• One serious half-dome. Boasting a rotunda that holds the distinction of being the largest half-dome in the Western Hemisphere, the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal draws just as many visitors with its impressive architecture and 75-year history as it does with its three museums (Cinergy Children’s Museum, the Cincinnati History Museum and the Museum of Natural History and Science) and IMAX Theater.

• Midwestern munchies. From the town’s famous Cincinnati chili (which residents will gleefully drizzle over anything from hot dogs to spaghetti) to Findlay Market (pictured above), a public market and foodie haven that’s been operating since 1855, this river city is known for good noshing.

• River recreation. Its location along the Ohio River - the Mississippi’s largest tributary - makes this a destination full of opportunities for outdoor fun. Riverboat cruises down the Ohio River, available from companies like River Escapes Cruises and BB Riverboats, are popular among tourists and a great way to see the cityscape from a new vantage point. The river is also a hub for land-based entertainment and outdoor festivals, the best example of which is Cincinnati Riverfest, a free event held annually on the Sunday before Labor Day. Each year, over 500,000 people descend upon the Sawyer Point waterfront to view one of the nation’s largest privately-funded fireworks displays.

• Players a plenty. For sports enthusiasts, Cincinnati offers year-round intrigue with the MLB’s Cincinnati Reds and the Great American Ballpark; the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals and Paul Brown Stadium; the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and Cincinnati Gardens and numerous college teams.

• Park ‘n ride amusements. Adrenaline junkie teens, splashing tots and ‘coaster crazy adults will find a summer’s worthy of family entertainment at nearby amusement and water parks like CoCo Key Water Resort,  Coney Island, Kings Island and The Beach Waterpark.

For more on what to see and do in Cincinnati, check out the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati Visitors Bureau.

While the world’s top athletes are sweating it out during the Summer Olympics in Beijing (Aug. 8-24), China’s dog population has reason to breathe easy, now that Chinese authorities have reportedly removed dog meat from certain restaurant menus and asked other restaurants to limit or discourage customers from ordering dishes made with the animal considered in many other parts of the world to be man’s best friend.

The move follows a similar ban in South Korea during the 1988 Olympics, though it apparently has not been strictly enforced.

Other places travelers might encounter rover on the menu? Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.

We all know a picture’s worth a thousand words, but in the case of Me No Speak pocket guidebooks, pictures may just be worth a whole lot more. After all, who needs a thousand words when the person on the other end of the conversation can’t understand them?

The guidebooks - available for China, Japan and Thailand - have been around a while, but I was reminded of them yesterday by Thrillist. Yes, you may feel silly accosting a stranger on a busy street corner and repeatedly pointing to a picture of a train, but you’d probably feel a whole lot worse after wandering aimlessly, missing your scheduled departure and spending the rest of the day pantomiming your way around town in search of food, shelter and distraction.

Along with transportation, the guides also tackle food, shopping, health topics and accommodations.

Well, it’s not like we didn’t see it coming. The days of the free first checked bag, at least on major airlines’ domestic U.S. flights, are numbered. Yesterday, Northwest Airlines announced that it will begin charging travelers $15 to check the first bag, a policy adopted earlier this summer by American Airlines and United Airlines. This morning, US Airways threw itself into the ring and announced the same $15 fee.

US Airways Baggage Policy

Northwest Airlines Baggage Policy

What’s more, the US Airways has also decided that, in addition to other recent changes like eliminating free in-flight beverages in economy class, it will beginning removing in-flight entertainment systems from its seats this fall, with no plans to replace them anytime soon. According to this AP story, the company estimates the change will save $10 million annually in fuel costs, thanks to the lighter load.

It seems that what many considered an unbelievable change in airline policies just a few months ago has quickly become the norm.

As for me, I think it’s time to drop some cash over at Minimus. Of course, isn’t that the irony? Paying more for new, tinier toiletries in order to avoid fees that will likely be less than the annual cost of my personal  products?

If you’re not already a member of Virgin America’s Elevate program, then here’s a reason to join. The airline is picking one Elevate member to join its group of VIPs for the first public viewing, scheduled for July 28, of the WhiteKnight aircraft that will launch Virgin Galactic’s commercial space ship, SpaceShipTwo, into sub-orbital space flight.

Wanna see this knight in shining, carbon composite armor? You’ll have to get creative and tell the powers that be about the first thing you’d do in a weightless environment in 50 words or less. Click the image above to get started….

Summer festivals are a great way to enjoy a quick, last-minute getaway or day trip close to home - and many charge cheap admission (or none at all). Here are some of the many notable festivals, celebrations and wacky local events happening this weekend:

Music

70th National Folk Festival, Butte, Montana

Vancouver Island Musicfest, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CA

4th Annual Big Horn Mountain Festival, Buffalo, Wyoming

Uncle Dave Macon Days, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Blissfest Music Festival, Harbor Springs, Michigan

Briggs Farm Blues Festival, Nescopeck, Pennsylvania

Tree Man Gathering Didgeridoo and Drum Festival, Ithica, New York

BluesFest International, Windsor & London, Canada

Watertown Jazz Festival, Watertown, Tennessee

Arts & Entertainment

1st Annual Pacific Islands Film Festival, Honolulu, Hawaii

Berea Craft Festival, Berea, Kentucky

Renegade Craft Fair, San Francisco, California (FREE ADMISSION)

Twin Cities Balboa Dance Festival, Mounds View, Minnesota

San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, San Francisco, California

Culture

Annual Mooning of Amtrak & Metrolink, Laguna Niguel, California

Wayne Chicken Show, Wayne, Nebraska

10th Annual World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival, Collinsville, Illinois (pictured above)

6th Annual Sandpoint Wooden Boat Festival, Sandpoint, Idaho

Monterey Pride Festival, Monterey, California

National Cherry Festival, Traverse City, Michigan

Moxie Festival, Lisbon, Maine

2008 Trenton Mid-Summer Festival, Trenton, Michigan

OSFest (Omaha Science Fiction & Fantasy Festival), Omaha, Nebraska

Hillsborough Balloon Festival, Hillsborough, New Hampshire

Green County Eco-Expo and One Love Music Fest, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Maine Potato Blossom Festival, Fort Fairfield, Maine

Mercer Island Summer Celebration, Mercer Island, Washington

Food & Drink

Taste of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Greek Fest, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Pelican Rapids Turkey Festival, Pelican Rapids, Minnesota

Made in the Shade Beer Festival, Flagstaff, Arizona

Horse & Hound Wine Festival, Bedford, Virginia

11th Annual Victorian Ice Cream Festival, Coatesville, Pennsylvania

Recreation

Maloof Money Cup Skateboarding Competition, Orange County, California

Mid-Atlantic Hermit Crab Challenge, Virginia Beach, Virginia (FREE ADMISSION)

Did we miss a great festival happening this weekend? Tell us about it by leaving a comment.

The All-Star game is about to begin, and being such a huge fan I thought it might be fun to write up my top five baseball towns.  Here we go, in no particular order:

5. New York
If you don’t know who the Yankees are, then you probably shouldn’t be reading this article. Both the Yankees and Mets are moving into their new stadiums next year, so don’t miss the chance to visit Yankee Stadium (for the history and nostalgia) or Shea (for the sound of airplanes flying overhead).

4. Chicago
Wrigley Field is one of the two most celebrated old time stadiums still standing, and a trip to Chicago isn’t complete without visiting this temple at 1060 Addison Street. The entire neighborhood is something to experience, from the stands on top of the apartment buildings overlooking the stadium to brews after the game at “the Cubby Bear.”

3. St. Louis
Have you ever seen a Cardinals game on television? The crowd is a sea of red, and they love their team. The Cards have moved into a new stadium, with a great location near the famed St. Louis Arch.

2. Boston
It’s difficult to find a town that loves their team more than the Fenway faithful. Home to Fenway Park’s famous green wall, the Red Sox games are a feat to behold. Go early for drinks at the Cask N Flagon, then grab a Fenway frank (a hot dog in white bread), and soak up the history of this 90+ year old institution.

1. San Francisco
You might wonder why I included this one - it’s because the Giants are my favorite team. Also, their ballpark is just a thing of beauty and ranked in the top of all stadium polls. Grab some garlic fries and sit in the upper deck to see great views of the Bay Bridge (and the entire bay for that matter).

Let me know what is your favorite baseball town and why!

If you agree with the sentiment normal is boring, then Discover Weird U.S. may inspire your next travel epiphany. Based on the book Weird U.S: Your Travel Guide to America’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, these summer vacation offerings roll overnight accommodations at a participating hotel (mostly Sheratons and Marriotts), a copy of the book, a guide to weird local destinations and breakfast for two into one neat little package that’s available in destinations up and down the East Coast.

For example:

- Pittsburgh, PA: Gravity Hill, a destination where cars left in neutral are said to roll uphill.

- Ocala, FL: The Big Tree, reportedly the oldest living thing in Florida.

- Allentown, PA: Columcille, a 17-acre outdoor expanse dotted with stones and monoliths that mimics those found in ancient Scotland.

- Wilmington, DE: The Ticking Grave, which was said to have inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart.”

Of course, you could always snag a copy of the book or head to the destinations on your own. For ideas for possible places to add to your summer roadtrip agenda, check out Weird U.S.’s list of weird places.

In what Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is calling a world first, passengers on KLM flights departing Amsterdam will be able to check their own bags using self-service kiosks to check in and new luggage handling machines to weigh and label their bags.

The new trial system, launched on Friday, is designed to make the check-in process easier and, eventually, completely self-service. For the time being, airline employees still check passengers’ passports as they accept checked bags, but passport scanners that will do this without human assistance are planned next steps.

This new option for travelers further solidifies Amsterdam Schiphol as one of the world’s best, most innovative airports. Along with offering travelers the aforementioned check-in convenience found nowhere else, the transportation hub is also home to the first CitizenM Hotel, officially opened last week, and is the only airport I’ve run across that promotes its accessibility to cyclists, thanks to bike paths circling the airport property.

Wherever your are in the world, whether you’re traveling or grilling or sleeping or working, here’s wishing you a happy, healthy Independence Day from those of us at the Kayak.com blog and Kayak.com.

We’ll be arguing (constructively, of course) with family members over charcoal grilling techniques and the questionable benefits of using an SPF over 30 while trying not to burn ourselves on sparklers, hurricane lamps and citronella candles. That said, things will be quiet around the blog today.

We’ll be back next week to bring you our usual dose of travel news, tips and summer destination suggestions.