In Buenos Aires, there's a "tango hotel" — the Mansion Dandi Royal, where from the moment you check in, you slip on your dancing shoes and don't take them off till you check out.

Images of tango dancers stride across the walls and objets d'art; tango music fills the halls and rooms; and not one but two dance schools offer classes daily.

Southern Rhapsody Dance Society (ENLARGE)

Dancers enjoy three nights of swinging to live orchestras under a 'starlit' dome at the 8,000-square-foot Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianpolis July 8-10 and Oct. 21-23.

But if you long to live and breathe the tango, cha-cha, mamba or fox trot, you don't have to travel to Argentina. And you don't have to settle for doing it vicariously through Lisa Rinna, Drew Lachey or other celebrities on the TV show "Dancing With the Stars" (though you might learn a thing or two from them during the show's live performance touring 38 cities throughout the United States, including Gwinnett Arena in Duluth on Jan 26).

Though the United States doesn't yet have a hotel dedicated to dancing, it does have a number of ballroom dance getaways, places where, for at least a short while, you can spin, dip, pivot and sidestep the nights — and days — away.

"We loved it," says Teresa Pistacchhio, a dance instructor from Boardman, Ohio, who took eight intermediate students in their 40s and 50s to an October dance weekend at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, W.Va.

"We were there for the dancing, but we also enjoyed great food, nature walks and resort activities. It was a great way to get comfortable dancing around different people, and with different teachers."

The dance weekends at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, N.Y., are structured so all levels of dance classes are going on simultaneously, says instructor Candace Woodward-Clough.

"The dance weekend is a good way to be introduced to ballroom dancing, since it's also about enjoying the incredible setting," she says.

A couple of lessons beforehand are best, but beginners do just fine, says instructor Paul Demers, who hosts dance getaways at Purity Spring Resort in Maine.

"We learned lots of new steps and sequences, and really had a chance to practice them," says intermediate dancer Shilpa Upadhye, who attended a weekend of dance festivities at Mohonk Mountain House with her husband, Shashank.

You'll be comfortable whether you're just starting or advanced, says Suzi Martin of Florida, of Southern Rhapsody Dance Society's dance weekends. "You won't stay a beginner for long."

Here are some places to put on your dancing shoes:

The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C., Friday-Sunday

The annual big band/swing dance weekend in the North Carolina mountains held in January at the historic Grove Park Inn sells out quickly, and you're too late for this year.Big name bands distinguish this affair: this year, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and Glenn Miller Orchestra. Sore feet? Soak them in the spa's outdoor fireside hot tub. $669 per couple for weekend package.

1-800-438-5800, www .groveparkinn.com.

Oglebay Resort, Wheeling, W.Va., March 16-18 and Oct 19-21

This 1,700-acre resort hosts two dance weekends each year in its recently renovated lodge. The spring and fall dance weekends include dance lessons, and two evenings of dancing to live bands. Sore feet? Warm them in front of the lodge's stone fireplace. $375-$475 per couple.

1-800-624-6988, www.oglebay-resort.com

/index.htm

Kutscher's Country Club Stardust Dance, Monticello, N.Y., March 23-25

More than 60 dance workshops keep 700 dancers busy during this dance weekend, one of several hosted by Stardust Dance Productions each year. The nonstop action makes these events popular with singles. Sore feet? Break for one of the many entertainers featured nightly. $240-$475 per person.

1-800-537-2797, www .stardustdance. com.

Pipestem Resort State Park, Pipestem, W.Va., April 13-15 and Dec. 7-9

These dance weekends, at a small nature-oriented resort overlooking Bluestone Gorge, include lessons and one dance. Sore feet? Ride one of the resort's horses along the park's secluded and scenic trails. $171 singles, $214 doubles.

304-466-1800, www .pipestemresort.com

Purity Spring Resort, East Madison, N.H. (near Portland, Maine), April 20-22, May 25-28, Sept. 7-9, and Oct. 19-21

With weekend dance getaways four times each year, this 1,000-acre lakefront resort in the White Mountains is popular with dance lovers who prefer intimate crowds and personal instruction. Classes are geared toward a variety of levels, and the package includes two dances, four hours of instruction and a review. Sore feet? Canoe or kayak mile-long Purity Lake. $197 per person.

1-800-373-3754, www.purityspring.com

Opryland Hotel & Resort, Nashville, May 27-29

Organized by the Southern Rhapsody Dance Society, this yearly dance package includes dances on Saturday, Sunday and Monday on a 3,500-square-foot dance floor with live orchestras, plus one group dance lesson. Sore feet? Take a relaxing pause in one of Opryland's three indoor gardens. $575 per couple.

1-877-212-6555, www

.southernrhapsodydancesociety.com

Gold Coast Hotel, Las Vegas, June 10-15

This "dance camp" includes four days of group lessons and social dance organized by Dance Vision Mastery Camps. With about 400 participants, this annual event is open to all levels and keeps both singles and couples busy with lots of intensive dance instruction. Sore feet? There's always a show on the nearby Strip. $1,498 couples, $869 singles.

1-800-851-2813, www .masterycamps.com

Embassy Suites Hotel, Indianapolis, July 8-10 and Oct. 21-23

At the 8,000-square-foot Indiana Roof Ballroom, dancers enjoy three nights of dancing to live orchestras under a "starlit" dome complete with lightning and rainstorm effects. The event, hosted by the Southern Rhapsody Dance Society, includes a dance exhibition and group dance lesson. Sore feet? Treat them to a pedicure at the adjoining shopping mall. $575 per couple.

1-877-212-6555, www

.southernrhapsodydance society.com

Killington Grand Hotel, Killington, Vt., July 22-27 and Aug. 5-10

For a week, adults enrolled in this ballroom dance summer camp take about six hours of classes daily in American style fox trot, waltz, swing, rumba, tango and cha cha. Open to all levels, with champion dance teachers. Sore feet? Ride the gondola up the mountain. $2,549 couples, $1,599 singles.

1-800-242-8785, www.ballroomdancecamp.com.

Conference Center and Hotel, Decatur, Ill., Aug. 31-Sept. 3

Weekend festivities at the Midwest Big Band Dance Festival, hosted by Perfect Impressions Entertainment, offer four dances to orchestras including Teddy Lee, Tony Barron and Johnnie Kaye. Sore feet? Hop on a golf cart and play one of the area's many courses. $587 couples, $418 singles.

217-422-3733, www.big banddancefestival.com

Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, N.Y. (90 minutes north of New York City), Nov. 30-Dec. 2

At this Victorian resort on Lake Mohonk in New York's Hudson Valley, dance lovers enjoy workshops with professional instructors teaching all levels in waltz, salsa/mamba, cha-cha, fox trot, swing, tango, rumba and merengue, plus three dances including optional black-tie dinner dance. Sore feet? Get a ginger foot rub at the spa. Or put them on ice at the open air skating pavilion. $900-$1,040 for couples, depending on room type.

1-800-772-6646, www .mohonk.com