ArcaMax

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By Victor Block

More than 25 million Americans visit Washington, D.C., each year. Most come to enjoy the magnificent monuments, take a guided tour of the White House and see other buildings where history has been -- and is being -- made.

Fewer venture beyond the major tourist attractions to find often-overlooked sites and neighborhoods...Read more

I recently joined about 3,000 other spectators watching armor-clad horseback-riders engage in combat jousting. King Henry VIII and Queen Jane Seymour, the third of his six wives, strolled out onto a balcony overlooking the arena and waved to the crowd. Then I accompanied those seated in my section of the stands in shouting encouragement to the ...Read more

During a recent visit to Florida, I strolled along a section of a trail that provided close-up views of magnificent scenery, rolling beach sand dunes and a virtual aviary of colorful birds. I was walking on part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, a 1,500-mile-long footpath that weaves its way across the state from the Big Cypress National ...Read more

So, yes, I'd heard about Lewis and Clark (that would be Meriwether Lewis and William Clark). And I vaguely knew that Thomas Jefferson had dispatched them to explore the Louisiana Purchase that he had just acquired from France in 1803. But not until my husband and I took an American Cruise Lines expedition of our own to the Snake and Columbia ...Read more

"Why don't you just move there?"

Some friends, knowing what an Anglophile I am (having toured the United Kingdom often, including London 42 times), recently teased me when I commented that of the 55 countries I have visited I would love to spend three months in delightful Windsor, England. It's just a 20-minute taxi ride from Heathrow and about...Read more

Don and Betty Price work hard all week. Don is an accountant, Betty an executive assistant. On weekends they're in the mood for some welcome rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. Their preferred solution: Take to the woods.

They often pile into their car and head for a park outside of the city where they live. On occasion they find the solace they...Read more

There's a certain serenity to sipping a glass of fine sangiovese wine while watching the sunset when you're sitting beneath cascading wisteria vines in full bloom that pour from the entire 70-foot frontage of a wine-tasting patio pergola. The setting is the Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery in Southern California's Temecula Wine Valley in ...Read more

Gullah-Geechee heritage is unique to South Carolina, and a visit here is a fascinating way to learn about the people who grew world-famous Sea Island cotton on plantations in the lower part of the state. From here they shipped it to Europe from the 1700s until the Civil War. Now the historic area of the plantation cotton farms has been ...Read more

Pedaling along the boardwalk to the rhythmic whoosh of the breaking waves, first on a tricycle and then on a bike, is among my favorite childhood memories. And boardwalks still make me happy. They add fun to the classic American idyll of sun, sand and sea. Two of my favorite East Coast boardwalks unfurl in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Miami ...Read more

Walking home to our apartment in Venice, we shared a wave through the window with the owner of Baba, our local osteria. When we left for a day of sightseeing, a cup of my favorite pistachio gelato awaited me, despite the early hour. Later, at the Bar Dugole, we relaxed after a day of sightseeing and ordered the regular: vodka for my husband and ...Read more

Visitors to the high California hills of Calaveras County during the third weekend in May have quite a treat in store. This is when Frogtown, USA, comes to life with the annual Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jump Jubilee.

Mark Twain put Calaveras County on the literary map with his 1867 essay, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." ...Read more

A historic mansion in New Jersey, once a private home for Moroccan royalty, today is a luxurious hotel. People visiting two sites in Portland, Oregon, might imagine that they have been transported to Asia. Guests at a deluxe resort in Tennessee awaken to watch the sun rise over the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The charms of these ...Read more

I stood frozen with fear, unable to move. The terrifying image drew closer, his curved sword swinging wildly. Just as he seemed about to separate my head from my body, I snapped back to reality, left my all-too-real daydream about the pirate Blackbeard behind and moved on to the next exhibit in the museum.

This dramatic -- if somewhat grisly --...Read more

Rarely is the word "funky" used to describe an entire town, but welcome to Goodland, Florida -- all six blocks of it. Founded in the 1800s, this tiny town sits right outside a tiny harbor. A ride around the neighborhood reveals large and colorful dolphin, swordfish and flamingo mailboxes that entertain enroute. As if this weren't fun enough to ...Read more

My 11-day road trip down Baja was full of sightseeing and new memories. I went with my dad and family friends who drove us in their SUV from our home in San Diego. This would be my big summer trip before starting eighth grade.

After we crossed the border, the trip began with a stop at Rosarito to convert our dollars to pesos. Then it was on to ...Read more

When I'm heading out on a last-minute travel assignment, my go-bag is always road-trip ready so that I can leave on short notice. Here are some essentials I keep packed that serve me well on the journey and at my destination, no matter where the drive takes me.

Food first! I try to avoid the temptation of drive-throughs and truck-stop gas-...Read more

"Aren't you going to be bored?" my brother Mark (yet to take his first ocean cruise) asked me. I had just told him that my husband Carl and I had booked an 18-day round-trip cruise on the Holland America Line Koningsdam from our San Diego hometown to five Hawaiian stops (and one in Ensenada, Mexico): Honolulu; Nawiliwili, Kauai; Kahului, Maui; ...Read more

Have you noticed paintings, sculptures or murals at airports? If you are usually rushing to get to your gate, probably not. After all, many travelers don't think of airports as art galleries, but in some cases they are.

For decades, art programs at airports around the country and the world have transformed once-unadorned transit hubs into ...Read more

In spring, Washington, D.C., dazzles. That's when more than 2,500 cherry trees pop into bloom at the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. The flowers frame the Jefferson Memorial, fringing the artificial reservoir with a lush ribbon of pink and white that's subtly reflected in the water. The famous site is bucket-list beautiful. Plus, the National ...Read more

If any city gives meaning to the word "eclectic," it is Baltimore, Maryland. Are you interested in American history? Do you enjoy visiting museums? Does a wonderful waterfront setting have appeal? Baltimore has you covered.

Over the years, it has been known by a variety of nicknames, all of which are applicable. They include the Monumental City...Read more