Love a good, cool micro-brewed beer? Hop a plane to the Great American Beer Festival (Oct 11-13). This three-day event brings record number of beer connoisseurs from around the world to Denver, Colorado (a city dubbed "the Napa Valley of beer" by many of the world's beer experts) to sample more than 1,600 different American beers. The roster of beers at the GABF is the biggest collection of American beers ever presented in one location - and with over 400 breweries presenting, you’re sure to find a new favorite homebrew.

Although there’s a fair share of kitsch (beer enthusiasts dressed as human six- packs and walking kegs), this is a chance to talk to the best brewers in the country personally about their latest brews and sample some of the country’s finest beers (including many not distributed outside their hometowns - yes, Alaska makes some tasty brews!)

While in town, stay at Hotel Teatro, which bills itself as Denver’s only luxury boutique hotel. Smallish and reservedly stylish, this refurbished 1911 landmark has 111 guest rooms fashioned from Indonesian sandstone and marble and outfitted with luxurious earth-toned Art Deco furnishings. The hotel’s complimentary car service will ferry you to the Festival in a Cadillac Escalade.