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Smart News / Smart News Travel

You'll have a tail to tell after visiting this North Carolina museum.

American South

North Carolina Has a House Cat Museum

You’ll want to paws for this roadside attraction

Joel Arthur Rosenthal's dazzling menorah

Blinged-Out Menorah Debuts at Pioneering Exhibit in Rome

The piece, which is encrusted with precious jewels, was gifted to the Jewish Museum in Rome by the artist Joel Arthur Rosenthal

Italy is hoping to draw tourists to less-frequented parts of the country, like sites along the Appian Way, pictured here.

Italy Is Giving Away 103 Historic Buildings, Free of Charge

But potential owners are required to transform the properties into tourist-friendly sites

Cool Finds

Indonesian Village Turns Into a Rainbow to Attract Tourists

Every house and business in Kampung Pelangi is painted in bright rainbow colors

Cool Finds

Take a Virtual Swim Through Five Marine Sanctuaries

From sunken ships to schools of fish, the new 360-degree, VR images are breathtaking

Trending Today

Has Hillary Step on Mount Everest Collapsed?

A British mountaineer says yes, but authorities in Nepal have denied his assertions

Sprawling Contemporary Art Museum to Open in Bangladesh

The space will include a 100-acre sculpture park and a vast gallery devoted to South Asian art

For Minneapolis art lovers, this huge painting needs no introduction—or title.

Cool Finds

Enormous Chicken Painting Comes Home to Roost

After years overseas, Doug Argue’s iconic portrait is back

It's peak waterfall season in Yosemite National Park—and epic snowmelt means it's better than ever.

Trending Today

Chasing Waterfalls? Head to Yosemite

Don’t stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to—recent snowmelt is fueling spectacular falls

James Andrews, “Jane Austen” (1869), watercolor

Six Portraits on Display Deepen the Mystery of Jane Austen

Was Austen demure, sardonic, or glamorous? Each portrait tells a different story about the beloved author

Still from the 1958 horror film 'Dracula' starring Christopher Lee. The character of Dracula has appeared in more than 200 films.

The Icelandic Translation of ‘Dracula’ Is Actually a Different Book

The mysteries of this Gothic classic aren’t over yet

Iceland’s Volcano and Earthquake Museum is Devoted to the Country’s “Epic” Geology

The Lava Center is surrounded by three volcanoes

There is no one final theory about the original purpose of the Nazca Lines.

How a German Mathematician Took Responsibility for an Ancient Peruvian Artifact

Maria Reiche lived in a shack in the desert with the Nazca Lines for 40 years

Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada

Trending Today

What Is Bears Ears National Monument?

The Department of Interior will make a recommendation about the land’s fate in early June

Jessica Dawson regularly takes her pup Rocky along to explore New York Art galleries, as shown here at Lost Objects by Allan McCollum at the Mary Boone Gallery.

Cool Finds

An Upcoming Art Exhibition Caters to Canine Critics

Touching (and licking and sniffing) the art is allowed

The Klencke Atlas

Cool Finds

Massive Royal Atlas Gets Digitized

The magnificent Klencke Atlas is now available online courtesy of the British Library

Learn why fudge like this is sold at every tourist attraction in the country

Why Does Every Tourist Attraction Sell Fudge?

One thing that places as different as Niagara Falls, Disneyland and Ellis Island have in common? Fudge

This law set the forced removal of Native Americans in the American Southeast into motion.

Trending Today

Witness the Document that Set the Trail of Tears in Motion

The Indian Removal Act is on display at the National Archives through June 14

Ornate Tiara, Once Worn by a Grand Duchess, Stolen From German Museum

The headpiece is adorned with 367 diamonds and has been valued at $1.31 million

“Lost” 18th-Century Garden Found at Scottish Castle

Archaeologists believed that the garden had been demolished and buried during renovations of the sprawling estate

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