Whether you’re drawn by its beguiling coastlines, untamed jungle or high-altitude national parks, Colombia is guaranteed to dazzle.
09.02.2024 - 17:23 / nationalgeographic.com
Towering mountains. Rushing rivers ideal for white-water rafting (one of National Geographic’s top 20 Best of the World travel adventures for 2024). America’s newest national park. Appalachian cuisine and folk music.
Spring: Late April through May, yellow trout lily, purple larkspur, and other wildflowers frame hiking paths such as the Blackwater River Trail in Canaan Valley Resort State Park, the Stone Cliff Trail in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, or the Central Trail loop inCacapon Resort State Park. It’s also ramps season, when the foraged wild onions headline on restaurant menus, at the Ramps and Rail Festival in Elkins, and even in allium-forward wine.
Summer: With the highest average elevation east of the Mississippi River, West Virginia often has pleasantly cool summer temperatures. In steamier weather, visitors chill out by white-water rafting on the Lower Gauley or Cheat Rivers or by tubing in the Shenandoah or Potomac Rivers. The West Virginia Waterfall Trailspotlights cascades in places including Babcock State ParkandMonongahela National Forest.
July festivals include the Sternwheel Regatta with boat races along the Kanawha River in Charleston and the Contemporary American Theater Festival of new plays in Shepherdstown.
Autumn: Gauley Season opens 25 miles of the legendary river to raftersin September and October—arrange a trip withACE Adventure Resortor Adventures on the Gorge. Also thrilling: watching BASE jumpers hurl themselves off of the 3,030-foot long, 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge during the Bridge Day festival in Fayetteville.
See September and October’s peak fall foliage on scenic drives, hiking trails, or by riding restored trains, the Potomac Eagle and the New Tygart Flyer.
Winter: In the eastern part of West Virginia, mountainous terrain (40 peaks above 4,000 feet!) and high average snowfalls attract skiers, sledders, and tubers. Downhill schussers and snowboarders head to Timberline Mountainand Canaan Valley Ski Resort. Nearby, Blackwater Falls State Park appeals to families with a quarter-mile-long sled run and cabins with wood-burning fireplaces.
Cities and towns: West Virginia is within a day’s drive of nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population. In its eastern panhandle, mountain-framed Berkeley Springs has been a spa town since colonial times and Shepherdstown has Civil War history, restaurants, and shops in rehabbed vintage buildings.
Along the Monongahela River in the northern part of the state,Morgantown is home to scenic covered bridges, museums, and green spaces such as the West Virginia Botanic Garden.
The state capital, Charleston, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Elk Rivers in the southwestern part of the state, has waterside trails, street
Whether you’re drawn by its beguiling coastlines, untamed jungle or high-altitude national parks, Colombia is guaranteed to dazzle.
Southwest Airlines and Omni Hotels & Resorts are teaming up to offer a special "Solarbration" sweepstakes ahead of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.The sweepstakes—which can be entered now through March 11—will reward two lucky winners with a prize package that includes air travel on a flight predicted to be in the direct path of the eclipse.The flight options include Southwest Flight 1252, which departs Dallas (Love Field) at 12:40 p.m. CT for Pittsburgh, and Southwest Flight 1721, which departs Austin at 12:55 p.m. CT for Indianapolis.Omni will do its part by putting the winners up in custom-designed guest rooms inspired by the celestial event. The special accommodations will be located at Omni Hotels in the departure cities of Dallas and Austin and the arrival cities of Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.In addition to roundtrip flights and accommodations for two nights, winners will receive exclusive solar eclipse viewing glasses and fun inflight experiences aboard their eclipse flights.
Milkshake Tourism is about to become a reality as Zaxby’s milkshakes return exclusively to Macon, Georgia, prompting the destination to launch its own shake-inspired tourism campaign.
Minneapolis stands out for its art museums, its lakes, and its sporting prowess. The largest city in Minnesota sits on the west banks of the Mississippi River whereas its Twin City and the state capital is a short journey on the light railway.
Walk the streets of Memphis and you can almost feel the bones of this mid-size city rise up from the pavement. There’s a reason this place has an outsized impact on American culture.
Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry were baffled by the sudden silence from their parents, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, who had lived on a yacht for over a decade, People reports.
Anyone who’s set foot in America’s Deep South will know ‘Southern charm’ is no myth, and Savannah — Georgia’s oldest city — embodies just this. Situated at the mouth of the Savannah River in the east of the state, the city has retained its ‘olde world’ atmosphere since its founding in 1733 through its well-preserved cobblestone streets, pre-Civil War architecture, horse-drawn carriages and manicured parks. Meanwhile its more modern array of offerings, including quirky ice cream parlours, moody speakeasies, cosy coffee shops and independent bookshops, have all helped earn its more recent nickname of the ‘Hostess City of the South’. Its urban beauty is also undeniable. Though ravaged by naval blockades during the Civil War, Savannah is said to have charmed Union general William Sherman so much that he saved it from the fires being set by his soldiers during the battle, and instead offered the city as a Christmas gift to President Abraham Lincoln. Today, Savannah plays a much larger role than just being easy on the eye; it’s a vibrant cultural and historical hub for the state and the perfect jumping-off point for various coastal adventures.
West Virginia is a beauty queen of a state, with ragged mountains to hike or ski and white-water rapids to paddle. It’s also stuffed with Civil War history and charming small towns. To explore it all, you’ll need a home base. Here are the boutique hotels, camping compounds, and storied resorts we suggest.
This year more folks are prioritizing travel and newfangled experiences. We’re inspired by beloved television shows à la Emily in Paris to reexamine cities we’ve previously visited. Scoring tickets to see our favorite musical artists, like Taylor Swift, fortuitously opens up the prospect of flying to a different country. A rising wellness and longevity movement encourages travelers to seek alcohol-free vacations. Slower and more intentional travel—quality over quantity—is important and sustainability and eco-minded experiences are at the forefront.
One of America's most beloved cruise operators, American Queen Voyages, has shut down.
With all the charm of a European city but a proud history that’s firmly French-Canadian, Québec City is a perfect place to travel with kids – and fortunately for North Americans, it’s much closer than Europe.
There's nothing like graduating to make you want a celebratory vacation.