Seemingly everywhere, water beckons. Once you've dried off, wander the red-roofed fantasy of UNESCO-recognized Dubrovnik — or several other World Heritage Sites. These days, the world flocks here.

Reporting From Dubrovnik, Croatia—

Some years ago, in the early days of our getting to know each other, my boyfriend told me about one of his most memorable meals, at a restaurant on a rock ledge overlooking the Croatian Adriatic. He had been covering the Bosnian war and had escaped to the coast, just for a day, with a few colleagues.

They lingered over a meal of fish and a few bottles of wine, watching twilight descend like a pink veil over the water, a brief pause from the fallout over the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The evening's calm beauty had stayed with him, and he knew he would return to this unsung sliver of the Adriatic.

Nearly two decades have passed since the 1995 Dayton accords officially ended the bloody four-year war. Croatia, once an untrodden gem (at least by U.S. standards), is now the fastest-growing tourist destination in the Mediterranean region.

Despite this reality, the lovely image rendered for me years earlier of a place less traveled had not faded. In June, our family decided to discover whether the hot spot had retained its allure. We focused mainly on the lower Dalmatian Coast, eager to immerse ourselves in the stretch from Split in the north to Dubrovnik in the south.

We flew into Venice, Italy, a city we loved and that provided a mission for our 9-year-old daughter: to see how many canal bridges she could cross without repeating any. Three brilliantly sunny days and 84 bridges later, we drove from Italy to Plitvice Lakes National Park, our first destination in Croatia.

We had not initially included Plitvice in our plans, but in reading about Croatia's wonders beyond the famous shoreline, we decided not to overlook this lauded park. As we drove, the country's splendors quietly unfolded before us, with miles and miles of pine-covered mountains flanking the highways, vast meadows, bucolic country lanes and verdant hillsides sprouting Alpine-style houses.

Exploring Plitvice the next morning rewarded us with a veritable water world. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a deserved designation. Its 12,000 acres of rich, variegated greens, punctuated by 16 turquoise lakes, crystalline streams and dozens of waterfalls, provided an ethereal backdrop as we walked along miles of wood-plank paths. Alas, no swimming allowed, but the temptation was huge, especially when we grabbed a rare moment of solitude apart from the other tourists gazing at all that liquid beauty.

> via LATimes