GO ESCAPE Summer 2019

25 MUST-SEE CULTURAL MUSEUMS

SUMMER 2019

Dive In

ENJOY CARIBBEAN’S WARM WATERS & SOFT SANDS

PLUS SAVOR ICONIC STATE CUISINE WOODSTOCK’S 50TH JAM PARTY COPTERS, CAVES, CAMPS & CRUISES

e Largest Carnivore Sanctuary In eWorld, Designed And Built Like No Other In Existence

A 10,473 Acre Refuge

for more than 500 Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves and other RESCUED animals

The iconic St. Louis Union Station is soon to be America’s newest family entertainment destination, where the sky meets the sea and everything in between. Enjoy views 200 feet in the air on The St. Louis Wheel and capture the excitement below with extraordinary dining at The Train Shed and St. Louis Soda Fountain, amid gardens of fun where you can experience a game of miniature golf and ride a nostalgic 1904 themed carousel. And not to miss, the much anticipated St. Louis Aquarium bringing thousands of aquatic animals from around the globe for you to explore.

Check our website for opening dates and become part of the story by signing up for email updates.

This will be a fantastic journey you will never forget!

1820 Market Street

St. Louis, Missouri

314.621.5262

stlouisunionstation.com

SUMMER 2019

STAY AND PLAY

CAPITOL REEF RESORT

Offbeat ways to experience national parks

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SUMMER 2019

FEATURES 40

GROWN-UP ADVENTURE

46

BEST BEACHES

Adult summer camps cater to outdoor enthusiasts Live it up at these Caribbean locales

40

ON THE OUTSKIRTS Laid-back suburbs are becoming lively tourist destinations

UP FRONT

REGIONS

10 12 14 16 20 22 24 26 28 30

n NORTHEAST 68 Lee Daniels’ Philadelphia 70 Go to Gloucester, Mass.

73 Hudson Valley’s booming

34 36

AIRPORT AMENITIES SCOOTER TREND SURPRISE TRIPS TRAVEL GEAR CREDIT CARD REWARDS FIGHT FRAUD STATE FOODS HISTORIC HOTEL BARS BOARD GAME CAFÉS WOODSTOCK 50TH ANNIVERSARY CORVETTE CELEBRATION MEMPHIS BICENTENNIAL

28

76 80

distilleries Philadelphia gets a refresh Exploring ancestry

84 88 94 100

Fla. Pimento cheese, please Hilton Head’s Gullah glory Artistic treats Explore the Atlanta BeltLine History lesson

106 n MIDWEST 108 Jeni Britton Bauer’s 110 114

Columbus, Ohio Awesome Alpena, Mich.

Follow the Frank Lloyd Wright trail Cool caves Portals to the past

118 124 n WEST 126 Samantha Brown’s Dallas 128 Colorado’s Million Dollar 132 136

Highway Montana ghost towns Heritage study

n PACIFIC 140 Jon Huertas’ Venice, Calif.

142 Surfing in Huntington ON THE COVER:

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands PHOTOGRAPHER:

Jerald Council

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166

n SOUTHEAST 82 CJ Perry’s Tallahassee,

148 150

Beach, Calif.

Portland walking tours Coastal culture

DESTINATIONS n MEXICO 156 Baja California wine 160

country Best foods in Oaxaca

n CANADA 162 Helicopter sightseeing n EUROPE 166 Indulge in an Irish castle 168 Airbnb advice n CARIBBEAN 170 The best of Belize n CRUISES 174 Onboard with

Oprah Winfrey

n ONE FOR THE ROAD 176 Museum goes to the dogs

All prices and availability are subject to change.

JAMES KAO; RED CARNATION HOTELS; GETTY IMAGES

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FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS PREMIUM PUBLICATION EDITORIAL

DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes jbstokes@usatoday.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council jcouncil@usatoday.com

A freelance writer for more than a decade, Matt Alderton specializes in business, culture, science, technology and travel. Originally from Denver, he now lives in Chicago with his partner, Jeff, and their Boston terrier puppy, Lucy, who accompanies him whenever possible on his adventures — whether to America’s hottest suburbs (page 54), artsy cities in the South (page 94) or even Mexican wine country (page 156).

Cheryl Rodewig got her start in journalism more than 10 years ago shadowing soldiers during field training, where she learned the value of quick camera reflexes. Now, she’s an award-winning feature writer, using her craft mostly for travel stories and the occasional Scrabble trouncing.

She’s always on the hunt for a nearby game café (page 28), her favorite new entertainment trend that combines food and fun.

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington mjwashington@usatoday.com EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Tracy Scott Forson Sara Schwartz Debbie Williams ISSUE DESIGNER Gina Toole Saunders DESIGNERS Hayleigh Corkey Amira Martin Debra Moore Lisa M. Zilka CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Matt Alderton, Diane Bair, Susan B. Barnes, John W. Barry, Brian Barth, Mary Helen Berg, Kit Bernardi, Sam Boykin, Anna Katherine Clemmons, Brad Cohen, Ana Connery, Kelly-Jane Cotter, Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, Lisa Davis, Jonah Flicker, Jennifer Bradley Franklin, Erin Gifford, Aimee Heckel, Kristen Inbody, Tina Lassen, Katie Morell, Roger Naylor, Rina Rapuano, Dana Rebmann, Melanie Reffes, Cheryl Rodewig, Sarah Sekula, Kathryn Streeter, Lavanya Sunkara, Nancy Trejos, Pamela Wright, Suzanne Wright, Stacey Zable

ADVERTISING

PROVIDED BY THE CONTRIBUTORS

VP, ADVERTISING Patrick Burke | (703) 854-5914 pburke@usatoday.com

Anna Katherine Clemmons is a freelance journalist, producer and media studies adjunct professor at the University of Virginia. A veteran writer for ESPN, she has published stories in The New York Times, Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler and Sports Illustrated. A longtime outdoors enthusiast and athlete, she was excited to learn more about the Pursuit Series adventure camp (page 40), so much so, that she signed up to attend in June with her sister.

FACEBOOK Facebook.com/usatodaymags

Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer Kathryn Streeter’s work has been featured in AARP, The Washington Post and The Week. She and her family have moved often, including living abroad in Germany and London, which enabled various European adventures while staying in a number of Airbnb properties (page 168). With her daughter in college in the U.K. and son considering studying in Europe, chances are good that she’ll continue hopping the pond.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @USATODAYMAGS

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Justine Madden | (703) 854-5444 jmadden@usatoday.com

FINANCE

BILLING COORDINATOR Julie Marco Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved herein, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written consent of USA TODAY. The editors and publisher are not responsible for any unsolicited materials.

This is a product of

PRINTED IN THE USA

5

travel.usatoday.com

INTERGALACTIC ADVENTURE

Katz’s Delicatessen, a mainstay on Manhattan’s Lower East Side for the past 131 years and the setting for the famous “I’ll have what she’s having” scene in When Harry Met Sally, can be confusing and intimidating to the uninitiated tourist. USA TODAY gives newbies the rundown on what to expect and what to eat at

uusatoday.com/travel

CONSUMER CORNER How to get airline or hotel refunds: uHow you pay matters. Paying with cash, a debit card or a check means the money is gone.

But use a credit card, and you have the full force of federal law (the Fair Credit Billing Act) and your credit card’s resolution department in your corner.

That way, if a company drags its feet on a refund, you can file a chargeback.

uBe informed and blaze a paper trail.

Airlines love to send you vouchers, but they often expire after a year. If you paid by credit card, you should receive a refund to that card.

Don’t accept vouchers or points. Experts say keeping a paper trail of emails and receipts will help you get a refund faster. uMake sure you’re dealing with the right company. If you booked through an online travel agency such as Expedia or Travelocity, for example, they may be the most helpful point of contact to facilitate your refund.

uusatoday.com/travel/ destinations

BASK IN ROMAN BATHS Bath, England, is famous for its ancient hot springs that were believed to have been “created by the gods.” Take a video tour to discover the history behind these ancient Roman baths at

uusatoday.com/travel

FALL FOR THRILL RIDES Perhaps the most famous free-falling theme park ride is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, but there are plenty of others that are taller, faster and more scream-inducing. Get a rundown on the tallest droptower rides at parks in North America.

uusatoday.com/travel

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LARRY OLMSTEAD; DISNEY PARKS; GETTY IMAGES; SIX FLAGS

DESTINATION DELI

The Stars Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ride will open May 31 at Disneyland Resort in California and Aug. 29 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. In a photo gallery tour, USA TODAY gives Star Wars fans a sneak peek at what to expect at the brand-new attraction, including a first look inside the legendary Millennium Falcon, interactive features and food and drink offerings.

Moving is the best medicine. Keeping active and losing weight are just two of the ways that you can fight osteoarthritis pain. In fact, for every pound you lose, that’s four pounds less pressure on each knee.

For information on managing pain, go to fightarthritispain.org.

| GO ESCAPE

UP FRONT I N T H E N O W, I N T H E K N O W

GETTING AROUND 10

|

ADVICE 20

| FOOD + DRINK 24

|

EVENTS 30

SUN ’N FUN

GETTY IMAGES

Beauty, tranquility and good times await at the most magnificent beaches in the Caribbean. Peruse the options and plan your next vacation (page 46).

UP FRONT | GETTING AROUND

Flights of Fancy Passengers find conveniences and comforts at U.S. airports BILLIONS OF PEOPLE board airplanes each year, and that number continues to grow. Whether for business or for pleasure, if you fly, you end up spending time in an airport. With an explosion of new concessions and amenities, those long layovers and delays are becoming something to enjoy rather than dread.

Here, USA TODAY’s 10Best.com shares the top things to do, see, eat and drink at airports across the country:

BEST BAR

1

BEST SHOPPING

2

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Phoenix’s status as a shopping mecca translates into its airport, with options like Bunky Boutique, Indigenous, Johnston & Murphy, Cactus Candy, TripAdvisor and Earth Spirit. A concessions update has brought an additional 16 new shops to Terminal 4, including Lucky Break, Sonora Southwest Living and Brookstone.

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BEST NEWSSTAND/TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

3

InMotion at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

InMotion, the leading airport retail electronics provider, offers travel essentials such as chargers, cases and earphones. Additionally, the store sells brand-name headphones such as Bose and Beats, speakers such as Jawbone and other small electronics such as GoPros and fitness trackers. InMotion also provides in-store product demonstrations.

HMSHOST; INMOTION ENTERTAINMENT GROUP; PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Whisky River at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Whisky River, created in partnership with Dale Earnhardt Jr., features an extensive food menu and bar offerings for travelers.

Try the signature drink, Moonshine Mule, made with Midnight Moon original moonshine, ginger beer and lime juice.

BEST SHOP FOR LOCAL MERCHANDISE

4

Root & Branch at Raleigh–Durham International Airport. This unique shopping experience features items from more than 20 local artisans and businesses, sold alongside products from local, regional and national brands.

BEST GRAB-AND-GO DINING

6

Inca Tea Cafe at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Passengers in need of a bite at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport can swing by Inca Tea Cafe for baked goods, organic snacks, cold-pressed juices and fresh-brewed, all-natural teas.

BEST SERVICE/AMENITY

7 Angel Food Bakery

PROVIDED BY THE AIRPORTS

BEST DINING

5

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

With more than 100 restaurants to choose from, there’s something to suit the needs of just about every traveler. Highlights include Blue Door Pub, Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza, Angel Food Bakery, LoLo American Kitchen, La Voya Brasserie and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Minute Suites at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It can be difficult to find privacy in a busy airport, but at DFW, travelers have Minute Suites.

Amenities include daybeds for napping, workstations and even showers for freshening up after a long day of travel.

BEST LOCAL/REGIONAL DINING

8

The Breakfast Klub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. This casual, family-style eatery at this Houston airport serves a full menu of breakfast favorites also available at their sidewalk location in Midtown, as well as sandwiches and salads. Menu items include catfish and grits, chicken wings and waffles, and a selection of omelets.

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UP FRONT | GETTING AROUND

Wheels in Motion The hop-on scooter craze is sweeping the nation

BY SARAH SEKULA

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the most part and felt very comfortable.

SCOOTER INVASION If you’ve been to any major city lately, you’ve seen them. The scooter craze has spread across the nation from San Diego and Austin, Texas, to Miami and Washington, D.C., because of shared-scooter networks like Lyft, Lime, Bird, Skip, Scoot and Spin.

Here’s how it works: Download the city’s applicable scooter app on your smartphone. Unlock the scooter by scanning a QR code. Typically, it’s around $1 to unlock and 15 to 25 cents per minute to ride. The scooter’s battery life is shown on the app and usually lasts about 30 miles. When you’re done using, just leave the scooter anywhere you like. Employees come along, often at night, to recharge them.

Cherri Pike, a Denver resident, shares Zaleski’s scooter sentiment. She often rents them from Lime as a fun way to get around.

From her neighborhood in Uptown it’s an easy scooter ride to Cheesman Park, the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and 16th Street Mall.

The wheeled wonders can be a fun way to zip between locations in a city.

You can hop off to grab some ice cream or for a quick photo, all without breaking a sweat.

“People enjoy the ability to get out of cars and explore their cities,” says Ryan Larson, general manager of Spin in Denver.

“It takes people out of cars or buses and into the fabric of their cities.”

A BIT OF BACKLASH In some parts of the country, the programs have been controversial: Parked scooters can block sidewalks, and inexperienced riders have been injured.

But cities have adopted speed and safety regulations, and the popularity is booming.

“The news media has made a big deal out of the inconvenience of the scooters being left on sidewalks,” Pike says. “(But) if you live downtown like us, though, the scooters are a great way to get to meetings, shopping, dining, even doctor’s appointments.”

Pike sums it up: “I’ve never seen anyone ride an electric scooter without smiling.”

GETTY IMAGES; SKIP; BIRD SCOOTER; SPIN

WHEN 38-YEAR-OLD JULY Zaleski hopped onto an electric scooter in downtown Denver this past January, she wasn’t the least bit nervous. This, after all, was her fifth time renting a scooter during her travels.

In no time, she was whimsically breezing through the streets of the Mile High City.

“It felt so freeing,” says Zaleski, who was visiting from Seattle. “I was like a little kid whizzing around the city.”

Zaleski’s zeal comes as no surprise. The scooter did look a lot like those of her childhood — kick scooters with a skateboardlike deck and handlebars. The one Zaleski was riding, though, was souped up with an electric motor and a max speed of 15 mph.

The process was pretty simple: She already had the Lyft app on her phone — the same Lyft that offers ride-sharing and bike rentals. Now that the service stocks scooters, she simply reserved one, so it was waiting for her. Then, she just had to find the scooter with the help of a locator map.

Denver is known for its bike lanes, so she was able to stick to those for

Skip

SAFETY FIRST Scooters are a cool and quirky way to get around a town, but it’s no fun if you get hurt. Follow these tips to stay safe: uKnow the local rules about where scooters are allowed, so you know where to ride. uWear a helmet. uObey the traffic rules. uBe courteous when parking your scooter.

Don’t park on private property, a crosswalk or the middle of a sidewalk.

Spin

Bird

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UP FRONT | GETTING AROUND

ward at Jim and Amy Ho tional Na er ini Ra nt Mou state on gt hin as Park in W

Deana Jagielo, De dra Petersen and Da rcy Petersen

Where To? Personalized trips keep you in suspense until you depart

Jen Morilla

a Mullan Shane and Vilm

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SURPRISES CAN BE polarizing — people seem to either love them or hate them. But for an emerging segment of travelers, a big part of the thrill of going on a trip is being surprised with the destination. When Lillian Rafson started Pack Up + Go, a surprise travel agency, she knew she was onto something. In the three years since opening, the agency has sent more than 10,000 travelers to more than 85 destinations around the U.S. While some clients are motivated by the unexpected itinerary, she’s found that the convenience is a draw in itself.

“A lot of American travelers want the ease of having someone else plan their vacation,” Rafson says. “The surprise is a fun added element.”

That principle proved true when 38-year-old Amy Howard of Raleigh, N.C., set her sights on a 2018 trip with her husband. “We enjoy traveling, but we both have full-time jobs and hobbies that take up a lot of time,” she says,

GETTY IMAGES; PROVIDED BY AMY HOWARD; PACK UP + GO (2); PROVIDED BY SHANE AND VILMA MULLAN

BY JENNIFER BRADLEY FRANKLIN

BOOK YOUR SURPRISE TRIP NO PASSPORT REQUIRED

Pack Up + Go (packupgo. com) specializes in three-day

sta Karjalaninen Preston Park and Kri

domestic getaways, in which clients take their own cars or arrive by plane or train. While there is a questionnaire to fill out, owner Lillian Rafson says they are a low-tech, high-touch company, and her travel consultants get to know each guest. “It’s almost like matchmaking. We try to match the traveler’s personality to the personality of a city,” she says. The agency guarantees that transportation and four- or five-star accommodations will be included in the budget.

PROVIDED BY PRESTON PARK

ROMANTIC ESCAPES

so spending hours researching destinations wasn’t appealing. Instead, she worked with Whisked Away, a travel agency that specializes in surprise trips lasting one to two weeks.

Howard’s travel consultant asked a series of questions to get to know the couple’s preferences, budget and any destinations they would veto.

A week before the scheduled departure, a sealed envelope arrived at their home. “Some people choose to open it on the way to the airport, but I couldn’t hang onto the envelope for that long,” Howard says. Ultimately, the pair spent a memorable week in Seattle, exploring both the vibrant city and the surrounding natural landscape. “The trip provided something for both of us. One excursion was a day on Mount Rainier, and it ended up being my favorite thing we did,” she says. The discovery of an outdoor activity that was equally enjoyable for both was a delight for Howard, who tends to prefer cityscapes, while her husband is a staunch outdoorsman.

From girls’ trips to couples getaways, the next time you want to vacation but have no time to plan, don’t know where to go or simply crave an extra element of adventure, let someone else handle all the details. You just might be surprised at how exciting the hands-off approach can be.

For traveler Amy Howard, one big selling point of Whisked Away (explorewhiskedaway. com) was the top-notch reviews it garnered from couples who trusted the agency to plan their all-important honeymoons to romantic destinations, both in the U.S. and abroad. “We were a little nervous because you’re handing someone a chunk of money and asking them to schedule a trip,” Howard says, adding that her one-week trip exceeded expectations and allowed more time to connect with her husband.

FAR-FLUNG ADVENTURE

If an escape abroad is on your bucket list, The Vacation Hunt (thevacationhunt.com) might be your perfect match. The company’s co-founders Roshni Agarwal and Jeff Allen are avid international travelers and pass that wanderlust onto their guests in trips ranging from three to 14 days. Whether a quick Caribbean jaunt or a tour of Europe, the company’s packages include transportation, accommodations and activities.

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UP FRONT | GETTING AROUND

Get in Gear

These must-haves make traveling a breeze

BY SARAH SEKULA

CLEVER AND COMFORTABLE travel accessories can certainly bump up the satisfaction factor on your next vacation. Great thing is, you’ll find as many options as there are intriguing destinations around the world. Here are a few that will make your next adventure more enjoyable:

PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY BACKPACK

PEAK DESIGN

This is the backpack of all backpacks. With lots of FlexFold dividers inside, it can be configured to keep your camera, drone or everyday gear from getting smooshed. There’s also a dedicated sleeve for your laptop, and the nylon canvas shell is waterproof. u$259.95 for the 20-liter size, peakdesign.com

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Focus on the food that matters to you.

Download our free app.

My Topics lets you choose the news you want to know about, when you want to know about it.

UP FRONT | GETTING AROUND

DELSEY CHÂTELET HARD + LUGGAGE This polycarbonate luggage with fauxleather accents stands up to rugged travel, but looks stylish at the same time. Plus, there’s a tracking tag on the back, so you will always know the whereabouts of your luggage. u$299.99 for the 20inch carry-on; $399.99 for the 28-inch, shop.delsey.com

ROKA HALSEY PERFORMANCE SUNGLASSES Thanks to their iconic look, durability and high-glare reduction, these polarized sunnies will become your go-to glasses. The best part: They are so lightweight that it feels like you aren’t wearing glasses at all. u$125, roka.com

ROTHY’S SNEAKERS These trendy, functional slip-ons are made from recycled plastic fibers and go with just about any outfit. They are machine-washable and breathable, too. u$125, rothys.com

GOPRO HERO7 BLACK Your favorite action camera just got even better. Hypersmooth image stabilization is a game changer. In other words, you get cinematic footage without having to tote around a gimbal. u$399.99, shop.gopro.com

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When you are traveling and have mere minutes to get ready, this fancypants hair dryer/curling wand saves the day. It uses the Coanda effect, an aerodynamic method that wraps hair around the barrel like magic. u$499.99, dyson.com

LULULEMON ALIGN PANT II With four-way stretch and butterysoft wicking fabric, this might be the comfiest travel pant, ever. u$98, lululemon.com

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

DYSON AIRWRAP STYLER

UP FRONT | ADVICE

Perk Up! The deal on credit card travel rewards

BY JOE CORTEZ

— Joe Cortez writes for NerdWallet, a personal finance website and USA TODAY content partner.

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GETTY IMAGES

FREQUENT TRAVELERS AND once-a-year vacationers alike love the idea of earning credit card rewards toward their next big trip. According to a recent NerdWallet study, 68 percent of American adults say they have a card that earns travel rewards.

With a travel rewards card, you earn points or miles every time you use the card, but you can often earn more points per dollar in select categories. Some cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, offer bonus points on any travel spending, while the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card grants bonus points only when you use the card at Marriott and Starwood hotels.

Not all points and miles earned on travel credit cards are the same: General-purpose travel credit cards — including the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the American Express Gold card and the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card — offer rewards that can be used like cash to pay for travel or that can be exchanged for points in airline or hotel loyalty programs.

Airline- and hotel-specific cards — such as the United Explorer card and the Hilton Honors American Express card — give points and miles that can be used only with the brand on the card. (It’s possible in some cases to transfer hotel points to airlines, but it’s not recommended because of the decreased value.)

Value of points and miles: With general travel cards, it’s simple. They have a fixed value, usually between 1 and 1.5 cents apiece, and you can spend them like cash.

With airline miles and hotel points, finding the true value is more difficult. How much value you get depends on how you redeem them. Generally, airline miles go further if you use them for business- and first-class accommodations on international flights.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CARD Travel credit cards fall into two basic categories: cobranded cards and general travel cards. Co-branded cards carry the name of an airline or hotel chain, and the rewards you earn are redeemable only with that airline or hotel. If you regularly fly one airline or stay at one hotel chain, these cards can be a great choice.

They also offer perks such as free checked bags or hotel upgrades. General travel cards offer more flexibility.

Their rewards come as points that you can redeem for any travel expense, or even transfer to airline and hotel loyalty programs. Consider these factors when choosing the type that’s right for you: annual fee; rewards rate; sign-up bonus; foreign transaction fees; international acceptance and travel protections.

MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS Make your card more rewarding with these tips: u Plan your credit card application around a big purchase to earn the sign-up bonus. u Seize every opportunity to pick up the group tab, especially if your travel card pays bonus rewards on dining; your friends can pay you back while you collect rewards. u To get the best value, redeem rewards for travel instead of gift cards, merchandise or (in most cases) cash back. u Join the loyalty program associated with a co-branded card — a frequent-flyer or frequent-guest program. u Shop for essentials in your card’s online bonus mall, if available, to get extra rewards.

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UP FRONT | ADVICE

Fighting Fraud Preventative steps can keep travelers from turning into victims

BY MARGARETTE BURNETTE

GETTY IMGAES

VACATION PACKING CHECKLISTS can be handy, but not everybody needs them. A keep-my-money-safe checklist, on the other hand, can benefit just about every traveler.

When you’re away from home, your money and accounts are prime targets for identity thieves, pickpockets and scammers. According to the Federal Trade Commission, credit card fraud was the most common form of identity theft reported last year. Bank fraud rounded out the top five.

Your vacation budget should cover travel, lodging and food, not bank theft. Follow these steps to keep your funds secure during your next trip:

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1. SIGN UP FOR BANK ALERTS Register to have your financial institution notify you about account activity. Your bank or credit union might, for example, send a text message or email whenever your balance drops below a certain amount. It might also ping you if a suspicious transaction is made.

If you didn’t authorize the charge, report it immediately.

2. KNOW YOUR BANK’S FRAUD DEPARTMENT PHONE NUMBER If you lose your debit or credit card, call the bank’s fraud department as soon as possible. This is especially crucial if you’re reporting a lost debit card. When you notify your bank within 48 hours of learning about the loss, the maximum amount you would be liable for is $50. Postpone it any longer, and you could lose up to $500. Waiting 60 days or more could leave you liable for the total amount a criminal takes out of the account.

With credit cards, come with more protection. The most you could lose is $50, even if you wait more than two days to notify your bank.

There’s another reason to have your bank’s phone number on hand: to avoid phishing scams. If someone claims to represent your bank and asks for personal information, call your bank to determine whether the request is legitimate.

3. MEMORIZE ONLINE LOGIN INFORMATION Track transaction activity by logging on to your accounts from time to time while you travel. Having a strong password is essential to protecting your online accounts, but don’t write down your username and password. It’s easy for that information to wind up in the wrong hands. Instead, memorize your login information or use a secure password manager.

Avoid using public Wi-Fi when banking online. Failing to do so might allow others to see information you transmit.

Use a private network instead.

4. TURN ON “FIND MY DEVICE“ APPS Enable the features that let you locate or control your smartphone, tablet or computer in the event that it goes missing.

This is especially important if you use the device for online banking. Even if you’re not able to physically retrieve the device, you could erase its data, ensuring no one else can access it to empty your accounts. You should also password-protect the home screen so that it’s more difficult for criminals to access your device.

5. CAREFULLY CHOOSE YOUR CARD FOR TRAVEL Carry no more than three cards with you: a primary credit card (ideally one with travel perks), a debit card to access cash and a backup credit card in case the others are lost or stolen. Keep the backup separate from the other cards, perhaps in a hotel safe.

It’s also smart to limit the amount of cash you’re carrying, especially if you’re traveling abroad. If a card is lost or stolen, it can be replaced.

But if cash disappears, it’s probably gone for good.

6. HOLD THE MAIL If you regularly receive paper bank statements and other financial documents, you don’t want them sitting in your mailbox for too long. Have a friend retrieve your mail or go to usps.com/holdmail to instruct the U.S. Postal Service to hold your deliveries until you return.

— Margarette Burnette writes for NerdWallet, a personal finance website and USA TODAY content partner.

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UP FRONT | FOOD + DRINK

Iconic Eats Where to taste defining dishes across the U.S. AMERICAN FOOD CAN be difficult to define, largely because our culinary landscape benefits from so many ethnic influences and regional variations. Still, there are certain signature foods that individual states have become known for. With such a wide array of choices throughout the U.S., USA TODAY’s 10Best.com offers a guide to some of the nation’s iconic dishes and the top restaurants that serve them up best.

BEST SALMON IN ALASKA THE COOKERY

Alaskan sockeye salmon is a star on The Cookery’s menu in Seward. Get it with braised Alaskan kale, potatoes and a mustard barbecue sauce, or with Alaskan zucchini, kale ragout and beet coulis. Lighter appetites can try it on a local greens and wheat berry salad with pickled rhubarb and peach barbecue sauce. ucookeryseward.com

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PROVIDED BY THE RESTAURANTS

BEST STROMBOLI IN PENNSYLVANIA

BEST GEODUCK IN WASHINGTON

BEST CHIMICHANGA IN ARIZONA

BEST BUFFALO STEAK IN WYOMING

DINO’S PIZZA OF WARMINSTER

CHELSEA FARMS OYSTER BAR

VALLE LUNA MEXICAN RESTAURANT

POOR RICHARD’S

Specialty pizzas from Dino’s Pizza of Warminster can be turned into a stromboli, or diners can create their own.

The dough takes two days to make, and sauce is made from San Marzano tomatoes.

Each stromboli comes with two sauces for dipping. udinospizzaofwarminster. com

The raw bar at the Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar in Olympia serves a geoduck crudo made with shaved, cured oyster, fresh lemon basil microgreens, cilantro and an ancho chile oil. uchelseafarms.net

The chimichanga at Valle Luna in Phoenix is deepfried and comes stuffed with a choice of meat and smothered in a homemade Sonoran chimi sauce.

Guacamole, sour cream, Spanish rice and a choice of beans come on the side. uvalleluna.com

BEST MAC ’N CHEESE IN VERMONT

BEST CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK IN OKLAHOMA

BEST CLAMS IN RHODE ISLAND

BEST FINGER STEAKS IN IDAHO

OUR HOUSE BISTRO

THE RED B RESTAURANT

EVELYN’S DRIVE-IN

Our House Bistro in Winooski is known for what they call “Twisted Comfort Food,” and that includes more than two dozen types of mac ’n cheese. The Traditional comes with cavatappi pasta in a house cheese sauce, while some of the more distinct offerings come topped with poutine, coconut shrimp, a fried egg or buffalo chicken. uourhousebistro.com

An off-the-beaten-path gem in the town of Idabel, The Red B Restaurant is known for its hearty three-course meals of made-from-scratch food.

The hand-cut, tenderized and deep-fried chicken fried steak earns rave reviews and is tender enough to cut with a fork. It comes with gravy and two sides or in sandwich form with lettuce, tomato and jalapeño ranch. ufacebook.com/ theredbrestaurant

Evelyn’s Drive-In has been serving local Rhode Island seafood for more than four decades at a relaxed waterside setting in Tiverton.

Choose from tender fried clam strips or whole bellied clams, littlenecks in a spicy garlic sauce, stuffed local quahogs, buttery Rhode Island chowder or New England clam chowder and crispy clam cakes. uevelynsdrivein.com

TRESTLE BREWING COMPANY

The buffalo top sirloin served at Poor Richard’s in Cheyenne is served with grilled broccolini and roasted baby red potatoes. upoorrichardscheyenne. com

Trestle Brewing Company in Ferdinand is known for its “bite size,” a variation of finger steaks local to the region. At Trestle, the steaks are made from hand-cut sirloin seasoned with a dry rub and deep fat-fried to order. ufacebook.com/ Trestle-BrewingCompany-643148225721841

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UP FRONT | FOOD + DRINK

Cheers and Charm Belly up to some of America’s historic hotel bars

BY JONAH FLICKER

SIPPING A COCKTAIL at a historic hotel bar is a far cry from grabbing a beer at your local dive. These establishments are distinctive, from the bartenders’ skills and attire to the local lore and charming surroundings. If you’re a guest at the hotel, it’s comforting to know that a civilized drink can be found just downstairs from your room. And if you’re a local, it’s a welcome break from reality to step inside and order a well-made martini.

Classic hotel bars offer a nostalgic snapshot of a more elegant time.

Actors, writers and celebrities were often regulars; signature cocktails were born and iconic art was sometimes commissioned.

Here are some of the best historic hotel bars around America:

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The only spinning bar in New Orleans can be found at the Hotel Monteleone (hotelmonteleone. com). The Carousel Bar and Lounge opened in 1949, and the 25-seat bar is literally a carousel, spinning guests slowly around as they enjoy a cocktail.

Intricate painted features like a clown face add to the amusementpark vibe at the bar, which makes one complete rotation every 15 minutes.

A couple of famous drinks are said to have been created at the Carousel Bar: The Vieux Carre, made with cognac, Sazerac rye whiskey and Benedictine; and the Goody, made with dark and light rum, orange and pineapple juice.

The bar and lounge were renovated and expanded in 2011, adding lighting, chandeliers and more windows overlooking Royal Street so you can enjoy the view while you relax with a drink.

HOTEL MONTELEONE; GETTY IMAGES

NEW ORLEANS

MEMPHIS, TENN. The Peabody Memphis (peabodymemphis.com) originally opened in 1869, then was redesigned and moved to its current location in 1925. This historic hotel is famous for its waterfowl, in addition to its bars. Every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the duckmaster leads a group of ducks through the lobby to the marble fountain as guests and locals watch.

The Lobby Bar is located in the Grand Lobby of the hotel and is the perfect spot to watch the Peabody Duck March. You can find contemporary and classic cocktails here, as well as an impressive selection of drinks made with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey.

The hotel’s Peabody Corner Bar is another spot for cocktails and food. Wine drinkers should take note of the Cruvinet wine dispensing system, which keeps opened bottles fresh, allowing you to order small pours and sample a variety of vintages or regions.

THE PEABODY MEMPHIS; WILLARD INTERCONTINENTAL; BROWN HOTEL

LOUISVILLE, KY. The Brown Hotel and Spa (brownhotel.com) has been a fixture in Louisville since 1923.

It’s still popular with Bourbon Trail enthusiasts, Kentucky Derby visitors and locals. And it’s where a Louisville classic, the Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with bacon and creamy Mornay sauce, was born.

There are only a few stools at the Lobby Bar, though visitors can also sit at one of the many tables or couches scattered throughout the lobby. The Brown Manhattan is one of the bar’s signature drinks. It’s made with Larceny bourbon, sweet vermouth, orange bitters and a few bourbon-soaked cherries.

The bar’s décor recalls grander times at The Brown before 1937, when the Ohio River flooded and filled the lobby with water. Nearly 1,000 stranded local residents stayed at the hotel for 10 days.

WASHINGTON, D.C. The Willard InterContinental (washington.intercontinental.com) has been around in some form or other since 1818, and was named the Willard City Hotel in 1850 after Henry Willard became the manager. The hotel underwent a complete renovation in the mid-1980s. Presidents who have stayed at this Washington, D.C., fixture include Abraham Lincoln, who booked a room there before his inauguration.

The Round Robin Bar opened in 1847 at The Willard and has served people like Mark Twain and Walt Whitman. Kentucky senator and congressman Henry Clay introduced the mint julep to the bar while he was serving in Washington in the 1800s, and it’s still the bar’s signature drink.

Portraits of famous patrons line the walls at the Round Robin. The bar hosts a series called History Happy Hour, with a lineup of political experts, historians and journalists, combining historical lessons with cocktail classes.

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UP FRONT | FOOD + DRINK

Game On! Places where you can eat, drink and play are popping up across the U.S.

IN ONE CORNER of the room, a couple is hunched over a table, intent on stopping the spread of a deadly virus, pausing occasionally for another sip of bubble tea. Nearby, a family shares a plate of nachos as they compete to build the tallest tower from a pile of random shapes.

Welcome to your neighborhood board game café, an entertainment trend with surprisingly broad appeal in this digital age. These new community hangouts are showing up in nearly every state as people rediscover

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an old-fashioned pastime with a modern twist.

“The concept really took off around three to four years ago,” says Dominique Thobaben, social media and marketing manager for the Game Manufacturers Association. “It’s combining things people love: good games, a fun atmosphere and tasty food and drink options. Board games allow people to interact on a different level.”

Grab your friends and level up at one of these popular game cafés:

GETTY IMAGES

BY CHERYL RODEWIG

THE GAME PARLOUR

SHUFFLES

THE CLOAK & BLASTER

TULSA, OKLA.

THE GAME PARLOUR; MOX BOARDING HOUSE; SHUFFLES; THE ROOK & PAWN; THE CLOAK & BLASTER

SAN FRANCISCO No stranger to weekend wait lists, this popular spot just steps from Golden Gate Park is a treat for foodies.

The Game Parlour’s gluten-free menu stars indulgent mochi waffles, made sweet or savory. As they dine, patrons can pay a $5 fee to choose from nearly 1,000 games, organized by category, then alphabetically — Aggravation to Nanuk to Zingo! — outlandish titles that spark the imagination. “We’ve seen children as young as 2 with their parents, as well as seniors and everyone in between in the same room playing games at the same time,” says owner Brian Lew. “There are no boundaries with board games.” thegameparlour.com

ORLANDO, FLA.

MOX BOARDING HOUSE SEATTLE AND BELLEVUE, WASH. Strictly retail when it opened in 2011, Mox Boarding House evolved over time, first adding play space for shoppers, and later a restaurant. There’s no cover charge, and both locations host regular events, from learn-to-play nights to massive Magic: The Gathering tournaments.

Serious gamers and groups can reserve custom designed private rooms. Book the eerie Red Room or the Speakeasy, complete with dedicated bar and hidden door, and your game night takes on a whole new dimension. moxboardinghouse. com

With inventive furniture design, a milkshake counter, game store and full-scale restaurant, Shuffles is all about the details. The three-legged hexagonal tables, designed by owner Eric Fransen, never wobble and have charging stations, ergonomic seating and drink holders on the legs.

Their lineup of more than 700 games is meticulously curated and labeled by difficulty.

Pay between $3 and $10 for unlimited play.

On the culinary front, you can order a variety of treats including charcuterie and espresso with housemade syrups (like rosemary-infused maple). shufflestulsa.com

THE ROOK & PAWN ATHENS, GA. Visitors to The Rook & Pawn step into a moody Victorian alleyway with textured walls, shop signs and gas lamps. Alongside pub fare and brews, choose your own adventure from their extensive library that runs the gamut of genres including party, abstract, storytelling and strategy. Unlimited play is yours for $5.

Once a month, gamers can even test new titles not yet released to the public. therookandpawn.com

Tapestries, dragon skulls and a large hobbit mural set the stage for this Tolkien-esque tabletop gaming pub.

Smile at The Cloak & Blaster’s clever menu items — Revenge of the Curds, Sandwiches of Smiting — and marvel at their drink list boasting more than 160 beers, cocktails and whiskeys. In addition to its nearly 400 game offerings, the pub frequently hosts themed events, spanning steampunk to Star Wars, to engage the geek community. There is no cover charge, and you can bring your own games. Go ahead and circle Sept. 22 on your calendar. It’s Frodo’s and Bilbo Baggins’ birthdays, celebrated with a lavish sevencourse meal any brunch lover — hobbit or not — can appreciate. cloakandblaster.com

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UP FRONT | EVENTS

A Musical Milestone Festivals marking Woodstock anniversary will celebrate endurance of peace, love and music

BY JOHN W. BARRY

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traffic tie-ups and bad weather, the event billed as “Three Days of Peace and Music” unfolded against the backdrop of the turbulent 1960s. Woodstock, one could argue, maintains a poignant relevance today as the nation is again sharply divided.

MARKING A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY Woodstock 50 is being staged Aug. 16-18 at Watkins Glen International racetrack by Michael Lang, the co-producer and co-founder of the 1969 Woodstock festival. Schuyler County Administrator Tim O’Hearn says 100,000 people are expected to attend the event.

“It is both exciting and flattering to be selected as the site for the 50th anniversary celebration,” O’Hearn notes. “Woodstock 50 will definitely be a historic event given the cachet of the Woodstock brand and history.

Our goal is to host an event that people will reflect proudly on and that will contribute positively to the history of music and its role in shaping our culture.”

More than 80 musical acts spanning various generations and musical styles are set to perform on three main stages at Woodstock 50. Performers include John Fogerty, who appeared at the original >

GETTY IMAGES

CHRIS WATSON OF Corsicana, Texas, loves live music, and he loves indulging his passion at festivals.

The 35-year-old high school English teacher wasn’t yet born when the late folk singer Richie Havens kicked off an inaugural music festival on a dairy farm in a small New York town with a set that included his iconic song, Freedom.

That tune helped set the tone for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held Aug. 15-18, 1969, in Bethel, N.Y., but named for Woodstock, N.Y., where the planning took place. Woodstock attracted hundreds of thousands of people for performances by Havens, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin and many others.

Watson was too young to attend either of the Woodstock anniversary festivals in 1994 and 1999.

But he plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic concert in August by traveling to Watkins Glen, N.Y., for the Woodstock 50 festival.

“It’s the event I’ve been looking forward to,” Watson says. “I’ve been waiting for the last decade for Woodstock to happen.”

Considered by many to be the crowning achievement of the 1960s counterculture despite massive crowds,

MARTY LEDERHANDLER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, N.Y.

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UP FRONT | EVENTS

stock, 1969 Jimi Hendrix at Wood

Center fo r the

Arts

festival with Credence Clearwater Revival; Miley Cyrus, Carlos Santana and Run the Jewels on Aug. 16; Chance the Rapper, Imagine Dragons and Gary Clark Jr. on Aug. 17; and Jay-Z, Janelle Monae, Halsey and Courtney Barnett on Aug. 18.

Tickets can be purchased at woodstock.com.

Lang says the event will be built around sustainability, activism and social justice, themes he says will help harness the “history and essence of what Woodstock was.”

ANOTHER CELEBRATION

Michael L ang, co-p roducer a of the 19 nd co-fou 69 Wood nder stock fest ival

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About 150 miles away, on the same weekend and at the original Woodstock festival site in Bethel, N.Y., Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will also celebrate the anniversary.

As part of the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival, the director’s cut of the Oscar-winning Woodstock documentary will be screened Aug. 15 on the festival field.

Ringo Starr and original Woodstock performers Arlo Guthrie and Edgar Winter will perform Aug. 16. Santana, who also took the original Woodstock stage, will be joined by the Doobie Brothers on Aug. 17. Tickets can be purchased at bethelwoods center.org.

The original Woodstock site, says Bethel Woods CEO Darlene Fedun, is “a beacon around the globe. This is where it happened. There is an automatic curiosity, I think, for people to come and see the place.”

Watson won’t get to see the site while he’s in New York, though he would like to make the pilgrimage someday. Lang and the original Woodstock concert carry a great deal of nostalgia for Watson, who as an 11-year-old repeatedly watched the Woodstock documentary on videotape.

“It was just the spectacle of it all, all those people coming together, sending a positive message,” he says. l

GETTY IMAGES; BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS; JOHN W. BARRY/POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL; HENRY DILTZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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UP FRONT | EVENTS

A Corvette Celebration National museum marks 25 years with caravans and car fun

BY STACEY ZABLE

FANS OF “AMERICA’S Sports Car” are passionate about their Corvettes; so much so that when the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., commemorates its 25th anniversary this year, organizers expect more than 15,000 Corvette owners from all over the U.S. to participate in the National Corvette Caravan on Aug. 28-31. Bowling Green also happens to be the city where these rolling beauties are manufactured, and is home to NCM Motorsports Park, where you can take a Corvette out on a racetrack.

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NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM (2); MICHAEL CLEVENGER/THE (LOUISVILLE, KY.) COURIER JOURNAL

JOIN A CARAVAN The Corvette Caravan (corvette caravan.com), which originates in various cities throughout the country, takes place every five years during the Corvette Museum’s milestone anniversaries.

Regional groups meet and drive together to Bowling Green. The weekend anniversary celebration this summer will include a Jefferson Starship concert with fireworks in the museum’s amphitheater, inductions into the 2019 Corvette Hall of Fame, parties, road tours, seminars led

by GM/Corvette designers and engineers and touring laps at NCM Motorsports Park.

Aficionados will find Corvette Store partners and vendors, aftermarket part installs and carnival-style activities, such as mini golf and bumper cars. Local attractions and businesses will share in the festivities, including USO-themed variety shows and dinner offered by the Historic Railpark and Train Museum (historicrailpark.com) and live bluegrass music, a pie-making class and a fish fry at Alvaton’s Boyce General Store (burgerandpies.com).

Many caravan participants and Corvette clubs are also planning off-site activities.

TAKE ONE FOR A SPIN After touring the museum, visitors can head to NCM Motorsports Park (motorsportspark.org), located just a mile away, for some fast fun. Choices include hot lap rides in a Corvette with a pro driver and high-speed go-karts.

INSIDE THE MUSEUM Open since 1994 to honor the history of this iconic vehicle, the National Corvette Museum (corvettemuseum.org), across the street from the Corvette manufacturing plant, houses more than 80 models, concept cars and thousands of Corvetterelated photos, movies and rare memorabilia.

“You don’t have to be a Corvette enthusiast, or even a car lover to enjoy a visit to our museum,” says marketing and communications manager Katie Ellison. “From pieces of American history, to hands-on displays, to interesting special exhibits, the museum has a little something for everyone, and no two visits are the same.”

A visit to the 115,000-squarefoot showplace allows guests to discover the history of the beloved vehicle, starting with the newly remodeled Gateway exhibit focusing on the car’s early influence. Visitors will also see vintage models from the 1950s as well as today’s Stingrays in period settings, and an exhibit devoted to the 25-year-history of the museum. There is also a Corvette racing simulator ($10/ play) and vintage Corvette rides (weather permitting and for an additional fee). Younger tourists can explore the KidZone, where they can build and test their own model or “work” at Pat’s Corvette Super Service Center.

But by far, the museum’s most famous attraction is under the yellow Sky Dome. In 2014, while the museum was closed for the night, a sinkhole opened up and swallowed eight Corvettes.

“Everyone wants to see the sinkhole,” says Ellison, pointing to the section of the museum that displays the cars that were part of the carnage. In fact, our number of visitors increased by 67 percent the year of the collapse.”

Since then, the sinkhole and three of the damaged sports cars have been repaired. The other five mangled vehicles are also on display, with the orange mud still ground into the wheels from their 30-foot fall into the cavern.

Kirby Adams at the (Louisville, Ky.) Courier Journal contributed to this article.

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UP FRONT | EVENTS

Memphis Milestone Home of the Blues is all smiles for its bicentennial celebration

THERE’S A DEEP history to this soulful city that goes well beyond the wrought-iron gates of Elvis’ Graceland Mansion. Celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, Memphis, Tenn., is reflecting on its storied past while making way for its next chapter, which includes revitalized outdoor spaces and neighborhoods, and a renewed focus on chart-topping music.

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GETTY IMAGES

BY E RIN GIFFORD

THE POWER

of PLACE. MORE THAN A MUSEUM, A PUBLIC SQUARE. There is power in experience.

MORE THAN EXHIBITS, LESSONS. There is power in knowledge.

MORE THAN EVENTS, OPPORTUNITIES. There is power in connection.

MORE THAN HISTORY, TODAY AND TOMORROW. There is power in moving forward.

MORE THAN A DESTINATION, A JOURNEY. There is power in purpose.

S E E . L E A R N . E N G A G E . A C T. CIVILRIGHTSMUSEUM.ORG

UP FRONT | EVENTS

RIVERFRONT REFRESH Thanks to a $70 million restoration plan, the Memphis riverfront is in the midst of a makeover. The first phase, the 5-mile River Line Trail, opened in November. This new walking and biking trail connects the riverfront between Big River Crossing and the Wolf River Greenway. This verdant path traverses popular, tree-lined Greenbelt Park, providing welcomed nonmotorized access to downtown shops and restaurants along the Mississippi River.

CIVIL RIGHTS HERITAGE For a look into the city’s past, start with an overview led by A

Tour of Possibilities (atopmemphis.com). This two-hour van-guided trip will give you a taste of African-American contributions to the city before you explore more deeply at your own pace.

Make the National

Civil Rights Museum (civilrightsmuseum.org)

SOLID GOLD MUSIC SCENE In Memphis, you can learn firsthand how a soul-stirring music scene once sought unity amid a struggle for equality. Start at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (staxmuseum.com), located on the original site of the Stax Records studio.

Here, soul music got its start, and the world came to know musicians such as Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Isaac Hayes. Today, more than 2,000 artifacts, memorabilia and interactive exhibits tell the story of soul music.

Next, explore Sun Studio (sunstudio.com) on Union Avenue, where a young — and unknown — Elvis Presley made a name for himself. Before he took the mic, this recording studio, then called Sun Records, gave voice to such legendary blues artists as B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf.

For more music-themed attractions in town, consider stops at the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum (memphisrocknsoul.org) and the Blues Hall of Fame (blues.org/hall-of-fame-museum).

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your next stop. This complex of historic buildings includes the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Room 306 has been carefully re-created to look as it did the day of King’s death, complete with a glass of a milk on the nightstand.

One of the largest urban parks in the country, Shelby Farms Park (shelbyfarmspark.org), has multiple trails for hiking and biking, canoes and kayaks for paddling on the lake, horseback riding and a ropes course. Each October, the park hosts the widely attended Mempho Music Festival.

Thanks to an electrifying live music scene and brightly colored signs, Beale Street (bealestreet.com) may be the most recognizable street in America.

The range of music runs the gamut from gospel and jazz to blues, and of course, rock ’n’ roll. On New Year’s Eve, there’s no ball drop.

Instead, the Hard Rock Cafe lowers a gigantic guitar to mark the new year.

For a music-inspired stay in the heart of the historic Beale Street district, try the new Hotel Indigo Memphis Downtown (downtownmemphishotel.com), which boasts a midcentury vibe and pays tribute to the city’s rich music history. Look for memorabilia from homegrown blues and rock legends.

Getting your helping of soul food, like black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread, is another must in Memphis. Head to The Four Way (fourwaymemphis.com), a lunch-only establishment with no frills but plenty of home-cooked comfort food and deep-fried hospitality.

MEMPHIS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU (2); ALLEN GILLESPIE/MEMPHIS CVB; ANDREA ZUCKE/MEMPHIS CVB

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In Pursuit of

Adult summer camps offer education and exploration in the great outdoors

BY ANNA KATHERINE CLEMMONS

F

or anyone who attended sleep-away camp as a child, the start to summer often conjures fond memories of days spent outdoors, swimming and gathering around the campfire. While youth and teen camps are plentiful, adult offerings are less common.

Thanks to the Pursuit Series, launched in 2017 by The Outbound Collective, adults of all ages can experience their own version of outdoor summer camp.

For the 500 weekend participants, Pursuit — which will take place in Utah, California and North Carolina this summer — offers a chance to try new activities, make new friends and push boundaries in a fun environment where instructors are approachable, friendly professionals.

Pursuit Series co-founder Julia Stamps Mallon, a former Stanford University runner-turned-financial analyst and outdoor enthusiast, had previously co-founded Outessa Summit, a women’s-only outdoor retreat, which was acquired by REI in 2016. When Mallon and her Outessa and Pursuit Series co-founder Bart Davis were approached by Outbound, “we realized that there was this need to create >

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MIKE FENNELL/PURSUIT SERIES

nture 2018 Pursuit Series weekend in Bear Valley, Calif.

In Pursuit of

Adventure

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an experience getting away from the competitive scene and more in the teaching and educating scene,” Mallon says. “We knew if we can educate in the outdoors and make it unintimidating through a festival, community-type experience, that could be really unique.”

Whether learning how to change a flat tire on a mountain bike, field journaling or surfing, participants choose from more than 100 sessions held day and night (expert-led night photography is a popular option), with an intimate, 1-to-6 instructor-to-guest ratio. Activities include rock climbing, trail running, hiking, archery, mountain biking and kayaking.

Participants can learn how to pitch a tent, read a compass, cook over a campfire and brew specialty coffee outdoors.

Pursuit attendees decide whether to camp or glamp, and regardless of the daily schedule they design, all have the opportunity to gather each evening around a campfire for coffee, cocktails and conversation about what they experienced that day.

“When you have these barriers that people start to overcome, that sense of community and connection, it creates this bond,” Mallon

The allure for all of us with Pursuit is you can try multiple activities with experts who know how to teach.”

JAMES KAO/PURSUIT SERIES (2); MATTHEW SWARTZ/PURSUIT SERIES; BRANDON DEWEY/PURSUIT SERIES

— KIM TUCKER, TRAVELING NURSE

says. “You see this amazing group of incredibly diverse backgrounds coming together and really engaging in the outdoor community.”

For Kim Tucker, a 29-year-old traveling nurse, finding time for friends, fun and the outdoors is difficult. Working odd hours in various nationwide locations, Tucker wanted an opportunity to travel, spend time with friends and experience new activities. Her fellow traveling nurses agreed; the “travel tribe,” as they call themselves, began searching their options several years ago. One of Tucker’s friends read about the 2017 Pursuit weekends and shared the information with the group.

“I was drawn to the idea of getting to do things that I had never done, or I hadn’t done in a while,” Tucker says. “The allure for >

43

In Pursuit of

Adventure

You see this amazing group of incredibly diverse backgrounds coming together and really engaging in the outdoor community." — JULIA STAMPS MALLON, PURSUIT SERIES CO-FOUNDER

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AJ JOHNSON/PURSUIT SERIES; JAMES KAO/PURSUIT SERIES

all of us with Pursuit is you can try multiple activities with experts who know how to teach. And it’s really fun.”

Tucker’s tribe headed to Snowbasin, Utah, in 2017. Whether it was paddleboarding, yoga and meditation or backcountry cooking, participants filled their day with a range of self-selected activities. “It checked all the boxes for us, because while we all get along, we were still each able to do what we wanted to,” Tucker says. “Some of us wouldn’t see each other all day, but at night, we camped and had our tents together.”

Tucker also met new friends who she’s stayed in touch with.

Her group traveled to New York for Pursuit in 2018 and is currently planning their 2019 weekend, deciding among Snowbasin, June 27-30; Bear Valley, Calif., Aug. 8-11; and the newest location, Green River Preserve, N.C., Sept. 19-22.

All three Pursuit weekends sold out in 2018. The base price starts at around $499 ($399 for early birds) for the three-day weekend, which includes all activities, equipment, courses, meals, alcohol and coffee, and then increases depending on the type of lodging selected — camping versus glamping, etc.

Participants range in age (the minimum is 14 years old), experience and background, which Tucker says, is one of the appealing aspects of Pursuit. Unlike other adult adventure outlets that cater to a more advanced outdoors athlete and enthusiast, Pursuit welcomes all skill levels.

Often, families will attend Pursuit together, co-founder Davis says. “Sometimes it’s parents of adult children, and they come together for this collective learning experience. The parent-and-child relationship is different when you are learning on the same level.”

Baltimore-based physical therapy assistant Alison Staples has always disliked outdoor activities. But after running a mountain

trail race in Killington, Vt., last year, the 36-year-old realized how much she enjoyed reconnecting with nature. A friend told Staples about Pursuit, and she signed up for the Green River Preserve weekend.

“Grown-ups are just like big kids,” Staples says. “Getting outdoors and negating all of your everyday responsibilities for a few days, connecting with other people and reconnecting with your inner child — I’m looking forward to all of it.”

Harlem Run and Run 4 All Women founder Alison Désir attended a Pursuit Series weekend with her then-fiance, nowhusband, last year — after much cajoling. The self-described “not outdoors person” ultimately loved her Pursuit weekend. And while she had rarely taken yoga classes prior to Pursuit, after keeping in touch with her Pursuit instructor, Désir received her yoga instructor license this past winter. “It’s that mental shift that Pursuit taught me — as I challenge myself more, my mind shifts to ‘What else can I do that I thought I couldn’t?’”

That mindset is contagious.

After Tucker took a rappelling course in New York in the summer of 2018, she told her father about it. When she visited him that December, the two went rappelling together. “It was totally because of Pursuit that we could do that experience together,” Tucker says.

“Now he’s so into it — maybe he should come to Pursuit!” l

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JUST BEACHY

opical spots r t e es h t at e f i l Live your best Caribbean

Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

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$

$

BY MELANIE REFFES

I

n the Caribbean, beach junkies and sun lovers will find some of the world’s most spectacular palm tree-lined stretches of sand leading to warm, azure ocean water. There are also some of the most picturesque views and romantic sunsets in the world, and scuba diving opportunities in crystalclear waters abound. If you thought all beaches were created equal, think again. Some travelers prefer the party scene while other beach aficionados seek out quieter nooks with countless miles of buttery sand, seclusion and serenity. Check out these Instagram-worthy options to find your next Caribbean destination:

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VIRGIN ISLANDS $ BRITISH Named for the sugar mills that used to populate the area, Cane Garden Bay is where surfers rule the waves, paddleboarders work the smooth water and everyone else claims their spot in the sun. On the northwest shore of Tortola, Cane Garden Bay is a popular spot with tourists but still manages to exude a local vibe. On the western tip, Smuggler’s Cove, once frequented by pirates, is still without too many tourists, but has plenty of white sand and palm trees that keep a beat with the trade winds. Sunsets are spellbinding. On the north side of Tortola, Apple Bay has some of the best surf in the BVIs. On the northwest coast of Anegada, or the “Drowned Land” as the Spanish named it, Loblolly Bay is a blinding white beach guarded by Horseshoe Reef that, at 18 miles long, is one of the Eastern Caribbean’s largest continuous coral reefs. About 37 miles from Tortola, the nearly deserted beach with a 50-foot walkout to the ocean is one of several along the coastline. With only a few hundred lucky souls who call Anegada, the second-largest of the BVIs, home, it never gets busy.

A bonanza for bone fishermen and nirvana for scuba divers, the east end of the beach is home to springs bubbling from coral beds and gigantic piles of conch shells that were once pirates' treasures. For foodies, beach bars worth checking out include Big Bamboo, Cow Wreck and Wonky Dog, and if you plan ahead, the surplus of lobsters inspires the annual Lobster Festival in November.

East of Old San Juan

RICO $ PUERTO No passport is needed

La Posita is a long, family-

to visit Puerto Rico, home to many beaches, including all the sandy slivers in San Juan and Condado, the stylish tree-lined suburb just over the bridge from Old San Juan. In the metro area, Isla Verde is a popular beach area, with many hotels dotting the shoreline and plenty of water sports in the surf. Ten minutes from baggage claim to the beach, the sandy strands are surprisingly uncrowded, apart from weekends when locals take to early morning jogs.

Close to Isla Verde and

friendly beach on the Atlantic coast with a rock wall that creates a shallow natural pool. For the active crowd, there’s a biking trail from Isla Verde, and for those who like to eat local, vendors across the street serve up hefty portions of fried fish and barbecued pork.

“My favorite is Playa Flamenco on the small island of Culebra,” says Carla Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “The contrast between the blue water and the green mountains is simply spectacular.”

10 miles from San Juan,

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JUST BEACHY

$ Mullet Bay Beach

Crane Beach

$ BARBADOS On the west coast in the parish of St. Peter, Mullins Beach is accessorized with sun beds, shady palms and gentle sand shelves that keep beginners in the shallow water all day. South coast beaches include Dover Beach, offering a variety of water sports such as Hobie Cat sailing and windsurfing.

Crane Beach offers pink-tinged sand soft enough for an early morning stroll and waves ideal for boogie boarding. At the eastern end of the St. Lawrence Gap, Turtle Beach is an all-purpose swath perfect for swimming; the beach is also popular with stand-up paddleboarders, jet skiers and windsurfers. Rockley Beach, also known as Accra Beach, is ideal for young swimmers in the pool-like area protected by wave-breaking rocks. Older kids can safely play in the water while grown-ups watch the action on a chaise lounge shaded by sea-grape trees.

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Wide and flat with a palm fringe, Mullet Bay Beach on the Dutch side of this dual-nation island is easy to get to via one of the inexpensive public buses. Seldom crowded, weekends are lively with barbecues on the beach and volleyball nets strung between palm trees. A pretty palette of teal blue and talc white, the long sandy ribbon on the southwest coast is dotted with palms and sea-grape trees.

It’s the go-to for surfers and swimmers who covet beaches without a lot of tourists. No frills apart from polite vendors hawking sun loungers, cold beer and rum punch, the beach is easy to find off Rhine Road near the island’s only golf course. On weekdays, there’s plenty of prime real estate on the sand while the weekend vibe is livelier with locals playing beach volleyball, party catamarans skirting the shoreline and fishermen

GETTY IMAGES; MELANIE REFFES

MAARTEN/ $ ST. ST. MARTIN

on the jetty 50 yards from shore ready to land the big one.

A few minutes from the Princess Juliana International Airport, Maho Beach is famous for its views of jets coming in for a landing, early morning strolls and late-night partying at the Sunset Beach

$ GETTY IMAGES

Bar. Simpson Bay Beach is a mile-long strand facing south, away from the winds blowing from the northeast.

Unlike other beaches, there are no high-rises along the shoreline and not much of anything going on, making the beach the top pick for those looking for peace and quiet. A fan of the beach closest to the city, minister of tourism Cornelius de Weever gives a thumbs-up to Great Bay Beach where “the boardwalk bars host spirited happy hours. There’s a lot of shopping in adjacent Philipsburg and as the pier is at the end, it’s perfect for cruise shippers looking to spend an afternoon on the sand.”

On the French side, most of the sandy strips are clean of hurricane debris and open to sun devotees. “My mood influences which beach I go to,” says Kate Richardson, acting director of the Office de Tourisme. “Grand Case and Friar’s Bay are great for families. Pinel Island has shallow water for kids, and the sunsets over Long Bay Beach are magnificent.”

$

$ ANGUILLA Anguilla’s 33 stunning beaches front more than 12 miles of

shoreline, and on a typical sunny day, Meads Bay on the southwest coast is camera-ready at sunset. “On first glance, Meads Bay looks like a quiet beach with water a million shades of blue that glistens in the sun,” says Nori Evoy, surfer and founder of Anguilla-beaches.com, “but the waves can get wild with swells up to 8 feet high, which makes it the best beach on the island for surfers.” For accommodations, try the swanky Four Seasons Resort and Residences.

Shoal Bay East is popular with day-trippers who park their towels on the 2-mile strip and then make a beeline to Gwen’s Reggae Grill for a cheeseburger in paradise. Maundays Bay rarely gets crowded, and die-hard swimmers and romance walkers alike enjoy the mile-long stretch in front of the elegant Belmond Cap Juluca hotel.

A breezy beach on the south coast, Rendezvous Bay hosts some of the best dunes on the island, beach bars including Garvey’s Sunshine Shack (open October through August) and the top-drawer CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa. At the far western end, Merrywing Bay is the capital of calm fronting The Reef by CuisinArt. Breezes Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner on the beach. For your own secluded swath, head to Savannah Bay where you’ll find Junk’s Hole on the calmer side of the bay. Powdery sand and barely a soul in sight makes the east-end beach a must-go for privacy-seekers craving solitude in the sun.

It may be difficult to find, but Little Bay Beach is a sandy secret worth discovering. Tucked away with ridiculous views of just about everything, the unspoiled spit that is bookended by cliffs is one of those coveted unsullied spots on the sand. Surrounded by layered limestone, it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it beach that is the island’s least crowded. Keep your eyes open and your camera ready as graceful pelicans fly from the beach to the sea and back.

Meads Bay

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$ JAMAICA On the south coast away from the big resorts in Montego Bay,

AND $ TURKS CAICOS ISLANDS

Treasure Beach is a collection of smaller spots with names like Jack Sprat and Calabash Bay that are more popular with the local artsy

Anywhere from 3 to 12 miles of beach perfection on the eastern crook of Providenciales (or Provo), Grace Bay is the recipient of numerous “best beach” awards.

Breathtaking from end to end with soft ashen sand and wide-open blue waters, the busiest beach on the island is also the backyard to a slew of resorts. Part of the Princess Alexandra National Park, naturefriendly water sports including sailing and snorkeling are popular (water skis and jet skis are strictly off-limits). To see the most dramatic underwater life, great snorkeling destinations include Smith’s Reef and Bight Reef.

Stretching for 3 miles along the southeast coast of Providenciales, Long Bay Beach is a world away and a short drive from Grace Bay. A good bet for families, the water is so clear and shallow, you can easily walk (or ride a horse) hundreds of feet beyond the shoreline.

The grounded wreck of a freighter ship that was destroyed during Hurricane Frances in 2004 is visible from the beach.

Courtesy of the easterly trade winds, the beach is big with kiteboarders and stand-up paddleboarders and well worth a return visit at night when the moonscape reflected on the still water is mystical.

community than with tourists. Stretching for 6 miles, the beaches host ragtag fishing boats and dive bars stocked with coolers of Red Stripe beer. For a party vibe, head to Negril where you’ll find Seven Mile Beach, the island’s longest strip. Coming in closer to 6 miles than its name suggests, the boho beach is a true original that gets crowded with sun-seekers, aloe masseuses, hair-braiders and vendors hawking everything from cold drinks and jerk chicken to reggae CDs, Bob Marley keychains and snorkel gear.

$

Doctor’s Cave

Away from the busy beaches on the resort-lined northwest coast,

Doctor’s Cave on the Hip Strip in the heart of Montego Bay is the

beach less-traveled. Dating back to 1906 when Dr. Alexander James McCatty opened one of Jamaica’s first bathing clubs, the water was reputed to have healing powers when a British doctor in the 1920s noticed his many ailments disappeared after a soak in the sea. Today, the bath-warm water with year-round temperatures between 78 and 84 degrees is still the perfect prescription for relaxation and the favorite sandy stretch for locals and savvy tourists who know a good beach when they find one. There are plenty of restaurants and bars on the strip, although a picnic on the sand is the recommended choice on a sunny afternoon. The beach, part of the Montego Bay Marine Park, allows visitors easy access to a boatload of water sports while a spirited underwater experience awaits the snorkelers in the crowd.

Laughing Waters in Ocho Rios is the beach made famous in the first James Bond thriller Dr. No and the hands-down go-to for shallow water, rock pools and bowing palms. Find more movie history in Port Antonio and Frenchman’s Cove Beach, the set for the movie Cocktail and the beach of choice for Hollywood glitterati like Grace Kelly, Liz Taylor and Errol Flynn.

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JUST BEACHY

JUST BEACHY

$ CURAÇAO On the northwest coast, Cas Abao is what beach connoisseurs

$ NEVIS The best beaches on the sister island across the channel from St. Kitts are on the northern and western shores. Three miles long and covering the distance between the capital city of Charlestown and the Sea Bridge Ferry Dock, Pinney’s on the west coast is the one you see in the travel brochures.

The beguiling blue-water beach on the Caribbean Sea side is carpeted in sand the color of saffron and a sandy stroll from the island’s luxe resorts like Four Seasons Resort Nevis and Paradise Beach Nevis.

For a quieter day on a beach chair, Lovers Beach is hidden from the road on the northern shore. “This is a lesser-known beach known for its seclusion and tranquility, and a popular beach to watch the sea turtles nesting,” says Greg Phillip, CEO, Nevis Tourism Board. For tranquil tides, Herbert’s Beach is where the Atlantic Ocean starts on the windward side and where marine life is abundant in the many undisturbed reefs.

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$ Cas Abao

GETTY IMAGES; MELANIE REFFES

Paradise Beach

like to call full-service. The sand is soft. The water is shallow. Rafts invite sunbathers. Bartenders at the Daiquiri Bar excel at the fine art of blending a strawberry cocktail, and a masseuse sets up shop under a shady gazebo. Perfect for families, there's also a water trampoline, beach chairs, kayaks and banana boats.

A bonus for beach-hoppers, Playa Kenepa on the west side of the island is really two beaches rolled into one. The bigger beach, known as Grote Knip, is carpeted in white sand, while the smaller, more intimate beach, called Klein Knip, is favored for the snorkeling hot spots close to the coastline. With only one road to both, these bucketlist beaches are never crowded, apart from locals who make a beeline for the soft sand on weekends. Halfway between the two beaches is an under-the-radar cliffside lookout point that is privacy-seeking perfection. Other Westpunt beaches worthy of a sunny afternoon include Playa Porto Mari with a double-reef that is eye candy for divers and snorkelers, and Playa Lagun where the adventurous entertain onlookers as they plunge from the rugged cliffs into the water below.

Northwest of the capital city of Willemstad, Blue Bay is a wide beach with lots of add-ons like a children’s playground and barbecues on the sand. Way off the grid, it doesn’t get more secluded than Klein Curaçao, 8 miles from the southeast coast. Get a charter boat for a two-hour ride to the big volcanic rock to dive, take a dip in the cool water and dig into a picnic on the beach.

ESCAPE TO THE CAPE.

SUNSCAPE

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Greetings from Laid-back city hamlets are becoming lively tourist destinations

F

or city dwellers, suburb shaming is a favorite pastime. Cities, they boast, are alive with diverse people, cultures and cuisines; flush with interesting art and architecture; and superior in everything from transit and technology to entertainment and employment. Suburbs, on the other hand, are sleepy. Instead of museums and nightlife,

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BY MATT ALDERTON

urbanites jest, they have cul-de-sacs and big-box shopping. And don’t get them started on strip malls.

But suburbs might get the last laugh: A 2018 analysis of U.S. population data by the Brookings Institution found that suburbs — which have a reputation for being safer, more spacious and more affordable — are growing faster than cities.

“What I and others previously heralded as

the ‘decade of the city’ may be less valid during the waning years of the 2010s,” Brookings demographer William H. Frey wrote in his analysis.

“The trend seems to be shifting toward a renewed suburban advantage.”

If bedroom communities are such great places to live, one has to wonder: Are they also great places to visit? See for yourself by spending a weekend in one of these chic suburbs:

GETTY IMAGES (4); CHICAGO'S NORTH SHORE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU; THE BLOCK MUSEUM OF ART, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

ILLINOIS

Evanston shoreline

EVANSTON

Its coordinates north of Chicago and south of its northernmost suburbs makes Evanston the meat in a city-suburb sandwich. Because it’s connected to Chicago via the city’s elevated L train, Gina Speckman, executive director of Chicago’s North Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau, says visitors can spend the day “in the hustle and bustle of the city” and the evening “walking along Lake Michigan and beautiful tree-lined streets.”

Some of those streets lead to Evanston’s six beaches Evanston is and others to Northwestern University (northwestlocated 20 ern.edu), where noteworthy attractions include the miles north stimulating Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art of Chicago. and the tranquil Shakespeare Garden.

Speckman’s favorite eateries include Next of Kin Restaurant (nextofkin.restaurant) for “artful American” cuisine and Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. (smyliebros.com) for beer and barbecue.

History buffs will enjoy the Frances Willard House Museum and Archives (franceswillardhouse.org), home of women’s suffragist Frances Willard, while connoisseurs of quirk will adore the American Toby Jug Museum (tobyjugmuseum.com), home to the world’s largest collection of character-shaped ceramics.

As for lodging, Speckman recommends the Margarita European Inn (www.margaritainn.com), which once was a boarding house for working women.

Lakefront beach

Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art

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DISCOVER GILBERT (3); GETTY IMAGES; DOUBLETREE BY HILTON HOTEL

ARIZONA

GILBERT

For much of its history, Gilbert was covered in alfalfa fields that exported hay all over the globe, earning it the moniker “Hay Capital of the World.” These days, however, tourism is what’s growing in Gilbert, according to Glenn Schlottman, the town’s tourism administrator.

“Within the last 10 years our downtown has really grown up,” he says.

“Because of that, we’re seeing increased visitation.”

Gilbert’s burgeoning downtown is known for its restaurants, which are as friendly to families as they are to foodies. Schlottman’s favorite spots include Nico Heirloom Kitchen (nicoaz.com) for a West Coast take on upscale Italian food, Joe’s Real BBQ (joes Gilbert is realbbq.com) for sweet and spicy barbecue, Arizona located 20 Wilderness Brewing Co. (azwbeer.com) for creative miles south of Phoenix. brewpub cuisine, and Liberty Market (libertymarket. com) in a historic former grocery store.

Its pool makes the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Phoenix–Gilbert a favorite for lodging, although the town’s most beloved water resource is the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, which offers hiking trails, fishing and wildlife viewing.

Don’t leave without seeing Agritopia (agritopia.com), a live-eat-play community whose centerpiece is an 11-acre urban farm that offers U-picks and farm tours. A modern take on Gilbert’s agricultural past, it’s home to Joe’s Farm Grill (joesfarmgrill.com), a restaurant utilizing home-grown ingredients, and Barnone (barnoneaz.com), a maker’s marketplace where artisans sell their wares.

DoubleTree Hotel

9 57

SUBURBAN STANDOUTS These communities may be sweet, but they’re definitely not cookie-cutter.

Perched in the foothills west of Denver with a Rocky Mountains backdrop, Golden is home to the Colorado School of Mines and Coors Brewing Company.

Golden borrows from both, feeling like a small mountain town, but more cosmopolitan.

Stay: The solar-powered Golden Hotel (thegoldenhotel.com) is historic and sustainable.

Eat: Try Abejas (abejasgolden. com) or Woody’s Wood Fired Pizza (woodysgolden.com).

Play: A tour of the Coors Brewery (millercoors.com) — the world’s largest brewery — is a must. To taste the Old West instead, check out the Colorado Railroad Museum (colorado railroadmuseum.org) and the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave (buffalobill.org).

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Round Rock

19 miles from Austin Known for its Depression-era water tower, this Texas city is named for an actual “round rock” in the middle of Brushy Creek. It‘s Silicon-Valley vibe is thanks to companies like Dell, but its cowtown roots remain.

Stay: The new Ruby Hotel (therubyhotel.com) is Round Rock’s first boutique hotel.

Eat: Try Greenhouse Craft Food (greenhousecraftfood. com) or Fuego Latino Gastropub (fuegolatinogastropub. com).

Play: Stop by Dell Diamond to watch the Round Rock Express or the Austin Elite, which play minor league baseball and major league rugby, respectively.

Try your hand at fly-fishing at Brushy Creek, or cool down at Rock’N River Water Park.

Bellevue

9 miles from Seattle Although it’s a corporate hub — Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Facebook and Nintendo are a few companies with offices there — every day is “casual Friday” in Bellevue, Wash.

Stay: The W Bellevue (who telbellevue.com) is the kind of hip hotel you expect to find downtown.

Eat: Try The Lakehouse (thelake housebellevue.com) or John Howie Steak (johnhowiesteak. com).

Play: If it’s raining, head to the Bellevue Arts Museum (bellevuearts.org). If it’s not, try kayaking on lakes Washington and Sammamish, zip lining at Bellevue Zip Tour (bellevuezip tour.com), or imbibing in nearby Woodinville Wine Country (woodinvillewinecountry.com).

VISIT GOLDEN; ROUND ROCK CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU; ANDY WELLS/VISIT BELLEVUE WASHINGTON

Golden

15 miles from Denver

Norwegian Benedict at Raymond's Restaurant

NEW JERSEY

RAYMOND'S RESTAURANT; GETTY IMAGES; THE (BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.) RECORD (2)

MONTCLAIR

Montclair has everything people love about New York City — diversity, walkability, character, culture — and none of what they loathe — congestion, noise and high prices. “Our community captures the flavor of a suburb with a dash of city living,” says Mayor Robert Jackson.

One of the community’s greatest assets is its art, Jackson says.

Highlights include New Jersey’s first art museum, the 105-year-old Montclair Art Museum (montclairartmuseum.org), renowned for its collection of Native American art; and the fledgling Montclair is Montclair Orchestra (montclairorchestra.org), which located 20 will commence its third season this fall. miles west of Although Montclair doesn’t feel like Manhattan, Manhattan. it tastes like it, thanks to the Montclair Farmers’ Market (montclairfarmersmarket.org) and more than 120 diverse restaurants, including Italian gem Fascino (fascinorestaurant.com), breakfast go-to Raymond’s Restaurant (raymondsnj.com) and upscale bistro Turtle + the Wolf (turtleandthe wolf.com), whose chef/owner, Lauren Hirschberg, was culinary director at the restaurants of celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

The best place to retire after your meal, Jackson says, is The George (thegeorgemontclair.com), a boutique hotel opened in 2018 by celebrity makeup artist and longtime Montclair resident Bobbi Brown.

The George hotel

Montclair Orchestra

11 59

UP FRONT | XXXXX

Park +Play

Offbeat ways to experience national treasures

Capitol Reef Resort

CAPITOL REEF RESORT

BY SUSAN B. BARNES

UP FRONT | XXXXX

T

he national parks throughout the U.S. are popular destinations year-round, and even more so in the summertime. In 2018, more than 318 million people visited the parks all across the country. Many of those visitors likely overnighted in a lodge inside or near the parks, camped in an RV or booked a hotel miles away.

While those are tried-and-true (and dare we say, predictable?) ways to explore the vast beauty and enchanting encounters with nature that the parks have to offer, there are other interesting and adventurous alternatives.

Here, we take a look at some offbeat places to stay in or near popular national parks:

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Girlfriend Getaways

Glamping goes to the parks with Under Canvas, a luxury camping outfitter with locations on the outskirts of Arches, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and Zion national parks out West, and in the Great Smoky Mountains, along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina.

At each destination, glampers find campsites complete with safari-inspired canvas tents that can sleep up to seven people each, all furnished with Casper mattresses, sumptuous linens and woodburning stoves. “Our love for nature inspired the creation of Under Canvas to provide travelers with accessibility to the outdoors, particularly our national parks, while also increasing environmental awareness and conservation,� says Sarah Dusek,

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Under Canvas, Yellowstone

Under Canvas, Grand Canyon

AMELIA ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY (2), MELANIE RICCARDI; THOMAS J. STORY (2); GETTY IMAGES

AutoCamp, Yosemite co-founder and CEO. “We have set an unprecedented new standard in ecological development while also redefining experiential hospitality by building our camps close to national parks and offering our guests a unique way to explore their natural beauty.”

This year, Under Canvas introduces TENt PASS so guests can visit any of the company’s eight properties opting to stay in any 10 tents for one night or set up camp in one tent for 10 nights, or any combination. The pass pays for itself in six nights.

Just outside of Yosemite National Park, about 30 minutes from the park’s southern gates, 80 deluxe Airstream trailers await their guests’ arrival.

AutoCamp Yosemite, which debuted earlier this year on 35 acres in the Sierra Nevadas, has plenty of ways to enhance time at Yosemite, including on-site mountain biking and canoeing, a heated pool and a midcentury modern-inspired clubhouse to mix and mingle. Inside, guests find modern décor and spainspired bathrooms, and just outside, private fire pits for sipping wine and toasting s’mores.

“Yosemite National Park has always been an ideal destination for AutoCamp, due to its outdoor attractions like Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, rich history with environmental pioneers such as John Muir, and proximity to the Bay area,” says Ryan Miller, chief marketing officer and co-founder of AutoCamp.

“The area also has an amazing local food, wine and art scene, which all help to enhance guest adventures beyond the property.”

Brunch can be a big part of any girls’ getaway, and this traditional staple of many Sunday Fundays doesn’t have to fall by the wayside during a trip to the national parks. Make reservations to stay at the historic Majestic Yosemite Hotel (previously the Ahwahnee Hotel) in California for a weekend and refuel at the hotel’s legendary Sunday brunch, served in the sweeping Majestic Yosemite Dining Room. The brunch, overseen by executive chef Carla Pellegrino, lasts into the early afternoon for those who may want to sleep in. Or, make reservations for brunch and stay at any of Yosemite National Park’s other options, including camping, lodges and historic wood cabins.

Camp Out

For more ways to stay in national parks, visit nps.gov.

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Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone

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Fresh off $100 million in renovations, the historic AAArated four-diamond Inn at Death Valley, built in 1927, is indeed an oasis in the middle of Death Valley National Park.

In addition to its 66 elegantly appointed rooms, the inn features 22 new one-bedroom casitas for a bit more privacy and alone time. Outside, stroll pathways that meander through the gardens or take a dip in the spring-fed pool, which is naturally at a pleasant 87 degrees, and sit back in a poolside cabana. Watching the sunset over Death Valley and the Panamint Mountains is magnificent, and the stargazing is breathtaking.

Visitors to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon have enjoyed staying at El Tovar Hotel and taking in its spectacular views, since 1905. Rangers and other canyon residents know of a “secret spot” that’s a favorite for sunset viewing.

Just head upstairs in the hotel,

where a quiet deck opens to some of the canyon’s most awe-inspiring sights. Or, ask for a table overlooking the South Rim in El Tovar Dining Room; if evening temperatures dip, opt instead to sit near one of the dining room’s two fireplaces and cozy up for the night.

Considered the largest log structure in the world, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park was built in 1903 and 1904. Though it’s quite popular with travelers, there are plenty of places for couples to steal away to be alone. Superior and Premium West-Wing hotel rooms face the geyser, and it’s possible to see Old Faithful perform in all its glory from the privacy of your room.

In the evenings, enjoy live music in the hotel’s towering lobby complete with a massive stone fireplace. The hand-crafted clock made of copper, wood and wrought iron keeps time.

Better yet, avert your eyes and let the music move you.

XANTERRA TRAVEL COLLECTION (3); CAPITOL REEF RESORT; MIKE WALTON; GETTY IMAGES

Romantic Rendezvous

Inn at Death Valley

Family Fun Bordering the eastern edge of Zion National Park, and about 75 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is a terrific option for your family’s stay. Each of the Conestoga wagons on the 4,000-acre ranch sleeps six and gives guests the experience of sleeping in a 19th-century covered wagon, with modern conveniences such as electricity and Wi-Fi. The early settlers could never have imagined the amenities today’s travelers find in the Conestoga wag-

Capitol Reef Resort ons at Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging, 22 miles from the western gate of Yosemite National Park. Inside each wagon, which sleeps four to six people, are under-counter refrigerators, microwaves and coffee pots.

Back in Utah, in addition to Conestoga wagons (which feature private bathrooms, Wi-Fi and Keurig coffee makers), Capitol Reef Resort also has tepees in which to stay the night. Each tepee is air conditioned and has a kingsize bed — with the option of a cot for a child — and its own private bathroom is just steps away. The resort, located about a mile from Capitol Reef National Park, offers its own familyfriendly adventures. Hiking with a llama, anyone?

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

65

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MAP ILLUSTRATION: MIRANDA PELLICANO

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68 My Town: Philadelphia

82 My Town: Tallahassee, Fla.

108 My Town: Columbus, Ohio

126 My Town: Dallas

140 My Town: Venice, Calif.

70 Go to Gloucester, Mass.

84 Twists on pimento cheese

110 Explore Alpena, Mich.

73 Distilleries in New York’s Hudson Valley

88 Gullah culture in Hilton Head, S.C.

114 Illinois’ Frank Lloyd Wright Trail

128 Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway

142 Surfing in Huntington Beach, Calif.

94 Engaging Southern art

118 Cool caves

132 Montana ghost towns

148 See Portland, Ore., on foot

136 Heritage study

150 Coastal culture

76 Philadelphia’s new vibes 80 Exploring ancestry

100 Adventures on Atlanta’s BeltLine

124 Portals to the past

106 History lesson

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NORTHEAST | M Y TOW N

LEE DANIELS’

Philadelphia He gave the world two of TV’s most irresistible characters — Lucious and Cookie Lyon — on the Emmy-nominated Empire, co-created Star, produced Monster’s Ball, directed Precious and The Butler, and has two Academy Award nominations. His inspiration?

The people he grew up watching in his hometown of Philly. “It’s the reason I went into entertainment.”

— ANA CONNERY

BEST PLACE FOR A

CELEBRATION “Penn's Landing — from restaurants to concerts, there’s always something happening.

It’s also where you can enjoy one of the best views in the city.”

BEST

MUSEUM “The Philadelphia Art Museum is one of the best in the country!

There is always a cool exhibit here, but it also has permanent collections that cover every era of art. ... Plus, no visit is complete without a run up the famous steps from the movie Rocky!” philamuseum.org

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— LEE DANIELS

myphillypark.org

BEST PLACE TO

TAKE OUTOF-TOWNERS

“Reading Terminal Market is a massive food hall with cuisine to satisfy every craving.

It’s the best place to meet up with friends, especially when you’re all in the mood to eat something different.”

“All of Old City is bursting with rich history about the founding of this nation, but the Betsy Ross House is particularly fun. It has a workshop where the first American flag was made and an actress who plays the role of Betsy Ross.

Across the street, Humphrys Flag Company has flags from every country and era.”

readingterminal market.org

historicphiladelphia. org/betsy-ross-house

BEST PLACE TO

EAT LOCAL

BARBARA LAKE; G. WIDMAN; READING TERMINAL MARKET; CONSTANCE MENSH FOR THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART

“

One of the greatest things to do in the city is ride around Fairmount Park. ... It’s a green oasis in the middle of this big, beautiful city.”

delawareriver waterfront.com

Don’t Let This Moment

PASS YOU BY Antietam Battlefield

You’re going to

LOVE

Kent

County

MD

Visit Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore on the Chesapeake Bay Kayak, Fish, Sail, Cruise, Relax...

Enjoy the Chesapeake Bay, scenic rivers, historic towns, water trails, walking trails, wineries, distillery, local seafood, performing arts theaters, Arts & Entertainment District, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, award winning farmers & artisans market, and more.

kentcounty.com Call or visit us online to get a free Visitor’s Guide!

301-791-3246 • visithagerstown.com

@visitkentcounty

Chestertown • Rock Hall • Galena • Betterton • Millington

NORTHEAST | GLOUCEST ER

Gotta Go to Gloucester Food, history, nature and art converge in quaint Cape Ann

W

hile most who live in the Boston area are well acquainted with Gloucester, which sits about 30 miles northeast of that metropolis, my annual summer trips there from Virginia usually started with explaining to my friends, “Well, there’s Cape Cod on the southern end of Massachusetts’ shoreline, but at the very top of Massachusetts is the tiny Cape Ann, which includes Gloucester.”

(By the way, that’s “Gloss-tah” to those in the know.)

Even referencing the Gorton’s fisherman, the famous mascot of fish stick megabrand Gorton’s of Gloucester, usually elicited blank stares. I never minded that Gloucester was

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relatively unknown among my Mid-Atlantic friends — let them have their summers in Ocean City, Md., or North Carolina’s Outer Banks. I preferred swimming in the bracing waters of New England, followed by lazy lunches of lobster rolls and sunset dinners of clam chowder and fried clam rolls.

“I’d say we’re maybe the lesser-known cape, but we’re still a huge destination,” says Michelle Budrow of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. “We get tourists in here (because of) the movie The Perfect Storm and the show Wicked Tuna, things in the media that people are traveling here for.”

When it’s your turn to venture to Gloucester, hopefully your first few hours in the home of America’s oldest seaport will involve a rocking chair and an ocean view.

MICHELLE BUDROW/CAPE ANN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

BY RINA RAPUANO

When it’s time to explore the island, the obvious place to start is downtown, where you can park your car and walk around the harbor. Wander into the shops along Main Street, including the high-end housewares store Goodlinens Studio (goodlinensstudio.com); Pop

Gallery (poponmain.com) for offbeat clothes and accessories; and a wonderful toy store called Toodeloos! (toodeloos.com), along with other gourmet, book and gift shops.

Being so close to the water, dining options obviously lean heavily toward seafood. When you get a craving, head to Blue Collar

Lobster Co. (facebook. com/bluecollarlobster) from May to November for outstanding clam chowder, steamed lobster and games of corn hole about as close to the water as you can get without being on a boat.

High-quality Italian food is another Massachusetts staple, and there’s no better Italian deli, grocery and bakery experience than

Virgilio’s (virgiliosbakery. com), which makes its own bread daily.

Before leaving the

harbor, pay your respects at the Fisherman’s Memorial Statue, dedicated to those who have been lost at sea; learn the history of Gloucester and peep the artwork of John Singer Sargent at the Sargent House

Museum (sargenthouse. org); and sign up for a whale-watching expedition or a schooner tour at one of the many spots advertising them along the waterfront.

History buffs will want to visit the Cape

Ann Museum (capeannmuseum.org) for celebrated American art, and families can find lots to do at Maritime Gloucester (maritimegloucester.org), such as climbing the stairs of the Thatcher’s Island lighthouse, learning about Cape Ann marine life at Sea Pocket Aquarium and seeing the oldest continuously operating marine railway in the country.

Hikers and birders can explore the oceanfront

on more than 3,000 acres of the island’s interior that has inspired artists and legends of hauntings.

(People often get lost here, so consider buying a map from a local bookstore or the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce before you go.)

Before or after bobbing in the surf at one of the many beaches, such as Good Harbor or Wingaersheek — spend a few hours at nearby Hammond Castle (hammondcastle.org), which was built by the eccentric and prolific inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. Fit in some shopping and eating along Rockport’s Bearskin Neck, a seaside art colony or take a quick trip down Route 128 to Salem to explore that city’s twin legacies of witches and author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

And, of course, a day trip to Boston is always an option — although, I can share from experience that it’s extremely difficult to leave Cape Ann until the very last moment of your vacation. In fact, you might never want to return to your home — until the winter weather sets in, anyway.

IF YOU GO The 3-year-old Beauport Hotel offers boutique-style rooms at the edge of the water, plus a rooftop pool for guests. beauporthotel.com

Its proximity to Good Harbor Beach and welcoming vibes keep beachgoers returning to Blue Shutters Beachside Inn year after year. blueshuttersbeachside. com

For many families, a trip to the North Shore is incomplete without an overflowing box of fried clams and some chowder from Woodman’s, less than 10 miles away in Essex. woodmans.com

The Willow Rest is a hidden gem where locals and tourists alike gather for breakfast sandwiches, coffee, gourmet groceries and fresh-baked goods. willowrest.com

Halibut Point State Park (mass.gov/locations/ halibut-point-state-park), which features trails around Rockport’s famous granite quarry, as well as Dogtown, an abandoned early American settlement

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The Ultimate Resource for Bass Fishing in the Mid-Maine Region Fishing Resources • Maps Tournaments • Local Information Boat Ramps

www.MidMaineBass.com Fishing@MidMaineBass.com

E | REGION N EW YORSTAT K | NORTHEAST

Distillery Delights New York’s Hudson Valley rivals Kentucky and Tennessee as a go-to destination for craft spirits

BY LISA DAVIS

W

NEW YORK HUDSON RIVER VALLEY

Tuthilltown Spirits’ Indigenous Apple vodka, are harvested only miles away.

“Over the past 15 years, the proliferation of distilleries in New York state has happened at an exponential rate,” says David Powell, brand ambassador of Hudson Whiskey, which owns

the distillery in Gardiner, N.Y. Thanks to eased regulations that allow New York distilleries to offer samples of their liquors, Hudson Valley’s distilleries now provide tourist-friendly amenities like tours, tasting rooms, bars and restaurants.

This is all good news for spirits-minded travelers who thirst for small-batch cocktails made with locally grown ingredients.

Like wineries, Hudson Valley distilleries encourage guests to sip, linger, tour and listen to stories about the facilities’ history. So, stop by and have a drink at one of these picturesque Hudson Valley locations and see how their liquors go from creation to cocktail.

GETTY IMAGES; MAP ILLUSTRATION: AMIRA MARTIN

ith nearly 20 distilleries located between the upper and lower regions of New York’s Hudson Valley, you’re rarely far from one when you visit this river-flanking area. Although well-known for its plentiful and picturesque vineyards, the region is now a major player in the American distillery industry, producing batches of bourbons, ryes, gins and vodkas. Many of the valley’s “farm distilleries” grow their own grains and botanicals used in their liquors. If not grown on-site, indigenous ingredients, such as the apples used in

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| STAT | NEEW YOR K REGION NORTHEAST

HUDSON VALLEY DISTILLERS Founded in 2014, Hudson Valley Distillers (hudsonvalleydistillers. com) is housed in a 100-year-old barn and is family- and petfriendly. Visitors can satisfy their thirsts with cocktails such as the Nonny Rose, a mix of pomegranate juice, maple syrup and lemon juice with the distillery’s applejack, which is made from Hudson Valley apples and aged in white oak barrels. The distillery focuses more on vodkas, gins and applejacks than bourbons. Try one of its three applejacks, including two that are aged. Weekend tours are offered and generally last about 45 minutes.

With locally sourced grains and whiskeys named after area highways, StilltheOne (stilltheonedistillery.com) is all about being local. Vodkas and gins are available on tap, and tours are available by appointment. The Port Chester, N.Y., tasting room is open Friday through Sunday.

SHADY KNOLL ORCHARDS & DISTILLERY Opening this spring, Shady Knoll Orchards (shadyknoll distillery.com), a micro-craft farm distillery and tasting room, focuses on small-batch apple brandies and rye whiskeys made from their own apples (more than 100 varieties are grown on their property) and rye grain that is combined with corn and barley harvested from nearby farms. To capitalize on the apples’ and grains’ flavors, the spirits are double-distilled in a traditional French alembic pot. Close by (about a 10-minute drive) is the Taconic Distillery (taconicdistillery.com) in Standfordville on the grounds of the Rolling Hills Farm, which has been making bourbons, ryes, rums and maple syrups since 2013.

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ALBERT SAVARESE; JENNIFER MOYER (2); SHADY KNOLL ORCHARDS & DISTILLERY (2)

STILLTHEONE DISTILLERY TWO

BEYOND THE DISTILLERIES Add a night or two to your spiritsfocused vacation and stay at one of these hotels. Dining and culture can also be on the agenda.

HILLROCK ESTATE DISTILLERY Located on a small farm overlooking rolling barley fields, Hillrock (hillrockdistillery.com) is known for its Scotch-style single malt whiskey and solera-aged bourbon finished in 20-year-old Oloroso sherry casks, which give the bourbon floral notes layered with figs, roasted walnuts, candied fruits and spicy ryes. All of the distillery’s organic barley, rye and corn are grown on its 250-acre farm, which includes a 1800s Georgian house. Tours are on weekends by appointment.

HILLROCK ESTATE DISTILLERY (2); TUTHILLTOWN SPIRITS FARM DISTILLERY

TUTHILLTOWN SPIRITS FARM DISTILLERY Opened in 2005, Tuthilltown (tuthilltown.com) helped launch New York’s craft-whiskey resurgence and hails itself as the first whiskey distillery since Prohibition. Located in Gardiner, N.Y., the distillery includes a visitors’ center, tasting room and gift shop.

On the tasting menu are single malt and rye whiskeys, gins, wheat and apple vodkas and a cacao liquor. Tours run on weekends and tasting flights are available.

u Overnight at the 18-room Glenmere Mansion (glenmeremansion. com) in Chester, roughly an hour from New York City, overlooking Glenmere Lake; the Buttermilk Falls Inn + Spa in Milton (buttermilkfallsinn. com), about a 25-minute drive from Tuthilltown Spirits Farm Distillery in Gardiner; or the tiny Glass House (airbnb.com/rooms/17865668) in Marlboro, with wall-to-wall windows overlooking farmland and rolling hills. u See a movie at the restored Beacon Theatre (msg.com/beacontheatre), a historic 1920s movie house and enjoy some jazz at the Wonder Bar next door, or hike at nearby Beacon Mountain, which has some of the best views of Hudson Valley. u Visit the Storm King Art Center (stormking.org) in New Windsor, an outdoor museum with one of the largest collections of sculptures in the U.S. Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival that showcases many of the region’s top liquors takes place June 4-9. u Near the Hillrock Estate Distillery in Ancram, is Stissing House (stiss inghouse.com) in Pine Plains, serving French food and where mixologists craft cocktails using Hillrock’s liquors.

Also close by are the Appalachian and Berkshire trails, perfect spots for fall leaf viewing. u Don’t miss drinks and dinner at the Gardiner Liquid Mercantile (gardinerliquidmercantile.com) in Gardiner, or at Tuthilltown Spirits Farm Distillery’s on-site restaurant Char 1788, located along the banks of the Wallkill River and named for the charred casks used for aging whiskey and the year the distillery’s original gristmill was founded.

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NORTHEAST | PEN NSY LVA N I A

Philly Refreshed Historic city is booming with new and improved attractions

BY STACEY ZABLE

For information on more things to do in Philadelphia, go to visitphilly.com.

FRANKLIN SQUARE FOUNTAIN SHOW The colorful Franklin Square Fountain Show (historicphila delphia.org) premieres this summer after a $2 million update to the structure built in 1838 in one of Center City’s original public squares at 6th and Race streets. The show includes music, lights and choreographed jet patterns.

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INDEPENDENCE VISITOR CENTER Begin your visit to the city at the Independence Visitor Center (hlvisitor center.com), which is expected to complete a $15 million improvement project by the end of May. The updates to the center in Independence National Historical Park will make exploring the city even easier with a new 42-foot, digital “Philly Welcome Wall” with content accessible via touchscreen. An expanded gift shop filled with Philadelphiathemed merchandise offers more reasons for a stop.

A. WENDOWSKI/VISIT PHILADELPHIA; HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA INC.

W

ith scores of updates to many popular sites and added activities around town, “The City of Brotherly Love” is upping its game as a tourist mecca. Of course, there are the usual must-see tourist attractions that include Independence Hall, the Reading Terminal Market, Valley Forge National Historical Park or the Rocky statue and steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but on your next visit, check out these new offerings. You’re sure to find more to love about Philadelphia.

PENN MUSEUM The transformation of the 130-year-old Penn Museum’s (penn.museum) building continues with the newly restored Mexico and Central America Gallery and Africa Galleries opening in the fall, as well as a brand-new Main Entrance Hall and updates to the 618-seat art deco Harrison Auditorium. Already renovated and open since April 2018 are the Middle East Galleries boasting 1,200 objects, more than half of which have never been on public display.

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON CENTER FOR ART AND CONSERVATION

TOM STANLEY/PENN MUSEUM; JOHN JAMES AUDUBON CENTER; JOAN MARCUS

cambriaphiladelphia.com; atticorooftop.com

Fairfield Inn & Suites Philadelphia: The 119-room hotel made its debut last year. The on-site restaurant Libertine offers a contemporary American menu and some 20 wines by the glass.

Four Seasons: The 219-room hotel is slated to open mid-2019 within the 60-story Comcast Technology Center, the tallest building in Philadelphia.

It will include restaurants by award-winning chefs Jean-George Vongerichten and Greg Vernick. fourseasons.com/philadelphia

FASHION DISTRICT PHILADELPHIA

FORREST THEATRE

Cambria Hotel Philadelphia: The 223-room hotel opened in 2013 in downtown Center City and features the cool Attico Rooftop Kitchen + Lounge.

marriott.com/phlcc; libertinephilly.com

The new John James Audubon Center for Art and Conservation (johnjames. audubon.org) at Mill Grove, the historic home and property of the famed ornithologist, is scheduled to open this spring. The $16 million, 18,000-square-foot center includes permanent bird/wildlife exhibits, galleries for conservation and art, a theater and the outdoor Fledgling Trail, where visitors can follow the earliest stages of a bird’s life. The historic house reopened in 2017 after a two-year renovation.

Hamilton fans can see the famed Broadway show Aug. 27 through Nov. 17 at the Forrest Theatre (kimmelcenter.org).

IF YOU GO

In September, Fashion District Philadelphia (fashiondistrictphiladelphia. com), a massive retail, dining and entertainment destination covering 800,000 square feet from 8th to 11th streets in Center City, is scheduled to open. The expanded and reimagined property at the site of the former Gallery Mall will feature an eight-screen AMC Theatres multiplex, bowling venue with mega arcade Round1, local businesses, numerous eateries and, of course, plenty of shopping opportunities. In addition to at least 10 major retailers planned for the district, department stores Century 21 and Burlington are already open.

Giuseppe & Sons: On Sansom Street, Giuseppe & Sons offers Italian food with a "fresh twist to the classics," including hand-made pasta and hand-rolled cannolis at either the luncheonette or ristorante. giuseppesons.com

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant: This regional chain opened a new location on Market Street serving up a full menu of "scratchmade" food to complement its award-winning beers. ironhillbrewery.com

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DISCOVER

A NNA P OL I S Known for our history, but offering so much more.

Once the nation’s capital where founding fathers met to make peace and draft plans, Annapolis now draws entrepreneurs, artists, and adventurers- from water enthusiasts to history buffs. Its brick lined streets and preserved buildings properly salute to the years past and the Midshipmen that still walk among them. While a home to 300 years of history, it’s the community that now brings the city to life. From the near shores of the Chesapeake, Annapolis glistens at night and during the day—small businesses, art galleries, and unique dining experiences make it the gem of the Chesapeake.

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Baltimore

Annapolis

Washington, D.C.

GET ON THE WATER

FIVE REASONS

To Visit Annapolis

CUISINES & COCKTAILS Whether you’re looking to dive into the area’s freshest seafood, or find something that’s truly farm-to-table, dining here is an experience unlike any other.

TREASURE HUNTING Annapolis is home to a wide range of boutique and specialty shops. Head over to Maryland Avenue – once known as antique alley – and shop the wide range of boutique and specialty shops that line one of the city’s oldest streets.

Head to Annapolis harbor and try your hand at paddleboarding around the docks, or kayaking along our rivers and tributaries. Or, sit back, relax and cruise out to the Chesapeake Bay

MUSIC With nearly a dozen locations offering live music in downtown Annapolis alone, music lovers are sure to find a show they’ll remember. See singers and songwriters, or head to one of the best music venues under 500 seats in the country.

ART Annapolis is often named one of the country’s top art and culture destinations, and for good reason. Discover the story behind one of Annapolis’ many murals and public art displays, or guide yourself into one of the numerous art galleries and pottery stores.

NORTHEAST | CU LT U R A L T R AV EL

National Museum of African American History & Culture WASHINGTON, D.C.

Heritage and History Check out these must-see sites to explore native ancestry

BY DIANE BAIR AND PAMELA WRIGHT

This is America’s story and this museum is for all Americans.”

— LONNIE G. BUNCH III,

Details: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

nmaahc.si.edu

I

nterest in ancestry is high; just ask the more than 15 million Americans who have taken DNA tests in recent years, according to Bloomberg.

That makes this an excellent time to visit one of these cultural heritage sites. If you’re looking to make genealogy come alive, it doesn’t get better than this.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

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ALAN KARCHMER/NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

1968 Olympics protest statue

This 2-year-old museum celebrates the richness and diversity of the African-American experience and how it has shaped the nation. Objects in the collection range from a segregation-era Southern Railway car to a jumpsuit worn by singer James Brown. Allow plenty of time to tour the temporary exhibits that have featured Oprah Winfrey’s life and global influence and hip-hop photography.

National Museum of the American Indian

Details: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free

WASHINGTON, D.C.

americanindian.si.edu

Located on the National Mall, this expansive museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, holds more than 800,000 objects and a photographic archive dedicated to preserving the history, arts and languages of America’s earliest peoples.

Black Heritage Trail

Details: Take a self-guided tour anytime; check website for ranger-led tour schedule.

Free

BOSTON Schools, Underground Railroad sites, homes and churches important to Boston’s 19th-century AfricanAmerican community make this 14-site trail an intriguing exploration of the Beacon Hill neighborhood. Highlights include the Museum of African American History’s Abiel Smith School and the African Meeting House.

nps.gov/boaf

African American Museum

Details: Open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. $14 for adults; $10 for ages 4-12, students with IDs and seniors

CONNECTICUT OFFICE OF TOURISM; NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN; NATIONAL PARK SERVICE; A. RICKETTS/VISIT PHILLY

PHILADELPHIA Not all of the enslaved were forced to work in fields; they were also skilled boat-builders, engineers, silversmiths, bricklayers and more. No doubt, a visit here will expand your mind, no matter how much you know about AfricanAmerican history. Four exhibition galleries interpret the black experience in America from 1619 to the present.

aampmuseum.org

Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center MASHANTUCKET, CONN. Step inside a re-created Pequot Village and wander through a 16th-century community as Native American children and elders work and socialize. This multisensory museum spans 18,000 years of native history and culture.

Pequot Village exhibit

Details: Open Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $20 for adults; $12 for ages 6-17; $15 for college students and seniors pequotmuseum.org

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SOUTHEAST | M Y TOW N

CJ PERRY’S

Tallahassee, Fla. CJ Perry, best known as WWE superstar Lana, The Ravishing Russian, and as a star on the E! reality series Total Divas, is a Florida-born actress, model and singer. She lived in Latvia as a young girl and returned to the Sunshine State to study dance at Florida State University. She’s currently co-writing a comic book with her husband, WWE superstar Miroslav “Rusev” Barnyashev, and launching a YouTube channel chronicling the couple’s activities. She shares some of her favorite things to do in her college town.

— MICHELLE WASHINGTON

BEST

PARKS “St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park. I loved going to both of these parks and could take my dog with me. You could camp, explore and relax.” fws.gov/refuge/st_marks/; florida stateparks.org/MaclayGardens

“

Shell Oyster Bar is a local place with limited seating and amazing fresh oysters. I’m a huge oyster fan, so this is an ideal place to grab fresh fare.”

— CJ PERRY

shelloysterbarrestaurant snapshot.com

“Panama City Beach is a great day trip! It is only two hours away. … (It) is perfect to go with college friends because there’s a nice beach and great nightlife.” visitpanama citybeach.com

BEST PLACE TO GET BEST PLACE TO

SHOP “Governors Square Mall. It is a great local hangout, too!

Forever 21 was my favorite store there.” www.governors square.com

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INSPIRED “(At Florida State) I loved going to Montgomery Hall.

As a dance major, most of my dance performances happened there. Built in 1929, it was one of the oldest buildings on campus.

Fun fact: The FSU dance department is one of the best in the nation." fsu.edu

SAMANTHA BROWN'S PLACES TO LOVE; BRUCE PALMER/FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES; FLORIDA STATE PARKS

BEST

DAY TRIP

Sink your toes in the sands of the Gulf Coast Panama City Beach Resort 17001 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32413

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Call (866) 892-5890 and mention Stay and Play discount ILHK3 or visit discoverhcv.com/florida-resorts

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SOUTHEAST

Pimento Cheese, Please Classic Southern spread takes some unexpected twists

P

imento cheese, the spread synonymous with the South, has roots north of the MasonDixon Line.

Yes, you read that right.

The “pâté of the South” actually got its start in New York after the Civil War, when farmers began manufacturing a soft, ripened cheese (today’s cream cheese). Simultaneously, Spain began exporting canned sweet red peppers, “pimientos,” to the U.S. The second “i” was dropped, and the ingredients were popular from coast to coast.

By 1908, Good Housekeeping published

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a recipe consisting of cream cheese, mustard, chives and minced pimentos.

In response, Georgia farmers began growing more red peppers, ultimately shipping 10 million cans annually throughout the country.

After World War II, the rise of a “home economics” social movement spurred cookbook writers and home chefs to swap cream cheese for shredded cheddar, add spices and use mayonnaise as a binder to make modern-day pimento cheese.

For generations, closely guarded recipes have been handed down through families and collected for church and

FRED + ELLIOTT PHOTOGRAPHY; RED CLAY GOURMET

BY SUZANNE WRIGHT

CATT LEVESQUE PHOTOGRAPHY; RED CLAY GOURMET; QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S PIMENTO CHEESE ROYALE; ANDREE'S

garden club cookbooks. Some are purist classics; others are more adventurous, with embellishments such as pickled okra, watermelon rind and even bourbon, to goose the basic recipe.

“Up until 20 years ago, pimento cheese was the base of a sandwich your mother packed and you took to school,” says John T. Edge, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance in Oxford, Miss. “Or it was in the crock your grandma kept in the fridge and you ate with a sleeve of saltines. It was everyday, frugal, workingclass food.”

Not anymore.

Pimento cheese is served at country clubs and tailgates, church potlucks and weddings, family reunions and black-tie events, and, most famously, in sandwiches at the Masters Tournament in Georgia.

But there is an agreedupon fatal sin. “(Too much) mayo kills pimento cheese,” says Edge.

“It should barely bind the ingredients, not smother them. It needs the right balance of creaminess and stiffness.”

A SOUTHERN STAPLE GETS CREATIVE Artisans have put their stamp on the standard recipe.

“There’s no ‘right way’ to make pimento cheese,” Edge explains. “Just as hummus was mainstreamed with different varieties like jalapeño, pimento cheese variations have gained traction in America.”

Pimento cheese is perfectly portable and available in grocery stores and specialty markets. These are a few favorites:

BIRDIE’S South Hill, Va. Robin “Birdie” Allen took her recipe to parties and learned that friends were adding their own ingredients. The Garlic Parmesan is a nod to Italians from the Northeast; Olive delivers a briny tang, which pairs well with Champagne; and Cream Cheese and Black Pepper shines when slathered on pita chips. “People taste ours and then talk about how their aunt or mother made it. We get to share memories.” Birdie’s is available at The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, Va., Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, Va., and Rosemont of Virginia Winery in La Crosse, Va. shop.birdiespc.com

QUEEN CHARLOTTE’S PIMENTO CHEESE ROYALE Charlotte, N.C. John Morgan and his wife, Myers McKenzie, founded the company five years ago using Jeopardy! winnings. In addition to the original, each of the three other available flavors has a pun name, like Black and Bleu Blood, which marries the distinct taste of blue cheese with white cheddar’s sharpness; Her Royal Hotness, the original with jalapeño and hot sauce; and porklaced Baconham Palace. Queen Charlotte's products are sold in select stores across the region and shipping is also available. qccheese.com

RED CLAY GOURMET Winston Salem, N.C. Michele and Lance Sawyer initially peddled cheese tubs to beach- and lake-bound customers. By 2018, the couple sold 5,000 pounds a week with the goal of “pimento cheese world domination.” Every version is preservative-free and made with natural ingredients. The hickory smoked cheddar flavor has a quality reminiscent of bacon, but most distinctive is the subtle heat of the organic-certified Sriracha. There are also Flame-Roasted Jalapeño, Classic Sharp Cheddar and Hickory Smoked Cheddar flavors. Find it locally at Earth Fare, Food Lion and Kroger. redclaygourmet.com

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SOUTHEAST

PIMENTO CHEESE ON THE MENU

Need your fix, but you’d rather dine out? Check out these regional restaurants’ offerings.

Sweet Potato Biscuit at Greenhouse on Porter; Ocean Springs, Miss. The sharpness of house-made pimento cheese pairs nicely with the biscuit’s sweetness. ubiscuitsprings.com

Hot Mess at LOLA; Covington, La. The grilled Hot Mess features New Orleans breakfast Chisesi ham, pimento cheese, lettuce, tomato and house pickles sandwiched between white focaccia bread. ulolacovington.com

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Rice, Rice, Baby at The Mockingbird; Nashville, Tenn. Arancini (small fried rice balls) are stuffed with pimento cheese and served with pickled pepper, grilled scallions and chamoy, a Mexican sauce made from pickled fruit. umockingbirdnashville. com

TERRA; SEED KITCHEN & BAR; GREENHOUSE ON PORTER; EMILY DORIO; NEALY FRENTZ

Pimento Cheeseburger Pizza at Terra; West Columbia, S.C. The wood-fired pizza topped with pimento cheese and ground rib-eye is savory genius. uterrasc.com

Pimento Cheese Crostini at Seed Kitchen & Bar; Marietta, Ga. The saltiness of Benton’s country ham, the tartness of apple and peppery arugula complement the Worcestershire and Tabascospiked pimento cheese. ueatatseed. com

AMERICAN HISTORY

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC

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SOUTHEAST | SOU T H C A ROL INA

Gullah Glory Discover the past and present of a cultural community on Hilton Head Island

BY ROSALIND CUMMINGS-YEATES

W

A Gullah fisherman in a 1904 photo on Hilton Head Island.

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ith 12 miles of pristine beaches kissed by the Atlantic Ocean and framed by luxury resorts, the laid-back beauty of Hilton Head Island, S.C., draws crowds of travelers. The scenic landscape and world-class golf courses are Hilton Head’s calling cards, but this low country paradise offers other cultural treasures that are

just as significant.

Long before the barrier island was transformed into a resort mecca for tourists, Hilton Head was home to the Gullah people, descendants of enslaved Africans who were transported from the continent’s West Coast to grow rice in the lowlands of the Carolinas and Georgia.

After the Civil War, they claimed land from abandoned plantations, opened businesses during Reconstruction and, >

GETTY IMAGES; THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY LIBRARY

Harbour Town Lighthouse

Surprising & Delightful

Where Southern hospitality blends with historic sites, fascinating wildlife preserves and affordable accommodations.

Discover more. Visit website: CITYOFHARDEEVILLE.COM

Interstate 95 Exits 5 & 8 Near the South Carolina/ Georgia Border

SOUTHEAST | SOU T H C A ROL INA

Gullah food isn’t defined by the technique. It’s all in the sharing that’s the beauty of it.”

as Jim Crow laws took hold, increasingly isolated themselves in communities along the coastal corridor, especially on sea islands. They became known as Gullah Geechee — the name’s origin is unknown — and the area where they live is now widely acknowledged as the most African place in America.

The isolation allowed them to preserve West African traditions and dialects that can be traced directly to that area today.

“This region has a long history of Africans who maintain the African way of life,” explains Emory Campbell, author, consultant and tour guide for Gullah Heritage Trail Tours. For more than three centuries, the Gullah community has preserved its ancestors’ history and culture on Hilton Head, and visitors can experience this living history firsthand.

THE BINYAH WAY OF LIFE On Hilton Head, the Gullah identify themselves as “Binyahs” — or been here a long time — drawing a distinction between the town’s natives and more recent arrivals. The Gullah culture is a blend of American and African traditions, which is evident in the dialect, and you will hear snatches of these melded words and phrases all over the island. Head to the Gullah

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Museum of Hilton Head Island to listen to Gullah language, songs and stories supplied by the museum’s founder, historian and storyteller, Louise Miller Cohen.

View Gullah artifacts from Cohen’s family, passed down from her great-grandfather, who bought the museum’s land right after the Civil War. From there, visit the historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, site of the first self-governed town of freedmen in the U.S. “Mitchelville is a unique

story, a one-of-a-kind story,” says Ahmad Ward, executive director of the Mitchelville Preservation Project. “This is the history of people who went from nothing, to owning property and citizenship.”

Located under a scenic oak canopy, Mitchelville Freedom Park displays markers, photos and replicas of the original buildings to tell the town’s story, founded in 1862, at the height of the Civil War. Those early Mitchelville residents, who >

The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island was once the home of Louise Miller Cohen's father.

NATHANIEL CARY/THE GREENVILLE (S.C.) NEWS

— THOMAS BAKER, OWNER OF GULLAH GEECHEE CATERING

Where is Grant County, Ky.?

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Grant County is the perfect place to start your Kentucky adventure because we are close to attractions such as the Newport Aquarium, Cincinnati Zoo, the Ky. Horse Park, Churchill Downs and several stops on the Bourbon Trail.

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were Gullah ancestors, built roads, schools, houses, churches and a local government so impressive that legendary freedom fighter Harriet Tubman visited the town so that she could spread the message of success for future freedmen towns. Just miles away from the park sits the historic First African Baptist Church, which was established in 1862 and is the oldest church on Hilton Head. Services include traditional Gullah music, prayers and food.

A TASTE OF GULLAH Food serves as a hallmark of Gullah culture, and shrimp and grits and low country boil are familiar dishes.

“Gullah food isn’t defined by the technique. It’s all in the sharing that’s the beauty of it,”

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says Thomas Baker, owner of Gullah Geechee Catering. “I could never let you visit my home without serving something to eat or drink. Humanity opens up over a good meal.”

Many area eateries serve shrimp and grits, and Hoppin’ John — made with beans, rice and your choice of meat — but you can only find red rice at Hudson’s, a homegrown Hilton Head restaurant, according to Campbell. “There’s a real art to cooking red rice. We don’t like soggy rice. You have to know the right rice-to-water ratio and then let it simmer in tomato sauce. It’s called Jollof rice in West Africa.”

For a more complete overview, take Gullah Heritage Trail Tours’ two-hour bus tour, where you’ll learn about Gullah neighborhoods, folktales, language, food

Basket weaving

and social customs from a fourth generation Hilton Head Gullah family. “Everybody should take the Gullah Heritage Trail Tour to see the real history of Hilton Head,” says Ward. l

Nathaniel Cary at The Greenville (S.C.) News, contributed to this article.

HILTON HEAD CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU; GETTY IMAGES

Low country boil

Richmond, founded in 1798, is full of history from the pioneer settlers, to the Civil War and beyond. With such a rich history, and thriving restaurant and retail scene, Richmond has long been a magnet for visitors.

Richmond Visitor Center 531 West Main Street Richmond, Kentucky 40475 FREE GUIDE 1-800-866-3705 www.richmondkytourism.com

SOUTHEAST

21c Museum Hotel

Unexpected Inspiration The Southeast might just be America’s most surprising art mecca

BY MATT ALDERTON

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the American South.

“The South is such a vibrant region for the arts,” says Teresa Hollingsworth, director of film and traditional arts for South Arts, an Atlanta-based organization with the mission of supporting and promoting arts across the South.

“Southerners are very proud of our artistic heritage, but we’re especially excited about the new work that’s being developed in our region. It’s incredibly entertaining and impactful.”

But can Athens, Ga., hold its own next to New York City? The only way to find out is to experience Southern art for oneself. Here are some of the region’s best places to indulge your inner critic:

KENTUCKY Kentucky is best known for bourbon, bluegrass and thoroughbreds. So when art curator Alice Gray Stites moved to Louisville from New York City, she didn’t have high expectations of the local art scene. What she quickly discovered, however, was a city with an appetite for art that easily matched its thirst for whiskey.

“I think, maybe, there’s something to being a river city; it’s a little more fertile by the waterside,” says Stites, chief curator and museum director for 21c Museum Hotels, a Louisville-based developer with eight art-themed properties in seven states.

Its on-site museum offers guided >

21C MUSEUM HOTEL

M

any of the world’s famous and beloved works of art live in a handful of big cities, most of which lie in northern latitudes.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, for instance, adorns a wall in Paris.

Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus lives in Florence, Italy. Grant Wood’s American Gothic calls Chicago home, while Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night resides in New York City.

For art history buffs, traditional art cities can’t be beat. But if you’re as interested in the future of art as you are in its past, you might find it somewhere you never thought to look:

GRAB A GLASS. Greensboro is home to the annual Summertime Brewfest.

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SOUTHEAST

one of the region’s largest annual art events: the ArtFields (artfieldssc.org) competition, a nine-day exhibition that awards more than $140,000 in cash prizes to artists from 12 Southern states.

“The community turns into a gallery space,” Hollingsworth says. “Art is displayed literally everywhere in town.”

Among the states represented at ArtFields, North Carolina is particularly prolific. Charlotte, for example, has one of its largest art scenes, the highlight of which is the Levine Center for the Arts (levinecenterarts.org), home to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (bechtler.org), which houses works by Picasso and Degas, among others; the Harvey B. Gantt Center

for African-American Arts + Culture (ganttcenter.org), which celebrates black artists; and the Mint Museum Uptown (mintmuseum.org), an offshoot of the

docent tours and art-infused accommodations, making the original 21c Museum Hotel (21cmuseumhotels. com/louisville) on historic West Main Street — Museum Row — a good home base for art-themed getaways. Outside, pause for a photo with a 30-foot-tall golden replica of Michelangelo’s David by conceptual artist Serkan Özkaya.

Across the street is the KMAC Museum (kmacmuseum.org) for contemporary art; a mile down the road is Market Street, which is plump with galleries; and a short drive away is Kentucky’s oldest and largest art museum, the recently renovated Speed Art Museum (speedmuseum.org).

But Kentucky’s art offerings aren’t limited to Louisville. For a smallertown take on the state’s creativity, check out Berea, a college town south of Lexington. Along with Berea College — a liberal arts school known for offering debt-free education to all students and being the South’s first interracial and coeducational college — Berea is home to an eclectic community of artists and artisans. Stay at the historic Boone Tavern (boonetavernhotel.com), visit the Kentucky Artisan Center (kentucky

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artisancenter.ky.gov), then browse the offerings in the College Square and Artisan Village Districts.

“There are a number of galleries and workshops where there are hands-on demonstrations, so you can actually see art being created,” Hollingsworth says. “Also, there are opportunities for visitors to participate. If you want to take a weekend course in woodworking, for example, you can do that. … It’s an incredibly unique community.”

THE CAROLINAS Although Lake City, S.C., has a population of less than 7,000, it hosts

North Carolina Glass Center

Mint Museum Randolph, which opened in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum.

If you tire of museums, take the LYNX Blue Line light rail from South Charlotte to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, suggests Katherine Mooring, senior vice president of community investment for the Arts & Science Council, a nonprofit organization that supports and encourages local culture.

“As you travel on the light rail, you’re treated to a revolving exhibition of public artworks,” Mooring says, referring to artistic design, murals and sculptures at stations along the route. “You’re not going to find that in a lot of places.”

Another one of those places with >

BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART; JARED KAY

Firebird at Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

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distinct offerings is Asheville, where “folk meets funk,” says Landis Taylor, spokesperson for the Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Along with the expanded Asheville Art Museum (ashevilleart.org), check out the North Carolina Glass Center (ncglasscenter.org) for glassblowing workshops; the Folk Art Center (southernhighlandguild.org) for galleries and demonstrations showcasing traditional Appalachian crafts; and East Fork (eastfork.com), a pottery studio founded

by Alex Matisse, great-grandson of famed French painter Henri Matisse.

“Asheville’s art scene is very accessible,” explains Taylor, who says visitors can explore on their own or take a guided tour from Asheville Art Studio Tours (ashevilleartstudiotours.com) or Art Connections (arttours asheville.com). “The River Arts District, in particular, offers access to more than 200 artists in a couple dozen buildings.

At any given time on any given day, multiple galleries and studios are open with artists working and welcoming guests to learn more about their craft.”

GEORGIA Because it’s often called “the capital of the South,” Atlanta is an obvious draw for artists and their patrons. From conventional attractions like the High

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Museum of Art (high.org) to novel ones like Art on the Atlanta BeltLine (art.beltline.org) — a year-round art exhibition staged along pedestrian trails — options abound.

Some of Georgia’s best art, however, lies beyond its capital. Seventy miles away, for instance, is Athens. Although it’s home to Georgia’s official state art museum, the Georgia Museum of Art (georgiamuseum.org), the city’s most exciting works reside outdoors.

“The Athens art community is … robust and edgy,” says Alvieann Chandler, communications specialist at the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“When a visitor comes to Athens they can expect to find many of the gates, statues, interior of buildings, signs and various other items designed and/or painted by a local Athens artist.”

Among the public assets transformed by local artists are bus shelters, fire hydrants and building facades.

“Twenty-one murals decorate the sides of buildings and restaurants in downtown Athens,” continues Chandler, for whom another highlight is Athens’ tribute to the University of Georgia’s mascot: more than 40 bulldog statues custom-decorated by local artists.

Savannah is another city that effuses art. Along with remarkable art muse-

Henny Penny Art Space & Café (hennypennycafe.com), where coffee comes with arts and crafts.

Street art is a common sight, and so are artists, many of whom spend hours behind easels in Savannah’s shaded squares. Watching them is a vivid reminder: What makes the South such a promising art destination isn’t famous paintings in monolithic museums, it’s the energy of artists raising their voices on behalf of the region that made them. l

Telfair Academy

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN; JOSH LYONS

Sidewalk Arts Festival

ums — including the Telfair Academy (telfair.org/telfair-academy), the worldly Savannah African Art Museum (savannahafricanartmuseum.org) and the contemporary Jepson Center (telfair. org/jepson-center) — it owes its artistic eminence to the Savannah College of Art and Design, or SCAD, (scad.edu), which consistently ranks among the world’s top universities for art and design.

“SCAD is really the impetus and the inspiration for the art scene here,” explains Visit Savannah President Joseph Marinelli, who says SCAD students and alumni are revitalizing neighborhoods like the Starland District, home to spades of homegrown studios, galleries and shops, including Starlandia Art Supply (starlandia supply.com) for reclaimed art materials, coffee shop-gallery Foxy Loxy Café (foxyloxycafe.com) and the kid-friendly

the moment is fleeting, but the memory is forever.

GULF SHORES & ORANGE BEACH TOURISM Alabama’s White-Sand Beaches

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SOUTHEAST | GEORGI A

Atlanta Beltline near the Ponce City Market

Urban Trail Atlanta’s new BeltLine offers an alternative way to experience the city

T

wenty years ago, a Georgia Tech urban planning student named Ryan Gravel made a discovery that has come to redefine Atlanta. Poring over historic maps of the city, he noticed a network of old railroads that formed a complete ring around the downtown area, linking Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods.

Further investigation revealed that many of those rail lines were no longer in use. Along them snaked a dilapidated corridor of abandoned warehouses and graffiti-strewn lots that were slowly becoming consumed

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by a jungle of kudzu — a gritty urban canvas on which Gravel began to paint a new vision for how to get around Atlanta.

Gravel’s ideas for repurposing that abandoned rail corridor, the subject of his master’s thesis, grew into what Atlantans now know as the BeltLine, a 33-mile network of bike and pedestrian paths edged with artsy loft developments, eclectic neighborhood eateries and 2,000 acres of parkland. In addition to 45 historic neighborhoods, the route, which will continue to open in phases through the anticipated completion in 2030, also connects a number of quintessential Atlanta destinations: >

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BY BRIAN BARTH

A Day in Decatur Beach Party on the Square

Warm welcomes. Good times.

Just minutes away on MARTA. VISITORS CENTER 113 Clairemont Ave., Decatur 30030 | visitdecaturga.com

Find Your Paradise TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, Eight Consecutive Years St. Simons Island, Georgia | 800.342.0212 | KingandPrince.com

Take a break on your journey~

Where Georgia Comes Together

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perryga.com | 478-988-8000

SOUTHEAST | GEORGI A

THREE WAYS TO SEE THE BELTLINE

Stone Mountain

For more information on the BeltLine, including maps, progress and events, visit: beltline.org

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Atlanta Botanical Garden

the Carter Center, Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, to name a few. Iconic AfricanAmerican heritage sites like the childhood home of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Sweet Auburn Market are a stone’s throw from the route. A spur trail takes you to Stone Mountain, a large granite dome outside the city that is one of Georgia’s most photographed places. As of 2019, the Atlanta BeltLine consists of five open trails and seven parks.

“It’s like a pedestrian highway connecting you to all these incredible places without having to deal with the notorious Atlanta traffic,” says Karen Anderson, a local artist whose house nestles up against the BeltLine in Atlanta’s Reynoldstown neighborhood. But she adds that it’s not just about getting from point A to point B; the BeltLine is a place to be, to slow down and to see the city in a different light. “Atlanta was built with its back up against the BeltLine because it was the train >

Bike tours During warmer months, guides lead free rides along trails and through surrounding neighborhoods on Saturday mornings.

Bus tours Three-hour tours are available Saturday mornings. The bus route is along streets adjacent to the path, providing an air-conditioned glimpse of the BeltLine vision.

Cost is $25 per person.

Registration for all three tours is required; visit beltline. org for information.

GETTY IMAGES; ASSOCIATED PRESS

Piedmont Park

Walking tours From June through September, trained docents lead guided walks along the eastside or westside trails and the BeltLine’s arboretum on Friday and Saturday mornings, free of charge.

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It’s like a pedestrian highway connecting you to all these incredible places without having to deal with the notorious Atlanta traffic."

— KAREN ANDERSON, ARTIST

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inches tall, designed to evoke the spirit of the neighborhood in which they are located.

They're found affixed to tree trunks and concrete walls, where they attract a surprising amount of attention for being so small and simple.

“The doors don’t actually open; they’re just meant to be a blank canvas for your imagination,” says Anderson. They are certainly Instagrammable — search #tinydoorsatl, and you’ll find more than 18,000 photographs.

The BeltLine has spawned plenty of larger scale developments, too, ranging from urban farms and microbreweries to bespoke clothiers and boutique hotels, all of which may be found adjacent to the path or in a nearby neighborhood.

One uber-popular BeltLine business is King of Pops, an artisanal Popsicle company, which hawks an ever-changing slate of flavors like raspberry rosewater and pineapple habanero from wheeled carts along the path. The company also operates a bar just off the BeltLine at the Ponce City Market (its enormous food hall, modeled after Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, is a great place to grab a bite) that offers adult beverage versions — “poptails” — of the myriad ice pop flavors. Atlanta is a sweltering place in summer, but wandering along the BeltLine while enjoying a watermelon mojito treat, you can’t help but feel cool. l

To learn more information about the Tiny Doors ATL project, visit: tinydoorsatl.org

ERIK MEADOWS; TINY DOORS ATL

line that ran through town, but what used to be the back door of all these old buildings has become the new front door.

Everyone wants to be a part of it; it’s kind of like Atlanta’s waterfront property.”

While the BeltLine itself consists of little more than a concrete path with a bit of landscaping on either side, it has become a de facto gathering space. Events range from art openings to Zumba classes. In September each year, 70,000 people participate in a nighttime lantern parade along the path — a celebration that’s just about being among a sea of people and light.

Art and music are central to the BeltLine experience.

Depending on the day, you might encounter a small classical ensemble, freestyle rappers or a jazz troupe along the path; adjacent parks serve as venues for world-class music festivals of every persuasion. Dance and other forms of performance art abound, as do sculptural installations.

The BeltLine is not known for grand monuments and statues, but small, quirky art projects are seemingly everywhere. Anderson has created a series of tiny doors along the BeltLine — portals, 7

Springs Capital of the

World

352.463.3198 VisitGilchristCounty.com

SOUTHEAST | CU LT U R A L T R AV EL

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum & Mississippi Freedom Trail

Everyday heroes shine on at these cultural destinations

BY DIANE BAIR AND PAMELA WRIGHT

I

t would be difficult to overestimate the role of the South in America’s civil rights movement. The struggle continues, making these museums and historic sites as relevant as ever.

“Museums that tell the story of how we fight for civil and human rights remind us that it wasn’t that long ago when an entire group of U.S. citizens were legally second-class citizens,” says Terri Freeman, president of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. Understandably, there are many places in the South to explore the rich history of African-Americans, but other cultures are reflected in museums and monuments as well.

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The eight galleries at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum focus on the years 1945 to 1976, when Mississippi was ground zero for the national civil rights movement.

Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. $10 for adults; $6 for minors 4-18; $8 for seniors 60 and older and military mcrm.mdah.ms.gov

VISIT JACKSON

History Lesson

JACKSON, MISS. This museum illuminates the experiences of Mississippi’s everyday heroes, such as Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer and Vernon Dahmer, who helped lead America’s civil rights movement. This Little Light of Mine, in the central gallery, is the museum’s heart and soul. Music of the civil rights era emanates from a light sculpture, inspiring visitors who enter to share their “light.”

While in Jackson, tour the marked sites along the Mississippi Freedom Trail (civilrightstrail.com/attraction/ mississippi-freedom-trail/), including Evers’ home, which is now a museum, and Tougaloo College, where civil rights organizers often met and planned sit-ins at public institutions including the local Woolworth’s (also on the trail) in 1963.

National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum MONTGOMERY, ALA. Confronting our nation’s past isn’t easy, but it is necessary — which is the point of this memorial and museum, which opened in 2018. Eight hundred 6-foot monuments symbolize the U.S. counties where a lynching took place — one way art is used to conceptualize racial terror.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park ATLANTA This National Park Service property includes the places where the Baptist minister and civil rights activist was born, lived, worked and worshipped. Take a ranger-led tour of King’s birth home and visit the original Ebenezer Baptist Church where he and his father were pastors.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM; EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE; ASSOCIATED PRESS; NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Park rangers share the 1672 Spanish fortress’ history in Florida and its role in the culture clashes that have shaped our country, especially during the Colonial era.

Cultures associated with the site include Native Americans, Spanish, Minorcans and Colonial African-Americans.

Details: Open Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. $10 for adults; $7 for students and seniors; ages 6 and under are free museumandmemorial.eji.org

Details: Visitor center, church and Freedom Hall open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Birth home is open for ranger-led tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. nps.gov/malu

Details: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. $15 for ages 16 and older; free for children 15 and younger nps.gov/casa

National Civil Rights Museum MEMPHIS, TENN. Set in the Lorraine Hotel, where Martin Luther King Jr. spent his final hours, and a nearby building, this museum reveals the story of U.S. civil rights from slavery to the late 20th century. Artifacts, films and interactive elements put visitors inside the movement.

Details: Open daily (except Tuesday), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $16 for adults; $14 for seniors and students; $13 for children ages 5-17; free for active military civilrightsmuseum.org

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JENI BRITTON BAUER’S

Columbus, Ohio Jeni Britton Bauer is the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, which since 2002 has grown to 35 shops in 10 cities with an online store that ships nationwide. She gives us the scoop on her favorite hometown spots.

— LISA DAVIS

BEST PLACE TO

EAT

NEIGHBORHOODS “Columbus has so many great neighborhoods, all walkable, and all with their own charm.

The Short North (arts district) for clothing. Victorian Village and German Village for homes and décor. Franklinton for beer and barbecue.” columbusneighborhoods.org

“

Fount in the Short North is one of my favorite spots.

They’ve got a lot of amazing handmade bags and so many things that make great gifts.”

— JENI BRITTON BAUER

fountleather.com

thirdandhollywood.com

GO ESCAPE | SUMMER 2019

OUTDOOR FUN

“I love to walk through Columbus’ many metro parks. You’ll see me and my kids walking on the paths at Highbanks, Scioto Audubon and Battelle Darby Creek.” metroparks.net

BEST

MUSEUM “The Columbus Museum of Art has some of my favorite pieces. I love George Bellows so much. I like to go say ‘hello’ to his work there — like they are old friends.” columbusmuseum.org

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BEST PLACES FOR

PROVIDED BY JENI BRITTON BAUER; ANDY SPESSARD; BRAD FEINKNOPF; LAURA WATILO BLAKE

BEST

“I love Third & Hollywood in the Grandview (Heights) neighborhood. I start with a Salty Dog in a tall, frozen glass with fresh-squeezed grapefruit. My No. 1 goto is the super-garlicky greens with ricotta. It all comes out in little cast iron pans, and you spoon it out onto toasts. And they have a brown butter and caper pan-fried fish on the menu that is succulent.“

USS SILVERSIDES SUBMARINE MUSEUM

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USS Silversides – the most famous surviving submarine of WW II USCGC McLane – the only Cutter credited with sinking a Japanese Submarine in WW II WW II European and Pacific Theaters, USS Flier Exhibits and more in the Museum Museum Store on site with plenty of parking for motor homes and campers 20 minutes North of Grand Haven on the Channel near Pere Marquette.

Follow Laketon west to the beach.

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Chippewa Hills Pathway

Shipwreck in Lake Huron

Art in the Loft gallery

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Culinary class

Austin Brothers' brewery

ART IN THE LOFT (3); PAUL GEROW; AUSTIN BROTHERS' BEER COMPANY; DAVID RUCK

Art workshop

Awesome Alpena Shipwrecks, arts and outdoor adventure are highlights of Michigan’s best-kept summer secret

BY KATIE MORELL

AUSTIN BROTHERS' BEER COMPANY; GETTY IMAGES

B

lake Austin was a California high school student in the early 2000s when his parents purchased a motor home and spent the summer exploring the country. Austin remembers driving through Michigan as the sun was setting and his father asking whether he should turn right or left off the highway to find a place to stay.

“I yelled, ‘right!’” recalls Austin, “and we ended up in Alpena.”

This decision changed the lives of the entire Austin family, who fell so deeply in love with the 10,000-person town on the northeast coast of Michigan that within a decade they’d purchased summer homes and in 2014, moved there full time. Later that year, Austin, his father, Dana, and his brother, Brant, opened

Austin Brothers’ Beer Company (austinbrosbeerco.com), a mile from downtown Alpena, and now distributes statewide.

“We’ve been growing at such a crazy pace that we brought in a

chef who has spent time working at places like The French Laundry in Napa Valley,” says Austin, 34. “I’m finding that people my age who grew up here and moved away are moving back to raise their families and build businesses.”

Unlike Michigan’s flashy (and pricey) west coast, which includes well-known towns like Traverse City and Grand Haven, Alpena’s affordability, natural beauty and cultural offerings have long hovered under the radar, fully known only by >

Located on the shores of Lake Huron, Alpena is called the Sanctuary of the Great Lakes.

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I’m finding that people my age who grew up here and moved away are moving back to raise their families and build businesses.”

— BLAKE AUSTIN, CO-OWNER OF AUSTIN BROTHERS' BEER COMPANY

Maplewood Tavern

To learn more about activities and events in Alpena, go to visitalpena.com

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residents and vacationers.

That’s changing.

Among its more attractive elements is the town’s maritime history — so compelling that it attracts divers from around the world. Following the 1825 opening of the Erie Canal, Lake Huron became an interstate for westward traffic, and ships passed through a treacherous 4,300-square-mile area now known as Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (thunderbay. noaa.gov). Intense storms and shallow shoals caused hundreds of ships to sink from the 1800s through the mid-1900s.

Today, nearly 100 ships have been identified off the coast of Alpena, and tourists can learn about the area’s storied history by visiting Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center (thunderbay. noaa.gov/maritime/glmhc.html); going on a glass-bottom boat trip with Alpena Shipwreck Tours (alpenashipwrecktours.com) and

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kayaking, snorkeling, scubadiving and stand-up paddleboarding around the wrecks with companies like Great Lakes Divers (greatlakesdivers.com), Thunder Bay Scuba (tbscuba. com) and Alpena Adventures (alpenaadventures.com).

“The water is so cold and fresh that it has preserved the wrecks — especially the deep ones — so divers can see the masts of schooners from the 1850s standing upright,” says Stephanie Gandulla, the sanctuary’s maritime archaeologist.

Less than a mile from the Heritage Center on Second Avenue is the Art in the Loft (artintheloft. org), a nonprofit gallery that offers public classes and sells local art. Executive director Justin Christensen-Cooper, 35, is an Alpena native who spent time in Denver before coming back home.

“Alpena is going through a cultural renaissance right now,”

he says, adding that the public can see a 30-foot-by-60-foot community-designed mural in a small park near The Local Basket Case (the-local-basket-case-llc. myshopify.com), a downtown gift shop. “We have monthly art walks between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the Thunder Bay Theatre (thunderbaytheatre. com), which is northeast Michigan’s only year-round performing arts theater.”

Additional galleries in the area include Forty-Five North Gallery, Thunder Bay Arts Council & Gallery (thunderbayarts.org), My Glass Wings (myglasswings.com) and Studio Rubedo (brianschorn. com). The Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan (besser museum.org) displays local artifacts and art.

Adventure-seekers can take to the 14-mile Bi-Path (trailscouncil. org/alpena-bi-path-trail), a paved stretch that snakes along Lake Huron through wooded areas; the Chippewa Hills Pathway (visitalpena.com/chippewa-hillspathway), a challenging trail with hills and multiple loops known to locals as “Chip,” or Paxon Spur (trailscouncil.org/alpena-hillmantrail-2), a retired 13.5-mile railroad route between Alpena and the village of Hillman. Bikes are available to rent at Harborside Cycle & Sport (harborside cycle.com) and Performance Locker (performancelocker.com/ cruiser-bike-rentals).

In addition to the food offered at Austin Brothers’, visitors can check out The Fresh Palate (freshpalategourmet.com) and get drinks at Thunder Bay (thunder baywinery.com) and Stoney Acres (stoneyacreswinery.net) wineries.

As a special treat, be sure to stop

by Maplewood Tavern on French Road and say hello to the world’s longest-serving bartender, Clarise Grzenkowicz, who started working at the bar in the 1940s and turns 100 in June. l

RYAN GARZA/DETROIT FREE PRESS

MIDWEST | MICHIGA N

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Laurent House Rockford, Ill.

Built by Design Frank Lloyd Wright Trail pays homage to renowned architect

BY LISA DAVIS

T

he creative works of architecture genius Frank Lloyd Wright include more than 500 structures, including the famous Guggenheim Museum in New

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York, span 38 states and reach as far as Japan. But it was in Illinois where Wright spent the first two decades of his career and pioneered his American Prairie style of architecture that incorporated indigenous materials such as stone and

wood and capitalized on outdoor views with eye-level windows that ringed a room.

The Land of Lincoln now has another claim to Wright’s fame: a new tourism trail that links visitors with Wright’s handiwork, from as far north as Rockford

ROCKFORD CHICAGO

ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD

Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago

ILLINOIS OFFICE OF TOURISM; MAP ILLUSTRATION: AMIRA MARTIN

The Rookery Chicago

Bradley House Kankakee, Ill.

and south to the state capital of Springfield. “Visitors have a strong interest in learning about Frank Lloyd Wright’s ties to Illinois, and the trail gives them an easy way to see his public works,” says Jan Kemmerling, acting director of the Illinois Office of Tourism. “Oak Park (near Chicago) itself is home to 25 buildings designed or redesigned

by Wright, more than anywhere else in the world.”

The self-guided trail comprises 13 public sites, including multiple attractions in Chicago, the Laurent House in Rockford, which is the only Wright structure that was designed to be fully wheelchair accessible, and the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield. Wright fans could easily spend a weekend viewing his architecture in Chicago and its historic suburb of Oak Park.

There are 80 Wright structures in the Chicago metro area, six of which are on the trail, including the Unity Temple; Wright’s private home and studio in Oak Park where he worked and lived from 1889 to 1909, the first two decades of his career; The Rookery building in the Chicago Loop where Wright redesigned the famed light court; the Emil Bach House in Chicago, which >

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EMIL BACH HOUSE Chicago For details on how to rent this restored 1915 Wright home for special events or vacations, go to emilbachhouse. com.

is the only Wright residence in the Windy City available for vacation rentals; and the

For more information about Wright's legacy and other available tours, go to flwright.org

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Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. The Robie House, with a fully restored interior, is new on the trail this year.

“The renovations better fit Wright’s vision when he designed it in 1910,” notes Kemmerling.

For those who want to see more of Wright’s works, trail itineraries can be downloaded from EnjoyIllinois.com. One itinerary features a 110-mile road trip from Chicago to Rockford, with stops in Oak Park, Geneva, Belvidere and Hampshire, including the Muirhead Farmhouse surrounded by nearly 800 acres of prairie and the only known

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existing farmhouse to have been designed and built by Wright. Another option maps a roughly 240-mile journey from Chicago to Springfield, dropping

by Oak Park; Kankakee, where visitors can tour one of Wright’s earliest Prairie-style creations, the Bradley House, and check out the Wright-inspired murals downtown.

Another way visitors can see Wright’s works in person is by participating in the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s annual Wright

Plus Architectural Housewalk (flwright.org/wrightplus). This year's event will include tours of eight private residences and two landmark buildings that were designed by Wright and his contemporaries in the Oak Park neighborhood. l

Wisconsin is Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthplace and where architourists can follow a 200-mile trail that showcases nine public Wright sites. The self-guided tour stretches from Racine on Lake Michigan to Richland Center, where the architect was born in 1867 and where he designed the A.D. German Warehouse in 1915. Once a repository for sugar and tobacco, it now houses a gift shop, theater and photo murals illustrating Wright’s work.

Another Wisconsin Wright stop is Taliesin near Spring Green, the home, studio and school Wright built with native yellow limestone and cypress wood and topped with slanted roofs to resemble the surrounding hills. His mistress, Martha Borthwick Cheney, her two children and four others were murdered in 1914 at Taliesin, which the local press named the “Love Cottage.” It was set on fire in the massacre, and was restored by Wright. It burned down again in 1925, and the architect rebuilt it a second time.

Wright’s work can also be found in Madison, the state capital, where he proposed a “dream civic center” on the shores of Lake Monona in 1938 that included an auditorium, rail depot, marina, courthouse and city hall but was defeated by the county board. In 1997, the Monona Terrace convention center opened in the original location and was renovated in 2014 to include designs honoring Wright’s style.

— Lisa Davis

ILLINOIS OFFICE OF TOURISM

FIND MORE WRIGHT TIES IN WISCONSIN

MIDWEST

Down Under Explore the coolest caves in the Midwest

BY KIT BERNARDI

C

aves store valuable data about our planet’s geologic and atmospheric past and present in their decorative formations called speleothems — stalactites, stalagmites, drapery, cave bacon and more — created over millennia by dripping water and minerals. Each cave is its own ecosystem. And, all capture the imagination.

“Midwest caves were formed in limestone deposited in tropical seas roughly 350 to 450 million years ago. The diversity of formations within the region’s caves makes them exceptional,” says geologist Richard Slaughter, director of the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum in Madison.

When the summer temps spike, consider touring these cool Midwest caves, which average 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit year-round:

Rum Runner’s Lane inside Jewel Cave in South Dakota

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Two National Park Service caves are within a 30-mile radius in the Black Hills National Forest. Guided walks in Wind Cave National Park (nps.gov/ wica) explore narrow, vertical passageways covered in the world’s best example of boxwork formations, made of thin slivers of calcite that form a honeycomb pattern. The seasonal candlelight tour is especially popular.

Established in 1903, Wind >

SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

SOUTH DAKOTA

Eat. Stay. Discover. Enjoy.  Museum of Osteopathic Medicine  Camping  Fridays Summer on the Square Concerts  Fishing  Art Galleries  Thousand Hills State Park  July - Red, White & Blue Festival  Aug - Community Roots Fest  Sept - Midwest Antique Fest, Red Barn Arts Fair

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Fantastic Caverns ride-through tour in Missouri

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rock’s center,” says Mike Wiles, chief of resource management. Jewel Cave’s seasonal Wild Cave spelunking tour offers the public a glimpse of one-of-kind, delicate hydromagnesite balloons.

Bonus: Both caves are within 40 miles from family-friendly Rush Mountain Adventure Park (rushmtn.com), named after Rushmore Cave, which was discovered in 1876 during South Dakota’s gold rush. Visitors can tour the cave, zip line and ride the state’s only roller coaster running 3,400 feet down the mountainside at speeds up to 30 mph.

MISSOURI According to the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy, 7,300 documented caves riddle the state’s underground, including Meramec Caverns, Ozark Caverns, Fisher Cave and Onondaga Cave. Fantastic Caverns (fantasticcaverns.com) is the nation’s only ride-through cave tour. Propane-powered Jeeps pulling passenger trams trace an ancient riverbed as guides point out formations including crystalized, milky cave pearls dotting clear pools.

Fantastic Caverns’ first documented explorers were members of the Women’s Springfield Athletic Club. They named the Hall of Giants cavern for its massive, spiraling columns. Some endangered wildlife call the cave home, including rare species of salamanders, crayfish and bats. And to honor the cave’s discovery by a farmer’s hunting dog in 1862, dogs are welcome on tours.

WISCONSIN Cave of the Mounds National Natural Landmark (caveofthemounds. com) is a subterranean classroom, fossil bed, nature preserve and >

FANTASTIC CAVERNS; ART PALMER

Jewel Cave National Monument is filled with crystals such as dogtooth spar.

Cave National Park is home to the world’s sixthlongest cave and includes 150 miles of surveyed passages. A series of cave lakes 500 feet underground are home to more than 4,000 bacteria species. People of the Oglala Lakota tribe believe their ancestors emerged from Wind Cave to inhabit the earth’s surface.

The world’s third-longest cave, with 200 mapped miles, Jewel Cave National Monument (nps. gov/jeca), gets its name from translucent, calcite crystals called spar formed around 15 million years ago when the cave was underwater. “Just imagine walking through a giant geode

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Prospecting for gemstones in Bluespring Caverns Park

is a 400 million-year-old, 6-foot-long, cephalopod squid-like mollusk, Klimczak says.

On the surface, visitors can bike forested trails and fossil hunt in a former 1830s limestone quarry, search for semi-precious stones and follow a geologic interpretive path. Other events include family fossil trick-or-treating, holiday caroling, live music and wine tastings.

IOWA At Maquoketa Caves State Park (iowadnr.gov/places-to-go/stateparks), established in 1921, spelunkers of all experience levels can

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even date destination. The site’s popular Cave After Dark events for the over-21 crowd include self-guided tours and themed receptions in the visitors center with live music and a cash bar.

“This is an ideal teaching cave because science, geologic time and nature all come together,” says general manager Joe Klimczak.

Guided tours of the 1 million-year-old cave follow paved walkways past colorful speleothems, shimmering pools and fossils. The rock star fossil

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INDIANA Caves and cornerstones put southern Indiana’s Salem Limestone geographical formation on the map. The U.S. Capitol Building, Pentagon and the Empire State Building are some edifices constructed of Indiana limestone quarried from this deposit also laced with caverns. Four comprise the Indiana Cave Trail (indianacavetrail.com): Bluespring Caverns, Marengo Cave, Indiana Caverns and Squire Boone Caverns.

Visitors to Bluespring Caverns Park (bluespringcaverns.com) can ride flat-bottom boats on the nation’s longest subterranean river. Guides point spotlights into misty blackness at speleothem and into the river revealing blind Northern Cavefish. Above ground, hike to the Emery and Ruth Bolton Natural Area, where there’s a 90-foot-deep, 10-acrelong sinkhole, the largest in the state. l

SCOTT DYKSTRA; BLUESPRING CAVERNS PARK

Visitors are allowed to touch the walls in Dancehall Cave in Iowa.

crawl through 15 caves embedded in wooded bluffs.

“We’re different from other caves because you can touch the walls and feel stalactites,” says park manager Ryland Richards.

The only cave visitors can stroll through is 1,500-foot-long Dancehall Cave, named for dances held here in the 1900s. Interpretive center artifacts indicate that Native American Sac and Fox peoples were the first to gather in the cave. In their language, Maquoketa means “we have bears;” during winter, it's 600 bats that hibernate inside.

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MIDWEST | CU LT U R A L T R AV EL

La Diaspora exhibit

Portals to the Past

National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture

History and diversity converge at these cultural centers

BY DIANE BAIR AND PAMELA WRIGHT

T

he many facets of America’s diversity are illuminated at these museums. Art, and the art of escape, are among the themes explored, and there’s even a destination for those who like their history served with a sporting touch.

The museum was founded in 2000 to celebrate the best of Puerto Rico’s identity and heritage.

Set within the Humboldt Park Stables in a stunning circa 1895 Queen Anne-style building, this is the only national museum that focuses on Puerto Rico’s contribution to the arts. Exhibits and community events celebrate the best of Puerto Rico’s identity and culture; the calendar includes art classes, workshops and author readings.

Details: Open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free nmprac.org

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NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PUERTO RICAN ARTS & CULTURE

CHICAGO

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, noon-5 p.m. $15 for adults; $13 for seniors; $10.50 for ages 3-12

CINCINNATI Opened in 2004, the center is rooted in stories of the Underground Railroad. The mission is to reveal stories of freedom’s heroes, from the end of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring visitors to take courageous steps toward freedom.

freedomcenter.org

DuSable Museum of African American History

Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. $10 for adults; $7 for students and seniors; $3 for ages 6-11

CHICAGO Founded in 1961 by artist, teacher and art historian Margaret Burroughs, the DuSable's vision is to inspire appreciation of the achievements and contributions of African-Americans in all walks of life. Film festivals, performances and art workshops add to the experience.

dusablemuseum.org

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-6 p.m. $10 for adults; $9 for seniors; $6 for ages 5-12

CHARLES H. WRIGHT MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY; VISIT CINCINNATI; DUSABLE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY; JASON DALEY

KANSAS CITY, MO. This nonprofit museum celebrates the history and legacy of the Negro League. The last Negro League teams folded in the 1960s, but multimedia exhibits, films and baseball artifacts bring the league’s legacy to life. Don't miss the chance to stand among 10 bronze sculptures of trailblazing players on the Field of Legends.

nlbm.com

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History DETROIT Thanks to more than 300 events each year, the museum founded in 1965 has become a cultural hub. Don't miss the 22,000-square-foot interactive core exhibit And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture.

United We Stand sculpture

Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. $8 for ages 13-61; $5 for seniors and children ages 3-12 thewright.org

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WEST | M Y TOW N

SAMANTHA BROWN’S

Dallas

Television host Samantha Brown has a job that many would envy, exploring the world for series like Travel Channel’s Great Hotels and Samantha Brown’s Places to Love on PBS. The globetrotter says her birth city of Dallas has really exploded with great offerings. Here are some of her faves.

— JENNIFER BRADLEY FRANKLIN

FAVORITE

NEIGHBORHOOD “The Bishop Arts District is a historic neighborhood with one-off shops and family-owned restaurants, woven together on vibrant streets.” bishopartsdistrict.com

BOOK SHOP “The Wild Detectives is a great independent bookshop and café. There’s something really lovely about having a nice cappuccino among books and people reading.” thewilddetectives.com

“

The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek is phenomenal. It’s so elegant. You feel like you’re being welcomed into your rich Texas aunt’s home. The people are lovely and friendly.”

— SAMANTHA BROWN

rosewoodhotels.com

GET OUTSIDE

BEST

SWEET TREAT “Dude, Sweet Chocolate focuses on truffles. The best one I got was Vietnamese coffee chocolate truffles.

They’re a jet lag cure!” dudesweetchocolate.net

GO ESCAPE | SUMMER 2019

katytraildallas. org

FAVORITE

RESTAURANT “In Dallas, you’re having Tex-Mex, and El Ranchito is everything you want. The margaritas are strong, and they’ve even got a mariachi band.” elranchito-dallas.com

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“The Katy Trail was an old railroad track that’s now a spine of greenery that winds through the city. You head out for a jog, and everyone’s enjoying the outdoors.”

SAMANTHA BROWN'S PLACES TO LOVE; MANNYRODRIGUEZ.COM; JOSEPH HAUBERT

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Drive-by Destinations Eight must-see stops along Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway

BY AIMEE HECKEL

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A

t just 25 miles long, Colorado's Million Dollar Highway is not an extensive road trip — but it’s packed with thrills and sights. For this adventure, don’t rush. This route winds along serious mountain roads that pose the potential for danger, especially if you’re not comfortable maneuvering hairpin turns, narrow lanes and steep inclines. It’s best to take this trip in the summer, when the weather is mild and roads are clear of ice and snow.

MIKE BORUTA/OURAYBYFLIGHT

WEST | COLOR A DO

1

TAKE A GOLD MINE TOUR

2

RELAX IN HOT SPRINGS

The Yankee Girl Mine in the Red Mountain Mining District is a great stop on your road trip along this historical mountain route. It’s accessible from U.S. 550, and the mine’s headframe against the backdrop of scenic mountain peaks is a photo not to be missed.

MARKUS VAN METER

Crystal Lake on Red Mountain Pass

One of the coolest features of this highway is that it crosses three different mountain passes: Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain. For a longer journey, take U.S. 550 from Montrose. But it’s the portion of 550 between Silverton and Ouray that earns the highdollar name, the origins of

which remain unclear.

The highway is a tourist favorite and somewhat of a rite of passage for Colorado residents looking for an amazing day trip. It feels like time-traveling, following roads originally built for stagecoaches and horses.

Here are some activities to enjoy in towns along the way:

When you arrive in Ouray, head to the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, filled with 750,000 gallons of mineral water that stays between 88 and 105 degrees. If the smell of common hot springs water bothers you, you’ll be pleased to know Ouray’s crystal-clear springs are sulfur-free. The pool, built in the 1920s, recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation.

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Bear Creek Falls, Uncompahgre Gorge

7

VISIT THE PAST AT IDARADO MINE

8

END UP AT BOX CANYON FALLS

Take the highway up Molas Pass in Silverton, where you’ll overlook the Animas River Gorge and Molas Lake. Veer off and head to the 25-acre lake. Although swimming isn’t allowed here, the campground is considered one of the most scenic in Colorado and provides access to the forest and trails.

TAKE IN THE BEAUTY OF UNCOMPAHGRE GORGE

This deep, steep canyon south of Ouray is one of our favorite points on the Million Dollar Highway. Wind through switchbacks and marvel at the sharp cliffs and river forging below. The rugged peaks are beyond description; you’ll want your camera handy. Just stay alert; some stretches don’t have guardrails.

4

CAUTIOUSLY TRAVEL RED MOUNTAIN PASS

This is one of the state’s highest paved passes — and it’s no joke. Some stretches have no guard rails. If you can remove your stomach from your throat, the views are difficult to top, with panoramas of the three brightly colored Red Mountains and ancient mining remnants. The road is known to close suddenly because of weather or rockslides, so check conditions.

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STOP AT MOLAS PASS

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Ice Lake, San Juan National Forest

5

EXPLORE THE SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST

The Million Dollar Highway will bring you through the San Juan National Forest, which is worth as long of a stop as you can carve out. This forest near Durango stretches across 1.8 million acres of desert, mountain peaks, meadows and canyons. Go camping, hunting, hiking, biking or fishing in the multiple wilderness areas. Don’t miss the beautiful turquoise Ice Lake.

You can see the abandoned Idarado Mine from the highway between Ouray and Telluride. From the Idarado Mine turnoff, head to the Red Mountain Pass and hike toward Red Mountain Town.

In the 1870s, this town was thriving. Today, old buildings loom like beautiful ghosts of Colorado’s past.

One of the most dramatic features in Ouray is the 285foot Box Canyon Falls, where Canyon Creek ends its mountain journey. It’s a great place to end yours, too. View the falls from below or above, and expect to be joined by plenty of birds.

MARKUS VAN METER; GETTY IMAGES (2)

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hike like a Bring the entire family and enjoy the outdoors. Go hiking in the Medicine Bow National Forest and getting back to nature is what Laramie is all about! ThatsWY visitlaramie.org/activity/hiking

H i s t o ry & A dv e n t u r e

Summer Road Trip!

There’s a world of fun in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower • OKM Music Festival Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve AT&SF No. 940 Steam Train • Frank Phillips Home Phillips Petroleum Museum • Kiddie Park Dewey Antique District • Tom Mix Museum Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (in Pawhuska) Prairie National Wild Horse Refuge (Hughes Ranch near Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve) Only 20 minutes from “The Pioneer Woman Mercantile” in Pawhuska

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WEST | MON TA NA

Spirited Away Adventure, mystery and history await visitors to Montana’s ghost towns

BY KRISTEN INBODY

M

ontana is best known as the home of two of America’s most famous national parks, Glacier and Yellowstone, where tourists are plenty. But if you want to avoid traffic and crowds, why not vacation in a place where the population has literally disappeared? The state is home to numerous ghost towns, rich with history and memories of a bygone era. Ghost towns have long attracted visitors fascinated by a chance to touch a piece of the past, says Philip Varney, co-author of Ghost Towns of the West, his 10th book on the topic. Here are some can’t-miss ghost towns to visit in Montana:

Castle Town was founded in 1891, and at its peak was home to 2,000 residents. It had a school, jail, shops, seven brothels and 14 saloons.

It’s also the former one-time home of Martha Jane Cannary, better known as Western legend Calamity Jane. The Silver Panic of 1893 caused a delay in building a railroad, prompting many to leave. The last residents packed up in the 1930s. Today, many buildings remain in a picturesque gulch. You can see a lot from the road, but you’ll need landowner permission before exploring the rest.

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GREAT FALLS (MONT.) TRIBUNE; KRISTEN INBODY

CASTLE TOWN

OCTOBER 7 - 19, 2019- ST. GEORGE, UTAH - USA

SHIFT GEARS

HUNTSMAN WORLD SENIOR GAMES

The Huntsman World Senior Games is the largest annual multi-sport event in the world for athletes age 50 and better. The Games takes place every October in St. George, Utah, and welcomes over 11,000 athletes from all around the globe. With 30 different sports to choose from, including Cycling and Mountain Biking, there is something for everyone.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF ... CHALLENGE THE WORLD

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WEST | MON TA NA

COMET Comet sprouted up in the mountains south of the state’s capital of Helena in 1883 and grew to a town of 300, centered around activity in the Comet Mine. It produced more than $13 million in silver, copper, gold, lead and zinc but was nearly empty by the end of World War I. Comet is ranked the third-best ghost town in Montana by Varney in his guide, Ghost Towns of the Mountain West.

Once one of the richest silver mines on earth — it yielded $40 million of the metal — the Granite Mine supported its namesake town, home to 3,000 miners in the late 1800s. The drive is awesome and so is the 19th-century mining town of Philipsburg, 3 miles away. The Granite Mine superintendent’s house and miners’ Union Hall are a state park.

MARYSVILLE Irish immigrant Thomas Cruse named the town for its first female resident, Mary Ralston. Cruse discovered the Drumlummon Mine, which reportedly produced more than $50 million in gold. He sold the mine and moved to Helena, but when his wife died in childbirth, he moved back to Marysville and founded the Bald Mountain Mine.

The town had 4,000 residents at its peak.

NEVADA CITY Charles Bovey preserved Old West buildings from all over Montana. In 1959, he moved them to the site of Nevada City, a boom town that busted, continuing to add to some of the original Nevada City buildings. Visiting is a good way to learn about the Alder Gulch gold rush, the founding of Virginia City and other stories of the early days of the Montana Territory.

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GARNET Garnet boomed in 1895 thanks to its proximity to a stamp mill, built by Dr. Armistead Mitchell, to crush local ore. Miners found a rich vein of ore and poured into the highmountain community.

When the town went bust, miners left so quickly the town became a time capsule. More than 20 historic buildings still stand, and many are open in the summer for visitors to wander inside.

ERIN MADISON (2); BOB WICK/BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT; KRISTEN INBODY; AIR FORCE TECH. SGT. CHAD THOMPSON

GRANITE

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Take a look way back at these Western heritage sites

BY DIANE BAIR AND PAMELA WRIGHT

I

n America’s West, you can do a deep dive into our country’s multicultural history. Parks, monuments and memorials pay tribute to the folks who came before us, marking major moments in Native American, AfricanAmerican and Hispanic history — and the people who made them happen. Here are some places where you can engage with history or pay homage to cultural trailblazers:

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Mesa Verde National Park MESA VERDE, COLO. The word “amazing” is overused, but it’s appropriate here: This 81-square-mile site in southwest Colorado is home to some of the bestpreserved cliff dwellings in the world. The ancestral Pueblo people lived here for 700 years; the park protects nearly 5,000 archaeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings made of sandstone, mortar and wooden beams.

Details: Open year-round. $25 park entrance fee per vehicle (May 1 to Oct. 31) nps.gov/meve

GETTY IMAGES

Cultural Study

Mesa Verde National Park preserves the ancient history of the Pueblo people who settled there about 1,400 years ago, according to the National Park Service.

“Aries” by Roderick F. Mead

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WEST | CU LT U R A L T R AV EL

Cherokee Heritage Center TAHLEQUAH, OKLA. Visit Diligwa, a re-created 1710 Cherokee village with residential sites, a council house and more. In the Trail of Tears exhibit, learn about the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forced native people from their lands and is blamed for 4,000 Cherokee deaths.

Details: Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $12 for adults; $10 for seniors and college students; $7 for ages 5-18 cherokeeheritage.org

HOUSTON Interactive multimedia exhibits at the center, formerly the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, tell the tale of these courageous African-American patriots. Mostly former slaves, freemen and Civil War soldiers, they were the first to serve during times of peace.

Heard Museum PHOENIX The Heard features 12 exhibition galleries, outdoor sculpture gardens, a trading post, a contemporary art gallery and more. The collection of more than 40,000 objects of American Indian art includes Hopi katsina dolls, Navajo and Zuni jewelry, Navajo textiles and Southwestern ceramics and baskets that go back to prehistory.

Legend Rock State Petroglyph Site THERMOPOLIS, WYO. This site is home to some of the oldest examples of rock art in the world, some stretching back 10,000 years, archaeologists say. It has been a sacred place (where spirits are believed to dwell) for Native Americans in this region for thousands of years. Nearly 300 petroglyphs decorate 92 sandstone panels.

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Details: Open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $10 for adults; $5 for students and seniors; free for children younger than 5 buffalosoldiermuseum.com

Details: Open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $18 for adults; $15 for seniors; $7.50 for ages 6-17 and students heard.org

Details: Open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. $9 per vehicle (May 1 to Sept. 30) wyoparks.state.wy.us

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PACIFIC | M Y TOW N

JON HUERTAS’

Venice, Calif.

For Jon Huertas — who plays Miguel on the NBC drama This is Us — Venice has been home for 15 years. He stays busy developing content for his WestSide Stories production company and enjoying time with family.

— SARAH SEKULA

BEST

NATURAL WONDER

BEST

BRUNCH Follow your nose to Clutch Venice, a Calimex restaurant co-owned by Huertas, where dry-rubbed barbecue reigns supreme. “It gets pretty packed with locals, but we get tourists, as well, because we’re right on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) at US 1.” His faves? The tri-tip and eggs or pancakes. clutchcalimex.com

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— JON HUERTAS

thebroadstage.org

tarpits.org

BEST

DAY TRIP “Palos Verdes.

I love hanging out at the bluff and climbing.

They have really interesting beaches and giant rocks that have been polished by the water and sand.

Great views, really interesting architecture, and, if you’re lucky, you get to see the peacocks living there.” rpvca.gov

BEST PLACE FOR A

HIKE “Santa Monica Mountains for wilderness meditation.

That entails me going on a hike, going off-trail and not having many distractions. I find a secluded place to do some bouldering, take in the views and meditate.” nps.gov/samo

DIANA RAGLAND; LA BREA TAR PITS & MUSEUM; NATIONAL PARK SERVICE; CLUTCH VENICE

“

The Broad Stage, about a 10-minute drive from Venice. “They have musical concerts, dance, installations and plays. It’s my favorite performance space in LA.”

“The La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. It’s just interesting what used to live here as far as wildlife and what the topography used to be.”

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PACIFIC | C A L IFOR N I A

Hang Ten! Celebrate rad surfing culture in Huntington Beach

BY ERIN GIFFORD

Huntington Beach pier

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VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH

M

y 8-year-old son, Paul, was standing on the longboard for only a few seconds but I could not have been more proud.

He caught his first wave on a sunny June afternoon at >

SHOP

DINE

EXPLORE

LIVE

PLAY

Huntington State Beach in Southern California.

I’d booked him an impromptu intro surf lesson with Clint Carroll Surf School. As my most adventurous child, I knew he’d be game. A few hours later, we met up with the instructor in the beach parking lot across from our hotel.

I can’t say he was a natural, but to see him up on that board, leash strap around his ankle, I was taken, and so was he.

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The love for surfing that Paul discovered that day is not new. Surfing has long been a favorite pastime in Huntington Beach. With an average of 281 glorious days of sunshine each year, as well as breaking waves that can accommodate surfers of all levels and abilities, it’s no surprise that this beach town earned the nickname “Surf City, USA.” “Huntington Beach is a community that celebrates the history, culture and lifestyle of surfing. It’s a

way of life, our ‘DNA’ and our passion,” says Jennifer Tong, director of public relations and communications at Visit Huntington Beach.

In 2020, surfing will debut as a medal-earning sport at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. “Seeing surfing evolve over the years — now as the official sport of California and its inclusion in the Olympics — is a milestone for the sport,” adds Tong. “It’s an opportunity for global viewers to connect with the sport and

understand why we find it so special.”

Start your visit to Surf City, USA, with a walk along Huntington Beach pier, one of the longest piers on the West Coast at 1,850 feet.

Here, people watching (rather, surfer watching) is king. Just 30 feet below, you’ll see dozens of surfers, straddling their boards, scrutinizing the swells, waiting for the perfect wave to ride back to shore.

A few blocks from the >

VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH

PACIFIC | C A L IFOR N I A

PACIFIC | C A L IFOR N I A

IF YOU GO Book an oceanfront room in the new Twin Dolphin Tower at the Waterfront Beach Resort. Laze by a heated pool with two waterslides; then when the sun goes down, settle in for a cozy beach bonfire. waterfrontresort.com Surfing Walk of Fame

International Surfing Museum (surfingmuseum.org) welcomes visitors with displays of famous surfboards and newspaper articles extolling surf legends. Before you step inside, ooh and ahh at (and, of course, you have to snap a Instagram-worthy photo) the world’s largest surfboard — a 42-foot behemoth that rests on an exterior wall of the museum.

Inside, a short film documents how the surfboard was made, as well as the seaside city’s quest to earn world record status for the

“most people riding a surfboard at once.” They did it in 2015 with 66 people between the ages of 15 and 79, and maintain the world record today (along with three other surfing-related world records).

“You can’t help but get swept up by the surfer vibe in Huntington Beach,” says Colleen Lanin, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based family travel blogger at TravelMamas.com and mother of two. “It’s everywhere — in the artwork, at the surf museum and among the dozens of surfers waiting for that perfect wave.”

Huntington Beach attracts more than 50 surf competitions each year, including the annual U.S. Open of Surfing, the world’s largest surfing event. Last year, the electrifying spectacle drew more than 500,000 people; this year’s nine-day competition takes place from July 27 to Aug. 4. l

It’s free to drop a line from Huntington Beach pier — no fishing license required. Rent poles at Let’s Go Fishing, a bait and tackle shop on the pier. Go early in the morning or closer to dusk when the fish are more likely to bite. facebook.com/letsgofishing.surfcity Rent a cruiser right on the beach from Wheel Fun Rentals to bike along the paved 10-mile Huntington Beach Bike Trail. Watch the surfers ride the waves, then reward yourself with a post-ride soft-serve ice cream cone. wheelfunrentals.com Run with the pups at Huntington Dog Beach. Just north of Huntington Beach Pier, this paw-some section of beach is free to the public and dog-friendly.

Bring your canine or just enjoy watching the others splash and play. dogbeach.org

Grab a bite and do some shopping just south of the pier at Pacific City, a retail and restaurant complex boasting trendy eateries, like Burnt Crumbs, a gourmet, artisanal sandwich shop.

Gear up at surf shops like Tommy Bahama and Molly Brown’s Swimwear. gopacificcity.com

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VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH; ERIN GIFFORD

pier, stroll the Surfing Walk of Fame (surfingwalkoffame.com). Granite plaques in the sidewalk pay tribute to notables and legends such as surf champion Mick Fanning and Quiksilver founder Bob McKnight for their contributions to surf culture.

Inductees are added each August.

Just around the corner, the

Take a private or semiprivate surf lesson through the Clint Carroll Surf School. On land, instructors teach you how to paddle out and stand up on a surfboard before letting you give it a go in the ocean. clintcarrollsurf.com

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PACIFIC | OR EG ON

Hit the Pavement in Portland Lace up your walking shoes and explore this dynamic city

S

trolling along 3rd Avenue in downtown Portland, Alan Soles points out a particularly eclectic row of shops that includes the city’s oldest bookstore, a Korean grocer, a couple of strip clubs, a retailer that specializes in Western wear and a tattoo and body-piercing salon aptly named Straight to the Point.

“This is the kind of thing that helps keep Portland weird,” says Soles, with the same impish enthusiasm

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he uses to explain what makes a beer hoppy or how a beer’s bitterness ranks on the IBU scale.

Soles, who used to work as a music therapist with psychiatric patients for the state of Oregon, is a guide with BeerQuest Walking Tours (beerquestpdx. com), one of many local organizations that help visitors explore Portland.

Known as one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the country, Portland’s downtown is noted for its compact design and shorter (200 feet) city blocks. The elm-lined

streets and sidewalks boast a vibrant lineup of retailers, restaurants, bars, cultural venues and gathering places.

Walking tours are a great way to get the inside scoop on this dynamic city, as well as check out some of the area’s top sites and attractions. During my guided tour with Soles, not only did I indulge in some of the city’s best beers — there are about 65 craft breweries in the city limits — I also learned about fascinating historical oddities, like the 5-foothigh water mark on a 2nd

TRAVEL PORTLAND

BY SAM BOYKIN

FORKTOWN FOOD TOURS

Avenue building commemorating when the Willamette River flooded in 1894.

In addition to beer, Portland, the birthplace of culinary icon James Beard, is also known for its wonderful restaurants.

Heidi Burnette knows all about this; she launched Forktown Food Tours (forktown.com) in 2010.

Burnette explains that Forktown’s two-anda-half-hour tours are designed to showcase the scope of Portland’s restaurant scene.

“We visit everything from fine-dining restaurants to food carts,” she says. “We are a pretty democratic city when it comes to food.

We don’t really care how it’s served, as long as it’s good and local.”

Burnette says her tours typically make five stops, including one of her favorite restaurants, Southpark Seafood, (southparkseafood. com) which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018.

Noted for its fresh, local offerings, the restaurant is part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, an organization that helps ensure seafood is sustainably harvested and farmed. During the tour’s stop at Southpark, guests typically dine on smoked trout or scallops paired with a local beer.

“Coming to Portland can be a very overwhelming experience,” Burnette says.

“We’ve become such a noted city for dining and drinking that it’s really hard to wade through all the options. We let you sample a variety of

SEE FOR YOURSELF You don’t have to book a tour to enjoy all of the sights and sounds of the city. These Portland attractions are worth the walk: uThe Willamette River bisects the city into east and west sides, and has an inviting walkway that winds past several parks, including the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, with water fountains and expansive lawns. Strolling along the river walkway you can take in the city’s downtown skyline, which, like Portland itself, continues to grow and evolve, welcoming visitors with unexpected delights and iconic favorites.

Forktown Food Tours guests stop at Southpark Seafood to enjoy fresh and sustainable foods and local beer.

restaurants, and that can help you set the tone for the rest of your trip.”

If you prefer a more off-the-beaten-path experience, The Big Foody (thebigfoody.com) provides a behindthe-scenes look at some of Portland’s iconic food and beverage brands. Laura Morgan started The Big Foody in 2016. The company’s Portland Makers Tour focuses on the Central Eastside Industrial District. Located across the river from downtown, this historic area was once home to dozens of mills, factories and packing houses, many of which have been converted to food and drink manufacturing facilities.

“This is not an area where people would typically come on their visit to Portland,” says Morgan. “But I love this part of the city. It’s such a great representation of historic Portland and where we come from, as well as the future of the city and how we’re a destination that really focuses on craft and producing high-quality food and drink.”

uThe Portland Art Museum (portlandart museum.org) is one of the cornerstones of the cultural district. Founded in 1892, the museum spans almost three blocks and boasts some 42,000 objects of ancient and contemporary art. uPowell’s City of Books (powells.com) bills itself as the world’s largest used and new bookstore.

Here you’ll find approximately 1 million books, including a selection of out-of-print and difficultto-find titles. uKnown as “Portland’s living room,” Pioneer Courthouse Square (thesquarepdx.org) is a 40,000-square-foot outdoor gathering place that hosts concerts, festivals and other special events.

— Sam Boykin

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Totem pole art exhibit

Diversity reigns at these heritage hot spots

BY DIANE BAIR AND PAMELA WRIGHT

H

istory is dynamic, colorful, noisy — anything but stuffy — at these museums and monuments. Walk in the steps of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, pay your respects to civil rights activist César Chávez and chat with a tribal artist about her latest work. Why do these places connect with visitors today?

“Museums and cultural centers teach us about our past so we may continue to perpetuate traditional knowledge,” says Shyanne Beatty, collections development officer at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

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We are giving voice to our own collections and sharing them with the world.”

— SHYANNE BEATTY, COLLECTIONS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, THE ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA Explore the diverse cultures of Alaska’s indigenous people on a journey through 10,000 years of native history. The center expands understanding through art, dance and storytelling. Six traditional dwellings are set in a wooded area surrounding Lake Tiulana, outfitted with authentic artifacts and staffed by cultural representatives.

Details: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $24.95 for adults; $21.15 for seniors and military; $16.95 for ages 7-16 alaskanative.net

ASHLEY HEIMBIGNER

Coastal Culture

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Puyallup - Great Art and So Much More!

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Visit Puyallup’s Outdoor Gallery

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Hiking - Biking - Golfing - Climbing - Rafting - Snow Shoeing - Fishing - Kayaking - Hunting - Ziplining - Boating Helicopter Tours - Eco Adventure - Camping - Brew & Wine Tours

PACIFIC | CU LT U R A L T R AV EL

César E. Chávez National Monument KEENE, CALIF. “La Paz,”which means peace, is a fitting name for a ranch devoted to labor leader and civil rights activist César Chávez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union. Located 30 miles from Bakersfield, the site features photo exhibits, memorial rose and cactus gardens and his gravesite.

César Chávez library and office

Details: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free

Tamástslikt Cultural Institute PENDLETON, ORE. What is the Law of the Salmon? Who is Spilyay, the magical coyote? Find the answers to these questions and more as you explore Oregon’s tribal history through the eyes of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people. A permanent exhibit tells the story of the tribes in three sections: We Were, We Are and We Will Be.

Northwest African American Museum SEATTLE This 11-year-old museum features engaging exhibits, dynamic programming and an on-site genealogy center.

Set in Jimi Hendrix Park, NAAM aims to share “the ever-evolving story of the African-American experience in the Northwest” through history, culture and art.

California African American Museum LOS ANGELES Examining the art, history and culture of African-Americans in California (and the West) in new and exciting ways is this museum's mission. It has become a cultural force with exhibitions on emerging contemporary artists and important moments in California history.

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Details: Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10 for adults; $9 for seniors; $7 for ages 6-17 and students tamastslikt.org

Details: Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays until 7 p.m. $7 for adults; $5 for ages 4-12, students and seniors naamnw.org

Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free caamuseum.org

RUBIN ANDRADE; TAMASTSLIKT CULTURAL INSTITUTE; NORTHWEST AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM; CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

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DESTINATIONS MEXICO 156 | CANADA 162 | EUROPE 166 | CARIBBEAN 170 | CRUISES 174

GET TROPICAL

ROEMING BELIZE

Belize is flush with rainforests, wildlife and waterways, making it a nature lover’s paradise.

Get lost in this Caribbean hot spot (page 170).

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MEXICO

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VALLE DE GUADALUPE

MEXICO

Hidden Valley Say ‘cheers’ to the world’s next great wine region: Baja California

BY MATT ALDERTON

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M

exico knows how to quench a thirst. Whether you’re parched on a beach in Cancún, dehydrated on a dance floor in Cabo San Lucas or toasting clients at a business dinner in Mexico City, your cup never need run dry. That is, as long as you’re drinking one of its beloved national beverages: cerveza or tequila. If you prefer wine, you could be sin suerte — out of luck.

At least, that’s how it used to be. But things are changing thanks to Valle de Guadalupe, a burgeoning wine region in Baja California.

Rick Bayless has seen the transformation firsthand. “When I first traveled through Mexico’s wine country about 40 years ago, very little existed,” says Bayless, a celebrity chef and cookbook author who helms six Mexican restaurants in Chicago. “There were a few things I liked drinking, but ... there wasn’t much variety, and the quality wasn’t very good.”

Tides turned when Baja’s oldest winery — Bodegas de Santo Tomás, established in 1888 — hired French-trained winemaker Hugo d’Acosta to up its winemaking game. He did, and subsequently established La Escuelita, a charitable school where he teaches winemaking to locals.

“He did an amazing job introducing techniques to the Valle de Guadalupe,” Bayless continues.

“From there, it just blew up.” >

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MEXICO

Today, Valle de Guadalupe is home to more than 200 wineries that have spawned stylish hotels and sumptuous restaurants, all primed for adventurous oenophiles.

Start your journey in San Diego, advises Chris Mejia, co-owner with his wife, Jen Kramer, of tour company Baja Test Kitchen, which specializes in Baja food and wine tours.

“The wine region is about a 90-minute drive once you cross the border from San Diego into Tijuana,” says Mejia, who cautions travelers to learn ahead of time whether their rental provider allows vehicles to cross the border; those that do require insurance from a Mexican insurer in accordance with Mexican law. “Once you cross the border, there’s a beautiful highway with coastal views that takes you down to wine country.”

Take that highway — scenic Highway 1, a toll road that costs approximately $6 — from Tijuana to the port city of Ensenada, then drive another 45 minutes inland to the Valle de Guadalupe, where the principal pueblo is tiny El Porvenir.

When you arrive, remember one thing above all else: Valle de Guadalupe is not Napa Valley.

“It has this rustic charm,” explains Mejia, who likens Baja travel to a treasure hunt: You

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must work for your reward. “You’re not going to Paris, France.

You’re going to a region that’s remote and rugged. It’s desolate, dirty, dusty. And yet, there’s something about it that’s uniquely captivating.”

One might say the same about its wines.

“You get a unique savory-ness in the wine that you don’t get anywhere else in the world,” Bayless says.

Along with the 131-year-old Bodegas

Lechuza Vineyard

de Santo Tomás (santo-tomas.com), the many places to savor a taste include L.A. Cetto (lacetto.mx), established in 1928 and one of Baja’s largest wine producers; Adobe

Guadalupe Vineyards & Inn (adobeguadalupe. com), which was one of Baja’s first boutique wineries when it planted its vines in 1997; Bodegas Henri

Lurton (bodegashen rilurton.com), which

Las Nubes Bodegas y Viñedos

makes French-style wines in the tradition of Bordeaux winemaker and namesake Henri Lurton; Lechuza Vineyard (vinoslechuza.com), an American-owned micro-winery that provides wines to The French Laundry, chef Thomas Keller’s famous Napa Valley restaurant; and Las Nubes

Bodegas y Viñedos (vinoslasnubesbc.com), which is as beloved for its sweeping views as for its wines.

Restaurants — many of which offer outdoor

GO ESCAPE | SUMMER 2019

Finca Altozano

Corazón de Tiera

seating — are “second to none,” says Bayless, whose newest Chicago restaurant, Leña Brava, was inspired by Baja cuisine. His and Mejia’s favorites include Finca

Altozano (fincaltozano. com), which specializes in local seafood and wood-fired cooking;

Deckman’s en el Mogor (deckmans. com), where a Michelinstarred chef offers local wood-fired eats;

BAJA TEST KITCHEN

La Cocina de Doña Esthela (facebook.com/ La-Cocina-de-Doña-Es thela-611834325594139) that serves a Northern Mexican-style breakfast Bayless calls “the best breakfast in the world”; and Corazón de Tierra (corazondetierra.com), where the legendary six-course tasting menu changes daily. If you can’t get a reservation at the latter —

there are only 30 seats and two daily seatings — chef Diego Hernández serves gourmet tacos and tostadas from TROIKa, his food truck parked outside.

Because one day won’t be enough, Bayless recommends spending the night at La Villa del Valle (lavilladelvalle.com), a small luxury inn; Bruma (bruma.mx), a winery with hotel rooms and private villas; or Cuatro

La Villa del Valle

La Villa del Valle interior

Cuatros (cabanas cuatrocuatros.com.mx), which offers “glamping” in luxury tents.

Ultimately, where your itinerary takes you matters less than when you go, which should be sooner rather than later. “It’s magical,” Bayless concludes, “and now is the time to go — before it becomes too touristy.” l

Bruma

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MEXICO

Oaxaca, pronounced wah-hah-kah, is home to some of the best indigenous Mexican cuisine in the country.

Eat. Drink. Indulge.

Experience flavorful food and beverages in Oaxaca, Mexico

MEXICO OAXACA

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I

n the last few years, you’ve probably heard the name “Oaxaca” come up more and more. The Southern state is home to some of Mexico’s richest indigenous cultures and the backdrop of a diverse range of destinations that include majestic mountains, rugged beaches and the metropolitan capital (also called Oaxaca). But most importantly, it’s arguably home to Mexico’s best food.

The entire state of Oaxaca has amazing cuisine, and the city has the nation’s best street food culture with the possible exception of Mexico City. The fine dining compares to just about anywhere in the country, and the markets rival anywhere on the planet.

Try these indulgences that are native to Oaxaca on your trip:

GETTY IMAGES; MAP ILLUSTRATION: AMIRA MARTIN

BY BRAD COHEN

CHOCOLATE

CHAPULINES

TEJATE

No, this isn't single origin, 72 percent dark chocolate flown in from Africa on the wings of Pegasus. In Oaxaca, chocolate is something you drink, not eat.

After mixing the raw cacao with sugar and either hazelnut or almond, it’s ground into a paste, then cooked (usually) with milk and stirred with a wooden whisk called a molinillo.

Oaxacan hot chocolate is found all over the state, and it’s among the richest, most delicious you’ll ever taste. It’s worth walking into one of the city’s chocolate shops to enjoy the wonderful aromas free of charge.

Walk through almost any Oaxacan market and you’ll be sure to find towering baskets of chapulines — small, red grasshoppers.

Chapulines are the ultimate Oaxacan snack. They have a texture somewhere between dried fruit and a Cheeto, and a taste that’s tangy and salty — perfect drinking food.

At first, it can be difficult getting over the fact that you’re eating insects, but if there’s any consolation in that, it’s that grasshoppers are low in calories, high in protein and super sustainable. Plus, they’re pretty delicious once you get used to them.

Another popular cacao drink, tejate is like nothing else you’ve ever tasted. Much subtler than a hot chocolate, this cold drink is made from toasted maize, fermented cacao beans and flor de cacao (cacao flower). The white beads of flor de cacao float to the top, forming a bland, pasty topping that adds texture to the drink, which is found all over the state.

The drink is so beloved that thousands of people from across southern Mexico celebrate it at an annual festival in San Andres Huayapam, a small town near Oaxaca.

GETTY IMAGES (3); PROVIDED BY CASA OAXACA EL RESTAURANTE

MOLE

Suckling pig with almond mole at Casa Oaxaca

If any one dish represents Oaxaca it’s this — which is why the state is known as the “Land of Seven Moles.”

Mole sauces are among the most flavorful and complex; they’re also some of the most misunderstood.

Largely because of the way it’s portrayed in the U.S. — where black mole is the most common variety — many Americans think of it as a chocolate sauce. And while several types do include chocolate, it’s only one of more than 20 ingredients. All moles have chilies, aromatics and thickeners like nuts and seeds in common. Plus, all versions are pureed.

Black, red and coloradito (between black and red) are ubiquitous, while yellow and green are around if you keep your eyes open. Chichilo and manchamantel are tough to find. The best moles are found in the villages outside the city, where they’re usually reserved for special occasions. Upscale restaurants like Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante and Origen also have excellent versions for those willing to spend some cash.

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CANADA

Heli Yeah!

Board a bird to experience the Canadian Rockies at a whole new level

BY TINA LASSEN

I

HIKING HIGHS The elevation in British Columbia’s Purcell Range is upwards of 8,000 feet, and pilot Jens Gessner is about to land a 3-ton helicopter on a slab of granite the size of a beach towel. The skids touch down; the group of six passengers unloads and just as quickly, Gessner is gone — the cherry-red chopper swinging around a peak and out of sight.

What’s left behind is truly pristine hiking country, a wonderland of untouched meadows and striking granite spires. You can’t get here by road, and you’d be hard-pressed to get here by foot, at least without a long day or two trudging up a mountainside. But with Ryan Bavin as your guide, you can set off fresh-footed for a day exploring: zigzagging up ridgelines, along the shores of dazzling glacial lakes and across creeks swelling with snowmelt.

“We might be the first

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ones here this season,” says Bavin, as we hopscotch across granite slabs and pasque flower blooms. Without any real trails, every step feels raw and unexplored. That’s the draw of heli-hiking, which evolved from heli-skiing, invented right here in the Purcell Range.

In the late 1950s, Canadian Mountain Holidays founder Hans Gmoser first began flying skiers up to an old logging bunkhouse in the mountains above Radium Springs, B.C., to access the area’s pristine powder fields. Fifty years later, the company, now known as CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, has expanded its menu of available offerings and considerably improved its accommodations.

Guests today bed down at the Bugaboo lodge, a 38,847-square-foot log beauty with a rooftop hot tub, 25 miles from the nearest highway. It’s the flagship of 12 CMH >

TAYLOR BURK/ CMH HELI-SKIING & SUMMER ADVENTURES

n most countries, helicopters are the exclusive domain of millionaires, the military and emergency medical teams. Leave it to Canada to up the fun factor for everyone to enjoy. In British Columbia and Alberta, helicopters take sightseeing and hiking to enticing new heights. Here are two ways to view the vastness of the Canadian Rockies from above, enjoy the tundra at ground level and have a high time in between:

Heli-hiking in British Columbia's Purcell Range

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lodges (three are open in summer) hidden among Western Canada’s high peaks.

For all its comforts, the Bugaboo’s ambiance is more homey ski lodge than swanky resort. A bell signals breakfast, served family style in front of picture windows that provide postcard-perfect views of the famed Bugaboo spires from the lodge’s 4,900-foot-high perch. Then it’s off to the awaiting helicopter to take you even higher.

On a typical “multidrop day” you’ll hike from point A to an awaiting helicopter at point B, then repeat in another area, and maybe repeat again, depending on the group’s preferences. It all feels a bit like cheating — until you realize you’ve hiked for hours, logging several thousand vertical feet. But

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then the heli reappears to escort you back to the lodge, in time to sip a cold beer on the deck and watch the evening light dance across the cirque.

It’s a monumental view, yet just a microcosm of the 393-square-mile permit area that CMH holds in the Bugaboos.

CMH offers heli-hiking trips June to August. Threeday trips at Bugaboo lodge start at $3,345 (Canadian), including meals, guides and helicopter transport.

The cost in U.S. currency will vary based on exchange rates.

“FLIGHTSEEING” TOURS With a whump whump whump, the red Bell helicopter lurches to life, levitating away from the Alpine Helicopters base in Canmore, 16 miles southeast of Banff in Alberta. As three

passengers points out the fiddle with wildlife on the their earmuff move with the Find more headsets and warming spring information eagerly peer out weather. Only then and book tours the windows, do you realize that by visiting pilot Pete Beets the brown stain in cmhheli.com and deftly swings the valley below is alpinehelicopter. the helicopter actually a herd of com southwest across elk. the TransBut mostly, the Canada Highway. It crosses drama is right outside the the braided Bow River as it window, seeming close climbs, then crests a snowy enough to touch. There’s an saddle in the Goat Range. audible gasp in the headset Gone are any signs of as the chopper sidles up civilization, replaced by to the pyramid peak of a pincushion of jagged 11,870-foot Mt. Assiniboine, peaks in every direction. crusted with a coating For the next 30 minutes, of iridescent blue ice. If the helicopter skims over there’s a better mountain knife-edged ridges, past view, it probably involves stiff cornices sculpted a trip halfway around the like waves and through world and a Sherpa. alarmingly narrow notches Alpine Helicopters in the granite. offers sightseeing tours Then again, it’s all so year-round. Opt for the grand, you lose any sense 30-minute Mt. Assiniboine of scale. The headset and Glaciers Tour, which crackles to life, and Beets costs $330 (Canadian). l

ALPINE HELICOPTERS

Lake Gloria in Banff National Park

~Advertisement~

Adventure in Inuit Land

S

tretching above the 55th parallel, Nunavik is the northernmost region of Quebec.

Bordered by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, Ungava Bay and Labrador to the east, this 507,000 km2 pristine territory makes up one third of the province. Presenting a remarkable display of truly wild tundra, taiga forest, scenic mountains, untamed rivers and countless lakes, this unspoiled region is the ideal playground for nature lovers in search of an authentic adventure.

Vibrant Inuit Culture

Land of the Inuit, a friendly people of many legends, it’s with your hosts that you must discover this Far North region of Quebec. Proud of their unique ancestral heritage, the Inuit of Nunavik are more than happy to share their way of life with visitors keen on discovering their vibrant culture. Whether you visit the national parks, go track wildlife or fishing with them, or simply visit one of their tight-knit communities, you’re in for a truly authentic experience! Their elders’ stories, mesmerizing throat songs and legends coming to life in soapstone will stay with you for a lifetime of memories

Spectacular National Parks

Host to three of the most spectacular national parks in Quebec, Nunavik shelters true gems of nature that are sure to delight fans of the great outdoors, whether hiking or even mountaineering, sea kayaking or white water rafting. The Pingualuit National Park is home to the famous crater bearing the same name, a perfectly circular lake within the walls of an ancient meteorite strike, now filled with one of the purest water in the world. The Kuururjuaq National Park boasts the highest peaks of Quebec, the mythical Torngat Mountains —also the highest in North America, east of the Rockies, through which flows the majestic Koroc River, following an ancient Inuit route leading to Ungava Bay. Last but not least, the Tursujuq National Park, which is the province’s biggest national park, covering 26,107 km2 where inland seas bathe amongst spectacular cuestas reminiscent of the Far West.

Fantastic Arctic Wildlife

Nunavik is also the realm of a fantastic Arctic wildlife, on which rules the revered polar bear, a truly remarkable marine mammal that can be observed in its natural coastal habitat. It is also possible to bear witness the great caribou migration of one of the largest herds in the world. Exclusive encounters with the musk ox, a prehistoric specimen straight out of the Ice Age, as well as with other members of the Arctic fauna, such as the elusive tundra wolves, are also amongst the highlights of a journey to Nunavik.

Learn all about this fascinating destination by visiting nunavik-tourism.com or calling 1-855-NUNAVIK. FOLLOW US ON Contact some of Nunavik’s adventure operators directly: NUNAVIK PARKS nunavikparks.ca 1-844-NUNAVIK INUIT ADVENTURES inuitadventures.com 1-855-657-3319

EUROPE | IR EL A N D

Irish Indulgence Sleep and play at a historic castle

BY DANA REBMANN

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WALK THE IRISH WOLFHOUNDS You have to roll out of bed a little early, but you won’t regret joining Cronan and Garvan, Ashford Castle’s resident Irish Wolfhounds, for their 8:30 a.m. walk. In addition to the canine companionship, the jaunt comes with stunning castle views you might not find on your own.

If you oversleep, all is not lost; the duo visits the castle’s Oak Hall from 10-11 a.m. daily.

GO ON A WALK WITH A HAWK Set on castle grounds, Ireland’s School of Falconry is the oldest established falconry school in the country. And Harris's hawks are the stars of the private Hawk Walks.

No previous experience is necessary; as you wander the castle grounds, you’re followed by the hawks, moving from tree to tree, before swooping down to your gloved fist with ease. If it’s a rainy day, don’t let the liquid sunshine dissuade you. Ashford Castle has raincoats and boots for guests to borrow at any time during their stay.

RED CARNATION HOTELS

A

shford Castle knows how to make a good first impression. It has had years of practice, after all. Dating back to 1228, and once home to the Guinness Family (yes, that Guinness), the nearly 800-year-old castle is steeped in Irish history.

Located less than 30 miles from Galway, the castle features 83 lavishly appointed rooms that combine modern conveniences, like heated bathroom floors and plush bathrobes, with original charm and luxury. But chances are you won’t spend much time in your room.

The Ashford Estate (ashfordcastle. com) offers a plethora of activities and encounters, inlcuding a golf course, equestrian center, soaring hawks and Irish Wolfhounds. With so many options and never enough time, you’ll just have to plan multiple visits to take advantage of the many other activities the castle has to offer. Here are some things to put at the top of your list during your stay:

DRINK AT THE PRINCE OF WALES BAR Named in honor of a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1905, this watering hole served as his private bar during his stay.

Today, guests can sit by the fire and have a Guinness or cocktail.

Whiskey fans can indulge in a single cask Irish whiskey produced exclusively for the castle by Midleton Very Rare whiskey.

ORDER DESSERT

EAT LIKE A KING Plan on enjoying a meal in the George V Dining Room, complete with wood-paneled walls and Waterford crystal chandeliers modeled after light fixtures in the White House. At breakfast, try porridge (oatmeal) the Irish way — with whiskey. Your server will know exactly how much to add.

Dinner is a graceful, but still comfortable affair, with beautifully plated dishes made with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. A jacket is required for men (and a tie is preferred) during dinner, so pack accordingly.

SWIM AT THE SPA

GO TO THE CINEMA

The spa offers a variety of treatments, including massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. But even if you can’t squeeze in time to pamper yourself, take a few minutes to jump into the indoor relaxation pool. Even if you don’t take a dip, it’s still worth the trip to see the Tree of Life mural that runs the length of the pool.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Ashford Castle is home to a movie theater fit for a king. Complete with classic movie posters, popcorn and 32 cushy, red velvet seats, the cinema offers daily screenings of classics and Hollywood blockbusters. Feel free to bring that drink you ordered at the Prince of Wales Bar.

Ashford Castle’s award-winning pastry chef Paula Stakelum works magic with chocolate, and just about everything else that she touches.

Some notable desserts in the lineup include a chocolate bavarois, apricot souffle or a peanut butter parfait that you won't want to share.

EXPLORE THE ESTATE SIP AND SWIRL IN A SECRET TUNNEL An underground tunnel that was once a coal bunker and servants’ entrance during the 19th century has found new life as the castle’s wine cellar. Boasting more than 3,000 bottles from a dozen-plus countries, private tastings can be arranged for beginner and advanced wine enthusiasts in one of three private tasting rooms.

Each tasting lasts about an hour.

Half the fun is getting lost on Ashford Castle’s 350 acres. You can bring along the map you received at check-in, or just wing it and venture out to explore. With a billiards room, equestrian center, a nine-hole golf course and The Dungeon that serves as a bistro and secret tunnels, you never know what you might discover.

If that doesn’t keep you busy, think about giving zip lining, fly-fishing or archery a try.

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EUROPE

Staying Abroad Handy tips for a successful European Airbnb adventure

BY KATHRYN STREETER

M

y family recently hopscotched our way around Europe — our seventh such vacation in eight years. Instead of choosing traditional hotel lodging, we opted to stay in Airbnbs along the way. Like many other globetrotters, we were drawn to properties in historic districts.

It’s an attractive option — a terrific way to economize while simultaneously soaking up the authenticity Old World cities have to offer.

But while romantic, some aspects of European living could rattle travelers testing the popular short-term rental trend for the first time. It’s best to learn all you can in advance to circumvent surprises that could put a damper on the fun.

As Airbnb consumer trends spokesperson Ali Killam points out, “One of the wonders about traveling is discovering how others live and the standard amenities they use.”

Here are some pre-emptive considerations to help keep your trip on track:

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Gamla Stan pier in Stockholm, Sweden

GETTY IMAGES; KATHRYN STREETER

uYour taxi might not reach your front door because of pedestrian zones. In Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old city, our Airbnb was embedded in the car-free district and required us to walk 10 minutes along a winding path before reaching our destination.

Make sure you can handle your luggage across cobblestones for several blocks.

uIf you find a charming Airbnb on the third floor of an old building in the historic center of town like we did in Edinburgh, Scotland, wonderful! Keep in mind this means you are actually on the fourth floor, because Europeans call the first level the “ground floor.”

There usually are no elevators in these lovely old city centers. We discovered our Edinburgh flat was on the top floor of a building with elegant high ceilings, making each flight significant.

Expect lots of stairs (another reason to pack lightly) and plenty of walking in general.

uYou’ll typically receive only one key per flat, especially in older buildings. This means if you are traveling with family or friends, you’ll need to consider your outings with the understanding that only one person will have access. Of course, it never hurts to ask in advance for more keys, Killam says.

“Message your host prior to arrival to see if they can provide additional keys so all of your guests have access to the property throughout the stay."

uBe prepared for historic buildings without air conditioning. Europeans keep their windows open at night for fresh air, but that also allows street noises to waft in. To address the concern, Killam suggests downloading a sound machine app. My favorite is the oscillating fan setting on the White Noise app. If air conditioning is important to you, Killam recommends searching Airbnb using the filter function so only those with that amenity are listed.

Airbnb (left) where Kathryn Streeter stayed in Edinburgh, Scotland

uEuropean shower systems can sometimes be confusing. Even after living in London for a couple of years — and in Germany for a time in the ’90s — I found the shower in our London Airbnb perplexing. On the off chance your Airbnb host is inaccessible during your stay, request clear instructions well in advance. Killam suggests consulting the house manual if possible or messaging the owner via the Airbnb app for real-time questions that arise.

uWhat if you enter your flat and the lights don’t turn on? Don’t panic! In Europe, it’s common for electrical wiring to be controlled by a master switch to conserve energy. It looks identical to and is often located next to an ordinary light switch, but actually turns on electricity for an entire room. Individual outlets often are also controlled by switches. So, if the coffee maker ignores you the morning after your arrival, look for a switch near the outlet to get things brewing.

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CARIBBEAN

The Best of Belize Experience this Caribbean paradise on land and sea

R

ainforests packed with wildlife, abundant archaeological sites and a coast that boasts the world’s second-largest barrier reef make Belize a tropical destination rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage.

Much of the country’s land is protected, a bonus for visitors who come to explore

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its prehistoric ruins, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and marine and forest reserves.

There’s only one drawback to this paradise, says Katie Valk, owner of Belize Trips travel agency: “There’s more to do than most people have time for.” Valk first visited Belize in 1985 and decided to make the country her home.

Here are a few things not to miss:

ROEMING BELIZE (3); TASTE BELIZE FOOD AND CULTURE TOURS

BY MARY HELEN BERG

For Adventurers

Shark-Ray Alley

THE GREAT BLUE HOLE AND SHARK-RAY ALLEY

For Foodies

Swim. Snorkel. Dive. Repeat. The warm turquoise waters of Belize teem with sea turtles, manatees, hammerhead sharks and 500 types of fish. The Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to the Great Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole and bucket list destination for scuba divers. For snorkeling, don’t miss the Hol Chan Marine Reserve’s Shark-Ray Alley where you’ll hang out with nurse sharks and stingrays.

MAYAN SITES

Half Moon Caye

The three pyramids of Lamanai and the city of Caracol, a partially excavated site considered to be the largest Mayan center in Belize, are among many archaeological destinations throughout the country that illuminate the ancient civilization.

Perhaps the most spinetingling site is Actun Tunichil Muknal, a watery cave containing the skeletal remains of human sacrifices. For adventurers only — you’ll need to wade, Actun Tunichil swim and climb with a xxxxxxxxxxx Muknal cave tour guide and a headlamp to reach the cave’s secrets.

CULINARY TOURS Book a Taste Belize Food and Culture Tour to learn to cook hudut, a traditional Garifuna dish made of fish, plantain, herbs and coconut milk, and discover Belize’s Afro-indigenous roots in the coastal village of Hopkins.

Test Mayan cuisine and create a meal of handmade corn tortillas with palm heart in the Toledo district of Southern Belize. Check out local chocolate factories to try chocolate-making classes and hear about the history of cacao in the region.

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For Nature Lovers

INSIDER ADVICE To make the most of your tropical getaway in Belize, heed these expert travel tips: uYou’ll need a passport, but no visa is necessary if your trip is for fewer than 30 days. uEnglish is the official language, making it easy for U.S. visitors to acclimate, but you’ll also hear Spanish, Creole, Maya, German and Garifuna.

uSummer is low season in Belize, so take advantage of bargains for travel and accommodations that you won’t find during peak or holiday season. uRates can be more favorable when you book directly with hotel operators than through online booking sites. uTourist accommodations add 9 percent tax and the goods and services tax is 12.5 percent, so factor this in your budget. uMost accommodations have ceiling fans, but do not always have air conditioning. uThe Zika virus is present in Belize and can cause birth defects during pregnancy, so women who are pregnant or wishing to become pregnant are advised not to travel to the country.

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CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL Meet other native creatures at the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center. All 175-plus animal residents were born at the zoo or have been rescued, rehabilitated or donated.

Visit Green Hills Butterfly Ranch to observe endangered species like the iridescent blue Morpho, with a wingspan up to 8 inches.

Cruise mangrove swamps for crocodiles with the nonprofit American Crocodile Education Sanctuary. And Belize is a bird-watchers’ paradise with 587 different types of birds. See more than 200 of them on a guided tour of Mayflower Bocawina National Park.

CHECK OUT BIG CATS The 128,000-acre Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is known as the world’s first jaguar preserve, but it has other large feline residents as well, including ocelots and cougars. During the day, hike to waterfalls or float the river on an innertube. But take a guided tour after dark for the best chance of spotting the park’s most famous predator, the nocturnal jaguar, says Benedicto Choc, who provides tours for the Belize Audubon Society. Later, sleep amid sounds of the jungle as you camp on-site or spend the night in one of the sanctuary’s rustic cabins.

GETTY IMAGES; ROEMING BELIZE; CARIBBEAN CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE (2)

uThe currency exchange rate is approximately two Belizean dollars to one U.S. dollar and most merchants accept U.S. cash.

Focus on the stocks that matter to you.

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CRUISES

Onboard with Oprah Cruise promotes self-improvement and female friendship

BY STACEY ZABLE

W

ith a theme of celebrating women, this trip promised to be one to remember, and I was thrilled that I could share it with my teenage daughter.

Just scoring a spot aboard the first ever Girls’ Getaway cruise hosted by Holland America Line and O, The Oprah Magazine this winter was prize enough, but it had the added bonus of exposing my 16-year-old, Tess, to positive messages of female empowerment.

During the three-night voyage aboard Holland America’s newest ship, the Nieuw Statendam, we listened to inspirational words from various women, including actress, media mogul, philanthropist and thought leader Oprah Winfrey. The ship was filled with more than 2,600 women (and 57 men) and opportunities to hear how self-empowerment and good friends can make a difference in

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one’s life. bonds as they boarded the ship.

Female friendships, includMany attendees spoke freely ing some that have endured to each other about emotional more than 40 years, like that of subjects. Observing Tess and I, a Winfrey and Gayle King (co-host woman shared with me that she of CBS This Morning), and her daughter were on full display have a strained during the round-trip relationship: “I wish cruise from Fort my daughter liked Book an O Lauderdale, Fla. King, me.” When I jokingly magazine-influenced who is editor-at-large said that she would cruise at hollanof the O, The Oprah if she took her on damerica.com.

Magazine, sailed a cruise like I did, with her daughter; she soberly replied, Winfrey brought along her “No ... not even then.” It broke sister, cousin and other female my heart to hear that what I relatives. Mothers and daughters, viewed as the most treasured sisters and groups of friends of all female relationships was wore T-shirts declaring their seemingly irreparable for her.

Bon Voyage!

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE (3); GEORGE BURNS

Oprah Winfrey with Tess, left, and Stacey Zable

Winfrey applauded the audience for taking advantage of the cruise as quality time to concentrate on themselves. She spoke candidly about personal experiences and her friendship with King, who joined her onstage. A few women shed tears while relaying stories of how the former talk-show host and motivational speaker has affected their lives.

During the cruise, other members of the magazine’s editorial staff hosted presentations focusing on beauty and style. Participants took yoga and other fitness classes during a stop at Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas.

Back on the ship, Tess and I participated in the “On Deck for a Cause” 5K fundraising walk offered on each Holland America sailing that benefits five international cancer organizations. And each night the ship’s Music Walk offered live performances.

The Girls’ Getaway was the latest Holland America cruise to involve Winfrey, who first sailed

on an O magazine-themed voyage organized by the line in 2017. Though no similar cruises are currently scheduled, guests on Holland America cruises in North America can take part in meditation, exercise and healthy eating activities developed with Winfrey and O editors.

The 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam sailed to the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale this winter and is spending the summer sailing round trip from Amsterdam to Norway, the Baltic and Iceland.

During the ship’s dedication ceremony, in which Winfrey was named godmother of the vessel,

Oprah Winfrey and special guests, including best friend Gayle King, led the Girls' Getaway cruise. Writer Stacey Zable and daughter Tess met the entertainment icon.

she noted that the cruise was a “gathering space for everybody to come together of one mind and celebrate themselves, honor themselves and also honor each other.” She added, “It has turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

My sentiments exactly, Oprah.

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ONE FOR THE ROAD

Come. See. Stay.

Museum of the Dog showcases canine art

BY KELLY-JANE COTTER AND NANCY TREJOS

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THE AKC MUSEUM OF THE DOG

P

ortraits of pups line the walls of drawings, watercolors, prints and sculptures by The AKC Museum of the Dog, as renowned artists such as Edwin Landseer, Maud you would expect.

Earl and Arthur Wardle depicting a variety of But not all of them are your dogs throughout the ages.

For more information average pets. Many of the oil Spanning two floors with a double-height about the paintings, one of the first exhibits atrium space at the stairs, the museum has a museum and in the museum’s new New York City digs, are of two-story glass display case with rare porcelain to purchase pampered purebreds from modern times and and bronze figures of dogs. There is also a library tickets, visit from centuries past, all beloved by their wealthy where visitors can get more information about museumof human companions. their favorite breeds. thedog.org.

Housing one of the world’s largest collections The gallery includes interactive exhibits such of canine fine art, the museum relocated this as a “Find Your Match” kiosk that takes visitors’ year to the same building as the American Kennel Club photos and determines which AKC-registered dog (AKC) headquarters in midtown Manhattan after being breeds they look like and a “Meet the Breeds” touchbased for 32 years in St. Louis. screen table that explores breeds’ traits and history.

“This museum is a beautiful ode to man’s best friend, Another digital display lets you train a virtual Labrador and we are thrilled to bring these pieces and exhibitions named Molly. Using vocal commands and gestures, you to new audiences,” says Executive Director Alan Fausel. can teach Molly to stay or come, and you can even toss The museum has several hundred paintings, her a toy to catch.

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