Making downtown a place people want to be is the constant challenge of city leaders the world over. While there’s no magical one-size-fits-all formula, some cities simply get it right. One of those happens to be Greenville, South Carolina, a smaller Southern city sporting a downtown with a lot of charm.
Read MoreThe Blue Ridge Mountains, named as such for the bluish haze that appears to be draped over them when seen from a distance, are home to two national parks and a handful of national forests, including Pisgah, which is entirely contained within North Carolina. Established in 1916, Pisgah National Forest covers over 500,000 acres, offering tons and tons of recreational opportunities for nature lovers of all ages.
Read MoreAfter working overnight and getting a scant two hours of sleep or so, I piled into my little Chevy Cruze with my brother and my son and we took off from West Michigan. Our route saw us through rural parts of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as a KFC boasting a buffet, before we arrived in the Queen City, home of the Reds, the Bengals, and the Bearcats, not to mention the American Sign Museum and the Purple People Bridge.
Read MoreArgentina is a big place — the second largest country in South America, in fact, and the eighth largest in the world. And that’s why the six weeks I spent there back in 2014 weren’t nearly enough to get a glimpse of all of the country’s 23 provinces — but if I ever went back, there is one province I’d make sure not to miss.
Read MoreIt could easily be argued that the U.S. is near the top of the list when it comes to countries that are so contained within their own bubbles that people tend not to think about the way life is lived in other places. That in mind, here are some social norms from other parts of the world that may sound a little odd to American ears.
Read MoreMaking travel affordable is one of the biggest obstacles many people come up against, which is why it’s a good thing there are so many resources out there to find good deals. You probably know about Expedia and Kayak and Hotels.com and all of that jazz, but just in case you needed another weapon in your arsenal, there is one other site you’ll want to check out.
Read MoreAs one of the largest sources of freshwater in the world — first in total area and second in volume only to Russia’s Lake Baikal — it’s difficult to imagine anyone making the argument that the Great Lakes aren’t named appropriately. But what if we were to compare the individual lakes with one another? Which of the Great Lakes is the greatest? The least-great? Now that’s a debate worth having.
Read MoreWhile George Lucas and J.J. Abrams would have you believe that “Stars Wars” takes place in a galaxy far, far away, the rest of us know that the movies were filmed, for the most part, in real locations all around the globe (and otherwise on green screens). From the Redwood forests of California to the arid deserts of Jordan, the creators of the film franchise have made use of many destinations to create the various planets and moons that fans have witnessed over the years.
Read MoreUnless you live near a major hub, such as those located in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, or another large urban area, trying to find flights that are cheap (and which don’t charge you for your first bag or saddle you with ridiculously long layovers) can be about as difficult as locating Waldo among a sea of pedestrians clad in red and white-striped clothing.
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