If there’s anything people in the South do and do quite well, it’s tell stories. So you can expect the upcoming Storytelling Festival weekend in Colonial Williamsburg to be saturated with entertaining tales - some educational, some thought-provoking and some just fun. Held this month from Sept. 14 to Sept. 17, the festival features renowned Southern storytellers like Kathryn Windham (pictured) and Donald Davis, as well as theatrical duo Eth-Noh-Tec and children’s book author Carmen Deedy. Individual storytellers read and perform during the afternoons. By night, festival-goers can catch multiple masters of the art of storytelling together for themed events like family story time and ghost story time. And for the wine & cheese crowd, there is a special Saturday evening adults-only event featuring treats from the vine, cheeses and tall tales.

Hotel packages are available for the event. Rates range from $65 to $117/night, depending on the hotel. Check the web site for ticket pricing info and the complete festival line-up.

Boo! Did we scare you? Yes, Halloween is a ways off, but the season is already getting started. Here are Hauntworld Magazine’s picks for the 2007 Top 13 Professional Haunted Attractions:

1. NETHERWORLD Haunted House, Atlanta, GA

2. 13th Gate Haunted House, Baton Rouge, LA

3. The Bates Motel, Philadelphia, PA

4. Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses, Ulster Park, NY

5. The Darkness, St. Louis, MO

6. Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls, presented by LUKOIL, Philadelphia, PA

7. Erebus Four Story Haunted Attraction, Detroit, MI

8. 7 Floors of Hell, Cleveland, OH

9. Kersey Valley SpookyWoods and Maize Adventure, Greensboro, NC

10. Universal Studios House of Horrors, Hollywood CA

11. Queen Mary’s Shipwreck Annual Halloween Terror Fest, Long Beach, CA

12. Dreamreapers Haunted House, Chicago, IL

13. The Haunted Hotel, San Diego, CA

Other notable haunts recognized by Hauntworld Magazine include:

Best Home Haunted House

1. Castle Blood, Pittsburgh, PA

2. Haunted Overload, Lee, NH

3. Terror Syndicate, Pittsburgh, PA

4. Rot Haunted House, Thousand Oaks, CA

Best Amusement Park Halloween Events:

1. Universal Studios Horror Nights, Orlando, FL

2. Knott’s Scary Farm, Buena Park, CA

3. Busch Gardens HallowScream, Tampa Bay, FL

We hope you’re enjoying Labor Day 2007 whether you’re traveling, grilling or sitting on your bum enjoy the rare day off. Things will be quiet around here today, but check back tomorrow for your regular dose of travel news, tips and advice from around the web.

Ah, love that joke. Anyway, now that I’ve gotten the 12-year-old-boy sense of humor out of my system for the moment, let’s talk about Ptseats.com, the new poker tourney online ticket broker from pro player Phil Gordon. Instead of heading to the casino early and waiting in line to register, players can buy tickets online. As with any online ticket broker, there’s a service charge (it’s a percentage of the seat cost, but from what I saw today, it was about $20). While the company purports to offer tickets to major tournaments around the country, the only one on sale right now is the daily tournament at the Trump Taj Mahal Atlantic City Casino Resort. Tickets for events at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Wynn Las Vegas, The Venetian Las Vegas and the Orleans Hotel and Casino are coming soon.

If you married, threw your wedding reception or honeymooned at Hotel Nikko San Francisco (the lobby is pictured here) between Oct. 1, 1987 and Sept. 30, 1988, then you owe it to yourself to enter the hotel’s 20th anniversary contest. One winning couple will be chosen from the eligible entrants. See the official rules via the link below. Here’s what’s included (estimated at $11,100):

- Six nights for two in the hotel’s honeymoon suite

- Round trip airfare from any U.S. airport

- Breakfast each morning

- Dinner and Champagne at ANZU, the hotel’s Asian fusion restaurant

There is one caveat - you must still be married - and be able to prove it. That’ll probably knock a lot of potential entrants out of the running (late 1980s, divorces were all the rage, right?)… If you’re eligible, contact the hotel’s marketing director Joe Curran directly at (415) 394-1111 or jcurran (@) hotelnikkosf (dot) com.

Hotel Nikko Contest Rules

Starting with Riga on Aug. 25, a select number of European cities will be celebrating Notte Bianca (White Night), an event started in Paris in 2002 that turns a city into an all-night party space, arts exhibition and cultural experience. Many museums, shops and other venues stay open all night and feature special performances, screenings and exhibits in celebration of their city’s White Night. If you’re traveling Europe this September, head to a White Nights celebration and pull an all-nighter crash course in the city’s arts and cultural institutions. Here’s the schedule for this year’s celebrations:

Aug. 25 - Riga, Latvia

Sept. 8 - Rome

Sept. 22 - Madrid

Sept 29 - Brussels, Belgium

Oct. 6 - Paris

White Nights Europe

Been thinking about a Labor Day getaway this year? Expedia has some good deals up on hotels and air+hotel packages. Examples:

- Airfare + three nights in Kauai for $703

- Airfare + three nights in Orlando for $320

- Airfare + three nights in Myrtle Beach for $416

Obviously, you won’t be staying in luxury accommodations at these prices, but that’s not a priority for many travelers these days.

Expedia Labor Day Sale

Here’s hoping your Fourth of July 2007 goes smoothly, wherever your travels may take you today. We’ll be back tomorrow with our regular dose of travel news, advice and information from around the web.

Located two blocks from the National Mall and one block from the White House, the Hotel Washington is one patriotic place to be on the Fourth of July. To celebrate the festivities and give guests prime views of the Capitol Hill fireworks, the hotel has created a Rockets’ Red Glare package. Guests who book the package will receive accommodations in a one-bedroom suite with unobstructed views of the fireworks. But that’s not all. The package also comes with a catered in-room party featuring cheese plates, shrimp cocktail, beer and wine.

If that sounds like too much of a commitment, the hotel’s Two Continents restaurant will be offering an all-day picnic luncheon for $14.95/person, as well as a seven-course on the hotel’s Sky Terrace for $125/person.

Discover Boating offers up its picks for the Top 10 Best Places to Watch Fireworks from a Boat, copied directly from the site below:

– Austin, Texas: Marked by beautiful symphony music and a spectacular
fireworks display, Austin’s Town Lake is the place to be for this
annual celebration. Rent a kayak or bring your own boat to find the
best seat in the house on the water. (July 4, 9:30 p.m., Zilker Park)

— Chicago, Ill.: Join family and friends aboard a boat as the skies above
Lake Michigan and Chicago’s famous skyline are illuminated with
accompaniment from the Grant Park Orchestra and U.S. Air Force Singing
Sergeants. (July 4, 9 p.m., Grant Park)

— Los Angeles, Calif.: Enjoy a variety of live music and big booms over
the main channel in Marina Del Rey for free family fun and a patriotic
fireworks display. (July 4, 9 p.m., Marina Del Rey)

— Memphis, Tenn.: The Beale Street Fourth of July celebration is a
festive time with great food, live music that the city is famous for
and, of course, a thunderous grand finale of fireworks. Enjoy the
boisterous display on the mighty Mississippi as the fireworks burst
over Tom Lee Park. (July 4, 9 p.m., Tom Lee Park)

— Milwaukee, Wis.: Named Discover Boating’s “2006 Top City to Watch
Fourth of July Fireworks from a Boat,” Milwaukee’s annual Summerfest
hopes to help this fantastic fireworks display return to defend its
title. On July 3, thousands gather along the Lake Michigan shoreline to
watch the U.S. Bank fireworks show, but being aboard a boat for the
display provides an unmatched panoramic view. (July 3, 9:30 p.m.,
Veterans Park)

— Myrtle Beach, S.C.: With an entertainment megaplex featuring shops,
restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, miniature golf course, Ripley’s
Aquarium and a 23-acre lake, Broadway at the Beach is the place to be
for fireworks on the Fourth of July. (July 4, 10 p.m., Broadway at the
Beach over Lake Broadway)

— New York, N.Y.: With more than 35,000 pyrotechnic shells in a half-hour
display, Macy’s dazzles viewers each year with the nation’s biggest
birthday fireworks display. Fireworks are launched from two East River
locations, anchored in the East River is sure to be the best seat in
the house. (July 4, 9 p.m., East River between 23rd & 42nd Streets)

— Philadelphia, Penn.: In the city of our nation’s birth, July 4 is all
about history, music, fun and fireworks. After visiting the Liberty
Bell and Independence Mall, hop aboard a boat on the Delaware River to
view the flashes and booms of a roaring fireworks display as the City
of Brotherly Love shines in the background. (July 4, 8:30 p.m., along
the Delaware River)

— St. Paul, Minn.: St. Paul’s “Taste of Minnesota” is a six-day food and
music extravaganza at Harriet Island and is the perfect place for
family fun this Fourth of July. As the sun sets, hop aboard a boat to
watch the largest fireworks display in the Midwest over the Mississippi
River. (July 4, 10:20 p.m., Harriet Island)

— Tacoma, Wash.: Freedom Fair events cover two miles of the Ruston Way
waterfront on July 4. After the annual log boom competition, Tacoma
boaters anchor to end the day with the Tacoma Air Show and spectacular
Emerald Queen Grand Finale Fireworks Extravaganza. (July 4, 10 p.m.,
Ruston Way waterfront)