For many of us sports are as a big a part of our childhood memories as birthday parties and summer vacations. We loved going to the ballpark to watch the game, then hanging out afterward hoping to get an autograph from our favorite player. Weekends were spent watching as many games as possible on television and cheering so loud we could be heard down the street. Although we dream of being a big league player someday, for most of us it is nothing more than a dream. Instead we continue to pass on the love of sports to our children, while others allow it to become their passion.

The oldest form of collectable sports items is the baseball card. Started in the late 1800s by a tobacco manufacture, the cards were printed on the back of the package and contained basic information about the players. Quickly picking up popularity, cigarette manufactures begin to do the same, and eventually gum manufacturers who brought in a younger audience. Although production declined during WWII, Topps chewing gum came out with new color cards that had the players picture, vital information and current statistics that quickly helped revive the phase. Today, cards are made for nearly every sport including baseball, football, and basketball and, depending on the condition and the player featured, can be worth thousands of dollars.

Another popular item to collect is equipment from their favorite sport or player; including jerseys, hats, and balls. The items can either be from a particularly important game, such as the Super Bowl or World Series, or they can be autographed. Having both the item and the signature makes the item worth even more.

Anytime you collect anything it is important to watch out for frauds. It’s best to keep the phrase “If it sounds too good to be true it usually is” as a motto that can save you a lot of money and heartache. The world of sports collection can be fun and exciting when done with your eyes open. A fan of the NFL enjoys watching the game, but an avid collector looks for ways to preserve the sport and its history one item at a time — whether it’s signed footballs, NFL watches, or player bobbleheads.

Some degrees are better than others for returning students. If you are a working adult who has decided to go back to school, you will want a degree that will allow you to get through school as quickly and with as much flexibility as possible, yet provide you with the best career options when you are done. Here are three ideas for degrees you will feel good about going back to school for.

Nursing – Nurses and other medical personnel are highly sought after. Our country is suffering from a shortage of qualified medical workers, so if you have the right qualifications, you can expect to be well paid. If you are worried about being able to afford an education, you may be able to get a scholarship , or you may find an employer that will help pay for your education while you work for them.

Business – Many returning students pursue business degrees, whether at the undergraduate level or higher. It is not uncommon for employers to help pay for you to get a bachelor’s in business or your MBA , as it tends to improve your worth as an employee if you gain a better understanding of business principles. Also, you will find that your skills are marketable in the job market if you have a business degree.

Teaching – Teaching is a great thing to go back to school for, not only because it is such a rewarding career, but because the program to get your teacher’s certification is fast and easy if you already have a bachelor’s degree. In many states, you will only need to complete a year-long program in order to add your teacher’s certification. Plus, some schools are in such great need of teachers that they have programs to help you earn your certification while actually working in the classroom.

If you are thinking of going back to school, there are many degrees and careers for you to choose from. These three degrees represent wonderful career choices for returning students, but they are only a few examples of the many choices you have.

Near Rice University and Hermann Park, with luxury Houston hotels nearby, travelers will find the Houston Museum District , containing at least 18 museums — a veritable cornucopia of art, photography, memorials and history. There’s even a museum about the Buffalo Soldiers, a museum that has a goal of explaining, collecting, and preserving historical artifacts and documents which chronicle the history of African Americans as soldiers in the Civil War.

A visit to the Buffalo Soldier National Museum will provide history buffs and tourists information about the men and women who began serving in six all African American Army units, following an act of Congress in 1866. These units were known as the 9th and 10th cavalry, as well as the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st infantry regiments. These were the first professional African American soldiers in a peacetime army in the United States; the recruits came from various places; largely, they were former slaves and veterans who served in the Civil War.

Five thousand African Americans fought in these regiments, making up about ten percent of the total troops who fought in the Indian Wars from 1866 to 1891. Cheyenne warriors gave them the nickname Buffalo Soldiers in 1867; the Cheyenne translation was actually “Wild Buffalo,” a name bestowed upon those the Cheyenne fought as a measure of respect for their fighting abilities, specifically of the 10th cavalry. Eventually, this nickname spread, becoming a generic term for all African American soldiers.

Into the 20th Century, service continued as the four regular regiments fought in 1898 in the Spanish American war in Cuba, as 12 percent of the total fighting force, and also in the Philippines war from 1899 to 1902. The 10th Cavalry, which fought the Cheyenne, also fought in the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916, where they again made up 12 percent of the total fighting forces that were hunting down Pancho Villa; their regiment endured half the casualties of that trip, with ten men killed.

The Buffalo Soldier National Museum was established at the turn of this century, in 2000, by a Vietnam veteran and African American military historian named Paul J. Matthews. Exhibiting hours at the museum are from ten in the morning to five in the afternoon on Mondays through Friday, and ten to four on Saturdays. The cost of learning the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers is five dollars per person.

Tampa, Florida is the home of many great cultural establishments. It also happens to be the home of some professional sports teams such as the Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Rays, just to name a couple. The Buccaneers are the city’s major league football team and the Rays are its Major League Baseball team. As with other cities with outstanding professional sports teams the residents in and around Tampa are extremely supportive of and devoted to their teams. They have even been known to book the rooms in a hotel Tampa USA so the opposing team’s fans doesn’t have access to them. Of course that might also be a legend, but it does explain the lack of alternative colors at most of the major sporting events.

The Buccaneers played their first season as part of the 1976 expansion plan and while the country celebrated the bicentennial Tampa also celebrated its new football team. They play their home games at Tampa Stadium, which it continues to be informally called though after 1998 it is officially called the Raymond James Stadium. The team has won one Super Bowl Championship, which occurred in 2002, which was also the year they won their only Conference Championship. The current starting quarterback for the team is Josh Freeman, who was selected by Tampa in the 2009 NFL Draft.

The Tampa Bay Rays are actually based in St. Petersburg and are a member of the American League’s Eastern Division. The team is relatively new and was only established in 1998. Since that time they have played their home games at Tropicana Field. They won their first division title in 2008, which was their best record to that time. At this time the team has retired two players’ numbers. Jackie Robinson, who wore number forty two and retired in 1997 as well as Wade Boggs who wore number twelve and retired in 2001 are the only players to have achieved this status to this date.

Las Vegas is one of those places that seems like it has existed forever and has pretty much remained the symbolic casino resort city that it is known for today. However, and logically so, this is not true and Las Vegas actually had a beginning and developed into the city it is today. And the history of the Las Vegas hotels is actually just as interesting as the contemporary dynamics. It turns out, some of them include a few hauntings and some of the ghosts remain in the present day hotels. So the next time you’re in Vegas, it might be interesting to reflect on history of the hotel and casino industry and perhaps even reconsider those potential bumps in the night.

The Las Vegas Strip is the most famous resort area and is also the location of some of the top casinos in the world. There are numerous headliner performances that take place here every day, and according to some accounts there are more spirits found here than what one can find in a martini glass. The first casino that was built on what was to become the Strip was the El Rancho Vegas , which opened in April of 1941. This casino’s success and popularity inspired the development of others and El Rancho was open until it burned down in 1960.

Famous resorts like The Flamingo soon followed and the city and Strip would develop into to famous casino region it is today. In 1989 The Mirage opened and initiated a new phase in the Vegas Strip orientation. The smaller casinos and resorts were soon overshadowed by the giants and The Sands, Stardust are now recognized for their historic relevance and while there are still some smaller resorts and casinos they are still popular. Some of the contemporary casinos that are also reported to be haunted, or at least have strange occurrences reported are Circus Circus, Caesars Palace, the Flamingo, which is sometimes reported to be haunted by its founder Bugsy Siegel and the Bellagio, which was formerly the Dunes Hotel and Casino.

The state of Florida offers some of the most prime locations for vacationers from around the world. There are big cities where attractions can range from the famous and fantastic amusement parks to some of the most eclectic and electric clubs in the country. It’s history is as deep and complex as the ocean, and there’s certainly a lot to explore here that’s water-related. For water fun that the whole family can enjoy, the possibilities are endless, but there’s plenty of offerings that fall into the educational variety.

But if the idea of an educational experience seems a little dry, then don’t forget that this is also the land of the best resorts. Florida is a place where pleasure is first, but there are always great benefits. Don’t forget the sunscreen, but also be prepared to remember why the sun is considered a healing agent when the beach starts to call your name.

For divers, this is a superb place to have a new adventure, and there are plenty of offerings in the works. One of the more fascinating sides to its history is its generous record for shipwrecks . The area has been inhabited for thousands of years, and it’s estimated that people have been navigating the waters for at least 6,000 of these. Thanks to the efforts of the Department of the Interior, many of the local shipwreck sites are registered as historic places.

This effort has resulted in the preservation of 13 major shipwreck sites, and there are many more in the area. It is a kind of hobby for some divers to look for sites that might reveal some of the mythical lost gold and buried treasure of legend, but it’s much wiser to stay on the underwater beaten path and see what’s been protected. It’s the stuff that pirate dreams are made on.

The best way to experience and see Seattle is to walk. There are many walking tours given by several tour groups, which are affordable and will allow you to enjoy the sights, smells, tastes and atmosphere of Seattle. There’s really no other way to explore and find all the nooks and crannies that all the locals know about, but aren’t in the guide books. Most tours are first come first serve, but reservation can be made.

Several tours offer what’s called the ‘Emerald City’ tour, where you’ll get to explore most of Seattle’s famous landmarks and city icons. What a great way to spend an afternoon, visiting urban parks, the famous Central Library, the place where the Great Seattle fire started, you’ll visit the world-famous Pike Place Market, hidden parks and sculptures and you’ll be shown how Seattle transportation system works, so after the tour, you can do some of your own exploring without getting lost.

Seattle is known for it’s coffee, but which coffee house is the best? Take a Coffee walking tour to find out for yourself. You’ll enjoy stopping at Seattle’s original Starbucks , go inside the coffee shop where Frasier and Niles sipped their lattes, go from one coffee shop to the next, sampling free coffee from some of the city’s most favorite coffee houses. Plus, you’ll be able to ask questions when you visit an actual coffee roaster.

If a coffee buzz is too much for you, then check out walking tours that take you to all the pubs and microbreweries throughout Seattle. You’ll get to sample local beers, see brewing processes, learn about beer made in Seattle compared to beer made around the world. You’ll visit the city’s oldest taverns, a bar where Nirvana played, go inside a bar next to what was the tallest building west of the Mississippi, drink a beer at one of the best Irish pubs in the country . Keep in mind that you’ll be paying for any of the beers you drink and you don’t have to drink at every stop, because you do want to be able to walk back safe and sound to the best Seattle hotel you’ve booked during your stay in Seattle.

While most visitors trek to Alaska to enjoy the mild summers with (sometimes) unending daylight, more intrepid travelers will brave the offseason in order to experience the Alaska that most people imagine: cold, snowy, windy weather worthy of an artic parka. The Interior (which makes up most of the state) may reach into the 90s(F) in the summer, but can fall below -60 (F) in the winter.  The coldest recorded temperature was -80(F) in 1971.

This largest US state is home to islands, volcanos, mountains, glaciers and more coastline than all the other states combined. Plan for ice fishing, mountaineering, ice climbing, or cross-country skiing — and that barely scratches the surface. Watch polar bears, whales, moose, caribou and countless other species in their native habitats. Remember to bring appropriate gear, esp. if camping out in the Artic. Parkas (with hoods), boots and gloves are essential when traveling off-season into the northern-most corners of Alaska. Rent a cabin for the winter to experience the “real Alaska.”

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with avoiding the Artic — parkas, skiis, and snowshoes, etc. — and cruising the coastline during the warm summer months or taking in Alaska’s historic landmarks and cultural sites.  The state boasts eleven cultural groups and a rich, history that predates the establishment of the arrival of Europeans in 1741 by hundreds (if not thousands) of years.  However it will always be the wilderness of Alaska that calls to most visitors — sea, mountain, animals, snow and ice.

Art Basel is unquestionably one of the most exciting events in the international art world. Every December, the organizers put their focus on transforming Miami Beach into a city that can host one of the great world culture events. Artists, curators, and people from all walks of life come to display and gawk at some of the most exciting works of today. To some, Miami Beach is the perfect place to host the event. It’s an international city that holds a great deal of natural beauty, and also has a very receptive young crowd.

The distinctive aura of the festival does seem to clash with the beach bodies and clubbers, and some might think it’s an unlikely match. However, there is truly something for everyone here, as the Art Loves Music event proves, year after year. If the promise of innovative and challenging art doesn’t inspire one to look into booking a hotel in Miami Beach , the concert just might.

Last year’s show brought in Londoner Ebony Jones , and she transformed the place into her version of reality. For those unfamiliar with the rising pop star, she is sometimes simply a fantastic performer. At other moments, she is like an art object unto herself, and she shows remarkable abilities to transform an everyday moment into a living and breathing work of art. Playing her variety of music she calls Jungle-Punk, it became very apparent why she was chosen for the event. Like George Clinton before her, and possibly Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Damaso Perez Prado, and very few others, she understands the power of performance, and is able to take hold of a moment through the music.

Previous years have seen the likes of Iggy Pop, another performer whose work crosses over into the realm of performance art very quickly. But those who are wary of art for art’s sake needn’t be concerned that this will be heady and intellectual. There is that, of course, but there’s a whole lot of shaking going on as well.