Jay Jones

A Chicago & Northwestern locomotive pulls a freight train through a hand-crafted city that is part of the jumbo-sized model train display at Trainland U.S.A.

Rail fans should make tracks for model train shrine in Iowa

August 23, 2019 at 3:22 p.m.

Handheld video games and other high-tech digital devices may be popular pastimes for today's kids, but Judy Atwood suspects many of the children who visit Trainland U.S.A. become converts to...

The provincial flag of Ontario, which still bears the British Union Jack, flies atop a hoist on the ferry linking Kingston with Wolfe Island.

Celebrating Canada’s past in Kingston, the birthplace of a nation

May 11, 2019 at 5:27 p.m.

The recruit seemed startled as she snapped to attention. "Salute and say 'sir' when I pass," Lt. Col. Mark Bennett commanded in a deep voice. The young private — dressed...

Black cod and scallops sit atop a bed of ramen noodles in a lunch dish at the Saltry Restaurant in tiny Halibut Cove, Alaska.

Creative Homer cooking hits the spot in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula

August 23, 2019 at 3:10 p.m.

The day begins early at La Baleine, a cafe where workers arrive before dawn. And that's saying something in Alaska, where the summer sun rises surprisingly early. Parked out front...

A server at La Fonda stamps a Margarita Trail Passport beside a specialty cocktail at La Fiesta Lounge.

Santa Fe Margarita Trail raises the bar for tasty tequila

August 23, 2019 at 3:02 p.m.

If a restaurant's parking lot is typically full, then the food inside is typically good. That rule of thumb certainly applies at Maria's New Mexican Kitchen. And while deciding what...

A modern navigational light sits atop a tower near the historic Pottawatomie lighthouse on the rocky northern shore of Rock Island, Wis.

Door County’s islands awash in adventure, surprises

August 23, 2019 at 3:02 p.m.

In the parlor of the Pottawatomie Lighthouse, a photo of President William Howard Taft hangs on the wall. Across the room, an Edison wax cylinder record player rests on a...

The actual tent to which Gen. George Washington retreated during the stressful years of the American War of Independence is one of the prized possessions of the new Museum of the American Revolution.

Pair a visit to Philadelphia’s American Revolution museum with 18th century food and drink

May 11, 2019 at 5:23 p.m.

Our Founding Fathers, those revolutionaries who earned Philadelphia the nickname "Birthplace of America," sure knew how to party. Take the 50 men who gathered Sept. 14, 1787, to honor George...

A commanding mosaic crafted from tens of thousands of pieces of glass adorns a lower section of the dome of the Wisconsin Capitol.

Ever majestic, Wisconsin’s Capitol celebrates its centennial

August 23, 2019 at 2:57 p.m.

There's a definite spring to state Sen. Fred Risser's step that belies his advancing years. "Let's take the stairs," he said as he and an aide walked through the Wisconsin...

Stone carvings — some of them more than 2,000 years old — attest to the pagan worship that took place in what is now the city of Armagh. They are displayed in the crypt beneath St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral.

To truly celebrate St. Patrick, venture to Northern Ireland

August 23, 2019 at 2:52 p.m.

Down a wooded lane, the modest stone church with its round tower sits isolated amid gently rolling fields. They are emerald green, even on a dull winter's day. Though the...

A sticker on the front door of Larry's Fish House makes clear owner Larry Kelly's opposition to same-sex marriage, but he says he wouldn't — and doesn't — turn away LGBTQ customers.

Falling for catfish in the Mississippi Delta

August 23, 2019 at 2:49 p.m.

The place doesn't open until 11:30 a.m., but a good 10 minutes before then, there's a long line at the cash register at Larry's Fish House. Folks are hungry, and...

26 acres of Hawaii Island collapse into ocean, sending rock, steam soaring

June 23, 2019 at 11:11 p.m.

Visiting Hawaii Island and hoping to see red-hot lava flowing into the Pacific? Sorry, but the ever-dangerous Mother Nature may thwart those plans. Twenty-six new acres of Hawaii Island—a so-called...

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