The Exploratorium, an award-winning, science-meets-art museum in San Francisco, checks off a lot of boxes on visitors’ wish lists. It’s one of the best places…
closeup view of the Rolling Through the Bay kinetic art sculpture at the Exploratorium, one of the top museums in San Francisco
Check out the Central Valley city of Modesto for the almond blossom cruise, cool downtown murals and more By J.C. Thomas [Note: This post was…
A mural covered wall in downtown Modesto, California
Here’s an easy way to feel like you’ve cleansed your soul, just a little bit – take a stroll around your local botanical gardens.  There…
A clearing and dry creek bed under a shady oak tree at Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens in California
Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum has a mission to preserve and celebrate over 13,000 years of human interaction with the ocean. It’s quite the scope,…
Dwight Brooks ship models and more displays inside the main exhibit hall of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
The most popular activities around Lake Tahoe depend greatly on the season: snow sports in winter, hiking and mountain biking in summer, and scenic driving…
The red and white paddlewheel of the MS Dixie II churns the waters of Lake Tahoe with a mountain backdrop
Make a full month of memories with an extended-stay rental on the waterfront in South Lake Tahoe  Wintertime is magical at Lake Tahoe. The pristine…
Sunset over a snowy channel leading into Lake Tahoe, as seen from an extended-stay vacation rental at Tahoe Keys in South Lake Tahoe
Every holiday season, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley presents a special exhibit of Christmas trees decorated to fit the year’s theme. In…
A closeup of ornaments on the California Christmas tree at the Reagan Library's An American Christmas Story exhibit in 2022
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was born in Wisconsin, rose to fame among early modernist art circles in New York City, and traveled widely across the globe…
A display of skull paintings over a cabinet with animal skulls at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico
By Roger Allnutt Have the French been keeping the Poitou-Charentes region on the west coast of France a secret? The French certainly know about and visit…
Punts lined up at Coulon in Marais Poitevin, one of the top destinations in the French region of Poitous-Charentes
Punts lined up at Coulon in Marais Poitevin
There are many popular museums in Los Angeles, but the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County stands out among them with its comprehensive and…
The exterior of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum with banners
If you’ve ever driven along the stretch of PCH north of Point Mugu State Park and south of Oxnard, you might have noticed a curious…
An F-4 Phantom 2 jet mounted on display next to palm trees at Point Mugu Missile Park in Ventura County, an open air museum in Southern California