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You know you’re in Maine when

Mainers march to their own beat. Because of that unconventional Maine lifestyle, out-of-towners may feel like we’re a weird bunch, but real Mainers don’t even bat an eyelid at their odd quirks — we know that it’s “the way life should be.” Here are 21 signs only Mainers know to be true.

1. The perfect dinner consists of red hot dogs, baked beans, and brown bread from a can.

2. You can’t get there from here. Well, you can after driving on 17 unpainted backroads, dodging a moose, and taking a ferry.

3. You see duct tape everywhere. Patching cars, holding appliances together — even duct tape prom dresses and tuxedos. You know what they say, “If you can’t duct-it, ….-it.”

4. Everyone you meet has a dry sense of humor. You might miss the joke if you don’t catch the deadpan delivery.

5. Your breakfast stars blueberries and maple syrup from your backyard.

6. You’re not far from the scent of mudflats, woodsmoke, or damp earth.

7. You get lobsters from your aunt’s boat, not a restaurant.

8. The school board debates getting rid of the September harvest break because kids don’t work like they used to.

9. Parents take their kids to school in four-wheelers or boats.

10. The breaking news primarily highlights non-violent incidents; for example, an abandoned dryer left near a trail entrance in Augusta.

11. Viewers develop an emotional attachment to local news anchors and meteorologists.

12. You get directions in minutes, not miles.

13. You have to leave the county to date because you’re related to everyone.

14. The snakes are non-venomous, but people in Maine tend to be very afraid of reptiles. It’s not uncommon for a Mainer to grab their shotgun when confronted by a harmless, albeit creepy garter snake.

15. You can drive across the state without ever seeing a billboard.

16. Trees outnumber humans.

17. Moose commit more crimes than people do.

18. Being called “French” or “Canadian” is derogatory.

19. The tourists flock to Maine’s seafood restaurants, but the locals opt for Vietnamese or Greek cuisine on a night out.

20. There are more ice cream and hot dog stands than coffee shops.

21. The women hunt, the men pick berries, and the children run wild from June to September.


More like this: 12 side effects of living in Maine

The post You know you’re in Maine when appeared first on Matador Network.

The biggest event in all 50 states

Every state has that one event that everyone either looks forward to or gets the hell out of town for — that festival, parade, or sporting event that draws people from all over the world and is a great time if you go but an even better time to leave and rent out your house. For travelers though, these events are some of the best ways to experience a city. Some of them are household names, stuff like Burning Man or the Kentucky Derby or New Year’s Eve in NYC. But even the big events in smaller states can be worth a visit.

Our friends at Genfare had their crack research team look at data from local tourism boards, as well as local reports on attendance for major gatherings in each state, to determine which events, exactly, were the biggest. They looked at events that occur on or around the same time every year, so stuff like regular season football games didn’t qualify, but stuff like St. Patrick’s Day parades and state fairs did. The result is this collection of the most-attended events in each state.

Photo: Christian Hinkle/Shutterstock

Alabama

Mardi Gras

Mobile

Attendance: One million

Believe it or not, the Mardi Gras celebration in Mobile is even older than the one in New Orleans since this Gulf Coast city boasts much of the same French and Cajun heritage as the Big Easy. The celebration dates back to 1703 and includes nearly a month of parades, running from mid-January up through Fat Tuesday. Events include nearly 50 parades, the annual college football Senior Bowl, and over 60 grand balls.

Photo: mhgstan/Shutterstock

Alaska

Mount Marathon Race

Seward

Attendance: 40,000

This 103-year old tradition is the 10th-oldest footrace in America, but it’s by far the most scenic. If you’re interested in running, don’t worry; it’s not a marathon — that’s the name of the mountain. The short-but-treacherous competition is held every July 4, racing up the side of Seward’s Mouth Marathon through cliffs, waterfalls, and spectacular views of southeast Alaska. Once at the top, racers scamper back down to the finish line with top finishers completing the three-mile round trip in just over 40 minutes.

Photo: Cactus League

Arizona

Spring Training — Cactus League

Various locations

Attendance: 1.8-1.9 million

Pre-season baseball used to be a warm-weather afterthought for fans of our national pastime, a month when you could follow your local team on the radio and hear about young players who might make the big club a few years down the road. Now, it’s become one of the most popular vacations in March with spring-training ticket prices near regular-season levels at some parks. Arizona’s league might inspire a more attractive trip than going to Florida because most teams play in the greater Phoenix area, so you don’t need to traverse the entire state to see as many teams as possible.

Photo: Riverfest

Arkansas

Little Rock Riverfest

Little Rock

Attendance: 100,000-200,000

This annual music festival held along the Arkansas River has been running for over 40 years, bringing some of the biggest names in rock music to the Little Rock riverfront along with an all-star lineup of local acts. The festival runs every Memorial Day weekend, and this year featured Peter Frampton, Young the Giant, and Highly Suspect.

Photo: San Francisco Pride

California

San Francisco Pride

San Francisco

Attendance: 1.5-two million

Though Pride celebrations have become a summer staple in cities all over North America, the San Francisco parade dates back to the original Stonewall anniversary in 1970 and has become one of the largest in the world. Though a mere 50,000 people march in the actual parade, the surrounding festivities draw nearly two million to the Bay Area each June. For colorful characters, outrageous antics, and general all-out uninhibited merrymaking, San Francisco Pride is one of the best events in the world.

Photo: Great American Beer Festival

Colorado

Great American Beer Fest

Denver

Attendance: 60,000

This festival is to beer what Cannes is to film, a place where brewers both gigantic and microscopic gather to sample their wares for the masses and hopefully catch the attention of discerning judges. Over the course of the third weekend in September, over 800 breweries pour nearly 8,000 beers for 60,000 people. Last year saw 98 categories of beer in 161 different styles, the largest collection of its kind of any festival in the nation. If it sounds fun, you’ll need to wait until 2019 to go: The festival usually sells out within a few hours, and that deadline has long passed.

Photo: barbsimages/Shutterstock

Connecticut

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Norwich

Attendance: 300,000

In just five short years little Norwich, Connecticut, has developed one of the biggest St. Paddy’s Day celebrations in the country, with an estimated 300,000 people coming to this town of 40,000 for bagpipes, beer, and plenty of Irish food. The mile-long parade was held on March 4 this year, the early date giving people with other St. Paddy’s plans the chance to have two holidays, which might be a big reason for its popularity.

Photo: Firefly Music Festival

Delaware

Firefly Music Festival

Dover

Attendance: 90,000

Though this festival only dates back to 2012, it’s already rated as one of the most renowned in the country and has become a mid-June destination for thousands across the mid-Atlantic. With 2018 headliners like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and The Killers, the festival only promises to get bigger in the years to come, which hopefully won’t overrun the small Woodlands campground.

Photo: Bike Week Daytona Beach

Florida

Daytona Bike Week

Daytona Beach

Attendance: 500,000

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for bikers, the ultimate spring break goes down the first week of March on the shores of Daytona Beach. What started as a bike race on the sand has turned into 10 days of races, parties, and general bedlam in Daytona, rivaled only by the Sturgis rally as the biggest in America. Though the party might look rowdy, it’s rarely out of control as it’s actually sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and welcomed every year.

Photo: JoskaPhoto/Shutterstock

Georgia

Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Festival

Savannah

Attendance: 600,000-650,000

You know an event has gotten downright huge when locals actually leave town, opting to reap money off Airbnb rentals rather than partake in the festivities. Such is the case with one of the largest St. Paddy’s parades in America, which draws Bachelorette parties and spring breakers to picturesque Savannah during the weekend surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. The celebration has been going for 190 years, and in 2018, it featured 280 different participating units from schools to soldiers to marching bands.

Photo: Aloha Festivals

Hawaii

Aloha Festivals

Statewide

Attendance: One million

In Hawaii, retention of the local culture and traditions is a priority for the local government and tourism organizations. That’s why in 1946 — before Hawaii was even a state — a group of local Jaycees started Aloha Week to showcase the islands’ music, food, dance, and culture. It’s grown into a monthlong September festival with events ranging from a block party on Waikiki to a floral parade along Kalakaua Avenue to King Kamehameha celebrations on all the islands. It’s the best time of year to visit if you want to find out what Hawaii is truly about, beyond the stuff of your tropical vacation fantasies.

Photo: Boise Music Festival

Idaho

Boise Music Festival

Boise

Attendance: 80,000

What’s better than a full day of bigtime national and local acts performing under the Idaho summer sunshine? Adding in a carnival full of games and questionable midway rides, of course. Combining the fun of a state fair with the party of a major music festival, this one-day festival in Garden City brings the biggest crowds of the year to the Gem State, and though it hasn’t even been around a decade, it’s already one of Idaho’s annual highlights.

Photo: Taste of Chicago

Illinois

Taste of Chicago

Chicago

Attendance: 1.4-1.6 million

This is, quite simply, the largest food festival in the world set in one of the nation’s great food cities along the scenic lakefront in Grant Park. This year, 73 restaurants set up shop in the park, allowing visitors to try food from James Beard Award-winning restaurants, local staples like Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, and others. Since admission is free, it draws enormous crowds but also makes Chicago smell absolutely amazing for the weekend after Independence Day.

Photo: Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center

Indiana

Indiana State Fair

Indianapolis

Attendance: 900,000

Midwestern state fairs are the stuff of fried-food legend, and Indiana is no exception. The deep-fried chicken and waffle sandwich and deep-fried sugar cream pie highlight this year’s offerings. Also on the schedule are free concerts from names like Hanson, Warrant, and Grand Funk Railroad, plus all the stomach-churning rides and nose-plugging agriculture one expects at a state fair.

Photo: Iowa State Fair

Iowa

Iowa State Fair

Des Moines

Attendance: 1.1 million

Not to be outdone by its middle-state, fair-throwing neighbors, Iowa’s state fair offers the same abundance of food, rides, and concerts as bigger states, plus a whole sea of RV parking and campgrounds. It gives the fair a little bit of a NASCAR feel, helped out by nightly concerts from acts like Sugarland and Florida Georgia Line. It’s a southern-midwestern hybrid of a state fair with pork and barbecue joining the requisite deep-fried everything to highlight the food offerings.

Photo: Wichita River Festival

Kansas

Wichita Riverfest

Wichita

Attendance: 410,000

During the first week of June, residents gather on the river to compete in stuff like a cardboard regatta, human foosball, dodgeball tournaments, kayak races, and kickball games, effectively bringing all of Wichita together for a week of flat-out fun. Nights conclude with concerts, this year headlined by Cypress Hill and Morris Day and The Time. For this brief sliver of summer, Wichita may well be the most fun place in America.

Photo: Kentucky Derby

Kentucky

Kentucky Derby

Louisville

Attendance: 160,000

Even if you don’t know a trifecta from a triceratops, you know about the most famous horse race in the world, run the first weekend in May since 1875. It’s the first of the famous triple-crown horse races but has become known as much for its outlandish hats, infield parties, and high-society hijinks as the actual racing. From newbies to thoroughbreds, it’s a great way to get introduced to the sport of kings. For old handicapping vets, it’s a must-attend at some point in your lifetime — if only to enjoy one of those famous Mint Juleps.

Photo: GTS Productions/Shutterstock

Louisiana

Mardi Gras

New Orleans

Attendance: 1.4 million

A nice, quiet cultural celebration of the feasts of Epiphany with a small parade and some light drinking.

Photo: Maine Lobster Festival

Maine

Maine Lobster Festival

Rockland

Attendance: 80,000

So, you like lobster? Nowhere will you be able to stuff your face with lobster in such abundance and for so little as you will at this annual summer festival on the middle coast of Maine. Dating back to 1947, this festival not only features nonstop lobster dinners but also musical performances, a lobster crate race, a Ferris wheel, cooking contests, and a big Saturday parade. It runs during the first weekend in August, too, so you’ll get a peak of the bright summer weather in Maine.

Photo: Artscape

Maryland

Artscape

Baltimore

Attendance: 350,000

Baltimore probably wouldn’t be your first guess as to the site of the largest free arts festival in America, but Charm City is about more than The Wire. This festival crams the streets of the city with over 150 artists and craftspeople showcasing their wares, a city-wide art museum that costs nothing to attend and offers gardens, full-size installations, and other original works throughout the third weekend of July.

Photo: Liviu Toader/Shutterstock

Massachusetts

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Boston

Attendance: One million

No surprise that famously Irish and beer-happy Boston has one of the biggest and best St. Paddy’s parties in the nation. That’s why it draws over a million people from New England and beyond. The parade through South Boston is one of the rowdiest and most colorful in the world though it only begins a day full of crowded bars, Irish music, and plenty of Dropkick Murphys.

Photo: Detroit Jazz Festival

Michigan

Detroit Jazz Festival

Detroit

Attendance: 750,000

This Labor Day tradition is one of the premiere jazz festivals in America, drawing nearly three-quarters of a million people to Motor City to hear the biggest names in jazz. This year’s artist-in-residence, Chick Corea, leads a strong lineup including Alex Harding & Organ Nation, the Christian Sands trio, and Chris Dave and the Drumhedz.

Photo: Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota

Minnesota State Fair

Falcon Heights

Attendance: Two million

The granddaddy of all the midwest mega-expos, this fair has been going strong for 154 years and is the highest-attended state fair in America by average daily attendance. This year’s food entries seem to have Minnesota looking a little California with an ahi tuna poke bowl, cauliflower wings, and (there it is) deep-fried tater kegs made with corned beef, swiss cheese, and sour cream. The fair runs from August 23 to Labor Day.

Photo: Mississippi State Fairgrounds

Mississippi

Mississippi State Fair

Jackson

Attendance: 590,000

Lost in the glut of flyover-state fairs is this distinctly southern expo, the best of all the bayou states and the biggest October draw that doesn’t involve a football game. In addition to the regular lineup of pig races and clogging demonstrations, this year’s concert lineup includes the Marshall Tucker Band, En Vogue, and Hinder. The fair runs from October 4 to October 15.

Photo: Mardi Gras Inc.

Missouri

Soulard Mardi Gras

St. Louis

Attendance: 500,000

Ok, so maybe standing outside in St. Louis in the middle of February doesn’t sound nearly as inviting as it might in, say, not St. Louis. But people forget that this city was just as French as New Orleans 200 years ago, and Mardi Gras — set in a neighborhood whose name means “drunkard” – is the biggest Mardi Gras parade outside the South. You may see a little more clothing here than you would at carnivals in warmer weather, but the party is just as good.

Photo: Evel Knievel Days Official Fan Page

Montana

Evel Knievel Days

Butte

Attendance: 50,000-75,000

This annual festival in Butte honors the greatest daredevil of our time and draws aspiring Evel’s who attempt similar feats while families watch on. It also features BMX competitions, motorcycles, skateboarding, and mountain biking like a mini X-Games in the heart of the Highland Mountains. Best of all, it’s free for spectators and a great way to enjoy the last week of July in Big Sky Country.

Photo: NEBRASKAland DAYS

Nebraska

Nebraskaland Days

North Platte

Attendance: 150,000

This annual 10-day rodeo celebration in North Platte is like a de facto state fair with a full-on midway, nightly country concerts, and a Miss Rodeo Nebraska competition for young female wranglers. How very Nebraska. This year’s concert lineup was highlighted by Florida Georgia Line and Alabama, and it ran from June 13 to June 23. Next year’s will run from June 12 to June 22.

Photo: Burning Man

Nevada

Burning Man

Black Rock City

Attendance: 70,000

Trying to describe Burning Man is like trying to describe an acid trip three days after you had it. It’s art you’ve never seen. It’s discos set in a hollowed-out 747. It’s morning yoga classes, a marathon, a human car wash, and people living on another planet somewhere in the Nevada desert. It runs from the week before Labor Day to the Tuesday after, culminating with the torching of the namesake giant wooden sculpture. There is no money exchanged and no trash left behind, and though some say it’s sold out to Silicon Valley, it’s still an experience like nothing else in the world.

Photo: Laconia Motorcycle Week Rally

New Hampshire

Laconia Motorcycle Week

Laconia

Attendance 300,000

During the second week of June, the oldest motorcycle rally in the nation converges on the quaint seaside town of Laconia. It began as a beach party for bike enthusiasts in 1916 at Weirs Beach, right on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Now it draws 300,000 and sits just behind Sturgis and Daytona as the biggest bike rallies in the country. This year’s event ran from June 9 to June 17 and featured performances from Dave Matthews Band, Rascal Flatts, and Poison.

Photo: Atlantic City Airshow Thunder Over The Boardwalk

New Jersey

Atlantic City Thunder

Atlantic City

Attendance: 400,000

The name sounds a little like an expansion team in an indoor soccer league, but it is, in fact, one of the largest annual air shows on the eastern seaboard. Thunder on the Boardwalk happens August 22, and this year will feature the Canadian Forces Snowbirds — kind of like Canada’s Blue Angels — the US Army Golden Knights parachute demonstrators, GEICO’s skytypers, and the Miss GEICO hydroplane. Best of all, the whole thing is free to view from the New Jersey shoreline.

Photo: Kobby Dagan/Shutterstock

New Mexico

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque

Attendance: 100,000

The Balloon Fiesta is one of the most photographed events in the world, a surreal and peaceful mass ascension of over 500 hot air balloons over the deserts of New Mexico. What began in a little parking lot in 1972 has grown into the most famous thing about the state that doesn’t involve Walter White, a 10-day festival complete with chainsaw carving contests, laser light shows, flying competitions, and nightly fireworks spectaculars.

Photo: a katz/Shutterstock

New York

Times Square New Years

New York City

Attendance: Two million

Do you enjoy being crushed against millions of strangers in the freezing cold, spending the final moments of the year wondering if anyone will notice if you pee on yourself? Then this, friend, is your jam.

Photo: The Barbecue Festival

North Carolina

Barbecue Festival

Lexington

Attendance: 200,000

Lexington, North Carolina, has a population of just under 20,000. To say the city gets overrun by barbecue would be an understatement as chefs from all over one of America’s top BBQ states converge at this free food festival on the last Saturday in October. It’s the mere culmination of an entire month of barbecue-related festivities in the city, which include a Tour de Pig cycling race, golf and fishing tournaments, and a 5K run to burn off all that barbeque.

Photo: North Dakota State Fair

North Dakota

North Dakota State Fair

Minot

Attendance: 290,000

Considering there are just over 700,000 people in all of North Dakota, this state fair is extremely highly attended and probably the biggest summer highlight of the Peace Garden State. The eight-day festival features nightly concerts (this year was headlined by Cheap Trick), a rodeo, bull riding, a truck and tractor pull, and a stock-car endurance race.

Photo: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Ohio

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Cincinnati

Attendance: 500,000

Though the stats are unofficial, Cincy’s Oktoberfest celebration is said to be the nation’s biggest, during which half a million people descend on downtown for beer, pretzels, and all varieties of German celebrations. Other highlights include Wiener dog races, the world brat eating championships, the Gemuetlichkeit Games — featuring beer stein races and barrel rolls — and, of course, the world’s largest chicken dance.

Photo: Tulsa Oktoberfest

Oklahoma

Linde Oktoberfest Tulsa

Tulsa

Attendance: 50,000

Wanna talk underrated Oktoberfests? None gets less acclaim than it deserves than the riverside bash in Tulsa, where in 40 years organizers have put together the rare event that draws thousands of visitors but locals stick around for too. The weekend-long celebration — this year from October 18 to 21 — features a Dachshund Dash, lots of chicken dancing, German beers, Bavarian cheesecake, and live German music.

Photo: Oregon Brewers Festival

Oregon

Oregon Brewers Fest

Portland

Attendance: 80,000

Back before every city on Earth touted its abundance of craft breweries, there was Portland, which boasted a whopping four back in 1988 and decided to throw a party so people could taste all its creations. Flash forward 30 years and beer is synonymous with the Rose City, and 80 breweries take part in this annual celebration that draws visitors from all over America. The outdoor festival is a great way to take in the glorious Pacific Northwest summers and one of the best weekends of the year to visit Portland.

Photo: Musikfest

Pennsylvania

Musikfest

Bethlehem

Attendance: 1.1 million

It claims to be the largest free music festival in America, but that is slightly misleading. This nine-day festival draws names like Dierks Bentley, Jason Mraz, and Grouplove, but those shows require paid tickets. Still, with literally dozens of free shows every day, if you’re not hung up on seeing big acts, this is one of the great bargain summer events in the nation. Beyond the music, there are free comedy shows, dance performances, and art installations, this year running from August 3 to August 12.

Photo: Newport Folk Festival

Rhode Island

Newport Folk Festival

Newport

Attendance: 10,000

Ok, so there are high-school football games in Texas that draw bigger crowds than this event, but Rhode Island has always been about quality over quantity. So the 10,000 folks who converge in Newport during the final week of July enjoy one of the best small folk festivals in America. The festival features over 30 concerts over three days, this past year highlighted by Ben Harper, Cheech & Chong, and St. Vincent. So even if you’re not into the traditional acoustic-and-banjo folk music, you’ll still have plenty of bands to enjoy.

Photo: South Carolina State Fair

South Carolina

South Carolina State Fair

Columbia

Attendance: 425,000 – 500,000

Take the general fried-food excess of a state fair, put it in a state that prides itself on frying anything, and you’ve got half a million people begging for atherosclerosis. Last year’s highlights included the fried bologna burger, a southern catfish sundae made of French fries and fish filets, buffalo chicken gyros, and a burger topped with bacon and brisket. There are also over 70 rides to help you digest all that fried food and nightly concerts from acts like ZZ Top, Keith Sweat, and Brothers Osborne.

Photo: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

South Dakota

Sturgis

Sturgis

Attendance: 700,000

This event is so famous that it doesn’t even need to tell people it’s a bike rally, the largest rally of its kind that some years doubles the population of South Dakota. The charming little Black Hills town of Sturgis is transformed into one of the craziest parties on the planet, where bikers cram the bars and lodging is scarce for a hundred miles around. South Dakotans who live within a few hours often leave the state for the 10-day August festival, making nearly half their year’s mortgage by renting their homes out for the week. Assuming, of course, their houses are still standing.

Photo: Riverbend Festival

Tennessee

Tennessee Riverbend Festival

Chattanooga

Attendance: 350,000

If you haven’t been to the charming mountain town of Chattanooga, it’s like a smaller, friendlier, less-clogged-with-bachelorette-parties Nashville. One of the best times to visit is during this eight-day music festival in June when nearly 100 acts play on five stages right on the shores of the Tennessee River. Last year’s headliners included Flo Rida, Third Eye Blind, and Bret Michaels.

Photo: stock_photo_world/Shutterstock

Texas

SXSW

Austin

Attendance: 167,000

People who love Austin say going there during “South By” isn’t really going to Austin because most people in the city leave, UT is on Spring Break, and the town is taken over by people with general disregard for anything like decorum or city ordinances. No matter, if you’re looking to network or see the latest in music, movies, and smartphone apps, this is one of the biggest events of the year. Just make sure to give Austin another chance afterward.

Photo: Snowbird

Utah

Snowbird’s Oktoberfest

Sandy

Attendance: 60,000

You’re as surprised as we are that the biggest annual event in Utah is a celebration of drinking beer. But even at under four percent, Oktoberfest can be a great time. The Snowbird resort proves this every weekend from mid-August to October with a big, family-friendly festival full of food, live music, a bratwurst-eating competition, and all the state-sanctioned beer you can handle.

Photo: Strolling of the Heifers festival

Vermont

Strolling of the Heifers Parade & Festival

Battleboro

Attendance: 50,000

This annual festival is about a lot more than parading baby calves through the streets of Battleboro, adorable as that may be. It’s a celebration of the Slow Food movement, where farm tours, local food expos, and seminars on sustainable farming draw people for the weekend-long festival. There’s also the annual Tour de Heifer bike race through the dirt roads of Vermont, allegedly one of the toughest cycling races in the state.

Photo: Virginia Beach Neptune Festival

Virginia

Neptune Festival

Virginia Beach

Attendance: 400,000

One of the biggest beach parties in America goes down the last weekend in September along Virginia Beach, where tents line the boardwalk and over 40 events highlight the weekend. Everything from a surfing competition to a wine festival, outdoor concerts, sand-sculpting contests, and even a parade fill up the three days. It’s an end-of-summer blowout in every sense of the word and has become a tradition for families throughout the mid-Atlantic.

Photo: Spokane Hoopfest

Washington

Hoopfest

Spokane

Attendance: 250,000

Amazing how this wasn’t the setting for White Men Can’t Jump 2, but the world’s biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament happens the last weekend of June in Spokane. The streets of downtown become a giant outdoor basketball park where over 14,000 games are played between 6,000 teams on 450 courts. If you love basketball but can’t afford courtside seats to your favorite NBA team, this is a pretty fun compromise.

Photo: Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival

West Virginia

Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival

Wheeling

Attendance: 175,000

Though the daredevil gathering in Fayetteville known as Bridge Day gets most of the big-event hype in West Virginia, this festival is the second-largest Italian festival in America and the largest event in the state. The Wheeling waterfront is filled with the smells of garlic and stewing tomatoes as food stands transform the area into a pop-up Little Italy. Live entertainment ranges from troubadours to mandolin players to Frank Sinatra tribute artists, with Saturday night fireworks and a Catholic mass on Sunday.

Photo: Summerfest

Wisconsin

Summerfest

Milwaukee

Attendance: 900,000

This lakefront tradition is the largest outdoor music festival in the world by attendance, drawing nearly a million people over its nearly two-week run around the Fourth of July. It’s seen every big name in music cross the stage since its inception in 1968. This year brought the Dave Matthews Band, The Weeknd, Arcade Fire, and Blake Shelton among other A-list acts. Almost any day you go to Summerfest, you’re guaranteed to see someone huge, making this not only the best event of the year in Wisconsin but quite possibly America’s best music event of the year.

Photo: The Wyoming State Fair

Wyoming

Wyoming State Fair

Douglas

Attendance: 40,000-50,000

It wouldn’t be a state fair in Wyoming if there wasn’t a hearty dose of rodeo, and this one brings plenty with the PRCA RAM Rodeo beginning on Wednesday and finishing Friday with the crowning of Miss Rodeo Wyoming. There’s also USA Arm Wrestling Championships, Pig n’ Mud wrestling, and a demolition derby. This is Wyoming, after all — you weren’t coming for a wine tasting.


More like this: The best rooftop bar in all 50 states

The post The biggest event in all 50 states appeared first on Matador Network.

Don't travel for the #gram

In this social-media-driven day and age, it’s easy to see a picture someone posted on Instagram and think, “Damn, I’d look pretty good against that same backdrop, wouldn’t I?” Or even worse, “Damn, I went to that country and didn’t even see that super famous monument. Does that mean I never went there at all? Did I squander my chances of getting hundreds of likes?”

When we think of certain countries and cities, it’s easy to instantly associate them with their most recognizable landmark: Paris with the Eiffel Tower, India with the Taj Mahal, Budapest with the Hungarian Parliament Building, etc. Moreover, entire regions of certain countries have become so popular with tourists, such as Napa Valley in Northern California or Bali in Indonesia, that not going there almost feels like you’re shirking some responsibility to your social-media followers or risking a dangerous case of FOMO.

Often when we make travel decisions, we go places solely because they’re popular, and we know people will ask us about them when we get home or express their jealousy on Instagram — and we’re not even always aware we’re doing it. There’s a certain degree of pressure when traveling to countries with recognizable landmarks, and we have a tendency to make all our trips to look the same as this hilariously frustrating Instagram account, insta_repeat, pointed out.

A post shared by Insta Repeat (@insta_repeat) on Jul 30, 2018 at 9:10pm PDT

We think that our friends expect us to visit these landmarks and might scratch their heads if we don’t. The Blue Lagoon might charge $250 to squeeze into a pool with hundreds of other Americans (towels not included), but can you really go to Iceland and skip the Blue Lagoon? The answer, of course, is yes. You can have an epic, month-long Iceland adventure without ever setting foot in the Blue Lagoon. You can take an eye-opening trip across India without glimpsing the Taj Mahal. And you can have an unforgettable, luxurious Indonesian vacation on any of its 922 inhabited Islands — it doesn’t have to be Bali.

Indeed, social media has become one of our primary methods of determining our travel plans. A study conducted by Schofields found that 40 percent of those under 33 prioritize “Instagrammability” when choosing their next vacation. In 2009, there were 500 visitors to Norway’s highly Instagrammable Trolltunga. By 2017, that number had increased to about 82,000. And in 2015, a tourist actually fell to her death there trying to replicate the same photograph taken by thousands of others. Recently, a trio of travel influencers tragically died at a waterfall in Canada in an attempt to get content for their followers. While social media can be valuable for finding cool locations to visit, it’s important that we don’t let it become the sole determining factor in our travel decisions — especially if the destination is, in fact, dangerous.

The key to a truly rewarding vacation is stripping away the frills and tuning out the noise. Forget social media, forget locations whose chief appeal is their photo backdrops, and forget how people might react to your travel decisions. When I told my friends I was going to Svalbard this past April instead of the more colorful Cancún or Playa del Carmen, reactions were mixed at best. While booking a trip to Mexico might have earned me some envious, “Omg I want your life,” Instagram comments, going to an archipelago in the Arctic required, well, a bit more explanation. The landscape didn’t provide vibrant, Instagram-friendly backgrounds; the excursions were a little more involved and stressful than laying on a beach all day; and comments on my Instagram pictures read something more like, “Um… why are you in the Arctic?” There might have been a dozen reasons not to go — and believe me, my friends pointed them all out — but there’s only one reason that matters: It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I did it. The rest is just noise.

If it’s always been your dream to visit the Louvre, by all means, go see it. If you’re a connoisseur of thermal spas and the Blue Lagoon is on your bucket list, you absolutely shouldn’t skip it. But if you find you’re going places for the wrong reasons or focusing too hard on getting that perfect waterfall picture, it might be time to reevaluate your travel goals.


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The post Why traveling for the #gram is a terrible idea appeared first on Matador Network.

Watch the Dog Surfing Championships

You might not be much of a surfer yourself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy watching the pros tear up some gnarly waves. This weekend, some of the world’s best surfers are descending on California for the annual championship competition — oh, and they happen to be dogs.

The 2018 Dog Surfing Championships takes place Saturday, August 4, at Linda Mar State Beach in Pacifica, California, outside San Francisco. It will bring together the world’s top dog surfers and amateurs alike for a day of summer fun. In a canine-themed surf competition, there are really no losers, but the winning dog will bring home the coveted “Golden Surfie,” and you can bet no dog wants to leave empty-handed.

In addition to the dog surfing competition itself, there will also be other activities for dogs to show off their skills. These include a ball fetch competition, a dog beach fashion contest, dog adoptions, and a whole Surf Dog Village, complete with partner tents and activities.

The best part about the event is that you can also help make a difference in the canine community. Entrants and attendees will be able to help fundraise for GoughNuts, a partner of the event and manufacturer of safe pet toys.

Whether your dog has what it takes to bring home the “Golden Surfie” or you’re just a dog-loving spectator, visit the contest’s official website for ticket and entry information. Or, if you can’t make it to California, check out this Matador Original video on Sugar, the surfing dog:

More like this: The 7 best places in the world for dog lovers

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New underwater Maldives art museum

The museum game has been relatively stagnant for the past few centuries, featuring the same stale, aboveground, labyrinthine hallways with artifacts behind glass cases. But now, the museum experience is being turned on its head with the opening of underwater museums around the world, such as the new Sculpture Coralarium in the Maldives.

Conceived of by environmental artist Jason deCaires Taylor, The Sculpture Coralarium is the world’s first semi-submerged tidal gallery, and it’s located in the middle of the Maldives’ largest coral lagoon at the Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi island resort. The gallery is mainly underwater, and guests are invited to snorkel and swim through the installations. It features human-like sculptures built with marine-safe materials, and the experience is designed to promote coral growth and facilitate the expansion of the marine habitat over time.

Photo: Jason deCaires Taylor

The museum took approximately five months to construct, beginning with a long swimming pool that transects the beach and leading to a submerged coral-lined pathway. A five- to 10-minute swim will bring visitors to an underwater staircase, connecting to a cube-like, six-meter-tall building with stainless steel walls — marine life can pass easily and safely through the walls’ coral-inspired, laser-cut openings. Several human-like sculptures, made using casts of the local population, can also be found on the roof of the structure.

Photo: Jason deCaires Taylor

Overall, the underwater museum is meant to raise awareness of climate change and promote an eco-conscious future. “The installation aims to draw all the elements of life on earth together, to portray a system where all components are dependent on each other.” Part of the underwater installation includes a series of children looking up at the sea’s surface, which is meant to cause visitors to stop and consider the threat of climate change, and the consequences of our actions for future generations.”

Photo: Jason deCaires Taylor

H/T: Inhabitat


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Irish sea cave

You’ve probably heard of the Blue Lagoon in Italy and the popular tourist attraction with the same name in Iceland, but you might not know about the sea caves under Owey Island off the western coast of Donegal, Ireland. When the sun hits the cave mouth at the perfect angle, the water appears bright blue and the walls sparkle red, purple, orange, and pink in what kayaker, rock, climber, and guidebook author Iain Miller calls the “Blue Lagoon effect.” In a video taken by Miller inside the cave, the range of colors are on full display, particularly the impressive, glowing effect produced by the sun’s rays on the mouth of the cave.

Miller wrote on his website that “any object in the water looks like it is suspended in air… the whole effect looks like an explosion of light and is a surreal natural phenomenon to witness firsthand.” Catching the display in person isn’t easy. Miller and his team paddled out to the sea cave at around 5:00 AM then waited about an hour for the sun to illuminate the cave. The phenomenon is highly weather-dependent, however, as clouds rolled in after about 40 minutes, causing the magical effect to vanish.

To catch the phenomenon yourself, you’ll have to visit the Owey Island sea cave at sunrise during mid-summer. “With a little bit of planning, nautical guile, and good luck,” Miller said, “it is possible to visit almost any sea cave at the right time and conditions to witness this Blue Lagoon effect.”

Of course, visiting any sea cave can be dangerous and should be done with caution and a certain degree of nautical expertise.

H/T: Travel & Leisure

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Best stopover cities in the world

A stopover offers travelers the best of both worlds. You get to check another city off your bucket list while simultaneously breaking up a long, often grueling, flight. It’s a no-brainer as to why extra long layovers have become a popular travel trend in recent years, especially when so many airlines now offer the ability to spend a night or two in a stopover city at no extra charge. Whether you’re venturing around the world to Australia or taking a budget flight to Europe, these five cities offer the best stopover experiences for an extra day or two at the beginning or end of your journey.

1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Photo: RastoS/Shutterstock

For travelers heading to the Middle East, the ultra-luxe Maldives, or further afield in Asia, Dubai is the perfect two- or three-day pitstop. With the Burj Khalifa standing world-record tall in the distance, travelers can’t help but want to see this futuristic metropolis for themselves. Take a cab to the centrally located Fairmont Dubai. It’s just ten minutes from Dubai’s main attractions, including the Dubai Mall (the world’s largest shopping center) and the Burj Khalifa. The Fairmont is steps from the easy-to-navigate metro system, making it a great way to explore all the city’s highlights in just a few days. Head to the pristine, man-made Jumeirah Beach for a relaxed beach day or the historic Bastakiya quarter to see Arabic architecture. If you fly on Emirates, just contact an agent, and you’ll be able to add the stopover for no extra fee.

2. Singapore, Malaysia

Photo: MOLPIX/Shutterstock

An ideal stopover on the way to elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Singapore is a compact city easily explored in a weekend. Unbelievably clean and safe, it’s also a luxurious place to go shopping, get pampered at a spa, or stay at a fancy hotel like the Mandarin Oriental. Located in the popular Marina Bay area, you can walk to the famous Marina Bay Sands, Merlion, and more. Pass the time by eating and drinking your way through this culinary destination. Swanky new cocktail bars like Smoke and Mirrors are on the rise in Singapore, but you should still hit up the classic hawker centers for incredible street food. Walk to Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore’s largest hawker center, and sample dozens of savory meat and rice dishes you’ll be dreaming about long after your connecting flight leaves.

3. Tokyo, Japan

Photo: f11photo/Shutterstock

The Japanese capital may seem like a stretch for a stopover, but Tokyo’s Narita International Airport is a main entryway for Asia-bound flights from the west coast of the US, making it easy to add 24 or 48 hours to your trip. That said, getting just a taste of this exhilarating city will leave you wanting more. Take the easily accessible public transport to the newly opened Hoshino Resorts OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka. Within eyesight of the metro, this northern Tokyo hotel offers a traditional Yagura-style room with beds located on the upper loft. This underrated neighborhood has some of the city’s best Michelin-star ramen, such as the offerings at Nakiryu. Legendary sake houses, a local brewery, and an izakaya (a traditional Japanese pub) are also around the corner from the hotel. Once your time is up, you’ll be looking to book your next trip to spend a few weeks in this fascinating city.

4. Reykjavik, Iceland

Photo: Boyloso/Shutterstock

For those headed on a Eurotrip or looking to unwind after they’ve been on one, Iceland is the best stopover option. In fact, if you book your ticket on Icelandair to any major European city, you can spend up to seven days in Iceland for no extra charge. Arrive early to the famed Blue Lagoon to beat the buses full of tourists. If you’d rather have a private Blue Lagoon experience, stay at the newly opened Silica Hotel. Head into Reykjavik to see the quaint charm of the island’s colorful capital. Stay at the chic boutique Sandhotel and walk to all the main attractions, including the Hallgrimskirkja Church and Harpa Concert Hall. The city is tiny compared to larger capitals like Paris and London, so you can see it in one or two days. If you have the full seven days, make your way around the Golden Circle or visit Hotel Husafell in West Iceland for a chance to see the northern lights during winter.

5. New York, New York

Photo: oneinchpunch/Shutterstock

New York is always a good idea. It’s a great place for West Coasters to stop on their way to Europe, or Europeans to stop on their way to anywhere in the States or the Caribbean. The fact that the city is known to be quite pricey makes a stopover a great plan — you can get in, see the big sights, eat a few meals, and get out before you bleed your bank account dry. Grab an Uber from JFK or LaGuardia to your Midtown hotel or Brooklyn Airbnb. From there, your few days in the city are limitless. You could stop by a Broadway box office the day of the show to get a discounted theater ticket or try a handful of different dishes at one of several food halls, from DeKalb Market Hall to Gotham West Market. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge, pay your respects at the 9/11 Memorial, and take a trip to the Top of the Rock for epic views of the city (for less money than some other vantage points). A few days in New York is never enough, but it’s always worth your time.


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Most beautiful US college campuses

You don’t choose a college based on its looks, but if the place where you’re planning on spending most of your time for the next four (or more) years is stunning, it can only be a good thing. After all, your campus is your home away from home, so choosing one that’s gorgeous, as well as well-rated, is a surefire way for you to have the time of your life. From amazing natural surroundings to breathtaking architectural pieces, here are 11 beautiful college campuses in the US that are sure to be a source of pride for the students and the staff.

1. University of Virginia — Charlottesville, VA

Photo: BrianPIrwin/Shutterstock

The only university in the United States designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the University of Virginia is one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson. The author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the US was a talented architect, and the Academical Village he designed is still at the heart of the campus.

Dominated by the Rotunda inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, the Academical Village follows a U-shaped plan, where the buildings surround the Lawn, a terraced green space. The Rotunda, the school’s iconic, most recognizable building, stands on the northern side of the Lawn. 10 pavilions interspersed with student rooms extend on its sides, each built in a different style, with their own gardens, separated by serpentine walls.

2. St. Olaf College — Northfield, MN

Photo: St. Olaf College

St. Olaf’s picturesque campus, known as “the Hill” is set amid restored wetlands, woods, and native tall-grass prairies. Opened by Norwegian-Americans in the late 19th century, the College prides itself in environmental sustainability, being the first in the nation to use a wind turbine to supply about one-third of the school’s energy.

The college’s most recognizable landmark is the beautiful Gothic-style Old Main, built in 1877, the first structure on the grounds. One of the more modern buildings, the Christiansen Hall of Music, was recognized by the American Institute of Architects in its Architecture MN magazine.

3. University of Washington — Seattle, WA

Photo: Mike Peters/Shutterstock

The University of Washington’s main campus has gorgeous views in all directions, of Mount Rainier, the Cascades Range, and the Olympic Mountains. Red Square is at the heart of this campus, surrounded by landmark buildings like the Suzzallo library with its 35-foot-high stained-glass windows and gilded vaulted ceiling.

But it’s the North Campus that features the University’s most recognizable landmark, the Liberal Arts Quad. Filled with cherry blossoms, courtesy of the 31 Yoshino cherry trees, the grounds of the Quad put up quite a show each spring.

4. Florida Southern College — Lakeland, FL

Photo: Florida Southern College

Sitting on a hillside overlooking Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern College is home to the world’s largest number of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. A National Historic Landmark since 2012, the campus was dubbed the “first uniquely American campus” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One particularity of the Florida Southern College campus is the many cats you’ll encounter while gawking at the gorgeous architecture and natural surroundings. Around 30 cats live around the campus. They’re all neutered/spayed and vaccinated. A small team of caretakers feed and care for them every day.

5. University of Chicago — Chicago, IL

Photo: STLJB/Shutterstock

The campus of the University of Chicago combines traditional English Gothic-style architecture with modern design in a setting that seems like a small pocket of nature in the middle of Chicago. The 217-acre campus includes a few parks and an official botanical garden. The surroundings include a pond — home to ducks, turtles, and dragonflies.

The gorgeous Cobb Lecture Hall, built in 1892, was the first of the University’s original 16 buildings. The nearby ivy-filled Hitchcock Hall, built in 1900, has been on the list of the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.

The campus is also home to the Robie House, a Frank Lloyd Wright building and a National Historic Landmark.

6. Berry College — Rome, GA

Photo: Rob Hainer/Shutterstock

Berry College’s campus is the largest in the contiguous US and its 27,000 acres include forests, fields, and Lavender Mountain. With over 80 miles of trails, surrounded by wooded areas, streams, and ponds, it is a great place to spend time outside the classrooms.

The area around the academic English-Gothic style buildings, surrounded by fountains and pools, is a wildlife refuge. Mary Hall and the Ford Dining Hall are the most recognizable buildings on campus. The oldest buildings, rustic and representative of the College’s history, are the Roosevelt Cabin, House o’Dreams, and Old Mill.

7. Princeton University — Princeton, NJ

Photo: ssguy/Shutterstock

Princeton is filled with beautiful buildings surrounded by perfectly manicured green expanses, courtyards, and hundreds of crisscrossing paths. It’s like an American version of Hogwarts, but without the Quidditch pitch.

Completed in 1756, the stunning Nassau Hall is the oldest building on campus. Before becoming the center of the campus, it was the original home of the New Jersey Legislature and the Seat of the Congress of the Confederation. Involved in the battle of 1777, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

8. Pepperdine University — Malibu, CA

Photo: Pepperdine University

Sitting among several ridges overlooking the Pacific, in the foothills of Santa Monica mountains, the campus of Pepperdine University is one of the most scenic in the country. Palm trees dot the landscape and give the campus a tropical feel, accented by the Mediterranean-style buildings with white stucco and red roofs.

Alumni Park offers trails among hills, ponds, coral trees, and lawns with views of the ocean.

9. Lewis and Clark College — Portland, OR

Photo: Lewis & Clark College

Set on top of Palatine Hill, the forested 137-acre campus of Lewis and Clark College bathes in nature. Surrounded by woods, the College’s centerpiece is the historic Frank Manor House, a rustic, Tudor-style mansion, designed by local architect Herman Brookman and built in 1924.

A large pool bordered by flower beds sits at the back entrance of the mansion and the Tree Walk that consists of native tree species encountered by Lewis and Clark on their journey surrounds it.

The views of the perpetually snow-capped Mount Hood, about 50 miles away, add a touch of magic to the already incredible natural beauty of the campus.

10. Bryn Mawr College — Bryn Mawr, PA

Photo: Bryn Mawr College

The campus of Bryn Mawr College has the perfect balance of lush green surroundings and gorgeous buildings. The whole 135-acre campus is designed as an arboretum, with more than 75 varieties of trees and scenic trails, as well as a duck pond.

The stone buildings themselves are the highlight of this college, however. When walking into one of them, you’ll feel like you’re stepping into an ancient castle. As the oldest examples of this style of architecture in the US, known as Collegiate Gothic, they’ve been a model for other colleges since 1885.

11. University of Colorado — Boulder, CO

Photo: University of Colorado Boulder

You can’t beat the setting of the University of Colorado, with gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains and Flatirons, including a lake and two creeks. The buildings match the setting, featuring a distinctive architectural style, with local sandstone walls, limestone trim, and red-tiled roofs.

Built in 1876, the Old Main was the first building on campus, and it’s now home to a museum of the college’s history and the Heritage Center.


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Goats descend on Boise neighborhood

With all the strife and chaos happening in the world, this might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back… or maybe the goat’s back? In what is normally a pretty quiet residential neighborhood on the western side of Boise, Idaho, dozens of goats suddenly descended without warning on Friday morning. There were “at least 100,” according to KTVB reporter Joe Parris. Their mission? Still unknown.

Here is a live look at #Boise Goat-a-Paloza 2018 pic.twitter.com/RTZR6bWsRP

— Joe Parris (@KTVBJoe) August 3, 2018

While the scene certainly looks pretty amusing on social media, the affected Boise residents weren’t impressed. The goats stripped rose bushes, ate ivy off trees, and grazed on lawn grass, moving from yard to yard. Basically, they laid siege to the neighborhood. Whether this was a coordinated Animal Farm-esque attack or simply a random occurrence remains to be seen.

Thankfully, authorities arrived shortly to squash the goat uprising. Parris notes that while at first police showed up with one truck, they immediately realized it wouldn’t be enough and called for backup. The goats had infiltrated the neighborhood so thoroughly, and in such great numbers, they would not be easily contained.

Party is over “kids”! Loose goats have been cornered and loaded back onto a truck owned by “We Rent Goats” pic.twitter.com/qWHrb7X7n6

— Joe Parris (@KTVBJoe) August 3, 2018

As it turns out, the goats came from a company called We Rent Goats, which — you guessed it — rents goats. Mainly, the goats are rented for the purpose of removing weeds from fields and clearing pastures, open spaces, ditches, and embankments. In this instance, the goats had been working in a nearby drainage area when they decided they’d had enough of their indentured servitude, shook off their chains, and exercised their goat-given rights to roam free.

The “new kids on the block” are now off the block! The final goats are now reluctantly going home. What a morning pic.twitter.com/Quyca6owdy

— Joe Parris (@KTVBJoe) August 3, 2018

By 8:30 AM, however, their exercise in liberty came to an end when they were herded back into a We Rent Goats truck. The Boise invasion, however, will surely live on in goat legend for generations to come.


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Death Valley record temperatures

The next time you want to complain about the summer heat, just remember: at least you’re not in Death Valley, California. One of the hottest places in the world is getting even hotter, with average July temperatures in Death Valley National Park reaching 108.1 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office. It’s important to keep in mind that 108.1 is the average temperature, not the peak. The highest temperature recorded in July was 127 degrees, which lasted for four consecutive days. Although the numbers still need to be examined more closely, it would appear that Death Valley has broken its own record for highest average temperatures over a single month. The previous record was 107.4, set in July 2017.

The crazy heat has serious consequences. Last month, a 57-year-old man died while hiking in Death Valley, and officials cite the sweltering heat as a likely cause. Dozens of animals have also been found dead this month, according to park officials, without any apparent signs of physical trauma.

Despite the harsh conditions, thousands of seemingly heat-proof tourists still flock to Death Valley during the record-breaking summer months. The park is “perfectly safe to visit,” according to the National Park Service, as long as travelers carry at least a gallon of water, and salty foods and sports drinks to regulate electrolyte levels. The NPS also advises travelers to stay on paved roads, and not venture too far from their vehicles. Or, to really play it really safe, visit Death Valley in autumn.

H/T: Condé Nast Traveler

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