Savannah is my kind of city. Walkable. Unhurried. More front porches than agendas. You don’t visit Savannah to check boxes. You visit to slow down and remember what a GREAT day can feel like.

More than 35 million years ago, an enormous volcanic eruption helped shape a mountain range in West Texas. Today, one of the state's most remote roads takes you right through the surrounding landscape. It's called Pinto Canyon Road, and it runs between Marfa and Ruidosa, near the Mexican border. Most people associate West Texas with wide-open desert, but the Chinati Mountains tell a different geological story. The mountains were shaped by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the region's history. Over millions of years, erosion exposed layers of rock and helped create the rugged peaks and canyons you see today. Pinto Canyon Road offers a chance to see that landscape up close. The route begins south of Marfa on Ranch Road 2810, crossing miles of open ranchland before reaching the mountains. Eventually, the pavement gives way to dirt and gravel, and the road winds through increasingly rugged terrain. It's a part of Texas that looks very different from the Hill Country, the Gulf Coast, or the plains of North Texas. And getting there requires some preparation. Cell service is unreliable, portions of the road are rough, and rain can make the route dangerous. A high-clearance vehicle with good tires is recommended. Bring extra water, carry offline maps, and check conditions before setting out. The nearby Chinati Mountains State Natural Area covers nearly 39,000 acres, although it isn't open to the public yet. For now, Pinto Canyon Road offers one of the best ways to appreciate this unusual landscape. I've spent a lot of time researching places across Texas, and I'm continually surprised by how much there is to discover beyond the destinations everyone already knows. That's a big part of what I write about in my newsletter. Places you might never have considered visiting, along with the history that makes them interesting. thetimelesstraveler.substack…

I’d love to see more American suburbs built like this. Neighborhoods where people actually get to know their neighbors.

You don't have to travel to Europe to see houses built in the 1700s. Ste. Geneviève, Missouri, still has homes from its days as a French colonial settlement, including some built before the Louisiana Purchase. A few use an unusual construction method with upright wooden logs. It's one of those towns where an afternoon walk can turn into a history lesson.

Lanesboro, Minnesota, looks like the kind of town where you'd stop for lunch and end up staying the weekend. It's tucked between limestone bluffs, with the Root River running nearby and miles of trails winding through the countryside. Rent a bike, wander around town, and take your time. There's no reason to rush through a place like this.

People tried to build a perfect society in this little Indiana town. Twice. New Harmony was founded by a German religious community in 1814. Then, in 1825, Robert Owen bought the town and tried to create a different kind of utopian society. Neither experiment lasted. But you can still visit New Harmony and see buildings from that period.

There's a stretch of Idaho that looks like it belongs on another planet. Craters of the Moon has miles of black lava fields, volcanic cones, and caves formed by molten rock. Some of the lava flows are only about 2,100 years old. And you can actually walk through parts of this landscape.

Between 1200 and 1500, people in Micronesia built a ceremonial city across more than 100 artificial islands. They constructed enormous walls using basalt stone and connected the islands with canals. The ruins are still there. It's called Nan Madol, and I'm amazed more people haven't heard of it.

There's a lake in Kazakhstan with an entire forest standing underwater. Lake Kaindy formed after an earthquake in 1911 triggered a landslide that flooded a valley. More than a century later, the dead spruce trees are still standing, their trunks rising straight out of the water.

You can travel back in time and spend one day in any city in the world. What city and what year are you choosing?

Whoever decided to build Castellfollit de la Roca, Spain, on the edge of a volcanic cliff had a lot more confidence than I do. Some of the houses sit right along a drop of nearly 160 feet.

If you've ever wanted to wake up surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, look up Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. The village sits in a valley with steep cliffs on both sides and 72 waterfalls scattered throughout the area.

Ushguli, Georgia, sits more than 6,800 feet up in the Caucasus Mountains, where people still live among medieval stone towers built hundreds of years ago.

As a Texan, I’m riding with the Greater Whataburger Republic. Never even considered another option. Who’s with me?

In 2014, a volcano erupted on Fogo Island in Cape Verde and buried much of the village of Chã das Caldeiras under lava. People lost their homes, farms, and businesses. But many returned and rebuilt right there in the crater. They still grow grapes and make wine on the slopes of an active volcano.

Copper was discovered near Røros, Norway, in 1644. For the next 300 years, mining shaped nearly everything about this little town. The mines finally closed in 1977. Much of the old town is still there, including its wooden houses, narrow streets, and historic mining sites. I'd put Røros high on my list for a trip through Norway.