Trips

In America it is sometimes easy to overlook our own country for Europe. There are a host of natural wonders here, however, from North Carolina's Black River [with moss-covered cypress trees looming everywhere, for the spooky and gothic among us] to Maine's Acadia National Park. And of course there's Boston's art museums and Italian palazzo [housing a public library collection].

New York City too has unique places by the dozens, as does nearby Montreal. Don't forget to check out local food festivals, cultural celebrations, Oktoberfests and Scottish games. It's easy to focus on distant locales and miss out on regional extravaganzas.