Encased in glass is a two-page letter, neatly typed and labeled confidential.

Prohibition ended nationwide 85 years ago, so now is a particularly appropriate time to hoist that hot toddy.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children’s museum in the world and often called the best, is literally a feast of color, sound and flavors for both children and their grownups.

Moran. Cassatt. Wyeth. Van Gogh. Sargent. Monet. Paxton. Klimt. Bouguereau. Hopper. O’Keeffe. Bateman. Wiley.

You could spend a whole vacation in Los Angeles and not come close to seeing everything — from the beach to Hollywood to world-class art museums and music venues.

Here’s to the new, as in partnerships, transitions, decisions and distinctions in the world of close-to-home travel.

One way to get to know a city is through its attractions — the monuments, museums, biggest and best local marks of distinction.

Just a few miles outside of Detroit sits Cranbrook, a National Historical Landmark that critics have called “the most enchanting architectural setting in the United States.”

Time for another ghoulishly good time as the approach of Halloween brings out goblins and gore galore. Haunted houses aren’t the only option for scaring yourself silly this month. Consider this range of terrifying settings. Several are all-volunteer efforts whose proceeds help local charities.

Crossing the bumpy prairies in covered wagons would have been so much nicer for the pioneers if those prairie schooners had air conditioning.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Visitors to the newly renovated American Airlines’ C.R. Smith Museum can sit at the controls of an MD-80 cockpit.

The recent decades haven’t been all that kind to Detroit. 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — When I started out on my trail ride on a scorching day with temperatures well into the 90s, I didn’t know I would be riding from Wyoming to Colorado. 

In a modest residential area — near farmland, railroad tracks and tall grain storage silos — is an almost-full parking lot at 5:30 p.m. on an average Thursday.

Approaching the Distillery District from downtown Lexington, Ky., motorists are taken aback by the large black-and-red mural depicting what looks to be — depending on your perspective — a demented scuba diver, a man wearing a gas mask, or more menacingly, a prison inmate flashing what may or…

We are high above ground and just below the signature “G” that looms 40 feet tall and 60 feet wide. 

MONTREAL — In recent years, I have made it something of a habit to celebrate my birthday in some far-flung corner of the world. I’ve gotten a year older in Munich, Germany; Lausanne, Switzerland; New Zealand and Hong Kong among other places.

No manmade monument in the United States is taller than Gateway Arch, at the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, and big-time renovations turned the area into a national park this year.

The last time I saw the Picardie region of France was in 1978.

Millennials want shorter, more frequent, but still “Instagrammable” vacations, and Royal Caribbean spent $120 million on one 15-year-old ship to give them that.

At the turn of the century, America’s wild bison — which at one time numbered 60 million — had dwindled to about two dozen animals. 

BRYCE CANYON CITY, Utah — For many years, I have been eager to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. My wife Sue Kittelson had visited a long time ago, and I longed to personally witness one of the seven wonders of the world.

Bison run faster than humans, I thought on my morning jog, as I panted down the slope.

The Grey Lady is gorgeous. 

Much of Itasca State Park, 125 miles northwest of Minneapolis, feels secluded on a 90-degree Saturday afternoon.

“Who wants to be the co-pilot?” Evan Frostman asks.

When I walked onto the grounds of Wimbledon for the first time, I immediately thought of another place: Augusta National.

An innkeeper, a Swiss banker and a journalist walk into a restaurant in Coolidge, Kan.

California sun sends shimmers of light across the choppy waves as I depart Long Beach and head out to sea aboard the high-speed ferry Catalina Express.

Niagara Falls is nature at its mightiest. More than just a look at a waterfall, a visit is a full vacation surrounded by the natural beauty of the area and the luxury that has drawn tourists from around the world.

Travelers often make their plans around cities, but sometimes the real feel of a region turns out to be in communities a few miles away. 

Culver’s, the kingpin in the frozen custard world, introduces six new flavors this year. 

The sky was bright blue, the water was still and a tattered French flag fluttered gently in a light breeze. 

SEATTLE — Open since 1907, Pike Place Market is one of the oldest continuously operating farmers markets in the United States. 

Take out a map and eyeball the Western U.S. and you will see that it is well-peppered with national parks. 

While the beaches may be the draw for a lot of visitors to Jacksonville, Fla., my husband and I purposely came in the off-season to explore the visual art scene. 

State tourism embraces accessibility in a new marketing campaign, and the star is a four-time Paralympic athlete. 

Sure, you’ll be enlightened by visits to the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 

The worth of a well-crafted film goes way beyond entertainment, in little and large ways.

The plump bacon cheeseburger, weighing in at one-third pound, was a blend of ground chuck, brisket and short ribs. The cheese: a medium cheddar. The bacon: pecan-smoked.

KAUAI, Hawaii — As I hurtled through the sky above a sprawling valley, in view of sapphire waves and verdant mountain slopes, the wind was whipping past me and my eyes were streaming tears.

Typically, it’s the biggest cruise ships that grab the headlines, the ones that could carry the entire population of a small city, have numerous restaurants and claim the most thrilling recreational amenities at sea.

Hibernating through winter is a good thing unless too much coziness feels like confinement. Thin is the line between peaceful solitude and bleak isolation.

Because there are no city-sized theme parks in Southern Connecticut, you must find your thrills there in real life. 

The last time I talked to Charlie Vallier, he was hoping for a snowstorm. 

Tallahassee is a city that reveres its history, keeps property in families and doesn’t throw anything away. 

Quilts cocoon us during winter’s harshest nights, but warmth is only one way to define their value.

You’ve seen the German gingerbread hearts hanging from ribbons, frosted with the words “Ich liebe dich” (I love you) and “Frohe Weihnachten” (Merry Christmas).