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.
Weta Workshop was founded in 1987 and develops special effects for movies and television shows. It formed a digital division, Weta Digital, in 1993. The studio is perhaps best known for its work with Kiwi director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films. The company is named for the weta, one of the world’s largest insects. Today, visitors can tour the studio to learn more about the process and see sets in use for various productions.
William Gilbert Rees was an explorer, surveyor and early settler in Central Otago, New Zealand, and is regarded as the founder of Queenstown. He and fellow explorer Nicholas von Tunzelmann were the first Europeans to settle the Wakatipu basin. A statue of Rees stands on Rees Street in Queenstown.
The Rolleston Statue is a white marble statue situated outside Canterbury Museum on Rolleston Avenue in Christchurch, New Zealand. It commemorates William Rolleston, the superintendent of the Canterbury Province from 1868 until 1877. The statue was unveiled on May 26, 1906, by Mayor of Christchurch Sir John Hall KCMG, a personal friend, who wrote, “City Council arrived in carriages to Statue.” The Rolleston Statue fell off its plinth in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake but was repaired in 2016.
Windsor Castle, dating to the 11th century, has long been associated with the English and British royal families. Since Henry I, who ruled from 1100-1135, reigning monarchs have used the castle, making it the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The castle’s original purpose was to protect Norman dominance around London’s outskirts. It also oversaw a strategically important part of the River Thames. Royals have used Windsor Castle for refuge, including during World War II’s Luftwaffe bombing campaigns. Today it is a favorite weekend retreat for Queen Elizabeth II. The castle sits on 13 acres and is accessible from London by train.
The Wings Over Miami museum, situated at the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, is about 13 miles southwest of Miami’s central business district. It houses a fascinating collection of historic aircraft, with the 1992 Grumman F-14D being the star attraction. This particular aircraft is significant because it was one of the last active F-14s to serve with the Navy before its official retirement in September 2006. Other notable airplanes on display include a 1943 North American AT6D, a 1942 Ryan PT-22 Recruit, and a 1972 Nanchang CJ-6A. Additionally, the museum has a 1943 Consolidated PBY-5, which is another aircraft worth visiting.
The bronze sculpture of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, created by Ivor Roberts-Jones, stands tall in London’s Parliament Square. Churchill selected the location in the 1950s. “That is where my statue will go,” Churchill said, drawing a circle in the northeast corner after Minister of Works David Eccles showed him plans for Parliament Square’s redevelopment. The statue was unveiled in 1973 by his wife, Clementine, Baroness Spencer-Churchill. Current and former Prime Ministers attended the ceremony, and Queen Elizabeth II delivered a speech. The statue is one of 12 located around Parliament Square, with the majority paying homage to prominent statesmen.
The Woodstock, Georgia, community unveiled the Woodstock Memorial in May 2009. The memorial, located in The Park at City Center in the heart of the city, consists of 10 tons of polished granite and is dedicated to local veterans. The monument, designed by Robert Young, reads, “To the men and women of Woodstock, Georgia who served in the armed forces of our country preserving our freedom and our way of life Erected in their honor.”
Turner County, nicknamed The Peanut Capital of the World, is home to a Golden Peanut Co. shelling plant and The World’s Largest Peanut. The 20-foot-tall monument, built atop a crown on a brick base, was made the official peanut monument of the state in 1998. The slogan painted on the side of the monument reads: Georgia 1st in Peanuts. The monument, located along Interstate 75, is dedicated to Nora Lawrence Smith, a member of Georgia Journalism Hall of Fame.
The shrine was created to honor the spirits — or “kami” in Japanese — of the soldiers who died in the Boshin War of 1868-9. Soldiers who fought and died in subsequent wars until World War II have been enshrined here. However, no one who died in combat since the Second World War has been enshrined. To date, 1,068 people who were convicted of some classification of a war crime have been enshrined here; 14 are so-called “Class A” war criminals, making it one of the more controversial places to visit.