City Trips

Charlotte – September 23, 2026 -- The Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway (ACWR) is bringing a fleet of historic passenger railcars to Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood, launching The Magenta Train Charlotte with a public Open House on Thursday, October 22.

The event kicks off with a ribbon cutting and media preview at 11 a.m.

A media meet & greet and guided walkthroughs follow until 1 p.m., ahead of a free public Open House from 4 to 7 p.m. at 409 East 35th Street. No tickets are required, but guests must sign a waiver before boarding, and pets are not permitted; the railcars are not wheelchair accessible.

Leiper's Fork, Tenn. – September 23, 2026 -- A string of fall festivals is rolling out across the rural communities bordering the Natchez Trace Parkway, the 100-mile stretch of National Park land anchoring what organizers call Nashville's Big Back Yard.

Lavender and pudding lead the harvest lineup

Near Hohenwald, the Oak Grove Lavender Farm hosts an all-day Fall Festival on Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with artisan vendors, seasonal food and a dog costume contest. In Centerville, the National Banana Pudding Festival runs Oct. 3-4, featuring a cook-off and a tasting trail dubbed 'The Puddin' Path.'

Tacoma, Wash. – September 20, 2026 -- Visit Tacoma-Pierce County has released a three-day travel itinerary called the "PNW Starter Pack," mapping out a route through Tacoma, Lakewood, Steilacoom, Puyallup and Sumner for visitors wanting a compact introduction to the region.

The itinerary mixes art, food and outdoor stops rather than a standard sightseeing checklist. It includes browsing vintage shops, touring a coffee roastery, eating seafood on the waterfront and spending time on small-town main streets.

Tacoma Art Museum anchors the region's cultural stops

The museum is positioned as a way to view the American West through art and regional perspectives. The route also highlights historic buildings that have been converted into restaurants, music venues and overnight lodging, alongside independent shops and neighborhood eateries.

Tokyo – September 19, 2026 -- Tanseisha Co., Ltd. has relaunched the official website for THE TOKYO PASS, a digital pass granting access to over 50 of Tokyo's cultural attractions, gardens, and landmarks through a smartphone QR code. To mark the renewal, the company is running a limited-time 50% discount campaign this autumn exclusively for international visitors to Tokyo.

The pass eliminates ticket lines with a single QR scan

Travelers using THE TOKYO PASS can skip advance bookings and ticket-counter queues by scanning a QR code directly at each venue entrance. Tanseisha positions the pass as a way to move seamlessly between contemporary art museums and historic gardens across the city.

Irvine, Calif. – – September 19, 2026 -- Irvine Spectrum Center opens its new Spectrum SunWheel to the public on Saturday, September 19, with a 9:45 a.m. ribbon cutting followed by a full day of festivities starting at 10 a.m.

The new wheel stands 132 feet tall, 24 feet taller than the original attraction it replaces

The Spectrum SunWheel takes the place of the center's Giant Wheel, which first opened in 2002. Manufactured by Italy-based Fabbri Group, the new structure features 27 gondolas that each seat up to six passengers.

Riders get upgraded audio and programmable LED lighting

Each gondola includes an enhanced in-gondola audio system. The wheel itself is outfitted with programmable LED technology across its rim and spokes, and operators redesigned ride operations to cut down on wait times.

Needham, Mass. – September 17, 2026 -- Tripadvisor has released its 2026 Travelers' Choice Awards: Best of the Best Restaurants, ranking eateries and culinary experiences that fall among the top one percent of listings on the platform based on diner reviews collected between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.

Fogón Asado in Buenos Aires tops the global Fine Dining list.

The Argentine restaurant, known for its interactive open-fire asado tasting experience, claims the No. 1 worldwide spot. In the U.S., Ristorante Paoletti in Highlands, North Carolina, takes the top title for its Northern Italian menu and wine cellar.

Four new categories track how travelers eat while exploring.

Alongside longstanding lists like Casual, Date Night, Hidden Gems and Vegan & Vegetarian, Tripadvisor added Food Tours, Cooking Classes, Wine & Beer Tours, and a "Viral Right Now" category for socially trending food spots.

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – September 17, 2026 -- The Magic of Disney Animation, a new collection of interactive experiences, has opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The building echoes Disney Animation's real-world Burbank headquarters

The structure draws its design from the iconic Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California, and features artwork representing all 65 Walt Disney Animation Studios feature films, including the studio's upcoming 2026 release, "Hexed."

The experience is built on an Emmy-winning short film

The attraction takes inspiration from Disney Animation's Emmy Award-winning short "Once Upon a Studio," with director Dan Abraham working alongside Walt Disney Imagineering's Daniel Handke to shape the project.

Yibin – September 16, 2026 -- A new season of the China Media Group travel reality show "Travel China with the Spring Festival Gala" is currently airing, spotlighting Yibin as its second featured city after Yiwu.

The show turns entire cities into game boards for cultural exploration

The program uses live-action competitive games and immersive cultural exploration to convert a city's geography, heritage and modern development into variety entertainment, using Spring Festival Gala branch venue cities as its map. The first episode covered Yiwu, framing it as the "world's supermarket" through cross-cultural interaction segments that drew strong audience response.

Kansas City – September 16, 2026 -- America Haunts, the national association of premier haunted attractions, has released its Road Trip Worthy Top 5 for 2026, naming five haunted attractions built to anchor an entire fall getaway rather than a quick October stop.

Talon Falls Screampark debuts a new hayride near the Paducah metro in Kentucky

The park's 2026 season adds Blood Creek Haunted Hayride: Mutant's Revenge to its existing lineup, bringing the total to 10 haunted mazes at one location. Its position near the Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee borders makes it a natural stop for travelers crossing state lines.

Queens, N.Y. – September 16, 2026 -- Tickets for guided tours of Jim Henson's Creature Shop in Queens are on sale through December, priced at $150 plus tax and fees, with weekly Saturday slots and monthly Sunday dates available at JimHensonExperiences.com.

September marks Jim Henson's birthday with extra tour dates.

The Shop is running additional tours on September 26 and 27 to coincide with the back-to-school season and the anniversary of founder Jim Henson's birthday, featuring a look back at his life and legacy.

October tours line up with New York Comic Con weekend.

Visitors can view puppets and archival items with a Halloween theme, including characters like the Skeksis, drawing on the Shop's history of building unsettling creatures. Extra tour availability is scheduled for the New York Comic Con weekend for fans traveling to the city.