Alsace is the national winner of the Department in Bloom trophy, awarded annually by the National Committee for Towns and Villages in Bloom. Flowers are everywhere, especially geraniums. Towns and villages throughout France take the national challenge to plant and display flowers along the roadways and on buildings, monuments, and homes. Any open green space that enhances the town’s beauty...

Remember Johannes Gutenberg, the guy who is credited with inventing movable-type and a printing press that mass-produced books? A statue of him dominates one of the most popular public squares in Strasbourg; a fantastic place to enjoy a cold drink and do a bit of people watching. Kids will want to take a ride on the carousel. Take notice of...

ScheduleScheduleScheduleScheduleScheduleShort of green spaces in the city, locals head to Vondelpark to relax, especially if the sun is shining. Located a bit outside of the main city centre, the park is made up of around 47 hectares (120 acres) and is named after the 17th-century Dutch poet, Joost van den Vondel. The park dates back to 1864 when leading Amsterdammers...

Captain John H. Geiger, chief among wreckers in Key West in the early 1800s, had this home built in 1830. He incorporated architectural elements picked up during lucrative wrecking operations along the reefs of the Keys. On the grounds of the home is a rare tropical tree named for the captain, the Geiger Tree. When Audubon visited Key West, he sought...

Knowledgeable guides give colorful, anecdote-rich tours through the life and loves of famed novelist Ernest Hemingway, who first came to Key West in 1928 and had this home, built by wrecker and secessionist Asa Tift in 1851, given to he and his wife as a gift in 1931. The Hemingways made numerous improvements, including the first in-ground swimming pool on the...

Walking into the gardens under glass in this tasteful tropical conservatory, you’ll feel like you’ve wandered into a cheerful animated movie. Live butterflies drift past as tropical songbirds chirp and the strains of classical music fill the air. It’s a mesmerizing place, a relaxing space to just sit, watch, and listen. Artist Sam Trophia dreamed of a Victorian flower garden...

The saga of this wonderfully diverse tropical forest and garden dates back to 1936, when unemployed workers employed by the WPA created a 55-acre botanical garden on Stock Island. During World War II, the military took over the land until the garden diminished to 8 acres and was abandoned. Thankfully, a group of dedicated volunteers revived what is now considered...

In 1993, environmental activist and artist Nancy Forrester opened her one-acre garden in the heart of old Key West to the public. She’d worked on it for more than forty years, bringing together more than 150 species of palms, cycads, orchids, bromeliads, and tropical trees, with the addition in 2006 of more than 300 species of rare aroids and ferns...

The twin halls of the Domain Wintergardens – one tropical the other temperate – wouldn’t rate as a major highlight, but get the nod for their proximity to Auckland Museum just up the hill. The peaceful, barrel-vaulted glasshouses and the sunken fishpond between them make a nice break from the usual hubbub of the museum. The complex wasn’t built until...

Located in Bali’s central mountain district and Tabanan regency, Bedugul is one of Bali’s most popular resort areas.  Leading into the island’s Lake District, which incorporates three major lakes (Lake Beratan, Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan) and with an elevation of around 700 metres, the climate is distinctly cooler than most other parts of Bali. The area is home to the Bali Botanical Gardens...

The riverside City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane’s original botanic gardens, are delightful to wander around. There’s a bamboo grove, an avenue of weeping figs, ornamental ponds much loved by ducks, ibis and other waterbirds, sculptures and fountains. You can stick to the river paths or get lost in the green. There’s a great playground for children – all green and red...

The Shelburne Museum is a fun mix of traditional galleries and historic buildings, set on beautiful 45-acre grounds. The museum has a great collection of Americana, from quilts and folk art to toys and decoys.  In the center of grounds sits the 220-foot Ticonderoga steamboat, which visitors can board and check out the ornate decorations, dining hall and engine room....

Try to pick a fine-weather day to visit the Crystal Castle, a scenic 20-minute drive from Byron, because although the organic café, the psychic and astrological readings, the crystal displays, the gift shop and the aura photography sessions are all good reasons to visit, the Castle’s best features are outside. With its lush gardens populated with sculptures and boulders of...

There is so much to do at this redwood beach park, you’ll have to schedule another vacation to do it all. Hiking, camping, biking, exploring a re-creation of an Indian village, picnicking, beachcombing, walking through a native plant garden. Plus, the dense spruce, fir, and hemlock stand guard over the dramatic coastline and make for a breathtaking view. Most come...

Look closely northeast of the Lincoln Park Conservatory – at the corner of Fullerton and Cannon Drs – and you’ll spy the Caldwell Lily Pool, an enchanted, hidden garden. Famed landscape architect Jens Jenson designed it in 1938 using the Prairie style, native plants, and stonework that resembles the stratified canyons of the Wisconsin Dells. Today the natural area is...

The Victorian-era glass conservatory is great for a walkabout through jungles ferns, desert palms, and tropical orchids. The little hothouse only takes 30 minutes to wander through. It’s especially welcome in winter, when it remains a sultry, 75-degree escape from the icy winds raging outside.  

Millennium Park is a jackpot of free and arty sights. Start with a visit to the 110-ton Bean sculpture for the ultimate Chicago photo op, move on to splashy Crown Fountain with its puckering human gargoyles, then on to the wildflower-strewn Lurie Garden to ditch the crowds. Free activities reach their peak in summer. Acoustically awesome Pritzker Pavilion hosts free...

Krohn Conservatory is home to more than 3,500 plant species from around the world.  Housed in a giant greenhouse, visitors can wander through the adjoining rooms and be introduced to plants from the rain forest to rare and beautiful orchids. The highlight of the trip is in the back of the conservatory is a 2-story-tall waterfall, where visitors can admire from the front or walk...

A must-do when you visit the Columbia River Gorge is to stop at Bonneville Dam and the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. Picnicking, camping, boating, swimming and hiking are the most popular activities at Bonneville Reservoir. This lake is managed by The Army Corps of Engineers. Please note: Security measures which close areas or restrict access are subject to change on a...

Oh, Pile – not much on the planet can compare to walking through this gate, entering the medieval city of Dubrovnik, the sunlight reflecting off the magnificent marble stone. Pile consists of Inner and Outer city gates. As you cross the drawbridge you come to the outer city gate with a Renaissance arch and at the top a statue of...