Vicksburg rises above the Mississippi River with stories etched into every street. This historic river town played a pivotal role in the Civil War, and today visitors can trace those events at the Vicksburg National Military Park. Beyond its military legacy, Vicksburg has a rich cultural rhythm shaped by its music, architecture, and river trade.

The dazzling capital of the Czech Republic, the explorable Prague has fittingly been nicknamed "the City of a Hundred Spires." Halved by the Vltava River and notable for architecture Baroque, Renaissance, and Gothic, visitors will find much to take in here.

The capital of Crete, Heraklion is a Greek port city and a popular stop on Mediterranean and Greek cruises. The city is an historical marvel, replete with archaeological wonders and remnants of the region's past. Highlights include the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, the Rocca a Mare Fortress, the Venetian Loggia, and just past the city limits, the Palace of Knossos.

Belize, tucked between Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean Sea, is a country where ancient history and untamed nature meet. Once the heartland of the Maya civilization, Belize is dotted with impressive archaeological sites such as Caracol and Xunantunich, where towering pyramids rise above jungle canopies.

Angkor Thom was the last great capital of the Khmer Empire, established in the late 12th century under King Jayavarman VII in what is now northwestern Cambodia. Enclosed by massive stone walls and a wide moat, the city was designed as both a political center and a sacred landscape, symbolizing the cosmic order of the Khmer worldview.