Need to Know

HEARST CASTLE

William Randolph Hearst’s vision for his enchanting California estate upon a hill did not stop at the door of the palatial residences but included elaborate gardens, ponds and pools. And now there’s a new way to see them. A self-guided tour, “Gardens and Vistas,� lets visitors to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Calif., discover architect Julia Morgan’s floral and aquatic outdoor contributions at their own pace, without a guide. Depending on the season, you’ll see azalea, calla lily, columbine, fuchsia, honeysuckle, roses, coast live oaks and more. Offered late afternoon to sunset on most Fridays and Saturdays until June 26, then daily until Labor Day. Tickets are $24 for adults, $12 for children. Info: (800) 444-4445, https://www.hearstcastle.org

—Benoit Lebourgeois

VIRGINIA MUSEUM

Before Michael Brand came to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles (and left unexpectedly in January), he spent five years energizing plans to expand the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. When the $150-million project opened this month, it vaulted the VMFA into the nation’s top 10 museums in enclosed space, permanent exhibition space and outdoor exhibition space. The airy, light-filled expanse was designed by London-based, Oregon-born architect Rick Mather. Sight lines stretch through 5,000 years of world art and into the neighborhoods of Richmond’s Museum District. More than 70 works of “American Art From the McGlothlin Collection� will be on display in the new McGlothlin Wing until July 18. The first major exhibition there, “Tiffany: Color and Light,� opened May 29 and will run until Aug. 15. Info: (804) 340-1400, https://www.vmfa.museum/Default.aspx

—Katherine Calos

ITALY TOURS

Feel like puzzling your way around Florence, Rome or Venice this summer? And we mean in a fun way. Select Italy, a Chicago-based tour operator, has started “Made Easy� tours that give a sampling of each city for those with little time but lots of curiosity. Each tour features an interactive, high-tech scavenger hunt that provides clues through cellphone texts to help travelers solve a puzzle. Activities and prices vary. The Florence tour, for instance, includes a reserved ticket to see Michelangelo’s statue of David, plus a two-hour guided bicycle tour past all the must-see buildings and monuments. For a weekend date in June, it cost $88.34 a person for two or $80.36 a person for four. Info: Select Italy, (800) 877-1755,

—Mary Forgione

HUCK FINN JUBILEE

Even though it’s nowhere near the banks of the Mighty Mississippi, the California town of Victorville will celebrate one of Mark Twain’s best-loved characters during the Huck Finn Jubilee on June 18-20. This year marks both the 175th anniversary of the author’s birth and the 125th anniversary of the publication of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.� The festival will kick off with “Mark Twain Live,� a one-man show featuring actor Mike Randall, on June 18. The weekend merriment at Mojave Narrows Regional Park will also include plenty of bluegrass music – its backbone – along with contests in arm wrestlin’, fishin’ and river raft buildin’. Info: (951) 780-8810, https://www.huckfinn.com

—Jay Jones

GEAR: SLEEPING BAG

A big guy trying to squeeze into a snug sleeping bag is not a happy camper. That’s why the folks at Big Agnes created the Summit Park sleeping bag, which has extended dimensions for extra wiggle room. The 600-fill down bag, which can hold an occupant up to 6 feet, 6 inches tall and provides extra shoulder and hip room, weighs only 3 pounds, 8 ounces. It compresses as small as 10 inches by 10 inches in its included stuff sack. Need more room? Zip an optional Big Agnes Wedgie Bag Extender into your bag, and get another seven inches of girth. Big Agnes Summit Park sleeping bag is $249.95; Wedgie Bag Expander, $49,. Info: (877) 554-8975. https://www.bigagnes.com

—Judi Dash