6 Lesser Known Museums We Love

This week, The Boys unwrap their favorite book picks for the holiday season — from globe-trotting history to wild presidential tales to the secret life of gas stations in the American South. They also dig into new national park surcharges for foreign visitors.  The Books: "Lafayette in the Somewhat United States" by Sarah Vowell — https://www.amazon.com/Lafayette-Somewhat-United-States-Vowell/dp/0399573100 Amazon+1 "Bolívar: American Liberator" by Marie Arana — https://www.amazon.com/Bol%C3%ADvar-American-Liberator-Marie-Arana/dp/006073509X "The Magician" by Colm Tóibín — https://www.amazon.com/Magician-Novel-Colm-T%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn/dp/0307952879 "Wilderness Warrior: TR and the Crusade for America" by Douglas Brinkley — https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Warrior-Crusade-American-Brinkley/dp/0066210372 "Rightful Heritage: FDR and the Land for America" by Douglas Brinkley — https://www.amazon.com/Rightful-Heritage-America-Douglas-Brinkley/dp/0812980040 "Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders" by Brady Carlson — https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Presidents-American-Surprising-Leaders/dp/1631493952

On this episode of "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan talks to Richard Stone, author of "Project Mayflower." Things we discussed on today's episode: "Project Mayflower" book https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-mayflower-building-and-sailing-a-seventeenth-century-replica-richard-a-stone/a3f94ee44f9babb4?ean=9781493084364&next=t&next=t&affiliate=books  Plimoth Patuxet Museums https://plimoth.org/  Plymouth Rock https://seeplymouth.com/listing/plymouth-rock/  Pilgrim Hall Museum https://www.pilgrimhall.org/  Sail250 https://www.sailboston.com/sail250/  Green-Wood Cemetery New Yorker article https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/green-wood-cemeterys-living-dead  

This week on the pod, the boys dive into their favorite museum heists, from Boston to Bogotá.

On this week's episode of "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast." Kiernan talks to Richard Fain who served as CEO of Royal Caribbean for 33 years. Richard and his team oversaw—and essentially invented—the evolution of the cruise ship industry from a niche business to a global behemoth. His new book "Delivering the WOW" gives the behind the scenes story, with tons of great tidbits (how do you build an ice rink on a ship?) and business advice.   Things We Talk About on Today's Episode "Delivering the WOW" https://www.deliveringthewow.com/  Richard Fain https://www.deliveringthewow.com/about-richard  Adrian McKinty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_McKinty Black Rabbit https://www.netflix.com/title/81630027  Crazy Horse Memorial https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/style/a-hike-to-crazy-horse-stirs-patriotism-and-doubt.html

On this episode of "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," the boys discuss historic homes and parks related to Kiernan's favorite President, Theodore Roosevelt. Brace yourselves for high adventure—assassins, deadly predators, and poor eyesight. Things we discussed on today's episode: Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace https://www.nps.gov/thrb/index.htm  American Museum of Natural History https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/theodore-roosevelt-memorial/roosevelt-rotunda  Sagamore Hill https://www.nps.gov/sahi/index.htm  TR Gravesite https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/visit-the-roosevelt-gravesite-at-young-s-cemetery.htm Theodore Roosevelt National Park https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm  Upcoming Presidential Library  https://www.trlibrary.com  Theodore Roosevelt Island https://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm  Architectural Digest Detroit https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/detroit-is-booming-and-its-a-must-visit-for-design-lovers 

On this episode of Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan travel the world over to share our favorite obscure museums. From Kuala Lumpur to Hartford, CT, we've got some surprises on this one. Things we talk about on this week's episode: Wadsworth Athenaeum https://www.thewadsworth.org/  Button Museum https://buttonmuseum.org/  Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá (MAC) https://museu.ms/museum/details/17154/museo-de-arte-contemporaneo-de-bogota  Islamic Arts Museum https://iamm.org.my/  Museum of Socialist Art https://www.artandobject.com/articles/museum-socialist-art-bulgarias-de-facto-museum-communist-history  Museum of Apiculture   https://mro.si/en/musem-of-apiculture  NYC School Architecture https://www.untappedcities.com/cbj-snyder-shools/?ref=daily-newsletter 

On this episode of Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan loads up the family and heads to sunny Detroit. On our previous Detroit episode (Epi 153), we focused on the art and major tourist attractions, and this time around we hit up Detroit's surprisingly lovely nature (read: Belle Isle) and amazing local eats (read: Dearborn, MI.) Things we talk about on this week's episode: Saint Sebastian is a gay icon https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/lgbt-artwork-marks-saint-sebastian-feast-day  Basilica of Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-san-sebastiano-outside-walls  Detroit 101 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroit-101/id1438098925?i=1000617683551 Detroit Riverfront https://www.detroitriverfront.org/  Cullen Family Carousel https://www.detroitriverfront.org/plan-your-visit/things-to-do/cullen-family-carousel-seasonal  Belle Isle https://www.belleisleconservancy.org/  Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse http://detroithistorical.org/learn/online-research/encyclopedia-of-detroit/livingstone-memorial-lighthouse  The Gothic Room https://www.detroithistorical.org/exhibitions/gothic-room  James Scott Memorial Fountain https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/james-scott-memorial-fountain  Halal Food Guru https://www.tiktok.com/@halalfoodguru   Altayeb https://www.yelp.com/biz/altayeb-of-dearborn-dearborn   Pupuseria https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Salvadoran&find_loc=Detroit%2C+MI  Leila https://www.leiladetroit.com/  Detroit style pizza https://www.bonappetit.com/story/best-pizza-restaurants-detroit?srsltid=AfmBOooztxdpsnekr53gxRIgkbl654hgGtOqjTYgjNCaX1QnyzGizSbO   Boston's Detroit Pizza Co https://www.dpcboston.com/s/order#most-popular  Pie Sci https://piescipizza.com/  Ryan can't go to Singapore https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz60z98nzx7o 

On this episode of Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast, Ryan takes us to Guatapé, Colombia, land of big rocks and little zócalos, with an interview with tour guide Oscar Lujan. Plus, Kiernan takes us back to London for a preview of The Darkest Hour: The Musical. Things we talk about on this week's episode: Oscar: https://www.instagram.com/medellinpeaks/ Ryan: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNbi4w4pQzI/?igsh=MWR0ZnczM2doczBxeg%3D%3D Kiernan: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/british-history-royals-rebels-and-romantics/id1516524780   

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan chats with Daniel Stables, the author of the new book "Fiesta", which chronicles Daniel's journey around the world attending parties, shindigs, ceremonies, gatherings, jamborees, and other alluring functions! Things we talk about on this week's episode: "Fiesta" by Daniel Stables https://www.iconbooks.com/ib-title/fiesta/  Garcia Marquez laid to rest https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36355670  Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/ 

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," a listener request! Kiernan offers tips, tricks, watch-outs, and must-dos when traveling with children. From gear to diversionary tactics, this is a must-listen for wanderlusty parents.  Things we talk about on this week's episode: Anker external batteries https://www.anker.com/collections/power-banks Puro headphones https://purosound.com/ "America, América" https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747326/america-america-by-greg-grandin/  "Fiesta" by Daniel Stables https://www.iconbooks.com/ib-title/fiesta/  Charlie's Place https://lnk.to/CharliesPlace-OutofOffice