* HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, NATIONAL PARKS! On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill creating the National Park Service to protect and maintain sites of natural and historical significance. It was one of the smartest moves we ever made as a country, ensuring the longevity of the places that make America, well, America—from majestic mountain ranges and wide open spaces to deserts, wetlands, caverns, and everything in between.
Yellowstone National Park (photo: FreeImages/Erik Marr)
To celebrate 100 years of national parks, we here at Frommer's are paying tribute to old standbys like Yellowstone and Yosemite, heralding overlooked gems, and picking our favorites in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. To help with trip planning, we've got recommendations for national park lodges, a roundup of parks ideal for kids, and a handy list of dates when you can get into the parks for free.
To celebrate 100 years of national parks, we here at Frommer's are paying tribute to old standbys like Yellowstone and Yosemite, heralding overlooked gems, and picking our favorites in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. To help with trip planning, we've got recommendations for national park lodges, a roundup of parks ideal for kids, and a handy list of dates when you can get into the parks for free.
You also have our permission to take time off from work to watch the Grand Canyon episodes of The Brady Bunch.
* JOHNNY CASH'S TENNESSEE RANCH MADE INTO MUSEUM (Smithsonian). Fans of the Man in Black have another pilgrimage site to add to the itinerary.
* JOHNNY CASH'S TENNESSEE RANCH MADE INTO MUSEUM (Smithsonian). Fans of the Man in Black have another pilgrimage site to add to the itinerary.
There's already the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home in Dyess, Arkansas, Sun Studio in Memphis where Cash got his start (alongside Elvis Presley), and, if you're a real diehard, Folsom Prison in California.
Now you can also visit Cash's former ranch in tiny Bon Aqua, Tennessee, located about 40 miles west of Nashville. The country music legend bought the 107-acre property in 1972 and kept it until his death in 2003.
Today his house and an adjoining general store where he used to give informal performances have been renovated and renamed the Storytellers Museum. Inside, you'll find Cash memorabilia such as photos, handwritten letters, and song lyrics. There's even a car inspired by the singer's classic "One Piece at a Time."
True to Cash's spirit, the museum will host live music performances, too.
* WORLD'S LONGEST AND HIGHEST GLASS-BOTTOMED BRIDGE OPENS IN CHINA (The Guardian). Having just recently become the site of a terrifying cliffside glass walkway, China's Zhangjiajie mountains are now also home to the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge.
* WORLD'S LONGEST AND HIGHEST GLASS-BOTTOMED BRIDGE OPENS IN CHINA (The Guardian). Having just recently become the site of a terrifying cliffside glass walkway, China's Zhangjiajie mountains are now also home to the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge.
Connecting two mountain cliffs in the central Hunan province, the structure features 99 glass panels stretching across 430 meters (1,400 feet) suspended a spine-tingling 300 meters (984 feet) above the ground.
For safety reasons, only 8,000 people will be allowed to cross each day, and all of them have to reserve their tickets a day in advance for 138 yuan (US$20).
If you're wearing stilettos, you'll be turned away.
Our Travel Briefing appears each weekday morning, Monday to Friday. Catch up on past installments by clicking here. For more updates, as well as vacation photos and travel tips, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Our Travel Briefing appears each weekday morning, Monday to Friday. Catch up on past installments by clicking here. For more updates, as well as vacation photos and travel tips, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
