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What could be better than pulling into pretty little Gardiner after a long day on the road, ordering up a fresh pizza, and staring out over Yellowstone National Park while the sun goes down? Yellowstone Pizza Company is a great dining option whether you’re staying in Mammoth, at a campsite inside the park, in Chico, or Gardiner itself.

Scandinave Spa, at the edge of the forest beside Lost Lake, is a Nordic–inspired spa that recommends alternating dips in the hot and cold pools, steam rooms, and brisk waterfall rinses. There are myriad ways to stitch together a rejuvenation regimen: Breathe deeply in the eucalyptus steam bath, then follow up with a series of hot baths before a shocking plunge under a chilly cascade, followed by a series of cold, colder, and almost freezing baths, or go the other direction. You can finish the treatments in around 90 minutes, but some choose to make a day out of a visit to Scandinave, tossing in a massage or facial, hanging out in the solarium to read or snooze, or even napping in one of the hammocks strung around the large property. The spa’s café, an open timber-paneled space with floor-to-ceiling windows, serves freshly prepared soups, sandwiches, salads, and smoothies.

The massive ruins of Caracol were once a major Maya metropolis in prehispanic Belize, during the Classic Period. The majority of the site is yet to be reclaimed from the forest, but the structures that have been uncovered are truly impressive. The main structure is still the tallest building in all of Belize and places you “on top of the world.” The jungle surrounding the site is teaming with wildlife, and a pair of binoculars come in handy. The ruins are located south of San Ignacio along the rough Mountain Pine Ridge Road. There are several worthwhile stops on the way, such as Rio Frio Cave and Rio On Falls, but the best stop is a cool libation at the Blancaneaux Lodge Bar.

It took 424 years to build this Gothic showpiece, but considering the hundreds of sculptures jutting out from the facade, the timing is almost understandable. At 466 feet tall, the Strasbourg Cathedral was, from its completion in 1439 until the mid-19th century, the highest Christian structure in the world. Today, it’s fallen to sixth place, but its frontispiece is still considered one of the greatest medieval picture books of all time. Inside, a gander at the 12th- to 14th-century stained glass and organ (with parts dating back to 1385) is optional, but climbing the spire’s 322 steps to enjoy panoramic views over the city as far as Vosges and the Black Forest is pretty much obligatory. Make sure your visit coincides with the 12:30 p.m. hour, when the cathedral’s astronomical clock comes alive with apostles parading before Christ.

Flagstaff, Northern Arizona‘s winter-playground-college-town, is often overlooked as visitors drive through it on their way to or from the Grand Canyon. But if you have time to linger, this town will reveal its charms. In recent years, it’s become a regional mecca for farm-to-table dining, with new restaurants repopulating its 19th-century downtown. After getting your fill of locavore dining and microbrews, work it off by going for a run or a hike up on McMillan Mesa, an ancient lava flow with superb views of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. Buffalo Park has a two-mile loop through grassland and ponderosa pine forest, connecting to trails that go up into the wooded slopes. Remember, though, that Flagstaff is over 7000 ft/2133 m. above sea level--give yourself time to acclimate to the lower oxygen levels...

The Catalan capital has plenty of places to cozy up with your loved one and enjoy your drink of choice, be it a meaty Tarragona red or a café carajillo—the Spanish spin on Irish coffee. Lean your elbows on the marble tables of Casa Almirall, located in Barcelona’s gritty Raval neighborhood and founded in 1860, while nibbling olives and sipping the house vermouth on the rocks. Alternatively, share a bottle of cava at El Bosc de les Fades, a fairytale forest-themed café inside Barcelona’s Wax Museum off La Rambla. With its soft lighting and bohemian ambiance, Andú (c/Correu Vell, 3) is the perfect place to share cava and light tapas in a homely and intimate setting.

Tucked among the pristine rain forests of Kauai’s remote North Shore, Princeville Resort’s lush 9,000 acres feel like they’re straight out of South Pacific. In fact, the classic musical used neighboring Mount Makana as a stand-in for Bali Hai. The peak’s verdant slopes are visible from many of the property’s 251 rooms, which are clad in ocean- and floral-inspired hues and outfitted with custom wood furnishings and marble baths, but the real draws lie elsewhere on the property: in the private snorkeling beach and massive infinity pool overlooking the cerulean waters of Hanalei Bay, an 11,000-square-foot spa that specializes in traditional Hawaiian clay treatments, and a world-class golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

Michelin-star chef, and virtually self-taught man, Francesc Rovira’s cafe and restaurant in sleepy Gombrèn is not centrally located for gastronomy enthusiasts to find. Far from Barcelona, but not too far to drive for a day, nestled in the Pyrenees - it is worth its own adventure. Rovira is one of many chefs who cooks with local ingredients and because mushrooms are so important to the region he cooks, mushrooms are one of his most well used ingredients. From the nearby forest at Montgrony he sources fungi in varying colors, shapes and sizes - only purchasing what he cannot pick himself because he is now known for the way he uses this ingredient. If mushrooms aren’t your thing, venture to Fonda Xesc anyway. The pumpkin soup with elderberry ice cream was a revelation in my mouth and the wine pairings were some of the best I’ve ever experienced. There’s no pretention in Rovira’s restaurant, only very good gastronomy.

Seattle’s largest public park sits on a sea bluff that’s high enough to pierce the city’s infamous fog, revealing gorgeous views of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Wander its 11 miles (18 km) of paths through forest groves, meadows fringing coastal cliffs, and active sand dunes on the protected tidal beaches. Once a military installation, the area now serves as an open space and wildlife sanctuary. Stop into the Daybreak Star Center, which celebrates American Indian culture and hosts the city’s powwow in mid-July. Around 25 drum groups and 500 dancers converge here for the event, along with close to 10,000 spectators.

The town of Gamboa lies at the center of a rain forest on the banks of the Panama Canal, where Lake Gatún and the River Chagres meet about 20 miles from the capital. Gamboa’s Summit Park is home to Panama’s national bird, the harpy eagle, as well as to Soberanía National Park and the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center, where visitors can walk the Camino del Oleoducto (Pipeline Road), a famous bird-watching path where up to 300 avian species can be spotted on a single day. Another tip might be sailing the Chagres in piraguas (local pirogues or handmade dugout canoes) that plumb dense jungles and give visitors the chance to interact with the Emberá Quera indigenous community. This historic community lives off fishing, farming, artisanal craft-making, and tourism. Native-led tours showcase various local customs such as dances as well as vegetable-dye body-painting techniques and their meanings (known as jagua), in addition to the people’s relationship with nature. Navigating the rain forest with a traditional Emberá botanist is a singular experience.

If one is going to throw around the word “iconic,” let’s make sure it’s used appropriately. As with Zuni. The awkwardly shaped restaurant—it’s in a narrow storefront with wider spaces on the mezzanine—was opened in 1979 by Billy West. West’s best move was hiring chef Judy Rodgers in 1987. She put in a brick oven—and thus the Zuni roast chicken was born. This dish, more than any other (except perhaps the Caesar salad), defines Zuni. The chicken is roasted in the brick oven and served over a bread salad: greens with chewy bread croutons. Simple, perfectly cooked, and seasonal. Rodgers died in 2013, but the restaurant soldiers on without her. The menu changes with the season and with what the local farms are growing, and will doubtless explain the provenance of your meat. Rodgers, along with her peer across the bay, Alice Waters, pioneered California cooking, and the cooks who have passed through here have gone on to define today’s vibrant restaurant scene.

Union Station is as stunning as it is rich in history, and continues to be a vital hub for L.A. rail, metro, and bus transport. On the outside, the building resembles an art deco riff on the old California missions; inside, the inlaid travertine and terra-cotta floors show the sort of detail work so rare in modern depots. Local tip: Settle into one of the giant leather chairs in the cavernous waiting room and immerse yourself in the city’s seedy side with Chandler’s noir classic, The Big Sleep. (Without a ticket you can’t enter the waiting room, but you can at least enjoy the Navajo patterning on the station floors.)

Just across the street from Montréal’s City Hall (or Hôtel de Ville), the Château Ramezay has been witness to almost three centuries of history. It was first built in 1705 by Claude de Ramezay, then governor of Montréal, as his official residence. While the building principally served as the home of later governors, it was also briefly the headquarters of the Continental Army when American troops occupied the city. (Benjamin Franklin spent a night in the house during that period.) In 1895, it began its current incarnation, as a portrait gallery and history museum. The collection includes prints, drawings, photographs, and other works of art, as well as humble household objects, that shed light on the daily life of the city’s residents and First Nations peoples in Québec over the centuries. Be sure to leave time to explore the small kitchen and pleasure gardens, as well as the orchard, for an introduction to the horticultural practices of settlers in New France and residents of 19th-century Montréal.

“I am a song, I live to be sung, I sing with all my heart!” Pay your respects to the man who penned “Rocky Mountain High” and spent a lot of time in Colorado. The John Denver Sanctuary is a quiet cluster of carved boulders and monuments, located along the Roaring Fork River, near the Aspen Art Museum. Many of the singer’s famous lyrics are carved into the stone, which you can read as you listen to the creak rush by. Fans gather at the sanctuary every year on October 12, the anniversary of Denver’s death (Denver died in 1997, in a plane crash off the coast of California).

While San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum dates back to 1994, it moved into its current location in 2008. The heart of the museum’s new home is a 1907 Pacific Gas & Electric power substation, with additions designed by one of architecture’s leading figures, Daniel Libeskind. The museum tends to take a thematic and often surprising approach to its subject with, for example, exhibitions of artists inspired by the biblical book of Genesis and others focused on the notable personalities of the Jewish life of California, America and beyond. If you are looking for some unexpected gifts, the museum’s store carries updated menorahs, humorous T-shirts and a large selection of books on Jewish culture and history.