Things to Do in North America

There's more to do in Las Vegas than hit the slots. Take a short trip to Jean, Nevada, and escape the bright lights and take a ride through the desert in an ATV!

Once you're in Jean, you can cruise through the surrealist scape of the sand dunes of Jean Dry Lake. Set out on an adventure through rugged desert and mountain terrain. Travel through historic Hidden Valley, extinct lava beds, Roach dry lake and then enter the rugged McCullough Mountain Range.

With the astonishing views of mountains and canyons around you, you'll feel like you're one with the desert on your ATV exploration. Then, make your way to the Hidden Valley National Monument Overlook for unprecedented vistas of the surrounding desert.

Built in 1968 to host the 1968 Worlds Fair as well as commemorate San Antonio’s 250th birthday, the event was the southwestern United States’ first official world fair. The event was so monumental that over 30 nations took part in the festivities. Today, the 15-acre HemisFair Park is a place where people come to ride bikes, bring their children to the playground, enjoy the native flower gardens and listen to the relaxing sounds of fountains and cascading waterfalls.

In HemisFair Park, you’ll also find a variety of attractions, for example, the Tower of the Americas, which is surrounded by beautiful man-made waterfalls. If you take the elevator to the top you can enjoy aerial views from the observation deck or the rotating restaurant, as well as a 4D Theater Ride that takes you on a sensory journey through Texas. Additionally, the Mexican Cultural Institute resides in the park, and is free to enter and enjoy the artwork, artifacts and exhibits. At HemisFair Park’s Institute of Texan Cultures, visitors can learn about the state’s diverse cultural communities.

Note: The city has plans to renovate the park and have it feature more “vibrant mixed-use areas.” While the planning is still being done it’s something to look forward to.

Harvard University in Cambridge, located just north of Boston, is synonymous with prestige and accomplishment. This Ivy League university accepts only the best and provides a curriculum to students that challenges and inspires them to succeed (faculty and alumni hold over 45 Nobel Prizes!). The country’s first institution of higher learning ever established, Harvard University is a historical school that is also constantly looking toward the future and creating new innovations in education, science, technology, the arts and beyond. Looking at a list of notable graduates of Harvard University -- some of which include Barack Obama, Theodore Roosevelt, Rashida Jones, Norman Mailer, Helen Keller and John Quincy Adams  -- it’s easy to see that the school has a rich and diverse heritage.

Luckily, you don’t need to be a straight A student to explore the campus, which is full of historic buildings, monuments, beautiful architecture and scenic green spaces. Head to the Harvard Yard to see the iconic John Harvard Statue -- with its inscription of “John Harvard • Founder • 1638” -- which has been a part of the campus for centuries. Interestingly, some call it the “Statue of Three Lies,” which represents the fact that John Harvard was not the founder of Harvard (he was a major donor), Harvard was not founded in 1638 (it was 1636) and the statue is not actually of John Harvard (the model for the statue was a man named Sherman Hoar).

The Memorial Church is also worth a stop, built in 1932 to commemorate soldiers who had lost their lives in WWI. Today it stands as a place to not only worship, but to remember. Additionally, Memorial Hall is a striking High Victorian Gothic that pays homage to Boston’s defense of the Union and the country’s abolitionist movement during the Civil War. Harvard University is also home to one of the world’s most impressive bookstores, open since 1932. The bookstore hosts a large array of events like panels, book discussions and science fairs. On the Harvard University campus you’ll also find a number of interesting museums, some of which include the Peabody Museum, Sackler Art Museum, Fogg Art Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum. Continue exploring the area in Harvard Square, which is full of shops, bars and restaurants.

One of Houston’s most popular public greens, the free-to-enjoy Hermann Park is a historic 445-acre park that is home to many important cultural institutions as well as outdoor attractions. For those wanting to experience the city’s natural beauty, head to Bob’s Fishing Pier for some fishing, go hiking in the 80 acres of Bayou Parkland, peruse 2,500 rose bushes and outdoor sculptures at the Garden Center, pedal boat on the 8-acre McGovern Lake or play a round at the 18-hole Hermann Park Golf Course, the first desegregated golf course in the United States. For a serene experience, the Japanese Garden provides a peaceful retreat with waterfalls, wooden bridges, stone pathways, sweet cherry trees, Japanese maples and colorful flowers, while the Mary Gibbs and Jesse J. Jones Reflection Pool measures 740 feet long by 80 feet wide and features a black bottom for striking mirror images of the surrounding trees.

The park is also home to various cultural institutions. First there is the Houston Zoo, with over 6,000 animals as well as exhibits, encounters and experiences. Feed crunchy leaf lettuce to Masai giraffes, trek through an African forest, watch a 4D film on grizzly bears, crawl into a see-through tunnel to view piranhas up close, watch sea lions perform flips and jumps or meet the many exotic animals around the zoo. Additionally, Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre offers free and family friendly performances, the  Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum memorializes pioneer men and women and the Houston Museum of Natural Science provides four floors of free natural science halls and exhibits.

Because Hermann Park is very close to Houston’s Museum District, visitors can easily continue their exploration of local art, culture and heritage after leaving.

Named after Dr. Ferdinand Hayden—whose geological survey in 1871 helped Yellowstone become a national park—the Hayden Valley is one of Yellowstone’s most popular places to view wildlife. Here, in a vast plain that was filled with water when Yellowstone Lake was larger, herds of bison speckle the grasslands and casually cross the road, while elk, moose, grizzlies, and wolves all scavenge and search for food. The valley is located at the geographic heart of Yellowstone National Park, conveniently situated between the Fishing Bridge and Yellowstone Canyon and Falls. In August, Hayden Valley is home to North America’s largest free-roaming bison rut, and is a time when hundreds of bushy brown bison can flank both sides of the road. Aside from its wealth of wildlife, Hayden Valley also houses spectacular thermal formations, from the thick and fickle Mud Volcano to the pungent Sulphur Cauldron. Given its popularity, however, and position at the center of the park, traffic can sometimes be an issue—particularly in the middle of summer—or when a herd of bison has decided to simply park themselves on the road. 

When you stand in front of spouting lava at Kilauea volcano, or marvel at steam as it rises from vents in Halemaumau Crater, it's easy to see that Hawaii Volcanoes National Park isn't just a national park, but also a place to get a front-row seat to the beauty of Earth's creation. Located on the Big Island of Hawaii, this park offers everything from lush rainforest to lava tubes and rolling black lava fields, where hot steam still rises from fissures and rifts that dot the rugged landscape.