Nice Places to Visit, Great Places to Live

By Rebecca Winters; Todd Murphy/Portland; Emily Mitchell

LIVING THE QUIET LIFE IN LOVELY LEWES

Mike and Hope Tyler had vacationed at a condo in Delaware's crowded resort town of Rehoboth Beach for years. But when Mike decided to retire and they visited friends in nearby Lewes, the Tylers were smitten. Perched where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, Lewes (pronounced Loo-iss) is a quiet Dutch seaport with pristine beaches, elegant Victorian homes and a nearby state park. The Tylers bid on an ornate Queen Anne-style fixer-upper and, after finishing the restoration, opened a bed-and-breakfast, the Wild Swan Inn, in 1993. "We selected Lewes because it had small-town charm," says Mike, 57. "When we saw the house, it was so unique, so special, we knew it would be a good place to live."

With a population of 2,300 (up to 6,000 in the summer) and a history as a whaling community, Lewes feels a lot farther from the hustle and bustle of Washington, Baltimore, Md., and Philadelphia than the approximately two-hour drive it is from each. Biking in the inviting flatlands of the Delaware countryside; bird-watching at Cape Henlopen State Park, a 4,000-acre sandy peninsula; and touring the 18th and 19th century homes are popular diversions. Ecotourism is a growing attraction as well, with whale and dolphin study boats departing Lewes regularly in warm-weather months.

The town centerpiece is the Zwaanendael Museum, a model of a Dutch city hall with ornamental gables and carved stonework. Inside are maritime history exhibits with information and artifacts relating to the 1631 Dutch settlement of Lewes and the 1812 British bombardment of the port.

A Lifelong Learning academy two miles from downtown and affiliated with the University of Delaware offers unlimited classes for $90 a semester to anyone over 50. Courses are as varied as English country-dance, the presidency and genealogy on the computer.

It may seem as if you'd never want to, but getting out of town for day trips is easy. Several times a day, a ferry makes the 70-minute trip from Lewes to quaint Cape May, N.J., which is just 40 miles from Atlantic City. --By Rebecca Winters. Reported by Anne Moffett/Lewes

LEWES, DEL.

BEST AMENITIES: Beaches, a 4,000-acre state park, Zwaanendael Museum of maritime artifacts, Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning

NEAREST MAJOR MEDICAL CENTER: Beebe Medical Center, a 138-bed hospital, including a cardiac center and an Alzheimer's clinic

BEST PLACE TO STAY: The Wild Swan Inn, a restored Queen Anne-style bed-and-breakfast with a pool and an outstanding breakfast

THE ARTS TEEM IN NATCHITOCHES

David Graham and his wife Carolyn considered plenty of attractive Southern towns for their retirement before finally settling on this picturesque bayou community on the Cane River. Many of the places they visited had the mild climate and low cost of living the Grahams sought, but Natchitoches, La., "had everything we wanted," says David, 68. "We have all the pleasures of small-town life--friendly neighbors, no traffic--and all the conveniences larger cities have to offer."

Natchitoches, an hour southeast of Shreveport, is the state's oldest European settlement and a haven of Cajun history and culture. It was in nearby Melrose that author Kate Chopin lived and gathered material for her colorful collection, Bayou Folk, and numerous other short stories in 1894. Today the Melrose Plantation Arts and Crafts Festival, an annual June event benefiting Chopin's home and library, draws artists from across the nation and several thousand visitors to the Natchitoches area.

The city is host to many other popular festivals each year, starting with a Mardi Gras observance in early spring and including a Creole Heritage Festival, jazz and folk festivals and a Festival of Lights in December. The area's cultural offerings are enhanced by Northwestern State University, which has 9,000 students and supports an acclaimed symphony, ballet, dinner theater and music recitals.

When they're not taking in the vibrant local arts and culture scene, Natchitoches residents may be hiking in 129,000-acre Kisatchie National Forest, boating or fishing on the Cane River or sampling the meat pie, chicken andouille gumbo and Cane River cream cake at Lasyone's Meat Pie Kitchen on Second Street.

Like everyone else in Louisiana, folks in Natchitoches benefit from the state's appealing tax structure, which exempts the first $75,000 of home value. Another attraction is the region's semitropical climate--January temperatures rarely dip below 50[degrees]F, and summer days hover in the 80s.

Visitors may want to launch their exploration of the area from the Log Cabin on the Cane, a graceful bed-and-breakfast overlooking the river. --R.W. Reported by Jyl Benson/New Orleans

NATCHITOCHES, LA.

BEST AMENITIES: Melrose Plantation Arts and Crafts Festival, Kisatchie National Forest and Northwestern State University

NEAREST MAJOR MEDICAL CENTER: 265-bed St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, with a full cancer center, 50 minutes away in Alexandria

BEST PLACE TO STAY: Log Cabin on the Cane, a two-story Western American bed-and-breakfast on the banks of the Cane River

UNSEASONALLY SUN-SOAKED IN SEQUIM

Airplane pilots call it the "blue hole." Residents of Sequim, Wash., just call it wondrous. In the middle of the rainy Pacific Northwest--just a few miles from the Olympic Mountains and a unique North American rain forest that gets 150 in. of rain a year--sits tiny Sequim, which basks in about 300 days of sunshine a year. Sequim, like another Pacific Northwest town we recommend, Bend, Ore., lies in a "rain shadow." Sequim is shielded by the Olympic Mountains and sees only about 16 in. of rain a year, about as much as Los Angeles.

Consistent sunshine is only one of the reasons Sequim (pronounced skwim) has become such a popular retirement place. City leaders say more than half of the 4,200 residents of Sequim are retirees. These folks are drawn by the opportunity to live next door to the snow-topped Olympic Mountains and Olympic National Park, with its rain forests, undisturbed coastline and 600 miles of hiking trails.

They also enjoy a moderate climate (the average high in July is 71[degrees]; the average low in January is 29[degrees]) and a moderate cost of living. Washington has no state income tax, and a three-bedroom home in Sequim typically sells for about $139,000.

Residents make the most of Sequim's proximity to outdoor recreation. In addition to park trails, Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, a 5 1/2-mile spit of land with 250 species of birds and frequent whale and dolphin sightings, draws nature lovers. On the rare rainy day, folks might poke in at the Blue Whole Gallery, which shows collections of artists from the region.

Or they might just take in the breathtaking views. Bill Jensen and his wife Carol moved to Sequim from Long Beach, Calif., to get away from traffic, crime and smog, something Bill never forgets when he looks outside and gazes on the Olympics. "Every day when I eat breakfast, I sit facing those mountains," he says. "Three years, and I'm still not tired of looking at them." --By Todd Murphy/Portland

SEQUIM, WASH.

BEST AMENITIES: Olympic National Park, Blue Whole Art Gallery, wildlife and historic lighthouse at Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

NEAREST MAJOR MEDICAL CENTER: Olympic Memorial Hospital in Port Angeles, 25 miles away, with cancer treatment and cardiac services

BEST PLACE TO STAY: Toad Hall Bed and Breakfast, an English country home in the style of the children's classic Wind in the Willows

THE GREAT OUTDOORS IN MONTROSE

This is the kind of place where even Coloradans go to get away from it all. A high desert expanse in the center of the Uncompahgre Valley, Montrose, Colo., is near such world-class mountain recreation areas as Telluride and Aspen. But this western Rockies town, with its 274 days a year of sunshine, manages to remain a quiet, affordable enclave in a rapidly growing state of outdoor buffs.

In addition to downhill skiing, Montrose residents enjoy cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the national forests that abut the town on three sides. In the summer they can hike the challenging trails of the 14,000-ft. San Juan mountains, and camp, picnic and fish blue-ribbon trout streams at any of the 11 wilderness areas that lie within a 75-mile radius. One area attraction, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, was recently elevated to national-park status. With its spectacular gorge, black rock walls and sculpted red sandstone, the park draws visitors to camp and mountain-bike and marvel at the bighorn sheep and bald eagles. White-water rafting is available just outside the park.

Many of Montrose's residents are newly arrived, drawn not just to enjoy the outdoor living but also to escape growth, sprawl and spiraling home prices in the rest of the country. A three-bedroom ranch home in downtown Montrose can be picked up for $130,000.

After vacationing for years in other parts of Colorado, Carolyn and Warren Phillips came to Montrose four years ago from Lansing, Mich. "It's a great life if you like the outdoors," says Carolyn, an avid skier. "You can play all year round here."

Those planning just to visit might start at the Lathrop House, a Victorian bed-and-breakfast two blocks from downtown. When it comes to dining, residents are quick to point out that Montrose's handful of good restaurants aren't up to glitzy Aspen's standards. But they aren't up to Aspen's prices either. That, for the folks who live here, is the point. --R.W. Reported by Richard Woodbury/Denver

MONTROSE, COLO.

BEST AMENITIES: Downhill skiing at Telluride and Aspen, cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, white-water rafting

NEAREST MAJOR MEDICAL CENTER: 75-bed Montrose Memorial Hospital; a larger facility is an hour away in Grand Junction

BEST PLACE TO STAY: Lathrop House, a Victorian bed-and-breakfast two blocks from the historic downtown

BLUE SKY AND SNOW IN BEND

Look at it today," says Dave Tilley, 80, pointing to the blue sky. "There's not a cloud, and it's been like that for about two or three weeks." This observation would be remarkable in most of western Oregon, where much of the year it is overcast, gray and drizzly. But Tilley lives in Bend, which is protected by the Cascade Mountain range. The high-desert climate, with an annual average of 263 clear or partly cloudy days, is only one reason vacationers and retirees put this central Oregon town on their itinerary.

Bend's center is Drake Park, a greensward surrounded by early 20th century wooden buildings and boasting a lake with ducks and swans. Home prices average around $136,500 in Bend, or $226,000 on rural acreage. For a small town, Bend has an excellent hospital facility in the 181-bed St. Charles Medical Center. With comprehensive cardiac and oncology units, it's the largest and most comprehensive Oregon hospital east of the Cascade Mountains.

The low-key town is growing at a rapid pace. The population is 50,000, compared with 20,000 a decade ago, and more than 110,000 people live in surrounding Deschutes County, up from 75,000 in 1990. Still, there's plenty of wilderness. Rhoda and Charles Ryan moved to the area 25 years ago from Eugene and built a ski lodge that they converted year by year to a permanent home. Deer stroll in the yard, and the Ryans have a spectacular view of snowcapped mountains.

If summer is for golfing--there are 20 courses nearby--winter is for skiing, either cross country or alpine, on Mount Bachelor's 3,683 acres of slopes accessible by lifts. (Snow Country magazine ranks Mount Bachelor Ski Resort as one of the U.S.'s top five ski areas.) Fly fisherfolk have more than 500 miles of streams and rivers, and there are mountain peaks and lava fields for camping, hiking, rock climbing and biking. Tilley is right to call it "an outdoor playground for all ages.'' --By Emily Mitchell. Reported by Todd Murphy/Portland

BEND, ORE.

BEST AMENITIES: Fishing, skiing, hiking, mountain climbing and rock climbing; 33 city parks; Cascade Music Festival in late summer

NEAREST MAJOR MEDICAL CENTER: St. Charles Medical Center, with 181 beds and 200 physicians representing 40 specialties

BEST PLACES TO STAY: Juniper Acres Bed and Breakfast has mountain views; Cricketwood Country B. & B. is on 10 parklike acres

ECCENTRICITY IS O.K. IN ARCATA

Retirement meccas are seldom described as funky. But Arcata, Calif., is not your typical retirement spot. Just north of Eureka, three miles off the Pacific Coast, this decidedly offbeat town has begun luring retirees to the giant redwood forests of Northern California.

The unique character of Arcata is evident in the town's square on any Saturday morning, when college students and business folks, aging hippies and retirees mingle at the farmer's market. "It's really a very different place," says Art Barah, 57, who retired here after visiting for years from San Francisco. "The mental attitude sort of reminds me a little bit of Berkeley in the '60s. I feel very much at home here."

The students come from Humboldt State University, which provides retirees cultural opportunities not often available in a town of 16,000. An annual concert series brings entertainment ranging from chamber music to Cajun bands to Celtic fiddlers. And anyone 60 and older can take any Humboldt State class, room permitting, for a mere $6 a semester.

Volunteering is a popular pastime among politically conscious Arcata residents. Barah gives his time to the Arcata Marsh, a project that combines a wildlife sanctuary with a wastewater-treatment facility to treat Arcata's wastewater naturally before releasing it into nearby Humboldt Bay.

Whether pitching in to preserve or simply getting out to enjoy, folks in Arcata marvel at the city's scenic surroundings. Nearby Redwood National Park draws visitors from all over the world to its 106,000 acres of ancient redwood forests. Right in Arcata, trail-loving hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders enjoy the 575-acre Arcata Community Forest, with some old-growth trees of its own. A few miles to the east, adventurers can tackle the Salmon Mountains. To the west, they can hit the beach.

And, at least by California standards, this beautiful scenery comes quite cheap. The average home in Arcata costs about $125,000--with three-bedrooms, that average rises to only $150,000. --T.M.

ARCATA, CALIF.

BEST AMENITIES: Redwood National Park, Humboldt State University concerts and classes, fishing, hiking in Salmon Mountains

NEAREST MAJOR MEDICAL CENTER: 140-bed St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, six miles away, has comprehensive cancer and cardiac treatment

BEST PLACE TO STAY: The Lady Ann Bed and Breakfast overlooks Humboldt Bay, a few blocks from Humboldt State and downtown Arcata

With reporting by Anne Moffett/Lewes, Jyl Benson/New Orleans, Richard Woodbury/Denver