The Best Staycation in Every State

Seward, Alaska

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Seward, AK, USA

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Two and a half hours south of Anchorage, on the edge of Resurrection Bay, in a fjord cut millennia ago by retreating glaciers, sits Seward, a port city on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.

See the Harding Icefield, the predominant feature of Kenai Fjords National Park, as it stretches over 700 square miles. The Kenai Fjords area is home to black and brown bears, mountain goats, bald eagles, tufted and horned puffins, sea lions, harbor seals, orcas, humpback whales, and porpoises. Learn more at Seward’s Alaska SeaLife Center. Visitors will delight in the opportunity to see the area via a fjord cruise, helicopter tour, or on foot—a guided Exit Glacier ranger-led hike is an ideal way to learn about this mobile body left over from the last ice age.

Stay at Harbor 360 Hotel, the only property in town with a swimming pool, located on a boat harbor within walking distance to the Alaska Railroad depot. —Wendy Altschuler

Sedona, Arizona

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Sedona, AZ 86336, USA

 

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Tucked along Oak Creek and surrounded by red rocks, Sedona is one of Arizona’s most popular escapes, especially among nature lovers.

 

The area has more than 400 miles of trails winding through Red Rock State Park's junipers, the meadows of Slide Rock State Park, and the rock formations encircling the city. After exploring the outdoors, pamper yourself at one of Sedona’s luxury spa resorts—such as Enchantment Resort or the Kimpton Amara Resort—or unwind at Winery 1912, a stop on the Verde Valley Wine Trail.

 

If you want to explore further Arizona’s northern wine country, head to nearby Cornville’s wineries or sample vintages at tasting rooms in Cottonwood and Jerome. The next day, use Sedona as a base to explore the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Its South Rim is just a two-hour drive north from Sedona. —Teresa Bitler