The best US states for fall apple-picking

Mapping where pumpkins are harvested in the US

Roughly 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are sold in the US every year, with 80% of that available in the month of October. See which states are the biggest producers in acres, starting in Illinois where over 16,000 acres of the gourd are harvested...

The McIntosh apple, long dominant, is now 10th-most popular in the US

First grown in Ontario, Canada, in 1795, the McIntosh became synonymous with the apple by the early 1900s. Newcomers on the market—especially the Honeycrisp in the 1990s—has nearly rendered the McIntosh irrelevant.

The best restaurant tasting experiences in every state

Looking for the best tasting experiences that are a must-try in your home state or anywhere you may be traveling? Here are your options.

The fall foliage map

Fall's beautiful color changes don't happen all at once, which makes planning that peak fall foliage weekend a bit tricky. Get some confidence with this map which allows you to choose a week from now until November and see which parts of the country...

The 10 best US states to retire in, ranked

Out of all 50 states, Delaware was recently deemed the number one state for a happy retirement. That ranking is based on a few factors, including weather, affordability, healthcare, crime, and more. Want to know what other states ranked in the top 10 as of 2024? Click here to find out.

The most haunted locations in the US

This TimeOut guide presents some of the most notorious places in the United States, profiling the creepy histories of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, the Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Louisville, Kentucky, and the lingering effects of the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

Every US state's top import partner

Mexico, Canada, and China are the top trade partners for 42 of the states.

'Johnny Appleseed' was the itinerant horticulturalist John Chapman

Born in 1774 in Massachusetts, Chapman planted apple orchards for pioneers across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, to be sold to locals to produce hard cider. He became famous through a 'Harper's Weekly' profile in the late 1800s, cultivating the modern legend.

Browse a list of the most important scientific breakthroughs from each state

Although scientific discoveries involve experimentation, analysis, and collaborations among many individuals across a variety of locations, some observations, advancements, and breakthroughs have their origins in facilities within the US. These include the polio vaccine in Pennsylvania, the breathalyzer in Indiana, the observation of Pluto in Arizona, and the invention of nylon and Teflon in Delaware. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Visualize the most common job in every US state, from fast food worker to home health aide

Washington is the only state where "software developer" was the most common job (thanks, in part, to Microsoft and Amazon), whereas "fast food worker" was the most common occupation in 17 states.

The best New Year’s Eve drops

There’s more out there than the Times Square ball drop. This list ranks the best of the rest, including the Great Pinecone Drop in Arizona, the Lebanon Bologna Drop in Pennsylvania, and the Pickle Drop in North Carolina.

America's best mountain towns

Thrillist compiled a list of the most well-rounded mountain towns in the US, from ski-friendly Park City, Utah, to austere desert hotspot Taos, New Mexico. Peruse this list for you next mountain adventure.

How the peach became Georgia's fruit, though it makes fewer than other states

After the Civil War, the state sought to redefine its agricultural traditions away from slave-dependent cotton. One innovator, Samuel Rumph, crossed two breeds of peach, resulting in the Elberta, which could travel farther without spoiling. The state embraced this delicious identity to transcend its earlier reputation.

George Washington was an innovative farmer, experimenting with over 60 crops at Mount Vernon

Washington implemented elaborate crop rotation, soil conservation, and sophisticated husbandry methods on his farm. He carefully managed crops, redesigned barns for efficiency, and diversified into milling, fishing, and distilling.

View a map of America's regional pizza styles

It may all be pizza, but it's not all the same. From California to New York and from Quad City-style to Old Forge, this interactive map of the US lets you see the country's different takes on the classic dish.

The fall is the best time of year to buy a car

The months of October through December are generally considered the best time to buy a car because old inventory is getting pushed out the door to make room for new cars. In addition to those months, some days of the week are considered better for car buying than others. To find out more, read this article.

Napa Valley, explained

Some of the most valuable agricultural land in the US is in California's Napa Valley. Located about an hour's drive north of San Francisco, Napa has more than 400 wineries employing upward of 44,000 people and drawing in nearly 4 million annual visitors. The price per acre in the valley can exceed $500K because some of the best wines in the world are grown and produced in the roughly 30-mile-long area.

See the total number of Lyme cases per state in 2023

New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts had the highest total number of Lyme disease cases in 2023. New York had more than 22,000 cases that year. Maine had one of the highest Lyme incidence rates of disease that year—213 per 100,000 people—but only 2,942 cases overall.

The life of a pistachio

Pistachios—which are actually a seed, not a nut—are a superfood with lots of great fat, fiber, antioxidants, and more, and is listed as a complete protein. Originally from the Middle East, the seed was imported to the US where California has become the leading grower in the world. Harvested once a year around October, the flavor is having a bit of a moment both for its taste and nutrition. Watch more here.

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states, ranging from a complete ban on non-professional fireworks in Massachusetts to states with more lax rules like Indiana.

Some of the youngest, wealthiest US suburbs are in Westchester County, New York

Those suburbs include Chappaqua and Scarsdale. Others outside Westchester include Winnetka, Illinois and Short Hills, New Jersey.

Oregon was the first state to recognize Labor Day

In 1887, Oregon became the first of the 50 states to recognize Labor Day as an official holiday. By June 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill making it a holiday for federal workers. Today, we mostly know Labor Day as summer’s last gasp, but its origin is more nuanced.

How Taiwan residents view China and the US

There is widespread support in Taiwan for increased economic and political ties with the US, compared to China. This deep dive of data from the Pew Research Center breaks down how various segments of Taiwan's population perceive the US and China individually and among other Asia-Pacific countries.

Massachusetts is the only state that bans all non-professional fireworks

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It states that Indiana's rules are relatively loose as compared with other states. Beyond state and local rules on firework purchases and use, there are also regulations about the fuses on fireworks—they must burn between three and nine seconds to help reduce the risk of injury if the user doesn't get away quickly enough.

The National Parks System is a popular attraction in the US

More than 16 billion people have visited the US National Park System since 1904. Curious about how something like World War II affected park visitation? This table of annual recreational visits spans the early 20th century through 2023, demonstrating the slow-but-steady rise in visitors over the decades.

Niagara Falls is New York State’s biggest electricity producer

The Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant and Lewiston Pump-Generating Plant together produce up to 2.6 million kilowatts—providing about 20% of New York State’s hydropower and supplying electricity to over 3 million homes.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

The 19th-century painters of the Hudson River School were among the first American romantics, with portraits that displayed the natural beauty of the young country.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

See the 25 of the best photos of auroras from around the world.

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.