Travel in county Rio Grande

Our nation's most vital waterways are drying up at an alarming rate due to global warming, increased human water use, and other man-made impacts. Nowhere is this crisis seen as dramatically than in the American West, with its longest drought in 1,200 years. Two of our nation’s critical lifelines—the Rio Grande and the Colorado River—are shrinking tragically with every passing day.

Rows of purple, fragrant flowers are a treat to see and smell. But when lavender is in full bloom, destinations around the world celebrate their flowers with everything from lavender-flavored ice cream to yoga sessions amid the fields.

From the banks of the Rio Grande to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the southern reaches of Texas are renowned for their incredible birdwatching opportunities—but there’s a wide array of species to be discovered in the interior of the state as well. Just 45 minutes from downtown Austin, the city of Bastrop is best known for its high concentration of historic buildings, but beyond the downtown core, the region’s sprawling forests and many water features play host to all sorts of native birds.

I had barely unbuckled my seatbelt and was already wondering if I had driven six hours across Texas for nothing. A once-in-a-lifetime river adventure had seemingly evaporated with some disappointing news.

Spring is a sensorial symphony in the US and national parks its front-row seats. Here's where to see the most spectacular shows.

When is a hotel more than a hotel? When commitment to tradition, celebration of ritual and a deep connection to the past paves the way for a global legacy - whether in Manhattan, Mexico City, or Aspen, Colorado.

Miami and Orlando are the two most visited cities in Florida. Miami is nicknamed the Magic City and known for its white-sand beaches, pastel-hued tropical Art Deco architecture, dynamic nightlife, and Latin vibes. Orlando is home to the Magic Kingdom and the world’s most famous mouse. Until recently, out-of-towners who wanted to experience both sides of the Sunshine State either had to hop a flight between Orlando and Miami and then take a taxi or ride-share to their destination or rent a car, navigate the oft-congested interstate, and endure the hassle of finding (usually pricey) parking during what’s supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

A sunset cable car ride, a thundering waterfall, or exploring the world’s most important ecosystem by riverboat are just a handful of the lasting memories waiting to be made on a family vacation in Brazil. 

I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this. Pictures barely do it justice. I was passing through West Texas, having already visited the nearby White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, and figured this would be the easiest time to visit Big Bend National Park. I’d heard from a fellow traveler that it was his favorite park, and he’d been to all of them. With that in mind, I purposely limited how much I’d see of the park before I arrived. I wanted to be surprised, and boy was I.

Skewers of salty, charcoal-grilled chicken hearts are found everywhere in the city, from all-you-can-eat steakhouses to street barbecues and stalls at football matches. Modish small-plates-and-wine venue Cora modernises the classic with a beautiful dish of rare duck hearts on a bed of cauliflower cream and grilled leeks, topped with vibrant salsa verde and accompanied by house-baked sourdough bread and Brazilian natural wine. The sixth-floor city-centre spot offers views over Minhocão (‘the big worm’), an elevated highway that’s car-free on weekends.

Becoming a birder is easy – all you have to do is step outside. 

The roads of Puerto Rico serve as a stage.

With mountains in west Texas, beaches along its Gulf Coast, and the Hill Country at its heart, the Lone Star State covers such varied terrain that sometimes it feels like a country all its own. And it was, from 1836 until 1845. Today visitors flock to America’s second-largest state to learn about its fight for independence, spot neotropical birds, chow down on barbecue or Tex-Mex food, or hike mountains and deserts.

Gleaming gypsum crystal dunes roll as far as the eye can see at White Sands National Park. With waves towering up to 60 feet tall, the composition of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert landscape is constantly changing due to wind and weather patterns. Hardy plants like yuccas, grasses, and shrubs have evolved to survive in the shifting sands, adding texture to the spectacle of shapes and shadows that define the scenery.

Big Bend National Park shares a border with Mexico in a stunning stretch of southwestern Texas, where evenings are defined by orange skies reflecting against red-rock canyons.  While such stunning scenes are commonplace within Big Bend, the massive desert preserve remains overlooked among US national parks. It’s never had more than 500,000 visitors in a single year since it was made a national park in 1944, making it one of the least-visited parks in the lower 48.

Winter may not seem like the ideal time to visit the wilds of a national park, but really there’s no bad time to enjoy the beauty of America’s public lands. Some national parks in temperate or even tropical climates are better to visit in winter when they’re free from the scalding heat of summer. If you don’t mind the potential for a bit of snow, you’ll enjoy relative quiet in some of the larger parks visited en masse during warmer months.

Brazil’s booming southern states – Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul – are often strangely absent on tourist itineraries of the country. The cities of Curitiba and Porto Alegre will host 2014 FIFA World Cup matches, and the region is already a huge draw for Brazilian, Argentine and Uruguayan tourists. Yet it can be a hard sell for European and North American travellers – it lacks the glamour of Rio but often sports the same prices thanks to the booming economy. After an obligatory pilgrimage to the mighty Iguazu Falls most Western travellers simply move on. So what makes those sudamericanos stick around? Here’s ten reasons I can think of immediately…

If you're as obsessed with Breaking Bad as we are, you might want to take a tour of New Mexico . From the city of Albuquerque to the arid desert nearby, the region hosts a wealth of Breaking Bad filming locations and is well worth exploring in its own right.

Editor’s Note: CNN Original Series “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico” airs on CNN Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Sign up to CNN Travel’s four-part Unlocking Mexico newsletter for more on the country and its cuisine.