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Smart Startup

College Football Fans, Here Is a Vacation Rental Site for You

Looking for lodging near Penn State? How about Ole Miss? Notre Dame alum Mike Doyle wants you to “Rent Like a Champion”

The 14-foot holiday tree at The Corning Museum of Glass contains 2,000 glass ornaments made by a team of glassmakers.

This One-of-a-Kind Christmas Tree Is Made of 2,000 Handmade Glass Ornaments

The Corning Museum in New York has a glittering holiday tradition of its own

A gibbous moon shines over a large petrified log embedded in the sandstone at Blue Mesa in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park.

Protecting Arizona’s Petrified Forest Can Be as Easy as Taking a Hike

After dispelling myths about vandals and thieves, rangers are working to make this national park more open and engaging

Installing the RFID tags

This Danish City is Giving Bikers the Green Light

In a pilot program underway in Aarhus, Denmark, cyclists are given RFID tags that trigger traffic lights in their favor

A man dressed in a traditional Perchten costume and mask performs during a Perchten festival in the western Austrian village of Kappl, November 13, 2015. Each year in November and January, people in the western Austria regions dress up in Perchten (also known in some regions as Krampus or Tuifl) costumes and parade through the streets to perform a 1,500 year-old pagan ritual to disperse the ghosts of winter.

Austria

The Origin of Krampus, Europe’s Evil Twist on Santa

The mythical holiday beast is once again on the prowl, but beware, he’s making his way across the Atlantic

The mammoth nursery turned graveyard was declared a National Monument in July 2015.

What Killed the Mammoths of Waco?

Sixty-six thousand years ago, this national monument was the site of a deadly catastrophe

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Sponsor Content: Austria

The Best Places to Eat and Drink in Austria

Explore this interactive map of Austria’s top culinary destinations

Le Moulin Jaune, or The Yellow Mill.

Go Down the Rabbit Hole in This Fantastical French Park

A clown’s surreal playground is now open to the public

The manuscript found in the attic

An Intern Saved a Museum by Finding This Revolutionary War Treasure in the Attic

The obvious lesson: never throw anything away

A woman uses the Qylatron at Levi's Stadium.

Is This Machine the Future of Airport Security?

The Qylatron, used daily at San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium, promises better, faster security screening

These soft maps highlight inspiring sites within nearly 50 cities.

Holiday Gift Guide

Great Gifts for the Traveler in Your Life

From crumpled maps to clothing that helps national parks, there’s never been a better time to spoil your favorite traveler

Youngsters play soccer near a fort at the port of Korčula, which once served as the arsenal of the Venetian Empire in the Adriatic.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Venice

The Old-World Charm of Venice’s Windy Sister City

On the Adriatic island of Korčula, where Venice once ruled, ancient habits and attitudes persist—including a tendency toward blissful indolence

Poster, Gib acht sonst . . [Be Careful or Else . .], 1929–30.

When “Danger” Is Art’s Middle Name

A new exhibit looks at the inspiration that comes from the clash of glory and catastrophe

Visitors cast shadows on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, at sunrise.

Explore Extremes

A Byzantine-style motif is woven on 18th-century looms by the weavers of Bevilacqua. A winged lion is the symbol of St. Mark, the city’s patron saint, and of the city. Mario e Paola Bevilacqua, 337/b, San Marco, Fondamenta della Canonica.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Venice

Nine Luxury Gifts You Can Only Find in Venice

This gigantic piece of chalk art was created by dozens of artists in attempt to snag a Guinness World Record for Largest Anamorphic Pavement Art.

These 3D Pavement Paintings Take Chalk Art to a New Level

The pavement becomes a playground at the Sarasota Chalk Festival

The trailhead to Supai Village, part of the vast Grand Canyon area. Supai is the only the human settlement within the Grand Canyon.

Visit the Only Village Inside the Grand Canyon

Supai is so remote, mail is delivered by mule train

Endurance was frozen in an ice floe for months before breaking free and sinking. Shackleton's men eventually used a lifeboat they called James Caird to go for help.

Trending Today

Relatives of Shackleton’s Chief Scientist Want to Finish What He Started

One hundred years after the doomed expedition, James Wordie’s descendants plan a 100-mile journey to the South Pole

Dawe says he loved having to work with the Renwick building’s 19th-century architectural details as a backdrop.

The Renwick Reopens

Artist Gabriel Dawe Made a Rainbow Out of 60 Miles of Thread

The artwork is an optical illusion that delights the senses; as if the artist embroidered the air

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