You’ve got to question the state of mind of whoever conjured up the nightmarish, stomach-churning situation that is Insanity the Ride.
Positioned atop the tallest structure in Las Vegas, The STRAT Hotel, Casino and Skypod, this terrifying centrifuge ride uses an enormous mechanical arm to dangle passengers 265 metres in the air. As if that wasn’t enough to have you murmuring a couple of Hail Marys under your breath, all trapped thrill-seekers are then tilted to an angle of 70 degrees (in other words: you’re staring directly at the ground below) and spun around at speeds of up to 64 kilometres an hour.
Apparently Insanity is also programmable with various different motion sequences, which means no two rides feel the same. We want to suggest downing a couple of strong, oversized, Vegas-style cocktails before allowing yourself to be strapped into this sky-high monstrosity, but that could end badly for everyone involved. Instead, all you can really do is sit back, admire the view and hope your seatbelt is done up.
Swings are for kids, right? Not this one. The Giant Canyon Swing at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is big enough and mean enough to strike fear into the hearts of seasoned adrenaline junkies.
Perched precariously on the edge of a frighteningly sheer cliff, 400 metres above the Colorado River, the Giant Canyon Swing is not your average piece of playground equipment.
For just on 60 seconds it hurtles four passengers at a time, back and forth, to a near vertical angle. It also rockets to a top speed of 80 kilometres an hour, which is enough to create negative G-forces. That’s kinda like having butterflies in your tummy, only a hundred times worse, and with the added fear of vomiting or passing out. Or both.
It’s so scary, riders must sign a liability waiver, and anyone under the age of 18 must have a parent’s or guardian’s signature. Even owner Steve Beckley has only ever ridden the Giant Canyon Swing once. Now if that’s not an indicator of how petrifying the experienceis, we’re not sure what is.
There are few better places to try ice climbing than Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Take a day off from the surrounding slopes for an adventure you won’t forget.
You’ll be picked up directly from your accommodation, fitted out with all the right gear and taken to the entrance of the glorious snow-covered Yampa Valley. From there, you’ll shuffle through waist-deep powder and over icy bridges, crossing frozen rivers to the imposing Fish Creek Falls.
Ice climbing is not for the faint-hearted, and is more difficult than you’d think. Once you’ve attached your crampons and worked out how not to take your eye out with the ice picks, it’s onto the frozen waterfall and upwards.
The big key is trusting your crampons once you’ve kicked into the ice, again much more difficult than you’d think. Only then can you relax, look around and enjoy the incredible surroundings.
Armchair experts who live for the opportunity to talk at length about the intricacies of rhythmic gymnastics and canoe slalom once every four years should plan a visit to Colorado Springs. The huge United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum – a sprawling 5,500 square metre building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro – opened there in August 2020.
Visitors can follow the history of the Games from ancient Greece to the present day. It’s fully interactive too, so you can imagine what it’s like to enter an arena during the opening ceremony or try your hand at a training program for sledge hockey (ice hockey for players with disabilities). Of course, it’s very much Team USA, but sports nuts will be rapt.
There are a lot of themed bars out there in the world – Ninja Akasaka in Tokyo and Trailer Park Lounge in Manhattan are just a couple of our favourites – but Fort Worth’s McFly’s Pub is the perfect blend of movie memories and good times.
Of course, there are a tonne of references to the 1980s sci-fi flick Back to the Future, including some great murals of Marty McFly and Doc Brown, loads of clocks, old suitcases that have been transformed into lights and the propellers from planes converted into ceiling fans. But there are plenty of other treasures, too, including a jukebox and decades-old arcade games.
The drinks list is also heavy on the nostalgia front, with most cocktails playing on the bar’s time-travelling movie ties. The Martini McFly is similar to an old-fashioned, but served in the appropriate glassware, and The Great Scotch is Johnny Walker Black, orange juice and syrup finished with limes and lemons.
Oh, and for those sunny Texas days, there’s also an expansive patio where you can kick back and remember the glory days.
Actor Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc Brown, sent owners Casey and Kelsey Smith a video message when they opened.
It started in Iceland, when a set designer and businessman bought a bikkie factory (Kex is the Icelandic word for biscuit) and transformed it into a cool hotel that’s as much for locals as travellers. Now, they’ve taken the concept to Oregon, making over a historic apartment building in the Central Eastside neighbourhood. Every design element is either vintage, handmade or has a story, which makes for a fantastically lived-in feel.
There are 29 rooms in all, both private and shared dorms. But it’s the little extras that are the big drawcard: Dóttir restaurant is a social hub, the library hosts music, and the sauna brings a touch of Reykjavik to Portland. This is Portland at its coolest, and just steps from Voodoo Doughnut.
We’d never lie about being outdoor types, but even the most hardy among us doesn’t mind a tiny slice of luxury when it’s on offer. Which is why we love Terramor Outdoor Resort, set on Mount Desert Island and next door to Acadia National Park in the US state of Maine.
There are 64 tents in five different layouts – each sleeping between two and five people – spread across the 25-hectare property. We think you can’t go past the Bayberry, with its comfy king bed, lovely bathroom, patio and private outdoor firepit. (If you’ve got a crowd, though, the Moosewood has two bedrooms.)
The Lodge is the heart of the resort where guests can settle in for a meal at the restaurant, order a picnic or kick back at the bar. You can also order everything you need and cook yourself at one of the outdoor barbecue areas.
There is no end of activities on offer at the resort, and you can choose to be as active and engaged with the other guests as you like. There are outdoor yoga classes, cooking demos, bird watching, star-gazing sessions and music around the campfire. Grab a kayak for a paddle, go fishing or borrow a bike to explore. There’s also plenty of hiking to be done. Acadia National Park has forests, wetland, coastal areas, islands and 150 lakes stretched across its 20,000 hectares.
The hard core can wake up in the dark and hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain to be the first to see the sun rise in North America.
If you’ve decided to test out Canada’s Powder Highway, this is your chance to get really close to it. Red Mountain Resort has 1,500 hectares of pristine skiing, with 119 gloriously uncrowded marked trails and plenty of backcountry if you’re looking for some extreme action. There’s even cat skiing – where you get a lift up Mt Kirkup on a snowcat to test new trails not accessible by chairlift – for those who want to try something different.
There’s a range of accommodation on offer, including hostels, apartments, lodges and boutique hotel The Josie, but new for the 2020/2021 season is Constella, a collection of six cabins in Paradise Basin. Book one for the night and you can wake at dawn and get straight on the slopes before the crowds arrive.
Each of the cosy cabins sleeps five and is serviced by the central Clubhouse, where you can have a meal, hang out in the bar by the fire and make plans with whoever else is there. You might also want to spend some time staring at the stars, which are so clear in the Kootenay sky.
The next morning, a light breakfast is served before you step straight out onto the snow and jump on the chairlift.
For a New York-style night out with the guys, the girls, a date or solo-dolo, visit the Blind Barber. Located across the street from Tompkins Square Park, it’s unlike anywhere else in the Lower East Side. The barbershop, featuring two chairs, is a front for a secret bar behind door number six. Entering this door transports you back to the Prohibition era and will have guests disappearing for a few hours into a true Manhattan nightlife experience.
Is it a place to get your beard groomed and your hair trimmed or is it a place to enjoy a cheeky beverage? It’s both! Kill two birds with one stone and look your best while indulging in one of Blind Barber’s cocktails. Try the Heathers, a blend of tequila, pineapple cordial, grapefruit cordial, saline, lime and soda. There are also delicious pizzas on the menu to complete the hip East Village experience.
At 65 years young this grand dame of a watering hole still courts plenty of attention. The only revolving bar in the city, Carousel purveys carefully crafted cocktails from its short but sweet (and sometimes sour) cocktail list. Local classic the Sazerac – featuring rye whiskey blended with bitters and lemon peel – has been Nola’s official cocktail since 2008 and is the obvious first port of call. But it’s not just the drinks that people flock here for: Carousel is a whimsical cross between fairground attraction and chic bar that has attracted literary legends such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and even features in their works.
Just 25 seats perch under the ornate, mirrored roof, so eager punters will need to hotfoot it to this popular French Quarter haunt early. And once you’ve staked your place at the bar and settled in for a long night of drams and chats there are (thankfully) bar bites on offer. Local favourites po’ boys, gumbo and beignets all line the menu, and later your stomach.
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