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• From January through March, Samana Bay is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. It offers something for everyone - the outer bay is where you might find aggressive males competing for the females, and the sheltered inner bay is one of the most important humpback nurseries in the world. Humpback whales have been wintering near Samana for centuries. Cave drawings made by the aboriginal inhabitants of Los Haitises, long before Columbus arrived, depict the spouting whales. Columbus saw them too, as the log of his travels along the north coast in 1493 makes clear.
• If windsurfing along the coast of a lush island sounds appealing to you, then take note. About 30 minutes from Puerto Plata is the quaint resort community of Cabarete. A host to world championship windsurfing events, the smooth waters of this bay with consistent winds makes it a magnet for water-sports enthusiasts.
• Ocean World in Puerto Plata is the world's first fully interactive ocean park. It's not about strolling past gigantic aquariums teeming with tropical fish and sharks. It's about actually getting inside the aquarium and swimming with them. This is the first park of its kind, where you're interactive with all the animals: sea lions, dolphins, sharks, stingrays, tropical fish and tropical birds.

In the footsteps of the great explorers...
Santo Domingo is one of the Caribbean's most vibrant cities, with a 12-block Colonial Zone to rival that of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Come here to walk in the footsteps of Cortés, Ponce de León, and, of course, Columbus himself.
Here is also one of the grand shopping bazaars of the Caribbean, with such "hot" items as hand-wrapped cigars for sale virtually everywhere, along with local handcrafts. Jewelry made of larimar or amber is also much sought after. From gambling to merengue, Santo Domingo is also one of the liveliest cities in the Caribbean after dark. Bartholomeo Columbus, brother of Christopher, founded the city on the southeastern Caribbean coast in 1496. It's the oldest city in the New World and the capital of the Dominican Republic.

• Explore relics of Columbus and the colonial era. Santo Domingo, a treasure trove of historic, sometimes crumbling, buildings, is undergoing a major government-sponsored restoration. The old town is still partially enclosed by remnants of its original city wall. The narrow streets, old stone buildings, and forts are like nothing else in the Caribbean, including the first cathedral, monastery, hospital, university and court of law in the Western Hemisphere.
• Ever since the Dominicans presented John F. Kennedy with what became his favorite rocker, visitors have wanted to take home a rocking chair. These rockers are often sold unassembled, for easy shipping. Other popular buys include Dominican rum, hand-knit articles, macramé, ceramics, and crafts in native mahogany.
• Uno, Dos, Tres Strikes-You're Out! Dominicans were crazy about baseball long before their countryman Sammy Sosa set the United States on fire. Almost every Major League baseball team has at least one player from the Dominican Republic on its roster these days. If you go between October and January, you can catch a game in the Dominican Republic's Professional Winter League. The Liga de Beisbol stadium is in Santo Domingo. There are also games at the Tetelo Vargas Stadium in San Pedro de Macoris, known to sports fans as the "land of shortstops" for the multitude of infielders that call this tiny town home.