Tourism | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/tourism/RSS feed for TourismenFri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000These Enchanting and Colorful Photos of Seashells and the Mollusks That Create Them Will Have You Marveling at the Natural Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/enchanting-colorful-photos-seashells-mollusks-who-create-them-have-you-marveling-at-natural-world-180989291/Before they become sandy souvenirs, the baubles in the bubbles of the shoreline serve as a veritable fortress for creatures like clams, mussels and conchsFri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/enchanting-colorful-photos-seashells-mollusks-who-create-them-have-you-marveling-at-natural-world-180989291/In France, Brutal Summer Heat Waves Are Taking a Toll on the Flowers That Inspired Claude Monet's Most Beloved Paintingshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-france-brutal-summer-heat-waves-taking-toll-on-flowers-that-inspired-claude-monet-most-beloved-paintings-180989384/The colorful nasturtiums at the artist's house and gardens have been hit particularly hard this summer as France grapples with a record 52 heatwave daysMon, 24 Aug 2026 20:06:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-france-brutal-summer-heat-waves-taking-toll-on-flowers-that-inspired-claude-monet-most-beloved-paintings-180989384/One of Italy's Most Popular Attractions, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Reveals Plans for a Major Renovation Over the Next Two Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-italys-most-popular-attractions-the-uffizi-galleries-in-florence-reveals-plans-for-a-major-renovation-over-the-next-two-years-180989295/The collection of treasures, many of them connected to the Medici family, includes Italian Renaissance masterpieces, a palace and a courtly gardenFri, 07 Aug 2026 18:22:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-italys-most-popular-attractions-the-uffizi-galleries-in-florence-reveals-plans-for-a-major-renovation-over-the-next-two-years-180989295/Big Waves Meet Biodiversity: Why Surfing Paradises Could Offer a Key Opportunity for Marine Conservationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/big-waves-meet-biodiversity-why-surfing-paradises-could-offer-a-key-opportunity-for-marine-conservation-180989119/A recent mapping study examines places in northwestern Africa where coastal ecosystems overlap with surf breaks, highlighting areas that could support recreation, the environment and local economies, if protectedThu, 06 Aug 2026 19:32:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/big-waves-meet-biodiversity-why-surfing-paradises-could-offer-a-key-opportunity-for-marine-conservation-180989119/The History of the Beach Read, From 19th-Century 'Moral Debasement' to BookTokhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-history-of-the-beach-read-from-19th-century-moral-debasement-to-booktok-180989238/The still-popular genre got its start 150 years ago, when publishers profited off the rise of travel in the United States during an otherwise slow publishing seasonMon, 03 Aug 2026 14:22:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-history-of-the-beach-read-from-19th-century-moral-debasement-to-booktok-180989238/Want to Spend Some Alone Time With Stonehenge? This August, Lucky Visitors Get the Chance to Enter the Stone Circle Before the Site Opens to Touristshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/want-to-spend-some-alone-time-with-stonehenge-this-august-lucky-visitors-get-the-chance-to-enter-the-stone-circle-before-the-site-opens-to-tourists-180989229/Almost every day next month, management of the prehistoric landmark in England will draw a winning ticket and offer a unique experience to a visitor before the daily bustle beginsThu, 30 Jul 2026 18:02:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/want-to-spend-some-alone-time-with-stonehenge-this-august-lucky-visitors-get-the-chance-to-enter-the-stone-circle-before-the-site-opens-to-tourists-180989229/Before Cultural and Natural Wonders Earn UNESCO World Heritage Status, They Are Put on a 'Tentative' List. Here Are Five Nominees Worth Visiting Nowhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/before-cultural-and-natural-wonders-earn-unesco-world-heritage-status-they-are-put-on-a-tentative-list-here-are-five-nominees-worth-visiting-now-180989155/Featuring more than 1,800 sites from 181 countries and territories, UNESCO’s tentative list is a treasure trove of lesser-known marvelsThu, 23 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/before-cultural-and-natural-wonders-earn-unesco-world-heritage-status-they-are-put-on-a-tentative-list-here-are-five-nominees-worth-visiting-now-180989155/For Three Hours Every Day, Open Ocean Transforms Into Australia's 'Ghost' Reefhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/for-three-hours-every-day-open-ocean-transforms-into-australias-ghost-reef-180989152/An isolated wonder some 1,200 miles from the nearest city, Montgomery Reef disappears as quickly as it appears, mirroring the supposed vanishing of its original owners, a tribe of Indigenous giantsMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:34:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/for-three-hours-every-day-open-ocean-transforms-into-australias-ghost-reef-180989152/