Two Centuries Ago, Batteaumen on Virginia’s James River Ended Long Work Days With a Taste of Freedom
The James River Batteau Company, an outdoor recreation-meets-historical tour business, has designed a dinner cruise that honors the resilience and culinary ingenuity of enslaved boatmen
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Why Skiers Are Ending the Season With a Splash—and Keeping the Raucous Tradition of Pond Skimming Alive
For nearly 100 years, die-hards have been saying goodbye to winter by speeding down the slopes and water skiing over massive puddles
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Get Into the Revolutionary Spirit With These Beautiful Photographs of Boston
Massachusetts’ capital city offers American history lessons at every turn
Eight Historic Moments That Took Place at the Waldorf Astoria New York
The famous hotel reopens this spring after an extensive renovation that began in 2017
Destinations Hit by Natural Disasters Need Tourists Back—but Maybe Not in the Same Way as Before
Places like Maui and Asheville, North Carolina, rebuilding after wildfires and hurricanes, are doing so with a mind to sustainable tourism
Two Centuries Ago, Batteaumen on Virginia’s James River Ended Long Work Days With a Taste of Freedom
The James River Batteau Company, an outdoor recreation-meets-historical tour business, has designed a dinner cruise that honors the resilience and culinary ingenuity of enslaved boatmen
History-Hunting Mudlarks Scour London’s Shores to Uncover the City’s Rich Archaeological Treasures
A new exhibition at the London Museum Docklands spotlights hundreds of mudlarking finds, from Bronze Age tools to Viking daggers to medieval spectacles
The TikTok-Famous Dubai Chocolate Traces Its Origins to the 13th-Century Middle East
Generation Z is putting its own spin on knafeh, a dish first designed to quash a caliph’s hunger pangs
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
See 15 Photos That Will Remind You to Appreciate the Rain
Take a look at these Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest pictures of this precious precipitation
These Dramatic Photos Reveal How It’s Always High Noon in Tombstone
Saddle up for a visit to the most notorious town in the West, where a certain infamous showdown happens day after day
The Moving Story of Bringing Baseball Back to Manzanar, Where Thousands of Japanese Americans Were Incarcerated During World War II
In honor of his mother and others imprisoned at the internment camp, baseball player Dan Kwong has restored a diamond in the California desert
Explore Rome’s Hidden Underworld, Where a City Lurks Beneath a City
A journey into the vast subterranean grounds preserved under Rome—from ancient aqueducts and apartment buildings to pagan shrines
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Discover These 15 Enchanting Libraries Sure to Thrill Any Book Lover
Wall-to-wall books tell an interior design story without saying a word
Former and Active DMZs Allow Visitors to Learn the Haunting History of These Landscapes
Demilitarized zones—from Vietnam to Korea, Cyprus and Antarctica—require tourists to look beyond what exists and to find the real stories in what doesn’t
Every March, Runners Race Reindeer Through the Streets of Anchorage
For three and a half blocks, athletes and ungulates share the road during the headlining event of Alaska’s Fur Rendezvous Festival
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See 60 Remarkable Finalists From the 22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
From stunning landscapes to captivating portraits, the photographs showcase the diverse beauty of the world around us. Vote for your favorite, too, for the Readers’ Choice competition
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
See Magnificent Monkeys From Around the World in These Shots From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
You don’t have to swing from treetops to get a close-up look at these curious creatures
Eight Places to Experience a Movie Like It’s 1925
Theaters from Washington to Florida and Massachusetts to Arizona show silent films accompanied by live music played on elaborate theater organs
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
These 15 Photos Capture What Makes America’s National Historic Landmarks So Iconic
See images of special attractions across the country from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
The Secret World War II History of Koh Samui, the New Setting for ‘The White Lotus’
Behind the dreamy scenery of the HBO show’s latest location lurks an explosive story of Thailand’s involvement in the conflict and a sunken Japanese tanker
Learn to Ice Climb at Alaska’s Most Extreme Community Festival
For more than 40 years, Alaskans have been gathering in the tiny coastal town of Valdez to celebrate the art of climbing ice
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