28 places to see before you die...from the Smithsonian Life List experts

I Have been blessed to have traveled and experienced 6 of the places listed here. The Great Wall of China, Grand Canyon, Ephesus, Venice, Pompeii, and the Parthenon. Next year Petra in Jordan will be added to my list. I will never see all these 28 places but where I have been were all spectacular experiences of a lifetime. I am grateful.

Portals into the Past
Walk the timeless streets and byways of ancient cities on three continents
– Mesa Verde
– Pompeii
– Tikal
– Petra
Feats of Engineering
The world's surviving architectural wonders hewed from stone and mortar beckon as ever
– Pyramids of Giza
– Taj Mahal
– Easter Island
– The Great Wall
A Matter of Timing
Choosing the right year, month or even moment can make all the difference
– Aurora Borealis
– Serengeti
– Iguazu Falls
– Machu Picchu
Triumphs of Vision
Come face to face with history's finest works of art and design
– The Louvre
– Zen Garden of Kyoto
– Uffizi Gallery
– Fallingwater
Scale New Heights
Don't just see nature's most spectacular sites—experience them
– Yangtze River
– Antarctica
– Mount Kilimanjaro
– Grand Canyon
In the Presence of Gods
Encounter temples so magnificent then could only have been built by divine inspiration
– Bagan
– Parthenon
– Angkor Wat
– Ephesus
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?
Visit these deteriorating or threatened destinations before they disappear
– Venice
– Amazon Rain Forest
– Great Barrier Reef
– Galápagos Islands