Jennifer Merrick

From Elton John’s platform boots to Queen Victoria’s slippers, this quirky museum in Toronto, Ontario,offers a unique perspective on culture and fashion.
Inside the funky, shoebox-shaped building designed by renowned Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, visitors can browse a massive collection of footwear that spans 4,500 years and hails from places all around the globe.
Items like Elton John’s silver, 12-inch-plus platform boots, Marilyn Monroe’s red leather stilettos and Elvis Presley’s loa...

This small-but-mighty attraction in Toronto, Ontario, features miniaturized versions of destinations across the country and offers the chance for your likeness to be part of the display.
You’ll feel like Gulliver waking up in Lilliput at this fun downtown Toronto attraction. Opened in 2021, Little Canada features a Little Toronto and six other destinations: Niagara, Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa, Quebec, East Coast and West Coast. The details in Little Canada are extraordinary. Dedicated craftspeo...

Davos, Switzerland: A Magical Mountain Getaway

“The founder knew there was a special energy here,” said Ferdinand, a spokesperson at the Hotel Schatzalp, looking out at the panoramic views of the alpine meadows and mountain peaks. “And later science proved it.”
He was referring to Willem Jan Holsboer, a Dutch railway pioneer and entrepreneur. At the end of the 19th century, Holsboer spent two years scouring the Alps for a site to build a sanatorium for tuberculosis patient...

Memories and Marvels: Exploring the Many Sides of Berlin

A few of the pictures at the Berlin Wall Memorial looked like they could have jumped out of my high school yearbook. One young man in ered front and longer hair in the back. “Business in the front, party in the back,” we used to joke about the mullet. Judging by his wide smile and shiny eyes, he looked like he enjoyed a good party, too. The year was 1986, and like the others whose photographs ...

Article and photography by Jennifer Merrick
“This place has a soul,” said Max, our Scottish-born guide with Canyon Raft Co., who was navigating us down the shimmering Elk River. The sun’s rays warmed us, welcoming spring, and the snow on the Rocky Mountains glistened on the jagged peaks that surrounded us. We agreed that the ethereal combination of river and mountains in this corner of southeastern British Columbia, about three hours south of Calgary, was blessed. But it was more than just th...

Tanque Verde Ranch
The Enduring Appeal of an Arizonan Dude Ranch Vacation
by Jennifer Merrick
“You don’t seem to see much evidence of the ‘city’ worries in this group, do you?” reads the caption of the black and white photo in a 1950s newspaper article. “They’re on a riding picnic high up in the Rincon mountains on a sunny winter day at Tanque Verde.”
The picnickers are smiling in their cowboy hats surrounded by the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The article extolls the pleasures of a ranching...

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, you’ll be able to make the most of your vacation.
Highlights of a F...

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, y...

Like many travelers to Mexico, we wore a wristband. But ours didn’t allow access to buffets, unlimited cocktails, pools or nightly shows. Instead, it gave us the privilege of exploring a protected natural marine ecosystem that Jacque Cousteau once called ‘the aquarium of the world’.
An Overview of Camp Cecil de la Isla
For three glorious nights, we slept on the beach in luxe tents with real beds on the uninhabited Espiritu Sant...

THE BATHROOM SCALE. After a vacation. I’m sure I’m not the only one who dreads this moment of truth. The price I inevitably pay for holiday indulgences averages about five hard-to-shed pounds. So, imagine my delight when I returned from a rejuvenating getaway at Hilton Head Health, and the scale had moved five pounds in the opposite direction. Residential weight loss programs are nothing new. In the 1960s and ’70s, “fat camps” began to make an appearance.
Rapid weight loss was the name of the...

“NATURE IS MAGIC,” says Robert Bateman, one of Canada’s most acclaimed painters. The variety and richness of the natural world is what he absorbs and expresses in his paintings. He lives on Salt Spring Island, and he’s far from the only artist here. In fact, this gulf island, located between Nanaimo and Victoria off the coast of Vancouver Island has the highest percentage of artists in Canada. More than 320 professional artists (those who actually make a living from their art) reside here and this doesn’t include all the passionate hobbyists who also create and perform among the island’s ...

Legendary champagne powder snow, jagged glacial peaks and vibrant mountain communities make the Canadian Rocky Mountains a bucket list ski vacation no matter what your budget.

Craving the Mountains but not the Crowds? Visit the Kootenay Rockies!

What do you picture when you think of the Canadian Rockies? Most of us conjure up the iconic images of Banff and Lake Louise with their turquoise glacial lakes and snow-covered jagged peaks. Stunning to be sure. Over 4.5 million people from all over the world visit these national parks every year to marvel and vacation in their beauty. But the glorious mountain scenery is not confined by the border...

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Stay & Play
Montebello, Quebec: Luxuriate in an Immersive Wilderness Experience at Parc Omega
Article and photography by Jennifer Merrick
All three of us collectively gasped as we opened the door to our panoramic chalet. We dropped our bags, pulled out our phones, and hurried towards the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up the entire back wall of this beautifully designed accommodation. Outside was a large patio with a hot tub surrounded by evergreen trees, thei...

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor, and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining, and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats, and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, you’ll be able to make the most of your vacation.
Highlights of ...