Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

"The numbers are incredible," says photographer Suzi Eszterhas of the multitudes of migrating wildebeests that cross from Tanzania to Kenya and back each year.

For Wildebeests, Danger Ahead

Africa’s wildebeest migration pits a million thundering animals against a gantlet of perils, even—some experts fear—climate change

Memories are stored in a region of the brain called the hippocampus, shown in red in this computer illustration.

How Our Brains Make Memories

Surprising new research about the act of remembering may help people with post-traumatic stress disorder

When some turtles swim south in the fall, scores of them get trapped by Cape Cod, where many die of hypothermia.

Saving the World’s Most Endangered Sea Turtle

Stranded on Cape Cod beaches, these Kemp’s ridley turtles are getting a helping hand from volunteers and researchers

None

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Running elephants, far-flying mosquitos, ancient crocodiles and more…

Anthropologist Bruno Frohlich with a 1920 Czech viola at the National Museum of Natural History.

Scanning a Stradivarius

Medical 3-D imaging makes it possible to study the world’s greatest stringed instruments – and uncover the secrets of its makers

Rick Steves’ Europe: Aero, Denmark

On this small island on the south edge of Denmark, visitors wander down picturesque streets of thatched cottages and savor the coastal views

Rick Steves’ Europe: Algarve, Portugal

On Portugal’s south coast, The Algarve is home to both sun-seeking tourists and working fishermen with their colorful boats

Rick Steves’ Europe: Baden-Baden, Germany

The park-like city of Baden-Baden, nestled in the Black Forest, is renowned for its restorative spas and elegant casino

Rick Steves’ Europe: Blackpool, England

Home to a giant amusement park, a vintage trolley and an old-time variety show, Blackpool is northwest England’s glittering beach city

Rick Steves’ Europe: Bruges, Belgium

Belgium’s exquisitely preserved medieval city is home to picturesque canals, gilded architecture, great beer and handcrafted chocolate

Rick Steves’ Europe: Medieval Castles

Ancient fortresses offer glimpses of medieval brutality and 19th-century Romanticism

Rick Steves’ Europe: Cinque Terre, Italy

Italy’s answer to the French Riviera offers swimming, hiking, romance and relaxation along the Mediterranean

Rick Steves’ Europe: Cotswold Villages, England

The storybook countryside of hedgerows, grazing sheep, thatched-roof cottages and stately homes harks back to the days of the medieval wool trade

Rick Steves’ Europe: Dingle, Ireland

On western Ireland’s remote and rugged peninsula, traditional Irish culture thrives

Rick Steves’ Europe: Tallinn, Estonia

Dominated by the Soviets for 50 years, the Estonian capital boasts medieval architecture and signature chic, attracting admirers of Old World character

Rick Steves’ Europe: Florence, Italy

In Florence, Michelangelo’s masterpiece epitomizes the heroic power and surpassing artistry of the Renaissance

Rick Steves’ Europe: Gimmelwald, Switzerland

On a mountainside above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Swiss traditions persist in a 700-year-old hamlet populated by contented cows and hospitable villagers

Rick Steves’ Europe: Hallstatt, Austria

When Austrians want to enjoy the great outdoors, they head for a region of forested slopes, beckoning trails—and great fishing

Filoli owes its painterly splendor to two visionary figures—William Bowers Bourn II and Lurline Matson Roth.

Filoli: Garden of a Golden Age

Filoli—a lavish early 20th century estate that is the last of its kind—harks back to when San Francisco’s richest families built to dazzle

Route 100, studded with historic landmarks like the Scott Bridge, "offers such remarkable visual experiences," says filmmaker Dorothy Lovering.

Vermont’s Venerable Byway

The state’s Route 100 offers an unparalleled access to old New England, from wandering moose to Robert Frost’s hideaway cabin

Page 1011 of 1327