Visit Harry Potter Country: Yorkshire, England

With the latest film in the Harry Potter franchise slated for release in 2010, Potter fans wishing to walk where Harry trod might want to consider a trek to England's historic region of Yorkshire. For starters, the scenery of Yorkshire Dales National Park is featured in the new Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows, due for release in 2010. Other Yorkshire sights seen in previous films include Goathland train station North York Moors National Park, ad Hogsmeade train stations, a gem that has stilll looks like it did when it was built in 1865.

Another film with Yorkshire themes is Wuthering Heights, which should be on the big screen in 2011. Here one can walk the drastic wooded landscapes with the wild moors that served as the inspiration for Emily Brontë's Gothic masterpiece of love and loss. One can also climb Top Withins where rumor has it a tumbledown building served as the inspiration for the actual Wuthering Heights.

Art and nature afficianados can pretend they are in their own JMW Turner landscape painting by walking in the steps of artist. He was a frequent visitor to Yorkshire during the early 19th century and the landscape still looks remarkably the way it did back when Turner painted his hallmark canvases. The Turner Trails will bring together 70 regional sites so that visitors can see the breathtaking sites that inspired Turner's landscapes.

Other attractions in this area include the annual York Festival of Food and Drink. Held in September, this is the largest event of its kind in the UK featuring specialty markets, demonstrations by chefs, themed dinners, classes in cooking, restaurant deals and other special offerings. Also, foodies looking for an upscale adventure can sample up to six Yorkshire's six Michelin Star restaurants with a Welcome to Yorkshire package. These tours offer visitors luxury trips to two, three or all six restaurants we all as as as visits to local producers, cheese makers, vineyards and breweries, walking in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and other local activities. (yorkshire.com/michelinstarexperience)

A regional sightseeing pass titled the Yorkshire Pass affords visitors admission to 75 sites including world heritage sites (Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal), world firsts (The Deep, a submarium), world famous historic houses (Castle Howard and York Minster) and royal castles (Conisbrough Castle.) The pass is available as a one, two, three or six day pass. Log on to the Yorkshire Pass website for additional information (www.yorkshirepass.com).