Close to the town of Lembang in West Java province, Indonesia, is the Orchid Forest Cikole. It is a wooded area, which is home to the biggest collection of orchids in the country. However, the vibrant colors of white, magenta, purple, pink, and yellow of the pretty blooming plants are not the only reason to…
3,700 acres of Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri, USA, is a haven for hikers and nature lovers. The park has a fascinating selection of sinkholes, caves, and a natural bridge, among other intriguing features. However, its centerpiece is undoubtedly the Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins. The place gives visitors a sense of time travel….
Close to Alabama’s William Bank National Forest, stands a small cave area with a curved bridge. The bridge is 60ft tall and 148 ft long. However, it’s not the bridge’s size that makes it unique, but the fact that it’s completely natural. Consisting of iron ore and sandstone, the bridge was formed over 200 million…
Lichtenstein Castle, not to be mixed up with the tiny European country Liechtenstein, is one of Germany’s best-kept secrets. Lichtenstein Castle is located in the country’s southwest state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is around a one-hour drive south from the city of Stuttgart. Tourists may flock to better-known German castles, including the Neuschwanstein, which admittedly…
Approximately 22 miles from the western gate of Yosemite National Park, in the Californian town of Groveland, stands an RV park quite unlike any other. Yosemite is well known tourist attraction. Besides, the familiar trappings of traditional cabins and yurts, the Yosemite Pines RV Resort boasts some magnificently restored Conestoga Wagons for the more adventurous…
In 1AD, the Turkish city of Seleucia Pieria had a problem: its all-important port required regular dredging, because the river water that flowed into from the Amanus Mountains carried a large amount of sediment. During each thaw, the river would rise causing frequent floods in the city. To counter this issue, Roman Emperor Vespasian ordered…
When Birmingham, Alabama‘s Sloss blast furnaces closed for good in 1971, it brought to an end the area’s nine decades, as one of the South’s largest pig iron manufacturers. In 2009, University of Alabama alumnus Joe McCreary, secured scrap iron from long abandoned furnaces. He used it to build Goldie 1971; a striking rust colored…
There is a cave in Missouri, USA, that has a particularly storied history. It began as a mine underneath a forest in the 1930s. In the 1950s, the 17,000 square foot space became ‘Caveland’ – a roller skate rink and concert venue that played host to major pop acts, including Tina Turner. Caveland closed its…
