Travel briefs

Three Frank Lloyd Wright structures and nine other sites in 10 states have been designated National Historic Landmarks.

The buildings by the famed American architect are the Beth Sholom Synagogue in Elkins Park, Pa., a glazed glass pyramidal tower built in the 1950s; the Aline Barnsdall Complex (Hollyhock House) in Los Angeles, lauded for emphasizing the relationship between the building and the landscape; and Price Tower in Bartlesville, Okla., a cantilevered 19-story building that today houses an arts center, hotel and restaurant. Wright considered Price Tower to be his only skyscraper.

Two Massachusetts sites were made National Historic Landmarks: a Gilded Age country estate known as Naumkeag, in Stockbridge, and the House of the Seven Gables Historic District, in Salem, which was recognized as an early 20th century effort to preserve and restore older buildings, including one named for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 book, “The House of the Seven Gables.”

Washington Place in Honolulu also made the list. Queen Lili’oukalani, Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, lived there from 1862 to her death in 1917. The building served as the executive mansion for Territorial Governors from 1918 to 1959, and then as the governor’s mansion. It is now a museum.

Central Utah Relocation Center Site, in Millard County, Utah, became the fifth camp used to intern Japanese-Americans during World War II to be declared a national landmark.

For more information about all 12 sites, visit www.cr.nps.gov/nhl.

New flights to Europe

A host of new flights will make travel to Europe more convenient for Americans this summer, including nonstop Air France service from Seattle to Paris, starting in mid-June.

According to a report on new air service from the European Travel Commission, Boston and Washington will get new nonstop flights to Madrid in June via Iberia Airlines. Boston will also get a nonstop to Rome when Alitalia starts flying the route in June, offering six weekly flights until mid-October.

Also in June, US Airways will start linking Brussels with nonstop service from Philadelphia.

Continental will start new nonstop service between Athens and Newark, N.J., which serves the New York metropolitan area.

Hartford, Conn., will get its first transatlantic service when Northwest/KLM introduces nonstop flights to Amsterdam on July 1.

Northwest/KLM is also increasing the number of flights on its Boston-Amsterdam route, adding a fifth summer flight from Detroit and a third from New York. The airline will also begin nonstop service to Brussels, Belgium, from Detroit in mid-June, and is adding extra flights between Amsterdam and Los Angeles.

Some Web sites recommended by the ETC for comparing airfare include Best Fares, www.bestfares.com, Europe by Air, www.europebyair.com, and Fare Compare, www.farecompare.com, which has a getaway map that shows the lowest fares from all major airports.

New Web site geared for auto racing fans

Auto racing fans have a new resource for planning trips. A new Web site, racing.orbitz.com, offers a calendar of races around the country as well as booking for tickets and travel to the races.

The Web site is a collaboration between Orbitz Worldwide and the International Speedway Corporation’s RaceTickets.com.

The site has information on 19 speedways including the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, California Speedway near Los Angeles and Watkins Glen International in New York.

Waterfalls of the West

Niagara Falls, on the border of New York and Ontario, is probably North America’s most famous waterfall.

But there are plenty of waterfalls out West worth visiting as the weather warms up. The April issue of Sunset magazine (www.sunsetmagazine.com) recommends 10 of them. Note that while some are a short walk from a parking lot, others require a well-planned hike. They include: