Things to Do in North America

The Natural History Museum of Utah works to illuminate the natural world and the place of human beings within it. Located at the University of Utah campus, the museum provides an introduction to the science on display in Utah's remarkable landscape through engaging exhibits that cover paleontology discoveries, gems and minerals found around the world and Utah's prehistoric people. Since opening in 1969, the museum has accumulated more than 5,000 artifacts that it displays for visitors to marvel over.

Part of the Smithsonian, the 163-acre National Zoo (as it’s most often called) is home to 2,000 individual animals of 400 species. Most famous for its Giant Panda Habitat and breeding program (which includes current panda residents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian), the Zoo is also home to a huge bird enclosure and over 60 flamingos; African mammals like cheetahs and gazelles; and a family of lowland gorillas.

A 2011 addition to the Zoo is The American Trail, featuring U.S. natives like California sea lions, bald eagles, grey wolves and brown pelicans. Nearby, the 15,000-square-foot Amazonia exhibit mimics the ecosystem of the Amazon Rainforest, with a cascading river, native palms and a 55,000-gallon aquarium; set underneath a soaring dome, the tropical landscape here is full of live creatures like toads, hummingbirds, monkeys and more.

Full of hilly terrain and steep paths, with both indoor and outdoor exhibits, it’s ideal to wear comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing for your visit to the Zoo. For refreshments along the way, there are five food stands from which to choose, including a West Coast-style surf shack and a Mediterranean café.

There is limited on-site parking available at the Zoo, but it’s set between two Metrorail stations -- Cleveland Park and Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan -- both of which serve the Red Line. Since the walk from Cleveland Park is level rather than uphill (as it is from Woodley Park), the Zoo recommends arriving at Cleveland Park and leaving from either station.

Part of the National Mall and National Park Service, this memorial to American citizens who served in World War II lies at the eastern end of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool. Designed by Austrian-American avant-garde architect Friedrich St. Florian and dedicated in 2004, this 7.4-acre, oval-shaped site consists of 56 granite pillars, two triumphal arches, and a reflecting pool with two fountains.

Each 17-foot pillar symbolizes a different U.S. state or territory, and the two 43-foot arches are dedicated to America’s victory in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, respectively. On 24 bronze panels at the memorial’s entrance, moving bas-relief scenes depict the process of drafting and training soldiers, sending them overseas and into battle, and welcoming them back home, either alive or dead.  A series of over 4,000 gold stars symbolizes the sacrifices made by over 400,000 Americans from “the Greatest Generation,” and two pieces of “Gilroy Was Here” graffiti allude to the importance this cartoon soldier had for American troops abroad.

Visitor parking is available for free along Ohio Drive south of the Lincoln Memorial, or just south of the Jefferson Memorial in Lots A, B and C. No Metrorail stations are entirely adjacent to the Memorial, but the Farragut North, Metro Center, Farragut West, McPherson Square, Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, L’Enfant Plaza and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter stations are all within several blocks’ walking distance.

Park rangers are on-site each day and offer tours every hour on the hour, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Whether its whiskey, rum or gin you’re after, New England Distilling produces some of the finest in the region. Each is created using raw materials by a family who has been distilling for many generations – New England Distilling’s roots go as far back as the 1850s. Today the facilities include a combination of traditional and modern equipment.

Local ingredients are used in recipes from around the world to create premium small-batch spirits by hand. At the distillery, you can see the traditional copper pot still, which lends a bit of history to the process. The whiskey and gin are produced with grains from New England and the Midwest, while the rum is made from Caribbean molasses. The spirits are fermented with yeast from Maine Beer Company. Tastings on site allow visitors to experience all three.

While it’s best known for its movie stars, one of the City of Angels’ most elegant attractions is this gorgeous 1913 Beaux Arts palace. Like a smaller, west coast version of New York’s American Museum of Natural History, the NMHLA contains a microcosm of the whole world, both indoors and out in the Southern California sunshine.

Highlights of the museum are an enormous Dinosaur Hall full of sea monster fossils and T. Rex skeletons, three halls’ worth of amazingly realistic wildlife habitat dioramas (the African hall is like a safari that stands still), and a 150,000-specimen Gem and Mineral Hall full of gold, diamonds and other sparkly distractions. But be sure not to miss the soaring Rotunda at the center of the building, with its intricate stained glass dome, graceful bronze statues, and colorful paintings by artist Charles R. Knight, which illustrate mid-20th-century scientists’ findings about the prehistoric world.

You’ll rarely see a bigger collection of stuffed animals or a more opulent collection of pre-Columbian treasures. Try to avoid eye(s) contact with the tarantula in the Insect Zoo, but seek out a unique collection of Zuni fetishes; these tiny stone, bone and antler carvings found in a glass case by the ground floor stairs were made by the Zuni people, a Native American tribe from New Mexico.

Outside, take a wander through the Edible Garden to learn the names and leaves of common kitchen herbs, or to see what an artichoke looks like in full flower. Out in the Butterfly Pavilion (open May-October), the popular goal is getting these winged beauties to land on you – even if it’s just for a few seconds.

Ever since 1874, when this Natural History Museum became Southern California’s first scientific institution, researchers have been working to showcase the tales of the world around us. In this highly interactive, highly educational, natural history museum focused on the region of southern and Baja California, visitors can learn everything from the mysteries of fossils to the saga of California’s water. Sit back and enjoy a film inside the enormous 3D theater, or compare the shapes of over 200 skulls from a wide assortment of animals.