WASHINGTON – Learn to tango, make a quilt, blend Scotch whisky or brew beer.

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These experiences and 96 more can be part of your next vacation, as described in the recently published book, “The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life,” by Pam Grout (National Geographic, $19.95).

A tango vacation in Buenos Aires can last anywhere from three days to a month; details at argentinatango.com. Canada PEI – eslhomestay.ca – organizes eight-day quilting vacations on Prince Edward Island. At the Glengoyne Distillery 15 miles north of Glasgow, Scotland, you can take a two-hour course or get a whole day of tutorials in Scotch whisky. Details at www.glengoyne.com. If your taste runs more to beer than the hard stuff, BeerTrips.com offers trips to German beer regions as well as to Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and other locales known for excellence in suds.

Legoland expands

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – A Legoland Discovery Center is opening in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg at the Streets of Woodfield shopping center.

Fans of the toy bricks may already be familiar with the Legoland theme park in Carlsbad but this will be the first Legoland Discovery Center in the U.S. It's modeled after two similar attractions in Germany.

The 30,000-square-foot center will feature hands-on brick-building activities, a dragon ride, an exhibit room with displays of models made by Lego master builders, and a 4-D movie with special effects. For the youngest visitors, there will be a Duplo play area.

The center's grand opening is July 31. Details at www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com.

Denali destination

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A new Eielson Visitor Center opened in June in Denali National Park on the Denali Park Road, 66 miles from the park entrance.

Park officials say the center looks out on the Alaska Range, including Mount McKinley, North America's highest peak.

The center features a dining area and exhibits that include an interactive topographical model of Mount McKinley and works by participants in Denali's Artist-In-Residence program. The National Park Service is also calling the building a model of sustainable design, with features that maximize daylight and promote energy conservation.

Private cars are not permitted that far along the Denali Park Road, so most visitors arrive at the center on tour buses.

The total cost of the building and its exhibits was $9.2 million. It's named after Carl Ben Eielson, a pioneer Alaskan aviator.

The center will be formally rededicated during a ceremony on Aug. 12 and is open through Sept. 15.

Royal getaways

NEWTON, Mass. – Maybe you can't live like a king, but you can vacation in a castle.

The TripAdvisor Web site is offering a top 10 list of castle hotels in Europe, based on rankings by travelers who contribute reviews to the Web site and TripAdvisor editors.

The list is topped by the Glin Castle in Glin, Ireland, with a $491 average nightly rate, followed by Castle Stuart, Inverness, Scotland, $614; Thornbury Castle, Thornbury, England, $394; Domaine de la Tortiniere, Tours, France, $310; and Borthwick Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, $273.

Next up on the list is the Chateau de Bagnols, Lyon, France, average nightly rate $1,335, followed by Castelletto di Montebenichi, Bucine, Italy, $242; Ashford Castle, Cong, Ireland, $527; Parador de Jaen, Jaen, Spain, $205; and the Hotel Castle Liebenstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, $173.

– COMPILED FROM NEWS SERVICE REPORTS