March 21, 2018 Top road trip spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway Is the car packed? The vast majority of us –especially when kids are part of the equation—head off on vacation in the car, says the American Automobile Association. More from Eileen Ogintz It’s easy to see why. Not only is it cheaper, but given the hassles of air travel, it’s easier, according to a new survey from YP, which did a survey about summer travel and the cost of fuel based on its Local Search & Gas Prices App. Those surveyed said driving gives us more flexibility, we can take more stuff—and our pets. And with iPads and auto entertainment systems, it’s a lot easier to keep kids amused along the way. Among our favorite routes: Touring the states of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee on The Blue Ridge Parkway.
March 21, 2018 7 ways to celebrate 4th of July in America's birthplace If you're wondering how you're going to fill this year's Fourth of July holiday weekend, consider a trip back to where America began: Philadelphia. America's birthplace, as it's known, is where the Founding Fathers declared America's independence back in 1776. Today, Philadelphia throws a kickin' party to celebrate the Fourth of July and the streets will be buzzing over the three-day weekend. But the City of Brotherly Love is a whole lot more than the Liberty Bell. A cultural mecca, it's bursting with fine dining, a terrific shopping scene, and lively nightlife. Here are some of the city's best spots to stay, shop, explore, dine and celebrate while celebrating the Fourth. Don't forget the sparklers.
March 21, 2018 5 stunning new UNESCO World Heritage Sites This week marks the second and final week of deliberations for the 37th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. So far, the committee has added 19 new locations to its list of World Heritage Sites. Held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from June 16 to 27, the commission has selected a list of new inscriptions that span the globe, ranging from the Namib Sand Sea in Namibia to historic monuments in Kaesong, North Korea. "These valuable cultural relics are the pride of our nation, and they are precious cultural relics that show the long history of our nation," Kim Jin Sok, a researcher at Kaesong City Management Office for Preserving National Heritage, told The Associated Press. With these valuable cultural relics in mind, we have selected five stunning locations from the 14 manmade sites and five natural landmarks that have recently been added to the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
March 21, 2018 America's 11 most endangered historic places Houston's Astrodome stadium, New York's old Pan Am Worldport Terminal at Kennedy Airport and Montana's one-room schoolhouses are joining a list of the nation's most endangered historic places. On Wednesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation released its listing of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. It includes sites from Maine to Alaska. Here are America's most endangered historic landmarks:
March 21, 2018 Top destinations for science geeks Lovers of science, listen up: If you’re tired with the same hum-drum science museums filled with dusty models of the planets and boring films of volcanos on a continuous loop, there are a host of amazing places were you can see –up close --wondrous natural and scientific discoveries sure to spark the Einstein in you. Quench your thirst for all things scientific with a trip to one (or all) of these fascinating and noteworthy destinations.
March 21, 2018 6 brilliantly colored beaches Sure, white sand and crystalline waters are great, but beaches can come in all shades of the rainbow. We've added these 12 waterfronts to our travel bucket lists...
March 21, 2018 7 sites for disaster tourism From tornado-ravaged towns to terrorist attack sites, there's something about tragedy that causes us to recoil in horror – but then run to the source to see it for ourselves. Sites of major disasters – whether man-made or entirely natural – can be extraordinarily compelling. But why? "A lot of people feel very sympathetic to victims of disasters, yet feel incapable of helping or supporting people who have suffered," says Dr. Michael Brein, a travel psychologist and author. "To some extent, when you go to revisit the scene of a disaster, you're paying homage, expressing sympathy with what has happened." The 9/11 Memorial in New York City is a striking example of this theory at work – within months of opening in 2011, upwards of one million visitors had visited the site of the worst terrorist attack in American history. "Some of us feel, if we can revisit the scene of these disaster areas, we can maybe get a more genuine, more hands on, more sensory input of what has happened," says Dr. Brein. In instances such as 9/11, he says, "we all go through a form of grieving – just as in the normal grieving process, visiting gives you some kind of completion, that you can now turn it around." Still, visitors must be appropriately sensitive, says Kelly Schulz, spokesperson for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. Schulz's family home of 30 years was devastated in the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina, in 2005. "I think the most important thing is to approach the situation and the local people with respect," says Schulz. "Also know the right time to go," she says. "Stay out of the way until it is appropriate for visitors to travel to that site." Here are seven popular sites that will leave a lasting impression:
March 21, 2018 Eerily beautiful abandoned places A ship graveyard in Mauritania, a picturesque 16th century Italian village, a once-grand train station—we can't help but be mesmerized by these mysterious and beautiful abandoned places around the world.
March 21, 2018 10 most iconic places to photograph Recently I was asked if I could name a “bucket list” of iconic places in the world for photographers. It didn’t take long. Certain places attract photographers like magnets attract iron filings; we are drawn to them without quite knowing why. Nor do we absolutely have to know. For some of us it will simply be the joy of collecting the trophy pictures we’ve always wanted to take. But for others, myself included, the exercise has something more to do with understanding both ourselves and the world. Here is my list (not terribly original, I’ll admit), with my reflections on why these places are iconic to me. I’m absolutely sure that everyone will have a different top ten. But just as going there and taking the pictures was a deeply rich experience, so too is the simple act of asking which ones—and why?
March 21, 2018 Top 10 extreme hotels in the world Tired of cookie-cutter hotel rooms? Check out our list of the top 10 extreme hotels in the world. Here you'll find unique offerings across the globe, including a converted bullfighting ring in Mexico and an underwater hotel in the U.S.
