From the Metro-North train, I spotted a medieval-style castle in the middle of the Hudson River. I thought I must have been imagining things—but it turns out it exists, and it's called Bannerman Castle. I signed up for the next tour, and found myself donning a hard hat and hiking around the imperial structure, while learning about the eccentric ammunition salesman who dragged his family to live on the island, where he built a castle complete with a moat and drawbridge, and adorned with cannonballs. It's a history so bizarre, no one could make it up. And the tour guides didn't need to: being the island's primary historians, preservationists, and volunteers, they had plenty of fascinating material with which to work.

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The most northeasterly island of the San Juan group, and among the most pristine, Lummi is home to artists, organic farmers, and salmon fishermen. The trip from Seattle takes about two hours, including the six-minute ferry ride from a tiny terminal on the northern side of Bellingham. The island makes for a wonderful day trip, but to really surrender to the feelings of peace and natural beauty, make plans to spend the night so you can walk the beaches, bird watch, bicycle, and enjoy an organic, locavore meal. Sunsets are memorable and the stars dazzle in a sky unpolluted by urban lights. Three times a year the Artists Studio Tour draws visitors from around the area. In August, the Reefnet Festival celebrates the only reefnet salmon fishery in the world and the most sustainable fishing technique in existence. A stay at the waterside Willows Inn, a historic B&B, means plenty of front-porch time and toasting to the fact that the rest of the world is somewhere else.

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Part sailing vessel, part Star Trek spaceship, the Reef Express catamaran flies through the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and heads for the Atlantic Ocean. Sunny Days Catamarans, located in the historic seaport of Key West, Florida, transport passengers to an undersea world of corals and sponges, stingrays, crabs, and starfish, and over 150 species of fish (including angelfish, blue tangs, and parrotfish). Florida’s reef tract is the only true living coral barrier reef in North America, making it an animated spot for snorkeling and diving. If hanging out below the surface is not your speed, there is a sun deck, as well as a shaded cockpit. With a fleet of five catamarans in varying sizes, Sunny Days also offers sunset sails, dolphin watching excursions, and day trips to the Dry Tortugas and Looe Key.

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The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida is the culmination of one man’s 16-year quest for sunken treasure. The Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita were Spanish galleons that sank off the coast of Havana, Cuba during a hurricane in 1622. Both ships carried enough treasure to put any pirate on permanent holiday. Spanish salvagers were unable to find a trace of the lost ships. Perseverance and good luck finally paid off, and, in 1985, Mel Fisher and his crew found this immense treasure….gold, silver bars, coins, jewelry, emeralds, and silverware, as well as navigational instruments, various tools, and 17th-century military weapons. After a lengthy, on-site conservation process (and series of lawsuits), this vast treasure sits on permanent display at the Mel Fisher Museum.

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It's as far from the rest of New York City as you can get — in more ways than one. Formerly the site of a Catholic orphanage, the Mt. Loretto Unique Area is tucked into the south shore of Staten Island, and features acres of forest and grasslands and spectacular views across New York's Raritan Bay. But explore Mt. Loretto's mile-long beach first—before long, you'll stumble upon a patch of huge stone cairns (the work of a local artist) turning the beach into a maze of walls, turrets, and benches. Pick a pile of rocks to nestle against and spend a while reading, sunbathing, or just simple gazing out onto the water.

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If you could take just one photo: Blond Giraffe

If the Florida Keys' island essence could be baked into a pie, it would materialize in the form of key lime goodness that one can only find at Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pies. The perfect combination of sweet, tart, and refreshing, Blonde Giraffe serves up a little taste of paradise. Sit down and have a slice in one of their many stores or grab a "Pie On a Stick" to go and head down Duval Street to experience Key West's unique take on Island Living. Stroll the sassy shops filled with all the seaside souveniers you can cram into your beach bag or duck into Duval Street's well known bars for an afternoon cocktail. In Key West, no one's judging.

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The States Inn and Ranch is a precious find among the sea of B&B choices for visitors to the San Juans. The farm setting helps you feel pampered, relaxed, and temporarily countrified. In a dining room decorated with shells from around the world, Angel and Richard serve up fresh goodness for breakfast with local produce and eggs from their chickens. The main house, a 100+-year-old converted school, includes cozy bedrooms, a sunroom, and living room with a fireplace for guest use. A separate cottage has more space for larger groups. Wander the grounds to visit alpacas, horses, and sheep (some roam free and may come visit you). Got kids? Angel may show up to recruit help with collecting the day’s eggs and other small chores. It is a working farm, after all.

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We chug up the road toward Mount Zeus. A motorcycle swooshes past us, easily ascending toward the cloud-capped mountain. In contrast, our rental four-wheeler tops out at 40 km/hr. We must look ridiculous, helmeted astride this stocky machine. But from its plodding throne we have an open-air view of the farmland that stretches to the sea. The highland interior of Naxos feels miles away from the sparkling Aegean, which tantalizes tourists and provides income for fishermen. Instead, we’re passing hunched olive trees, isolated petrol stations, clusters of buildings white-hot in the sun, a century-old distillery that produces turquoise liquor.... Smells of crushed citrus and sage mingle. Three boys kick a soccer ball against a storefront, idle play in the heat of the Greek afternoon.

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From the pinnacle of the solitary turret on the tiny stone-laid island town of Hvar, Croatia, the low sun catches in pink-orange pools on the breaking surf and mastheads of old ships at bay. In the other direction, the seamless mountain ridge of a neighboring island lends a stillness as the great fishbowl sky fades to navy-black. Above the medieval fortress, worn smooth and resplendent by time, effervescent birds swoop and chatter in the twilight. Hvar, in its age-old custom, is once again seduced by night.

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