Travelrific®

By Linda Tancs One of the largest known cave systems in Europe, Italy’s Frasassi Caves (Grotte di Frasassi) in Le Marche is one of the country’s most popular show caves. Accessible only via guided tours, highlights include Ancona Abyss with its vaulted ceilings over 600 feet high, a crystallized lake and a cavern of stalagmites resembling candles. A limited number of timed, online tickets are…

By Linda Tancs Built in 1395, The Crooked House in Lavenham, England, is said to be inspired by the old English nursery rhyme “There was a Crooked Man.” Its off-centeredness owes to the hastiness of the wealthy wool merchant who wanted a grand estate. The wood used to build the house wasn’t properly seasoned; as it dried, the timber-framed house twisted and contorted, resulting in a very strong…

By Linda Tancs Boasting two centuries of history, Clarks shoes began with James Clark’s idea to turn leftover rug-making material from the company’s origin into slippers. Now in a striking modern building beside Clarks Village (an outlet shopping center spread across the company’s former factory site), Shoemakers Museum documents the development of the global footwear retailer. Located in…

By Linda Tancs At nearly 8,000 feet above sea level, Mount Pico is Portugal’s highest mountain. It’s located in Pico Island in the mid-Atlantic archipelago of the Azores. A paradise for nature lovers, the island boasts unique lava formations and panoramic views of the archipelago from atop the mountain for hikers. The volcanic landscape also yields a special type of white wine called Verdelho…

By Linda Tancs Now just a few feet from land, Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow, New York, was once a half-mile off shore. That all changed after years of landfill by a now-demolished General Motors factory moved the shoreline within a few feet of the light. Decommissioned decades ago, the lighthouse has been completely renovated inside and out. It’s accessible at Kingsland Point Park…

By Linda Tancs The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum in Windsor, Connecticut, traces the development of electronic communications from the early 1800s up to the invention of radio, television, telephone, the personal computer and other technologies. Many of the exhibits are hands-on: Tap out your name in Morse Code; tune a vintage radio; crank a wind-up phonograph; listen to a home-made…

By Linda Tancs A formidable barrier against Scots invaders, England’s Brougham Castle in Cumbria was founded in the early 13th century by Robert de Vieuxpont, a powerful local baron who was granted the lordship of Westmorland by King John. Largely in ruins, the keep still stands today, a fine example of medieval military architecture. Climb its spiral stairs to the top for panoramic views over…

By Linda Tancs Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest covered wagon, The Railsplitter in Lincoln, Illinois, measures 25 feet high and 40 feet wide with 12-foot-high wagon wheels. It boasts a seated statue of Abraham Lincoln (referred to as Big Lincoln at 12 feet) reading a law book. The structure is being prepared to be moved downtown to the Route 66 Welcome Garden on the…

By Linda Tancs Mostar is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina located on the banks of the Neretva River. Its iconic symbol is Old Bridge, a replica of a 16th-century bridge built under the orders of Suleiman the Magnificent. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it hosts a cliff diving competition each year that draws spectators and thrill-seekers alike. This year’s event begins on July 31.

By Linda Tancs Surrounded by the Tjuvholmen sculpture park with views of the fjord, Oslo’s Astrup Fearnley Museum is a destination in itself. One of the Nordic countries’ leading museums for contemporary art, the museum manages the extensive Astrup Fearnley collection and presents changing exhibitions featuring both works from the collection and new productions by artists from around the…

By Linda Tancs Studio Museum is an African American art museum in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. Following an extensive renovation that began in 2018, it has reopened in a new seven-story, 82,000-square-foot space. The museum’s new design incorporates architectural highlights like the Grand Stair, along with other features like the “Stoop,” a flexible Grand Hall for events, and a rooftop…

By Linda Tancs The hallmark resort of Georgia’s famed Golden Isles, Jekyll Island Club Resort is a remnant of the Gilded Age. Founded in 1886 by luminaries like J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer and William K. Vanderbilt, it was a private winter refuge for America’s richest families. Nowadays it’s not only a hotel but also a historical landmark, anchoring a 240-acre area with more than 30 period…

By Linda Tancs Located in Bar Harbor, Maine, Abbe Museum celebrates Wabanaki Nations’ arts and cultures. The Wabanaki (People of the Dawn) lived for thousands of generations in what is known today as Maine, New England and the Canadian Maritimes. Their history is showcased through changing exhibitions, special events, teacher workshops and workshops for children and adults.

By Linda Tancs Stockholm’s subway (metro) system may not be the biggest or the oldest, but it does boast the world’s longest art gallery. Sixty-eight miles long, the tunnels exhibit artwork initiated during Sweden’s late 1950s cultural boom that continues to be updated today. Its 100 stations feature unique art on the platform, walls or waiting hall. The system celebrated a milestone, its 75th…

By Linda Tancs Danish prehistory culminated in the Viking Age, the period from A.D. 800 to A.D. 1050. During the Viking Age the first kings appeared, who ruled an area roughly corresponding to present-day Denmark and, at the end of the age, also ruled over England and Norway during certain periods. That’s just part of 9,000 years of history you’ll discover at the National Museum of Denmark in…

By Linda Tancs Open seasonally, Scribners Mill is a 19th-century historic sawmill and homestead in Harrison, Maine. A unique site, it’s the only sash saw mill in the U.S. that was family-owned and is located on its original site in its undisturbed rural setting. Among seven restored structures you’ll find the homestead complex, a working blacksmith shop, shingle mill and a coopers shop. Tours…

By Linda Tancs Opened less than a year ago, the Grand Egyptian Museum is the largest museum in the world devoted to a single civilization. Located near the Great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, the venue displays, conserves and studies over 50,000 artifacts across 7,000 years of ancient Egyptian civilization. The entrance is marked by a hanging obelisk, the first elevated obelisk in the country.…