Chicago may not come to mind when you think of beach towns, but the city offers two dozen public beaches along 26 miles of Lake Michigan. Each beach has a vibe

There's no better place than Washington, D.C., to celebrate America's achievements and sacrifices. From presidents to war heroes to a civil rights icon, it offe

Just west of Interstate 5 (or “the five,” as they say in these parts) within the San Diego city limits is a big slab of 15th-century California. The Torrey

The nation’s sandbox is found in southern Colorado. The heart of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a dune field that spreads out for nearly 30 sq

Zion National Park in southern Utah isn’t on as many “bucket lists” as it should be.

This New Mexico treasure has been described as 'the Grand Canyon with a roof on it.' But don't take Will Rogers' word for it — see it for yourself.

The most notable structure in Nashville's green playground is the Parthenon, a replica of the ancient temple made of modern materials.

A trip to Channel Islands National Park is a trip back in time — Southern California before freeways. The park protects five islands and the surrounding water

This Maryland park houses Camp David, the famous presidential retreat, but you're more likely to see whitetail deer and black bears than a president.

This New Hampshire gem is a four-season recreational hub with hiking in the summer and snow skiing in the winter. (Bonus: It's easy to get to, thanks to access

Measuring well over 5,000 square miles, Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the Lower 48. Of course, most people know it for its other su

Sitting on the rain-soak Olympic Peninsula in northwest Washington, Olympic National Park is perhaps most known for its expansive temperate rain forest. However

There's a reason why more than 4 million people visit this Wyoming wonder annually. (Don't worry: there's enough nature for everyone to enjoy at this neighbor t

This famous urban greenspace is where the locals go to shrug off big city living and where the tourists go to see what all the fuss is about.

Mount Mitchell State Park, about 35 miles northeast of Asheville, North Carolina, is a place of superlatives. The namesake peak is the tallest east of the Missi

More of MNN's user guides for some of the best national, state and local parks in the United States. Explore America's parks with this series.

This is part of Explore America's Parks, a series of user's guides to national, state and local park systems across the United States. We'll be adding new parks

Visible from Puget Sound to the west, Mount Rainer looms above the Cascade Range at 14,410 feet above sea level. This peak of fire and ice — an active volcano

Gulf Islands National Seashore, the country’s largest national seashore, includes six barrier islands stretched out for 160 miles from Santa Rosa Island, Flor

Shenandoah National Park may be the world’s most beautiful highway right-of-way. This park in central Virginia stretches for 105 miles along the Blue Ridge Mo

The National Park of American Samoa isn’t the sort of place you visit on your way to some other destination. You have to really want to be here. It’s a 5 ½

There is more to Nevada than desert, hot nightclubs and garish, neon temples of gambling. Great Basin National Park, about 285 miles north of the Las Vegas Stri

This expansive park offers a peek at the wilder side of New York and New Jersey — from the plush woodlands, hundreds of animal species and even a nude beach.

You won’t find a home where the buffalo roam across this section of the Great Plains, but you will find 126 campsites at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. You

Towering granite walls, picturesque valleys carved by glaciers, jaw-dropping giant trees, waterfalls. It sounds like Yosemite National Park. Kings Canyon Nation

Rustic buildings scattered across this Iowa state park make the trails all the more worth forging.

Stephen C. Foster State Park gives access to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, likely the wildest 402,000 acres in the Southeast.

Wedged between Raleigh, Durham and Research Triangle Park is more than eight square miles of woods dotted with lakes and laced with streams and trails. William

You don’t have to travel to the Caribbean for a laid-back island experience. Burton Island State Park in Vermont provides a getaway for swimming and sunbathin

Carrizo Plain — hot and dry for much of the year — is a diverse, bountiful but fragile ecosystem.

This South Dakota park delivers a dose of rugged beauty, from the namesake rocks to a classic prairie teeming with wildlife.

Why the last thing you should stress about while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic is productivity.

The U.S. food supply is experiencing problems, from milk to chicken to produce, but it's functioning and shoppers can get the food they need during COVID-19.

Without human touch, we lose one of our most effective ways to empathize with one another.

WHO says "immunity passports" certifying that people are immune to the coronavirus are premature since we don't know if they will work.

The hole over Antarctica is slowly healing, but research suggests the ozone layer is thinning at lower latitudes.

Three communities recognized as setting the "gold standard" for local-level sustainability planning named winners of the 2011 Siemens Sustainable Community Awar

The City of San José, California adopted an ambitious Green Vision roadmap and won the 2011 Siemens Sustainable Community Award in the large community category

From many miles above, the seemingly neat and orderly seaweed "fields" resemble blocks of text from books.

2014 was a rough year for U.S. honeybees, according to a new federal survey. Here's how you can help out your local pollinators.

16-year-old entertainer says he's excited to return to his family's 88-acre farm and 'take in the open space and nature around my home.'

At more than 2.5 million years old, the peaches predate the arrival of humans to the region.

A new super slow-motion video reveals the unusual pollination strategy of Australia's blue-banded bee.

Spiders eat several hundred million tons of insects per year, a new study finds, a global feast rivaling the yearly meat intake of humans.

By giving away free bananas in Seattle, Amazon is disrupting local businesses.

These grand get-togethers take us back to America's farming roots. Demolition derbies, pig shows, rides and fried everything await.

With a little help from a famous seventh-generation orchardist, I narrow down some of the best varieties to plant for a backyard orchard.

A new label will certify foods grown in soil and animal products from pastured animals and would rule out hydroponic and aquaponic techniques.

Traces of the weed killer glyphosate are increasingly being found in food, but the public is at a loss of how to process that information.

This is the downside of trendy foods.