Alabama surprises many first-time visitors with its rich cultural depth and variety of landscapes. From the white-sand beaches of Gulf Shores to the Appalachian foothills in the north, the state offers a wide range of experiences. Music runs deep in Alabama’s veins. Muscle Shoals, a small town along the Tennessee River, is legendary among musicians. Its Fame Recording Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio hosted Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Cheltenham is a Regency-era spa town in Gloucestershire known for its elegant streets, welcoming squares and an inviting pace of life that has drawn visitors since the 1700s. The town pulses with festivals through the year, giving travelers reason to return again and again. Cheltenham Literature Festival, the longest-running festival of its kind in the world, brings writers and readers together each autumn for talks, readings and book signings that span many genres.

Bamberg, located in northern Bavaria, stands out for its remarkably preserved medieval layout, which earned it a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Built on seven hills and often compared to Rome for that reason, the city’s architecture reflects over a thousand years of uninterrupted development. Bamberg is well known for its beer, and not just in the usual Bavarian sense. The city has more breweries per capita than any other town in Germany, and it’s the birthplace of rauchbier.

Glenfinnan, nestled in the Scottish Highlands, is a picturesque village renowned for its dramatic landscapes and historical significance. This small but enchanting destination is best known for the Glenfinnan Viaduct, an architectural marvel completed in 1901.

The Canyon valleys of the Waimea River and its tributary were once heavily populated, and the town was an early center of native government. It was here that Captain James Cook, English Navigator-Explorer, made his first landing in the Hawaiian Islands on January 20, 1778. Waimea developed as a provisioning port for whalers and sandalwood traders. A ruined Russian fort, built (1815) in a futile attempt to seize the isle, occupies a coastal bluff aboe the Waimea River. A rich sugar-plantation