Near the English village of Witley, a sprawling, 9,000-acre estate plays host to one of Britain’s most unique structures. Hidden beneath one of the property’s three artificial lakes, lies an ornate underwater smoking room and parlor with an elaborate “ballroom” dome as its focal point. The only indication that something may rest below the surface is an ornate statue of Neptune that stands guard above the hidden structure.
Sarasota, Florida, can elicit many different images: sunny beaches, lush golf courses, groves of orange trees. The possibilities are endless – it’s a veritable paradise for outsiders looking to escape the year-round doldrums.
Boise, Idaho is a fascinating city of great cultural significance, offering scenic vistas of lush, open landscapes, and many of the urban comforts available in any major downtown metropolis. It is also home to one characteristically charming feature that is a cheeky and apropos nod to nostalgia and local history – and one that should be experienced by travelers from all walks of life.
Nestled in the unincorporated community of Unger, West Virginia, lies an expansive parcel of property. A closer look at this property offers passersby a perplexing albeit familiar slice of Americana: the roadside attraction. Massive fiberglass figures, including a lumberjack, a couple of Muffler Men, even Yogi Bear, jut out from the landscape, greeting people from a long-forgotten era
In August of 1907, Irish Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew set sail on their 200 ton-ship, the “Nimrod,” in an attempt to be the first expedition to reach the geographic South Pole. Shackleton and his small team were met with many hardships, but also achieved many “firsts,” including climbing Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost volcano.
In 1985, Mel Gibson went head to head with Tina Turner in the post-apocalyptic action film “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” The movie was set in an otherworldly, Australian landscape, intriguingly barren and completely coated in a red layer of sandstone dust.
Morocco is a country of vibrant sights and sounds. From its delectable cuisine to its colorful open-air markets, it appeals to each one of the five senses. In southwestern Morocco, nestled inside the Souss Valley, visitors are treated to one of the country’s most unique spectacles..
Stretching for 275 glistening square miles across the diverse landscape of New Mexico, White Sands National Park is a natural wonder, unlike any other in the United States. Its pristine sands seem to undulate in waves and patterns that change almost imperceptibly, but continuously.
On the eastern coast of China, a once-bustling fishing village blends seamlessly into the hillside, reclaimed by the ivy and moss of the lush, green landscape. The village, located on Shengshan Island, is part of the Shengsi Islands, a smattering of over 400 islands just south of the mouth of the Yangtze River.
One of the most compelling figures to emerge from World War II wasn’t a military hero or a world leader. It was a young Jewish girl with a front-row seat to the Holocaust, who kept a diary of her most candid thoughts and observations. Her story serves as a reminder of the horrors of antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, even today.
