Travel advice, ideas & expert tips

Visiting the United States Botanic Garden, Washington DC: practical guide for first-timers

The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a free, federally funded living plant museum located at 100 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington DC, adjacent to the US Capitol, with a collection of more than 44,000 plants and over 200 years of history. This guide covers opening…

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in Sheffield, Yorkshire.

Visiting Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Sheffield: Family travel guide

The Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet preserves the cottages, waterwheel and machinery of a metalworking village that sold scythes around the world. Why visit Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet? Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a well-preserved former metalworking village in the southwest of Sheffield. The Abbeydale Works closed down in…

Visiting Felicity Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana: practical guide for first-time visitors

Felicity Plantation is a working sugarcane plantation and historic house museum in Vacherie, Louisiana, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. A sister property to St. Joseph Plantation — both owned by the Waguespack family — Felicity offers a distinct guided house tour in…

Visiting Laura Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana: practical guide for first-time visitors

Laura Plantation is a Creole heritage site in Vacherie, Louisiana. It's on the west bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 60 miles west of New Orleans. It is built around four generations of documented first-person accounts from the Duparc-Locoul family — owners and enslaved alike…

Visiting the Old Ursuline Convent Museum, New Orleans: practical guide for first-time visitors

The Old Ursuline Convent Museum is a historic museum occupying the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. It's located at 1100 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Built between 1745 and 1752 under French colonial authority, the convent has served…

Visiting St. Joseph Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana: practical guide for first-time visitors

St. Joseph Plantation is a working sugarcane plantation and living history museum in Vacherie, Louisiana. It's located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 50 miles west of New Orleans. It is one of the few fully intact antebellum sugarcane plantations in Louisiana…

Visiting the Virginia Living Museum, Newport News: practical guide for first-time visitors

The Virginia Living Museum is a wildlife attraction and botanical garden in Newport News, Virginia. More than 250 living species native to Virginia are displayed across indoor and outdoor habitats spanning the state's ecosystems from the mountains to the sea. This guide covers opening hours,…

Visiting the Museum of the Bible, Washington DC: practical guide for first-time visitors

The Museum of the Bible is a museum located at 400 4th Street SW, Washington DC, covering the history, narrative, and global impact of the Bible through six floors of exhibitions, immersive experiences, and rare artefacts. This guide covers opening hours, admission, transport, parking, accessibility,…

Visiting the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, New Mexico: practical guide for first-time visitors

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden is a 19-acre public garden on Museum Hill in Santa Fe. It focuses on native and drought-adapted plants of the American South-West, alongside contemporary sculpture and educational programmes. This guide covers opening hours, admission, parking, accessibility, and practical visitor tips.…

Visiting the Mystic Seaport Museum, Connecticut: practical guide for first-time visitors

Mystic Seaport Museum is the largest maritime museum in the United States. Located in Mystic, Connecticut, it's has a 19-acre campus encompassing a recreated 1870s coastal village, a working preservation shipyard, three historic tall ships, a planetarium, and extensive exhibition galleries. This guide covers opening…