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.
Titanic Distillers at Thompson Dock offers visitors a look inside Belfast’s revived whiskey industry, marking the city’s first working distillery in almost 90 years. The experience combines a tour of the distillery with the story of Belfast’s whiskey tradition, its rise, decline and recent return. Located on the Maritime Mile, the historic Thompson Dock and Pumphouse once stood beneath the hull of the RMS Titanic, serving as a focal point of shipyard activity. Today, visitors can walk through the original spaces where shipbuilders worked and explore the renewed spirit of the docklands. Just five minutes from the Titanic Hotel, the site highlights the people and stories that have inspired Titanic Distillers.
The Titanic Memorial Garden at Belfast City Hall honors the 1,512 people who died when the Belfast-built RMS Titanic sank in April 1912. Located on the building’s east side, the garden features a two-level design centered on a nine-meter granite plinth inscribed with the names of every victim. The 15 bronze plaques mounted on the plinth form The Belfast List, the first complete record to include all passengers and crew, including the Guarantee Group, postal workers and musicians, whose names were often missing from earlier lists. Planting throughout the garden was chosen to reflect the colours of water and ice, with a palette of whites, silvers, blues and greens intended to create a calm, contemplative atmosphere. Two Himalayan birch trees frame the memorial.
The Columbus Italian Club commissioned this sculpture, created by Gary Ross, in 1992. The statue is on display in Battelle Riverfront Park along the Scioto River.
The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, New Zealand’s oldest history museum, focuses on the early settlers to the Dunedin region. The Otago Early Settlers’ Association first founded in 1898, and the earliest iteration of the museum opened in 1908. The current iteration of the museum opened in 2012. It features 14 themed galleries with interactive displays telling the stories from the earliest settlers to more recent arrivals.
The Torch of Friendship is a monument on Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami, Florida, at the northwest corner of Bayfront Park. It was built in 1960 to signify the gateway for immigrants coming from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States of America. The flame was intended to act as a welcoming beacon for both old and new immigrants to the nation. In 1964, it was re-dedicated in memory of President John F. Kennedy following his assassination.
The First Toronto Post Office is the only surviving example of a post office that served as a department of the British Royal Mail in Canada. The Georgian style building dates to 1833 before York became the city of Toronto and is also sometimes referred to as the Fourth York Post Office. Today, the museum, which is also home to the Town of York Historical Society, includes a range of exhibits about the history of mail in Canada and the building itself.
The Toronto Railway Museum opened in 2010 in a portion of the historic John Street Roundhouse in the heart of Toronto. Canadian Pacific Railway built the roundhouse, designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990, in 1929-31; it is today the only remaining roundhouse in downtown Toronto. The museum is home to locomotives, rolling stock and railroad artifacts that interpret the history of railroads in the Toronto area and Canada. The museum, which is part of the 17-acre Roundhouse Park and sits in the shadows of the Rogers Centre and CN Tower, has also relocated several historic buildings to its grounds, including Don Station, which Canadian Pacific Railway built in 1896 and original at the Don River and Queen Street East.
Of all the landmarks in London, Tower Bridge sits near the top of the list, perhaps trailing only its namesake tower. The bridge, built between 1886 and 1894, crosses the River Thames near the Tower of London. The structure, which features a pair of towers, is unique in that it is both a bascule (draw) and suspension bridge. The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark, formally opened the bridge on June 30, 1894. The 800-foot-long crossing, often mistaken for the London Bridge, features a pair of 213-feet-tall towers and a 200-foot-long central span.
The Tower of London is perhaps the single most famous London landmark, best known for its history as a jail. Today, the tower, which dates to 1078, is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions and is home to the Crown Jewels. The tower, which sits on the north bank of the River Thames, has been besieged at various times and controlling the edifice has been critical to control of England. Its peak use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries. Among the many prominent people “sent to the Tower” are Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth Throckmorton.
The Troopers Memorial in Invercargill, New Zealand, is a tribute to Southland’s soldiers who served in the Boer War. Unveiled in 1908, it honors 24 local soldiers who died in the conflict, keeping their memory alive for new generations. The memorial, designed by Dunedin architect Newton Vane, includes a trooper statue and detailed design features. It is made from durable materials such as Aberdeen granite.