By Tom Adkinson PADUCAH, Ky. – The fabric art at Paducah’s National Quilt Museum is known internationally, but not three blocks away is art of a ...

ST. IGNACE, Mich. – The bridge that skeptics said never could be built – and gephyrophobics fear to this day – is eligible for Social Security but ...

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – After you conclude that throwing dice and pulling the lever on a slot machine really don’t count as exercise, you can burn off ...

TONOPAH, Nevada – A chance conversation led to my meeting a mucking champion, and that’s no typo. It happened in the desert town of Tonopah, which is ...

LAUGHLIN, Nevada — Laughlin and its nine casinos never will rival Las Vegas, but Laughlin always will have an attraction Las Vegas can only dream ...

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – You might not know the first thing about stock car racing other than the advice to novice drivers – “go as fast as you can ...

BLOWING ROCK, North Carolina – Scott McLeod has had a dozen or more jobs at Tweetsie Railroad, including cowboy actor, pyrotechnician and haunted ...

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Ben, the Rescue Horse, apparently didn’t play well with others back on an Amish farm in Ohio, but he proved to be a fine ...

CHARLESTON, South Carolina – What began as a medical facility for injured eagles, hawks and owls in 1991 now is a very special nature attraction in ...

CAROLINA BEACH, North Carolina – Forget “Little Shop of Horrors” and its fanciful tale of a plant that could consume a human being. That’s because the ...

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Sue Williams wanted to be a county agricultural agent, but she became a medical doctor and a chocolate maker instead – and the ...

ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – If it weren’t for White Sands National Park and the Manhattan Project atomic bomb heritage of Alamogordo, the most famous ...

WHITETOP MOUNTAIN, Virginia – If the weather is the least bit accommodating, bicyclists enjoy the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail in ...

ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – America got a very big present in the final days of 2019 — its 62nd national park. It is White Sands National Park ...

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — One of Nashville’s more peculiar pieces of public sculpture is an ornament for passing bicyclists in Shelby Park, ...

ASHLAND, Oregon — Always keep a few dollars of folding money with you. Otherwise, you’ll not be able to reward a sidewalk busker who manages to pluck ...

CHICAGO — The Bean, whose formal name is Cloud Gate, is one of the most joy-producing attractions in Chicago. It is a massive work of art (33 ...

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK, Oregon — The serenity of a crisp autumn day, belies the origins of this stunningly beautiful lake fed only by ...

NEW YORK – Look for a good angle. That is sage advice from experienced travel photographers, even if it means lying on your back in the middle of a ...

BARBADOS, West Indies – A dramatic Caribbean sky seems to recall when Charles Fort helped protect this British outpost in the era of exploration and ...

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — It is the year of the pig on the Chinese calendar, and that is cause for celebration by pork lovers everywhere, but ...

By Tom Adkinson CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – It’s understandable if you have a curious urge early every February to scout up recordings of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy ...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A statement of the obvious earned the Big Dam Bridge its name and helped cement its identity as the longest bridge in North ...

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – Capt. Steve Perrigin, the one-man band orchestrating a charter boat business called Strictly Fishin’, seldom ventures more than ...

GAUTIER, Miss. – While casino showrooms on the Mississippi Gulf Coast deliver excellent entertainment, Mother Nature knows how to put on a good show, ...

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — True fans of barbecue understand the message on this T-shirt without thinking twice or having their thoughts wander off ...

ROSEBURG, Ore. – Shades of red and yellow mix with lingering hints of green on the hillsides of the Abacela Winery and Vineyard in Southern Oregon’s ...

By Tom Adkinson LAS VEGAS – Be ready to pass a Breathalyzer test if you want to drive one of Ed Mumm’s bulldozers – which may be a bit difficult for ...

(A personal note: When Sept. 11 rolls around every year, Americans pause to remember and reflect on that date in 2001. Here’s what goes through my ...

ON LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN, La. – It’s one thing to have a fishing guide who puts you on fish. It’s an entirely different thing to have a fishing guide who ...

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The South honed the art of storytelling – whether it was at the dinner table, on the front porch, around a campfire or ...

  PROVIDENCE, R.I. – You don’t have to leave the U.S. to get a ride in a genuine Venetian gondola (serenade included). Two of the three gondolas ...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Some foods just sound logical. Consider roast pork, apple pie, ripe tomatoes, and sweet corn. But chocolate gravy? If you’re ...

KEY LARGO, Fla. — The African Queen, the actual boat from the movie of the same name, has been resurrected. The putt-putt-puttering ...

With the possible exception of trout fishermen obsessing over salmonoids , virtually everyone considers the American black bear to be the symbol of ...

AVERY ISLAND, La. – This spot in Louisiana Cajun country is famous the world over for little bottles of a spicy red sauce. Of course, it’s Tabasco ...

  HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Melvin’s Place of BBQ isn’t somewhere you’d take a first date – unless your date knows how to appreciate the finer aspects ...

SMITHFIELD, N.C. – Expectations for small-town museums often are understandably low, but expect to be impressed at the Ava Gardner Museum in ...

HODGENVILLE, Ky. – Illinois calls itself the “Land of Lincoln,” but Kentucky is where Abraham Lincoln was born. There’s no escaping that historical ...