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Tucked away on Rampart Street on the sliver between the French Quarter and the Treme enclave, this cool bar balances neighborhood dive-iness and of-the-moment popularity. Find yourself a cozy corner and order up an updated version of a Big Easy classic or something fantastic hatched from the mind of one of the skilled cocktail craftspeople behind the bar.

In the warm months, the Rosemont Park District’s Barry Recreational Center offers a fun, inexpensive way to keep kids cool—by splashing around in a safe play area with lots of fountains. At $5 a head for non-residents, it’s as cheap and easy a thrill as you can imagine (especially if you’re five years old).

The Henderson Patty’s Closet, a franchise of the popular Vegas-born boutique, is filled with colorful dresses, tops, shoes, pants, and purses. Founder Patty Barba is a local celebrity around town, known for her fun style and loyal relationships. Her motto: six of every style, and once it’s gone, it’s gone! The result? Affordable fashion you won’t see on everyone else.

Shopping on Moody Street reflects the ethnic diversity of the city of Waltham. Up and down the eight-block strip, you can find a wide selection of shops carrying clothing, objects, accessories and food products from the four corners of the globe. Looking to learn more about other cultures? Take a stroll down this active location and chat with the friendly owners, while getting your shopping fix.

Feathers Boutique has offered a carefully curated collection of vintage clothing for women since 2005, and now also boasts a collection of artisan jewelry to match. Best of all, they’re committed to making fashion accessible (that is, affordable) for everyone. Stop in and have a new experience each time, as their inventory is constantly rotating.

Friendship Park is really as lovely a place as the name implies. Residing in the center of Wheeling, it’s a great place to just sit and relax for a bit. The sound of the water is soothing, there are sitting benches along the sides, and the pavilion provides some shade should you need a reprieve from the sun. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is music piped via hidden speakers that adds an extra dash of tranquility to your visit.

Park on Fremont is a everything that a gastropub and beer garden should be, with a very cool, hipster bar (featuring taxidermy—a must these days), as well as ample space to stretch out underneath cafe lights in the back. It’s like a little piece of Austin, Texas right in the heart of Vegas. Plus, it’s open for brunch on the weekends.

The Alley on Bitters is a great place to wander. It occupies the land where a 19th century dairy farm once stood, and there’s still a great deal of character and old school charm. Meander past arts & crafts shops, antique dealers, and boutiques, and maybe even stay for a meal at Meadow Neighborhood Eatery + Bar, which serves seasonal Texas and Southern dishes.

Early this spring, I had an hour to kill in Manhattan, so I ducked into the Grolier Club, America’s oldest bibliophilic society, where I saw a fascinating exhibit devoted to Wunderkammer, the cabinets of curiosities that originated in 16th-century Europe. I am a big fan of visiting cities’ lesser-known museums and cultural institutions. This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue.

While heading out to raucous clubs can be a good time every now and then, sometimes you just want to listen to some good music and chill out for the evening. Luna offers a host of live music shows (check their website for upcoming artists), boasts a great atmosphere, and, to top it all off, you won’t have to push your way to the bar.

The Glass Academy is the instructive branch of the Furnace Design Studio, a glassblowing gallery and workshop in metro Detroit. Visitors can register for monthly classes and studio workshops that teach everything from beadmaking to beer mug design—and swing through the gallery shop to (carefully!) take a look at each one-of-a-kind creation.

With nearly 50,000 square feet of breathing room, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix is a great place for the kids to get involved in the exhibits. The museum offers a wide variety of different activities—with classes ranging from yoga to music to math—and boasts an art studio as well as a book loft.

Pizza Brain, located on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, bills itself as the world’s first pizza museum and restaurant. With pizza-related toys, artwork, and memorabilia on display around the eatery, fine dining becomes fun dining. An added bonus? An outpost of Little Baby’s Ice Cream—revered around Philly for its handcrafted batches of exotic ice cream flavors—is right next door, making this the perfect address for kids and foodies of all ages. The geniuses behind Pizza Brain have now opened a second restaurant, Pizza Dads, in Brewerytown. Both locations are BYOB.

Philly visitors, don’t miss a stop at Pennsylvania’s most-visited museum, the Franklin Institute. Allow ample time to make your way through its multiple floors, where entertaining and hands-on educational displays await. Crowd-pleasing permanent exhibits include a 350-ton locomotive, a giant walk-through heart, flight simulators, a high-wire bike, and fun interactive areas covering electricity, sports, machines, motion, and technology. The museum also includes an observatory, planetarium, and IMAX theater. The institute frequently hosts after-hours events, most notably star-gazing, and recently opened two escape-room-type attractions.

The Blue Star Bike Co rents pedal bikes as well as electric bikes for those who want a power boost. The shop designs and builds custom electric bikes so they know of what they rent. The location makes it easy to get your new wheels spinning thanks to its spot on the River Walk’s 7-mile loop.