Devil’s Tower National Monument

Devils Tower is a dramatic geologic feature that juts out of the rolling prairie surrounding the Black Hills region in Wyoming, and it became the first national monument in the country in 1906. It might seem like a majestic mountain, but it’s actually made of molten rock that hardened into fascinating geometric columns. This site is sacred to multiple Native American tribes, and its mythical quality led to it being featured in the sci-fi movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” It’s still the setting for Native American ceremonies as well as a popular destination for rock climbing and hiking.

Devil’s Bridge

There are multiple places around the world that have been named “Devil’s Bridge” due to some sort of supernatural connection, but the most famous one is located in the German town of Kromlau. Known as Rakotzbrücke in German, the parabolic bridge dates back to the 1860s and is one of the most stunning bridges in the world. It forms a perfect circle with its own reflection in the water below, a feat only deemed possible with some otherworldly assistance.

Coral Castle

A heartbroken man single-handedly built Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida, over the course of 25 years, up until his death in 1951. Without the use of large machinery, he cut, moved, carved and sculpted more than 1,100 tons of coral rock. How exactly he managed this feat of engineering with only hand tools is still an impressive mystery.

Grass under microscope

An image that appears to show a bunch of little “smiley faces” peering out at the viewer from under a microscope has been circulating on the internet for years.

In a meme that has been shared by social media users since May 2021, the image is accompanied by a caption that reads, “This is what a blade of grass looks like under a microscope. Next time you take a walk outside, know that the grass is happy in to see you.”

Maria Morrow, assistant professor of botany and environmental science at College of the Redwoods, pointed out that the “smiley faces” are in fact vascular bundles typical in plants called monocots — plants that are only composed of one leaf, like grass.

So although the above image does depict the components of a real leaf cross section under a microscope, it’s safe to say that the image doesn’t in any literal sense show a leaf “smiling” or “happy to see you.” In fact, describing these characteristics as smiley faces is a subjective call. Looking at the image included in Morrow’s article, one could argue the leaf is actually screaming at you:

Uluru, Australia

Uluru is the mighty pillar at the middle of the Australian Outback.

It shoulders its way high above the flatlands that encompass it; a gargantuan block of sandstone rock that looks like the carapace of a petrified animal.

A truly breathtaking place to behold, it attracts everyone from hikers to history buffs (who come mainly for the pre-historic petroglyphs that mark the caves nearby). However, Ayers Rock, as the site is also called, also figures as a focal point for the old traditions of the Australian Aborigines.

They believe it’s one of the last remaining homes of the creator beings who forged the earth.

Meanwhile, other folk come here to energise themselves at the fluvial channels that run underneath the rock – whatever that means!

Stonehenge, England

Set deep in the middle of the verdant lowlands of south-central England, where Salisbury Plain emerges in peaks and troughs of heath from the oak forests, Stonehenge has long oozed mystery and magic.

Created an estimated 5,000 years ago, this circular conglomeration of huge megalith stones is thought to have been made with unique bluestone material that could only have been quarried from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, some 200 miles away in Wales.

Mystery surrounds both how the Neolithic people managed to transport such huge rocks all that way, and as to the purpose of the building.

Today, it’s wrapped up in Arthurian legends and attracts Pagans for the summer solstice.

Easter island, Polynesia

It was just at the turn of the first millennium AD that the Rapa Nui peoples of eastern Polynesia landed and began surveying the wind-blasted shores of Easter Island.

Of course, it wasn’t called Easter Island then – the name is a later European addition courtesy of the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen, who happened upon the land in 1722. What he discovered would have surely wowed him: countless carved effigies of colossal heads, chiselled and chipped from the black rock boulders of the land.

In fact, there are over more than 880 of the so-called moai heads here, which are each thought to represent the final member of one of the tribal family clans.

Eternal Flame Falls, United States

Delve into the winding walking trails that crisscross the Chestnut Ridge Park and discover the hidden wonder of Shale Creek.

Called, appropriately, Eternal Flame Falls, this curious natural phenomenon is a real mystery to behold.

Why? Well, because it manages to fuse two of the earth’s most elemental forces in one single spot – that’s why! You’ll first see the gorgeous falls themselves, cascading down over layers of chiselled granite rock.

Then comes the flame, which can be seen flickering behind the cataracts.

It never goes out, and scientists say the conflagration is created by the presence of natural gas seeping from the subterrane.

The Tower of London, England

The beheading of kings, the incarceration of state enemies, the plotting of political machinations from the Tudors to the Elizabethans; all manner of dark and shady deeds has gone down between the crenulations of London’s old fortress on the north bank.

Stories of hauntings and mysterious happenings began with the sighting of Thomas Becket (a martyred saint), who is said to have stymied construction of the palace’s extension from the grave.

However, it’s the apparition of one Queen Anne Boleyn that causes the biggest stir – her headless body is seen lurking by the spot where she was killed at the behest of Henry VII back in the 1530s!

The Skirrid mountain inn,walls

Set between the rising fells and lichen-spotted stone villages on the eastern edge of the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park (Wales’ lesser-known, southern mountain range), The Skirrid Mountain Inn oozes with tales and stories of the Gaelic nation’s past.

Some say it was the gathering point of rebel fighters under the banner of Owain Glyndŵr, the hero of Welsh resistance against Henry IV. Others claim that it was once a courthouse where criminals were not only condemned to death but also hung, all under the command of the infamous so-called Hanging Judge, George Jeffreys.

There’s even a swinging noose still dangling from the rafters inside, and oodles of ghost stories to hear over your cawl (traditional Welsh soup)!