Condensed below, you’ll discover what some of the world’s most credible experts consider the best pop-up books, movie tours, main streets, recipes, and much, much more.

Pop-Up Books

To get a 3-D movie experience, you need silly shades and a special projector. But for extra-dimensional reading? Just turn the page. Today’s paper engineers turn ordinary books into highly complex and imaginative creations that amaze and entertain, making them popular with both kids and adults. Just ask Ann Montanaro, founder of the Movable Book Society. She has spent the past 20 years collecting, researching, and preserving these inventive texts. Here, she cracks open her top pop-up titles.

The Chronicles of Narnia by Robert Sabuda
Sabuda has earned numerous awards, and is known as a major star in the pop-up field. In this his most recent book, each pop-up spread illustrates one book from the seven-volume Narnia series. Instead of telling you the complete story, he supplements C.S. Lewis’ works and builds on your knowledge of the texts. Turn to the opening spread for the series’ first book, The Magician’s Nephew, and watch as a huge lion leaps forward. On the next page, to illustrate The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a wintry forest springs from the folds. Harper Collins, $20

600 Black Spots by David Carter
Like Carter’s earlier books Blue 2 and One Red Dot, most of the spreads in 600 Black Spots contain a colorful and bold pop-up that looks like a geometric sculpture. The artistic quality of the pop-ups, along with the minimal text and the plain backgrounds, creates an almost avant-garde look. But the book isn’t meant just to be admired. Instead, this interactive book helps kids learn their numbers: Youngsters must see if they can find and count all of the black spots on each pop-up. The book’s combination of counting game and modern art helps make it appealing to readers of all ages. Little Simon, $14

Star Wars by Matthew Reinhart
Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, you can enjoy this book for its spectacular pop-ups. Reinhart uses multi-layered paper engineering to create pages with fold-out flaps that hide extra pop-ups. The extra space allows more room for text, an important feature for a book that bills itself as a “pop-up guide to the galaxy.” You’ll find information on xenobiology, the Millennium Falcon, and the rebel alliance. Look for the real lights used in the lightsaber pop-ups; they turn on as you open the flap. Orchard Books, $24

Moby-Dick by Sam Ita
Whether you want to revisit a classic or introduce a child to Herman Melville’s famous whaling story, Ita’s interpretation of Moby-Dick should satisfy. The book features beautifully executed pop-ups and uses cartoon-like illustrations to tell Melville’s tale. I think the subtle blues and grays really give you a feeling of the sea, and the use of real string for the ships’ masts adds a touch of realism. Moby-Dick also includes extra hidden pop-ups within the folds of the pages, as well as another technique called a dissolving or transformational wheel, where you turn the pull-tab to reveal a hidden picture. Sterling, $16

Movie Tours

When Georgette Blau first got into the movie-tour business, she knew fans would enjoy reliving big-screen moments. She just didn’t know how much. “There were barely any movie-tour companies when I started my own nine years ago,” says the founder of On Location Tours and the Association of Tours for TV and Movies. Today there are nearly 100. Check out a few of Blau’s favorites:

Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour
Los Angeles
During a two-hour tour of the Warner Brothers Studios back lot, small groups board a studio tram that whisks them all over the 110-acre lot. You’ll stop in at prop warehouses, costume departments, and the sound stages of primetime shows like Two and a Half Men. You’ll also pass some of the most famous streets in movie history, including French Street, home to the Parisian café flashback scene in Casablanca. $45

Theater-on-Wheels Movie Tour
Boston
During this two-and-a-half hour tour, you’ll visit the locations of movies like The Departed and Fever Pitch. Good Will Hunting gets the best coverage. Cozy up to the bar at the L Street Tavern where most of the drinking scenes were shot. The bar from Cheers is also a favorite, so don’t forget your camera—or your ID. $35

Philadelphia in the Movies Film Tour
Philadelphia
On Philly’s only movie tour, you can run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art just like Rocky Balboa. See more than 50 film clips on the two-and-a-half-hour tour as you visit 38 different movie sites. Retrace Toni Collette’s steps through the Italian Market from In Her Shoes, and check out the South Philly home where Haley Joel Osment’s character saw dead people in The Sixth Sense. $35

Rafting

Henry David Thoreau called rivers “the constant lure...to distant enterprise and adventure.” But as far as we know, Thoreau never quit Walden Pond for whitewater action—either Classes I–II for newbies or Classes III–V for old hands. River guide and rafting.com editor Tessa Sibbet says warm weather and swift water flows make July the best time of the year to shoot the rapids. Get soaked at one of her favorite spots.

Payette River
Idaho
Less than an hour north of Boise, Idaho, you’ll find both sandy beaches and pine trees framing the whitewater rapids on the Payette River. In between riding the Class II and III rapids, rafters on a Cascade Raft and Kayak half- or full-day trip can even swim in the surprisingly warm water. Before the rafting season ends in September, families should try the Cabarton Run on the North Fork, while thrill-seekers will want to tackle the Class IV sections on the South Fork. Everyone can end the trip with a soak in the South Fork’s natural hot springs.

White Salmon River
Washington
Snowcapped Mount Adams and Mount Hood create a spectacular backdrop for the White Salmon River, about 60 miles east of Portland, Oregon. I recommend Blue Sky Outfitters for a half-day rafting trip through early September. You’ll enjoy the crystal-clear water and evergreen trees lining the banks as you paddle into some of the best Class III and IV whitewater in the Pacific Northwest. Just watch out for Husum Falls; the 14-foot drop challenges even the most experienced rafters.

Youghiogheny River
Pennsylvania
Known as the Yough (pronounced “yock”) to locals, the wide, tree-lined Youghiogheny River winds through the heart of Ohiopyle State Park, about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Ohiopyle–based outfitters White Water Adventures leads guided one-day trips on all sections of the river through October. First-timers will want to try the Middle Yough, packed with rolling Class II and Class III rapids. Adventurous veterans will love the Upper Yough, where continuous Class V rapids drop more than 100 feet per mile.

American River
California
While the South and Middle Forks of the American River—about an hour east of Sacramento, California—both boast remnants of California Gold Rush miners, the South Fork is a popular place to discover rafting. Through October, rafters can sign up with All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting for one- and two-day trips on both Forks. On the Class IV Middle Fork, look for the Tunnel Chute; the famous rapid plunges down a narrow space that local miners blasted out in the late 1800s.

Main Streets

Many years ago, America’s Main Streets started looking more like Mean Streets. But since 1980, the National Trust Main Street Center has worked to change that by helping communities revitalize their commercial districts, combining the architecture of yesteryear with modern amenities. Take a walk down a few Great American Main Street Award winners with Lauren Adkins, assistant director for field services at the Center.

Main Street
New Iberia, Louisiana
When I first visited this historic city located 150 miles west of New Orleans, Main Street’s showpiece Art Deco theater, the Evangeline, lay in ruins. Now fully restored, the Evangeline is an intimate performing arts center. Great new shops have sprung up like Books Along the Teche, an indie bookstore where author and native James Lee Burke shows up for signings. Don’t leave without enjoying the exquisite Cajun food at Clementine.

Market Street
Frederick, Maryland
Along several tree-lined blocks in Civil War-era Frederick, you can check out the independent jewelry stores and vintage clothing shops in historic redbrick buildings from the early 1800s. Nearly 20 restaurants draw weekend crowds from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., 50 miles to the east and south respectively. Head to Firestone’s for second-floor tables with street views.

Milwaukee Avenue
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville sits 35 miles north of downtown Chicago. During your walk of the four-block neighborhood, stop at Parkview Gourmet, the best place for pepper jelly, and Marked for Dessert, a local bakery that won the 2007 National Wedding Cake Competition. Come on Thursday for the morning farmers market and stay for the evening Out to Supper concerts in Cook Park, starting June 19.

Mocktail

“When we first offered the Aqua Frutta on our menu we couldn’t keep up with the demand,” says Marissa Barnes, bartender at Vivo Trattoria in Hartford, Connecticut. The mocktail blends lemonade with berries, and has a smooth, mellow finish. “Because I mix a batch when I barbecue at home,” Barnes says, “the sight of the berry-studded glass on my bar reminds me of relaxing on the patio.”

Strawberry Aqua Frutta
2–3 thin slices each of lemon and lime
9 small strawberries, sliced
Small handful of blueberries
3 ounces lemon juice
5 ounces water
1 ounce simple syrup (recipe below)
Dash of vanilla extract
Sprig of mint

Purée seven of the strawberries in a blender until smooth, adding water if necessary. Put the lemon and lime slices, remaining sliced strawberries, and blueberries in a pilsner glass filled 3/4 with ice, then use a straw to distribute the fruit throughout. In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree, lemon juice, water, simple syrup, and vanilla extract. Shake well and strain into glass. Garnish with mint sprig. Makes one Aqua Frutta.

Simple Syrup
1 part sugar
1 part water

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stir until dissolved, then cool.