ArcaMax

By Victor Block

Erik and Ingrid Olson were excited to be exploring their family's Norwegian heritage. They were visiting a late-19th-century village and checking out log homes, a Lutheran church, a one-room schoolhouse and other traditional structures. A museum added to their immersion in local lore with collections of documents, history...Read more

By Bonnie and Bill Neely

On a recent trip to the Kennedy Space Center we arrived just after sunrise even though the park wouldn't open until 9. We wanted to make sure we could get it all in by closing time at 5 p.m., and there was already a long line. We picked up a daily schedule as we passed through the entrance, which enabled us to ...Read more

By Victor Block

It had been two decades since my wife, Fyllis, and I visited the British Virgin Islands. On that visit we checked out the inviting beaches, visited historic and nature-made sites, and oohed and aahed at the magnificent scenery.

During our recent return trip there, we relived those experiences. We also enjoyed others that...Read more

By Fyllis Hockman

Most travelers who have heard of the British Virgin Islands are familiar with Tortola and maybe even Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. Almost no one, however, has ever heard of Anegada. Which is a shame because it has so much to recommend it.

For starters, it has multiple beautiful beaches with soft white sand and azure ...Read more

By Victor Block

Some visitors to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, take time to drop by museums that house a wide variety of exhibits. One displays more than 150 cars and trucks, another holds vintage pinball machines that are available to play and the Rice Museum depicts the story of when the area was the growing center of that grain for a ...Read more

By Victor Block

In the 16th century, people in Germany had a tradition of marking Candlemas (Feb. 2) as "Badger Day." If that animal emerged from a den and saw its shadow, it meant a forecast of more weeks of winter weather.

Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants to the United States, most of whom were actually German, brought that tradition ...Read more

By Lesley Frederikson

After landing in Winnipeg for a weekend visit and settling into our downtown hotel, my husband and I were hungry and ready to explore. Fortunately, we had unwittingly booked into a historic area that had plenty to offer.

The Forks sits at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in the heart of the city and...Read more

By Lesley Frederikson

The sound of 32 adults holding their collective breaths in the frigid air of the Arctic tundra can be thick with anticipation, and that is how our first polar bear encounter began. A curious adult had spotted us from its resting spot on an icy pond and after sniffing the air carefully decided to meander our way to ...Read more

By Candyce H. Stapen

How did we learn to love winter? By dogsledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and exploring snow-blanketed national parks. Such off-the-slopes activities enabled my family and me to enjoy the snow and the cold without downhill skiing. Although my kids can gleefully maneuver black-diamond mountain trails, I fall ...Read more

By Nicola Bridges

If the travelers in your life are anything like me, they'll love getting the luxury of a new bag of any kind under the tree: a suitcase, a hip sack and perhaps a stocking-stuffer luggage tag. From sturdy suitcase sets to trendy totes and essential packing accessories, too, here are some current road-tested favorite ...Read more

By Nicola Bridges

Staying cozy and comfy in all kinds of climates can make or break the enjoyment of any trip, both on the journey -- no matter the mode of transportation -- and at your destination. Anyone who travels will love to receive these favorites as go-to travel gifts.

Danner Fleece Collection, Wild Rye: First and foremost for ...Read more

By Nicola Bridges

If your kids love camping, they'll love getting gifts of games and gadgets for outdoor play and adventurous fun. From kid-play fake campfire s'mores to night-vision and glow-in-the-dark games, here are some favorites for tots to teens, many that are fun for the whole family to enjoy outdoors.

What's Next? A Life-size ...Read more

By Nicola Bridges

Speaking as someone who is constantly on the go, with bags packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice, I know for sure that it's the little things that make traveling easier, safer, more efficient and fun. It's why I love getting stocking stuffers that elevate my time on the road, whether globetrotting or going ...Read more

By Nicola Bridges

Devouring travel books takes me to places I've never been and might not get to. I love any kind of travel literature, from memoirs and destination must-sees to books about photography and art-centric coffee-table books. I love the look of gloriously visual global books beckoning a lazy perusal.

Here are some of my ...Read more

By Victor Block

Only in New York City would a neighborhood be known as SoHo, meaning south of Houston Street. Only in New York City would Houston be pronounced "how-stun." These eccentricities fade, however, in light of this Lower Manhattan district's colorful history, architectural splendor, superb shopping and dining opportunities, ...Read more

By Fyllis Hockman

"So where are we going," I asked my husband. "You'll see," he slyly replied.

So began our surprise road trip adventure, sponsored by Guess Where Trips' Tiny Towns Tours. Heading out from Washington, D.C., I giddily prepared for a day of -- well, I had no idea. What I did know was that there were five envelopes. The "...Read more

By Jim Farber

If you have ever wanted to go time-traveling, this is the moment and Los Angeles is the place. Within an easy stroll's distance along Wilshire Boulevard it is possible to visit three museums that can transport you to the prehistoric past of woolly mammoths and saber-tooth tigers, then beam you to Hollywood's vision of a ...Read more

By Jim Farber

Only two years separate the 1975 opening of Pasadena's Norton Simon Museum and the hillside campus of the ArtCenter College of Design in 1977. The Norton Simon is one of the most highly visible museums in the world since it shows up every New Year's Day as the televised backdrop for the Tournament of Roses Parade. ...Read more

By Nicola Bridges

Ice festivals conjure images of castle carvings, igloos and snowmen with perhaps an enchanted ice maze. Far from that man-made carved winter wonderland, however, is a thrilling ice festival of a different caliber where daring ice climbers scale giant frozen mountain waterfalls and ice pillars with just a pair of ice ...Read more

By Bonnie and Bill Neely

We were in Washington, D.C., for a special performance of The Washington Ballet at the Dupont Underground, and as long as we were there, we wanted to take in as much of the nation's capital as we could. There was plenty to do.

Like most visitors, our first stop was the National Mall to visit each of the dramatic...Read more