As anyone who’s watched The West Wing can tell you, there’s a lot on your plate when you’re the U.S. President. And yes, even Commanders-in-Chief need a little R&R sometimes. But where do you choose as a vacation spot when you hold the highest office in the land? From a seaside resort on the Jersey shore to a ski resort in Colorado, here are 10 destinations that bear the presidential seal of approval.

Hotel Colorado – Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Long before President Ford hit the slopes in Vail, another American president made Colorado a preferred vacation destination. Outdoorsman Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt visited Colorado seven times during his 1901-1908 tenure as the nation’s 26th president. His longest stay was at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, where the rough-and-tumble Republican brought friends and associates on a six-week trip to hunt bears.

The Medici-inspired hotel was the “Grand Dame of the Rockies,” hosting royalty and celebrities who came for the crisp mountain air and the healing waters of the town’s hot springs. Following extended visits by Roosevelt and his successor, President William Howard Taft, the hotel earned the nickname “Little White House of the West.”

Camp David – Frederick County, Maryland

About 60 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., is the official “country home” of the sitting U.S. President. Camp David was initially dubbed “Shangri-La” by its first resident, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who modeled the main house after his vacation home in Warm Springs, Georgia. The famously plain-spoken President Dwight D. Eisenhower found the name “a little too fancy,” and renamed the 200-acre property in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park in honor of his grandson, David.

The grounds include 11 residence cabins as well as a swimming pool, bowling alley, skeet shooting range, and helipad. Numerous foreign leaders have been entertained at Camp David, including the Soviet Union’s Premier Nikita Khrushchev during the height of the Cold War.

State Game Lodge – Custer, South Dakota

In 1927, the West was expanding and vacationers were hitting the road in newfangled automobiles when Calvin Coolidge, America’s 30th President, decided to see the booming region and escape the muggy summer weather of D.C. Initially planning on a three-week stay in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the President and his family liked the State Game Lodge in the small town of Custer so much that they extended their visit for three months — a huge boon for the state’s fledgling tourism attractions.

In addition to fishing and horseback riding, Coolidge officially dedicated the inaugural work on the nearby carving of Mount Rushmore, and declared that he would not seek another term in 1928. He wasn’t the only American President to succumb to the area’s charms; President Dwight D. Eisenhower also stayed at the lodge for three days in 1953. Want to see the area’s majesty for yourself? Book a room or specialty cabin at the lodge and don’t skip the popular Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour.

Congress Hall – Cape May, New Jersey

Built in 1816 in the heart of Victorian Cape May, Congress Hall claims to be “America’s First Seaside Resort” and has been a favorite vacation spot for U.S. Presidents throughout many administrations. President Benjamin Harrison made the hotel his official “Summer White House,” and Presidents Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Ulysses S. Grant vacationed here, conducting business in the classic estate and smoking cigars on the Grand Lawn. Located right across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Congress Hall is less than 200 miles from the nation’s capital and routinely earns a spot on various “best hotels” lists on the Eastern Seaboard.

Lincoln’s Cottage – Washington, D.C.

Much closer to the office (just three miles from the White House) is President Abraham Lincoln’s summer retreat — a 34-room, Gothic Revival-style “cottage” that was originally a home for elderly and wounded soldiers. The President commuted by horseback to the White House (surviving a sniper’s assassination attempt) but also worked on legislation at the hilltop home, including the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, President Lincoln’s Cottage is a historic site and museum dedicated to Honest Abe’s life and legacy, with galleries and extensive exhibits that focus on decision-making, dialogue, and social justice.

Martha’s Vineyard – Massachusetts

This charming (and expensive) island just south of Cape Cod is used to hosting U.S. Presidents: President Ulysses S. Grant arrived in the summer of 1874, enjoying fireworks and fishing, and the parade of POTUSes hasn’t stopped since. President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama have both vacationed frequently in private houses — playing golf, browsing bookstores, and making ice cream runs just like other island regulars. And the private Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port is only an hour (by ferry) away.

Little White House – Key West, Florida

A naval officer residence at the end of the Overseas Highway was a welcome escape for President Harry S. Truman, who spent no less than 175 days during 11 working vacations at his “Little White House” in Key West’s Old Town. The structure built in 1890 saw many critical developments during Truman’s presidency, including the development of the Marshall Plan to rebuild post-WWII Europe and deliberations over the fate of Palestine.

Subsequent Presidents including Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Clinton also visited the home. Turned over to the State of Florida in 1987, the Little White House is now a state historic site and museum. If you take the guided tour, you’ll see Truman’s famous desk sign proclaiming, “The Buck Stops Here.”

Rapidan Camp – Madison County, Virginia

In 1929, President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry bought and designed this rustic retreat in what is now part of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Where two springs join to form the Rapidan River, engineers struggled to create 13 separate structures connected by a series of bridges and paths. The First Couple entertained a host of celebrities in the log cabins, including Charles Lindbergh, Will Rogers, and Thomas Edison in addition to Cabinet members and family and foreign dignitaries such as British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.

Although the Hoovers donated the property hoping it would be used by future heads of state, the remote location and rustic accommodations were not appealing to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. All but three of the original structures were demolished by the National Park Service in 1959.

Western White House – Vail, Colorado

Both President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty were avid skiers, so they bought a condo in the developing resort village of Vail in 1970, long before Congressman Ford was chosen to be the vice president (who would later take office when President Richard Nixon resigned). As commander-in-chief, Ford often returned to Vail, bringing along a group of Secret Service agents who could keep up with him on the slopes.

After leaving the White House, the Fords retired to a luxurious home in the nearby enclave of Beaver Creek. Today, the couple is memorialized in Vail with the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and the Betty Ford Alpine Garden, the highest botanical garden in the United States.

Bedford Springs Resort – Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania

Mineral-rich hot springs in the Allegheny Mountains have lured a succession of commanders-in-chief to Pennsylvania’s exclusive Bedford Springs Resort. In 1821, President James Buchanan made his first visit, and would return for 40 summers. The resort served as the 15th President’s “Summer White House” during his term in the 1800s, and Buchanan received the first transatlantic cable in the hotel’s lobby in 1858.

Other U.S. Presidents who have made themselves at home at the luxurious hotel (which had one of the nation’s first indoor swimming pools as well as one of the earliest golf courses) include former Presidents Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, James Garfield, and William H. Taft.

The Southern U.S. has a unique and unmistakable identity, with distinctive customs, musical styles, and varied cuisine. That’s also true of the region’s rich and interesting history, marked by early European colonial settlements, the Civil War, and the institution of slavery. The region’s intriguing and often complicated past can be explored in many ways, but these seven historical monuments are some of the best you’ll find in the South.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument – St. Augustine, Florida

Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish between 1672 and 1695 to protect St. Augustine, the oldest permanent European settlement in the U.S. As the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S., it also played a key role in the Civil and Spanish-American Wars and was used as a military prison. Made from coquina shells quarried nearby, some of its ocean-facing walls are 19 feet thick, which helped to protect the fort against cannon firing. In 1924, the site was declared a national monument.

Today, visitors can climb the 50 steps to the fort’s upper level for a magnificent view of historic St. Augustine and Matanzas Bay, as well as get a look inside the Bell Tower and Sentry Box. From the lower level barracks, visitors can see the prison, sleeping quarters, storage rooms, and chapel. Historic weapon demonstrations given by volunteers and staff dressed as British and Spanish soldiers take place several times a day on the top deck of the fort.

The Alamo – San Antonio, Texas

One of the first Spanish missions built in Texas in 1716, the Alamo attracts more than 2.5 million visitors each year. It was originally constructed as a learning center to re-educate Native Americans after their conversion to Catholicism, but it’s best known for the 1836 Battle of the Alamo — where Mexican forces surrendered to the Texan Army during the Texas Revolution. Some of the most famous figures to defend the Alamo included Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and William B. Travis, who were joined by around 200 others. 

While many of the Alamo’s original buildings are no longer standing, the Long Barrack has managed to survive as the oldest structure on the site, dating back to its origins as the Mission San Antonio de Valero. Today, it houses a museum that details the history of Texas with a variety of interesting artifacts. The central element of the complex is the mission church, with its instantly recognizable colonial façade. One of the most photographed monuments in Texas, the two-story building is where most members of the Texan garrison withdrew during the infamous battle, and where they made their final heroic last stand. 

Fort Sumter National Monument – Charleston, South Carolina

Part of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Fort Sumter was built in 1812 on an artificial island in the middle of Charleston Harbor to protect the city from invaders. The sea fort is best known as the site of the first shots of the Civil War. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces first fired upon Federal troops, and less than 34 hours later, the Union forces surrendered. 

Visitors to the fort today arrive via ferry, departing from the Fort Sumter Visitor Center at Liberty Square on Gadsden’s Wharf in downtown Charleston. The park rangers offer 10-minute programs detailing the fort’s role in American history. Those who arrive on the first ferry can assist them in raising the U.S. flag over the fort and those on the last ferry leaving can help lower the flag and fold the colors.

Vicksburg National Military Park – Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates the Battle of Vicksburg and the soldiers who gave their lives during this pivotal event of the Civil War. Following a 47-day siege, General John C. Pemberton surrendered the city on July 4, 1863, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River. It was a critical supply line and part of the Union’s successful plan to cut off all trade to the Confederacy.

Today, the national military park includes the Vicksburg National Cemetery, where 18,000 soldiers are buried (two-thirds of which have never been identified), along with more than 1,300 historical markers and monuments. An outdoor display includes a cannon and fortification exhibit, while the visitor center plays a short film on the park’s history.

Oak Alley Plantation – Vacherie, Louisiana

Located outside of New Orleans, Oak Alley Plantation is named for its quarter-mile-long entrance that features a magnificent canopy of 28 centuries-old oak trees, each named after the plantation’s various owners. Many come just to capture a photo of the picturesque alley, but there’s also a restored historic plantation home, the quarters used for the plantation’s enslaved peoples, a sugar mill, barns, and 1,200 acres of farmland to explore. 

Visitors can experience the National Historic Landmark via a tour, led by guides in period dress. The Greek Revival mansion was built in 1837 in a perfect square with a colonnade of 28 Doric columns on all four sides, corresponding to the alley’s 28 trees. The tours detail the tragic stories of the many men and women who were forced into slavery on the plantation.

Old Fort Jackson – Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is one of the most picturesque and historic cities in the South. That is particularly evident in the city’s Old Fort Jackson, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest surviving brick fortification in Georgia. Set along the Savannah River, the fort was built in 1808 and helped protect the city during the War of 1812. It was also used as a Confederate headquarters during the Civil War for local defense. 

Visitors can witness cannon firings twice daily (at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) in the spring and summer months. Two powder magazines and most of the casemates are open to the public, containing displays of tools and weapons used at the fort, along with artifacts from the CSS Georgia, a Confederate ship that now lies at the river bottom just a few hundred feet away. Tours with guides dressed in traditional period garb revealing the stories of soldiers who fought at this historic site. 

Wright Brothers National Memorial – Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

In the early 1900s, these sand dunes along the Atlantic — in what is now the town of Kill Devil Hills — attracted the attention of Orville and Wilbur Wright. With some of the dunes reaching over 100 feet in height and the winds typically remaining steady, it was an ideal spot for the famous brothers to experiment with their gliders. After flying the gliders, the pair built the Wright Flyer, a powered plane, and on December 17, 1903, Orville created aviation history with its first flight. In 1932, the Wright Brothers National Memorial was officially dedicated, drawing a thousand spectators, including Orville and Wilbur themselves. 

In addition to the granite monument, today’s visitors can also see a sculpture that was dedicated in 2003. Made of bronze and steel, it reenacts the historic first flight, with Orville piloting as Wilbur runs alongside while the witnesses who assisted are cheering them on.

Earth’s second-largest continent is chock full of landmarks that date back thousands, and in some cases, millions of years that reveal fascinating human history. From abandoned palaces of long-forgotten kingdoms to ruins of Roman civilizations, these are 16 ancient landmarks in Africa to add to your bucket list. 

Pyramids of Giza – Egypt

Perhaps the most iconic ancient landmarks in Africa, the Pyramids of Giza are also among the greatest mysteries on the planet. The three pyramids at Giza were built during the Old Kingdom of Egypt more than 4,500 years ago. The largest pyramid was erected for Pharaoh Khufu around 2550 BCE — originally standing about 481 feet tall, it was built using 2.3 million blocks of stone, each weighing between 2.5 and 15 tons. The second pyramid, with a sphinx in front of it, was built for Khufu’s son, Pharaoh Khafre, around 2520 BCE, while the third was created for Pharaoh Menkaure around 2490 BCE.

Experts remain baffled as to how the ancient Egyptians built the structures with the resources available to them at the time. However, the fact that the builders of the pyramids lived in a temporary city nearby with a well-developed infrastructure has led Zahi Hawass of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities to suggest that perhaps Egypt was built around the pyramids, which contradicts the belief that the Egyptians settled the area first and then built the pyramids.

Valley of the Kings – Egypt

Ancient Egyptians believed that in order to enter the next world after death, bodies needed to be mummified to preserve the eternal soul, while underground mausoleums needed to be stocked with both treasures and the essentials, such as furniture, jewelry, wine, beer, and clothing — including underwear. The most famous series of tombs is the Valley of the Kings, which has 63 tombs, including those of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II, hailing from the time of the New Kingdom from 1539 to 1075 BCE.

Located on the west side of the Nile in what was once the ancient city of Thebes (present-day Luxor), the area attracts 1.5 million visitors a year, making preservation a major priority — especially since the Valley of Kings became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The World Monuments Fund has been hard at work to create safer public access with railings, signs, and lighting to ensure the thousands who visit each day do not cause damage to the ancient landmarks.

Karnak Temple – Egypt

While the Luxor Temple might be the best-known Egyptian temple since it bears the name of the city, the Karnak Temple, which is less than two miles to the north on the east side of the Nile, often leaves more of an impression due to its sheer size and scope. Once ancient Egypt’s largest and most essential religious complex, the Karnak Temple was built over the course of more than 1,000 years from the 12th to 20th dynasties, stretching from 2080 to 1640 BCE.

Some of the complex’s main highlights are the rows of sphinxes (which at one time stretched to the Luxor Temple) and the Temple of Amun-Ra, where the god Amun-Ra lived with his wife, Mut, and son, Khonsu. Of note is the temple’s 54,000-square-foot hypostyle hall with 134 columns towering as high as 70 feet, each carved with stories involving Pharaoh Seti I.

Archaeological Site of Volubilis – Morocco

Located about 20 miles north of central Meknes on a fertile plain is one of Morocco’s most impressive archaeological ruins: the ancient city of Volubilis. Founded in the third century BCE and believed to have been the Mauritanian capital, the Berber city grew into an essential Roman Empire outpost. It has also been occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Latin Christians, Muslims, and the Idrisid Dynasty.

While Volubilis was once a thriving metropolis, the area has been abandoned for about a thousand years. Because of that, as well as the remote location, the ruins offer an “important level of authenticity,” according to UNESCO. Among the relics are olive presses, thermal baths, and mosaic homes, as well as the marble Triumphal Arches. And now there’s new life atop many of the columns, as many storks have settled among the ruins.

Archaeological Site of Carthage – Tunisia

Perched on a promontory in a suburb of the city of Tunis are the remains of the ancient city of Carthage, founded by the Phoenicians of Tyre in 814 BCE. The city’s strategic location on the coast made it possible for civilians to monitor ships traveling between Sicily and Tunisia in the Mediterranean, and it wasn’t long before Carthage developed into a major trading empire.

In 264 BCE, the first of three Punic Wars broke out between Carthage and Rome — ending in a 146 BCE victory by the Romans in which Carthage was destroyed. In 122 BCE, the Roman Senate sent Gaius Gracchus and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus to build a new colony on the site, but it wasn’t until Julius Caesar later sent landless citizens, and Augustus established the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis there that the area began to thrive again — before then declining in the mid-third century. Today, the Archaeological Site of Carthage contains ruins of the Byrsa acropolis, Punic ports, Antonin baths, Malaga cisterns, an amphitheater, and numerous necropolises.

Kano City Walls – Nigeria

First settled in the 10th century as Dala Hill, this ancient civilization soon grew into Kano, now Nigeria’s second-most populated city. To protect its people, an earthen wall was built around the perimeter of the city as a security measure, along with over a dozen gates. King Sakri Gijimasu laid the foundation from 1095 to 1134,and the walls were eventually completed in the 14th century.

Though the city of Kano was originally intended for 50,000 people, it is home to 3.6 million people today and has far outgrown the walls. In recent years, the lack of maintenance of the wall, which stands 11.5 feet tall and 3.3 feet thick, has threatened its legacy. Within the walls, you’ll find Kurmi Market, one of West Africa’s oldest markets, as well as Emir’s Palace, which was built in the 1400s.

El Jem Amphitheatre – Tunisia

If the architecture of the massive amphitheater in the village of El Jem is familiar, it’s because it was built in 238 CE during Imperial Rome. The freestanding structure of stone blocks without any foundation — measuring 485 feet across one axis and 400 across the other — is seemingly modeled after Rome’s Colosseum. With a capacity of 35,000, El Jem Amphitheatre is also believed to be the third-largest amphitheater ever built, after the Colosseum and one in Capua, Italy.

Another reason the amphitheater stands out compared to other African monuments is that it was built on completely flat land, held up by the support of its arches — a major factor that helped it earn its spot on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1979 and distinguishes it from other structures on the continent that are built into hillsides.

Laas Geel – Somaliland

The paintings on cave walls in the Somaliland Badlands are believed to be between 5,000 and 10,000 years old — yet they were only discovered in 2002 by a team of French researchers, who also located lithic tools around the site. A large portion of the art at Las Geel, also spelled Las Gaal, mostly depicts cows, including cattle slaughters, while other identifiable animals include monkeys, antelopes, and giraffes. What makes the cave paintings so remarkable are their vivid shades of violet, red, brown, yellow, black, and white.

Spread across 20 rock shelters on a road between the cities of Hargeisa and Berbera, the ancient relics remain unprotected because of a political battle over Somilaland not being recognized as an independent state. Visitors can obtain the required permits to visit at most hotels in Hargeisa.

Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroë – Sudan

Situated between the Nile and Atbara rivers is a group of about 200 pyramids, a relic of the Meritoc Kingdom that oversaw the area for over 900 years. Smaller than the pyramids in Egypt and featuring narrower bases and steeper sides, many of the pyramids on Meroë are tombs of the rulers of the time, built between 2,700 and 2,300 years ago.

Meroë was the center of the Kush Kingdom (also spelled Cush), which ruled from the eighth century to the fourth century BCE. Other ruins on the site include palaces, temples, and industrial scenes — displaying both the power and wealth of the region.

Ancient City of Aksum – Ethiopia

As the most powerful state between Persia and the Byzantine Empire, the Kingdom of Aksum, which ruled from the first to the eighth century, was the center of ancient Ethiopia. It was a civilization so pivotal to shaping Earth’s history that it was deemed one of the greatest kingdoms on Earth alongside Babylon, Persia, Rome, and China, according to the Persian prophet Mani.

Located about 100 miles southwest of the Red Sea, on the Tigray Plateau in northern Ethiopia, the area’s ruins, including many monolithic obelisks, are proof of the Aksumite wealth. The tallest standing obelisk is more than 75 feet tall, while the largest fallen obelisk stretches nearly 108 feet in length. In the area, you’ll also find stone tablets, stelae, tombs, and a palace that dates back to the sixth and seventh centuries CE — all of which helped earn the ancient city of Aksum its UNESCO designation in 1980.

Olduvai Gorge – Tanzania

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania spans from the Serengeti plains to the Great Rift Valley, encompassing savannas, forests, and plains, as well as the world’s largest caldera, Ngorongo Crater. But it’s the Olduvai Gorge that stands out as one of the greatest paleoanthropological sites in the area.

The 30-mile-long, 295-foot-deep ravine bears deposits stretching back four million years, with fossils of more than 60 members of the human lineage called hominins, including fossilized footprints that are 3.6 million years old. According to UNESCO, “the overall landscape of the area is seen to have the potential to reveal much more evidence concerning the rise of anatomically modern humans, modern behavior and human ecology.”

Great Zimbabwe National Monument – Zimbabwe

With stone relics spread across about 200 acres, the Great Zimbabwe National Monument is all that’s left of the city that was home to the lost civilization of Shona between the 11th and 15th centuries — making it one of the largest ruins in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Once home to over 10,000 people, the area is separated into three sections. The Hill Ruins are believed to have been the acropolis of the royal city, while the ellipsis-shaped Great Enclosure has living quarters, community space, and a cone tower. The Valley Ruins, in contrast, date back to only the 19th century, with brick and stone homes — some even featuring chevron and checkered wall decorations!

Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna – Libya

Believed to have been founded as early as the seventh century BCE by either the Phoenicians of Tyre or Sidion, the seafront city of Leptis Magna was settled by Carthaginians toward the end of the sixth century BCE. It was later expanded by Roman Emperor Septimius Sevrus, who ruled from 193 to 211, and is now described by UNESCO as “one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire, with its imposing public monuments, harbor, marketplace, storehouses, shops, and residential districts.”By the middle of the fourth century, Leptis Magna was mostly abandoned. It then got caught in the crosshairs of war and civil unrest, which still exists to this day. The remains are some of the world’s best relics of Roman architecture.

Lalibela Rock-Hewn Churches – Ethiopia

In the mountains of northern Ethiopia are 11 medieval churches carved into rock. After Muslims halted Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land, King Gebre Mequel Lalibela set out to create a “New Jerusalem” in the 12th century, building a series of cave churches that are still a pilgrimage site for members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The square and rectangular-shaped churches are divided into two groups: five on the northern side and five on the southern side, with a single church, Bete Giyorgis, to the west of the southern cluster. Narrow pathways connect all 11 sites, as well as tombs and catacombs. But most impressively, each of the 11 churches was carved from a single block of stone. It’s no wonder that Ethiopian Orthodox Christians believe the churches were carved by angels!

Royal Palaces of Abomey – Benin

Twelve kings ruled the Kingdom of Abomey in present-day Benin from 1625 to 1900, each building their own palace within the same space — some next to each other and some on top of each other. After all, the founder of Abomey, King Wegbaja, once said, “The kingdom shall always be made greater.”

At the Royal Palaces of Abomey, there are 10 palaces within the 116-acre space, all following certain patterns of three courtyards and similar wall enclosures. Now abandoned, King Ghézo and King Glélé’s palaces have become the home of the Historical Museum of Abomey, which serves as a reminder of the vanished kingdom.

Djingareyber Mosque – Mali

Locals believe that if the mosques in Timbuktu are destroyed, the world will end. That includes the city’s three greatest mosques — Sankore, Sidi Yahia, and Djingareyber — which are now part of the University of Timbuktu.

Construction on Djingareyber began when Sultan Mansa Musa returned from his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1327. It was later expanded by Imam Al Aquib from 1570 to 1583. Although the mosque is made of mud, straw, and wood, the structure has withstood hardships over 800 years. The main minaret continues to tower above Timbuktu as the city’s most iconic landmark.