National Geographic Traveler - USA (2019-06 & 2019-7)

54 NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

BEST SUMMER | NATURE | ADVENTURE | CULTURE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Drama Club

Beyond the Smithsonian, the arts thrive through-

out the nation’s capital. Inside Artechouse,

interactive digital technology takes images

and brings them playfully to life. And 90-plus

theaters, including five dedicated to young

audiences, mean the D.C. area provides

compelling storytelling onstage nightly, from

Shakespeare tragedies to Spanish-language plays.

artechouse.com; theatrewashington.org

9. 
   

BERMUDA

Might As Well Jump

Sea-cliff climbing and cliff jumping are popular

activities at Bermuda spots such as Admiralty

House Park. Prefer having a guide? The “Stay

Together, Play Together” package at the New-

stead Belmont Hills Resort, less than four miles

away, includes a Jet Ski and cliff jumping adven-

ture with K.S. Watersports, as well as a soft place

to land at day’s end. newsteadbelmonthills.com

11. 
    

10.

NAMIBIA

Lots of

Spots

Twenty-five percent

of all wild cheetahs

live in Namibia.

Livestock farmers

and hungry cheetahs

don’t usually mix

well, but Naankuse

Foundation Wildlife

Sanctuary came up

with one solution.

Live-capture cages

set by the farmers

and managed by the

Naankuse team are

helping to reestablish

the country’s wildlife

population. Visitors

to the sanctuary can

sleep at the on-site

lodge, participate

in wildlife walks, or

sign up for volunteer

opportunities. Money

collected helps

preserve all six big

cat species that

call Namibia home.

naankuse.com

8. 
   

EDMONTON, ALBERTA

A ncient Secrets

Shift your perspective on the Grand Canyon, celebrating one hun-

dred years as a national park in 2019. OARS rafting outfitter leads

Colorado River trips that range between five and 18 days and have

you looking up the mile-deep canyon instead of down into it. (Kids

as young as seven can raft Class III rapids.) Book a Grand Canyon

mule trip to descend the Bright Angel Trail and enjoy an overnight

stay at the base. Or come on a summer Saturday and you can ride

one of the Grand Canyon Railway’s steam locomotives that run on

french fry oil. oars.com; grandcanyonlodges.com; thetrain.com

0 7.

GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA

Stratified Superlative

PUERTO RICO

Sky

Highs

In El Yunque National

Forest, the only trop-

ical rainforest in the

U.S. Forest Service,

glimpse bright green

Puerto Rican parrots

that scientists are

working to save from

extinction. Tour the

Arecibo Observatory,

where a 1,000-foot-

wide radio telescope

searches our skies

for alien intelligence.

nationalforests.org;

naic.edu/ao/landing

6. 
   

VERO BEACH, FLORIDA

Creatures from the

Sunny Lagoon

Spot manatees and dolphins, learn about oysters

and the Indian River Lagoon estuary system (the

most biodiverse in North America), and canoe

mangrove forests at the Environmental Learning

Center. Take an evening walk during sea turtle

nesting season at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

(the Walt Disney Company is the majority owner

of National Geographic Partners). Sip an orange

slushee at Countryside Citrus. discoverelc.org;

verobeach.disney.go.com; countrysidecitrus.com

0 5.

The new Royal Alberta

Museum opened

late last year with a

mandate to be inclusive

of First Nations culture.

Today, the largest

museum of natural and

human history in west-

ern Canada weaves

native languages and

narratives throughout

its six interactive galler-

ies. The Manitou Stone,

a 4.5-billion-year-old

meteorite with great

spiritual significance for

First Nations and Métis

people, sits at the cen-

ter of a circular space

intended for quiet

reflection. The addi-

tion of the museum

has revitalized the

family-friendly Arts

District that is also

home to the Art

Gallery of Alberta and

the Winspear Centre.

royalalbertamuseum.ca;

exploreedmonton.com (^) MA
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