses that can accommodate any skill level.

The Saxon Creek Trail – also known as Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – is not for the faint-hearted mountain biker. With abundant drops and rock gardens, the experienced biker is sure to enjoy the challenge of the accurately nicknamed wild ride. For those who aim to enjoy the view of the ride more than the sweat flying off their bodies, the Flume Trail Ride may be more suitable. A nearly flat trail, the course sits 1600 feet above the east shore of Lake Tahoe and a half-mile away from the shoreline in some places. In short, the view is spectacular.

Most vacationers with plans to book vacation rentals in Las Vegas intend on taking advantage of the luxurious nightlife scene that the city of sin has to offer. Attractions, bars, nightclubs, casinos and late-night lounges are a mere handful of activities to engage in while visiting Vegas. When only staying in the bustling vacation spot for a weekend, the options can be overwhelming. Those with hot vacation deals in Las Vegas can benefit from knowing a bit about the more exclusive and luxurious nightlife destinations before arriving on The Strip.

Nightlife at The Wynn
XS Nightclub is one of the most expensive clubs ever built, with over $100 million dollars for its initial inception(awk, rework). The club is situated in The Wynn’s second tower, Encore, and offers guests swim-up blackjack tables in the pool and a 40,000-sq.(spell out) foot bottle service area. The decor features 30 outdoor cabanas, and 10,600 lights in its surroundings. Visitors to XS may want to be on the lookout for celebrities, as it is one of the most prestigious and well-known hot spots in the city.

Another high-class destination located at The Wynn, Tryst nightclub offers the view of an enormous waterfall from virtually anywhere inside its walls. Red velvet covers the walls and surrounds the ornate and royal mirrors and furniture that complete the luxurious decor. Another spot frequently filled with incognito celebrities, the ultra-lounge vibe of Tryst is sure to make any Vegas vacationer an annual visitor.

The Venetian lounge
The nearly six-year-old nightclub TAO has kept visitors coming back for more since its grand opening. Bathtubs sprinkled with rose petals and filled with bikini-clad beauties compose some of the interior of the multi-level, Asian-themed restaurant, club and lounge in The Venetian resort. On a Saturday night, clubgoers can begin the bottle service at $450 a pop. Attendees of the swanky club can stand atop the terrace, sipping a TAO-tini while gazing at The Strip and the gondolas of the resort.

The beauty of MGM Grand
Famed for its supermodel bartenders, cocktail servers and hosts, Club Tabu is continuously filled to capacity with the city’s most beautiful people and partygoers ready to dance on tables. Tabu’s themed events are extremely popular, catering some nights to locals involved in hospitality services and other evenings to the city’s best movers and break dancers in dance-themed raves with the greatest DJs crafting wall-shaking beats.

The Panaewa Rain Forest Zoo is located in Hilo, Hawaii, and is the residence of the white Bengal tiger, Namaste. The blue-eyed, massive feline brings tourists and island residents to the park regularly, and is a must-see when visitors book vacation rentals at Hawaii’s Big Island.

Namaste, which is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates to “aloha” and also a common greeting in Hindu culture, was donated to the rainforest zoo by a Las Vegas magician named Dirk Arthur. Those who visit Panaewa Zoo can stop by Namaste’s enclosed habitat and watch his daily feeding at 3:30.

While the future for tigers in their natural habitats is at risk – with three of the original eight races now extinct – the Indian, or Bengal, tiger is the best situated of the races, with 3,000-5,000 still surviving in the world. Overall, the condition of tigers is a declining one, as they are considered an endangered species.

A variety of other rainforest and endangered Hawaiian animals populate the zoo, including spider monkeys, lemurs, the Hawaiian state bird – the nene geese – and over 80 other species. The zoo covers 12 acres and is open daily to visiting animal lovers and vacationers with timeshare rentals on the islands of Hawaii.

One walking tour that has seen marriage proposals, Valentine’s dates and sweet afternoon getaways is the San Francisco Gourmet Chocolate Tour. Travelers with timeshare rentals in the bustling city of San Francisco can set aside three hours on a Saturday afternoon to wander the city waterfront to Union Square, tasting the delectable goods that some of the nation’s finest chocolatiers have to offer.

Chocoholics may feel they have entered a dreamland on their walking tour, stepping foot in Ghirardelli’s first-ever chocolate boutique, which opened during the Gold Rush. Samples of dark chocolate, assorted truffles crafted with farmer’s market ingredients, champagne truffles, specialty ganaches and a blind chocolate tasting showcasing 225 different bars are a mere sampling of what visitors will sink their teeth into on this gourmet tour.

Receiving high accolades from the Travel Channel, which deemed the three-hour stroll one of the nation’s top food tours, Trip Advisor, CNN and more, the chocolate tour is an attraction that San Francisco residents and visitors passing through are not to miss.

The company’s tour guides have worked with culinary giants like the Food Network, Haagen-Dazs and several popular blogs about food and travel, and each one aims to give each visitor a unique taste of the sweetness of San Francisco.

California’s best artisan cheeses, breakfast tacos, house-cured meats, award-winning extra virgin olive oil, Napa riverfront seafood, samples from local chocolatiers and, of course, its finest wines can all be on the lucky travelers’ plates after booking vacation rentals in California’s wine country, Napa Valley.

Gourmet Walks is a company that offers food and wine tours at various California locations, including three-hour walking tours of downtown Napa. Offered year-round, the mile-long route provides seven stops with tastings at each spot.

The 12-person tour begins at Oxbow Market, a public community of vendors who pride themselves in selling only fresh and local products. Visitors will taste the season’s specialty foods and produce, then cross the Napa River to visit 19th century historic buildings to learn about and sample the latest trends in California food and wine.

Travelers can learn the rich history of Napa Valley on the walking tour with the knowledgeable and educated tour guides on staff. According to tourist reviews of the tours, past vacationers enjoying their timeshare rentals in Napa Valley learned of the city’s offerings beyond its traditional wine culture and encourage others to do the same.

West coast residents and vacationers with timeshare rentals in California don’t have to travel all the way to Florida to participate in a charms lesson or witness a Quidditch match at Hogwarts. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will soon be crafting spells and concocting its best polyjuice potions at its second location at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The new theme park could take three to four years to construct and will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a press release from Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal, but will also create over 1,000 jobs. The park will somewhat mirror its Orlando counterpart, with a massive Hogwarts castle centerpiece as well as featured rides and attractions based on the adventures of Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the wizarding gang.

Although no one can predict the success of the upcoming amusement park, Orlando’s figures – 7 million visitors in its first year and a 33 percent boost to NBCUniversal’s theme park revenue – provide the second edition of the wizarding world with a potentially bright and positive future.

Harry Potter aficionados who are considering a trip to Los Angeles in the near future can plan ahead and book their time share vacation rentals for the grand opening of the magical amusement park potentially by 2014.

Many stories buzz about the true history of Alcatraz, the notorious former prison located on Alcatraz Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. For 29 years, the fortress operated as a U.S. penitentiary as the federal government’s response to post-Prohibition, post-Depression America.

Then-attorney general Homer Cummings issued an in-house memo regarding the creation of a special prison for kidnappers, racketeers and individuals guilty of predatory crimes. Essentially, Alcatraz was created as an experimental model to house difficult prisoners under one roof.

While the Hollywood version has made the prison’s former residents the focal point of the landmark, the wealth of stories goes much deeper than which inmates resided in its cells. Vacationers with timeshare rentals in San Francisco can embark on a cruise to the island and learn tales of the institution that others may not know about.

Visitors of the island will hear about the structure’s initial functions as a military fortress during the Civil War. The island name’s origin comes from Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, who named it “Isla de los Alcatraces,” or Island of the Pelicans, because of its abundant population of the sea birds. Those who book vacation rentals in the city can dig even deeper into the secrets of the infamous island’s structure.