WWI Hospital Converted to Vacation Rental in English Countryside
Posted on 11/15/2019, 4:00 PM
In the 19th century, England's small "cottage hospitals" brought medical services to rural villages. Previously, small town folk often had to travel to distant cities for treatment for illnesses and injuries. Over time, these mini medical centers were either absorbed by the United Kingdom's public health care system or abandoned for more modern facilities.In the tiny village of Beaworthy in southw...
At Tokyo’s Weird New Poop Museum, Wipe Boredom Away
Posted on 11/11/2019, 2:00 PM
As the capital of a nation famous for high-tech toilets, Tokyo is now also the seat of places that honors what goes into them. Now it’s where you’ll find the Unko Museum Tokyo, which translates to “Poop Museum Tokyo,” because it celebrates all things poop. Located in the neighborhood of Odaiba—already a big family destination for its giant Gundam statue, Legoland, Joypolis gaming and virtua...
Rome's Colosseum Moves to a Timed Ticket System: We Tested It
Posted on 11/06/2019, 5:30 PM
Seeing the Colosseum in Rome just got easier. And more complicated. In spring of 2019, CoopCulture, the entity that manages visitor access to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill and other archaeological sites in Rome, introduced a new timed ticket system that appears to be working relatively smoothly. Prior to the timed system, advance planners could buy their skip-the-line entry...
Get Ready to Pay a Tourist Tax to Visit Cabo San Lucas
Posted on 11/05/2019, 4:30 PM
Starting on Saturday, November 9, a visit to the Mexican state of Baja California Sur will cost you extra. The home state of popular Pacific Coast resort cities including Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo is instituting a tourism tax that each foreign visitor will have to pay, according to a government announcement. The charge will be 350 pesos per person. With current exchange rates, that comes...
Chinese Glass Bridges Closed Out of Safety Fears
Posted on 11/01/2019, 11:00 AM
For a few years now, China has seemed determined to install spine-tingling transparent bridges, walkways, and slides at every cliffside, mountain gorge, and canyon in the country. At last count, China had as many as 2,300 high-altitude, glass-bottom bridges designed to give tourists the frightening sensation of walking on air, à la Wile E. Coyote before gravity gets the better of him.Subtract 32 o...
High-Speed Trains to Connect Miami's Cruise Port and Orlando
Posted on 10/31/2019, 5:00 PM
The possibility of a car-free Florida vacation just rolled a little closer to reality.Brightline, which currently operates high-speed rail service connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, has announced that, in the not-too-distant future, trains will zip between Miami's busy cruise port and Orlando International Airport. From there, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are both le...
China Expands Its Free Six-Day Visa to More Tourist Cities
Posted on 10/29/2019, 8:00 PM
Usually, filling out the paperwork to obtain a visa for China is as elaborate as taking the bar exam, but less fun. Tourists have to answer a long list of sometimes invasive questions (be prepared to share what your mother does for a living), supply disappointing photos of their faces, fork over $140 per person, and wait four days to see if they made the cut. The rigmarole has discouraged many peop...
Nickelodeon's New Indoor Theme Park Is the Biggest in the U.S.
Posted on 10/24/2019, 12:45 PM
The biggest indoor theme park in the United States opens in New Jersey this week. Nickelodeon Universe spreads across 8.5 acres and 35 rides and attractions, all related to the popular kids' TV network and all able to be enjoyed without such irritants as fresh air and sunshine.Features include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles–inspired Shellraiser roller coaster along with live shows (and buckets of...
Royal Caribbean's Next Private Island Will Be in the South Pacific
Posted on 10/17/2019, 11:00 AM
Royal Caribbean announced plans this week for a new private island to be used exclusively by passengers of the company's cruise ships. Though such destinations are increasingly common among cruise lines in the Western Hemisphere—Royal Caribbean recently expanded its Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas—this upcoming island-sized attraction, scheduled for 2022, will be the first of its kind in the...
A Much-Needed New Hotel Opens on the Mississippi Blues Trail
Posted on 10/16/2019, 12:15 PM
This past summer, The Cotton House in Cleveland, Mississippi, opened as a major boutique-style hotel in the Mississippi Delta, a part of the country that hasn’t usually been strongly associated with full-service accommodation. Up to now, most road trippers on the Blues Trail, the world-famous music-and-history circuit around the birthplace of the blues, would usually need to make do with bland ...
