USA Archives

Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke: Ticket prices, hours & visitor guide (2026)

Plan your visit to the Taubman Museum of Art with my guide to free admission, opening hours, and Randall Stout’s iconic architecture in Roanoke. The Taubman Museum of Art is notable for its angular, futuristic design that mimics the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Visitors can…

Mount Vernon and slavery: Confronting the uncomfortable legacy behind George Washington’s estate

Behind the grand mansion and formal gardens of Mount Vernon lies a quieter, more troubling story. Visiting the reconstructed slave quarters at Mount Vernon forces a reckoning with George Washington and slavery, and with choices that shaped the early United States. It looks like a…

The Hiram M Chittenden locks in Seattle, Washington.

Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle: Salmon, ships and the city’s overlooked soul

A short trip north of downtown reveals a side of Seattle that guidebooks often skim past. At the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, engineering, ecology and local identity quietly intersect. In the hotel lobby stands my very unofficial tour guide. “Howdy,” she says. “I’m going to…

Portland Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint, Oregon: Visitor guide

When I first pulled into the parking area — officially named Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint but still called Chanticleer Point by locals — what immediately struck me was how every single person with a camera was pointing in the same direction. Nobody photographs…

Vista House overlooking Oregon's Columbia River Gorge.

Vista House, Oregon: Ticket prices, hours, parking & visitor guide

The first time I climbed the stone steps to Oregon's Vista House and stepped inside, what caught me off guard wasn't the 360-degree Columbia River Gorge panorama — though it's genuinely spectacular — but the Tokeen Alaskan marble floors and opalized glass windows in what…

Lanschaftspark Duisburg Nord in Duisburg,, Germany.

10 industrial heritage sites with a wow factor for tourists

For some people, travel is about seeing world class art and beautiful landscapes. For others, it’s about staring at massive factories and gawping at clanking machinery. And for the latter, there are plenty of dreamy industrial heritage sites to get happily lost in… Blegny-Mine, Belgium…

Exploratorium, San Francisco: Ticket prices, hours & visitor guide (2026)

Plan your trip to the Exploratorium on Pier 15 in San Francisco, California, with my comprehensive guide to ticket prices, opening hours, and must-see exhibits. The Exploratorium is notable for its massive collection of over 600 interactive exhibits that blend science, art, and human perception.…

Fort Point in San Francisco, California.

Fort Point, San Francisco: Ticket prices, hours & visitor guide (2026)

Discover the history and visiting details for Fort Point National Historic Site, a Civil War-era fortification standing directly beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Fort Point National Historic Site is notable for its position directly beneath the southern anchorage of the Golden…

Kingsley Plantation, Jacksonville: Ticket prices, hours & visitor guide

Explore Florida's history at Kingsley Plantation. Get essential info on ticket prices, tour hours, and visiting the historic slave quarters. The first thing that catches you off guard at Kingsley Plantation near Jacksonville, Florida isn't the 1798 planter's house, elegant as it is. It's the…

Franklin Institute, Philadelphia: Ticket prices, hours & visitor guide

Visit Philadelphia’s premier science museum. Find the latest ticket prices, planetarium hours, and visitor tips for The Franklin Institute. Walking through the entrance hall of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, you're confronted by a 20-foot marble statue of Benjamin Franklin sitting beneath a rotunda.…