Author: Ms. R.

The northern shore of Lake Michigan is almost incomprehensibly beautiful, and few places encapsulate that better than the Fayette Historic Townsite. Tucked well away from any of the main highways that cut across the Upper Peninsula, this well-preserved industrial village-turned-state park is a hands-on ghost town experience. During the mid-19th-century, charcoal pig iron was manufactured at this site.  Today, Fayette serves as a living museum and some buildings are being refurbished. Educational and family-friendly events are often held at……

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According to Piers Mitchell, a paleopathologist from the University of Cambridge, scientists have been extracting data from ancient human poop for over a century. “In the past, we’ve been able to look at a single coprolite from a single person”—that is to say, a preserved turd—”and study the microbiome of that one individual.” (The microbiome is the complex collection of microbes living in every animal’s digestive tract.) Now, in a newly released paper in Philosophical Transactions B, Mitchell and……

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Located on a patch of grass where Lauriston Place Meets Forrest Road, are the relics of Middle Age plumbing. To the untrained eye, these logs with the center hollowed out look like discarded lumber. Luckily, for keen observers, there is an informational placard that provides context on the objects. Several hundred years ago, Edinburgh was a walled city. This stone structure provided safety and security for residents. There are remnants of the Flodden Wall located nearby. Unfortunately, there was no……

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The Margate Caves is a subterranean wonderland located underneath an unassuming street in Margate. The caves are actually a forgotten chalk mine that was rediscovered during the 18th-century.  The caves first opened to the public during the Victorian era as a “Smugglers Cave,” and were important to Margate’s burgeoning tourism industry. The caves changed ownership several times until they were eventually closed in 2005 due to instability. In 2011, the owner of the cave destroyed the entrance.  Not long……

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Standing barely 10-feet tall, Hiyoriyama, or Mount Hiyori, is officially recognized by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan as the country’s lowest mountain. However, there’s more to the story.  Artificially created by locals in 1909, Mount Hiyori originally stood about 20-feet tall. Mountain worship is traditional in Japanese culture, in fact, a small shrine was relocated to the foot of Mount Hiyori during the Shōwa period. In 1992, the Geospatial Information Authority announced that the mountain was officially being……

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Located between Chicago and New York City, this rest station offers an unusual overnight stay. Guests are able to spend their time in either a replica 1865 Schoolhouse or the “Bridge House” next door. Next to these structures is a chapel open to the public that is deeply embedded in nature as it’s covered in vines. Another unique feature of the church is that it features notes from passersby from the past, as well as relics, antiques, and memorabilia……

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In 2015, Pablo Salvatierra was a 23-year-old Argentinian student struggling with a severe case of a skin disease called psoriasis. With no true cure on offer, his doctors had suggested a four-week fast of no solid food, followed by a permanent change in diet. It was a skinny, skinny Salvatierra who left his bedroom the final day. But, now free of scales, patches, and flare ups, he had a new life goal inspired by his veganism: tasting every kind……

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Every autumn, a quarter million people go to Virginia’s famed Shenandoah National Park to see the spectacular fall colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Those traveling along Skyline Drive, the park’s main road, pass a routered wood sign pointing to Lewis Mountain. Eighty years ago, the park marker included an additional line: “Negro Area.” It indicated the way to the only purpose-built segregated camping area in the southern national parks. Today, the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project is working……

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