US & Canada

Simple but safe: An elaborately painted bike lane in Portland marks among the few places on America’s roadway system where cars are not allowed.

Is Portland, Oregon the Best City for Bikes in the Country?

With dedicated bike lanes and businesses catering to cyclists, the Oregon city is a true pedaler's paradise

Square Tower House at Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde’s Mary Jane Colter Collection (But Don’t Call it That)

Among the treasures that will be on display when the park's new museum opens later this year are 30 pieces donated by the legendary architect

The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of New York

A Short Walking Tour of New York’s Lower East Side

Known as Klein Deutschland circa the 1860's, the Lower East Side had the 5th largest German-speaking population among cities in the world at the time

Makana Mountain, Honolulu

Flower Children on the North Shore of Kauai

In the late 1960s, a gorgeous stretch of beach in Ha’ena State Park was the site of a hippy haven called Taylor Camp

The exterior of the Hotel Astoria in St. Petersburg

A Toast to the Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia

A Russian icon in the Art Nouveau style on St. Isaac‘s Square near the Neva River, the Astoria evokes a Belle Époque world gone by

The campus of UC Santa Barbara is on the coast at Isla Vista.

Summer Vacation on Campus

Looking for unique, fun, inexpensive lodging? Stay in a university dorm

A few old honeymoon hotels linger on in the Pennsylvania Poconos.

Passion in the Poconos

Home of the heart-shaped tub, the Pennsylvania mountains once rivaled Niagara Falls as a honeymoon destination

The shanties were erected with materials salvaged mainly from an 18th-century Creole cottage that collapsed on the site in 2009—everything from mahogany paneling to rattraps.

You've Never Heard A Music Box Like This

In a funky New Orleans experiment, musicians turn a ramshackle house into a cacophony of sounds

Century-old casks line the winery’s restaurant, built inside its 1940s redwood wine tank room.

Saved From Prohibition by Holy Wine

In downtown Los Angeles, a 95-year-old winery weathered hard times by making wine for church services. Now connoisseurs are devoted to it

The Druid Arch in Canyonlands National Park

Travelers’ Tales in Utah’s Canyonlands

The trail is rough and hard to follow, marked chiefly by cairns; water is intermittent; and if something bad happens help is not at hand

Feline Face and Stylized Ornaments from Horse Tack, late 4th–early 3rd century BCE

Explore the Treasures of Kazakhstan in New York City

Artifacts from the Central Asian nation, including saddles ornamented with gold foil and cinnabar, are on display for the first time in the United States

Architects from around the world submitted their portfolios, and by mid-December, a jury of experts invited ten design teams to re-imagine three "dead-zones" on the National Mall.

Winners Announced for National Mall Design Competition

The area between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol has seen better days, but architects are vying to improve the nation’s front lawn

The narrow-gauge Durango & Silverton train steams through history above the Animas River.

Smithsonian Best Small Towns 2012

The 20 Best Small Towns in America of 2012

From the Berkshires to the Cascades, we've crunched the numbers and pulled a list some of the most interesting spots around the country

The Hawaiian islands, from left to right, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui and the Big Island.

Paul Theroux’s Quest to Define Hawaii

For this renowned travel writer, no place has proved harder to decipher than his home for the past 22 years

Gig Harbor was named one of the 20 best small towns in America

Long Live America’s Small Towns

The author of our May article about the country's best small towns was pleased to find that lots of small towns are thriving

David Baggett, famed among noodlers, explodes from the water with a giant catfish in his hands.

Hand-Fishing for Swamp Monsters

"It's the most exhilarating thing I've ever done," says filmmaker Bradley Beesley, whose documentaries have popularized the ancient art of noodling

Family-style dinner at the Noriega Hotel includes cabbage soup, pickled tongue and bowls of spicy Basque salsa.

Indulging in American Basque Cuisine

The Basques followed the sheep from Europe to the western United States and they brought with them their boardinghouse cuisine

Mahanoy Mountain shows the scars of strip mining.

A Short Trip to Coal Country

Louis Basque Corner is one of the rare restaurants in Nevada that serves Basque cuisine

Your Guide to Basquing in the Old West

What are the best restaurants for authentic Basque cuisine?

The flowers at Chelsea Market

It’s Always Springtime at the Flower Market

Exploring New York City's mid-town bloom bazaar, a unusual burst of color and perfume amid the helter-skelter of the city

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