Unique places to visit

When I travel, besides seeing all the usual tourist spots, I like to see some of the off-beat things.  There are several books and websites that I found helpful.  “Roadside America” has a web site where I can bring up a map and pick out the unique things to see in the area in which I am traveling. It is easy to search by location. Some are places we’d visited without checking their web site like Boldt’s Castle but I like to check out the ones that I might miss such as the statue of the large cow with sunglasses in

Lowville. 

I also like letterboxing which is an intriguing “treasure hunt” style outdoor activity. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and post clues to finding the box online.  Many of them are in or near historic sites and/or parks where there is something unique or offers a great place to hike or just relax and enjoy nature. There are over 200 in Oswego County.  We “planted” some but got a notice from a letterboxer that it had washed away but the website is set so people can place notes to let people know the last time the letterbox was checked and any other pertinent information.  There used to be a couple letterboxes at Mexico Point Park. 

“Atlas Obscura” is my new go-to when I travel.  When I was in Ithaca I checked out their site and while I knew that most of the students at Cornell were “brainey” I didn’t know that the college is home of the Wilder Brain Collection. Burt Green Wilder, a professor of anatomy founded the Cornell Brain Society in 1889 to collect the brains of “educated and orderly” people.  There is one of Helen Hamilton Gardener, a suffragette

who wanted to prove that a woman’s brain was not inferior to a man’s and one of a murderer.  I also like that “Atlas Obscura” lists 15,000+ places from all over the world.  I have visited some of them.  I think Myanmar’s Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is one of the most amazing things I have seen.  The 611-ton golden rock defies gravity as it teeters on the brink of a 3625-foot precipice. I have seen many of the things listed but I am always on the lookout for unique things to see. I like the fact that they add new places. I just submitted Casey’s Cottage, which is one of the most unique places in Central New York.  The cottage is closed for the season but, if you haven’t seen the inside of the cottage put it on your “must-visit” list for next year.  

We will be going to Honduras again soon and we are always

looking for something new to see so I checked Atlas Obscura’s site.  They list nine places in Honduras. We have visited the Hieroglyphic Staircase, the Rosalila Temple, the fort in Ooma and Lancetilla Gardens now I want to see the Talgua Caves which are called “The Caves of the Glowing Sculls.” There are a couple of other things listed that I’d like to see. When we were in Cincinnati we took pictures of the Mushroom

House which was listed in Atlas Obscura. It is not made out of mushrooms but looks like mushrooms. Wonder what the neighbors thought?

I think it is fun to check out the larger than life things on Road Trippers. Many were done to advertise a product or something and many have outlived their original purpose but are now just fun attractions.