Suomenlinna :: Helsinki, Finland

In 1748 construction started on a maritime fortress of tremendous proportions. Suomenlinna (roughly translated to “visitor”) covers nearly 200 acres of land across six islands off the coast of Helsinki, Finland. Actually built under Swedish rule, Suomenlinna and Finland were conquered in 1808 and became a part of Russia in 1809. It was not until over a century later that the Finnish people were given their independence and reclaimed the fortress as part of their capital city. Today it is among the more exceptional tourist destinations in Finland attracting approximately 700,000 locals and foreigners a year. And not just for the unique military architecture. Suomenlinna has plenty to keep you entertained from cafés and restaurants to a brewery and museums. Read more

Lost Sea :: Sweetwater, Tennessee

It’s like something out of a Choose your Own Adventure book. Imagine being a thirteen year old boy wandering through a vast system of caves and discovering what no one had ever seen before, a gigantic underground lake. Well that is exactly what happened to Ben Sands in 1905 when he squirmed through a small hole in the wall and found the second biggest underground lake in the world (second only to Lake Vostok in Antarctica). Known as the Lost Sea, it covers at least four acres (including water filled rooms) with the known surface area of the lake extending about 800 feet long and 200 feet across. Much of the lake however remains unexplored and it is unknown exactly how far it really goes. Read more