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When Chiang Kai-shek fled mainland China for Taiwan, he took with him many of the treasures that at one time were featured in Beijing’s Palace Museum. Among the items are relics and antiques reflecting 8,000 years of Chinese history. Today the collection includes nearly 700,000 pieces, an impressive collection that merits a full-day visit. Among the many treasures that once belonged to the Emperors of China are a delicately carved jade cabbage, intricate ivory work, and artifacts that chronicle the evolution of the Chinese language and culture over millennia. The gift shop is just as impressive, and is the perfect place to buy easy-to-carry souvenirs and gifts.

The National Museum of Ireland is free to enter and is spread across four sites in Dublin, covering archaeology, decorative arts and history, country life, and natural history. The archaeology museum is in an imposing building of columns, vaulted ceilings, and marble staircases situated on Kildare Street. It traces Ireland’s history from prehistoric times through the Roman, Viking, and medieval periods. The exhibitions are well set out and clearly labelled. The section on Ireland’s prehistoric gold, including exquisitely-wrought jewellery from the bronze and iron ages, is particularly interesting. But the most mind-blowing exhibition is called Kingship and Sacrifice, and displays findings related to the ritual killing of presumed royals during the iron age. As part of what are thought to be sovereignty and kingship rituals, people were sacrificed - sometimes brutally - and their bodies tossed into peat bogs (which often marked the boundaries between kingdoms). The anaerobic conditions of the bogs preserved the bodies, some of which are on display. Even after thousands of years you can still make out facial expressions, and in one case, hair! The museum also hosts important religious icons and relics from medieval Christianity, for example the twelfth century Cross of Cong - said once to have contained a fragment of the true cross. If you are at all interested in ancient history, set aside a good couple of hours and explore the museum thoroughly. It’s well worth it!

Located in a former mansion, this interactive museum is full of ancient artifacts. Culled from three distinct periods of indigenous history, the collection includes more than 10,000 pieces from Pre-Ceramic (2500 B.C.E.–1000 C.E.), Ceramic (900–1515), and History Cultural (1515–1880) times. Visitors will find shell and stone tools, decorative items, and food vessels, along with vestiges of Aruba’s gold rush. Of particular note is a limestone family burial cave, which, at 4,000 years old, is one of the most ancient pieces in the museum. With its Dutch Colonial architectural details, the building itself is also worth admiring. Note: The museum is closed on Mondays.

The indigenous people welcomed the first European settlers in 1851. Soon reports reached Scandinavia, like Ostenson Stine’s: “When you throw your eye upon Puget Sound, and behold the fleet of fish barges, rolling upon her briny breast, a reminiscence of the coast of Norway steals into your soul.” It sparked a wave of immigration, now celebrated in a new $45-million landmark-building near the Ballard Locks. The sleek, sophisticated design has a central atrium evoking a fjord, crossed by bridges and pierced by contemporary stained-glass bird sculptures. While some of the exhibits honor Olde Worlde crafts and tools, expect interactive innovations as well. A fan favorite: pillows resembling giant stones, strewn under birch trunks. Cuddle up and watch gorgeous film footage that could easily inspire a trip—or several—to Europe.

From spa escapes to fine dining under the stars, these parks show how nature and luxury converge.

Reset and Wren are new boutique hotels with private patios and nature-inspired designs in Twentynine Palms, minutes from Joshua Tree National Park.

Atop Nymph’s Hill, a quick climb from the Plaka, is the National Observatory of Athens, a research institute and true observatory. Visitors by day get a lovely view of the city from the tree-lined grounds which surround beautiful mid-19th-century neoclassical buildings designed by Theophil Hansen; and visitors by night get a chance to view celestial bodies through a 170-year-old telescope. In 2017, the observatory was the site of an extensive installation by Argentinean artist Adrián Villar Rojas.

As new entry fees for international travelers take effect at several of the country’s busiest parks, these destinations offer equally striking landscapes without the added costs.

From coastal luxury to desert escapes, these ten iconic locations will guide you through the heart of Southern California.

These nature-surrounded lodges, inns, and visitor centers have created a genre of their own.

Following record rainfall in some areas throughout the fall and winter, wildflowers are growing across the state. Here’s where to see them.

Catch the sunrise on canyon hikes, take an aerial tram to a forested mountaintop, then squeeze in a few rounds of night golf on a world-renowned course in Greater Palm Springs.

Should you visit the tallest or the biggest trees in the world?

As the federal shutdown continues into its fourth week, travelers may be wondering whether the country’s national parks are open and if visiting puts undue strain on the treasured public lands. Here’s what to know.

There’s a lot more to Joshua Tree than the “trees.”