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Hike into Bear Canyon on the northeastern edge of Tucson, and you’ll be rewarded (most of the year) with a view of Seven Falls, gushing out of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Even though the hike in and out is around seven miles, it’s mostly flat. You’ll find that, as you’re zigzagging across the creek on large boulders, with cliffs above the cacti all around, traffic and strip malls are a world away. When you arrive at the falls, the rushing waters are a balm for the soul. Midwinter through the middle of spring is a good time to visit this oasis; the higher-elevation snowmelt guarantees flowing water and the daytime temperatures are comfortable. Midsummer monsoon rains can also fill this canyon, and flash floods can be a sudden danger.

The longest developed rail-trail in the country, Katy Trail State Park snakes across Missouri for 240 miles, from the western edge of the state to the St. Louis metro area. Built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, the well-maintained park closely follows the Missouri River, offering bikers, hikers, equestrians, and everyone in between a scenic way to see much of the state. The section between Cooper and St. Charles counties is an officially designated segment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, adding an educational aspect to any exploration. Most choose to bike a portion of the trail, though hiking, running, and horseback riding are also great ways to experience the park, all the while surrounded by forests, wetlands, prairies, and abundant wildlife. A favorite stop along the way is the charming town of Rocheport, where you can make a pit stop at the bluff-top Le Bourgeois Winery for fine wine and views of the Missouri River Valley.

Blueberry Boy Bait may sound like a B-side song from an alternative band, but it’s actually just an ice cream flavor offered by Humphry Slocombe, a small shop in the Mission District. Owner and former pastry chef Jake Godby has made the name Humphry Slocombe synonymous with flavors and ingredients not often found in ice cream or sorbet. Case in point: best-seller Secret Breakfast, the flavor that launched a thousand Humphry Slocombe fans, a combo of homemade cornflakes and bourbon. Traditionalists will be happy to find “normal” flavors, too, but it’s Godby’s “march to your own drum” ethos that brings out his best work and keeps people lining up for creative scoops. Pick up a copy of The Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book, with 40 recipes you can re-create at home.

Key West doesn’t have many swimmable beaches, but this elegant 1920 oceanfront resort sits on the largest private one in town—an 1,100-square-foot strand punctuated with tall palms. While the shoreline itself is on a rocky shelf, a long dock extends out to the shallows for laps and snorkeling. Just off the beach, two large pools are set into green lawns and lush landscaping in front of the Spanish-style main building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel’s wooden coffered ceilings, arched entryways, red-tile roofs, and other key architectural details recall the hotel’s glamorous heyday, while the clean, refreshed rooms are entirely modern, with sleek wood-framed beds, white linens and curtains, and ocean views. Children under 16 stay for free and babysitting is available for adults who want to take a break at the Spa al Mare, which has an open-air cabana right on the sand for al fresco massages and treatments.

Possibly one of the most recognized malbec wine labels by the American market, Bodega Norton is one of Mendoza’s most prolific wineries. Founded in 1895 by the Englishmen Edmund James Palmer Norton, the winery has grown significantly under its Austrian management since 1989. Each year, Bodega Norton continues to garner serious accolades for its wines and talented winemakers. During the harvest season, Bodega Norton offers a variety of experiences for wine lovers to get their hands dirty in the vineyard. You can harvest the grapes, picking them off the vine and tasting the flavors of the different grape clusters. You can also choose to be a winemaker for the day, creating your own “blend” of wine, combining varietals and discovering their aromas, textures and complexity. Both experiences require 24-hour advance reservation. Ruta 15, km 23.5, Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza; +54 261 490 9700

If you’ve ever heard the Eagles song “Hotel California,” you’ve probably wondered whether it was inspired by a real-life equivalent. Eagles members have denied “Hotel California” is anything other than a metaphor, but that’s never stopped visitors to the Baja California town of Todos Santos from assuming its Hotel California gave name to the song. Regardless, the hotel and Todos Santos itself remain fascinating places to visit. Among fun facts: The hotel was the first place in town to serve ice cream.

As obvious as it may sound, what sets Sanctuary apart from any other Scottsdale resort is location. Sitting on the north side of Camelback Mountain yet minutes from downtown Scottsdale, it has a balance of desert mountain isolation and easy access that no other Scottsdale resort can match. Since Sanctuary opened in 2002, the combination has especially appealed to publicity-shy celebs (Beyoncé and Jay-Z even stayed here while on their honeymoon). The views from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the adobe casitas look out at the mountain and across Paradise Valley. The casitas have wood-block floors, glass-tiled showers, and, in many of them, oversize tubs with romantic votive candles.

Thanks to loosened liquor laws, Utah’s distilling scene is flourishing—the Sugar House Distillery is the third small-batch distillery to open in the state in the last year. On an informal tour you can buy bottles of owner James Fowler’s vodka and malt whiskey.

Short of visiting the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque itself, you won’t find a better view of the whitewashed masterpiece than at this Shangri-La hotel, which shimmers like a jewel opposite Abu Dhabi Island on the mainland of the Arabian Peninsula. The rest of the hotel’s palatial appeal sprouts from a deep appreciation for Middle Eastern tradition, seen in spectacular carved archways, mosaic-tile baths in the rooms, and winding waterways navigated by an abra (local ferry boat). Hop on board to journey to the hotel’s contemporary take on a souk, where you can purchase clothes, jewelry, and other souvenirs before choosing between French, Vietnamese, and Chinese specialties at four on-site restaurants. Four pools ensure you won’t wilt in the desert heat, while a CHI spa provides soothing comfort for those beat from a day spent skyscraper hopping.

Grammy-nominated country crooner Dierks Bentley brought a new country vibe to his home state when he opened Whiskey Row, a 1920s-style saloon that hosts live local and national acts. There’s a menu of Southern comfort food made from local ingredients along with self-serve beer and liquor on tap.

At Greenfield Village, part of The Henry Ford, the goal is to recreate what life was like in the early days of the United States of America. That goal is more than accomplished through the historic structures, activities, and even the work of the actors and employees who populate the 240 acres that make up the Village, which was founded on October 21, 1929. It’s not just American history that’s highlighted, as some structures, like the Cotswold Cottage and the Swiss Cottage, represent the cultures of other countries. Every year the Village also hosts the World Series of Historic Baseball. There are working farms, and craftsmen still create with traditional methods, such as glass blowing and metalworking. Inventors and important historical figures are also highlighted, such as the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford himself, Thomas Edison, and Abraham Lincoln.

Poised on sheets of 440 million year old granite, the view across the ocean from Halibut Point seems to go on for ever. The quarry itself is a dramatic site and the surrounding tidal pools and hiking trails a great spot to explore. The Visitors Center {closes after Columbus Day} spotlights the history of this former Cape Ann industry where granite that now lines the streets and buildings of Boston was quarried.

The Cape Florida Lighthouse, in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on the tip of Key Biscayne, is the oldest lighthouse in the state. The newly restored 95-foot white-brick tower, which sits on sand and rocks, attracts plenty of visitors, who enjoy climbing up to the top for the view of downtown Miami and the Atlantic Ocean. The park also includes a replica of the lighthouse keeper’s 1825 cottage.

Once an oyster-farming backwater, this area was held sacred to the shark goddess Ka‘ahupahau. But it’s forever etched into America’s psyche due to the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on the naval base, which launched the U.S. into WWII’s Pacific theater. Today, more than a million visitors pay their respects annually at the museums and memorials, which include the USS Bowfin, the USS Missouri, and the wreck of the USS Arizona. Buy tickets online to avoid the inevitable long wait. Ford Island also houses the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum here: Historic hangars showcase vintage aircraft like a Japanese Zero and a Curtiss P-40E Warhawk. Plane buffs should add on a $10 combat-simulator flight.

The Sugar Palm restaurant is the first Cambodian restaurant that many visitors to Siem Reap try, and it often becomes a favorite. The food is some of the most delicious, traditional, home-style Cambodian food in the country. It also happens to be served in a very traditional, Khmer teak-wood house, with high ceilings and wide verandahs—oozing atmosphere.


Everything on offer is scrumptious, from the amok trei or fish amok, to the hearty Cambodian chicken curry. If you’re not a fan of pungent and sour flavors but want to try one of Cambodia’s quintessential ingredients, prahok (fermented fish), then this is the restaurant to do it. The prahok k’tis (a minced pork dip made with prahok) is a fairly tame albeit still very tasty iteration of the dish. The owner-chef, Cambodian-New Zealander Kethana Dunnett, is often around if you have questions about the cuisine. Kethana is the go-to person for celebrity chefs -- from Gordon Ramsay to Luke Nguyen -- when they are in the country filming food programs, and she certainly knows her stuff.