Things to Do in North America

Tucked into the plaza of a Century City office complex, this 10,000-square-foot streamlined building is the only museum in Los Angeles dedicated to both digital and traditional print photography. Run by the Annenberg Foundation, a longtime patron of American arts and culture, both admission and docent-led tours at the Space are free to the public.

Open since 2008, exhibits have included images from rock 'n' roll history, dissertations on beauty culture, stories of war, and career retrospectives of famous photographers. Works are displayed on high-resolution, state-of-the-art glass screens, and table-mounted "surface" screen allow visitors to interact with photos, zoom in and out on their details.

Better known as Plaza Grande, Plaza Principal, or just “the main square” by English speakers, this has been the center of Merida since the cathedral was finished in the late 1500s. It’s a pleasant place to sit and watch the locals and visitors in action, with families enjoying a bag of popcorn or popsicles from the excellent paleta shop on one side. There are cafes on the edge in the shade for a leisurely drink or bite to eat and several main shopping and dining streets branch off from here.

On one corner you can hire a carriage driver to give you a tour up to Paseo de Montejo and back, but do it at night when there’s less traffic. Explanations will all be in Spanish, but it’s a picturesque trip through the historic district even if you don’t understand a word.

Using the Zocalo as your base, you can walk or take a quick taxi ride to almost anywhere of interest to visitors in the center of Merida.

A deserted stretch of sand just a few decades ago, the Golden Zone of Mazatlan is now the area where package tourists spend most of their time. Lined with hotels, restaurants, and bars, it pulses with activity from the morning until the wee hours. All the usual watersports are on offer and sailing trips depart to nearby islands.

Playa Los Sabalos is the center of the zone and is the best area for swimming, with a surf that is calm most of the time.  There are plenty of choices for toes-in-sand dining and drinking, as well as discos that are pumping at night.

Playa las Gaviotas offers more of the same, but has rougher waters and can be more crowded because of the size of the hotels fronting it. You can walk from one to the other along miles of golden sand or catch an open-air taxi called a pulmonia.

Miami boasts an excellent zoo, thanks in part to a subtropical climate that allows for large swathes of natural habitat. Inside Zoo Miami (formerly Miami Metrozoo), more than 200 species roam the cageless surrounds; don’t worry, the animals are kept at bay by cleverly designed moats.

Residents at Zoo Miami include elephants, koalas, colobus monkeys, and black rhinoceroses. You’ll also see a pair of Komodo dragons and Bengal tigers, including a gorgeous white tiger. Over at the Tropical America exhibit, you can see anacondas, giant river otters, jaguars, and sting ray touch tanks. You can even feed giraffes at The Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station. Younger kids, especially, will find much to enjoy at Zoo Miami. There’s a first-class petting zoo and play area, and the zoo offers several programs designed to entertain and educate. For an overview of the park, hop on the Zoofari Monorail.

Carved over time by the Virgin River, Zion National Park is a remarkable 148,000-acre (59,893-hectare) stretch of white, pink, and red rock formations in southern Utah's canyon country. The state's first national park draws hikers, birders, and nature lovers with its cliffs and mesas, waterfalls and wildflowers, and varied wildlife from jackrabbits to condors.

The year of 1911 was historic for the field of aviation. In an even that would shape the aviation as we know it, the Vin Fiz Flyer"”piloted by Calbraith Perry Rodger"”completed the first transcontinental crossing of the United States in an airplane. The flight required 82 hours of total time in the air"”although the entire trip, including ground time, was a remarkable 84 days. Today, commercial jetliners make the trip in a little over five hours, and with the ease of transport that aviation has provided, it's almost too easy to forget the steps that brought us up to this point. At the San Diego Air & Space Museum, however, every visitor, both young and old, can see how the craft of aviation has changed since its early years. Gaze on an intricate reproduction of the original Vin Fiz Flyer, or examine a replica of Charles Lindbergh's famous Spirit of St. Louis. Military enthusiasts will love the collection of Hellcats and early fighter planes"”including an exhibit on early aircraft that flew in World War I. There are educational placards that date all the way back to 18th-century hot air balloons, and also look forward to the next frontier of exploring the corners of space. For kids, a large, 3D movie theater offers thrilling movies from the air, and there's even the chance to take the joystick on the simulator of an F15. 

Orlando's infamous Amway Center hosts some of Florida's biggest sporting, music and entertainment events. The 875,000-square-foot arena captivates visitors of all ages with its variety of restaurants, bars, kid zones and retail shops. With space to accommodate 20,000 guests and modern decor for travelers and locals alike, the venue is unique in its sustainability; environmentally-friendly features such as water efficiency and energy optimization are included throughout the design. Orlando Magic fans will appreciate the home team's 42-foot-high scoreboard, the largest of its kind in the NBA "” now that's a slam dunk.

Located at the heart of Mexico City in the center of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, Plaza de la Constitucion—better known as Zocalo—is where old and new Mexico meet. Pre-Hispanic ruins exist side-by-side with impressive colonial structures, and white-collar workers stroll among cultural performers and traditional art vendors. This city-block square is also a gathering place for political protest and cultural celebration—and it’s an ideal spot to savor the flavor of real Mexico City.

Tour nearby Palacio Nacional, just east of Zocalo, where massive murals by Diego Rivera depict the nation’s vibrant history. Next, pass through the doors of Catedral Matropolitana for a look at religious colonial art and impressive golden altars. When it’s time for a break head to the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico, where incredible views and strong drinks from the terrace bar round out the perfect day.