Choose from 2,596 Fun Things to Do in North America
Antelope Canyon
The Basics
Many travelers visit on photography tours to capture the colors and shapes of the winding canyon's walls or to spot local wildlife, such as the pronghorn antelope. Antelope Canyon tours often also visit Lake Powell or nearby Horseshoe Bend, a scenic viewpoint overlooking a curve in the Colorado River. Slot canyon tours from Flagstaff and Sedona typically include round-trip transportation. Other more comprehensive multi-day tours of the southwest depart from Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon National Park.
- This Navajo nation landmark can only be seen with an authorized tour guide. The Navajo people know the land well and take sightseers through the narrow canyons and around the surrounding area.
- Bring your camera—photography enthusiasts travel from all over to snap shots of Antelope Canyon. Because the interior is dimly lit, you may also want to bring a tripod for longer exposures.
- The more popular of the two, Upper Canyon is easily walkable thanks to a level sandy surface. Lower Canyon, a few miles away, involves a longer, more narrow walk that requires climbing metal staircases and is therefore inaccessible to wheelchair users.
When to Get There
Angels Landing
- Angels Landing is a must for adventure travelers.
- The Angels Landing hike can be made in four to five hours.
- Wear sturdy hiking shoes suitable for walking on uneven surfaces.
- Dress in thin layers—the climate in Zion can change quickly—and don’t forget sun protection.
- You need a moderate level of physical fitness to complete the hike; it’s not recommended for those with a fear of heights.
Boston Museum of Science
With more than 600 interactive exhibits, the Boston Museum of Science is an educational playground so engaging and effortless that you can’t help but learn something. The amazing array of exhibits explores computers, technology, complex systems, algae, maps, models, dinosaurs, birds and much more.
Favorites include the world's largest lightning bolt generator, a full-scale space capsule, a world population meter, and a virtual fish tank. At Investigate!, live science demonstrations involve animals and experiments taking place before your eyes. The Science in the Park exhibit uses familiar objects such as skateboards and playground equipment to teach kids the concepts of physics. You can even find out how much you weigh on the moon!
The Museum of Science also houses the Hayden Planetarium and Mugar Omni Theater. The planetarium boasts a state-of-the-art projection system that casts a heavenly star show, programs about black holes and other astronomical mysteries, and evening laser light shows with rock music. The theater shows IMAX movies, which engulf the viewer with sounds and vision from a five-story domed screen.
Practical Info
The Boston Museum of Science is in Science Park, off O'Brien Highway, alongside the Charles River Bridge between Boston and Cambridge. The museum is also accessible via the MBTA subway, or the T, which has a stop before the bridge. The Skyline Room Cafeteria offers good food and skyline views. The museum also has a fantastic gift shop, with toys and games that promote learning.
Animas River
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Boston Cruise Port
How to Get to Boston
Your cruise ship will dock at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal on the South Boston waterfront. Many cruise lines offer shuttles into the city center, but taxis are readily available as well. You can also catch Silver Line bus SL2 or SL3 to the South Station of the Boston T (subway). Another option is to head into the center on foot, about a 30-minute walk along Northern Avenue.
One Day in Boston
To get a thorough overview of Boston’s fascinating past, you can spend much of your day walking the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile trail that takes you past 16 historic sites in the city. Stop in at the visitor center on Tremont Street to get a map, check out an audio guide or arrange for a guided walking tour. Trolley tours following the Freedom Trail are also available. If you walk the trail, you will follow a painted red line or red bricks from Boston Common through downtown Boston, the North End and Charlestown. Along the way, you can visit some of Boston’s most important sites, including the Old State House, Paul Revere’s House, the Old North Church and Faneuil Hall.
If you want to stray from the Freedom Trail, you might visit the Museum of Fine Arts, one of the best art museums in the country, the Peabody Museum or Archaeology & Ethnology, one of the oldest anthropological museums in the world. If your interests lean toward science and technology, don’t miss the MIT Museum, which is home to a variety of exhibits and hands-on activities in science, technology, architecture and design, nautical engineering and history. Kids will especially enjoy the New England Aquarium, which boasts what was once the world’s largest fish tank.
Beer lovers can tour one of Boston’s several breweries and sports fans shouldn’t miss a chance to catch a baseball game at Fenway Park if the Red Sox are in town.
Before returning to your ship, be sure to check out the food stalls at Quincy Market and enjoy the always-entertaining street performers at Faneuil Hall.
Port Information
The cruise terminal doesn’t have many facilities for passengers and isn’t too close to anything of importance. English is the local language and the U.S. Dollar is the official currency. ATMs are readily available throughout the city, but you will likely need to visit a major bank to change currency.
Angel Island State Park
- Angel Island is ideal for outdoors lovers and those interested in US immigration history.
- No matter the weather or the season, bring layers to shield yourself from the wind on the ferry and while traveling around the island.
- The Angel Island Café is open daily from spring to fall; the Cantina, with live music, is open on the weekends seasonally.
- The Angel Island Immigration Station is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, but note that some grounds are steep. The trams are wheelchair accessible but you must email in advance to request a spot; strollers are allowed on the trams only if there is space.
- Bikes are permitted on the island, yet skateboards, scooters, roller skates, and rollerblades are prohibited. Those under 18 years of age are required to wear a helmet while biking.
- Dogs are not allowed on the island, unless they are service animals (which do not include emotional support animals).
Boston Chinatown
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Annapolis
There’s colonial flavor and heritage 18th-century buildings galore in Maryland’s capital, Annapolis. Sailors flock to dock at the city’s 17 miles (27 km) of waterfront, and the US Naval Academy was established here in 1845.
Take a walking tour of 3 centuries of history, past grand historic buildings like St. John’s College, the 1735 Old Treasury Building and the African-American history displayed at the Banneker-Douglass Museum.
With scores of sailing schools, Annapolis is a better place than most to learn how to crew a yacht, and the array of cruises on offer includes schooners and dinner sails.
Practical Info
Annapolis is on Chesapeake Bay, 28 miles (45 km) east of Washington D.C. and 31 miles (50 km) south of Baltimore.
The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail is a recreational route linking the two cities, following the line of a former railway.
Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park
- Only Georges and Spectacle islands have places to buy food and water, so pack a picnic lunch if you plan to visit other islands.
- A full day will enable you to enjoy two or three islands; more than that and you’ll end up spending more time aboard the inter-island water shuttle.
- The main ferries serving the islands are wheelchair accessible, but the smaller shuttles are not. Only a few islands have paved, level trails suitable for wheelchair users.
Angel of Independence (Monumento a la Independencia)
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Antique Row
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Boston Common
The starting point of the Freedom Trail, Boston Common is the oldest park in the country. At 50 acres/20 hectares, the Common is the anchor for the Emerald Necklace, a system of connected parks that winds through many of Boston’s neighborhoods.
The Common has served many purposes over the years, including as a campground for British troops during the Revolutionary War. Today, though, the Common serves picnickers, sunbathers, and people watches. In winter, the Frog Pond attracts ice-skaters, while summer draws theater lovers for Shakespeare on the Common.
Spend a day wandering freely in the Common. Walking paths crisscross its green, which is dotted with such monuments and memorials as the Boston Massacre Monument, the Great Elm Site, and the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. Nearby sites include the Central Burying Ground and the Boston Athenaeum.
Practical Info
Boston Common is on the south end of the Beacon Hill neighborhood. The MBTA subway, or the T, services the area with a number of stations, enabling you to visit a variety of nearby sites. An on-site information kiosk is a great source of information and maps. Throughout the year, especially in summer, the Common hosts a number of activities, from free concerts to political rallies to seasonal festivities.
Anhinga Trail
The saw-grass marsh is teeming with an abundance of Everglades residents, including alligators, turtles, anhingas (a type of water bird found in the Everglades; the name means snake bird or devil bird), herons, cormorants, egrets and many other birds. Because the boardwalk allows visitors to wander among the wildlife, it consequently makes the animals and birds less afraid of humans, allowing closer viewing of alligators, anhingas and other native species.
Exploring the Anhinga Trail also allows guests to view the flora of the Everglades, from the saw-grass prairies towards the end of the trail to the pond apples, a native tree that has apples that appeal to wildlife, but not humans. If you have a limited amount of time, walking the Anhinga Trail is a must-do for wildlife viewing and for a taste of all that the Everglades has to offer.
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Anini Beach
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Annapolis Valley
- Annapolis Valley is a must for food and wine lovers.
- Rain is common in the Annapolis Valley, even in summer, so come prepared with waterproof gear.
- Some wineries in the region, such as Luckett Vineyards, and several attractions, such as the Grand Pré National Historic Site, are wheelchair accessible.
Ansel Adams Gallery
Fans of Ansel Adams will definitely want to visit the gallery in Yosemite, which features original photos, archival replicas and other unique pieces. More than just a display of Adams’ work, the gallery also features works from other contemporary artists; exhibits are rotated every six weeks. The gallery hosts a variety of activities, including photography workshops, viewings of Ansel Adams films and free camera walks every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during the summer.
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Angela Peralta Theater
An art gallery near the entrance shows off temporary exhibitions by local and international artists. Tours also visit a museum upstairs shows the building in ruins and at different stages of restoration.
Bonneville Dam
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Bonsecours Market
- Bonsecours Market is a must for architecture enthusiasts and shoppers looking to pick up quality local goods.
- Several restaurants and cafes can be found within the market.
- Bonsecours Market is partially though not fully wheelchair accessible, and some of the surrounding cobbled streets may prove challenging.
Angels Flight Railway
After a long battle by city conservationists for its return, Angels Flight was re-opened in 1996, just a half-block from its original site, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Despite its completely modernized and re-designed operating system, Angels Flight experienced a tragic accident in 2001, when Sinai reversed without warning and plummeted downhill into Olivet, killing one passenger and injuring several others.
After immediately shuttering, Angels Flight would remain closed to the public until March 2010, undergoing yet another complete re-design and rigorous testing in the interim. Today the "Shortest Railway in the World" connects Downtown's Broadway commercial district with Bunker Hill's California Plaza Watercourt and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
Run by L.A.'s Metro system, the cost of a one-way ride is currently 50 cents or 5 rides for 2 dollars. It is open every day from 6:45 am to 10 pm.