Guidebooks are annoying. Just because some editor who doesn’t know me tells me which restaurant is the best or what attraction is a must-see doesn’t make it a must-see attraction. Sightseers’ Delight is dedicated to the weird, the quirky and the fun. After all, traveling is fun.
If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.
All of the places highlighted in this ever-growing database are great. Sightseers’ Delight has visited them all. We think you should make a point to see every one of them. But, this is not a guidebook. Just a webpage to help you plan your next adventure.
The Illinois State Museum in Springfield, Illinois, is the state’s official museum of the natural history. Founded in 1877, the museum was originally located inside the sixth Illinois State Capitol but moved as the state government expanded. Between 1961 and 1963, the state built the museum’s current building, the first purpose-built state museum. Exhibits include local fossils, dioramas of Native American life, a collection of glass paperweights and archaeological and ethnographic artifacts.
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The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is one of the most popular attractions in Chattanooga. The railroad, which opened on Nov. 16, 1895, is the last reminder of a once vibrant railroad scene that existed on Lookout Mountain. It’s also a great reminder of what a great railroad town (and great town in general) Chattanooga is. Of course, once you take the railroad to the top, you’ll be reminded why Chattanooga is the Scenic City.
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Independence Hall, the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park, is where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Inside the building nearly a dozen years later, in 1787, they laid the framework for the U.S. Constitution. Today, the historic edifice is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park. A guided tour of the building brings to life the many events that happened inside the building’s four walls that shaped the country’s early history.
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Since its first running in 1911, the Indianapolis 500 — known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” — has developed into an institution and a national treasure. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, located in the middle of the famous speedway, is dedicated to preserving artifacts related to the races and telling the race’s history. The museum opened in 1956 in a building located outside of the track. Large enough only for a few displays, twenty years later, the museum moved into a new building constructed in the middle of the track’s infield. The museum’s exhibits are constantly changing, and there are usually at least 75 cars on display at any given time.
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The Indianapolis Zoo is a 64-acre non-profit zoo, public aquarium, and botanical garden in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Incorporated in 1944, the Indianapolis Zoological Society established the first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964.
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Located within White River State Park, the museum includes an array of exhibits focused on the science, culture and history of the state. That includes exhibits focused on prehistoric times through the present day. State Librarian R. Deloss Brown is credited with creating the original collection for the museum when he started to amass a collection of minerals and curiosities during the Civil War. The Indiana General Assembly in 1869 passed a law to provide “for the collection and preservation of a Geological and Mineralogical Cabinet of the Natural History of this State.”
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The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, was originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. It was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to veterans. Today, the American Legion Mall is located at the north end, and the Veterans Memorial Plaza with its obelisk is located at the south end. The centerpiece is the Indiana World War Memorial, which was modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The Indiana World War Memorial is home to a military museum, the Shrine Room and an auditorium. The Indiana World War Memorial was designated a National Historic Landmark District on Oct. 11, 1994.
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CNN HAS CLOSED ITS STUDIO TOURS.
Ted Turner co-founded CNN in 1980 and helped transform the way people consume news. The outspoken Turner, who at one time owned the Atlanta Braves, still finds ways to make headlines even though he’s been out of the news business for years. For those interested in how modern newsrooms operate, the 55-minute Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour gives a behind the scenes look at what goes in to the making of a newscast watched by 2 billion people globally.
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Thanks to mechanic Ernest Holmes, Chattanooga is inextricably linked to the world of towing. Holmes invented the tow truck in 1916 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Today, those trucks are indispensable emergency vehicles throughout the world. So, it makes sense the International Towing & Recovery Museum would open here in September 1995. Over its more than 20-year history, the museum has amassed a collection that includes antique and modern tow trucks, photos and related toys. Outside the museum stands the Wall of the Fallen memorial, which includes the names of towers killed in the line of duty.
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The Interurban Railway Museum in Plano, Texas, was completed in 1908 by the Texas Electric Railway as its Plano station. The railway used the building until 1948, when it ceased operations, and it stood vacant until 1990, when the city of Plano renovated the building for use as the Interurban Railway Museum. The museum is home to Texas Electric Railway No. 360, a restored car. The Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation has operated the museum since 2001.
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