• Meet Me
  • Media Kit
  • U.S. Destinations
    • California
    • Chicago
    • Florida
    • New Mexico
    • Road Trips
    • Seattle
    • Seasonal
  • Worldwide Destinations
    • Camino de Santiago
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • England
    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Other
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin
TravelSmart Woman
  • Meet Me
  • Media Kit
  • U.S. Destinations
    • California
    • Chicago
    • Florida
    • New Mexico
    • Road Trips
    • Seattle
    • Seasonal
  • Worldwide Destinations
    • Camino de Santiago
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • England
    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Other

Museums

Museums–of all types, indoor and out–are valuable for providing entertainment, information, and a glimpse into your destination’s culture and history.

Budget TravelDraftMuseumsRoad TripsSolo TravelU.S. Destinations

Cahokia Mounds, IL: Prehistoric American City

May 17, 2022 budget travel, history, museum, road trips, solo travel Comments are off
Painting of Cahokia Mounds

Cahokia Mounds, in southeastern Illinois, was once a thriving American city…before there was an America. During its peak–about 1100 A.D., the population was larger than London’s at the same time. Until 1800, no other urban area in the United...

Read More
Books, Magazines & MoviesChicagoMuseums

American Writers Museum Celebrates Words–of All Kinds!

July 11, 2021 Books, Chicago, history, museum Comments are off
American Writers Museum, Chicago

When the American Writers Museum opened in Chicago in 2017, I wondered, “What took so long?” The only museum that is dedicated to American writers–a category that is expansive–it’s puzzling to think that someone didn’t come up with the...

Read More
MuseumsU.S. Destinations

Springfield, IL: Lincoln & Corn Dogs

September 13, 2020 grandchildren trips, museum, US travel Comments are off
Springfield, Illinois, is a great place to take grandchildren.

I promised my eight-year-old grandson, William, a summer adventure. Just him and me. But Covid-19’s tight grip eliminated most options. Finally, in mid-August, we had a half-open window of opportunity: Springfield, Illinois called and we went. Springfield happens to...

Read More
MuseumsU.S. Destinations

5 Reasons to Go to Albuquerque

January 26, 2020 Comments are off

Do you need reasons to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico? Probably. Although it’s the largest city in the state, it’s not the most glamorous. Except for its annual balloon festival, Albuquerque doesn’t usually draw the “oohs and aaahs” that...

Read More
MuseumsU.S. Destinations

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum: A Woman and Artist Like No Other

September 29, 2019 art, museum, US travel Comments are off
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM, walks you through the artist's life.

I went to Santa Fe in search of Georgia O’Keeffe. As if to prove her own belief that “Colors and shapes make a more definite statement than words,” she created more than 2,000 oil paintings during her 60-year career....

Read More
MuseumsWorldwide Destinations

Terezín Concentration Camp: Hitler’s “Gift to the Jews”

July 7, 2019 history, museum, Worldwide Destinations Comments are off
Terezin Concentration Camp was meant to deceive the Red Cross inspectors.

Terezín concentration camp is an astounding and painful reminder of the power of propaganda. Only an hour from Prague, the former Habsburg fortress was repurposed during World War II as a model that would impress International Red Cross inspectors....

Read More
GreeceMuseums

Olympia, Greece: Where the Games Began, Nearly 3000 Years Ago

May 19, 2019 architecture, Greece, history, museum Comments are off
Olympia, Greece: Where the Olympics began and were held for over 1,000 years.

Olympia, Greece: It’s hard to describe the feeling as you stand at the original starting line of the stadium where the Olympics began in 776 BC. Greek myth credits the hero Hercules with creating the running races at Olympia...

Read More
ChicagoMuseums

Chicago Cultural Center: Visit the”Palace of the People”…FREE!

March 24, 2019 budget travel, Chicago, museum Comments are off
The Chicago Cultural Center takes up a full block on Michigan Avenue!

It’s scary to think that the Chicago Cultural Center was almost demolished so that a dull mid-century office tower could have a spot on Michigan Avenue. The mayor’s wife saved the Chicago Cultural Center What–or rather, who–saved it? The...

Read More
MuseumsNew Mexico

Petroglyph National Monument: Messages From the Past

February 13, 2019 history, museum, New Mexico, U.S. Destinations Comments are off
Petroglyph National Monument: What do the pictures mean?

Petroglyph National Monument protects more than 24,000 petroglyphs carved into the volcanic rock in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The drawings and symbols were created 400 to 700 years ago, mostly by ancestors of today’s Pueblo people, with some later additional...

Read More
Budget TravelCaliforniaMuseums

Jack London: He Wrote So He Could Be a Farmer

January 30, 2019 California, history, museum, U.S. Destinations Comments are off
Jack London State Park, Glen Ellen, CA

“I write a book for no other reason than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me…” What happens when you learn Jack London wrote his astounding novels to support sustainable agriculture on his farm?  Well, you...

Read More
← Older posts

Worth 1,000 Words…

A labyrinth can reset our mind and intention. Can we do the same with how we travel? (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Flower Vendor at sSeattle Pike Place Market
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is one of the nation’s treasures. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
The World's Largest Rocking Chair in Casey, Illinois.
Going to Seattle? Of course you'll want to visit the Space Needle. Fresh from a renovation, here's what to know!
"Becoming Human" by Christian Ristow welcomes you to Meow Wolf.The flower-sniffing robot is 30 feet tell. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
A "young man" of 70+ years leads the band in Santa Clara. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Sandia Peak Tram was a challenge to build.
After your selfie at The Bean, visit one of the Chicago food halls!
The passage to the stadium was once covered entirely by a stone arch roof. Today, only one section remains. It's easy to imagine how athletes felt as they ran down the narrow entry into the stadium
The wooden roof is what burned on 15 April 2019, taking the spire with it. When it was built, Notre Dame Cathedral required 52 acres of forest to complete the roof.
Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, NM: The Mysterious and Miraculous Staircase
Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times..
Solo travel doesn't really have many downsides
Unclaimed Baggage Center is easy to find in Scottsboro, AL.
Milwaukee Art Museum: Architect Santiago Calatrava designed MOM to resemble a ship. Given its location on the Lake Michigan waterfront, his idea was brilliant. (Photo credit: Suzanne Ball. All rights reserved.)
Peace solo travel by eating at a nice restaurant
Rome-Colosseum
U.S. Destinations-Seattle-Pike Place
Window shopping in Florence: Silk ties
The Acropolis in Athens awaits!
Craving Europe? There are some surprising European destinations in the US!

Use Tags to Find a Topic

Airlines architecture Books budget travel Camino de Santiago Canada Chicago Covid-19 cruise Cuba England Europe Food Greece Health history Holidays Hotels hotel tips inspiration Italy Markets museum New Mexico Packing Quotes recipes Rick Steves road trips safety Seattle single supplement solo travel Thoughts & Opinions tours Train Travel Travel Insurance Travel Planning Travel tips U.S. Destinations US travel vacations walks World Views Worldwide Destinations
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Instagram
© Copyright 2014-2018. Theme by BloomPixel.