Travel off the beaten track and experience

Ripple effect: Reflective basalt dots, curved glass panels, and 6,000 giant sequins shimmer in the sunlight. Tune in to Hamburg for the visually delightful, acoustically advanced Elbphilharmonie. Today the building sails into its role as one of the world’s leading concert venues with a three-week festival that includes the Vienna Philharmonic, Yo-Yo Ma, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the resident NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. Perched above a warehouse on the historic Sandtorhafen docks, the Herzog & de Meuron-designed project houses three performance halls, a hotel, and numerous bars and restaurants. Visitors enter on an arced 270-foot escalator through a glowing, sequin-lined tunnel and arrive at an outdoor public plaza with 360-degree city views. Among Elbphilharmonie’s high notes: its Grand Hall , which floats within the structure on giant springs for soundproofing and features an interior “skin” of 10,000 gypsum fiber panels placed to optimize sound. Steeply tiered seat...

Tucked into the southern terminus of the Green Mountains of Vermont, Wilmington is a tiny village of just over 2,000 people.  It sits on the crossroads of Vermont Route 9, which runs east and west, and Vermont Route 100 , which runs the length of Vermont, from Massachusetts to Canada. While many small towns in Vermont and across the country have fallen on hard times, Wilmington is thriving. The town was hit hard by Hurricane Irene in 2011, with massive flooding and destruction of beloved buildings, but if anything, Irene seemed to bring the people of Wilmington, VT together, making it stronger, and more committed to embracing and promoting the charms of this beautiful mountain village. Wilmington is fortunate to have both mountains and lakes for outdoor adventures, not to mention one of the cutest little New England villages out there. It attracts out-of-towners in three seasons, so even though Wilmington is a tiny Vermont town, there really is a lot going on –...

Have you ever been to a hot air balloon festival? There are hundreds of them across the United States, and no matter where you live, there’s a good chance that there’s a hot air balloon festival near you. The main attraction, of course, are the giant colorful balloons rising into the sky, but hot air balloon festivals usually feature their own eclectic mix of local highlights, from live music and carnival-style booths to arts and crafts and food trucks.  I’ve got a thing for hot air balloon festivals, which is kind of funny because not many people are more afraid of heights than I am. I become mesmerized by the sight of giant balloons dancing across a magical landscape, but I have never actually been up in a hot air balloon. Please don’t hold that against me – I try to visit at least one hot air balloon festival near me every summer, and this year I’m hoping to check out more than one. Because there are hundreds of hot air balloon festivals tha...