Author: Ms. R.

Visitors to this museum are invited to meet their meat, specifically the Charolais cattle breed that is the pride of the region and a source of high-quality beef in France and beyond.  For that reason, you’ll see Charolais cattle in fields along the drive to the Maison du Charolais, as well as at the interactive museum itself, which aims to show the production process (from grass to beef) and the regulations surrounding the breed, from the size of the stables to……

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Brooklyn is famous for the trifecta of beaches at its southern end: Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach. However, just a little further east is a secluded area run by the National Parks Service that offers access to the same waters and view, but without the crowds. The area is known as Plum Island, probably because of the plums that once grew on this collection of mudflats and saltmarsh. The island was a popular stopping point for sailors,……

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In the late 1920s, deep in the southern Iraqi desert, British archeologist Leonard Woolley uncovered the most lavish Mesopotamian tomb ever discovered. The 4,500-year-old skeleton was draped in gold and precious stones. Golden rings decorated each finger, a golden-looped belt lay across the waist and a golden headdress with intricately wrought leaves and standing flowers adorned the head. Three more bodies, presumably servants, accompanied the royal skeleton. But the resplendent grave goods are not the only reason the discovery……

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The busy Condesa neighborhood is home to a run-down park with the best-kept secret in the place. A bamboo fence hides within Parque España a small secret garden that functions as an audiorama. The principle of audiorama is to enjoy relaxing music or sounds that are played inside. At the entrance, a trunk with books welcomes visitors who want to enjoy reading in one of the garden’s many seating options. There are tables, benches, and swings to enjoy the garden. In……

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Ever seen a 250-pound wooden acorn, a Pulitzer Prize, ceramics from a wealthy Black family’s home in the post-Civil War South; or buttons from a Revolutionary War uniform? They’re among the scores of unique objects, photos, and stories on display at Annapolis: An American Story. The exhibit connects the story of Annapolis as one of the birthplaces of American liberty to its role in the Civil Rights movement and the Naval Academy. The several exhibits are a quick tour……

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Jokelan Tiilitehdas is a historical brick factory founded in 1874. Inside, visitors are free to explore the romantic industrial building and enter a long brick oven designed in 1930. The once-mighty factory is open for visitors during the summer, when it operates as a museum, cultural center, and bar hosting live music, theater, and art exhibitions. The founding location of the factory was no accident as the land is rich in clay and was located along the very first……

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This Greek revival-style house was built on a 246-acre plantation in an area known today as Brookland. It changed ownership several times and has served several purposes since its construction in the 1830s. The location has operated as a boarding house, an academy, and a women’s shelter to name a few. It’s currently the Headquarters for the Public Access Corporation for the District of Columbia (DCTV).  The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975,……

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Many places are described as time capsules, but few live up to the description like The Shelter in Tucson, Arizona. This dive bar has served thirsty Tucsonans since 1961, and despite the passage of time, it’s as funky as ever.  The name, exterior, and decor are all nods to the Cold War. As in, the whole place was designed to look like a fallout shelter. Like a “real” fallout shelter, the exterior is windowless and clad in white stucco……

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The Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada don’t fit a number of Nevada stereotypes. They’re much better watered than most other mountain ranges in the Great Basin, supporting abundant streams and even alpine lakes. The bedrock is also largely granite or metamorphic rock, very different from the volcanic and sedimentary rocks that underlie many other Nevada ranges. And they were heavily glaciated in the Pleistocene, so they have glacial landforms reminiscent of the Sierra Nevada.   Lamoille Canyon, in particular,……

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In Richmond, Virginia, a museum simply known as The Valentine tells the story of the city’s 400-year past. Set in a beautiful neoclassical building that dates to 1812, it was founded on the fortune one man made from his meat juice—which is exactly what it sounds like. Before it became a museum, The Valentine was the home of dry goods merchant Mann S. Valentine II. In the fall of 1870, Valentine’s wife Anne Maria fell ill, apparently suffering from……

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