Stories About Places We Added In February

Downton Abbey, Airstreams, Valentines Day, and "Best Of" lists - those were the most popular topics of the stories we added in February to our Everything Map and Our Reading List.

For Downton Abbey, CNN ('Downton' in America: 6 big estates) and USA Today (Gilded-Age Newport courts 'Downton Abbey' fans) both looked at the American versions of Downton Abbey estates.  Or, for something a little different, the San Jose Mercury News (From warm hobbit holes to misty mountains -- Middle Earth in the Bay Area) located places you can channel your inner hobbit.

For decidedly smaller accommodations, Mother Nature Network (Hotel lets travelers rest their weary, discerning heads in rehabbed Airstreams) and the Los Angeles Times (Refurbished Airstreams showcase small-space living as lodging) found places you can stay the night in renovated Airstream trailers.

Chocolate and things to do on Valentines Day provided some interesting places to visit too.  MapQuest Discover (Everydayer: America’s Best Chocolate Factory Tours Travel Collection), AOL.com (A Cowboy and His Cocoa: Meet Wyoming's Meeteetse Chocolatier) and the Los Angeles Times (Chocolate nirvana in Santa Fe, N.M.) sought out the best chocolate experiences. The Los Angeles Times (10 romantic restaurants for Valentine's Day) and USA Today (10 favorite hotels for a romantic getaway) looked for romantic places to eat and (ahem) sleep.

Best soup, best ski resorts, best burgers in 25 cities, best atmospheres experiences, best hotels of 2013 and the 101 best restaurants of 2013 - all in all there are places in 44 states that we collected from 66 stories this month.  What will be popular in March?

Stories About Places We Added In January

Where are the most beautiful bookstores in the world?  Are crispy pig ears a food trend for 2013?  What are the 38 essential restaurants in San Diego?  And though I'm sure you've heard of SoHo, do you know where RiNo is?

These questions and more are answered in the 59 stories and 600 places we added to our Where's URL map in January.  Though January isn't thought of as a month with a theme, looking at our story list you could see three.

The first was libraries and bookstores, and the beautiful buildings that contain them, with the Hopper.com article "5 Amazing American Libraries" and the Flavorwire article "The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World".  Why are places to read popular in January?  Is reading a popular New Years resolution?

The second theme was the Presidential Inauguration, with the Budget Travel article "Affordable Hotels in Washington, D.C.", USA Today's "Top 10 Washington, D.C., hotels based on guest reviews" and "Eight restaurants where presidents have dined" articles.

And then there is the Superbowl in New Orleans.  The New York Times covered the budget aspect with "In New Orleans, a Trio of Thrifty Lures", and slipping a little into our February list USA Today covered the sports celebrity angle with "10 great places in Drew Brees' New Orleans", and the L.A. Times tried to go all out with "Super Nola: Insider's tour of New Orleans".

Will crispy pig ears be a trend in February?  Check back and see...

2012 Best Amusement and Water Parks

Every year when summer ends, Amusement Today conducts an international poll to find out what were the best amusement parks and water parks around the world.  This is not an easy task.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) says that there are more than 400 amusement parks and attractions in the United States, and approximately 300 amusement parks in Europe.  And according to the World Waterpark Association, there are over 1,000 waterparks in North America, and about 600 around the rest of the world.  That's a lot of fun to judge.

The Amusement Today awards are called the Golden Ticket Award, and they identify the top winners in 23 categories.  Categories include not only Best Park and Best Waterpark, but also Best Children's Park, Friendliest Park, Cleanest Park, Best Shows, Best Kids Area, and Best Indoor Coaster.  You can find all the winners, and see what categories they won, on our map below.

For even more choices to have fun, last year we looked at the most & least expensive amusement parks, as well as the parks that had the most inversions (going upside down) from the Roller Coaster Database.

Zoom the map out to see the winners in Europe and Japan.

North Carolina BBQ Trail

Just mention the word "barbecue", and some people will start salivating.  And with good reason, because there is a lot of great barbecue out there.

For this map though, we'll focus on barbecue from North Carolina, and the mission statement for the North Carolina Barbecue Society says it all:

"The mission of the North Carolina Barbecue Society (NCBS) is to preserve North Carolina’s barbecue history and culture and to secure North Carolina’s rightful place as the Barbecue Capital of the World."

To help you sample North Carolina barbecue the NCBS has put together a Barbecue Trail to help people sample the distinctive methods and barbecue cooking styles North Carolina barbecue has to offer, and you can see the 23 places they've chosen on our map below.

For a slightly different perspective on North Carolina barbecue, check out the BBQ Jew blog.  And if you want to check out unique and unusual things to do between meals, Visit NC has some suggestions.

Zoom in to find your next meal.

Where To Find Authentic Neapolitan Pizza

There are all kinds of pizza in the U.S. - New York-style, Chicago-style, St. Louis-style, even California-style.  But where can you find authentic Neapolitan-style pizza?

Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are typically made with tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese, and are cooked in a very high-heat wood burning oven. While you could order Neapolitan pizza in a lot of pizzerias, the only way to know you are getting truly authentic Neapolitan pizza is if the restaurant has been certified by VPN Americas.

VPN Americas is the American Delegation of the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, an international non-profit organization founded in the mid 1980’s by a group of Neapolitan pizzaiolis (pizza makers) seeking to cultivate the culinary art of making Neapolitan pizza.  Currently there are 69 restaurants that have been certified in the U.S. and Canada, and as you can see from our map some are in places you wouldn't expect.

Zoom in the map to see exactly where each restaurant is at.  Enjoy!