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At this Charleston hit, James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Brock reinterprets traditional Southern dishes with a steadfast commitment to local and regional ingredients—the restaurant even has its own garden. Constantly changing, the menu is filled with inventive new takes on Southern cuisine, such as pig’s ear lettuce wraps done up “buffalo” or “Kentukyaki” style.

Don’t miss the Carolina Grouper—it’s one of the most beautiful dishes at this establishment, and a regional classic you have to try while visiting Charleston.

Note that the restaurant also has locations in Nashville, TN and Savannah, GA.

French Polynesia has so much to experience, it is hard to decide what is a must-do. You can swim, snorkel, and watch expert surfers in the azure waters; doze on a white-sand beach and wake for fresh-caught tuna and a Tahitian sunset; or sleep in blissful French Polynesian bungalows overlooking blue lagoons. These jaw dropping beautiful islands in the South Pacific offer endless possibilities—why not try them all?

Miami’s food scene reflects South Florida’s diverse culture and international flavor, attracting some of the best culinary talent in the world (and more than its fair share of James Beard Award winners). And when the call of comfort food beckons, head to a down-home restaurant for local favorites like stone crab and fried chicken.

A challenging dayhike with a glacial-lake view at the end, and then Bratwurst-und-Bier for dinner: a perfect summer’s day in Washington State’s central Cascades! Take Icicle Creek Road from the town of Leavenworth to Eight Mile Road, then turn left and follow it up to where it ends at the trailhead to Lakes Stuart and Colchuck. This is a forested granite peaks wonderland. The switchbacks are shaded and crisscross streams; waterfalls will replenish your canteen...At 5800' you arrive at Lake Colchuck, glacially-colored beneath Dragon Tail Peak and Aasgard Pass (The NW’s Nordic heritage is evident here.) You might be gasping for adjectives, but you’ll understand why this area is called “The Enchantments.” Back down in civilization, feed your post-9-mile-hike-appetite with hearty Teutonic fare; Leavenworth is a mining-town-cum-Bavarian-hamlet--faux, but well-done. The pseudo-German architecture hosts many eateries, including München Haus--with its outdoor Biergarten, it will welcome even sweaty hikers. Several kinds of Wurst are available, served with local microbrews. Slake your thirst and savor the scenery... (About 2 1/2 hours from Seattle.)

Falls Church is home to arguably the best Chinese in the Washington, D.C. area. Since 1978, generations of the Tsui Family have operated this upscale northern Chinese cuisine establishment, and their clientele have included members of the U.S. Congress, cabinet secretaries, Pentagon bigwigs, Hollywood celebrities, visiting dignitaries, and the Bush presidential families (their favorite restaurant) as seen in the framed photographs that adorn the red-and-gold dining rooms. The crispy Peking Duck wrapped in house-made pancakes with hoisin sauce and locally-sourced spring onions is the house speciality. Along with the duck, order the Four Season String Beans, Szechuan Beef Proper, Juo-Yen Shrimp, and Lamb Chops Peking Style which make up the famous five-course “Bush Special.”

“Dude” is a word that’s used a lot around Rancho Pescadero, a small hotel in the surfing town of Todos Santos, located in the Mexican state of Baja California. The rooms here, however, don’t reflect the dude aesthetic, which is to say they are clean and classy. Spacious suites offer comfortable spots to relax, with most having retractable glass doors that eliminate barriers between indoors and outdoors and open up onto terraces that have hammocks or lounge beds. Terra-cotta tile floors, rattan and wood furniture, and locally made accents—such as hand-embroidered throw pillows—are some of the decor elements found in rooms. Surfers won’t feel totally out of their element, though; world-famous breaks are less than 10 minutes away and staff can give pointers on the best spots to hang ten. Apart from surfing, the hotel encourages guests to spend a lot of time relaxing and immersing themselves in the laid-back Baja lifestyle.

Swift streams and waterfalls continue to carve these vertiginous and rugged valleys as they pour into the sea. One of the most stunning wilderness areas on earth, it also contains ancient Hawaiian ruins of graves, temples, house platforms, and terraced fields. The fear factor increases past the initial two-mile path to Hanakāpīʻai Beach (best visited in summertime, as winter swells tend to wash it away). Only experienced hikers in good condition and with proper gear should venture further along the famous 11-mile Kalalau Trail. Check for path and park closures before making plans and don’t forget the $20/night permit to crash at a campsite. However long you trek, stay on the main path and pack out what you brought in.

You’ll go for the fresh fish--namely salmon, black cod, and halibut. But you’ll want to stay forever thanks to the increasingly-excellent restaurant scene. Yes, Alaska is finally on the map when it comes to destination dining. Enjoy one of the state’s top dining spots right outside Denali National Park, stellar wine lists all around Anchorage, and plenty of smoked salmon all down the Kenai Peninsula. Pro tip: Head to the top floor of the Captain Cook Hotel on clear nights for apps and cocktails and a view of Cook Inlet that you’ll never forget.

On a perfect spring day, Boston turns into a giant walking tour. The city’s top attractions tend to spill over from one to the other, inviting visitors to just keep going. On other days? Well, luckily there’s the T. For one of America’s most celebrated walking tours, walk the Freedom Trail, which takes you to 16 sites central to American history, including the Massachusetts State House and the Paul Revere House and so much more. Here are some of the best things to do in Boston.

The sprawling contemporary museum, MASS MoCA, is responsible for bringing North Adams to life, and offers some of the most cutting edge art around. Xu Bing’s Tobacco Project {above} is made from over half a million cigarettes arranged to mimic a tiger skin rug. It makes a thought provoking statement on the global tobacco trade, luxury and colonialism, and is typical of the installations you will see there. The complex also hosts a variety of musical events including dance and films. Luckily Split, the in house restaurant has coffee, treats and tasty lunches.

The Santa Monica Pier embodies what Southern California is all about: fun in the sun. Popular with tourists and locals alike, this iconic boardwalk adjacent to the Pacific Ocean—filled with all the amusement rides, midway games, fried food, ice cream and cotton candy you can dream up—is a fantastic place to spend a nice day. My favorite attractions are the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and the world’s first solar-paneled Ferris wheel, which provides breathtaking beach and ocean views as you ride ‘round and ‘round. Be sure to dip your toes in the soft Santa Monica sand, too. Nearby, you’ll find the Third Street Promenade, a bustling entertainment district filled with wonderful eateries and shops.

I especially enjoyed the pool at the hotel. I sat at the tropical pool and read and then swam for a while.There is an outdoor bar and food service so I had lunch poolside. The service was attentive and friendly. There are several restaurants and a gift shop at the hotel. This hotel is not directly on the beach but there is trolley service to take you to and from the beach. The Hutchinson Island Marriott Resort is a 200 acre resort with a hotel, pools, fitness center, golf, tennis,beaches, water sports, and a 77 boat slip marina. The area, Hutchinson Island, is very tropical and beautiful. I enjoyed my day while visiting with friends. They had a great vacation at the Marriott. This resort is the winner in the “Local Weekend Getaway” category for the 2013 Reader’s Choice. (Martin County, Florida).

(Note: Google insists this is Kamuela, it is Kohala) The lava coast of Kohala on the Big Island is dramatic. Waves dash against the black rocks relentlessly until eons from now they will be sand. True, there are fewer white-sand beaches per square foot of land on the Big Island than others in the Hawaiian chain, but the island is huge. Beaches here often hold secrets, are the sources of legends, and are part of the circle of life for creatures indigenous to Hawaii. There have been lava flows since the ahapua’a land divisions were formed, but from the very tops of the mountains running to the sea, most beaches remain intact. One of my favorites is in a little inlets fronting the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on Makaiwa Bay called Keiki Beach. Not for much swimming, it is a sandy-bottomed dipper’s delight or, as the name states, a place for children (keiki) to play in. A tree for shade, sand, tide pools to explore, a canoe house (hale) covering a koa canoe nearby, and a friendly turtle (honu) who feeds here are all part of what could be a perfect day. There is surf off the point in winter and snorkeling in other seasons. You might even want to rinse off and have lunch at the Mauna Lani pool restaurant. Parking is a good 15 minute walk via a trail. Follow signs to public parking off Mauna Lani Drive, bring water and beach gear, and get there early. Of course you could stay at the Mauna Lani Hotel and Bungalows too. http://www.maunalani.com/

Mercury Lounge is one of the best places to be seen in this see and be seen city. Abide by the dress code or risk being turned away—but if you make it in, revel in the views of the Gulf and the Burj Al Arab, the sophisticated crowd, and the delicious (pricey) drinks.

Built from 1892 to 1894, this uniquely intact Victorian mansion was the home of German-American philanthropist and beer magnate Christian Heurich. Considered the world’s oldest brewmaster, he ran the Christian Heurich Brewery on the site where the Kennedy Center now stands—until his death in 1945 at the age of 102. At this museum, visitors can learn the story of one of D.C.'s most successful entrepreneurs and his family, his influence on America’s brewing industry, and the construction of his 31-room mansion. As D.C.'s first fireproof home (he had a fear of fire), it is replete with hand-carved wood, 15 fireplaces with individually carved mantles, hand-painted ceiling canvases, luxurious furnished rooms, original Heurich family heirlooms, a bierstube (“beer room”), elevator shaft, and gas and electric lighting fixtures.