Flipboard 2025 Destinations

America's biggest malls weren't built to fail. From neon-lit atriums to mirrored ceilings, they dominated the ’60s–’80s. Then came demolition, decay, and bizarre second lives as movie sets and warehouses.

Not all destinations want your visit right now. Sounds harsh, but it's true. The very things that made these places magical are disappearing because too many people want to see them before they're gone.

Looking for the perfect Christmas present for the traveler in your life? This gift guide highlights fun, practical, and adventure-ready gift ideas—from upgraded travel gear to stylish accessories and comfort-boosting essentials. Packed with personality and inspiration, it’s the ultimate holiday resource for wanderlust-filled friends and family.

Archaeologists keep uncovering structures and systems that disrupt long-held assumptions about early America. These achievements weren’t improvised or accidental; they were engineered with calculation and purpose in ways European settlers failed to grasp.

Launching a startup is unpredictable, but some cities make success a lot more likely. Drawing on recent surveys, funding and survival-rate data, and analyses of startup ecosystems, here are 20 American cities with the strongest startup success rates, ranked from promising runners-up to top-tier startup powerhouses.

Some countries simply make backpacking easier, cheaper, and more rewarding. Using community insights from travelers, hostel-availability data, and affordability metrics, we’ve ranked 20 of the best backpacking countries in the world, ending with the country that backpackers overwhelmingly rank as the planet’s #1 destination.

Simon Rodia was an Italian immigrant in Los Angeles who used hand tools and salvaged materials to build a monument unlike anything the city had ever seen: the Watts Towers.

From food fairs and film festivals to music marathons, cultural parades, and massive citywide celebrations, American cities know how to put on a show. Whether you’re into live music, global cuisine, pop culture, or neighborhood street parties, here are the cities that consistently stand out for hosting the best festivals in America.

Choosing where to raise a family is tough—every city promises great schools, safe neighborhoods, and plenty of things to do. But when you boil it all down, the places that truly shine are the ones that consistently score well in areas like affordability, health, education, safety, and everyday livability. Using nationwide data comparing 182 cities, here’s a countdown of the top 22 spots in the country for families, starting from number 22 and working our way to the very best.

Some runs keep replaying in your memory long after you’re back home. It's the quality of experience and the adrenaline that make these places a hot favorite for beginners and professionals alike.

You know creativity is getting serious when someone turns it into math. According to the data, the US is sprinkled with cities where imagination isn’t just welcome—it’s practically a local currency. Whether you’re a designer craving inspiration, a musician hunting for a new scene, or a writer hoping to trip over your next great idea, these 22 cities rise above the rest. Ranked from 22 to the reigning champ, here’s where the numbers say your muse might live.