USA Archives - Planet Whitley

Tasting rum in Key West, Florida: How the US home of rum went legal

After visiting the Rum Bar on Duval Street, it’s time to discover Key West’s first legal rum distillery in a former groghouse. Tasting rum at the Rum Bar on Duval Street The default setting in Key West is merrily drunk. It is the sort of…

drinks, Florida, Florida Keys, Key West, rum, USA

Area 15 Las Vegas: Ticket prices and best attractions

The best attractions at Area 15 Las Vegas are Omega Mart and the Lab – but the access pass system is confusing and the ticket prices are high. What is Area 15 in Las Vegas? Area 15 is one of the most welcome new additions…

Las Vegas, Nevada, reviews, USA

Visiting the Apollo Beach manatees at the Big Bend Power Station near Tampa

At the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida, manatees have a winter holiday home. The Big Bend power station at Apollo Beach, Florida The Big Bend power station at Apollo Beach near Tampa is, even by power station standards, stonkingly ugly. It’s an…

Florida, USA, wildlife

The Thomas Edison statue at the Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida.

Exploring Edison and Ford’s Florida Estates

The southern Florida homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford provide beautiful gardens, but also an insight into the characters of the great inventors. Photos of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford It’s the photos that do it. The black and white shots of the ‘vagabonds’…

Florida, Fort Myers, museums, USA

Bison roaming in the road on Antelope Island, Utah.

Antelope Island – the surprising bison refuge of Utah’s Great Salt Lake

In the middle of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is home to a thriving bison herd. Here’s why. The size of Utah’s Great Salt Lake There’s a magnificent starkness to Utah’s Great Salt Lake. A thin coating of water covers patches of it, but…

USA, Utah, wildlife

Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, Chicago.

Top Attractions in Millennium Park: Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain & Pritzker Pavilion

Millennium Park in Chicago features iconic artworks like Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, and Pritzker Pavilion, showcasing stunning public art.

art, Chicago, Illinois, parks, USA

Why leaf-peeping is not just for old people

Driving through New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, the joy of autumn colours reveals itself. What is leaf-peeping? Up until I actually tried it, I’d treated the concept of “leaf-peeping” with utter contempt. For the uninitiated, the general concept works as follows: You drive…

Boston, driving, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, USA

Some random observations about driving in the US

Americans drive differently, you know. The following random thoughts were ones that sprung to mind as I drove from Boston to Chicago. They’re not entirely based on this trip – a lot of these things I’ve noticed on other big US drives as well. Not…

driving, USA

Touring Chicago’s gangster heritage – from Prohibition to the Untouchables

A Chicago gangster tour can help piece together the city’s unwanted past – as can visits to the Valentine’s Day Massacre site and the Green Mill. The efforts to gloss over Chicago’s gangster past Dressed in his snazzy fedora and wide pin-stripes, Southside tells it…

Chicago, gangsters, Illinois, tours, USA

Revisiting Chicago – and why the third visit to a city is often the best

A third visit to Chicago provides a valuable lesson to apply to the rest of the world. First time vs second time in Chicago The first time I visited Chicago, I was thoroughly bowled over. The skyline got me giddily excited, the vibe seemed right…

Chicago, Illinois, USA