Nature Obsessed Wanderlust

28 Places

New York, New York

Paley Park

A small peaceful park and waterfall tucked amid the urban grind of Midtown Manhattan.

Anne Marie Ward

Added by Anne Marie Ward

Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland

Petra's Stone and Mineral Collection

One woman's lifelong collection is on display in this unassuming house on an Icelandic fjord.

Added by dacubsrule

Kumejima-chō, Japan

Tatami-ishi (Tatami Rocks)

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

Added by pokipaul

Chicago, Illinois

Garfield Park Conservatory

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

Rush

Orkney, Scotland

Brough of Birsay

This tiny island featuring 9th-century Viking ruins is only accessible at low tide.

wmorden

Added by wmorden

Bolinas, California

Alamere Falls

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

Glastonbury, England

The White Spring

A dark Victorian well house now plays host to mystical waters and pagan shrines.

AZawacki

Added by AZawacki

Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Bird Island Beach

A gorgeous gem on the ocean.

auradlsi

Added by auradlsi

Mendenhall Glacier

A rare chance to get up close and personal with a 13-mile ribbon of ice near downtown Juneau.

Mount Creighton, New Zealand

Little Paradise Lodge

A lakeside garden in the Southern Alps full of whimsical artwork and thousands of beautiful flowers.

Added by rich48

Forest of the Future Library

One thousand trees were planted in Norway to be used to print books a century from now.

AaronNetsky

Added by AaronNetsky

Trøllanes, Faroe Islands

Kallur Lighthouse

This isolated structure beckons adventurers with sublime views of the Faroe Islands.

Kerry Wolfe

Added by Kerry Wolfe

Offaly, Ireland

Birr Castle Box Hedge

The world's tallest box hedge is found in a delightful garden.

Sarah Laskow

Added by Sarah Laskow

Faux de Verzy

Hundreds of dwarf beeches create an unusual, haunting forest in the north of France.

Rohbbie

Added by Rohbbie

Selatangar

Eerie ruins of an abandoned medieval fishing village crumble atop an unforgiving stretch of earth.

Added by Ethankane99

London, England

'The Naked Ladies'

No one knows who created the statues or if they are arranged properly—let alone the artwork's real name.

georgeindc

Added by georgeindc

Chester, England

Minerva's Shrine

Western Europe's only representation of a Roman goddess still in its original location sits in an unassuming park.

AZawacki

Added by AZawacki

Byaduk, Australia

Tumuli Lava Blisters

These naturally occurring but rare geological formations are each about the size of a small house.

gps

Ohrdruf, Germany

The Living Fence

Made from trees and then abandoned, this fence is still growing along a path in Germany.

Sarah Laskow

Added by Sarah Laskow

Island Park, Idaho

Yellowstone's Zone of Death

A legal loophole makes it possible to get away with murder within this 50-square-mile section of Yellowstone.

Kerry Wolfe

Added by Kerry Wolfe

Drangurinn Rock

Icelandic folklore says this giant boulder was ripped from the mountains and placed at its current location, where it became home to elves.

Guanajuato, Mexico

Hacienda del Cochero

Peaceful gardens hide an underground torture museum.

sandyandalice

Added by sandyandalice

Los Angeles, California

Japanese Garden at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant

This traditional garden in the San Fernando Valley doubled for Star Fleet Academy, and is irrigated entirely by wastewater.

Birbholder

Added by Birbholder

La Maddalena, Italy

Spiaggia Rosa (Pink Beach)

Crushed coral and crystals give the sand its signature coloration.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

LaPlace, Louisiana

Frenier Cemetery

All that remains of this small town is its mass grave and a myth of a voodoo priestess who predicted its demise.

Gemfyre

Added by Gemfyre

Hartbeespoort, South Africa

Witwatersrand Basin

It's estimated that half of the world's gold was mined from South Africa's "golden arc."

AaronNetsky

Added by AaronNetsky

Jasper, Alberta

Athabasca Glacier

This natural wonder is disappearing at an alarming rate.

Added by armstrongjason

Bușteni, Romania

The Mountain Sphinx

Conspiracy theories and occult legends surround this mysterious natural rock formation.

poppyoana

Added by poppyoana