US & Canada

Losang Samten, a Tibetan American scholar and former Buddhist monk, will create, with the help of festivalgoers, a sand mandala.

The 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Explores the Many Ways Americans Express Their Spirituality

Tibetan Buddhist monks, Yiddish musicians and many more creatives will share their cultural practices with visitors to the National Mall

Sunrise near the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. Cather “made the outside world know Nebraska as no one else has done,” Sinclair Lewis once said.

Women Who Shaped History

Explore the World of Willa Cather in Her Nebraska Hometown

Maybe the author of “O Pioneers!” is no longer the height of literary chic. But a century later she’s still a superstar in her small prairie community

Crowds gather for the summer solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

Nine Ways People Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World

Across the Northern Hemisphere, worshippers of the longest day of the year build bonfires, plunge into the ocean and visit prehistoric monuments

An observation point at Meteor Crater in Arizona

Seven Ways to Explore Space Without Leaving Earth

From astronaut training sites to working spaceports, these spots across the United States put a terrestrial spin on space travel

Gay Days at Disney World is one of the nation's largest Pride Month events.

LGBTQ+ Pride

What Disney Theme Parks Tell Us About Ourselves

An American History Museum exhibition looks at how the resorts have changed over time to reflect a broader image of what it means to be American

Among the entrants in the punishing race on the Yukon River was a kayaking duo from New Zealand known as the Keen Kiwis.

Alaska

The World’s Most Grueling Race Journeys 1,000 Miles Down the Yukon

In a test of skill and courage, competitors navigate dangerous river rapids, narrow channels and rummaging bears in the wilds of Alaska and Canada

Mexican free-tailed bats near Bracken Cave, Texas.

Halloween

The Best Places Around the World to See Bats (by the Millions)

Bat tourism might sound creepy, but it may be the best way to help bat conservation around the world

The Watermelon Drop in Vincennes, Indiana

From Opossums to Bologna: Weird Things Cities Drop on New Year's Eve

Who needs a ball? Cities get creative on New Year's Eve by dropping objects that reflect local products and culture

This Spectacular Canadian Wildlife Reserve Is So Remote, You Can Only Get There Five Weeks a Year

Among serious adventure seekers, word is spreading about Torngat Mountains National Park—an Inuit-run reserve in Labrador, Northeastern Canada

Eisenhower National Historic Site

Take a Look Inside These Six Presidential Homes

The White House isn't the only address worth visiting this Presidents' Day

Souvenir Dolls, New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Best Places to Celebrate Mardi Gras Outside of New Orleans

The Big Easy might get all the fame, but places from Alabama to the south of France also know how to party before Lent

Northern lights over a wilderness cabin near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Best Places to See the Northern Lights

Find out where to witness the aurora borealis, with reindeer sleigh rides, ice hotels and hot springs included

19 Fall Festivals in Canada to Get You Excited for Sweater Weather

Enjoy autumn with our neighbors to the North

Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park

See the Most Northerly Active Sand Dunes in the World

The Athabasca Sand Dunes are a geological oddity in northern Canada

This Breathtaking Landscape Is Canada's Newest Protected Area

The park includes a spectacular beach described in sagas that chronicle Viking explorations of the Canadian coast

From left: A pole on the grounds of a waterfront home on Haida Gwaii; wooden masks carved by the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation on display at the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, off Vancouver Island.

Canada

See Canada Through Fresh Eyes on a First Nations Tour

The mountains, forests and waters of British Columbia are given new meaning on a journey led by members of its indigenous communities

This year's spring migration has already begun and is expected to continue now through late May.

American South

The Best Places in the U.S. to See Spring's Migrating Birds

Get out your binoculars—birds are making their annual trek north

Green waters of Lake Carezza, Italy.

Nine Places to Enjoy Naturally Green Waters This St. Patrick's Day

Leave the dye behind—these watery wonderlands are 100 percent natural

Santa opens the Christmas season at Santa's Village in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Where Does Santa Live? The North Pole Isn't Always the Answer

Santa Claus is usually good news for tourism—but more than one place lays claim to his legend

A grave marker in Kingston's Hunt's Bay Cemetery carved with a skull and crossbones and Hebrew lettering

The Forgotten Jewish Pirates of Jamaica

Today, some tour operators and cultural historians are calling attention to the country's little-known Jewish heritage

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