Things to Do in North America

The Funk Zone is a hip, artistic neighborhood in Santa Barbara, CA, and it has become a haven for artists, artisans, wine makers, and chefs. Visitors will find plenty of artisan shops, art galleries, hip eateries, award-winning microbreweries, and a craft distillery, and many of them are located in aged warehouses and forgotten scuba shops. There are countless tasting rooms and a few specialty wineries. Five of the wineries located in the Funk Zone are part of the Urban Wine Trail, which is a group of wineries in Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. 

There is always something to do in the Funk Zone. Try a new or established restaurant, or check out the gourmet food trucks. Attend an art gallery opening. Taste a variety of local wines. Shop at quirky boutiques and thrift stores. This neighborhood is the perfect place to enjoy a trendy, artsy vibe no matter what activities you choose.

Located on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in Texas, Galveston is a coastal city with a rich history. Although people say Galveston has a much different vibe than Texas due to its island feel, has been the home of many firsts in the state. Some of these firsts include having Texas’ first post office, first opera house, first hospital, first golf course and first country club, to name a few. Today, Galveston is still home to numerous historic buildings and houses that allow you to explore this heritage. 

Along with being innovative it is a worthwhile destination with much to do and see in terms of the arts, culture, shopping, dining, nightlife and outdoor attractions. Spend some time exploring the local museums, like the Lone Star Flight Museum, Texas Seaport Museum and the Galveston Railroad Museum. Galveston is also home to a large array of art galleries, as well as an ArtWalk in the historic district that takes place once every six to eight weeks. 

If you’d rather spend your time outdoors, visit Schlitterbahn Galveston Island waterpark, stroll along the seawall (which boasts being the world’s longest continuous sidewalk) and take in the Gulf of Mexico, go fishing on Galveston Bay and see the many birds at the Galveston Bay Estuary. And of course, don’t leave without lying on the beautiful soft sand beaches Galveston is known for. Galveston has much to explore, and this is just a small taste of some of its offerings.

Fun Spot America is a theme park with locations in Orlando and nearby Kissimmee. It is the only family-owned theme park in the area and admission is free to the park - you just pay to ride and play!

The parks are fully equipped with activities to keep the fun going all day. Each location boasts unique, patented multilevel go-kart tracks, an arcade where visitors can play a variety of games and collect points to redeem for prizes, and several roller coasters. The Kissimmee park is home to the  tallest SkyCoaster in the world, which stands at 300 ft (91 m), while the Orlando park is home to Orlando's only wooden roller coaster, White Lightening. There are also thrill rides, bumper cars, bumper boats, and load of other rides that are appropriate for kids and fun for the whole family.

Both Fun Spot America parks are only a few miles from Disney World, Universal Studios and several other popular Orlando area attractions. Parking is free, and free Wi-Fi is available throughout the park. There is also a diner and a sweets shop for when you get hungry. 

Located in the heart of New Orleans’ vibrant French Quarter, the French Market is a grand bazaar that serves as much as a cultural meeting place as it does a market space. In addition to hosting stall after stall of vendors hawking handmade goods and artisanal foods, the market doubles as a venue for a daily flea market and a twice-weekly farmers market. The French Market boasts the superlative as the oldest continuously operating open-air market in the United States, making it a part of living Louisiana history.

The sights, sounds, and smells of the French Market are enough to induce sensory overload for those who rush through. Instead, take your time wandering the stalls of crafts and culinary delights, stopping to bite into a beignet at New Orleans’ iconic Cafe du Monde or to slurp oysters at one of the market restaurants specializing in Cajun and Creole cuisine. See the market in the broader context of New Orleans by visiting on a guided walking tour of the French Quarter that may stop at nearby attractions such as Jackson Square, Decatur Street, Bourbon Street, and the Old Ursuline Convent. Small-group tours and private tours of the French Market and French Quarter offer opportunities for more personalized experiences and exposure to things you might otherwise miss.

Located along North Peters and Decatur Streets, and bordered by the Mississippi River, the French Market is hard to miss while you’re in the French Quarter. Walk there from any downtown or French Quarter location, catch the Riverfront Streetcar, or take Marigny-Bywater Bus #5 or Elysian Fields Bus #55.

The French Market is open year-round. Every vendor has slightly different hours, but generally speaking, most vendors are open from 9am to 6pm. Wednesday and Saturday farmers markets promise more varied shopping options and larger crowds. Wednesday markets have live music, cooking demonstrations, and fresh produce from local farms from 1pm to 5pm, while Saturday markets have more prepared foods.

The French Market plays an important role in New Orleans history and has existed on the same site since 1791, where it was founded as a pre-colonization trading post on the banks of the Mississippi River. Popular items sold over the centuries include pralines, calas (Creole rice fritters, big in the 19th century), herbs, spices, handmade Native American crafts, and coffee—which played a central role in the social life of the market, both day and night.

Fans of the famed painter and sculptor Frederic Remington will love this museum in Ogdensburg that’s dedicated to the artist’s life and work. Visitors can wander the halls of his former home—now an impressive gallery—where an entire lifetime’s worth of work is on display. 

Well-informed docents unlock stories of Remington’s life, family and techniques during extensive tours of the museum. While paintings depicting the Wild West are among some of the most iconic Remington works, travelers say it’s the great bronze sculptures housed in this newly renovated museum that make for a truly memorable visit.

Lavish cream and green marble floors and wall paneling, high ceilings with and cast iron doors surround guests with the art deco charm of the Nashville’s original post office completed in 1934. The historically significant building kept its original charm through a public/private partnership-driven revamp into the non-profit Frist Center for Visual Arts in 2001. The space now holds art exhibitions, interactive art workshops as well as a gift shop and café.

The Frist Center is a different kind of museum that does not have permanent collections. Instead, it sources a host of themed exhibits that roll through every six to eight weeks. Traveling national and international shows including classical pieces by Michelangelo and Monet have hung on Frist walls, as have collections of American folk art, modern photography, European classical works from the age of exploration and even an exhibit deconstructing Italian sports car design. The building’s 24,000 square feet of gallery space includes 30 interactive stations on the upper level for kids and families to get creative and make their own stop motion animation, printmaking, watercolor painting, etching, sculpture creation and more—some of these stations also rotate to match visiting exhibits. In the summer, Frist Fridays bring bands—also often tied to exhibit themes—to jam at the museum, and live music features year-round on Thursdays and Fridays in the Grand Lobby or café. Be sure to check what’s on before stopping by—it’s a new experience every time.

Known as the Blue House (La Casa Azul) for its bold blue façade, the Frida Kahlo Museum (Museo Frida Kahlo) was the birthplace and childhood home of the well-known Mexican artist. Inside, the fascinating collection of personal items, furnishings, sketches, and paintings offer insight into both the life and art of Frida Kahlo.

 

The Frida Kahlo Museum is one of Mexico City’s most visited attractions and prebooking your admission tickets can potentially save hours of waiting in line, especially during peak times (weekends and holidays). Visitors can explore independently or on a guided tour, visit as part of a Mexico City tour, or combine a visit with other top attractions, such as the Xochimilco canals or the National University of Mexico.

 

After exploring the Casa Azul, it’s just a short walk to the former home of Kahlo's husband, artist Diego Rivera, now the Diego Rivera Mural Museum (Museo Diego Rivera), or that of her lover, communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, now the Leon Trotsky House Museum (Museo Casa de Leon Trotsky).

 

 

The Frida Kahlo Museum is located in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Mexico City and is a short walk from Plaza Coyoacán. The closest metro stations are General Anaya (Line 2), Coyoacán (Line 3), and Metro Viveros (Line 3).

 

The museum is open year-round, but it can get busy, especially on weekends and during peak season (July and August). Admission tickets are cheaper on weekdays, and it’s generally the quietest time to visit, especially if you make an early start.

 

Casa Azul, with the rooms and gardens still in much the same state as Kahlo left them, offers insight into many facets of her life. Admire her Mexican folk art collection, see the bedroom where Leon Trotsky stayed during his exile in Mexico, and view some of her lesser-known artworks and rare self-portraits. A large collection of personal items, including the prosthetic leg she wore in the months before her death, is also on display.

This popular stretch of pavement once known as the Western Plaza was renamed Freedom Plaza in 1988 after Martin Luther King, Jr. His famous “I have a dream” speech was said to have been crafted nearby this space. Today, Freedom Plaza serves as a gathering spot for political protests and rallies—paying an homage to the words and actions of King. While Freedom Plaza does not offer much in the way of a destination, travelers who come to this iconic square can also see the John A Wilson Building and the National Theater, which are located nearby.

Fraunces Tavern is a national historic landmark, museum, and restaurant in New York City, famous for being the place where George Washington bid farewell to his troops at the end of the American Revolution. Since 1904, the building has been owned by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York Inc., who claim it is Manhattan’s oldest surviving building. It is part of the New York Freedom Trail and the American Whiskey Trail. The museum’s mission is to create appreciation for New York City history as it relates to Colonial America, the Revolutionary War, and the Early Republic.

Through the varied exhibitions of art and artifacts relating to the museum’s historic site, the museum aims to create this appreciation through educating the public. Different exhibits include the ‘Long Room,’ the site of General George Washington’s farewell to his officers at the end of the Revolution. The room is a recreation of an 18th century public dining room. The ‘Clinton Room’ is a recreation of a federalist-style dining room, named for New York’s first American governor (George Clinton), who hosted a dinner there for George Washington upon the evacuation of the British troops from New York.

Seattle’s funky, irreverent, and always colorful Fremont neighborhood is a vibrant place to explore. The area bills itself as the “Center of the Universe,” and it’s a hotbed of interesting landmarks. Visitors stroll along the scenic Ship Canal and grab coffee, artisan chocolate, craft beer, or a full dinner at one of Seattle’s best restaurants.

 

It’s easy to fill up a day in Fremont with intriguing stops such as the Fremont Troll, a giant concrete statue hiding under the Aurora Bridge; the massive Lenin statue with its quirky history; and a 50s-era Cold War rocket now posing as an art installation. Shops, restaurants, and pubs round things out. Each of these sites is within walking distance of each other, making for an accessible outing.

 

Take a tour of the area—on foot or via minibus—or combine a visit with a private glass-blowing class or stops at the Space Needle, Boeing Factory, and Pike Place Market.

 

 

Fremont sits about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Downtown Seattle. There are public parking lots and plenty of street parking. Several bus lines stop in the neighborhood, including the 28, 5, 40, and 26.

 

Fremont is a popular place to visit on weekends and summer days. To avoid the crowds, visit on an out-of-season weekday, or get an early start to your day. In fall, trees along the Ship Canal turn a vibrant yellow, making for a scenic stroll. In spring, flowers bloom profusely throughout the neighborhood.

 

Fremont’s diversity of restaurants has something for everyone. There’s excellent farm-to-table Italian fare at Agrodolce, healthy grain bowls at Eve, exciting Northwest cuisine at Manolin and The Whale Wins, and modern twists on Korean dishes at Joule.

Taking in 16 of Boston’s most famous cultural and historical sites, the 2.5-mile-long (4-kilometer) Freedom Trail winds through downtown Boston, from southerly Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park, to the Bunker Hill Monument on the north side of the Charles River. The red-brick path and its designated stops, including colonial-era churches, museums, and meeting houses, make for an excellent introduction to Boston and its role in the American Revolution and United States history.

 

Visitors can easily spend a full day independently exploring the Freedom Trail’s many stops, but most travelers simply wander the trail, choose a couple sites to fully experience, or join one of the daily 90-minute walking tours led by guides in 18th-century garb to cover the trail and some of the historic sites’ exteriors in sections. (These run hourly, except from November to March when they are less frequent.) It’s also possible to visit via group and private Freedom Trail tours and Boston city sightseeing tours that also stop at other top attractions such as the Boston Navy Yard and the Boston Tea Party site. The Freedom Trail is a suggested route, so independent travelers can choose where to start and end.

 

 

The Freedom Trail is accessible at any point along its length and winds from Boston Common to Beacon Hill, downtown, the waterfront, the North End, and across the Charles River. Many choose to start at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, in the heart of downtown Boston, where 10 of the 16 sites are clustered within a mile-long section of the trail. Several Freedom Trail stops can be reached by bus or subway (locally called “the T”), including Boston Common (via Park Street Station on the green and red lines).

 

The Freedom Trail is accessible year-round, but the most pleasant days for exploring are sunny ones in spring and fall. The trail can be walked any hour of the day, but most stops are only open to the public between 9am and 4 or 4:30pm. The USS Constitution is always closed on Mondays, and the Boston Common Visitor Center is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Tours typically do not sell out.

 

The trail features Boston Common, the Massachusetts State House, the Park Street Church, the Granary Burying Ground (final resting place of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere), the King’s Chapel and Burying Ground (established in 1686), the Boston Latin School, the Old Corner Bookstore, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall (a popular spot for lunch), the Paul Revere House, the Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground (with its grand views across the river to Charlestown), the USS Constitution, and the Bunker Hill Monument. Each official stop is indicated by a circular brass marker embedded in the sidewalk.

Spanning four city blocks, the Fremont Street Experience is a massive outdoor mall and the site of Las Vegas’ very first freestanding casino building. Today, it hosts 10 different casinos with games and tables, plenty of restaurants, and free concerts and other live entertainment, with multiple performances staged each day. It’s also notable for its famous Viva Vision canopy, which projects thousands of different color combinations and images overhead.

Featuring concerts, lights shows, and multiple casinos, the Fremont Street Experience is one of Downtown Vegas’ biggest attractions. Visitors can experience this slice of Sin City history in a number of ways, including walking tours, Trikke and Segway tours, or even a private tour with an Elvis impersonator in a pink Cadillac convertible.  

The Fremont Street Experience is located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas between Las Vegas Boulevard and Eighth Street. The double-decker Deuce bus ferries passengers between the Strip and Fremont Street, but if you’re in a hurry, a taxi or car is the best way to get there. Parking at the Fremont Street Experience garage is free with validation from any of several participating casinos.

While there’s always something entertaining going on at the Fremont Street Experience, the best time to visit is at night when the neon is illuminated and Vivo Vision shows light up the video screen ceiling on the hour. 

Whether you’ve blown your budget or simply need a break from the slots and tables at the historic Las Vegas casinos, the Fremont Street Experience offers plenty more in the way of entertainment. Soar above the crowds on the SlotZilla zipline, snap a selfie with $1 million in cash at the iconic Binion’s casino, stroll past historic neon signs at the Neon Museum, brush up on your mob history at the Mob Museum, do some shopping in Downtown Container Park, or watch the fish swim by at the Golden Nugget Shark Tank.

At the Future of Flight Aviation Center, visitors can learn about the history and the future of aviation design. The Boeing factory tour is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to witness jet assembly, view 747, 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner planes as they’re being built, learn about the history of Boeing’s planes, and test your own aircraft designs at the educational Future of Flight Aviation Center museum. The Boeing tour is the only public tour of a commercial jet assembly plant in North America, and even better, Boeing is the largest aerospace company in the world.

The Boeing factory is a popular attraction for visitors to Seattle, offering a behind-the-scenes look at airplane manufacturing. Check out the interactive exhibits in the Airplane Design Zone, get a virtual tour of a 787 flight deck, peek inside a jet engine, and visit the Aviation Center Gallery, where you can modify, test, and finalize your own aircraft design at touchscreen computers before printing off the final schematic to take home as a souvenir. At the factory, you can walk above the work floor with a Boeing representative who offers insight into the inner workings of large-scale jet assembly. Travelers to Seattle can head to the Everett-area facility on a half-day tour that includes a tour guide and roundtrip transportation from Seattle hotels.

The Future of Flight Center is located about 25 miles (40 km) north of downtown Seattle in Mukilteo, Washington, near Everett. From the I5, take exit 189.

The site is open daily, year-round, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, the last tour of the day is at 1:30pm. Boeing tours operate daily every 30 minutes, beginning at 8:30am, with the last tour at 5pm. During this period, the Future of Flight facility is open from 8am to 7pm.

European sculptures, decorative artwork and Old Master Paintings are part of what make a visit to the Frick in New York City so unique. The private collection of Henry Clay Frick, an old-school Pittsburgh industrialist, now lines the halls of a Fifth Avenue mansion, in what has become the perfect display of art and wealth. 

In addition to literal masterpieces by renowned artists like Bellini, Vermeer and Rembrandt, visitors can check out rotating temporary exhibits, lively concert series, informative lectures and educational programs on a visit to this iconic museum in Manhattan as well.

The French Quarter, with its vibrant atmosphere and unique blend of architectural styles, is easily New Orleans’ most famous and most popular area to visit. It's also the city's oldest neighborhood, and its elegant streets are lined with an appealing mix of lively bars—especially along the legendary Bourbon Street—historic monuments, delicious restaurants, and inviting jazz clubs.

The French Quarter—also called the Vieux Carré, or “old square”—is centered on Jackson Square, which is overlooked by St. Louis Cathedral. The busy area is best navigated on foot, and while of course you can wander around on your own, guided walking tours are the best way to experience the quarter. Learn about New Orleans' culinary and cocktail history on a food tour, take a haunted tour in the evening, or combine a visit to the French Quarter with a tour of another part of the city, such as the Garden District, or a cruise on the Steamboat Natchez.

• The French Quarter is very pedestrian-friendly, so wear comfortable walking shoes.
  
• New Orleans loves parades, which occur on many holidays throughout the year and often march through the French Quarter.
  
• Hard-partying Bourbon Street is infamous, but it's not indicative of the whole French Quarter—and it's easy to avoid if it's not your scene.

The French Quarter runs from the Mississippi River northwest to Rampart Street, and from Canal Street northeast to Esplanade Avenue. It's incredibly compact and parking can be extremely difficult, so it's best to walk there if you can. Streetcars run along the riverfront, Canal Street, and Rampart Street. Most city tours pass through the French Quarter as well.

New Orleans can be lovely year-round, so the best time to go is based on your tolerance for crowds and weather. The city is exceptionally busy during major festivals such as Mardi Gras and the Jazz & Heritage Festival (usually in February and April, respectively). Like much of southern Louisiana, New Orleans weather trends from hot and humid to simply mild and humid, with summer being the hottest. The winter months are cool and comfortable, though there may be periodic downpours; hurricane season runs roughly from June to November.

It's easy to think New Orleans is just a party town, but it has a rich history as well. The Pontalba Buildings that surround Jackson Square on two sides are the oldest apartment buildings in the United States, while the French Market is the country’s oldest public market. The quirky Pharmacy Museum is a treasure trove of medicinal history. Tennessee Williams used a French Quarter house as the setting for “A Streetcar Named Desire” (a house he later bought), and Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is one of the oldest buildings in the city—and likely the oldest bar in the US.

The longest river in British Columbia and the 10th longest river in Canada, the Fraser River rises at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flows for 854 miles (1,375 km) into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. Known for white sturgeon and the most productive salmon fishery in the world, Fraser River has supported agricultural and community life for hundreds of years. 

More recently, Fraser River has become a host to a wide variety of recreational activities as well. Fishing, boating, whitewater rafting and other activities are common throughout the course of the river. In the basin as a whole, visitors can enjoy other backcountry activities such as hiking, camping, backpacking, cycling, birdwatching, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. As a scenic attraction, the Fraser River commands attention along many public byways including the Trans Canada and Yellowhead highways.