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Even the most experienced visitor of ancient ruins has to think Olympia is pretty cool. To walk beneath the arched entrance to the original Olympic stadium? How can you not take your place at the ancient starting line as if you’re about to sprint in front of thousands of cheering fans? In addition to the stadium you’ve got many more buildings, including the impressive temples to Zeus and Hera. Because we still celebrate the Olympics today, this site had more impact on me. It helped me connect the dots from the present to the past more directly. For that reason alone, I found it worth visiting. The museum is also full of treasures. The most famous is the statue of Hermes, which is beautiful, but I was also struck by the collection of small carvings of animals they’ve found at the site, votive offerings that show that Olympia had been a place of pilgrimage for centuries even before the Olympic games began.

Baseball fans will appreciate a stop at Luther Williams Field, the second-oldest minor league stadium in the country. It started as the home to the Macon Peaches in 1929. Since then, the names and teams associated with the park have changed, but many notable players have passed through the iron gates. Pete Rose played for the Macon Peaches and while the Macon Braves were an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, future players Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal and John Smoltz spent time here. The Macon Pinetoppers currently play at the field, which has also become a filming location in the movies 42 and Trouble with the Curve.

On the second Sunday of every month, bargain hunters, collectors, designers, tourists, and other curious shoppers head to the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, where 2,500 vendors of furniture, accessories, clothes, crafts, vinyl, and more line the perimeter of this 92,000+ seat venue. The sheer size may be overwhelming, the sun may be beating, and it may be early in the morning—but if you come prepared in sneakers, a hat, and with coffee in hand, you’ll be ready to hunt for treasure.

If you’re looking for the epitome of “Hipster Berlin,” you can’t find anyplace more suitable than Mein Haus am See. In the most hip area of Mitte, Rosenthaler Platz, the cafe is more than just a coffee spot. It’s also a bar and club. During the day, you’ll see locals working on their laptops or drawing in sketchbooks, but when dusk starts to settle, the lights will dim and usually a DJ will be setting up the sound system. Get a seat in the back of the stadium benches and watch time just pass by. As an added bonus: Mein Haus am See offers free Wi-Fi and is open 24 hours!

The Olympic Park from the 1972 games, is still very much alive with activity. Today concerts are held in the arena and the main stadium also hosts sporting events. The funny thing to me was that although it was an Olympic venue, there are no Olympic rings to be found anywhere and if you didn’t already know about the Olympics being held there, you’d be none the wiser just looking around. There is a communications tower that was bult there even before the Olympics and its worth the 5 euros to go to the top and get a nice view of the city and on a clear day, the Alps. There is also a mini rock and roll museum. You can catch one of the subways from downtown right to the place!

Foro Sol, like Auditorio Nacional, is a massive venue for big concerts, and if your favorite group hasn’t played Auditorio Nacional, it’s probably taken the stage at Foro Sol. Newer than Auditorio Nacional (it was built in 1993), Foro Sol is also an entirely different kind of venue; the Auditorio is entirely indoors, while Foro Sol is a stadium. Familiar names who have played here in recent years include Bon Jovi, Joan Baez, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Tool, among dozens of others.

Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Clash, and U2 are just a few of the seminal acts to have performed at this vaunted music hall since it first opened in 1934. Occupying a massive city center building with street-level market stalls and an iconic neon sign above, it’s one of the favorite venues for seeing live bands in the city. Reportedly, the draws here for major performers—who could easily fill stadiums—are the Barrowlands’ excellent acoustics, and small (2,100-capacity) audiences of die-hard music lovers. Scheduled to appear in the next few months are indie superstars Haim, local Glasgow band Chvrches, and Neutral Milk Hotel. To find out more about why Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music please visit peoplemakeglasgow.us

Elwood Bar and Grill now lies in the shadow of Comerica Park on Adams but it was built in 1936 by Charles Noble at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Woodward Avenue. Moved in 1997 to make way for the new Tigers stadium (Comerica Park) it was and still is downtown Detroit’s most recognizable art deco diner. Now restored following its move, it is the premier place for sports fans, history buffs, couples, singles, and anyone looking for a good time to hang out on game day or any other day of the year. Its proximity to Comerica Park and Ford Field (the latter is where the Lions play), also makes it ideal both for pre- and post-game enjoyment. A recently expanded menu also makes it a great place not just to drink, but also to eat.

Dongdaemun, the old East Gate of Seoul, has been the site of a market for generations. Today, the double-roofed stone arch no longer marks entry into the city, but the capital’s residents still come here to haggle over everything from shoes to plumbing supplies and electronics. Food is not left out of the equation; although large produce markets are not found immediately by the gate, roving merchants wheel seasonal fruit in and around the incessant traffic. As evening rush hour neared, this particular cart was almost empty of its offerings, and the vendor seemed ready for the day to end... To get there by subway: Line 2, exit Dongdaemun Stadium Station, or Line 1 or 4, exit Dongdaemun Station.

Nothing defines Boston quite as much as the town’s devotion to sports (10 championships since the turn of the century doesn’t hurt), and with all due respect to the five-time-Super-Bowl-champion Patriots, it’s Fenway Park, not Gillette Stadium, that’s the temple of sports fandom. Opened in 1912, the quirky green bandbox between Lansdowne Street and Yawkey Way is almost as famous for its obstructed-view seats as it is for its fabled Green Monster wall in left field, but that’s a price Sox fans gladly pay in exchange for maintaining Fenway’s historic layout. It’s both intimate and loud on game day even in years when the Sox aren’t contenders (tickets are often hard to come by, so plan ahead); the old ballpark also is open for one-hour, behind-the-scenes tours that take you inside and atop the Green Monster. You’ll be able to stroll around the field (the warning track, not the grass), and visit the press box, the Pesky Pole, and (on days with no games) the dugouts and bull pens.

Often described as a Greek paradise, the Polilimnio Waterfalls in Polilimnio Gorge offer something different from Messenia’s usual beaches. Visitors are immersed in a scene of lush greenery, gushing cascades, and green lakes filled with fresh-water crabs perfect for a relaxing dip. And if you’re adventurous, cliff diving is also an option at the highest and deepest of the pools. The hike to the Polilimnio Waterfalls takes about an hour and a half, with the trailhead beginning in Haravgi Village. Follow the paved road until it turns into dirt and you’ll eventually come to a car park at the start of the trail. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes, as the ground can be uneven or slippery—especially after it rains—in some sections. For a guided experience, Navarino Outdoors offers an Ancient Messene & Polilimnio Falls Excursion where you’ll explore the area’s historical stadium and theater; eat traditional Greek food; and visit the beautiful Polilimnio Waterfalls.

On this episode of “View From AFAR,” Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California, talks about how sustainable tourism is in California’s DNA.

Tower over the sites of Turkey like Gulliver, from “Gulliver’s Travels” at Miniaturk. This innovative open-air amusement park, located on the Golden Horn in Sütlüce, allows you to see 1:25 scale miniature models of significant Istanbul landmarks, hover over replica landscapes of Turkey, and get up close to the architecture of the former Ottoman Empire. Spend a few hours here to walk the Bosporus Bridge, visit South Eastern Turkey’s Nemrut and Mardin, and peer into Istanbul’s modern structures like Ataturk Airport or the Galatasaray Football Stadium. There are more than 100 models to explore as well as a flight simulator, a mini train ride, and a crystal museum. If you’re planning a family day out, pair Miniaturk with a visit to the Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum on the Golden Horn, about two miles south of Miniaturk. This impressive museum exhibits planes, trains, automobiles, and more from a bygone era.

Head to the Gothic Quarter—once home to Barcelona‘s storied Jewish neighborhood, El Call—and look for the Sinagoga Major (Major Synagogue). The museum, built on the site of the city’s oldest temple, is only two rooms, but it contains a stadium’s worth of history. For just 2 euros, you’ll get a tour of the excavation site and a riveting tale of the Jewish faith in Spain—plus an entertaining ancedote about how the ruins were discovered. Nearby, you can sign up for a guided tour of El Call, or shop for books and kosher products at the Barcelona Call Store. The synagogue is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Even if you can’t attend a match, you can still imagine the crowds cheering on the home team at the Football Club Barcelona’s stadium, admire a shrine to Argentine superstar Leo Messi and learn about the history of Barcelona’s world-renowned soccer club with interactive displays in the museum. There’s also an indoor ice-skating rink and a massive FC Barcelona store where fans can buy official jerseys and more emblazoned with the team’s name and colors.