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The Pacific Asia Museum’s collection includes art and artifacts from the Pacific Islands and Asia, and the museum offers free cell phone audio tours in multiple languages. The audio tour includes a curatorial tour, a family-friendly tour focusing on animals and legends that appeal to kids, and a poetry series featuring original music and poetry relevant to the collections. Even if you’re not a shopper, don’t miss the gift shop as you leave. One of the highlights of my visit was discovering the gift shop’s collection of old photographs (certified, authentic, and matted for sale)—most are originals taken in Asia during the 1800s and early 1900s.

A great find in Southern Maine, a beautiful five mile beach with spectacular views and long stretches of white sand. No place can compare to the beauty that this beach embraces that families have come to summer for many generations. A perfect day to relax, take advantage of the many water activities out in Goose Rocks Bay overlooking Timber Island. There’s something for everyone around every corner of Goose Rocks. Be sure to check it out while your in Southern Maine. Just bear in mind during the summer months you will need a parking sticker, which can be purchased directly from the Kennebunkport Police Department or Kennebunkport Town Hall.

If you’re hungry for a deliciously carb-heavy Hawaiian plate lunch, why not go to Rainbow Drive-in and enjoy a meal fit for a president? It’s true: President Obama ate there as a kid and tries to make it back during his visits. Starting at 7 am, you can order up a big plate of mahi-mahi, eggs, and rice (or the omnipresent Spam). Lunch specials include loco moco, BBQ ahi, fried chicken, and chili dogs, with plenty of gravy poured over everything. Best of all, nothing on the menu is over $9, making this a rare bargain on a very expensive island. Stop at their shop next door for seasonings and souvenirs on your way out.

What do Al Capone and Bruce Willis have in common? They both did time here at Eastern State Penitentiary. (OK, Willis wasn’t an inmate, but he did shoot the film 12 Monkeys here.) The facility’s first inmate was brought through these doors in 1829, and the prison was in use until 1971. After closing, it became a target for vandals and housed a sizable colony of stray cats. Real estate developers proposed repurposing it as condominiums (high-security, of course), but preservationists won out. They raised funds to stabilize the crumbling interior and remove trees that were growing inside some cells. Wander through its stark interior and learn about the fascinating history of this unique site and its previous tenants, including Capone. Don’t miss the special art installations that are on display here all year round.

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.

Only kahuna (priests) and alii nui (chiefs) were eligible to visit the Heiau (temples) at Puukohola. The site was dedicated in 1791 before the kapu (taboo) system that included human sacrifice was dissolved in 1819. Now a National Historic Site, visitors can find stone monuments at the site where Hawaii’s sometimes violent history played out. The temples were destroyed in 1819 with the end of the organized worship of the Hawaiian gods and only platforms remain. The surrounding area was used for farming and settlements.

An anchor in CityCentre (the 37-acre, mixed-use development unveiled in west Houston in 2009), Hotel Sorella has an intimate, boutique feel with graphic interior touches and contemporary furnishings. Guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in showers, and custom beds with Egyptian cotton linens and non-allergenic goose down and foam pillows. Amid 22 upscale shops (Lululemon, Kendra Scott, Anthropologie, Free People, Paper Source, and H&M) and an eight-screen Studio Movie Grill, the hotel’s back door is an outdoor plaza with green space where kids can run around. Musicians play Wednesday through Saturday. The open-air, European-style development caters to pedestrians and alfresco dining.

This gallery has two locations and both are jammed-packed with artwork. When you walk in you have to maneuver around the paintings and artwork that are not only hanging on the walls but propped up on the floor. Every square inch of space is utilized. This contemporary gallery fashions art from all different types of artists using all different methods, oil, acrylic, sculpture. They have paintings that evoke serenity and others that are vibrant and in your face. It is truly a diverse collection.

Sandwiched between the White House, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Willard Hotel, this legendary spot since 1906 has catered to visitors, power brokers, celebrities, sports icons, and literary figures with its stellar food and service. Inside, frames upon frames of such individuals surround the restaurant. The outdoor dining area feels cozy amidst the hustle and bustle of Pennsylvania Avenue. Brunches are relaxed and feature a wonderful blend of starters, entreés and sides such as fluffy crab omelette, salmon tartar, shrimp n’ grits, and poached eggs in sausage.

Driving between Globe and Show Low in the White Mountains east of Phoenix, US 60 curves and descends dramatically into the Salt River Canyon. Some call it the ‘mini Grand Canyon.’ The highway snakes down some 2000 feet before climbing back up... Spring brings snowmelt and whitewater rafting...by late summer, the monsoon rains are keeping the river muddy and turbulent...Several parking areas allow you to pull off the two-lane road; breathe in the views, stretch your legs on Apache land.

An iconic name in Portland retail—as well as among readers who have never been to the city—Powell’s has multiple locations on both sides of the Willamette. The downtown store remains the one best suited for visitors to explore, with miles of used reads, a tightly curated selection of books from the knowledgeable staff, and every Portland-themed book you could hope to find under one roof. A renovation in 2014 opened up the space and made it feel less like a warehouse of dusty stacks, an improvement that bodes well for the future of the business. Author appearances, even those at the satellite branches, are some of Portland’s best events for interesting discussions.

LON’s at The Hermosa Inn is our favorite in the Scottsdale area because the outdoor patio dining has a genuine vintage Southwestern feel. The indoor dining experience is superb, but for the ultimate romantic atmosphere try to reserve a spot on the patio. The use of authentic Arizona flavors with cutting-edge trends speaks to what you will find on the menu when dining at LON’s. We go for the fantastic food, and stay for the wonderful ambience. Cocktails start as early as 5 p.m. with delightful bar food during happy hour. Oh, and the bartender makes very interesting drinks. Speaking of the past, when cowboy artist Alonzo “Lon” Megargee first built the place in the 1930s, it was to be a private home, but he took in guests for extra money. A cowboy artist can always use some extra cash.

If you want to vacation like British royalty, visit the mosquito-shaped island of Mustique, which Naomi Campbell, Mick Jagger, and Princess Margaret have all called their home away from home. Once on land, there’s no better place to stay than the Cotton House, a private retreat that feels like the lap of luxury. Set on 13 acres of cerulean beachfront and gardens thick with jasmine and frangipani, the 20 rooms and suites are awash in neutral hues inspired by their surroundings, with wicker pendant lighting, ikat throw pillows, and breezy mosquito nets over the beds. Explore the coral reefs near the shoreline in a glass-bottom kayak, or improve your backhand with help from the resident tennis pro. After a day of sun-soaked adventure, dine on fresh-caught specialties (pan-seared barracuda, Caribbean-style sushi) at Veranda restaurant, then retire to the Great Room, a colonial-inspired lounge offering rare and local rums.

Snorkel, fish, relax and recover while you’re in Panama on Contador Island, in the Pearl Islands Archipelago. These beautiful boats are ready for hire (in hugely affordable fashion) once you’ve left Panama City and landed on this enchanting island. With Air Panama there appear to be two or three short (45 minutes) flights a day that will get you there from Panama City. Be sure to pack your swimsuit, a good book and some sunscreen. This is a very small island and you can explore land on foot or by a rental scooter to see it all. In Spanish, Contador means ‘the one that counts’, and it’s easy to make your day on the island count with a local rental boat. Your captain (that will inevitably also be fishing while you’re moving) are a reliable way to go and find nearby remote snorkel locations. Be sure to agree on the price before you head out for your big day on the water.

Just a five-minute boat ride from St. Vincent, Young Island is both a private resort and the first in the Grenadine islands chain. Here, you’ll find a small, white-sand beach facing the channel that separates the island from the mainland. It’s technically for hotel guests only, but go for lunch at the very good beachside restaurant and bring your bathing suit—the resort won’t mind if you take a quick dip after your meal.