Tagged: history

Now You Can Go Inside Barcelona's Most Notorious Prison

Built as a “model” penitentiary, La Model opened to much fanfare in 1904 in the L'Eixample neighborhood, which was then the outskirts of Barcelona. Its panoptic design was…

See What The Beatles' Abandoned Indian Ashram Looks Like Today

Under dense vines and fallen leaves, a decaying relic from the 1960s lies on the outskirts of Rishikesh, in northern India. Here, you can still find the former International Academy of…

Purchase History: The Oldest Shops in Paris

Paris is one of the world’s top shopping destinations. The city prides itself on its elegant boutiques dedicated to everything from high fashion to gastronomy. But few French brands…

WWI Hospital Converted to Vacation Rental in English Countryside

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…

Arthur Frommer: Let’s Hope the American Queen Paddlewheeler is Past Racist Messages

The travel press is currently full of happy articles about the popularity of river cruises within the United States. Apparently, such paddlewheelers as the famous American Queen…

Normandy Towns for Magnifique Side Trips from Paris

In Normandy, climate is destiny. Okay, maybe that’s true of every region on earth. But the fortunes of northwestern France seem to have been especially shaped by its strong winds,…

Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris: The World’s Most Legendary Necropolis

Arguably the most famous resting place in the world, Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is also a vital tourist attraction, receiving some 3.5 million visitors each year. Carolyn…

Look Up! Incredible Ceilings Around the World

In her coffee table book The Art of Looking Up, art historian Catherine McCormack takes a gander at 40 of the world's most spectacular ceilings, highlighting top-of-the-line room…

New Museums Explore Weimar Germany's Pivotal Role in 20th Century

Last month marked the 100th anniversary of when a national assembly was convened in Weimar in central Germany to write a new constitution for that country after its defeat in World War…

U.S. Army Museum Opening June 2020

The United States Army has set an opening date for its new museum honoring the oldest branch of the U.S. military.The National Museum of the United States Army will begin welcoming…

Alexander Hamilton's New York City: A Tour of the Rooms Where It Happened

Among America’s Founders, none was more of a New Yorker than Alexander Hamilton. The soldier–turned–statesman–turned–$10-dollar-bill cover model checks off several of the city’s most…

New Paris Museum Chronicles Liberation from Nazis in WW2

Sunday, August 25, marks the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris from its Nazi occupiers during World War II.On the same day, a new museum will open permanently to chronicle…

Closed for Three Years, D.C.'s Washington Monument Finally Has a Reopening Date

The Washington Monument in America's capital will reopen to the public on Thursday, September 19, the National Park Service has announced. The 555-foot-tall marble-and-granite obelisk…

Liquor and Spirits: San Diego to Get a Cemetery Speakeasy

San Diego's El Campo Santo cemetery was established in the city's historic Old Town in 1849, and according to ghost hunters, the spirits residing there have been riled up almost ever…

The Best Ways for Families to Explore the Great Smoky Mountains

The most visited national park in the United States is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where more than a half million acres of craggy peaks and forested ridges are caressed by the…

How to See Chile When You Have Less Than a Week

How much does the average person know about Chile? Culinary enthusiasts will smack their lips while describing Chilean sea bass and Colchagua Valley wines. History buffs may describe…

You Can Now Stay at a French Castle That Hosted Mozart and Voltaire

Some of the biggest stars in 18th-century European culture—including Mozart as well as Age of Enlightenment thinkers Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Denis Diderot—spent time at…

See Cool Gadgets and Test Your Espionage Skills at D.C.’s New Spy Museum

The new and improved International Spy Museum, which opened May 12 in Washington, D.C., claims to house “the world’s largest public display of authentic spy tools and gadgets.” Among…

Learn About NYC's LGBTQ History—and Drink Beer!—on This New Walking Tour

This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion of June 1969, when gay and transgender bargoers resisted a police raid on the Stonewall Inn of New York City's…

Muslim History Tour Tells Untold Chapter of New York City's Past—and Present

The gym where I work out (when I’m feeling up to it and can’t find anything good on Netflix) is housed in a building that stands where there used to be a mosque founded by Yemeni…

Arthur Frommer: Are We Hypocrites to Visit the Statue of Liberty?

On an island in the waters off New York, is a giant statue inscribed with the immortal words of Emma Lazarus: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe…

Get to Know Women Who Shaped U.S. History at These Inspiring Sites

From entering the workforce to gaining the vote, leading movements, and shaping minds, women have played a pivotal role in the history of the United States, right up to the present.…

Sazerac Cocktail Museum to Open in New Orleans

Anyone who’s been to New Orleans knows that drinking is a big deal in the Big Easy. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the city that claims to have invented the cocktail will soon be…

In Nevada, a School for Stolen Native American Kids Will Be a Museum

Starting in the late 19th century, the U.S. government forced tens of thousands of Native American children to leave home and attend boarding schools with the goal of assimilating…

Rare Civil War Artifacts Debut at Philly’s Constitution Museum

Philadelphia's National Constitution Center—chartered by Congress to "disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis"—is adding a new permanent exhibit…