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While there are plenty of in-water activities around St. Thomas, one of the best is at the Coral World Underwater Observatory. At this interactive park, which is great for families, visitors can see marine life rescue efforts, play with crustaceans or hang out by the beach. They can also swim with the star residents of the observatory, the sea lions. Rescued several years ago from certain death, today the sea lions are crowd favorites. In a special interactive session you can learn more about the ongoing research and interact with them in a special pool. This activity is safe for the sea lions and the mental stimulation is an important part of their daily schedule.

Krua Apsorn is an award-winning, royally patronized everyday Thai food restaurant. Expect a clientele made up of fussy families and big-haired, middle-aged ladies, and a cuisine revolving around full-flavoured, largely seafood-and vegetable-heavy central Thai dishes. This is one of the most famous restaurants in Thailand and is a must for every visitor to The Siam. At a minimum you must order: Green Curry With Fish Balls, Stir fried Crab Meat with Yellow Chili and String beans, Crabmeat omelet, fried giant river prawns, mushroom larb. I recommend taking the Siam boat (5 minutes) to the Wat Rachathiwat Pier and making the short walk through the beautiful old Bangkok neighborhood. After lunch head back down to the river and walk back to The Siam stopping at the 199 year old Chinese temple just before you walk under the bridge.

Set on Bayreuth’s market square inside one of the oldest buildings in town, this charming tavern dates back an impressive 600 years. Run by two families, Wenk and Bauernfeind, since 1999, it features a purely Franconian ambience of regional food, beer, and wine, all presented with a warm welcome and friendly service. Dishes like grilled beef, roast pork, and local trout are cooked to perfection, portions are big, and waiters are dressed in typical Bavarian attire. There’s also a streetside terrace that’s great for people-watching.

At Cuisine de Provence, Barbara Schuerenberg offers memorable, hands-on cooking classes in her home kitchen overlooking Vaison-la-Romaine and Mont Ventoux. Students learn to prepare five or six typical Provençale dishes using fresh, seasonal produce from Vaison’s famous market, then enjoy the fruits of their labor during a lunch paired with regional wines. Held in English and open to all abilities, the 4.5-hour classes also include a complimentary apron and illustrated recipes, so you can re-create the flavors of Provence for your friends and family back home.

Seafood is the star at Rappahannock Restaurant in downtown Richmond. This is the third venture of the Croxton family, which has played a major role in the Chesapeake Bay oyster resurgence. The restaurant’s raw bar features four oyster varieties, clams, and caviar; Virginia fish and meat round out the menu. Cocktails are given similar reverence and made with fresh, seasonal ingredients to complement the food. Should you wish to go straight to the source, the Merroir tasting room is an hour from Richmond and overlooks the Rappahannock River where the oysters are grown.

Inside Spinasse’s charmingly rustic dining room, you’ll feel like you’ve left Seattle for an Italian trattoria. The roasted beet salad with cherries, radishes and marinated La Tur cheese is tangy and refreshing, while the hand-cut egg pastas are buttery and rich. No matter where you sit, you’ll have an excellent view of the open kitchen; step around to the side to see the pastaio making fresh pasta. For the full foodie experience, try the degustation menu, a family-style tasting of every antipasto, primo, and secondo on the menu.

The rugged American frontiersman and trapper Kit Carson purchased this territorial style 4-room adobe in 1843 for his wife. Step back into time; furnished rooms remain as Carson and his family once dwelled. The adventurer and military buff will appreciate the display of old rifles, stunning beaded leather cases, Caron’s Masonic hat and early Taos artifacts and antiques. The courtyard reveals a cool adobe baking oven (called a horno). It’s a small museum with deep, historical roots. The onsite gift shop carries comprehensive Carson and southwest biographies.

A. Caraceni is often described as the very best in Milan when it comes to tailors. At this shop, you’ll only find high-quality suits, impeccable cuts, and polished styles. The Caraceni tailoring legacy goes back more than a century, when the needle-working family was still in Rome. What followed was a line of talented tailors who have traversed continents to create beautiful suits. Everything at the store is hand-sewn, from formal smoking jackets to more casual hunting wear. Pick up a double-breasted jacket, the shop’s signature piece.

The beautiful “suburb” of Genoa, Nervi boasts a lovely series of green parks (something Genoa lacks overall) and a well-tended passeggiata path that runs directly along the rocky shore. Especially popular with families on the weekend, the path is easily accessible from the Nervi train station (a 10-minute ride from Brignole Station in central Genoa). Spend the day escaping the bustle of central Genoa by walking along the shore, enjoying the museums tucked into centuries-old palaces in the parks, and having dinner at a small fish restaurant along the coast.

If you only visit one plaza while you are in Mendoza, this is the gem to see. It’s constructed like a typical Spanish plaza with a central fountain with a monument of San Juan representing Argentina’s patriotic Spanish roots. Its beautiful ceramic tile work and seven painted murals are reminiscent of Seville’s Plaza de Espana. The scenes depict Mendoza’s foundation in 1561, the discovery of the Americas, scenes from Don Quixote, as well as the epic poem Martin Fierro. On the weekends vendors sell artisan handicrafts, and you’ll see locals strolling through or lounging about with their families.

Rösti, a pan-fried grated potato dish, is famously associated with Switzerland’s German-speaking population. In fact the “Rösti Divide” is a term jokingly used to refer to cultural differences between Switzerland’s German and French linguistic regions. These days you can order rösti throughout the country but some of the best is found at Restaurant Brasserie Anker in Bern. This family-friendly spot serves hearty portions straight from the frying pan. When washed down with a local beer, it’s an experience that locals and visitors both relish.

Among the sleek high-rise buildings of El Golf, right off the Plaza Peru, is Tiramisú (aka Santiago‘s best pizza). If you are yearning for an authentic, Italian pizza with thin crust, buffalo mozzarella, and primo ingredients pull up a chair. Always buzzing with a long wait for tables at lunch and dinner, this family-run establishment starting 12 years ago with only a dozen or so tables--and is now over 132. Besides pizza, the large salads, calzone, and bruschetta are delicious. Isidora Goyenechea 3141, almost corner Augusto Leguía Norte (Metro El Golf) Phone: 56 (2) 2519 4900

More than 1,800 feet high and five miles around, Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock that rises from an otherwise low-level area. Well-known for its geology, the mountain is also famous—although controversially—for its enormous bas-relief carving of three Confederate leaders. Visitors can hike the many trails or take the tram to the top for impressive views of the surrounding landscape. Alternatively, they can visit the family-friendly Stone Mountain Theme Park, which boasts a water park, scenic railroad, golf course, restaurants, and a famous laser show projected onto the mountain.

With five locations and a well-organized in-store digital database, the friendly staff of family-run Fair’s Fair used bookstore can easily find what you’re looking for, and they have the best selection of popular and hard-to-find books in the city. The cavernous basement of the Ninth Avenue location is for anyone who’s more interested in the journey than destination. They also offer cash for books you want to sell, or twice as much as in-store credit.

As the stomping grounds for ladies who lunch, bridal luncheons, and baby showers, the Swan Coach House has been a Buckhead staple since 1965. A group of ladies opened the restaurant, gift shop, and art gallery to raise money for the arts while serving their family recipes on their own plates and silverware. Since then, the restaurant has become well known for Southern staples like their chicken salad, frozen fruit salad, cheese straws, and champagne punch. Be sure to visit the lavish Swan House at the Atlanta History Center while you’re there.