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Places

9 Ideal Washington Destinations for a 3-Day Weekend in 2026

Nine Washington towns built for a three-day weekend, with trails, museums, ferries, and places to sleep that make each one worth the drive.

Cities

The Westernmost Town In The Lower 48

La Push, Washington is the westernmost town in the Lower 48, and it holds the country's westernmost ZIP code. Neah Bay loses by two-thirds of a mile.

Cities

7 Main Streets Where Illinois Comes Alive

Illinois towns feature landmarks that define their downtowns, creating charming, walkable districts perfect for spending the afternoon.

Towns

The Best Towns to Retire In New York Near a State Park

From Finger Lakes gorges to Thousand Islands shorelines, these 13 New York towns each put a state park minutes from home, with hospitals close by.

Mountains

The Tallest Mountain East Of The Mississippi

The tallest mountain east of the Mississippi is North Carolina's Mount Mitchell (6,684 ft), named for a scientist who died proving it. Yes, you can drive up.

Cities

11 Best Towns In California's Sierra Nevada For Retirees

Eleven Sierra Nevada towns where California retirees find homes well below the statewide median, with hospitals and museums close by.

Stories

A Summer's Day In Sandusky

A Summer's Day In Sandusky, where a Canadian visitor conquers Cedar Point, finds a downtown speakeasy, and rediscovers an underrated Lake Erie town.

Oceans

Why Whales Don't Live In The Arctic Year-Round

Why Whales Don't Live In The Arctic Year-Round comes down to food, sea ice, and safer calving, as bowheads and belugas stay while others migrate.

Lakes

The Native Western Fish Making A Comeback

Native Western fish are fighting back: the Apache trout was delisted, humpback chub downlisted, Klamath salmon returned. But bonytail and others may not make it.

Lakes

What Happens When A Reservoir Hits Dead Pool

Dead pool is the point at which a reservoir can no longer release water downstream. What it means for Lake Mead, Lake Powell, and the Colorado River.

Lakes

Positive Steps Taken To Clean Up The Great Lakes In The Past Decade

Sealed sediment, deep sewer tunnels, and farm nutrient controls have pulled some of the Great Lakes' worst legacy pollution sites back from the brink.

Stories

The English Port City That Built Ocean Liners and Concordes

The English Port City That Built Ocean Liners and Concordes is Bristol, where Brunel's first ocean liner and the last Concorde sit a few miles apart.

Animals

The Fastest Birds In The World

The White-throated Needletail is the fastest in horizontal flight at 170 km/h, while the Peregrine Falcon reaches 389 km/h in dives.

Animals

South China Tiger

South China Tiger is the only tiger subspecies extinct in the wild yet still alive in captivity, with no confirmed sighting in about half a century.

Wildlife By Place

What Animals Live in the Atlantic Ocean?

The Atlantic Ocean makes up about 29% of the total world ocean waters. It is home to a wide variety of aquatic plant life and marine animals.

Animals

Dingo

Dingo is Australia's largest land predator, a sandy wild canid that howls instead of barks and keeps feral cats, foxes, and rabbits in check nationwide.

Space

Why Uranus Spins Sideways

Uranus is the butt of countless childish jokes, but there are truly interesting qualities to it. Here's why Uranus spins sideways.

Ancient World

What Were The Roman Army’s Most Unlikely Victories?

Despite being outnumbered or unprepared for a particular type of warfare, the Romans often prevailed due to adaptability, cunning, and/or sheer willpower.

Animals

Animals With More Than One Heart

Various animals have different heart structures; some, like octopuses and earthworms, have multiple hearts, while others use alternative systems.

Space

Which Planet Is The Smallest?

Although the context can change the answer to this question, Mercury is the smallest planet, circling closest to the Sun.

Ancient World

The Bloodiest Battles In Ancient History

Gaugamela, Cannae, Carthage, and the Catalaunian Plains: four ancient battles that killed tens of thousands and rewrote the map.

Stories

Island Hopping Across Lake Erie

Island Hopping Across Lake Erie means ferry-hopping between Pelee, Kelleys, and the Bass Islands, a bi-national run of wineries and glacial grooves.

Travel

11 Small Towns on the Atlantic Coast with the Best Downtowns

From foggy Maine fishing harbors to a Florida reef town, these 11 Atlantic Coast small towns pair a walkable main street with a working waterfront.

Space

How Long Would It Take To Travel To Each Planet?

Moving at a speed of 50,000-miles per hour, it would take 32-days to reach Venus, the closest planet, and 2,250-days to reach Neptune, the furthest planet.

Ancient World

Where Did The Romans Come From And The Origins Of Rome

A wolf, a murder, and muddy huts on a hilltop: trace where the Romans really came from, from the villages above the Tiber to an empire of 70 million.

Space

Speed Of Sound VS Speed Of Light

Light is about 880,000 times faster than sound, but the real differences are stranger: what each needs to travel through, and what slows them down.

Ancient World

Similarities And Differences Between The Roman Republic And Empire

The Roman Republic and Empire looked alike in territory and culture but differed completely in who held power and how the army was used.

Geography

How Big Alaska Is Compared To The Lower 48

Alaska is one fifth the size of the Lower 48 and bigger than Texas, California and Montana combined. Why the maps you grew up with got it wrong twice.

Climate

The 10 US Cities With the Longest Summers

Some US cities barely see winter at all. Ranked by NOAA normals, here are the ten with the longest thermal summers, from Honolulu to Fort Lauderdale.

Travel

11 Small Towns in The Northern United States with the Best Downtowns

Some downtowns are worth the whole trip. Meet 11 northern US towns with brick storefronts, lakeside Main Streets, and walkable historic districts.

Industries

10 Countries with the Largest Uranium Reserves

Australia holds 1.67 million tonnes of recoverable uranium, but Kazakhstan mines the most. How the ten largest resource holders compare.

Religion

African Countries With Islam As The Religion Of The Majority

In 19 African countries, Islam serves as the religion of the majority.

Geography

Country Names With 10 Letters

18 countries have names that contain 10 letters, from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan. Discover what other countries make the list!

Society

Life Expectancy in Asia

Japan has the highest average life expectancy in Asia, as well as the world.

Geography

What Continent Is Hawaii In?

Although politically Hawaii is considered part of North America, geographically Hawaii is not part of any continent.

Geography

Landlocked Countries In Asia

Twelve countries in Asia are considered landlocked, although some of them, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are along the Caspian Sea.

Geography

What Are The Contiguous United States?

Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia share a boundary with at least one other state and jointly make up the contiguous United States.

Mountains

The Longest Mountain Ranges in Asia

The Kunlun Mountains, in China, is the longest mountain range in Asia.

Sports

The Largest Stadiums In Asia

The biggest stadium on Earth isn't in America or Europe. It's in Asia, alongside 14 more giants. See the largest stadiums in Asia, ranked by capacity.

Nature

What Is A Cloud Forest?

How cloud forests drink from the clouds, and why Kilimanjaro, Monteverde, Yakushima and the Appalachians all depend on the mist.