Top Ten National Dishes
National Geographic has just released its beautiful new book, "FOOD JOURNEYS OF A LIFETIME: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe," so we've partnered with them on an exclusive excerpt about the world's top national dishes. Let us know in the comments section if you agree/disagree with the picks below, plus about any of your favorite places or foods to eat around the world!
2. Ackee and saltfish, Jamaica
3. Coo-coo and flying fish, Barbados
9. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, England
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October 02, 2009
Austin City Limits Music Festival Starts Today!
Austin City Limits Music Festival (Andrew Shapter/courtesy, Austin CVB)
Music lovers are flocking to Texas this weekend for the Austin City Limits Festival, which kicks off today and features internationally acclaimed acts including Pearl Jam, the Kings of Leon, and the Dave Matthews Band. While general-admission tickets are completely sold out, you can still catch the show online via a live Webcast all weekend. If you're in town and are still looking for things to do outside the festival, here's our guide to Austin's Top 10 Active Adventures.
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September 22, 2009
Ideas for Fall Travel
Fall foliage on a country road (courtesy, West Virginia Tourism)
Happy first day of fall! Here at Away.com we lament the fact that summer often gets all the attention, what with its abundance of festivals, concerts, fairs, summer holidays and vacations—and that little thing called warm weather. But fall has its own seasonal perks. Along with the spectacular reds, yellows, and oranges that color the landscape each fall, you can look forward to apple picking, pumpkin festivals, Oktoberfest homages to beer, and even hot-air balloon festivals. Cooler temps also provide a respite from the heat in areas of the South and Southwest, as well as a break from the crowds that flock to popular vacation spots during the summer months. So throw on a jacket and head for trails, forests, farms, and small towns to enjoy the best the season has to offer. To get you inspired, check out some of Away.com's resources for autumn travel.
- Fall Foliage Guide: Find tons of fall travel ideas by region, and a state-by-state guide for prime leaf-peeping times.
- Top Ten Rail-Trails for Fall Foliage: We teamed up with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to pinpoint ten perfect rail-trails for experiencing fall’s changing colors.
- Top Ten Autumn Escapes: Fall's Best Forests: Where better to absorb the stunning beauty of fall's foliage than in our national forests?
- Top Fall Hikes: Hiking Expert Karen Berger shares her picks for the best fall hikes in the country.
- Scenic Drives Guide: Scope the autumn scene from the comfort of your car. Get the best roadside views on these itineraries for drives around the country and all over the world.
- Fall Foliage Photo Gallery and Screensaver: Discover some extra motivation to get out and witness the colors of the season.
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September 10, 2009
Are You Ready for Some Football?
The Patriots get ready to play at Gillette Stadium (Elsa-Getty/courtesy, Patriots.com)
Today marks the official start of the National Football League's season, and if you're like most red-blooded Americans, it is a day you've looked forward to since the final second of the Super Bowl ticked away last season. Sports events can make great reasons to hit the road and travel, too—especially when your destination is a raucous tailgate or a huge stadium packed with 70,000 ever-loyal fans gathered in a sea of your team's colors. And there's plenty to see and do beyond the football game, as many stadiums are located in big cities where you can satisfy culinary cravings, explore cultural and historic sites, or act on your sense of adventure, as well as feed your sports frenzy. To help you decide which stadiums to visit, here is our list of the Top Ten Football Stadiums in the country. Don't see your home stadium on the list, but think it should be? Make your case for it in the comments below!
10. The Superdome, New Orleans Saints
9. Monster Park, San Francisco 49ers
8. Reliant Stadium, Houston Texans
7. Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Eagles
6. Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots
5. Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland Browns
4. Ford Field, Detroit Lions
3. Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Qwest Field, Seattle Seahawks
1. Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers
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August 24, 2009
Top Ten Foodie Destinations
Spices in the Fes medina (Martin Child/Photodisc/Getty)
There are those who travel, and those who travel to eat. Although I wouldn't say I fall exclusively into the latter category, discovering the local food of a place always ends up being some of my favorite memories from any given trip. From appreciating fine wine and organic food on the bluffs of California's Sonoma County, to scarfing down late-night street eats in Bangkok with mingling backpackers and locals, to discovering a love of barbecued red meat and tango in Buenos Aires, there's no doubt travel and food go hand in hand. And even if you don't consider yourself a certified epicurean (or even if you do), you probably know a good meal when you taste one. So here are our top ten don't-miss foodie destinations, both in places close to home and other more exotic locales abroad. Happy eats!
10. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, British West Indies
8. Southwest London, U.K.
6. Fes, Morocco
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July 06, 2009
Top Ten Whitewater Rivers for Tubing & Duckies
DUCK CALL: Nantahala River, North Carolina (courtesy, Nantahala Outdoor Center)
Certain rivers are inexorably linked to the ferocity of their whitewater—let's just call it the "my-Class-V-is-bigger-than-yours" complex. However, a river can also mellow out depending on the time of year, with water levels that have been bolstered by heavy spring snowmelt dropping to an easier summer flow. Unlike bigger, more cumbersome rafts, duckies—small, inflatable kayaks—allow you to navigate normally fierce rivers like the Middle Fork of the American or Nantahala with greater independence. They also give you a better taste of the contours of the river. Go one step further on certain rivers by plopping yourself in an inner tube with a floating cooler in tow, crack open a cool one, lie back, and enjoy the sun as you let the river do all the work. Medical disclaimer: This approach is not recommended for hyperactive over-achievers.
Here are ten of our favorite rivers for tubing and duckies, but we know there are hundreds of other local rivers where tubing is a summer rite of passage. Tell us about them in the comments section below!
Top 10 Rivers for Tubing & Duckies
1. American River, California
2. Chattooga River, Georgia/South Carolina
6. Nantahala River, North Carolina
8. Nolichucky River, Tennessee/North Carolina
10. Lower & Middle Youghiogheny River, Pennsylvania
Like top ten travel lists? So do we. Find more of Away.com's Top Ten Trip Ideas here.
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June 27, 2009
Top Ten 4th of July Celebrations
Fireworks, barbeques, parades, and live
music—no other holiday spells summer fun quite like the 4th of July. Since the 4th falls on a Saturday this year, most people get Friday, July 3rd off from work, giving you a long weekend to celebrate America's birthday—and that means the perfect opportunity to take a road trip. Although you could just as easily watch the festivities on TV or set out some lawn chairs and a
grill in your backyard, some Independence Day celebrations are worth
the trip, especially if they're right up the road from you. Here are
our picks for the country's top ten places to ring in the 4th. Make sure to tell us if we've missed any of your favorite local July 4th celebrations in the comments section—we're always up for a new party suggestion!
Top Ten 4th of July Celebrations
10. Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
9. Greater Williamsburg, Virginia
8. Miami, Florida
7. San Diego, California
6. New Orleans, Louisiana
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4. New York City, New York
3. Chicago, Illinois
2. Washington, D.C.
1. Boston, Massachusetts
Bonus: U.S. Virgin Islands
If you want to spend your July 4th weekend in one of America's smaller coastal towns, check out the Best Beaches for a July 4th Celebration. Or if you want more Top Ten travel ideas, get some inspiration here.
PHOTO: The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular over Boston Harbor (Jay Connor/courtesy, B4 Productions)
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June 05, 2009
Top Ten Summer Music Festivals
VENUE WITH A VIEW: Ben Harper performs at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Benko Photographics/courtesy, Telluride Bluegrass Festival)
One of the greatest things about summer (along with the barbecues, pool parties, and beach bumming, of course) is the open-air music festival. Music fans—from die-hard groupies to casual listeners who just like the idea of an outdoor music fest—will come out in droves if you've got the right mix of bands and fun. And why not? Music festivals offer the perfect reason to hit the road and travel. Whether you like rock 'n' roll, pop, hip hop, blues, or electronica, you'll find something to get you moving (or crowd surfing) at our picks for the Top Ten Summer Music Festivals, in order below from the beginning of the season to the end. Grab your blankets and sunscreen—and plenty of water—and prepare yourself to jam out and rock hard to several days worth of good tunes. And be sure to tell us if you've been to any of these festivals!
1. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California
2. Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge in Washington
4. Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee
5. Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado
6. Rothbury Music Festival in Michigan
7. 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota
9. All Points West Music and Arts Festival in New Jersey
10. Austin City Limits in Texas
Like top ten travel lists? So do we. Find more of Away.com's Top Ten Trip Ideas here.
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May 26, 2009
Top 10 U.S. Beaches: Dr. Beach's 2009 Picks
POT OF GOLD: Hanalei Bay on Kauai, Hawaii (Thinkstock/Getty)
Florida International University's Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, has released his 2009 list of top beaches (note that past winners are ineligible for inclusion). Here are his top ten beaches:
1. Hanalei Bay (Kauai, Hawaii)
2. Siesta Beach (Sarasota, Florida)
3. Coopers Beach (Southampton, New York)
4. Coronado Beach (San Diego, California)
5. Hamoa Beach (Maui, Hawaii)
6. Main Beach (East Hampton, New York)
7. Cape Hatteras (Outer Banks, North Carolina)
8. Cape Florida State Park (Key Biscayne, Florida)
9. Coast Guard Beach (Cape Cod, Massachusetts)
10. Beachwalker Park (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)
Tell us about your favorites in the comments section. My fave U.S. beach is probably the pristine stretch of sand at the bottom of the road in Carmel (amazing sunsets); outside the U.S.—and this one's way off the beaten track—it's Mogushi Beach in southwestern Japan. (For more of Away.com staffers' far-flung beach favorites, check out our interactive Google Map here.)
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May 08, 2009
Top Ten Cheap Vacations
CHANGE OF SCENERY: Enjoy a meal in Budapest with the Hungarian Parliament Building in the background (Martin Child/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty)
I don't need to tell you why traveling on the cheap is so necessary nowadays. It's pretty impossible to ignore all the signs of economic woe around us—bailouts, high unemployment, and bankruptcies. It's enough to make anyone want to take a vacation. But don't feel guilty about wanting to hop on the next plane out of town. For every dream destination, you can find an alternative that will help you pinch pennies but give you the same qualities you were looking for, all without feeling like you took the budget option. Here's our list of the Top Ten Budget Vacations. Be sure to add your own recommendations in the comments!
10. Berlin, Germany
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