A cold wind from the Blue Mountains carries the scent of sagebrush as it whips your face. Each step stirs dust on the dry path in this high desert plateau in eastern Oregon, where hundreds of thousands of American pioneers walked, changing the course of history.

A roadside sign beneath Flagstaff Hill points the way to this path, where you can ...Read more

A pair of large dogs, too old to be bothered with actually getting up, wag their tails in eager welcome from recumbent positions in the foyer. We're early, and Ludger Szmania, co-owner of Warm Springs Inn & Winery along with his partner Julie Szmania, is busy mowing the lawn. These two adorable pups are the first to welcome me and my partner, ...Read more

Already struggling with crowding problems, Disneyland resort officials have long hinted that they will be forced to add restrictions to deal with the surge of crowds when a Star Wars land opens next summer.

The first attempt at controlling the expected throngs was announced recently as the resort added blackout dates -- thus cutting access -- ...Read more

An innkeeper, a Swiss banker and a journalist walk into a restaurant in Coolidge, Kan.

That's not the lead-up to some oddball joke -- that's just what happened this month in this little town near the Colorado state line.

Way out in far western Kansas -- that little sliver of the state in Mountain Time Zone -- Coolidge has become a quaint stop ...Read more

Gliding across northern Minnesota's Lake Vermilion on a sleek, deluxe racing sailboat known as an A-scow is like any other lake-sailing experience -- only with the adrenaline cranked up to 10.

My group of four friends, along with 4-year-old twin girls, were seated on the starboard deck of Pehrson Lodge Resort's fearsome 38-foot flagship, dubbed...Read more

BISMARCK, N.D. -- The state capital of North Dakota feels more like a small town than a surly legislative city.

It's the kind of place where people smile at you when you walk down the street. Stop to ask them a question, and you'll likely get an answer along with some hospitable banter about the weather.

In this town of roughly 72,000, no one ...Read more

The vacation planning website TripAdvisor just named Michigan's Mackinac Island the No. 1 summer travel destination in America for 2018.

That's ahead of the likes of Martha's Vineyard (Mass.), Jackson Hole (Wyo.), Lake George (N.Y.) and Ocean City (Md.).

"This charming island is a throwback to old-timey seaside leisure with the candy-colored ...Read more

California sun sends shimmers of light across the choppy waves as I depart Long Beach and head out to sea aboard the high-speed ferry Catalina Express.

My destination: a 76-square-mile fortress of rock that's marooned 23 miles off the coast of Los Angeles.

Catalina is one of eight of the Channel Islands, and it's the only one with a ...Read more

As we checked in and got directions to our mountain cabin, we were told we might encounter bears on the property.

Don't feed them, we were warned.

OK, we said. Got it.

Not long after completing a 600-mile, nine-hour road trip from Chicago, we followed a winding road to an area just west of downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn., the gateway to Great ...Read more

The Fillmore stands near the confluence of three neighborhoods. Here's what to visit in each.

Fillmore District

For a jazzier scene in a throwback setting far smaller than the Fillmore, step across Geary Boulevard to the Boom Boom Room at 1601 Fillmore St. Once known for its association with John Lee Hooker, the Boom Boom Room is a long, ...Read more

It will be a sweet summer in San Francisco.

The wildly popular Museum of Ice Cream is extending its run yet again. You can immerse yourself in icy-creamy goodness and flop into that pool of sprinkles anytime between now and Sept. 3. Tickets for the latest extension went on sale last week.

And there are new whimsical art installations at the ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's 10 minutes to showtime. Step up to the three-story Italianate brick box at Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard. Avert your eyes from the payday-loan operation that takes up much of the ground floor. Submit to a brief search by security.

Then climb the stairs, grab an apple from the giveaway bin and check out the hundreds ...Read more

On my latest trip to Chicago, I consumed nine tacos, three doughnuts, an Indian crepe, a giant tamale, a mound of carnitas, a bowl of pasta and a table full of Vietnamese food. How did I not gain 15 pounds? Well, I also walked 8 to 10 miles per day -- which is typical for me when I travel.

Exploring a city on foot has so many benefits. I ...Read more

Here are some of the highlights of Legoland's new 250-room Castle Hotel, which boasts 2,100 Lego models crafted from more than 3 million Lego bricks.

GRAND HALL:

Greeting guests in the lobby is a 5-foot tall Lego model of a bearded wizard standing atop a pile of Lego spell books. With the tap of an oversized button, a spiraling chandelier ...Read more