AFAR

On a recent trip to Burlington, I made it my mission to seek out Vermont creemees after just about every lunch and dinner. By my sixth one, I was still savoring every lick from my cone, trying to get every last bit. It may seem like ice cream, but Vermont’s specialty soft serve is made with a higher butterfat content, resulting in a richer dessert with a velvety texture.

Painter Dominick Lemonious started his career more than a decade ago thinking his future wasn’t in art at all—and certainly not in the concept he pioneered: an art gallery within a liquor store called Push Gallery at Liquor Basket Gratiot on Detroit’s East Side.

“Everything is good. The food is good. The music is good. The experience is good,” says Elton Monroy Duran of Detroit’s Mexicantown community. Since 2014, Duran has been making his mark on the neighborhood, painting many murals that highlight its people, history, and go-to hot spots. The Mexican muralist, who was named a 2023 Kresge Artist Fellow, made the city his home after landing here with the idea of saving up for an art career in Europe.

Highway 61 has long been the default way to experience Minnesota’s North Shore, as the road traces Lake Superior, passing rocky shoreline, evergreen forests, and small harbor towns. Now there’s another way to see the first stretch of the shore: from the open-air back platform of a 1959 private railcar. The newly christened Head of the Lakes just debuted on the North Shore Scenic Railroad, operating between Duluth and Two Harbors along Lake Superior.

Anastasia Pagonis has always hated museums. As a kid with visual impairment, she says, “I would be the one doing cartwheels through the hallways because I had nothing to look at. Museums are just so unbelievably visual.” That’s why she went into her visit to the Grand Rapids Public Museum “very closed-minded.” But as she got the opportunity to handle objects and take in exhibits through smell, she realized that this time was different.

Pros: Excellent Northern Italian– and Swiss-inspired food; original art and historic Engadine design details throughout; easy access to hiking, lake swimming, and winter activities; intimate, individually designed rooms Cons: Rooms are compact with limited storage; no air-conditioning or other climate-control system; service can feel somewhat green Rates: From $625 Set at 5,915 feet in Switzerland’s Engadine Valley, Sils Maria is a destination in every season, with hiking, lake swimming, and...

Thousands of ski towns exist around the world, but there’s only one Telluride. The snow is exceptional, the mountain views are awe-inspiring, and the après-ski scene is lively. Some even say it’s one of the world’s “power spots.” But what sets this Colorado town apart is something harder to define—soul. You feel it in the historic buildings that line main street, many dating back to the town’s mining days and lovingly preserved rather than replaced.

Award-winning photographer Elonte Davis made his name chronicling the many lives of Black Detroit. A proud product of the East Side’s Osborn neighborhood, he describes a “block-by-block” approach to documenting the city.

Getting a U.S. passport is about to be so easy you can do it from your couch. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to move the passport application process completely online by 2028. It’ll be a significant change from the current system, which requires new applicants to sign printed DS-11 forms at an authorized location—such as a post office, library, or regional passport agency—and pay a $35 facility fee in addition to the $130 application fee.

This article was originally published in 2022 and is updated regularly. It was updated most recently on October 7, 2026, to include current information. If you feel you deserve a present to yourself after powering through any holiday gift lists, we don’t blame you (in fact, we feel the same). So why not plan a trip as a reward? Tack on some time for a family visit, perhaps, or burn through some of the excess PTO that you’ve involuntarily accrued.