Ohioan Farmer Lee Jones, considered by many to be “America’s Farmer,” moved his family’s farm to create an original concept: specialty grower for the finest chefs in the US and abroad. Recently, Mr. Jones made …

Though I spent a week in New Brunswick, I could see that I just touched the surface of all the different places and cultures of the Canadian Atlantic province. But two aspects stood out as …

Portugal has a long, rich history that colors everything from its language, food and architecture. It was settled by homo sapiens 35,000 years ago and retains traces of a non–Indo European language and even DNA. …

I visited Wroclaw, Poland, during an interesting time in history: it was the 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence, the 100th anniversary of the Armistice and the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. As for Wroclaw itself, it …

Though it was not my first time in Iceland, it was my first time single and, for most of the time, without any travel companion. It turned out to be a fine thing. You can …

Usually, when you think of little towns in Appalachia complete with serene lakes, it’s easy to make assumptions on what you can do and see. Of course, you expect beauty and quiet relaxation. But the …

When you visit a region, its cuisine says as much about its culture as paintings in an art museum. Travelers rush to Napa Valley for wine, Wisconsin for cheese, Maine for lobster... but there’s just …

Heading to Las Vegas two months after the Mandalay Bay shootings – the deadliest (civilian) mass shooting in American history – you’d have to be a sociopath not to think of death. But eventually, like …

Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is a college town, a Federal Reserve site and the location of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. There’s culture, a solid economic base and as it’s located on …

Sure, Athens, Georgia, is home to Georgia's flagship state university and SEC sports teams. But for decades, the little mountain town has been the site of indie musicians, several of whom became stars. The B-52s, …

Just as I last left Israel, the bodies of three missing young men had turned up. The week before I was to return, there were two young men murdered in front of Old Jerusalem’s Jaffa …

The Adirondacks are a large, gorgeous mountain area in Upstate New York. They’ve been a popular place for camping and recreation for all rungs of the society ladder since at least the Victorian area. With …

Tampa’s melting pot of cultures – as well as access to the freshest seafood and sun-kissed produce – has contributed to terrific restaurants. It’s a sophisticated city that has authentic global flair, unlike other nearby …

Sun, sand and surf makes for a fun holiday, but there are lots of places on the planet you can experience them. An imaginative traveler wants more – to learn about people, customs, food and …

You can plan as much as you like for a trip, but you can’t plan the weather. That doesn’t mean you won’t still have lots of fun! It was raining buckets on my head for …

As the easternmost part of North America, the Canadian Maritime province of Newfoundland seems so far away, but it’s the nearest to Europe. Its hardy, thrifty residents – who were isolated in winter – were …

How often have you come home from a vacation only to need another vacation? Some places are just plain stressful: white-knuckling your smartphone, camera and cash from would-be criminals on the street. As it turns …

Vermont’s storied "Northeast Kingdom" was given its name by former Governor and U.S. Senator George D. Aiken in 1949 for its special beauty. While lots of people think of Vermont in terms of a snow-covered …

Last year, Belgium celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax. His birthplace and important milestones occurred in the Wallonia (French-flavored) part of the country. It’s his inventions …

For most of its history, Grand Bahama Island only had a few hundred people and no development. In 1955, a Virginian named Wallace Grove, eyeing the tourism of nearby Cuba, created the planned city of …

What comes around, goes around. Charleston was one of the most renowned, prosperous cities in colonial and antebellum America. Gone with the Wind’s character Rhett Butler was ostensibly from Charleston, to demonstrate how sophisticated, well-born …

Savannah was established as Georgia’s first city – a working port – in 1733. It’s been welcoming people and trade for over 280 years, adding a global, cosmopolitan flavor to its Deep South traditions. Really, …

In what is the instep of Italy’s boot, the first forays into Italy from North Africa came to settle in Matera 10,000 years ago. Living quarters were fashioned in both the limestone caves and built …

Most people only know the town of Saginaw, Michigan, from the song made popular in the 1960s by country singer Lefty Frizzel. Some hipsters might know another song, “If I Ever Get to Saginaw” by …

As a former musician myself, I shake my head sadly at musicians who think they’re getting the folk zeitgeist of a given genre just by listening to records. You learn folk music by listening to …

Until this year, the only part of Arizona I had ever seen was my grandparents’ retirement abode near Camelback Mountain. I remembered that people would emerge in the cool of the night with headlamps to …

The Caribbean and Atlantic islands weren’t the origin of rum – that was created in New England – but they were part of the trade triangle that included African slaves and island molasses. Any thought …

I was in Israel when three teenagers in yeshiva – Jewish seminary – had just been kidnapped. As I left the country, they were discovered to have been killed, which touched off a firestorm between …

In an era where places rarely or barely live up to their reputations, Vermont’s Route 100 looks and really feels like old-fashioned Christmas cards depicting the New England state. I visited in winter, when buildings …

Cincinnati has roots in so many different worlds: North and South, rust belt and agrarian, skyscrapers and green space, historic and hip. Neighborhoods that were marginalized for decades are now favorites of young professionals. Artistic …

Though Stockholm has much in common with other Scandinavian cities, it has a look and cultural legacy all of its own. This harbor city gets both American tourists and lots of fresh seafood. Stockholm seems …

Visiting Manhattan, I had always relegated my trips to uptown, never to the Battery Park area, Wall Street area or... the World Trade Center. Of course, coming into the city from the south, I’d seen …

Helsinki, Finland, is considered by many to be the “gateway to the East,” dividing Scandinavia from Eastern Europe. Indeed, it spent time as both as part of the Kingdom of Sweden and as part of …

Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland that’s right on the French border, was part of an independent nation-state created after WWI. It changed political control back and forth: at times it was …

Most Americans probably don’t know where the Faroe Islands are. They’re a small island chain between Iceland and Scotland, speaking a language derived from Old Norse and Western Norwegian dialects. If anyone's heard of the …

Stuttgart isn’t as frantically busy as many other cities in Europe and even in Germany can be, but it’s lively and thriving. With luxury auto manufacturing, palaces and wine, the city is a place to …

Iceland – remote and north of most of the rest of Europe – was first settled just over 1,000 years ago by Norse Viking men who brought Celt women as sex slaves. This historic tidbit …

Leipzig, in what was East Germany, was one of Europe’s most important music centers. I knew Felix Mendelssohn Barthody and Johann Sebastian Bach lived here. As it turns out, Clara and Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, …

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, real or fictional, Georgia was the home of some of our most memorable, iconic characters. Seeing their birthplaces is not merely about roaming from town to town. Rather, it’s learning …

Though the reasons for WWI are murky to most Americans – something about the assassination of an Archduke, as well as the unification of feudal-era principalities into modern nation-states – the war brought our country …

In the Middle Ages, back when canals were the super-highways of Europe, Bruges experienced a surge of wealth and culture. Before the canals started silting, there was a direct route to the sea from the …

In Mechelen – pronounced with a guttural "ch" – religion has played a tremendous role for over 800 years. The city's provided shelter, freedom for women, even beer...and it’s also served as a dark double-edged …

Germany’s most ancient city is Trier, its name derived from the Roman name Augusta Trevororum under Caesar Augustus. It was known as the “Second Rome” before Constantinople. While the Romans had been in neighboring Gaul …

I got off the train to Antwerp, Belgium, at Central Station, named by Newsweek as the fourth most beautiful train station in the world, just around the crack of dawn. The town square was lifeless, …

Most of us in the U.S. remember the name “Ghent” from the Treaty of Ghent that finally ended the War of 1812 with the British. At the time, communication was slow, and Gen. Andrew Jackson …

Prince Edward Island, Canada, is called the birthplace of Canada – it was the site where they became a confederation in 1864. In 2014, they will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference leading …

Lots of tourist amenities have sprung up around Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the U.S., and it’s no wonder. The stunning scenery and wildlife have attracted people to the …

Though it can be fairly said that Amsterdam is always ready for a party, this year the city is really celebrating. 2013 is the 400th anniversary of its famous canal ring, now a UNESCO World …

Why are people from around the world flocking to Staunton, Virginia, a little railroad town nestled in the Shenandoah Valley? Staunton, pronounced “Stant-on,” isn’t content to merely be a scenic historic stop 10 miles west …

Chattanooga was one of the main starting points of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. It and the surrounding region of southeastern Tennessee are full of culture, preserving important elements of America’s heritage. And all this …