Travel blog

The Golden Nugget is a staple of Downtown Las Vegas. Built in the 40s, it’s weathered all of Sin City’s ups and downs, witnessed its transformation from a seedy, sandy place for guests to jettison their morals, to its modern iteration as the family friendly entertainment capital of the world.

Sutter’s Mill sawmill is nestled in a peaceful valley in Coloma, California at the base of the Sierra foothills. Surrounded by ponderosa pines, on an average early morning in the late 1840s, all you’d hear would be the trilling of birds, the rush of the breeze, and the gentle roar of the American River winding its way through the property.

Feed your wanderlust and yearning for the elegance of travel from a more genteel era on a leisurely train trip up the breathtaking West Coast! You can enjoy comfortable accommodations, superb dining, and gracious service all while watching some of America’s most beautiful scenery slowly pass you by on the Coast Starlight.

Visitors to Hawaii get to enjoy its immense natural beauty, tropical climate, and endless opportunities for beachside relaxation. But guests are also granted a first-hand look at the vibrant culture that’s shaped these distant islands into one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

Since it is an American state, travelers may not feel that they need to prepare themselves for culture shock when visiting Hawaii, but there are significant differences in daily life and customs.

Get ready for a vacation to paradise by learning about these unique aspects of Hawaii’s distinct culture:

Houston, Texas, is home to two of planet earth’s finest treasures: authentic Texas barbecue, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Space Center Houston is the visitor’s center of Johnson Space Center. Space Center Houston is open to visitors year-round, as are select areas within Johnson Space Center. Together, they are Houston’s most popular sightseeing destination.

Johnson Space Center is a massive 100 building complex covering 1,620 acres in the Clear Lake area of Houston. It was built during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, when getting to the moon was a matter of considerable national importance.

When 19th century French fur trappers came upon the trio of jagged peaks that jutted into the sky above Jackson Hole in Northwestern Wyoming, they cheekily described them as “Les Trois Tétons,” or the three breasts—the tallest of which they bawdily called the “Grand Teton,” or… you can probably fill in the blanks.

Despite the crude origins of its name, Grand Teton National Park is a place of stunning beauty and dramatic vistas. This remarkable park is a must for nature lovers and American history buffs.

Hollywood royalty and the political elite of the 1920s and 1930s would arrive at Hearst Castle via the estate’s airstrip, or aboard the private Hearst-owned railcar that regularly made the journey from Los Angeles to the sprawling oceanside estate in San Simeon, California. From Clark Gable to Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin, the politicians, movie stars, titans of industry, and other privileged guests of William Randolph Hearst were in awe of the jaw-dropping grandeur of the 90,000-square foot estate informally called “the ranch.”

It’s hard to predict the best time to visit Olympic National Park. With more than a million acres, this vast wilderness in Washington State stretches from the sandy beaches of the Pacific to the peaks of Mount Olympus, across a wide range of distinct ecosystems. Each area features its own weather patterns, with temperatures that vary from season to season and day to day. Imagine temperate rainforests, glacier-capped mountains, and 70 miles of rugged coastline. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Olympic National Park is an adventure no matter the season you visit.

Portland, Oregon is a city that offers plenty of things for travelers to see and do. In a perfect world you’d have a week to explore and uncover all the secrets of this Pacific Northwest gem, but what if you’re just passing through?

What can you discover in a single day in Portland?

In the 19th century, more than half a million settlers hitched their wagons and made the long journey from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Trail. During what would become the country’s most famous migration, nearly 10 percent of the pioneers died of hardships ranging from starvation to dysentery. Over a rough landscape that stretched more than 2,000 miles they pushed on through cities like Independence and Kansas City. For roughly 5 months they walked, making the brutal journey toward their new homes.