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After the Grand Ole Opry left the Ryman Auditorium, country legend Roy Acuff said the redbrick building with its Gothic arches and stained glass windows might as well be torn down. The Ryman had been home to performances and broadcasts since the 1940s, but it was in poor condition and lacked air-conditioning and proper dressing rooms. Fortunately, its legacy as “The Mother Church of Country Music” prevailed and, after years of sitting practically empty, the auditorium was renovated and began hosting shows once again. Originally built as a church, the grand hall has spectacular acoustics and a lingering magic in its pews from all those years spent witnessing country music history. A trip here is practically obligatory when visiting the Music City.

The Washington National Cathedral stands high over D.C. as a beacon of faith for the nation. The impressive Gothic architecture evokes comparisons to Notre-Dame (despite being built more than half a millennium later). Flying buttresses, spires, and stained glass windows inspire heavenly awe, while statues of modern missionary and civil rights figures such as Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King, Jr., ground us in earthly good works. The stained glass Space Window includes a lunar rock donated by the crew of Apollo 11, reminding us of our small place in the universe. Bring binoculars to scan the gargoyles for a Star Wars surprise, and climb the steps to the towers for panoramic city views. While overseen by the Episcopalian church, the cathedral welcomes all people.

Established in 1989, Injalak Arts is a locally owned organization that supports the artistic production of the traditional Kunwinjku people. Works range from paintings on paper and bark to didgeridoos—thought to have originated in this region—to baskets and grass pandanus floor mats. Much of the symbolism is inspired by ancient dreamtime stories and images from the nearby rock art galleries that were left like instructions from the Kunwinjku ancestors. Three tour companies currently have permission to visit the center and surrounding rock art sites.

An address won’t help you much on Burano. If you’re looking for a specific spot on this tiny archipelago off the Venetian coast, let color be your guide. According to legend, island homes were painted in vivid hues to help fishermen find their way in the fog as far back as the 6th century. While neon shades of blue, green, orange, and lavender may seem random, they’ve been determined by a regulated system for centuries. Even today, property owners must request permission and a selection of permissible colors from the Italian government before slapping a new coat of paint on their aging buildings. Visitors who make the 45-minute vaporetto ride from Venice to Burano are rewarded with a kaleidoscope of tropical hues and a serene island ambience that seems worlds away from the madding crowds in Piazza San Marco. While edible vestiges of its roots as a small fishing village remain in waterfront restaurants serving up heaping plates of frittura mista, seafood risotto, and spaghetti vongole, Burano is better known today for its hand-hewn lace and colorful homes. In the 15th century, its artistic prominence surged when island women began making the famed lace. Demand peaked after Leonardo da Vinci visited to shop for the Burano lace that covers the main altar of the Duomo in Milan. If you’re lucky enough to visit Burano during the pre-Lent Venice Carnevale, you may find new dimensions of color on its four canal-laced islands and picturesque footbridges. A multicolored palette of some 3,000 islanders provides a rainbow of backdrops for costumed revelers. Primping and posing, the fantasy personae inspire storms of clicks from photographers eager to capture the visual feast.

Wide paths and a laid-back cycling culture make bikes a great way to explore Vancouver. Rent one from Cycle City Tours, which offers self-guided maps as well as outings run by expert storytellers. One tour takes a 5- to 7.5-mile spin through Stanley Park, cruising along Vancouver’s seawall and venturing onto its trails. All throughout, guides explain the biodiversity of the temperate rain forest and the history of the coastal First Nations people. For something livelier, hop on the rolling Craft Beer Tour, which visits three breweries and the excellent Belgard Kitchen. If you’re keen to keep going, you can extend your riding time until the end of the day for another $10.

Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan‘s largest fresh water lake. When I lived in Nantou County, central Taiwan, I would often ride my scooter to Sun Moon Lake for a bit of fresh air and reflection. One day I drove to the lake and traveled up a hill to the Ci-en Pagoda. Parking my bike, I climbed to the top of the pagoda and gazed out at the misty lake, which seemed magical in that moment. Many legends surround Sun Moon Lake, including the one which says the lake was once inhabited by two dragons. These dragons used the sun and moon as toys, causing the world to fall into darkness. Eventually a young couple came and defeated the dragons, brining light back into the world. Sun Moon Lake is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever visited.

Set high on a mountainside between Aurland and Flåm, Otternes Farm is composed of a collection of farm cottages that date as far back as the 1700s, many preserved the way they were centuries ago. Pick up a map for a self-guided tour; the farm hosts traditional handicraft demonstrations that include dyeing yarn and brewing ale. They also serve local dishes (think pancakes with sour cream and raspberry jam) in a restored barn.

Winter snow can frost the tallest peak in Hawaii, technically measuring 13,800 feet. In fact, Mauna Kea holds the world record at 33,500 feet tall when measured from its submerged base to its summit (compared with Everest’s 29,000 feet)! The dormant volcano is home to the native gods and ideal for stargazing, either with the naked eye or the summit’s Subaru Telescope (book ahead). Go earlier and you’ll get an orange blaze—and maybe an elusive green flash—during sunset, too. Note that the high altitude poses serious health risks: Stop for a half hour at the visitor center to acclimate. Plan for steep, winding roads passable only via 4WD. Do not visit the mountaintop within 24 hours of scuba diving.

To get away from the crowds in Chobe, stay at Ngoma Safari Lodge. It’s located on the far western edge of the park. The eight thatched roof cottages are completely spacious but cozy and feature decks overlooking the Chobe River. In 2011, the African Wildlife Foundation helped support this community owned and operated lodge in partnership with the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust (CECT) and African Albida Tourism. In exchange for their support, the community agreed to set aside land for conservation. The lodge provides the community with additional revenue through conservation fees plus employment opportunities. It has also created a larger corridor for wildlife to have room to roam freely throughout the region on their ancient migration routes.

Translated as “beautiful bamboo,” Bambu Indah is the regenerative passion project of jewelry designers and husband-wife pair John and Cynthia Hardy. The Canadian and American expats who have lived in Bali for decades bought a collection of teakwood bridal houses in 2005 and moved them 15 minutes west of Ubud Village before restoring and individually decorating them for visiting guests.




Today, the antique residences on Sayan Ridge are surrounded by cutting-edge bamboo houses and tree houses designed by two of the couple’s daughters, including Elora Hardy, as well as organic dining and lounging structures, a permaculture garden, Edenic swimming holes, and green rice paddies. The 11 singular accommodations—filled with vintage furnishings, Indonesian textiles, and local curiosities—are truly one with nature. The resort is filled with whimsical surprises, including a boat-shaped tree house 30 feet in the sky and a rope swing that drops guests into the natural rock pool.





The open-air River Warung is where guests—and day-pass visitors—congregate for three meals a day of organically grown and locally sourced fare. The new-in-2023 Elevator Sunset Bar is another collaboration with the couple’s daughters where arak-spiked cocktails are paired with views across the river valley. On-demand massages are available, as well as early morning walks—more like hikes—throughout the jungle surrounding the resort. From $350

This stretch of beaches and rocky islets north of Catania were named for their role in Homer’s legend of the Odyssey. In the story, it was here that Odysseus encountered the cyclops Polyphemus, and the lava rocks jutting from the sea are said to have been thrown by Polyphemus as the hero sailed away. Today, the beaches around fishing villages like Acireale and Aci Trezza are beautiful—and popular—summer hangouts.

Around 700 people live in the only permanent settlement in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, San Juan Bautista on Isla Robinson Crusoe. Although no longer as isolated as it was when Alexander Selkirk, the likely inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, was a castaway in the archipelago, the village is still remote. It can take up to two days to make the sea crossing from the Chilean mainland (but less than two hours by plane). While most of San Juan Bautista’s residents rely on catching crab, fish and lobsters for their incomes, tourism during the summer season is an increasingly important part of the local economy.

Cañón de la Zorra (Fox Canyon) and its 40-foot waterfall are just north of Santiago, a sleepy yet charming colonial-style town 35 miles north of San José del Cabo, across the Tropic of Cancer. The hike to the waterfall takes you through oases with endemic plants and gives you glimpses into a Baja outback that existed before the region became a popular tourism destination. There’s a great area for swimming as you admire the waterfall and multicolored granite cliffs. Tip: On your trip back to Los Cabos, stop by the Agua Caliente, Santa Rita, and El Chorro hot springs about five miles south of Santiago.

Nestled into the base of Mount Sturgeon, at the southern entrance of Grampians National Park roughly three and a half hours from Melbourne, the Royal Mail Hotel combines a bush experience with world-class food and wine. The property is a slow-paced reprieve at the site where the town of Dunkeld was first settled. Accommodations range from minimalist mountain-view rooms bedecked with furniture and light fixtures by Melbourne designer Jardan to the Mt. Sturgeon sheep station, home to a six-bedroom homestead as well as eight dog-friendly sandstone cottages with bathrooms built inside old water tanks. Gardens play a prominent role in the Royal Mail experience; the hotel has the largest kitchen garden in Australia, which supplies the restaurant with nearly all its organic produce, and a 24-acre private garden is home to many rare indigenous and non-indigenous plants. With the Grampian Mountains and their year-round waterfalls right at the hotel’s back door, the Royal Mail is also a prime base for exploring the wilderness and its native wildlife. After a day in the woods, guests can indulge in an eight-course tasting menu with matched wines from one of the top-ranked cellars in the world.

Perhaps you weren’t expecting to see a fire-breathing dragon on your vacation, but that’s exactly what you’ll get in Da Nang. Opened in 2013, the six-lane, 666-meter-long (2,185-foot-long), dragon-shaped bridge breathes fire and spouts plumes of water. Visit on weekend evenings (at 9 p.m.) to witness the pyrotechnic display in action; otherwise, take a boat tour for a closer look at this magnificent feat of engineering.