Author: Ms. R.

Fort Zion offers a solid, quirky detour before heading into the grandeur of Zion National Park. Built to resemble one of Utah‘s old Western frontier towns, the “fort” boasts a petting zoo, a gift shop filled with cowboy trinkets and Native American crafts, an ice cream parlor, and a restaurant serving up buffalo, elk, and even rattlesnake burgers. The real star of the show? The “Virgin Jail,” a wooden jail that makes for the perfect photo op in the town……

Read More

Hidden away in the Lazio region of Italy, about 50 miles north of Naples, the Gianola and Monte di Scauri Regional Park stretches across 292 stunning hectares. Managed by the Riviera di Ulisse Park Authority, the body that governs other nearby Atlas Obscura locations such as the Villa of Tiberius, this park is home to many ancient Roman ruins that few tourists know about. Among its notable sites is a remarkable seaside villa, dating back to around 50 BC……

Read More

La Rochelle is a historic port city on France’s Atlantic coast, known for its medieval towers, maritime heritage, and stunning Old Port. During World War II, La Rochelle took on a crucial role as a strategic submarine base for German U-boats, which caused chaos to the Allies’ Atlantic supply lines. German forces installed significant infrastructure to ensure this effort continued uninterrupted. Massive, heavily fortified U-boat pens housed the vessels. In central La Rochelle, a top-secret bunker was constructed to……

Read More

Some have called it Britain’s greatest case of cultural vandalism. In 1837, work was completed on Euston Grove, the country’s first inter-city train station, which connected London with points north. Three years later, after Queen Victoria’s inauguration, the station embarked on a significant expansion, which came to include a massive waiting hall, the world’s first railway hotels, and a 70-foot tall, free-standing entablatured Doric propylaeum—the largest arch of its type ever built.  Euston Station, as it came to be……

Read More

There is no record of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, ever visiting Wabash, Indiana, either as president or when he lived in Indiana between 1816 and 1830. From the age of seven to 21, Lincoln resided in Spencer County, Indiana, in southern Indiana, about 240 miles from Wabash in the northern portion of the state. Yet a bronze statue of The Great Emancipator stands on the courthouse lawn in Wabash, Indiana. Wabash native Alexander New……

Read More

Just north of Mumbai is the small town of Vasai, a former Portuguese territory once called Bassein. In 1739, the Battle of Vasai, or the Battle of Bassein, was fought here between Maratha and Portuguese forces. The Maratha military commander and statesman Chimaji Appa, brother of the legendary general Bajirao Peshwa I, led the Maratha army. After racking up several victories against the Portuguese, Chimaji Appa’s forces laid siege to the Portuguese fort of Vasai. Chimaji Appa’s army was……

Read More

Located in London’s Waterloo theatrer district, this pub is owned and operated by the same people as the underground (literally in this case, as it exists directly beneath Waterloo Station) art space, The Vaults.  After a performance’s run is over, stage props and sets, lighting elements and costumes make their way to the pub, where they find a new life as unconventional interior design. Fancy a pint while sitting in a crescent moon? Want to sip your cider in……

Read More

By the time the Spanish encountered the Muiscas, an Indigenous people from Colombia’s central Andes, the conquistadors had already subjugated both the Aztec and Inca empires. Between 1537 and 1540, the Spanish employed a similar divide-and-conquer strategy with the Muisca. The Muisca’s northern capital and trading center was Hunza, now known as Tunja, about 83 miles (130 km) northeast of Bogotá. Although the Muisca were a looser confederation than the Aztecs and Incas, they were bound together by a……

Read More

The Jimmie Rodgers Museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the quirky, yodeling musician known by many as “The Singing Brakeman” and even “The Father of Country Music.” Jimmie was born James Charles Rodgers to Eliza Bozeman and Aaron Rodgers, a railroad foreman, in 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi. Growing up, Jimmie would skip school to watch vaudeville performances, which introduced him to the excitement of showbiz. After winning a talent contest at the local theater, Jimmie ran away……

Read More