River Cruises: 8 Scenic Trips Minus the Mega Ships

Cruising doesn't have to be all about a week in the Caribbean on a monster city at sea. Who really needs to play mini golf or go rock climbing while setting sail, anyway? For a less intense overwater getaway, turn to river cruises. With less-crowded waters and shore excursions to intimate places, it's no surprise passenger numbers are up 15 percent annually on river cruises.

But, with 165 major rivers in the world – and countless more minor ones – choosing the right one can be intimidating. From a tour of French canals on a converted cargo ship to an Amazonian adventure through the flooded forests of Brazil, we've narrowed down eight of the best river cruises on the water.

The Route: Sail on a 7-night cruise from Paris to Caudebec-en-Caux and back through the countryside of Northern France. Stops are made at charming French villages that were depicted by the Impressionists and at Giverney, Monet's home – Japanese bridge and water lilies included. Walk in the footsteps of the Allied forces along the beaches of Normandy, where WWII's D-Day Invasion took place, and see the site where Joan of Arc was martyred. Be sure to spend at least a day or two in Paris at either end of the trip.


The Ship: Named one of the world's "Top Small Cruise Ships" by Conde Nast Traveler's 2010 Reader's Poll, Uniworld's 120-passenger River Baroness was remodeled this year.

Moody Gardens

After extensive renovations, Moody Gardens' 40,000-square-foot Rainforest Pyramid reopened last spring. The conservatory houses over 1,000 species of exotic tropical plants from rainforest regions of Africa, the Americas and Asia. Unlike traditional botanical gardens, this is a family-oriented tourist attraction, complete with a 3-D theater, butterfly gardens, a white-sand beach and a water park. "We're seeing a lot more public gardens installing butterfly gardens on their grounds," says Donita Brannon, Moody Garden's horticultural exhibits manager. " Everyone loves to see colorful butterflies flitting among fragrant flowers. And they are very educational, to boot." Moody Gardens has had a butterfly garden for several years and it attracts butterflies to the grounds all year long.
Spring Blooms: In addition to orchids, violets and bromeliads, you'll also encounter macaws, an anaconda, turtles and fish inside the 10-story glass pyramid.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Founded in 1859, Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest continuously operated botanical garden in the U.S. "We're widely considered one of the top three botanical gardens in the world, noted for our expansive science and conservation efforts around the globe and for our stunning horticultural displays," says Karen Hagenow, the garden's public information officer. Don't miss the Climatron conservatory, a 50-year-old geodesic dome that houses a tropical rainforest.
Spring blooms: 41,000 tulips representing 100 varieties; 2,640 daffodil bulbs representing 72 varieties; 12,000 corms and 7 varieties of crocus; and 1,850 bulbs and 17 varieties of hyacinth.

Americas Most Fascinating Public Gardens

With daffodils and lilacs in bloom, we're dreaming about visiting some of the prettiest public gardens in the country.

In compiling this list of some of America's best public gardens, we considered not only beauty but also factors such as outrageousness, scrappiness and willingness to try something completely different. Read on...

Man-Made Marvels: Oasis of the Seas

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas made its debut in 2009 as the world’s largest cruise ship. It’s nearly five times the gross tonnage of the Titanic and 1 1/2 times longer than the U.S. Capitol building, has 16 decks and a capacity for 6,296 guests. The ship offers weeklong sailings in the eastern and western Caribbean. Cruises depart from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Millau Viaduct

The Millau Viaduct in southern France, which opened in 2004, is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with a roadway nearly 900 feet in the air. The cable-stayed design gives the bridge the appearance of a row of sailboats at sea, and the masts rise 1,125 feet — higher than the Eiffel Tower.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Time Warner Center

This 750-foot tall skyscraper in New York City, which opened in 2003, consists of two towers bridged by an atrium containing upscale retail shops. It was the first major building to be completed in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This “city in a building” contains the offices of Time Warner Inc., residential condominiums, and the Mandarin Oriental, New York hotel. Anderson Cooper 360° broadcasts live here from CNN Studios, and you’ll also find the 1,200-seat Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: International Space Station

Orbiting Earth with a resident crew since November 2000, the International Space Station is accessible only to enterprising tourists who have bank accounts flush enough to afford approximately $25 million for the round-trip ticket offered by Space Adventures. To date, six space tourists have boarded the ISS to experience days of zero gravity orbiting the planet. However, that number is sure to rise in coming decades as private companies develop commercial spacecraft and programs to make the final frontier a viable travel destination.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Hoover Dam

Visiting Las Vegas? Consider a side trip to Hoover Dam. It spans the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada, about 30 miles southeast of Sin City. The massive dam, built between 1931 and 1936, is 726.4 feet deep, from foundation rock to the roadway on the crest of the dam. Hoover Dam generates, on average, about 4 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year for use in Nevada, Arizona and California — enough to serve 1.3 million people.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: The Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off on its long-awaited first flight on Dec. 15, 2009. The Dreamliner is the first commercial airplane that’s mostly built from carbon-reinforced plastic. This composite material is light and strong and won’t corrode or be susceptible to metal fatigue. Using this kind of construction also reduces both the financial and environmental costs of building a new plane. The first Dreamliner is expected to be delivered to All Nippon Airways in late 2010.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge

Also known as the Pearl Bridge, this structure spans the strait between the islands of Honshu and Awaji in Japan. Upon its opening in 1998, the Pearl Bridge became the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a center span measuring 6,532 feet in length — making it a full quarter-mile longer than the previous record-holder. The entire three-span bridge is more than 12,000 feet long.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Panama Canal

One of the most difficult engineering endeavors ever attempted, the Panama Canal is a 50.72-mile-long passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that was begun by France in 1880 but completed by the U.S. in 1914. It drastically reduced shipping distances between New York and San Francisco, from 14,000 miles around Cape Horn to 6,000 when passing through the canal. During the American construction phase, 211 million cubic yards of dirt and rock were scraped away over 10 years to finish the canal.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Three Gorges Dam

Located in China’s Hubei Province, this largest hydroelectric power station in the world contains a 375-mile-long reservoir within its impressive 7,661-foot concrete bulk. The scale of the controversial project is so huge that it has displaced millions of people, submerged hundreds of cultural sites in the Three Gorges area and precipitated an untold amount of damage on the regional environment. Construction began in 1994, but the dam is not expected to become fully operational until 2011.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Channel Tunnel

The Chunnel, as the 31.35-mile tunnel under the English Channel is known, opened in 1994, connecting Calais, France, with Folkestone, England. It is the second-longest tunnel in the world (behind Japan’s Seikan railway tunnel), and has the longest underwater section of any tunnel. The Eurotunnel Shuttle is a special vehicle transport train that has the largest rail cars in the world.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.

Man-Made Marvels: Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Hualapai tribe of Arizona commissioned this horseshoe-shaped, glass walkway that opened above the Grand Canyon in 2007. The Skywalk juts off the rim of a side canyon 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. Despite the vertigo-inducing views, the glass bridge reportedly is very sturdy — it can support more than 71,000 pounds and can withstand gusts of wind over 100 mph.

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation.