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Six out of what was once at least 16 Native American burial mounds remain preserved atop the bluffs overlooking St. Paul and the Mississippi River. These sites, 1,500–2,000 years old, are thought to have been built by the Hopewellians and then added to by the Dakotas. Upon excavation, archaeologists discovered a variety of offerings, such as mussel shells, arrowheads, copper ornaments, and bear teeth, as well as an unprecedented clay death mask with the imprint of the original face fully intact in the mold.

For several centuries, the tiny hamlet of Amma, set about 1640 feet above sea level in the Chianti hills, was renowned for its farming and winemaking practices, which were overseen by a group of prominent families. When the Hapsburg Grand Duke Peter Leopold visited in the 18th century, he wrote a detailed report extolling the beauty of the setting and the high quality of the town’s grain fields, olive groves, and vineyards. Some of his complimentary words now adorn a plaque set at the entrance of Castelo di Ama, a winery and estate founded in the 1970s by a group of families looking to revive the town’s glory days. The label has won many accolades over the last decade—from the current owner-winemaker being named Winemaker of the Year in 2003, to the wines consistently landing on best-of lists around the world. Visit to get a taste of what all the fuss is about, and you’ll not only get to experience world-class wine, but art, too: Since 1999, the estate has worked with galleries and curators to invite renowned artists to visit, get inspired, and create new works, over a dozen of which now live at the estate. On a guided winery tour, you’ll visit aging cellars, the working winery, some of the ancient village’s sites (including the chapel), and the estate’s historic villas and gardens—where you will spy pieces of art by names like Anish Kapoor and Louise Bourgeois. Tours last about 90 minutes and are followed by a tasting at the Villa Riucci Enoteca.

The Power and the Glory is a cool bistro in the center of Cape Town that has attracted a cult following among locals. The relaxed style, the bearded staff, the folding chairs, and the sidewalk stools may remind you of a Brooklyn cafe. If you can snag a chair, it makes for a great place to work or to have a meeting over a light breakfast. In the evening, the place is usually packed with revelers. Try the quiche in the morning, the pretzel bun hot dog in the evening, and the Nutella cheesecake for dessert.

Why we love it: An intimate stay with Pujol connections

The Highlights:
- Just two bedrooms, so you feel like part of the family
- The chance to meet members of chef Enrique Olvera’s acclaimed team
- Regular chef-led dinners

The Review:
When renowned chef Enrique Olvera had to move his multi-award-winning Pujol restaurant into a larger space, he kept the original Polanco location and turned it into a creative hub for his team—a place inspired by artist residences, where creative minds from a variety of fields (though primarily culinary) can come together to exchange ideas. Centered around an open kitchen and a communal dining table for 10, the Casa hosts a regular program of talks, events, and workshops—many open to the public—that help facilitate discussion.

Those who want some extra time to get the creative juices flowing—or just a truly unique base in Mexico City—are also in luck, as the Casa houses two bedrooms that are now available to book via Airbnb. Simple and airy, with wooden desk-cum-closet units, attached bathrooms, and fluffy white beds, the rooms are perfect for resting, clearing your mind, and seeing what comes to you. Though you’ll definitely want to hang out downstairs, too, both for the food (a chef-cooked breakfast is included) and the chance to mingle with members of Olivera’s team as they make use of the library and workspaces. Check ahead to see if any chef-led dinners are taking place while you’re there—then be sure to book a spot.

Lovers of Vienna’s homegrown early-20th-century Wiener Werkstätte design style will want to visit the Café Schwarzenberg: It was the preferred haunt of Josef Hoffmann. The illustrious architect who cofounded the Werkstätte drafted many ideas there that came to fruition. Opened on the Ringstrasse in 1861, the café takes its name from the nearby square that is itself named for the Prince of Schwarzenberg, a prominent Austrian field marshal in the Napoleonic wars. Guests are treated to huge vaulted windows under high ceilings and those who sit outside on the terrace enjoy views of the illuminated Karlskirche dome while they sip their Einspänner coffee with its dab of whipped cream on top.

Today, Québec City is decidedly francophone. While 50 percent of Montreal‘s residents describe their mother tongue as only French, the figure is 95 percent for Québec City. This was not always the case, and for much of its history the city had a significant anglophone minority. The Morrin Centre is one reminder of that period. In 1868, the building, which had been used as the town’s jail (the old cells are included on tours of the building), was renovated to become Morrin College, an affiliate of Montréal’s McGill University. It offered instruction in English, though it would be forced to close in 1902 as the number of students interested in an English-language education dwindled. The institution lives on as an English-language cultural center, and book lovers should be sure to visit the elegant library, established the same year as the Morrin Centre by the Literary and Historical Society of Québec, Canada’s first learned society.

There’s a new coffee shop in town. Sakona, located in the center of town, has a lovely, airy storefront that just begs to be entered. Modern wood accents bring to mind artisan coffee spots in bigger capitals, and they are outfitted with all the coffee musts of the modern persuasion: aeropress, chemex, mocca masters, et cetera. However, Sakona is not just a shop; they are roasters, based about 10 miles outside of San Sebastián. Javier Garcia, the owner, is a barista who has placed in the world championships. His humble attitude and desire to spread coffee love is a far cry from the typical barista behavior, so settle in and ask all the questions you want, a café con leche in hand.

Me Wah is considered one of the best Asian restaurants in Australia, and lucky for travelers there’s a location in Launceston as well as in Hobart. The cuisine is Cantonese-Australian fusion—think prawn chow mein, lamb pancakes, ginger scallops served in the shell, trevalla dumplings, and fried ice cream. Diners can also find specialties that are quintessentially Tasmanian such as deep-fried Bruny Island oysters. Banquet options and modern desserts add to the exquisite setting (that’s what me wah means in Chinese). The ambience is old-school with impeccable service to match. Savor the smiles; you’ll never see this many at an Australian restaurant again.

Menton is France’s lemon-growing capital, a fact that the whole town celebrates: The tiles in Menton’s Fontana Rossa gardens are painted with lemons, and local restaurants feature them in lick-your-spoon-clean soufflés. Every winter, the road into town closes for a lemon festival that features huge sculptures made of citrus fruits. It seems fitting, then, that a local shop, Maison Herbin, is dedicated to selling artisanal lemon jam, which is made in small batches to coax the fullest flavor from each fruit. The jam shop has become so famous that tours of the kitchen operations now require advance reservations. The shop offers much more than its citrus jams: Also on sale are strawberries preserved with pineapple, and tomatoes packed with eggplant and ginger, in addition to traditional candies, fruit jellies, local honey, condiments, and pickled onions.

The classic, late-morning Mexican breakfast (quite good for hangovers) is typically spicy, abundant, and sophisticated in ways quite distinct from the brunches that have become synonymous with the urban weekend—think solid, cold beer instead of innovative mimosa iterations. But for one of the town’s signature Mexican breakfasts, in one of its lushest courtyard gardens, try the Yucatecan fare at La Casa del Diezmo. And if you just can’t shake where you came from, the eggs Benedict at Lavanda prove to be artistic creations indeed, akin to lotus-flower sculptures.

So you want to drive through a tree? Well, you’ve got options. (At least for now. Since no new drive-through trees will be created any time soon, for obvious environmental reasons, the existing ones are maybe the last of their kind.) There are actually three trees in the vicinity of Redwood National and State Parks whose trunks are wide enough to accommodate a car. The Chandelier Tree, at the Drive-Thru Tree Park, may be the most well-known and most frequently photographed; pay your $5 and get behind the wheel. The Tour Thru Tree, near Klamath, is the other tree with a human-constructed tunnel. The only organically occurring drive-through tree in the area is the Shrine Tree in Myers Flat, on Avenue of the Giants. The opening in this tree was primarily nature-created—though at this point it’s held together with some human help. Shrine also has a fallen tree with a drive-up ramp, a stump you can walk through, and a couple of playhouses carved from redwoods.

Just south of Bimini, tiny Gun Cay is the site of Honeymoon Harbour Beach, a remote and beautiful stretch of shore that’s accessible only by boat. Bimini Undersea offers trips to the beach, where you can lounge on the sand and snorkel in the calm, clear water. However, the highlight is the opportunity for face-to-face encounters with the local stingrays. These bottom-dwelling creatures have grown accustomed to people feeding and touching them, so there’s very little risk of a sting, as long as you’re gentle and take small steps to avoid trodding on them.

Both of Waikiki’s Outrigger hotels are a good value, but this one is a little bigger and a little quieter. It’s right on the beach, just north of the main resort cluster, and though a short walk to the middle of the action, far enough to feel out of the fray. The hotel itself is a quintessential Hawaiian family resort—big and friendly, with an unmistakable good-time vibe, old-school Polynesian decor throughout, and any number of activities on offer. The pool is set back from the beach and nothing fancy (no waterslides, no swim-up bar, and up against a giant wall), but it’s large enough for a serious game of Marco Polo, and there are plenty of lounge chairs to go around. Perhaps the best reason to stay here is the beach—a fairly narrow but sparkling white strand with more elbow room than its sister beaches; the rocky bottom may have something to do with that, but it’s a good place to learn to surf and a great place to catnap in the sun. One warning: the hotel lobby may feel overly commercial to some, what with a row of gift shops and a hard-to-miss timeshare desk, but it’s easy enough to ignore, if you wish.

If you’re looking for tropical tranquillity, bypass Maui’s buzzy resort enclaves and head away from the coast to the island’s laid-back Upcountry, where you’ll find Lumeria. At the 24-room wellness retreat, visitors can start the day with a guided sunrise meditation, then strengthen their yoga practice, learn to hula or surf, and go snorkeling off the North Shore. Spa treatments include Hawaiian massage and acupuncture as well as nontraditional therapies like crystal healing and shaman-led journeys. The schedule is flexible, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn about Hawaii’s paniolo (cowboy) culture or just take in the ocean views from your private lanai. Guest rooms feature art by local Maui artists, four-poster beds topped with organic linens, and stone-tile showers stocked with Aveda products, while the Wooden Crate restaurant prepares farm-to-table meals with nearly 200 types of fruits and vegetables that grow on the property.

The &Beyond Ngala Safari Lodge is located on the Ngala Private Game Reserve, an unfenced private concession wedged between the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park. &Beyond leases the land from World Wildlife Fund South Africa and donates a portion of its profits to the South African National Parks Trust. As a result, the trust has been able to fund special projects and maintain West Coast National Park, located just an hour north of Cape Town.

Conservation efforts aside, &Beyond Nagala Safari Lodge is most known for offering a luxury safari experience. Guests can spot wildlife from the lounge, then be completely surrounded by the bush in their air-conditioned rooms. Have breakfast under the shade of an enormous weeping boer bean tree, while away hours at the pool with a book and your favorite drink, and indulge in a fireside dinner, surrounded by lanterns and candles. During their stay, guests even enjoy a dedicated vehicle and tracker team to guide them on twice-daily drives, bush strolls, and walking safaris. The lodge is about an hour’s drive from Hoedspruit Airport, but Airlink also operates daily direct flights from Johannesburg and Nelspruit to Ngala’s private airstrip.