Shutterstock Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness, Idaho Intro Placeholder Shutterstock Gorgeous lakes dot Sawtooth Wilderness There are more than 300 blue mountain lakes scattered all over the wilderness. Sawtooth Lake, Alice Lake, and Goat Lake are the ones everyone loves to take pictures of. Most of these lakes formed when glaciers melted about 10,000 years ago. The … Read more

Shutterstock Homolovi State Park Most people zip past Homolovi on I-40 without realizing they’re passing one of the Southwest’s most important archaeological sites. These pueblos near Winslow, Arizona tell the story of the Hopi ancestors who lived here, grew cotton, and traded along the Little Colorado River 700 years ago. Here are some interesting facts … Read more

Shutterstock Paradise Valley, Arizona Paradise Valley wrote the book on desert luxury before Phoenix even thought about sprawling this far. These days it’s known for celebrity residents and five-star resorts, but PV’s story – from gold mining to secret presidential paths – is way more interesting than its reputation suggests Wikimedia Commons/Cygnusloop99 Ancient Ruins Run … Read more

Shutterstock St. Elmo Ghost Town, Colorado While other mining camps rotted into the ground, this high-altitude time capsule kept most of its buildings standing, including a still-operating general store. The town’s preservation is so complete that when you walk its main street, you’ll see exactly what Colorado silver miners saw in the 1880s – minus … Read more

Shutterstock The Grotto, Portland Tucked away in Northeast, the Grotto is 62-acre stunning cave chapel carved into volcanic rock. And beyond the religious art, you’ll find a hidden network of trails, native plant gardens, and peaceful spots that even non-religious visitors keep coming back to. Here are more interesting facts about it. Shutterstock A boy’s … Read more

Shutterstock The Occidental Hotel, Wyoming Before Buffalo, Wyoming had paved roads, it had the Occidental Hotel. Built in 1880, it’s still running with its original saloon intact. The guest list reads like a Western history book: Butch Cassidy, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill, and Hemingway all checked in. Some say they never quite checked out, along … Read more

Shutterstock Toketee Falls, Oregon A short hike, two perfect tiers of basalt, and some of the clearest water in Oregon. Toketee Falls proves you don’t need to trek into wilderness to find the state’s most photogenic waterfall. Just follow the North Umpqua River until you hear the double roar. Here are more interesting facts about … Read more

Shutterstock Middleton Place, Charleston SC Middleton Place survived a lot: the Revolution, the Civil War, an earthquake that leveled most of the main house. But its real story is about the people – from the politically powerful Middletons to the enslaved workers who made it all possible. The gardens might be the draw, but the … Read more