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Founded in 2015 by three childhood friends from Georgia, Down the Hatch brings a Southern twist to the aloha spirit. The classic watering hole serves shrimp po’boys, chicken and waffles, and Mexican-inspired fare like seared ahi tacos, but the real draw is the cocktails, which range from tiki favorites and Moscow Mules to craft libations like the Snake Oil with gin, dragon fruit, lilikoi kombucha, and CBD oil. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Down the Hatch also boasts the longest happy hour in Maui. It takes place daily from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and features specials on appetizers, draft beers, and select cocktails.

Located right on the Pacific Coast Highway, Watermarc is a people-watcher’s dream, with an oversize front patio and large windows overlooking Peppertree Lane. Grab a window seat if you can, then dive deep into the extensive wine list, which features 239 varietals perfect for pairing with the wide range of “grazing plates” on offer at dinner. Order dishes like sizzling shrimp, cod-and-potato croquettes, ahi watermelon skewers, and charred octopus to share with the table, then pick an entrée like day-boat scallops with lobster risotto for yourself. The menu here goes well beyond seafood, but while you’re staring at the ocean, you might as well try her delicious offerings.

First established in 1945, in an odd no-man’s-land between Chapultepec and Polanco, Los Panchos calls up the Mexican restaurants you may have known in childhood, with a wide-ranging (laminated) menu, whitewashed walls, and potted plants (not an Edison bulb in sight), plus a garrulous, family-friendly set-up serving trough-sized platters of classic Mexican grub like enchiladas, gorditas, moles, and chicken taquitos, tortilla soup, and tostadas, multi-colored margaritas and, most especially, Mexico’s answer to confit, carnitas: utterly delicious, ferociously caloric chunks of pork, fried in their own fat. The restaurant is perfect for larger groups who make their own tacos seasoned with cilantro, chopped onion, and the full hot-sauce portfolio. Nostalgic and lively, nobody leaves hungry.

Ask anyone who knows Bordeaux’s food scene where you can get a reliably excellent meal and they’re bound to suggest Le Bouchon Bordelais. Between its warm atmosphere, outdoor seating on a cobblestone street, reasonable prices, and location in the heart of Bordeaux, it’s one of the city’s most popular restaurants. Here, the frequently changing menu is varied and seasonal, ranging from wild shrimp samosas with leeks and watercress cream to marinated apricots with almond mousse. If you can’t decide on a main course, opt for one of the prix fixe menus and try a little bit of everything.

The food at the Wawona Hotel is unfussy and satisfying, whether you choose dinner in the Victorian-era dining room, lunch on the veranda, or the summer Saturday barbecues on the big lawn. Dinner specialties range from smoked salmon cakes and cornmeal-crusted trout to flatiron steak and pot roast, while lunchtime fare includes tried-and-true favorites like chicken sandwiches, wedge salads, burgers, and pasta. For even more casual options, the bar-lounge offers bites like caramelized-onion-and-pear tarts, cheese samplers, and turkey-and-bacon sandwiches that you can enjoy on the terrace. Note: This restaurant is open seasonally.

Combining fine-dining flair with the relaxed ambience of a mountain resort town, Rata in Queenstown is one of the New Zealand eateries operated by well-known Kiwi chef Josh Emett. With a CV that includes cooking stints in the United States and London, Emett has crafted a menu that deftly marries a range of international influences to proudly local produce. Sharing plates include New Zealand octopus with saffron aioli or Marlborough salmon with horseradish and green apple, while local venison and merino lamb are standout main courses. The colors and feel of the forest inform the stylish decor—the eponymous rata is a tree native to New Zealand. Two- and three-course lunch menus are both a good value.

This one-of-a-kind restaurant in Trondhiem’s old town is almost too adorable for its own good. The cramped wooden interior transports you back in time, where you’ll be greeted by a sweet Danish proprietor (she’ll remind you of your grandma no matter where you’re from) who guides you through the nooks and crannies to your table. Ignore the herring buffet and look to the main menu, half of which is taken up by a stellar range of aquavit, a clear Scandinavian liquor reminiscent of vodka and flavored with caraway seeds and spices like cardamom. Expect warming stews and hearty soups served on wobbly tables. It’s all part of the charm.

Located next to Les Praz’s par 72 golf course, La Cabane des Praz offers a charming, out-of-town dining experience, along with views of Mont Blanc and other majestic peaks. Golfers and couples alike come here to enjoy modern French cuisine by the crackling fire, or afternoon tea on the sunbaked terrace. The menu ranges from fillet of beef in Béarnaise sauce to arctic char with parsnips and mushrooms. During the week, diners can also opt for a $36 three-course lunch menu.

For a truly discreet and relaxing spa experience, look no further than Tomoko Spa in Beverly Hills. Founded in 1999 by Tomoko Kurono, the chic minimalist spa offers a wide range of treatments intended to provide the best technique and renew the mind and spirit. All treatments come with a footbath (Ashiyu), tea, and mochi. Masseuses will customize treatments to target your needs for a personalized experience. Couples can also indulge in special packages, including one that serves you sushi from SUGARFISH! following treatment. Image courtesy of Tomoko Spa.

On the crest of East Gros Ventre Butte, Amangani offers 360-degree views of the Grand Teton mountains and the Snake River Valley. The resort’s 40 suites feature fireplaces and windowside daybeds for taking in the landscape. Winter activities include horse-drawn sleigh rides through the National Elk Refuge. From $800. (307) 734-7333.

You might recognize this restaurant from the 2013 movie Labor Day. Enter Wilson’s Diner, and you’ve stepped back in time. Built in 1949 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Early risers: from 5am during the week you can get a no nonsense, well priced meal, filled with fresh ingredients. Wilson’s also serves great sandwiches for lunch.

Inside a Northwest-style longhouse, built by owner and First Nations tribe member Roy Henry Vickers to resemble the traditional dwellings once used by indigenous people, visitors can sift through Vickers’s limited-edition prints, carved cedar panels, and baskets with designs of eagles, ravens, orcas, and totem poles. Eagle Aerie Gallery also features the work of other local artists. 350 Campbell St., (250) 725-3235. Image: TSalon/Flickr.com

National World War II memorial honors the hundreds of thousands who fought and who died during World War II. I snapped this photograph of the Freedom Wall, which contains 4,000 gold stars to honor the over 400,000 Americans who died during World War II.

This is the oldest and grandest art institute in a city that’s long captivated artists. The Neoclassical building sits amid the greenery of massive City Park (conveniently at the end of the Canal Streetcar Line). It’s an especially good destination for admirers of Edgar Degas, who spent an extended vacation in New Orleans visiting relatives in 1872; a number of his works are displayed here. Just outside the museum is the beautifully landscaped and well-curated five-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which perfectly melds the old and new. Some 60 sculptures are arrayed amid reflecting lagoons and 200-year-old live oaks.

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.