National parks are more than the best idea America ever had - they're our country's best playgrounds for millions of vacationers who want to enjoy recreation activities, nature and wildlife, and down-time with friends, family, or as solo travelers. This timely, idea-filled guide covers "classic" parks, national historical parks, national monuments, national battlefields, national scenic trails, and beyond.

FOLLOW THE BARBEQUE TRAIL

From North Carolina to Texas

No food seems more quintessentially American than barbecue. To fully immerse yourself in barbecue, sample the fare and flavors on offer at a few favorite towns and fests where grilled beast-be it smoked, rubbed, pulled, slathered in sauce, or massaged with spice - is the main draw. If you're truly a 'cue fan, string the recommendations into a road trip. But beware: After five barbecue feasts in as many days, you may be in need of a giant salad.

Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri. If there is a center of the American barbecue universe, it may well be Kansas City, straddling the Kansas-Missouri state line. As a staging center for western exploration, Kansas City was home to early meatpacking operations and stockyards; barbecue naturally followed. But it wasn't until the 1920s that fellow named Henry Perry opened the first barbecue pit. Among the best loved of the city's more than one hundred barbecue joints are Gates (800-662-7427, www.gatesbbq.com), where you'll be greeted with a shouted "Hi, may I help you?"; Fiorella's Jack Stack (816-531-7427, www .jackstackbbq.com), for white tablecloth service; and the dignitary must-stop Arthur Bryant's (816-231-1123, www.arthurbryantsbbq.com); all have several locations around town.

Lexington, North Carolina. Lexington stakes its claim as "barbecue capital of the world" thanks to the 1919 establishment of the town's first pit-cooked barbecue tent. The furniture-manufacturing operations that were once the centerpiece of Lexington's economy have waned, but the town of 20,000 remains beloved for its coziness and two dozen barbecue restaurants, famed for pork-sliced, chopped, or pulled-served with coleslaw and hush puppies (beef and chicken dishes are also offered at some). Most are open any day you land there, though some are closed on Sunday. One of the largest and best known is Lexington Barbecue No. 1 (10 Hwy. 29/70 S, 336-249-9814).

Lockhart, Texas. Located some 25 miles south of Austin, this tiny town of 14,000 on the historic Chisholm Trail boasts less than a handful of barbecue restaurants, but collectively they serve up 5,000 meals per week. Barbecued pork sausage is the specialty here, though you'll find chops and brisket as well. All the barbecue joints win raves, but if you must choose only one, make it Kreuz (pronounced krites) Market (619 N. Colorado St., 512-398-2361), where smoky brisket, peppered pork ribs, and jalapeño-cheese sausage win raves. Don’t ask for sauce-they don’t have it; but the sauerkraut is divine.

Memphis, Tennessee. Debating where to find the best barbecue here is something of a city sport. With more than a hundred 'cue joints, there's plenty to choose from. Often mentioned are Rendezvous (52 S. 2nd St., 901-523-2746), famed for its ribs since 1948; Central BBQ (2249 Central Ave., 901-272-9377), known for its slow-smoked ribs, pulled meat, and hot wings; Corky's (5259 Poplar Ave., 901-685-9744), seasoned with a dry rub, slathered in sauce, and slow cooked; and Neely's (670 Jefferson Ave., 901-521-9798), made famous by the Food Network's show Down Home with the Neelys. Also recommended? The funky Blues City Café (138 Beale St., 901-526-3637), where the ribs are flavored with a wet rub and slow cooked at 225°F, then drenched in a sweet barbecue sauce. They're worth every last calorie.

St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis is known for its barbecued spare ribs and reportedly leads the world in per capita consumption of barbecue sauce. The sauce is sweet; the ribs are trimmed to remove the fatty portion off the rack. But as far as the locals are concerned, you haven't tried St. Louis-style barbecue until you try the barbecued pork steaks, says Donna Andrews, spokesperson for the city's visitors bureau. Among the city's famed 'cue joints are Pappy's Smoke House (3106 Olive St., 314-535- 4340), known for its dry-rubbed, slow-smoked pork ribs; Roper's Ribs (6929 W. Florissant Ave., 314-381-6200), seasoned with a secret blend of spices and smoked over hickory; and Smoki O's (1545 N. Broadway, 314-621-8180), where the menu includes rib tips, crispy snoot (that would be pig and nostrils), and barbecue spaghetti.

The last decade has seen an explosion of innovative and sophisticated digital mapping technologies - and National Geographic has been at the forefront of developing these powerful new tools to create the finest, most functional and informative atlases available anywhere. This compact, easy-to-use format is the first product built on our newly developed, cutting-edge cartographic database. It offers the convenience of smaller scale without sacrificing clarity or detail; instead, identically-scaled maps on a given continent enable readers to compare physical, political, and regional information simply and accurately.

Ready for an unflinching foray into some of the most brutal moments Mother Nature has to offer? Feast your gaze on Deadly Instinct, an action-packed exploration of the toothier side of nature, magnificently illustrated with award-winning wildlife photos drawn from the National Geographic Image Collection. This eye-popping chronicle is a visceral testament to the will of every creature to survive.

Heartburn

Doctors have been writing about treating heartburn for most of recorded history. In 400 B.C. the Greek physician Hippocrates noted that eating cheese after a meal could cause indigestion and discomfort, especially if accompanied by wine. Apparently Europeans were already enjoying that habit if they didn't suffer reflux. Heartburn, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can have serious consequences and should not be ignored. Drugs that doctors prescribe for the condition can be very difficult to discontinue, however, and have potential side effects. We're not convinced that they are always better than home remedies.

Baking Soda

Q: I used to have very bad heartburn until I remembered a home remedy my mother used to make. I mix a couple ounces of water, an ounce of apple cider vinegar, and a teaspoon of sugar. After the sugar dissolves, I add half a teaspoon of baking soda, stir it briefly, and drink the mixture immediately. This offers fast relief.

A: Baking soda is a time-honored approach to neutralizing stomach acid that has splashed into the esophagus and is causing heartburn.

Yellow Mustard

Q: My wife and I both use plain old yellow mustard to combat indigestion or acid reflux. It works very well for us. If we swallow a spoonful of mustard before an Italian meal, we are okay.

A: Although mustard may seem like the last thing anyone would want to take for heartburn, we have heard from others that it can be helpful. The turmeric that makes mustard yellow was traditionally used for digestive upset in Chinese medicine. Mustard also contains vinegar, which some people find helpful against heartburn.

Papaya

Q: I frequently have heartburn and finally found a wonderful remedy: papaya pills. Every time I have heartburn, I eat one of the pills and the heartburn disappears. My doctor says it's fine to use them. Others might like to know about this great way to treat heartburn.

A: Papaya is a tropical fruit that contains an enzyme (papain) that may be very helpful for digestion. Although papain does nothing to suppress acid, some people report that papaya relieves heartburn. Anyone who is allergic to latex should avoid papaya since there is cross-reactivity between latex and papaya, which could be very dangerous. Papain may also increase the blood-thinning effects of warfarin (coumadin).

Deep in the heart of darkness in the lush rain forest of the Congo, the gorillas were dozing under the rays of morning sun that pierced the dense vegetation, exuding their infectious, albeit misleading, aura of calm. I, on the other hand, was swatting at sweat bees trying to make their way into my ears and up my nose. These bees are attracted to salt in human sweat, and although their sting is almost painless, their constant presence is a total pain in the butt.

Especially when one is trying to observe gorillas and share in their Zen like state. Ironically, the more I waved my hands to get rid of the annoying creatures, the more I sweated and added to my appeal. By the dozens, they clustered on my arms and legs and dive bombed into my eyes. What satisfaction it gave me to crush them. While digging a bee out of my eye, I heard a noise behind me. Like most primates, gorillas are usually heard before they are seen. Not having a mirror, I was using the lens of my camera to pick sweat bees out of my pupils. Suddenly, reflected behind me was a gorgeous, 400 pound silverback. As if responding to an inaudible command, the gorillas had stopped dozing and now surrounded me. This wasn’t good. The females let out a piercing shriek. There were only three of them, but it sounded like a dozen or more. Frozen, our guide whispered to me to cower and pretend to eat leaves. Why pretend? I ingested several.

Evidently feeling threatened, the females prodded the silverback to charge. So like a husband, at first he pretended not to hear, but the females began running at us. Our only weapon a ballpoint pen, I quickly ate more leaves. The silverback joined in the charge. Just inches from us they all stopped and began furiously slapping the ground.

"Mireya is a charming, hilarious, and wonderful storyteller, and though she's n=been charged and chased by wild animals in exotic locales and survived illnesses that would've killed a lesser person she is also one of us - keenly and savagely aware of the importance of good hair and lip gloss."
- Julie Klam, best-selling author of You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness

"We don't often hear stories of NFL cheerleaders who go on to become a Fulbright Scholar and PH.D., but Mireya's story is exactly that and more. Pink Boots is the spirited and colorful story of a little Cuban-American girl who refused to let culture and other's expectations of her hold her back. Her passion for the sciences and her adventurous spirit are deeply inspiring and incredibly invigorating. Mireya is beauty and brains personified - and a badass. It is a memoir of survival."
- Lisa Ling, journalist and best-selling author of Somewhere Inside

"Mayor has 'the spirit of a female Indiana Jones.'"
- Miami Herald

"The attacks of September 11, 2001, changed our world forever, and they brought loss and grief on a scale we had never known. But the aftermath of the attacks also revealed stories of heroism and sacrifice that inspired us all. They brought us an even deeper appreciation for, and commitment to, our country's founding freedoms. And they brought a powerful sense of unity not just to Americans, but also to people around the world. Out of the ashes of that clear September morning arose what the terrorists could never destroy: hope for a better future, faith in our common humanity, and pride in our country's freedoms and ideals.

The universal impact of the terrorist attacks, and the ethnic and religious diversity of the victims, led people from around the world to offer their support, encouragement and blessings..."

Spanish installation artist Francesc Torres was given exclusive access to the artifacts and objects recovered from the World Trade Center that were temporarily housed at Hangar 17 at JFK International Airport. The haunting and captivating photos in Memory Remains are a searing testimony to the day - from crumpled police cars and twisted steel to shredded clothing and a child's doll - and provide the first and only record of Hangar 17. Images are accompanied by poignant essays and offer a unique way to remember the tragic events of 9/11. This is an official book of the National September 11 Memorial and companion to an exhibit at the International Center of Photography in New York and exhibits in Spain and London.