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The Serenity of the Outer Hebrides

Breathtaking views and millennia of history charm guests of these islands off the coast of Scotland

This monumental complex embraces a palace, courtyards, gardens, gazebos, ceremonial gates, an artificial lake and the Jama Masjid, a mosque big enough for 10,000 worshipers.

The Ancient Architecture of Fatehpur Sikri

Abandoned for centuries, the Indian site attracts tourists from around the world for its majestic buildings

Perhaps the weirdest and most intimidating creature in this spectacularly otherworldly place is the American alligator.

Alligators in the Everglades

The swampy nature preserve is home to many of southern Florida’s infamous reptile natives

Some tourists may travel to Costa Rica to enjoy the tropical climate and Arenal volcano, but the real attraction is the country's wildlife.

Costa Rica: Turtles and Birds

Close government watch on wildlife has made the Central American country a must-see for animal lovers

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Berlin, Alive Again

After withstanding world and cold wars, the German city is a thriving metropolis, filled with nightclubs and cultural treats

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Hike the Appalachian Trail

For decades, the backbone of the Eastern United States has given much needed respite for thousands of nature enthusiasts

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Passenger Rights and the Law of Unintended Consequences

Founded as the Palace Hotel in 1912, the Far Western Tavern has been attracting accolades for its Santa Maria-style barbecue from near and far.

The Historic Saloons of Central California

Not even rumors of apparitions could stop a group of eager drinking companions from investigating these ghost town bars

Seven Dials, in central London, was synonymous with poverty and crime, a black hole to most Londoners. Charles Dickens stormed it with pen and paper.

How Charles Dickens Saw London

Sketches by Boz, the volume of newspaper columns that became Dickens’ first book, invokes a colorful view of 19th-century England

At the base of Mount Everest sits Everest ER, a medical clinic that deals with headaches, diarrhea, upper respiratory infections, anxiety and other physical ailments daily.

Inside the ER at Mt. Everest

Dr. Luanne Freer, founder of the mountain’s emergency care center, sees hundreds of patients each climbing season at the foot of the Himalayas

The Voodoo Museum "is an entry point for people who are curious, who want to see what's behind this stuff," says anthropologist Martha Ward.

Seven All-American Curiosities

Seven All-American Curiosities

The library in the Ava Gardner Museum is filled with portraits painted by Bert Pfeiffer, who vowed to paint one of Ava every year.

The Ava Gardner Museum

What started as a childhood friend’s collection has grown into a full-fledged museum just miles from the movie star’s hometown

The museum was established as a place where medical students could study specimens. Shown here is a 3-D image of a male skeleton from a recent exhibition.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine

This Silver Spring, Maryland site scares and educates, with displays of prosthetic eyes, amputated limbs and incomplete skeletons

Whimsy runs riot at Harvey Ladew's Maryland estate, from a library with a shelf that swings open to reveal a secret entrance to the gardens to the topiary hedges, featuring a fat man walking a tiny dog, and a rider and hounds in hot pursuit of a fox.

Ladew Topiary Gardens

Clipped hedges and a house full of antiques are the main attractions for this museum north of Baltimore, Maryland

Brad Penka can't say enough about barbed wire's winning of the West.

The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

With more than 2400 variations of barbed wire, this La Crosse, Kansas, museum has a lot to teach the non-farmers out there

Quack medicine? Inhaling the breath of a duck, according to the exhibit, was once used to cure children of thrush and other disorders of the mouth and throat.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology

A throwback to the private museums of earlier centuries, this Los Angeles spot has a true hodgepodge of natural history artifacts

The surf is always up at this "way cool" California museum, which celebrates the sport and its legends.

The California Surf Museum

Learn about the evolution of the surfboard from 1912 through 2008 in this small gallery in Oceanside, California

Visitors to the missile museum may touch a Titan II, which stands 103 feet tall.

Titan Missile Museum

In Sahuarita, Arizona, in the midst of a retirement community, tourists can touch a Titan II missile, still on its launch pad

The Voodoo Museum "is an entry point for people who are curious, who want to see what's behind this stuff," says anthropologist Martha Ward.

The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

Wooden masks, portraits and the occasional human skull mark the collections of this small museum near the French Quarter

Kenko had little trouble living with the idea that things were getting worse. "The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty," he wrote.

The Timeless Wisdom of Kenko

A 14th-century Japanese essayist’s advice for troubled times runs the gamut from quirky to prescient

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