Afar
6 Ghost Towns to Visit Along Route 66
The Mother Road caused the rise and fall of many businesses and towns in the USA, creating abandoned buildings you can still visit today.
Afar
The 9 Best Historic Hotels in the United States in 2026 and Why Each Is Worth Traveling For
Book a storied stay at one of these winners of the 2026 Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence.
Condé Nast Traveler
The Best Airports in the World for Art, According to the “Oscars of the Aviation Industry”
From Denver to Mumbai, these artsy airports show that beauty can still be found in the most stressful of places.
Condé Nast Traveler
17 Best US Family Vacation Spots to Get Everyone Off Their Phone and Spending Time Together
From Cape Cod to Charleston, these destinations promise fun for the whole family.
Outside
7 Best U.S. Accommodations for Stargazing—and Yes, I’ve Stayed at All of Them
Astrotourism columnist Stephanie Vermillion travels the world for dark skies and starry stays. These are seven of her favorites in the U.S., with amenities like stargazing sound baths and aurora hunting from bed.
Condé Nast Traveler
5 Underrated Halloween Towns Across the US
Some are abandoned Gold Rush boomtowns; others are rife with haunted history. All are worth skipping Salem for.
Outside
You Can Spend the Night Inside These 6 Spooky Ghost Towns
From restored miners’ cabins in Montana to desert outpost campgrounds in Nevada and California, these places offer an eerie overnight experience that no hotel can match.
Atlas Obscura
The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway
Nothing beats staying in a hotel whose suites hold some stories — especially if they’re of the spooky variety. The same friends who roll their eyes at mentions of luxury amenities and amazing views will be wide-eyed when you tell them about the ghost you accidentally ate breakfast with, the wailings you heard on your way to the icebox, or your run-in with an uncanny Victorian woman wearing all…
Atlas Obscura
23rd Street Mural in Austin, Texas
Painted in 1974 on the side of a building near the University of Texas campus, the 23rd Street Mural looks at first like a gloriously weird artifact from old Austin. Look closer and things get stranger. Its sprawling cast of characters, creatures and landmarks includes real people, legendary clubs, armadillos, political movements, underground comics, a health-care revolution, Willie Nelson, moo…
Outside
Cold Springs, Trail Runs, and BBQ: How to Do Austin Right, According to a Local
When triple-digit summer heat finally breaks, Austin becomes an outdoor paradise. A long-time resident shares where to run, swim, eat, and catch live music without the hassle.
National Geographic
Austin, Texas: The College Town That Became a Metropolis but Kept Its Soul
With its boisterous UT football games, brisket worth standing in line for, great vintage shops, and legendary live music scene, the capital of the Lone Star State scores highly with students and ...
Atlas Obscura
Cryptid Tourism: The Best Museums, Destinations & Festivals Across America
What is a cryptid? A cryptid is an animal whose existence has been suggested but not proven by science—creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, and the Jersey Devil. The term comes from cryptozoology, the study of “hidden animals.” Quick Reference: Cryptid Destinations at a Glance Destination Location Cryptid Hours Admission Access Notes International Cryptozoology Museum…
Condé Nast Traveler
11 National Parks That Are Even More Beautiful in the Fall
Enjoy changing leaves in Shenandoah and cooler days in Big Bend.
Lonely Planet
The Best Día de Muertos Celebrations in the United States
You don
Atlas Obscura
North American Cryptid Museum in Plano, Texas
Allen Hopps, owner and creator of the North American Cryptid Museum (NACM) in Plano, Texas, has a message he wants everyone to hear: Our world needs monsters! He is on a quest to bring you face-to-face with our homegrown North American monsters. As a kid who was afraid of the dark, he’s come a long way. His first love was the werewolf. The Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot were not far behind. Afte…
afar.com
Afar
Delta Launches Its First-Ever Route to Paris From This Texas City
Austinites have a lot to look forward to this spring with a brand-new flight to the City of Light. Travelers dreaming of seeing Monet’s water lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie, browsing the bookshops ...
Lonely Planet
9 of the best Christmas markets in the USA
Visit the best festive European-style markets without leaving the US.
Condé Nast Traveler
Where to Stay Near White Sands National Park: Glamping Domes, Casitas, and Boutique Hotels
Featuring colorful Southwestern style almost as beautiful as the national park backdrop.
Atlas Obscura
Plum Creek Bridge in Luling, Texas
Between Luling and Gonzales on HWY 183 in southern Caldwell County lies the Plum Creek Bridge. This truss bridge was built in 1931 by Virginia Bridge and Iron Company and served as a busy thoroughfare until 1995 when it was bypassed by a new set of concrete bridges. It is now a pedestrian only bridge that is used for scenic photo shoots, bird watching, and hiking and biking. It is open to the p…
Lonely Planet
The 7 best wellness retreats in the US
Whether it’s a yoga retreat in the mountains or a spa getaway in the desert, the US is filled with wellness resorts all dedicated to rejuvenation.
Atlas Obscura
The Old Place at Sam Houston Park in Houston, Texas
At the edge of downtown lies Sam Houston Park, a manicured green haven that doubles as a time capsule. While the park is home to the Houston Heritage Society Museum which includes several historic structures, none are older, or more resilient, than a humble, rough-hewn log structure known simply as The Old Place. Constructed around 1823, this cedar cabin is widely believed to be the oldest rema…
National Geographic
Everything You Should Know About Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas’s highest peak crowns a 260-million-year-old fossil reef in this remote park, where the Chihuahuan Desert gives way to limestone canyons, dark skies, and the finest fall foliage in the Southwest ...
Atlas Obscura
"The Storm" Dallas Arts District Mural in Dallas, Texas
"The artist must be sacrificed to their art like the bees, they must put their lives into the sting they give" Read the words painted across the exposed walls of the parking garage, dramatically introducing the epic mural below. The Storm is a masterpiece of swirling painted concrete figures conducted by a wild-haired maestro -- representing the chaos of the artist's process. The entire mural t…
Lonely Planet
The best new hotels in the world
Lonely Planet writer and frequent checker-in-er Rebecca Wallwork shares her picks for the best new hotels in the world for 2026.
Lonely Planet
The 9 best Formula 1 circuits in the world
Check out these stalwarts of the Formula 1 circuit for the best race experiences.
Atlas Obscura
Roadside America Museum in Hillsboro, Texas
Carroll Estes has spent his life fixated on the past. Professionally, he made his living through his restoration shop Carroll’s Classic Auto Body. Personally, he was snapping up pieces of 1950s memorabilia, relics, and iconography before they were even retro, amassing an impressive enough collection by 1975 to begin showing it off to the public. That collection has since grown so massive that i…
Atlas Obscura
Old Jail Art Center in Albany, Texas
Across miles of pulverulent vistas from any significant landmark or population center, a fortress of ornately carved limestone blocks imprisons something truly anomalous in small-town central Texas. Built in 1878 as the cutting edge of carceral facilities, the two-story structure once held Albany's frontier miscreants behind heavy steel doors and thick stone walls, but those prisoners are long…
Outside
I Rode a Mechanical Bull on a Floating Rodeo—and It Was Every Bit as Wild as It Sounds
A mechanical bull, floating dance floor, baby goats, and country music turned an ordinary day on Lake Travis into one of the most delightfully over-the-top summer events in Texas.
Lonely Planet
Missing the Calgary Stampede this year? Here are the 12 best towns to experience cowboy core
Whatever your vision of the ideal cowboy core experience, channel your inner John Wayne or Annie Oakley in one of these frontier towns.
BBC Travel
The US that World Cup fans didn't expect to love
From roadside convenience stores to lonely landscapes, travellers are discovering little-known slices of Americana away from the host cities.
National Geographic
7 equestrian experiences to embrace your inner cowboy
These trips let you discover some of the world's most iconic horse-riding cultures and traditions — and explore wild landscapes straight from the saddle.
Condé Nast Traveler
These Iconic National Park Hotels Are Some of the USA's Most Beautiful Stays
From historic lodges to sprawling ranch resorts, these stunning spots are worth planning your next trip around.
Outside
Adventure Everywhere in Austin, Texas
With the right perspective, and the right vehicle, you can find Adventure Everywhere
Skift
Waldorf Astoria, Aman, and Auberge Invest in Texas Hill Country
These may read as bets on new Texas wealth. They’re also real estate plays, with branded residential as the anchor that makes the hotels financeable.
Outside
How to Book a Great National Park Campsite Every Time
Even as a seasoned camper, I learned the hard way that a map does not tell the whole story. These simple steps will help you find a private camping spot and avoid the crowds on your next national park trip.
Outside
The 9 Dreamiest Beach Camping Escapes Across the U.S.
Beach camping sites are hard to find and reserve the closer you get to peak season, so we won't gatekeep. Book these coveted spots from Assateague Island to the Kalalau Trail, before they are gone.
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Smithsonian Magazine
Here Are 250 Places to Visit to Celebrate America's 250th Birthday. How Many Have You Been To?
Journey around the nation with this interactive map, divided by region or category, and discover American history in a way you’ve never seen before
Condé Nast Traveler
27 Adult Spring Break Destinations That Might Surprise You
Off-peak destinations with mild weather and fewer crowds, from Antigua to Holland.
Atlas Obscura
Old ‘Hanging’ Oak in Houston, Texas
In a town preoccupied with literally tearing down its past like Houston, a tree that's been around for four centuries should be more significant. Instead the live oak blocks away from Allen's landing in downtown has the more sinister but false stigma attached to it as a hanging tree. It even had a plaque in place calling it the old hanging oak until its removal in the 1990s. While there are som…
Atlas Obscura
Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery in Amarillo, Texas
It’s hard to miss the Big Texan Steak Ranch. There’s the bright yellow building, the giant fiberglass cow and of course the restaurant’s 90-foot-tall cowboy sign. Of course to call this eatery and brewery a “restaurant” vastly understates its place as a historical icon along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas. There are many reasons to stop here for a meal, but its Texas-size challenge is surely the w…
National Geographic
The best pizza spots in the U.S. that aren't in New York or Chicago
New York City has more pizzerias with more variety than any other city in America. Meanwhile, Chicago has its own deep-dish style that no New York pizza spot has been able to successfully replicate.