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The 2010 census showed that Scituate had the highest number of people claiming Irish ancestry than any other town in America, almost 50 percent of its roughly 18,000 residents, earning it the nickname the “Irish Riviera.”

The Most Irish Town in America Was Built on Seaweed

After discovering ‘Irish moss’ in coastal waters, Irish immigrants launched a booming mossing industry in Scituate, Massachusetts

Located in San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island is the site of a former prison.

Five of the Most Fascinating Prison Museums in America

From Alcatraz to Cell Block 7, these jails now hold tours instead of prisoners

The dormant Santa Margarida Volcano in Spain is home to a chapel.

There’s a Chapel Located Inside a Volcano in Spain

The site has been a place of worship since the Middle Ages, but its exact origins remain a mystery

"New Horizon" is a roving art installation traveling through Massachusetts this summer.

A Giant, Mirrored Hot Air Balloon Is Currently Traveling Over Massachusetts

Called ‘New Horizon,’ the roving art installation by Doug Aitken reflects on nature and the future

The exhibit room appears nearly monochromatic and devoid of life before the augmented reality app reveals Ruffner's invented plants.

This Artist Imagines How Nature Evolves Following an Environmental Apocalypse

Ginny Ruffner’s “Reforestation of the Imagination” at the Renwick uses augmented reality to show the plants that might grow after environment devastation

The arena for the Fête des Vignerons

This Wine Festival in Switzerland Only Happens Once a Generation—and It’s Taking Place Right Now

The renowned wine festival only takes places once every 20 to 25 years

Petroglyphs at the Reef Bay Trail in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Eight Spots in the United States Where You Can See Petroglyphs

There are rock carvings and paintings in some unexpected locations around the country

Neil Armstrong (left) and Buzz Aldrin (right) document a sample during a field trip at Sierra Blanca in west Texas on February 24, 1969.

Future of Space Exploration

Before Going to the Moon, Apollo 11 Astronauts Trained at These Five Sites

From Arizona to Hawaii, these landscapes—similar in ways to the surface of the moon—were critical training grounds for the crew

A scene from Verdi's opera Rigoletto during a photo rehearsal on the lake stage as part of the Bregenz Festival. The premiere will take place on July 17.

There’s a Massive Jester Floating on Austria’s Lake Constance

Each year at the Bregenz Festival, a set designer creates an elaborate opera stage on the water

Divers participating in the Underwater Music Festival pretend to play musical instruments in the waters off of Big Pine Key, Florida.

Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music

This Florida Music Festival Takes Place Completely Underwater

To draw attention to coral reef conservation, divers play ‘bass-oons’ and ‘trombonefish’ at the Underwater Music Festival in Key West

“Don’t! Photography and the Art of Mistakes,” opening July 20 at SFMOMA, celebrates overexposed, out-of-focus and otherwise flawed images as art.

New Exhibit at SFMOMA Highlights the Art of the Mistake

These photographs make the most of getting it wrong

The entrance to Taiohae Bay, on the island of Nuku Hiva, where Herman Melville lived in 1842.

How a Voyage to French Polynesia Set Herman Melville on the Course to Write ‘Moby-Dick’

We retrace the journey that had a long-lasting influence on the enigmatic author’s improbable career

The family of Jaidyn MacCorison, 11 (at a New Hampshire gas station), goes back generations in the region.

The Mysterious Beauty of Robert Frost’s New England

These stark yet stunning landscapes inspired the lyricism of the American titan of poetry

Mary Ann Brown Patten, photographed by an unidentified artist, 1857

Women Who Shaped History

How the Camera Introduced Americans to Their Heroines

A new show at the National Portrait Gallery spotlights figures including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lucretia Mott and Margaret Fuller

St. Peter’s Church rises above the ancient port of Jaffa, today a bustling neighborhood abutting Tel Aviv.

Two Tour Guides—One Israeli, One Palestinian—Offer a New Way to See the Holy Land

With conflict raging again in Israel, a fearless initiative reveals a complex reality that few visitors ever experience

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Reflections on the New Fossil Hall From the Experts Who Created It

The team behind the Smithsonian’s new dinosaur and fossil hall reflect on what “deep time” means to them.

This brain is just one of many making up the Indiana Medical History Museum's extensive collection.

The Future of Mental Health

How One Museum Is Giving a Voice to Former Mental Health Patients

The Indiana Medical History Museum is telling the human stories behind its collection of brains, tumors and other biological remains

A team from Howard University’s Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival recorded voices from the #DontMuteDC movement on June 6: (L to R) Donald Campbell, Ron Moten, Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, Dr. Brandi Summers, Tone P, Nico Hobson.

Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music

The Social Power of Music Will Take Center Stage at the 53rd Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The D.C. tradition will hit the National Mall for two action-packed days this weekend. Here’s what to know about this year’s lineup

Canadian Memorial at Vimy, France

Explore These World War I Trenches and Tunnels in France and Belgium

These four sites give visitors a glimpse into the trench warfare tactics soldiers experienced during the Great War

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Sunrise Hiking and 20 Other Things to Do at the Smithsonian in July

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