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The Jefferson Hotel has been the gold standard for discerning visitors to Richmond (including 13 U.S. presidents) since 1895. Not content to rest on their laurels, the hotel completed a renovation in 2016, restoring its landmarked public areas and refreshing and expanding the guest rooms and suites. The new rooms feel more like posh apartments, with doorbells, foyers to the sitting and dressing areas, and luxury touches like soaking tubs, walk-in showers, and in-mirror televisions. The alligator drawer pulls are a nod to the creatures who used to live in the lobby fountains in the early 20th century. The Rotunda and Palm Court lobbies, with their Tiffany stained glass ceilings, have overlooked many power meetings and celebrations, and provide a magnificent backdrop for decadent afternoon tea or the popular champagne Sunday brunch. The four-star Lemaire restaurant serves a New American menu of Virginia ingredients in their distinctive dining rooms, while the more relaxed TJ’s bistro is open for hearty breakfasts and classic lunch fare. Guests of the Jefferson may work off all that locally sourced food at the 3,000-square-foot gym or in the indoor pool with skylights and an outdoor pool deck.

This lovely state park stretches along the rugged volcanic shoreline of western Maui, three miles from Hana. It’s best explored on the 2.2-mile hike that starts at the black-sand beach and follows the dramatic coast, passing lava tubes, rock arches, blowholes, and Polynesia’s largest heiau (an ancient Hawaiian temple) along the way. Avoid standing too close to the geysers as well as the lava benches near the ocean, which can crumble easily, and watch out for high surf. If you’re looking to cool down after your trek, take the loop trail to the park’s freshwater caves, where you can explore two separate chambers (the first tends to be clearer and more inviting).

Montauk State Park sits at the head of the Current River, where seven springs converge to form a breathtakingly beautiful area. The park is popular with anglers who come to fish for rainbow trout in the cool waters, but also offers ample opportunity for hiking, biking, and picnicking in shady groves. Visitors can even learn a bit of history during tours of the old gristmill, built in 1896 at the center of what was once a thriving community. For a relaxing day in nature, follow the locals to the river, where they float in canoes with coolers of cold drinks in tow, then spend the night at one of the modern campgrounds, rental cabins, or motel rooms that dot the park grounds.

One of the most recognizable sites in Hawaii, this volcanic ash cone overlooks Waikiki’s coastline—a tectonic memory from an explosion half a million years ago, measuring almost 3,500 feet across. British sailors named it Diamond Head in the 1800s, mistaking calcite crystals in the crater’s soil for jewels. Despite its volcanic grandeur, the ascent takes most hikers an hour or so, clocking in at 560 feet of elevation gain and 1.6 miles round-trip. At the top, on a clear day, you can see all of Oahu’s south shore, from Koko Crater and Waikiki to the mountains of the Wai’anae Range.

Before cotton reigned supreme in the South, tobacco was the money-maker. Planters channeled their profits into increasingly ornate homes, and one of the best examples of this post-Revolutionary architecture can be found in the Harrisburg district of Augusta, Georgia. Between downtown and the Augusta National Golf course (where The Masters takes place every April) is the Ezekiel Harris House, dating from the 1790’s. In later years, the area around the Harris House would become known as Harrisburg, before becoming incorporated into Georgia’s second-oldest city. The South’s first industry grew up nearby after the Augusta Canal was dug in the 1840’s. While the neighborhood is awaiting renewal today, the house remains as a relic to the society and tastes of a fledgling United States. The house is open for tours every Saturday and by appointment during the week. The Smithsonian has called it ‘the finest 18th-century house surviving in Georgia.’

Situated just 40 miles from downtown Anchorage and the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, this year-round resort feels worlds away, set deep in a glacier-carved valley off scenic Seward Highway. With 304 rooms and a dizzying number of amenities, it also feels like a world unto itself. There are eight dining and drinking options, a fitness center, a heated saltwater lap pool with mountain views, and a spa that provides Arctic mud facials. But guests come to Alaska to commune with the great outdoors, and Alyeska offers its fair share of world-class experiences, including the longest continuous double-black-diamond ski run in North America and more than 1,600 acres of skiable terrain. The staff can arrange excursions that range from heli-skiing and dogsledding tours in winter to naturalist-led walks and glacier cruises in summer. For breathtaking panoramic views, the resort even has its own 60-passenger aerial tram for whisking guests straight from the hotel up 2,300 feet to the top of Mount Alyeska.

With artist Mark di Suvero’s 48-foot-tall Ad Astra installation—the only indoor public display of the artist’s work in the world—rising from the central atrium, it’s clear that this is no ordinary shopping mall. And that’s just how the founders planned it: Opened in 1965 by the Nasher family—who also founded the world-class Nasher Sculpture Center in the Arts District—NorthPark Center helped define retail shopping in the Southwest with its modern architecture, state-of-the-art facilities (at one point, it was the largest climate-controlled mall in the world), private art collection, and upscale shops. Over the years, it has remained a popular retail option for locals—and one of the city’s top tourist destinations, welcoming more that 26 million visitors a year. Following a $250 million, 1.2-million-square-foot expansion in 2006, it now features an upgraded cineplex, more drinking and dining options, a central garden, and hundreds of stores from both mass-market international brands and luxury labels; there’s also been a Neiman Marcus outpost here since the beginning. When you get tired of shopping for pretty things, there are pretty things to look at, too, including works by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, James Rosenquist, and more.

Chef Patrick O’Connell opened his country restaurant out of a former gas station in 1978 and rave word-of-mouth reviews soon made it “destination dining.” He opened rooms in 1984 and a few years later, it became a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateau hotel association. Today, it remains one of a handful of country hotels worth the trip for the meal as well as the stay, and it continues to rack up stars and top lists for dining and accommodations.

Two dozen opulent rooms reflect the style of a whimsical English country manor (as interpreted by O’Connell and London stage designer Joyce Conwy Evans), setting the tone for an over-the-top dinner with an exacting attention to detail. Be sure to visit the kitchen after your meal to see culinary magic in action. Little Washington (the first town named by George himself) is a bit over an hour from its capital namesake, and the Inn’s campus of guest rooms, shops, and gardens are spread over the colonial town; take the Perimeter Path walk to visit all of the farm operations and the newest guest quarters: a Little Bug Inn for pollinating and beneficial insects.

From the moment you step into the Mark Hotel, with its art deco-inspired lobby clad in black-and-white marble floors, the vibe is a blend of fashionable, worldly, and understated. Located in a landmark 1927 building on a tranquil corner of the Upper East Side, just a couple of blocks from Central Park, the 153-room hotel was designed by French interiors maven Jacques Grange. Accommodations feature furnishings in ebony, sycamore, and granite, while black-and-white-floored marble bathrooms are outfitted with soaking tubs and heated towel racks.

Established in 1800, the Library of Congress is the oldest federal institution in the United States. The library was destroyed by British troops just 14 years after its conception, and Congress used Thomas Jefferson’s collection of 6,487 volumes to replace it. Today, the collection of the Library of Congress—housed across three buildings—grows by approximately 12,000 items a day and is the second largest library in the world with 164 million items and 838 miles of shelves (that’s farther than the distance from Washington, D.C. to Chicago!). The library holds the world’s largest collection of comic books and one of only three remaining Gutenberg bibles. The Library of Congress offers daily guided tours to explore its historic collection and famous Beaux-Arts architecture.—Miranda Smith

Since everything seems bigger in Texas, it’s no surprise that the Texas State Capitol holds the title for largest state capitol building in the union (360,000 square feet of floor space in the main building!). The building is also quite beautiful and houses some historical paintings. The inside of the capitol dome, with a lone star at the apex, is an impressive sight. Stroll the grounds to see fountains, old trees, and sculptures of historical Texas figures. The capitol grounds also offer a great view of downtown to the south and the University of Texas to the north. The Texas landmark is definitely worth a visit on a trip to Austin.

Right on Evergreen Road in the middle of Southfield, in a busy section of office buildings and hotels, the Mary Thompson Farmhouse and still-working farm presents a chance for the visitor to imagine exactly what life was like before the skyline became dominated by steel and glass. For many years, Mary was a school teacher in New Jersey and Florida. However, later in life, she lived in the farmhouse and it was bequeathed to the city upon her passing, with the stipulation that it be forever preserved. It’s truly unusual for a historical site because of the working nature of the property and its proximity to such a thriving urban center. Tours are available and more information can be obtained by calling (248) 354-4711.

One of the best spots to relax in Miami is Bayfront Park, 32 acres of lush grounds that include the Klipsch Amphitheater and the Tina Hills Pavilion. The Fourth of July fireworks and the New Year’s Eve countdown are just two of the community events that occur here throughout the year. From the beach you can watch dolphins jump and play while luxury yachts pass through Biscayne Bay, and you’ll also have great views of the cruise ships and marina. Take the renovated baywalk, shaded by oak and palm trees, past the rock garden and waterfall and several benches. Fitness classes are offered in the park during the week.

This family-owned retreat within Adirondack State Park is geared toward campers who want comfort. Adirondack chairs (of course) sit on the decks of six canvas tents equipped with wood-burning stoves and cedar-lined showers. The platform canvas-sided cabins are open from late May through early October.

Near the southwestern edge of Snow Canyon State Park is this wellness-oriented resort, a sprawling 55-acre property filled with fragrant mesquite trees, black lava gardens, and 106 rooms and villas. Stays here can be as low-key as a swim under the desert sun in one of two outdoor pools or an exfoliating red clay treatment at the renowned Sagestone Spa & Salon, but most visitors come for the full range of adventure offerings, from hiking and kayaking to sunset rappelling and horseback riding deep in red rock country. While the “consciously-planned entrée portions” at the hotel’s Canyon Breeze restaurant are all 500 calories or less—with most well under—dishes like grilled grass-fed strip loin steak with cheesy potato au gratin will leave you feeling anything but deprived. As of 2017, the resort is easier than ever to get to, thanks to new daily flights by United Express from Los Angeles to St. George.