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Travel

Herders have used cowbells as tracking devices for livestock for thousands of years, a practice that continues today.

See 15 Sensational Scenes of Switzerland, Europe’s Alpine Wonderland That’s Beautiful No Matter the Season

These dramatic images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture the splendor of the European nation home to castles, alpine huts, snow-capped mountains and much more

Málaga’s famous espetos, or sardines, are cooked over an open flame in traditional blue fishing boats right on the beach.

Coastal Cities of Europe

Chiringuitos Offer the Quintessential Beach Bar Experience on Spain’s Costa del Sol

Steeped in history, the seafood joints are evolving to keep up with a global clientele and tightening environmental regulations

Two U.S. Navy officers stroll past the sunlit Georgian splendor of Middleton Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland. Horatio Middleton established the tavern here in 1750. Today, visitors can order classic Chesapeake seafood, including oysters and rockfish.

America's 250th Anniversary

Follow in the Footsteps of the Founders and Have a Drink Where They Planned the Revolution Over a Few Beers

Taverns, public houses and inns served as meeting places before the war and unofficial headquarters during it. Some still stand—including these nine, where you can raise a glass in memory of the founders

The Mercer Botanic Gardens in Houston, Texas, has its own Shakespeare garden.

Shakespeare Gardens Around the World Honor the Playwright—and Hold Their Own Storied History

The curated plots of flowers, herbs and trees serve as windows into Shakespeare’s work and life

Roo Satay, a dish at Attica, in Melbourne, featuring a skewer of grilled red kangaroo and rice studded with native fruits and wattleseeds, which were traditionally ground into flour for bread.

How Australian Chefs and Farmers Are Rediscovering the Ingredients That Have Been There All Along

From kangaroo grass to Kakadu plums, native foods are redefining diners’ taste buds and deepening their connection to the land

A child’s grin stretches from ear to ear in Bani.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 15 Images of Wondrous West Africa From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Journey to Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso and many more nations through this gallery of the people, culture and wildlife of the region

The Tougaloo Nine, from left: Joseph Jackson Jr., Geraldine Edwards, James Bradford, Evelyn Pierce, Albert Lassiter, Ethel Sawyer, Meredith Anding Jr., Janice Jackson and Alfred Cook

Traveling Along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

Nine Black College Students Were Arrested in 1961 for Reading at a Segregated Public Library. Their Contributions to the Civil Rights Movement Have Long Been Overlooked

Known as the Tougaloo Nine, the demonstrators staged a sit-in that helped the NAACP push for the desegregation of public spaces in Mississippi’s capital

A young living root bridge, barely a decade old, is seen from the deck of a much older root bridge on the same riverbed. Five months after I shot this photograph, monsoon rains triggered a landslide that sent boulders crashing into the younger bridge. It absorbed the impact and shielded the older bridge downstream.

In One of the Wettest Places on the Planet, Indigenous People Build Bridges and Ladders Out of Living Tree Roots

For hundreds of years, Khasi and Jaintia people in Meghalaya, India, have woven the roots of Indian rubber trees into structures that help them navigate flooded areas

A Nepali woman prepares momo.

A History of Momo, the Dumpling That Defines Nepali Cuisine

Though its exact origins are unknown, the staple is widely traced back to trade with Tibet

A koala bear perches high in a tree in Port Lincoln as tourists approach.

View Australia’s Wonderful Wildlife, Including Kangaroos, Koalas and Crocs, With These 15 Photographs

See some darling—and some dangerous—animals in images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama

Traveling Along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

Traveling Along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

Take in some of the sites and landmarks across the American South that were pivotal to the Civil Rights Movement and the advancement of social justice

A perch from the high plateaus surrounding Bryce Canyon offers a beautiful, tunnel-vision view of the national park’s wintry peaks. 

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Grab Your Hot Cocoa and Enjoy These 20 Gorgeous Images of Snowy Landscapes

These highlights from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest feature winter wonderlands

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Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

This series will trace how the American West’s identity has been shaped by its people, landscapes and legacies

Coyote jumps high after a fresh October snowfall in Yellowstone National Park.

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

See 15 Wild and Wondrous Photographs of Yellowstone National Park

Take a virtual tour of the nation’s first—and some say most beautiful—national park

Jaguars in Porto Jofre, Brazil, support a lucrative tourism industry, leading conservationists to argue that the big cats are most valuable when they’re alive.

In the World’s Best Place to See Wild Jaguars, Residents Are Using the Big Cat’s Appeal to Reach Conservation Goals

Brazil’s Pantanal region has the highest jaguar density on Earth, drawing camera-toting visitors to its riverbanks. Despite overtourism concerns, one enclave may offer a model for how to protect the charismatic apex predator

The Citadel of Dinant, a clifftop fortress more than 500 years old, looms above colorful buildings lining the Meuse River.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Behold Belgium’s Beauty in These 15 Scenic Photographs

See for yourself why the country is called the ‘heart of Europe’

An Egyptian chef prepares koshary at Abou Tarek in downtown Cairo.

The Layered History of Koshary, Egypt’s Most Beloved Street Food

Now popping up in upscale restaurants, the carb-loaded national dish recently earned a spot on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage

Letter from Karl, Gertrude Abercrombie, 1940. Oil on canvas. 24 x 30 in.

Meet the ‘Bop Artist’ Who Was Inspired by Dreams and Hosted Some Surreal Salons in Her Chicago Brownstone

Dizzy Gillespie said his friend Gertrude Abercrombie was able to translate the spirit of jazz music onto a canvas

A full-scale reconstruction of the 1738 Fort Mose was built in 2025 after decades of planning and archaeological research.

The Little-Known Story of the Enslaved Africans Who Found Freedom in the European Fight Over North America

Long before the famous Underground Railroad, those seeking freedom from slavery traveled on foot, by boat and under cover of darkness to Fort Mose in Spanish-controlled Florida

Pastis is an anise-flavored aperitif that was invented in 1932 in Marseille, France.

Coastal Cities of Europe

Get a Taste of Coastal Europe Through These Seven Spirits

From aquavit to pastis, these libations have notes of flavor and history

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