Like most American kids, my childhood knowledge of Africa was barely enough to fill a thimble. We were taught about a land with jungles so thick and green that they almost shone black, and glittering fields of red rocky soil that were full of gems, or oil. Of course, there were also the animals: monkeys, who we loved the most, but also elephants, lions, antelopes, zebras, rhinos, parrots.

The morning of my first ever foray is blessed with a surprise rain. It’s more of a thick mist than a shower, like invisible hands are catching the drops and cupping them in midair for a moment before letting them plummet to the earth. Despite the drizzle, at least fifteen people are standing in the cratered parking lot of Schiller Woods. Baskets in hand and clustered in groups of twos and threes, they chat amongst themselves and nestle in the black-green-brown comfort of their raincoats. They're an eclectic looking bunch, but their separate conversations all swirl in similar directions.

I fell in love with historical fiction when my mom handed me the first book in the Magic Tree House series. I’d curl up on the couch and with Annie and Jack at my side, I’d zip back and forth through time. I got to walk the ashy streets of Pompeii, hide from dinosaurs, marvel over the magic of Camelot, and watch Shakespeare plays from the very front row of the Globe Theater.

No matter how long we spend lying in the grass and gazing up at the dome of the night sky, it’s hard to imagine a world outside of our own. We learn about stars and planets, galaxies and Milky Ways, but from where most of us stand, it’s hard to see anything but pinpricks of light and scattered constellations that glimmer from thousands of light-years away. What do these celestial bodies look like up close? How much of the universe is left to discover?

As is the case with most stories that have 900+ pages, The Mists of Avalon is a book you could do bicep curls with. When all five pounds of it showed up in the mail (note: buy this book at a shop unless you’re okay with paying a small fortune in shipping), I walked into the kitchen with it and one of my roommates apologized. “That sucks,” she said, actually wincing. “What class is making you read that?” After struggling to explain to her why I was voluntarily reading a book the size of a small dictionary, I went into my room, took a deep breath, and dove right in.

To all the cinephiles who are pulling out their pitchforks and preparing to skewer us for daring to suggest that any of the following movies should be books instead of films: put your weapons away, because that is NOT what we’re advocating. Whether it’s for their sweeping panoramas of the Pacific Northwest, their gloriously convoluted plots lines, or their generally morbid themes, we love these movies not only for their stories but for their brilliant cinematography.

Growing up, I used to drown in fantasy books on a daily basis. I would curl up in a corner of the treehouse in my backyard or lay in the bathtub until I was more prune than person and I would submerge myself in places that didn’t exist (and the impossibly fascinating people who populated them). Eventually—and always against my will—I would be yanked out of the story to eat dinner or get ready for bed but all the while, I‘d still be wandering ancient forests and fictitious mountain tops and hoping that someday soon, I’d wake up to discover a magic power or divine guardian of my own.

Cursed sports teams. Deep dish pizza. Al Capone. The Sears Tower. Every year, millions of people flock to Chicago from all around the globe to experience one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. However, many of these tourists might be surprised to find out that the humbler parts of Illinois offer just as much excitement as the Windy City. From rocky bluffs where Native Americans roamed to the impressive tomb that protects the remains of Abe Lincoln, Illinois is overflowing...

Set in a Seattle summer sometime in the 1970s, Black Hole follows a cast of high school seniors as they cope with The Bug- a painful, stomach-curdling disease that’s passed through saliva. The afflicted develop horrifying side effects that they attempt to conceal for as long as they can, but everyone infected with The Bug eventually ends up in the same place: deep in the woods, in a camp of misfits and outcasts who have no one to rely on but each other.

It’s a slogan found on bumper stickers, t-shirts, posters and mugs, but if you’re in the middle of trying to organize a student trip to the Big Apple, you might be feeling a little differently. Thanks to its history, charm and undeniable charisma, the bustling metropolis of New York City is one of the most frequented locations in the entire world. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the trickiest cities for first-time tourists to navigate.

Every now and then, something without blood finds itself in the curious position of having no choice but to bleed. In my twenty-five years on this planet, I’ve been lucky enough to only witness a handful of these woundings, and from a distance at that: the nation after 9/11; the Middle East during the Iraq War; and finally, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Like most children who experienced the storm as a string of upsetting news clips rather than surviving it firsthand, my memories of Katrina are clouded by a haze of safety. More than anything though, I remember the pause.

Why do the Brew? For decades now, spending an afternoon sipping wine in the gentle, earthy sunshine of a local vineyard has been a relaxing vacation activity that’s attracted tourists of all kinds. Recently though, a new trend has been sweeping through the world of adult beverages and transforming the mundane activity of visiting bars into a delicious new experience with two enchanting words: craft beer.

Fayetteville, North Carolina is no stranger to excitement. Nicknamed “America’s Hometown,” this Southern city offers a tantalizing mixture of sophisticated restaurants, cultural hub,s and a breathtaking natural environment that’s dying to be explored. Though some people might only know Fayetteville as the neighbor of military stronghold Fort Bragg, this energetic and captivating city is more than capable of standing on its own.