Nature & Outdoors

Presque Isle Lighthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania (photo by Brian Berchtold)

Standing along the Lake Erie shore since 1873, this lighthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania, is brimming with maritime history. 

Pond with fountain and willow trees at Friendship Botanic Gardens in Michigan City, Indiana (photo courtesy of Friendship Botanic Gardens)

Created for the Century of Progress Exhibition in the 1930s, this 105-acre Michigan City, Indiana, park features more than two dozen themed gardens.

Cane Creek Falls at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer, Tennessee (photo courtesy of Tennessee State Parks)

Take a hike through this state park in Spencer, Tennessee, to see Fall Creek Falls. The rushing waters plunge from 256 feet, making it the highest waterfall in the eastern United States. 

Family floating in inner tubes on the Big Sable River in Ludington, Michigan (photo by Todd Reed)

Go for a tubing adventure in Ludington, Michigan. The journey ends at a Lake Michigan beach perfect for swimming and sunbathing. 

People hiking on rock overlooking mountains in Dolly Sods Wilderness in Davis, West Virginia (photo courtesy of West Virginia Department of Tourism)

This Mountain State treasure spanning portions of Grant, Randolph and Tucker counties in West Virginia covers 17,000 acres filled with panoramic views and miles of trails to explore. 

 

People walking out of Hidden River Cave entrance in Horse Cave, Kentucky (photo courtesy of Hidden River Cave)

Traverse the longest underground suspension bridge in the world at this Horse Cave, Kentucky, attraction and take a guided tour to one of the largest free-standing cave domes in the country. 

People looking out of Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Waiteville, West Virginia (photo by Sharyn Ogden)

This former fire tower located on a mountaintop in Waiteville, West Virginia, is now a scenic lookout point along the Appalachian Trail where volunteers track the migration of raptors. 

People zip lining at Red River Gorge Ziplines in Campton, Kentucky (photo courtesy of Red River Gorge Ziplines)

Red River Gorge Ziplines in Campton, Kentucky, offers a canopy-tour experience that includes five zips for adventurers of all ages.

Person and dog hiking in the Finger Lakes Region in west-central, New York (photo © Adventures.with.Willow/Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance)

The Finger Lakes Trail travels across 580 miles of west-central New York from Allegany State Park to the top of Slide Mountain in the Catskills.

Sunset at Indiana Dunes National Park in winter (photo by iStock)

In the wintertime, this Indiana park’s more than 15,000 acres are often covered with snow. Over 50 miles of hiking trails meander among the covered dunes, lakefront and forests.