Set along the shoreline of Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos, the Charles Darwin Research Station introduces visitors to a living laboratory shaped by volcanic land and rare wildlife. Located near Puerto Ayora, the station stands as the scientific heart of the islands, where researchers from around the world work side by side to understand and protect species found nowhere else on Earth.

The city of Houghton sits on Keweenaw Peninsula in the heart of Michigan's Copper Country and provides direct access to the beauty of Lake Superior. You'll find plenty to do and see in this charming city, from an abundance of winter sports, to nature trails and parks, to the fascinating A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, located on the Michigan Technological University campus.

Omaha, city in eastern Nebraska. The seat of Douglas County, it is a port of entry on the Missouri River, opposite Council Bluffs, Iowa. The largest city in Nebraska, Omaha is a commercial, manufacturing, and transportation center situated in a productive livestock-raising and grain-farming region.

Verona is situated at a bend of the Adige River in northern Italy. It is hard to imagine that antique arts, monuments that date back to Roman times, and the shadows of the world's most famous tragic lovers can add up to a smiling, buzzing city. Yet they do, thanks perhaps to Verona's talent for melding her past and her present, her ancient and new so gracefully that everything blends in easy harmony.

Sitka is accessible only by air or sea, giving visitors a real taste of this wild frontier. Sitka offers incredible scenery, fishing, hiking, and abundant wildlife. 22 of Sitka's buildings and monuments appear in the National Register of Historic Places.