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Smart News / Smart News Travel

Rules restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, part of London's West End

London’s Oldest Restaurant, Frequented by Monarchs and Pop Stars Alike, Is a Site of ‘Living History.’ Now It’s Protected by the National Trust for Generations to Come

Rules, a historic restaurant where the likes of Charles Dickens and Madonna have dined, is changing hands for only the fourth time in over 200 years. Visitors can see artifact-covered walls and indulge in rich British cuisine

Jakob Kudsk Steensen's Berl-Berl installation, which goes on view at New York City's MoMA on October 12, brings a digital, immersive swamp to life.

A Digital Swamp Coming to New York City’s MoMA Is ‘Made to Envelop You’ in Nature With the Help of Cutting-Edge Technology

“Wetland” is the latest installation of a high-tech traveling exhibition designed by Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen. It recreates the overlooked ecosystem with the help of folklore, soundscapes and video game software

A portrait sculpture of the emperor Tiberius, whose toga was originally painted pink, is the new exhibition's thematic centerpiece.

A New Exhibition Reveals How Hot Pink Togas and Floral Perfumes Conveyed Power in the Roman Empire

The show in Copenhagen explores the relationship between fashion and influence in ancient Rome

On August 31, Dale Sanders reclaimed the title of oldest person to complete the Appalachian Trail. He'd previously broken the record in 2017, at age 82.

This 91-Year-Old Man Fell 71 Times While Hiking the Appalachian Trail. He Just Became the Oldest Person to Complete the 2,190-Mile Trek

Dale Sanders finished the hike in just under a year. Nicknamed “Grey Beard,” he’s no stranger to age-defying feats of endurance

Records uncovered by researcher Christopher Moore indicate that stones from Sandown Castle were repurposed in a Victorian-era extension of Constable's Gate at Dover Castle (pictured here).

Cool Finds

Stones From One of Henry VIII’s Fortresses Spent More Than a Century Hidden in Plain Sight. New Research Suggests the Victorians Repurposed Them as Building Materials

Recently discovered archival records indicate that workers constructing an extension of the Constable’s Gate at Dover Castle in the late 19th century reused fragments of the Tudor-era Sandown Castle

A new museum focused on the world of whales will open next year in Norway.

A New Museum in Norway Is Bringing Visitors Into the World of Whales—From Life-Size Orcas to Immersive Underwater Exhibits

Opening in 2027, The Whale will explore the science, behavior, evolution and cultural history of whales through art, storytelling, sound and architecture

The historic Edistone Hotel is located in downtown Selma, Alabama.

A Historic Alabama Hotel Linked to the Civil Rights Movement Is Falling Apart. Can the Conservationists Fighting to Save It Turn the Tide?

Selma’s Edistone Hotel has witnessed pivotal chapters in American history, from Reconstruction to “Bloody Sunday.” Now, after years of neglect and a recent wall collapse, the Conservation Fund is working to secure its future

A hunger stone along the banks of the Elbe River in Decin, a city in the Czech Republic

‘Hunger Stones’ Resurface in Europe, Bringing Centuries-Old Warnings Back Into View as Rivers Hit Historic Lows

As drought exposes stretches of riverbed in central Europe, markers carved by past generations to record low water levels are emerging once again

Claude Monet lived in Giverny, a small village about 50 miles northwest of Paris, for more than four decades.

In France, Brutal Summer Heat Waves Are Taking a Toll on the Flowers That Inspired Claude Monet’s Most Beloved Paintings

The colorful nasturtiums at the artist’s house and gardens have been hit particularly hard this summer as France grapples with a record 52 heatwave days

In Pompano Beach, a museum dedicated entirely to jellyfish has recently opened its doors. 

‘Only One of Its Kind’ Jellyfish Museum Astounds Visitors With Awe-Inspiring Displays of Sea Nettles Safely Behind Glass

The museum opened in the spring and was founded by two aquarium experts who fled the Russia-Ukraine war

Anderson Taylor stands behind display cases in the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Cambridge, Illinois.

An 11-Year-Old Boy in a Small Midwestern Town Just Became the Guinness World Record Holder for Being the Youngest Museum Curator

Four years after Anderson Taylor began collecting specimens, he opened the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Cambridge, Illinois, offering school tours and attracting visitors from across the region

Big Boy No. 4014 stopped in Philadelphia.

The Largest Operating Steam Locomotive in the World Weighs 1.2 Million Pounds. Now, the Historic Train May Be Coming to Your Town

Built in the 1940s, Big Boy No. 4014 retired in 1961 after traveling for more than one million miles. It’s now making its way across the country in honor of America’s 250th birthday

The strawberry full moon rises behind the Empire State Building in New York City on June 29, 2026, as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey.

These 17 Stunning Photos of the Strawberry Moon Show Earth’s Natural Satellite in All Its Glory

The first full moon of the summer delivered dazzling visuals from across the globe. Its low position in the sky from the perspective of the Northern Hemisphere gave it a golden hue

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is one of Colorado's International Dark Sky Parks.

Stay Up Late and Admire the Cosmos With This New ‘Stargazing Trail’ That Links Certified Dark Sky Destinations

The initiative debuts as Colorado gears up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its statehood

Superior Falls cascades 90 feet into a pool below as the Montreal River makes its way to Lake Superior.

See Stunning Photos of New National Park Land That Soon Will Be Accessible From America’s Longest National Trail

The 213 acres of land in far northern Wisconsin, along the southern shore of Lake Superior, include a waterfall

Graffiti spanning more than a century is scrawled on the walls of the Roman villa.

Cool Finds

These Italian Teenagers Stayed Overnight at Their School. They Found Ancient Roman Ruins Hidden in the Basement

Students at a high school in Rome stumbled upon a well-preserved villa that dates to the mid-second century C.E. Eventually, archaeologists hope to open the sprawling space to the public

Australia's Twelve Apostles were pushed out of the water by tectonic plate movement. 

It Took Millions of Years for Australia’s Famous Twelve Apostles Landmark to Rise Out of the Sea

The iconic tourist destination provides a beautiful view, but also represents a physical record of Earth’s climate history

The MV Hondius, the cruise ship facing a hantavirus outbreak, anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, an archipelagic country near West Africa

A Deadly Outbreak of Hantavirus Has Stranded a Cruise Ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Here’s What to Know About the Rare Contagion

Three people associated with the vessel have died, and health officials have identified a total of two confirmed cases and five suspected cases of the infection. The virus usually spreads via contaminated rodent droppings

A virtual reconstruction of the Berlanga Cup

Cool Finds

This Souvenir Bowl May Have Commemorated an Ancient Roman Soldier’s Service at Hadrian’s Wall. It Was Discovered on a Spanish Farm 1,900 Years Later

The artifact is decorated with an illustration of the defensive fortification in northern England, but it was unearthed some 1,200 miles away. A new study suggests the design reflects a soldier’s achievements at the site

Pomona, Frans Floris de Vriendt, 1565

Renaissance Art Linked Beauty With Virtue and Ugliness With Vice. See How Painters From Leonardo da Vinci to Botticelli Viewed Physical Attractiveness

An exhibition in Brussels spotlights 90-plus artworks featuring golden-haired muses, greedy old men and those deemed unattractive simply because they were different

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