Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Tourism

South Africa’s limestone caves, such as Sterkfontein often hold the fossilized skeletons of hominids who fell into holes or were dragged underground by predators.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: The Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

The world’s greatest source of hominid fossils is among dozens of caves just hours from Johannesburg

Whales evolved from mammals that adapted to hunt in oceans. Skeletons of Basilosaurus, a whale ancestor, reveal the leviathan still retained tiny hind legs.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: Wadi Hitan, Egypt

In Egypt’s Western Desert, evidence abounds that before they were the kings of the ocean, whales roamed the earth on four legs

Wolves hunting moose on Isle Royale are a dramatic example of what scientists call co-evolution: two species, such as a predator and its prey, adapting to each other’s adaptations.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: Isle Royale, Michigan

Moose and wolves face off in the world’s longest-running study of predators and prey

Foraminifera provide scientists with an invaluable fossil record. Their exquisite outer shells, normally too small for the naked eye, inspired sculptures in Zhongshan, China.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: Foraminifera Sculpture Park, China

Some of the world’s oldest organisms left behind fossilized shells that, when translated to a large sculpture, bring an artistic edge to evolution

Koalas, kangaroos and wallabies are abundant on the island and not particularly fearful, so it’s possible to have close encounters with these distant mammalian kin.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: Kangaroo Island, Australia

Mammals come in three types and the best place to see them all in one place is this small island off the southern coast of Australia

None

EVOTOURISM: Because It’s Time for Travel to Evolve

Journey through the history of life from the Jurassic Coast to the Cradle of Humankind

The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles is the only active urban paleontological excavation site in the United States.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: La Brea Tar Pits, California

Just a short drive from the mansions of Beverly Hills lies a site where paleontologists have found over three million fossils

Although he didn’t realize it at the time, friar Gregor Mendel, statue in the Abbey of St. Thomas, had discovered a crucial genetic mechanism underlying natural selection.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: Mendel’s Garden, Czech Republic

At an abbey in the Czech town of Brno, a friar studied peas and laid the groundwork for modern genetics

The Jurassic Coast encompasses 185 million years of history.

Evotourism ®

Evolution World Tour: Jurassic Coast, England

The best opportunity to play paleontologist is on the southern coast of England, a site rich with marine reptile fossils

Packing light for the new year

Traveling Light in the New Year

Don’t overpack is a rule to live by. So why not declutter on New Year’s Eve

Rating a lunar vacation.

The Tour Bus Has Landed

The ups and downs of a lunar vacation

From cinder desert to tropical forest, the 19-square-mile Haleakala Crater boasts varied landscape. In the center is a hiker at "Pele's Paint Pot," likely named for the goddess of fire and volcanoes.

Descending Into Hawaii’s Haleakala Crater

A trip to the floor of the Maui volcano still promises an encounter with the “raw beginnings of world-making”

Zuccotti Park -- tourist destination?

Zuccotti Park: Protest Site as Tourist Attraction

Getting a feel for the sliver of green in lower Manhattan that Occupy Wall Street Protesters call home

Rufus Sewell as Aurelio Zen in the BBC series "Zen"

Italy, Via Murder Mystery

Forget the guidebooks. Whodunits offer a private eye on Italian art, food and culture

Production shot of "Chinglish"

“Chinglish” Dramatizes China-U.S. Muddles

In the new Broadway play by David Henry Hwang, an American in Beijing misinterpreting the signs

A potential buyer must carefully inspect the rugs at the Navajo rug auction.

Where to Get a Great Rug, and a Helping of Navajo Culture

Connoisseurs of Native American textiles know to go to the Crownpoint, New Mexico, Navajo Rug Auction

Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown L.A. Edges Toward Livability

In downtown L.A. the vibe remains edgy, but that’s the point

Visitors to Greenland don't have to forgo modern comforts. Pictured is a 24-year-old restaurant in the capital, Nuuk, home to a quarter of the nation's residents.

Climate Change Tourism in Greenland

With 80 percent of the ice that covers the island melting, Greenland has become a hot travel destination

People who eat too many croissants for breakfast or visit during August.

Swimming in Paris

Lap-swimming in Paris takes cultural openness and skimpy bathing attire

Randy Fertel takes friends on an insider tour that highlights New Orleans' "funky" soulfulness.

New Orleans Beyond Bourbon Street

From out-of-the-way jazz joints to po’ boy shacks, a native son shares his favorite haunts in the Big Easy

Page 21 of 28