Cultural Heritage
Jekyll Island doesn’t top most lists of holiday destinations, but maybe it should. Every December, the former Gilded Age retreat along Georgia’s coast transforms into a Southern-style winter escape. Live oaks are strung with lights, historic cottages are wrapped in garlands, and the old clubhouse lawn holds a towering Christmas tree. On the surface, it’s festive and charming. But what sets Jekyll Island apart isn’t just the decorations—it’s the weight of history beneath the surface.
Germany's Christmas markets date back to the Middle Ages. Then, the markets were practical. People gathered to trade food and goods as they stocked up on essentials necessary to survive the long, cold winters. Eventually, the markets evolved into festive celebrations dating back to the 14th century. Today, those festive celebrations continue across Germany and around the world. But let's face it, no one does Christmas markets like Germany. Having recently returned from exploring the markets in southern Germany, I'm excited to share what makes them special and help you plan your own unforgettable trip.
Houmas House sits gracefully along a bend of the Mississippi River, on land once inhabited by the Houmas Indians. Over thousands of years, the river shaped this area with fertile soil, transforming it into one of the South’s most productive agricultural regions. By the late 1700s, European settlers recognized the land’s potential. They began transforming it into a thriving plantation, launching an era of sugarcane farming that would become central to the property’s history.
Standing beneath the live oaks at Houmas House, you feel the contradictions of Louisiana’s River Road in real time—the beauty, the wealth, and the unspoken histories that still cling to the land. Our conversation with Kevin Kelly revealed a property that isn’t just preserved, but constantly reinterpreted. And upriver, the story shifts: historian Daniel Rasmussen brings the 1811 slave revolt out of the shadows, reminding us that New Orleans’ past is shaped as much by resistance as by refinement. By the time native writer Laura Martone joins us to share the New Orleans she grew up in—the food, the quirks, the quiet corners—you begin to see the region not as a series of attractions, but as a living, layered place where memory and modern life collide.
Baguio is a mountain town located on the pine-dotted plateau of the Cordillera Administrative Region in northern Luzon, Philippines. I took a weekend jaunt to Baguio from Manila. After nearly six hours northbound, the bus started ascending through the mountain loops. Outside my bus window, the sun-drenched plains reeled away into ranks of tapering pines, and the sweltering heat dissipated into cooler mountain air.
Small-town charm with an internationally-acclaimed theatre scene — you've got it all in Stratford, Ontario. This historic town is the birthplace of many Canadian greats (from pop icon Justin Bieber to actress Sheila McCarthy and musician Ron Sexsmith, to name a few) and the host of the beloved Shakespeare Festival, which has been attracting audiences to the town for over 70 years.
In the past few years, the term "immersive art experience" has been applied a bit too liberally, to abandoned convention centers and malls with famous artists' work projected onto blank walls. Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet all got this special treatment, where visitors could walk amongst the moving images, popularized after appearing in a 2020 Netflix series. You couldn’t open Instagram without seeing people you knew posing in front of one of the works around the United States. But art isn’t just meant to be seen. It is also meant to be experienced, felt, and participated in. One gallery in particular has inspired a wave of others.
Acclaimed Argentine author and poet Jorge Luis Borges once wrote, “Hard to believe Buenos Aires had any beginning. I feel it to be as eternal as air and water.” Buenos Aires has a rich history and architectural heritage for a relatively young capital with an ancient soul. And the best way to discover the soul of the city is to take long, leisurely walks.
Every inch of Australia is written in song. Songs track lines along the continent, with every jutting rock or bowing tree being represented by a line or a verse. The cadence, the rhythm, and the musical patterns that define the song are a mimicry of the feet of Australia’s ancestors, of the first feet to walk along the land.
In honor of our veterans, World Footprints shares an intimate conversation with Dr. Betty Moseley Brown — one of the first women of color to join the U.S. Marine Corps. She reflects on breaking barriers, lessons in leadership, and how travel remains her path to transformation. 🎖️✈️
Welcome to South Africa, the country with too many names! The list is long, but some of the most notable options include the Republic of South Africa, my absolute favourite country, Mzansi, and the rainbow nation.
October brings us many things including colorful foliage, cooler temperatures and costumes in celebration of Halloween. While trick-or-treating has long been a tradition in the United States, the origins of Halloween lie in the ancient Celtic world.
