Manama pulses with stories from long ago and today. Just beyond the modern skyline lies Qal’at al‑Bahrain, a layered mound once the capital of Dilmun, used by societies from the Kassites to the Portuguese. Visitors can climb its crumbling stairways and imagine life across centuries there. Nearby, the Bahrain National Museum, opened in 1988 in a stately waterside building, displays archaeological finds from ancient Dilmun to modern-day artifacts and is one of the Gulf's first modern museums.

Decatur has some of the South's finest free museums, educational facilities and historical sites. Study a variety of animals, birds and minerals at Cook's Natural Science Museum. The South's largest centerThe earth's largest space museum is only minutes away at the U.S and Rocket Center. History comes alive at the home of Civil War General Joe Wheeler. For fun, visit Point Mallard Park, a 750 acre park featuring America's first wave pool, water slides and putt-putt golf.

Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital, unfolds like a living storybook along the Suriname River, where wooden structures from the 17th and 18th centuries still stand today. This historic heart reveals a rare fusion of Dutch design and local craftsmanship. Visitors can stroll the Waterkant, a riverside avenue, and take in landmarks such as Fort Zeelandia, the neoclassical Reformed Church, and the lofty wooden Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.

Senja is Norway’s second-largest island, located well above the Arctic Circle and often described as a condensed version of the country’s most dramatic landscapes.

Raglan, on New Zealand’s North Island, is a coastal town that has earned international renown for its surf culture while retaining a bohemian, community-centered spirit.