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Ancient Hawaiians believed their souls would leap into the spirit world from this lava shoreline on the western tip of Oahu. These days, people jump off here in gliders instead, soaking up views of the Waiʻanae coast to the south, Mokuleʻia to the north—and the glorious, denim-blue Pacific stretching from here to eternity. Take a 5.4-mile round-trip hike and check out the albatross sanctuary on Kaʻena’s wild coastal acreage (free to visit). Keep an eye out for monk seals, one of the world’s most endangered species, found only in Hawaii. Watch for their silvery-gray sausage shapes as they lounge on the beach, but give them space. Always retreat if a seal awakes, vocalizes, shies away, or tries to shield a pup.

The warm, handsome dining room at Terra is situated high enough for sweeping Santa Fe sunsets and glorious mountain silhouettes. Helmed by chef Andrew Cooper, the food is contemporary American and Southwestern, from tortilla soup to pan-seared scallops to a zesty green chili braised short rib. After your meal, visit the mod, circular outdoor fire pit and wind down with a nightcap. The cool inside bar has a great wall of old black-and-white photos, including one with visiting actor and cowboy Robert Redford.

Helmed by Chef Danny Trace, a New Orleans native whose resume includes stints at Commander’s Palace and Cafe Adelaide, Brennan’s is the kind of place you go to for well-executed classics: Oysters Rockefeller, Shrimp and Grits, Gulf Fish Pontchartrain. But should you happen to venture into less predictable territory, you’ll be just as pleased. Still, every meal should end with bananas foster prepared tableside.

Located in Park City‘s renovated Masonic Hall on historic Main Street, the Riverhorse caters to a high-end fine-dining crowd. Seth Adams, the executive chef and co-owner who drives the seasonally appropriate creative menu, has brought home prestigious awards, including a few that were firsts in the state of Utah. While the Riverhorse has a great selection of wine, it does allow patrons to bring in their own bottles for a $25 corkage fee. The restaurant is family friendly, with healthy selections on the kids’ menu. Dress is “mountain casual,” and reservations are strongly encouraged.

At the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, above the town of Sandy, Utah, the Alta Resort offers 2,200 skiable acres and an average of more than 550 inches of snowfall a year. While the steep slopes of the Wasatch mountains draw expert skiers, there is plenty of terrain for intermediate skiers and a number of programs within the ski school to get beginners and first-timers out and enjoying themselves. As for families, even those with little ones as young as two months old, day care is available all day long and into the early evening through Alta Children’s Center, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 6:30 p.m. with its Après-Ski Care. To get tykes skiing and on the slopes, Alta partners with the ski school.

Valley of Fire is the oldest state park in Nevada, and a great place to see 3,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs and explore the red sandstone formations created during the age of the dinosaurs. Bring your camera to photograph the landscape while hiking this rocky landscape formed over 150 million years ago. The red sandstone gives off an incredible light, which makes the grey rocks nearby appear turquoise. Great place to camp while watching incredible sunrises and sunsets! Photographers will go crazy for this place, especially in spring, when a variety of wild flowers bloom. Skip the Las Vegas strip and head straight to this magical place!

In December 2017, one of the country’s oldest Ritz-Carlton properties was rebranded as The Whitley, and though the name may have changed, the property’s high standard of elegance endures. The 507 stately guest rooms—which start at a spacious 720 square feet—are currently undergoing a refresh (but still include comforts like high-thread-count sheets and Nespresso machines), and the restaurant and bar have been reimagined as Trade Root, a Mediterranean-meets-Southern lounge featuring house-made pastas, an extensive selection of cheese and charcuterie, and craft sodas and cocktails. Guests can avail themselves of the indoor lap pool—a top-floor beauty with a stunner of a glass roof—as well as a fitness center and spa, or indulge in a little retail therapy in the neighboring shops of Buckhead. No doubt further renovations will ensure that this hotel remains an icon well into the next generation.

Leading the charge for independent bookstores since it opened in 1970, Book People is legendary for creativity and a strong calendar of events. The store holds frequent author signings—and we’re talking big authors—and book club meetings for all manner of book genres. Those who can’t get to Austin can sign up for a subscription service called Trust Fall in which a new book, handpicked by the staff, arrives in the mail a few times a year. Kids are a special focus here: The store publishes a blog written by its own “teen press corps” and collaborates with librarians around the state to hold the annual Texas Teen Book Festival. Book lovers should not miss visiting this stalwart home of literature, and handily, it’s open a lot: 9 a.m.–11 p.m. every day but Thanksgiving.

Fans of Georgia O’Keeffe should definitely book a stay at this quaint adobe hotel in her old painting grounds. Not only is there a well-stocked gift shop where you can buy O’Keeffe prints and books, the property arranges tours of her home and studio, and is located near the Ghost Ranch retreat center and the White Place rock formations, both of which the artist loved to paint. Wood-beam ceilings and New Mexico antiques adorn rooms. Request one of the cottages with wood-burning Kiva fireplaces, or if you come in winter and book economy like I did, you’ll likely get upgraded to a nice room with a gas fireplace. My best meal in New Mexico was also enjoyed here. I ordered trout stuffed with corn pancakes and a chardonnay from nearby Black Mesa winery. My partner’s chili rellenos with green chili and Monk’s Ale—brewed at the Christ of the Desert Monastery about an hour away—were also tasty. It was a lovely introduction to the beautiful state.

The Freedom Trail is the artery connecting most of Boston’s key Revolutionary War sites, from Boston Common to the USS Constitution—16 stops in all. Besides providing you with some history, following the red stripe around town also delivers an easy self-guided tour of the heart of Boston, including the lively North End and Charlestown. The Common, Old North Church, the Paul Revere House, and the site of the Boston Massacre are obvious and obligatory stops, but the trail also leads to three legendary cemeteries, the 1718 Old Corner Bookstore (now a Chipotle restaurant, of all things), the 1713 Old State House, and the unmissable Bunker Hill Monument, whose cornerstone was laid by Lafayette to mark the 50th anniversary of the bloody battle between British troops and patriot militias in June 1775.

As the patriarch of one of the most prominent real estate empires in the country, Trammell Crow’s work took him all over the globe—including on frequent trips to Asia, during which he and his wife, Margaret, developed a passion for Asian art. Over three decades beginning in the 1960’s, the Crows amassed a deep and diverse collection of important works from all over the region, from a six-foot Ming Dynasty-era seated Buddha and stellar examples of 18th-century jade sculptures to intricately-carved panels from Indian temples. For many years, these pieces were scattered between family properties and commercial buildings, until they all came together under one roof in 1998, with the opening of this Arts District museum. Featuring open galleries framed by natural light and greenery, the jewel box museum is a serene space in which to contemplate pieces from the ever-growing permanent collection, which now includes over 1,000 works from a dozen countries, as well as a library of over 12,000 books and journals; along with all the treasures inside, don’t miss the 15 sculptures in the garden, which span from the ancient to the 20th century. Temporary exhibits might highlight specific techniques (like lacquer work or miniature painting), genres (like the art of the Japanese samurai), or the works of contemporary Asian artists and sculptors. Entrance to the collection is always free; additional fees may apply for tours, talks, or events like yoga and meditations sessions. In 2019, the entire museum was donated to The University of Texas at Dallas, which will continue operating this original location, as well as a future outpost slated for the UTD campus.

Qibao, in Chinese, means ‘seven treasures’. And a treasure it is. The closest water town to Shanghai, it holds both the charm of an ancient, canal-traversed village as well as one of the most famous food streets in Shanghai. Head to Qibao Old Street for a culinary tour de force. And while you shouldn’t leave without sampling the Hai Tang Gao (rice cakes with a red bean filling) or--if your nose can handle it--the stinky tofu, there’s more to this little water town than the snacks. Round out your cultural venture with a shadow play show, a trip to the Qibao Temple or even a cricket fight. How to get here: Jump on Line 9 to Qibao Station and take exit 2 to reach the old town.

A few minutes from the shops, galleries, and restaurants of Sedona, but tucked away along the banks of quiet-flowing Oak Creek, L’Auberge de Sedona is one of the Southwest’s most romantic hideaways. It has red-rock views, as every accommodation in Sedona must, but its French-country-inn style, in the land of adobe architecture, and its leafy, creekside location, are what define it. Through a series of chefs, its restaurant, Cress on Oak Creek, has maintained a stellar reputation, in no small part because of the romance of dining at a table that in some cases is practically in Oak Creek. And the spa, L’Apothecary, with at least one seasonally offered treatment requiring guests to wade in up to their ankles, draws much of its essence from the creek, too. Extensive renovations done in 2011 included the redesign of the 58 rooms and cottages, and the addition of 29 more, many with fireplaces, private decks, and—because romance matters—outdoor cedar-lined showers. Still there, and still popular, are the early morning duck feedings and the nighttime telescope sessions with a professional astronomer.

Puente del Inca is a natural bridge located northwest district of Las Cuevas, which has formed over thousands of years by the interaction of extreme temperatures—freezing avalanches and steaming thermal waters. Declared a natural monument, which has been visited by the likes of Charles Darwin, Puente del Inca has five nearby hot springs known for their healing properties. In 1925, the Hotel Puente del Inca was built, each room featuring its own spa; however, it was destroyed by landslides in the sixties and has remained abandoned ever since. Although you can’t bathe in the thermal pools anymore, the striking oxidized rock formations make for a great photo op.

Seek, and antiquers shall find that New York is a paradise of flea markets, vintage shops, and emporia like this one offering up all kinds of goods. The Manhattan Art and Antique Center is in Midtown East, near the tony Sutton Place enclave. Its individual shops and galleries feature everything from Egyptian antiquities to classic toys from the golden age of American manufacturing.