Florida has a long and storied association with aquatic life. It is, after all, one of the few U.S. states almost entirely surrounded by water. For decades, people have flocked to Florida’s shores looking for magic in one form or another. And many of them have their sights set on something greater than your average aquarium. For those visitors, there’s Weeki Wachee—a throwback resort featuring, among other things, performing mermaids.
Big Major Cay is one of the many uninhabited islands within The Bahamas. Uninhabited by people, that is. The locals, roughly 20 pigs and piglets, populate the area’s plentiful beaches and routinely cool off by swimming in the turquoise waters. Sounds adorable, right? Well, best of all, they love visitors.
In Cincinnati’s Hyde Park neighborhood lies a building that looks like it came right out of a children’s storybook. This is Ohio’s very own Mushroom House, also known as the TreeHouse.
As sanctions continue to lessen and physical distancing rules are easing across the globe, many people are eager to get back to some semblance of routine. The fact remains that a post-COVID-19 world will not look the same no matter how quickly we return. And in no aspect of social life is that harsh reality felt greater than in the hospitality industry. However, one “restaurant” in Sweden is taking a unique approach to dining—an approach that may well become the new normal.
Russian architecture is a sight to behold, no matter the context. However, if you happen to find yourself along the banks of the Volga River in the proud republic of Tatarstan, you’ll be sure to notice an imposing and colorful building, festooned with balustrades and steeples, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. And that’s as it should be. Because, quite simply, there is no building in the world like the Universal Temple.
Off the beaten path in a dusty town 25 miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lies a roadside attraction that is as enchanting and wondrous as it is perplexing. Tinkertown Museum is a one-of-a-kind destination for all things whimsical—and its mythic appeal to locals and far-flung travelers for over 40 years might be what keeps it going.
Usually, anything falling from the sky that isn’t precipitation would be cause for concern. However, for residents in one Honduran city, it’s become a cause for celebration. In the capital region of Yoro, a local event has come to characterize the area as a one-of-a-kind destination for revelers. One where fish are believed to fall from the sky.
What began as a practical scarecrow creation for the family plot has transformed into a whimsical display of memories in the remote village of Nagoro, Japan. When someone passes on or moves away, Ayano Tsukimi, an elderly crafts hobbyist, makes life-sized scarecrows to remember their presence. These ubiquitous cotton-stuffed dolls are ten times more than the human residents in the village and have become a major attraction for visitors from around the globe.
Deep in the heart of the West Texas desert, sitting conspicuously alongside a lonely and infrequently traveled highway is a Prada boutique. That’s right, a hyper-realistic art installation, built to replicate one of the luxury brand’s high concept stores, has stood in place, unstaffed and virtually inaccessible, for fifteen years. And despite the lack of transactional fashion available, the site remains a steady draw. So how exactly did this desert oasis come to be?
The Isle of Man, a tiny, self-governing British Crown dependency situated between Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales in the heart of the Irish Sea, features prominently in Britain’s history of scintillating storytelling. A proud population of around 80,000 Manx occupy this mythical territory, and most are keen to preserve its rich connection to traditional fairy folklore. And they’ve recently gotten some help from an outside source.
