Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Travel

Since this art museum in Brazil was completed in 1996, it has put the relatively unknown city of Niterói on the map.

Cool Finds

These UFO-Like Buildings Are a Space-Age Tourist’s Dream

The future is now—follow this tour of UFO architecture found all around the world

The towering Saguaro is native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert and its juicy red fruit, which locals use to make jams and syrups, ripens in June.

What Makes Tucson Deserving of the Title of the United States’ First Capital of Gastronomy

The Arizona city joins Unesco’s growing list of “Creative Cities”

Quebec Ice fishing is a highly social affair for Quebecois, who tend to let their freak flags fly. This dwelling, clad in buoys from the local lobstering industry, belonged to a man named Pierre. “An eccentric fellow, as most of these guys are,” says photographer Richard Johnson.

Canada

Portraits of Canada’s Ice Fishing Huts

Take a look at some of Canada’s coziest ice fishing huts

The Chateau d'Ussé has connections with Sleeping Beauty...and contains a slightly creepy surprise.

Cool Finds

The French Castle That May Have Inspired “Sleeping Beauty” Is Filled With Creepy Mannequins

In honor of Charles Perrault’s birthday, explore the Chateau d’Usse

People view a painting at the Altes Museum in Germany. As populations age and address various health challenges, museums are increasingly tailoring their programming to better serve their patrons.

Cool Finds

How Museums Are Helping People With Memory Loss

Serving the community means changing museum offerings for guests with Alzheimer’s

Mumbai's gigantic Dharavi slum will soon be home to a mobile museum.

Trending Today

Mumbai Is Getting a Museum Designed For and About Its Slums

But is a museum showcasing objects created by slum residents ethical or exploitative?

Bill Cherry, one of the headlining acts during the week.

Go Behind the Scenes at America’s Most Lucrative Elvis Presley Tribute Contest

Get all shook up with the winners of this year’s Tribute to the King

Glacier National Park is located in Montana and is part of the National Park Service, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Visit These Ten Sites Celebrating Major Anniversaries in 2016

From Winnie the Pooh’s 90th birthday to the National Park Service’s centennial, you won’t want to miss out on these once-in-a-lifetime events

Lorcan Ortway turned his lifelong obsession with organized crime into a museum in New York.

This Mobster Museum Was Once One of New York City’s Most Notorious Speakeasies

See shell casings from Bonnie and Clyde’s final shoot out and John Dillinger’s death mask in the Museum of the American Gangster’s unusual collection

A gold-painted statue of Chairman Mao has been erected in a remote part of central China.

Cool Finds

Chinese Capitalists Built a Gigantic, Golden Statue of Chairman Mao

Like the Chairman’s legacy, this 121-foot statue is hard to ignore

A wall of suitcases and photos inside the National Blues Museum.

Switzerland

Twelve New Museums to Visit in 2016

Whether you’re a fossil hunter, a history buff or a basketball fan, you won’t want to miss these 12 must-see museums in the new year

Romanian villagers dress up in real bearskins for ursul.

Cool Finds

Ring in the New Year by Dressing Up as a Bear

Romania’s famed bear dance scares away winter

An Underwater Museum in Egypt Could Bring Thousands of Sunken Relics Into View

The proposed site might revive tourism in Alexandria and also further research into the ancient ruins

The entrance to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall is covered with sparkling archways.

Giant Christmas Displays Are Taking Over Malls Throughout Asia

These malls know how to get into the holiday spirit

Everybody Loves Lists

Our Top Ten Stories of 2015

From treasures buried in glaciers to the racial history of a vanished city in Oregon, here are the most-read stories on Smithsonian.com this year

Artist Sidney Mobell created this gold and jewel-encrusted Monopoly set in 1988. Following strict guidelines put forth from Parker Brothers, the game's manufacturer, he used 24-karat gold and 165 precious stones to create the set, which is valued at about $2 million.

From Teeth to Toilets, This Dazzling Exhibit of Gold Artifacts Has the Midas Touch

An exhibit at New York City’s Museum of American Finance tracks the allure of gold through the centuries

Abstract shapes of glowing-eyed cats would play and pose on top of five or six pedestals along the bridge.

Trending Today

A New San Francisco Overpass Could Be Bedecked With Demonic-Looking Cats

“Catbridge”: Unnerving or adorable?

Trending Today

This Weekend’s Southern Lights Were Nothing Short of Spectacular

The Northern Hemisphere hasn’t yet cornered the market for glorious aurorae

Jon Lovitch stands in front of the 2013 incarnation of GingerBread Lane. The village becomes larger and more elaborate each year.

Behold: The World’s Largest (Three-Ton) Gingerbread Village

Experience the glory of GingerBread Lane

A Stormtrooper Mask

Austria

These Are the “Star Wars” Exhibitions You Are Looking For

Grab your light saber and celebrate the art of the movie series at museums around the world

Page 61 of 132