Finches are lovely pets, inside and out.

They’re mild-mannered, stay small, eat a steady diet of seeds, and tend to be lower-maintenance as far as birds go. Give them plenty of space to hop around and socialize, and a handful of finches will reward you with a light, chirpy song.

Best of all, domestic finches are available in a rainbow of colors, from drab gray to a technicolor explosion. Not that you’d pick a pet based solely on looks, but it sure doesn’t hurt that these bouncy little birds are among the most striking pets on the market.

Here are…

Colorado is one of my favorite states.

It’s home to the Avalanche (who absolutely should’ve beaten VGK last week) and the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains, I was speechless. Literally. That has never happened to me ever again — just ask anyone. This state has some phenomenal restaurants, an outstanding B&B that I never wanted to leave, and Boulder is at the top of my list if and when we ever move away from Wisconsin. Colorado, I love you.

And you know what else is cool about CO?

Weed.

Okay, so it isn’t such a Coloradan novelty these…

Everyone knows a friend of a friend of a friend who has a pet skunk.

But I have a confession. I’ve always kind of wanted to be that friend with a skunk.

Can you blame me? They look so soft and cuddly. And I mean, just look at this adorable face!

But the only skunks I’ve ever encountered have been huddled under my front porch, lumbering across the lawn, or eternally resting on the side of the road. I’ve never had the chance to pet that luscious black and white fur.

I wonder what it’d be like to cut out…

Gas in the DeLorean? Check.

Pastport? Check.

Barbarian repellent? Robot milk? Better head to The Time Travel Mart in LA.

This tongue-in-cheek bodega has all the necessities for successful time travel — no matter which direction you’re headed. From canned primordial soup to evil robot memory erasers (they’re magnets) The Time Travel Mart has you covered.

If you’re an android (it’s okay, we won’t tell) you can buy instant emotions like fear, envy, happiness, boredom, or Schadenfreude to help you blend in with the humans. For forward-travelers, pick up a can of mammoth chunks. …

You know that friend who has only one story? A story they tell over and over and made it their entire identity… But it’s one of those ‘had to be there’ kind of stories?

That’s Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.

Walnut Ridge is a sleepy little town in Arkansas that has only 5,300ish residents, an exceptional parks and rec situation, and is nicely situated on the Rock n’ Roll Highway between Jonesboro and Memphis. It simply exudes small-town Southern charm.

And it has a story to tell.

It’s not a long story.

It’s not even a terribly exciting story.

But it’s theirs…

After the year we’ve all had, choosing a vacation destination can feel like an impossible task. Should you visit a desert, a rainforest, marsh, savanna, or an ocean climate? There’s so much we haven’t seen! So many options, so little time?

Why not visit all of the above? At once?

North of Tuscon and just south of the middle of nowhere stands a self-contained mini-Earth. This 3-acre glass house is a tourable science experiment devoted entirely to ecosystems and plants.

Lots of plants.

Biosphere 2 is home to over 3,500 species in five different biomes, each carefully tended by a…

At the precipice of an industrial boom born from copper mining, the young town of Kennicott, Alaska suddenly plummeted to picturesque ghost town status. Why?

Today’s Kennicott is home to nobody, but there are about 40 standing structures including a massive mill, a power plant, several industrial structures, and a handful of homes. There’s a dairy barn where Kennicott’s few cows were kept, a rec center that miraculously still holds events, a schoolhouse slash church, and a tiny hospital that employed only one doctor and three nurses. (Fun fact: this hospital was the home of Alaska’s first x-ray machine.)

Prospectors…

History buffs know that Alabama’s past is rich and complex. Home to outstanding civil rights museums alongside the Confederate White House, this state is full of must-see sites for any tourist who really wants to get in touch with America’s roots.

And tucked away in the northwest corner of Alabama, Tuscumbia’s Rattlesnake Saloon leans into even deeper history. Like, pre-history.

Rock shelters form naturally when erosion carves away at a cliff or bluff, ripping older, softer stone away from the stronger, newer strata. Prehistoric people used them as shelters and archaeologists routinely find tools, artifacts, and more. Pretty cool.

Modern…