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.
Hurricane Shoals Park is a public park near Commerce and Maysville, Georgia, that showcases exposed granite shoals along the North Oconee River. The park, spanning over 71.3 acres, officially opened to the public in 1978, but its history dates back to the 1780s. Early settlement began at the site, once a Creek and Cherokee Indian camping ground called Yamtrahoochee. Several buildings were constructed, including a fort, schoolhouse, grist mill, and Baptist church. There is a covered bridge that dates back to 1872, which spans across the North Oconee River. The Hurricane Shoals Park Association Inc. was formed in 1962 to protect the historic area as a recreational facility.
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Hyde Park is a historic Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London, spanning more than 350 acres. This park and green space stretches from Kensington Palace to St James’s Park and, along with Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, and Buckingham Palace, forms a chain of greenspace. It is divided by the Serpentine and the Long Water lakes. Henry VIII established the park in 1536, taking the land from Westminster Abbey and using it as a hunting ground. It opened publicly in 1637 and quickly became popular, particularly for May Day parades. In the early 18th century, Queen Caroline directed major improvements to the park. During this time, the park was frequently used for duels, particularly by members of the nobility.
The lush, stream-cut Iao Valley is located about three miles west of Wailuku. Thanks to its natural environment and history, the valley has become a popular tourist location. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972.
The Illinois Railway Museum was founded in 1953 when a group of enthusiasts came together to purchase and preserve an Indiana Railroad interurban car, No. 65. The museum was originally named the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, and the museum’s collection includes an impressive collection of electrics, including interurbans, streetcars and L cars.
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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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