Austin Shambhala Meditation Center
The center's emphasis is on Dharmadhatu, the study of Tibetan Buddhism, but it offers secular meditation classes, too.
Elisabet Ney Sculpture Conservatory
Take a stone sculpture class with master carvers who have worked on some of the world's great cathedrals.
Chicago
Bob-o-Link Meadow
You wouldn't expect to find a prairie on Chicago's South Side, but here it is-six acres of native prairie grasses and wildflowers. Reflect in relative solitude on what the city was like before the skyscrapers.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Quiet the soul with a walk through the private home of the architect best known for his designs that incorporate natural surroundings.
Kansas City
Myrtle Fillmore Chapel in Unity Temple
(816)561-4466
This tiny chapel within the first church of the Unity movement is dedicated to Myrtle Fillmore, Unity's co-founder. It may be in the busiest dining/shopping area of the city, but it's a real haven away from it all. The church also has a restaurant, Eden Alley, and a bookstore/gift shop, The Good Book, for a "total experience."
Los Angeles
Huntington Library
Check out books and a restorative botanical garden.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Take a tram ride to the new Getty Center location where you can stroll through the 110-acre campus with panoramic city views. If it's a beach setting you desire, visit the original site of the museum, Getty Villa, in Malibu.
Miami
The 9th Chakra Book Store
Escape the fashionable crowds of Lincoln Road and fashion a journey for your soul with a book on yoga or a soothing CD.
Fairchild Tropical Garden Stroll through tropical gardens or take a class in the art of Tai Chi.
New Orleans
Longue Vue House and Gardens
On eight acres along a quiet road sits this mansion that was once home to a philanthropic New Orleans couple.
Center of Jesus the Lord
1236 N. Rampart Street
(504)529-1636
Peace and quiet can be found a few blocks from Bourbon Street. Wander inside the walled garden at the edge of the French Quarter where you'll find a Carmelite cloister community. The church and bookstore are open to the public.
San Francisco
Grace Cathedral Labyrinth
Walking the labyrinth is a unique meditative experience.
Ocean Beach
Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, this is the place for relaxation in the bay area. Rock climb, picnic on the beach, fly a kite or just gaze out across the Pacific.
Seattle
Ummelina Spa
A unique day spa that encourages spirit journeys to another place with aromatherapy massage packages, like "The Equator," that call to mind the far reaches of the globe.
Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University
You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate this space on the Seattle University campus. The chapel is an architectural marvel, and a good place to reflect on the marriage of art and spirituality.
Washington D.C.
Jefferson Memorial
Everything about this presidential memorial induces a meditative state-from its location on the Tidal Basin, just a bit out of reach of the more crowded Mall, to its circular design, which begs a reflective walk around the statue. Visit in the evening and you'll practically have the place to yourself.
Dumbarton Oaks
This Federal mansion in historic Georgetown houses one of the country's premier private collections in Byzantine and Pre-Columbian Art on quiet, wooded grounds.
