Adventure Travel

From dining in the gondola of a hot air balloon to eating under the sea, here are five unique dining experiences you may not believe, but may want to try.

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

Jacob's Ladder on St. Helena Island is 699 steps of straight-up climbing, so difficult that you get a certificate if you make it to the top.

By Jesslyn Shields

The multi-colored bands of The Wave are considered one of the most photogenic — and photographed — natural wonders in North America, but you need a permit to visit. Oh, and water!

By Laurie L. Dove

Boiling Lake in Dominica is the second-largest boiling lake in the world. The trek to get there is arduous and long, but it's well worth the effort.

By Katy Spratte Joyce

'Star Wars' super fans can now be part of their own epic voyage with Rey and Kylo Ren. How? Just board the Halcyon Starcruiser into the Star Wars galaxy.

By Allison Troutner

In a tale so crazy it's true, Pitcairn Island is home to just 50 people, descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers, who hid there more than 200 years ago. And the island is now looking for more residents.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Though they are far too hot to bathe in, with temps over 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the seven hells of Beppu are renowned for their colors — and for the crocs that inhabit one of them.

By Katie Carman

Whether to deepen faith or just to have some time for personal reflection, thousands of people walk, ride or bike el Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim's route, every year. Want to join them?

By Valerie Stimac

Made of glass, the harrowing Coiling Dragon Cliff Skywalk will test the mettle of anyone brave enough to challenge its heights.

By Carrie Tatro

All roads on the Pan American Highway end in the Darién Gap, a dense jungle that separates Panama and Colombia. What makes trekking this area so dangerous?

By Allison Troutner

The Republic of Nirivia, an imaginary micronation comprising a group of islands in Lake Superior, was founded in the mid-1970s mostly in jest, by a small group of Canadians who wanted to see a pristine natural area preserved.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Some call it an artists colony, others a squatters' paradise. Either way, it attracts lots of visitors, billing itself as the last free place in America. So, what's it really like?

By Dave Roos

If light pollution has obscured the night sky over your head, check out one of 178 designated International Dark Sky Places in 21 countries on six continents around the world.

By Katy Spratte Joyce

It's located in the Pacific and part of the Northern Mariana Islands, and played a major role in WWII. Here are seven things you need to know about stunning Saipan.

By Suzie Dundas

Scattered all over the globe in oceans, lakes and seas, are fascinating underwater ruins that once thrummed with the daily lives of the people who inhabited them. So how did they end up underwater?

By Mark Mancini

One of the largest caves on the planet, Hang Sơn Đoòng houses a forested space called "Watch Out for Dinosaurs" because of its primordial appearance.

By Mark Mancini

According to an 1885 pamphlet, a man named Thomas J. Beale buried a treasure somewhere in Virginia, and left behind what appeared to be coded messages about its location. But was it all just a hoax?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only public diamond mining site in the U.S. Thousands of people have dug up their own gems over the years. Some even struck it rich.

By Caroline Eubanks

Here's an Australian town where you can eat, sleep and play, all below the surface. Not surprisingly, it's starred in many movies too.

By Caroline Eubanks

The Happiness Museum in Copenhagen explores happiness across the globe, including how it varies across regions, and why some countries, such as Denmark, are happier than others.

By Stephanie Vermillion

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law in 1968 to protect U.S. rivers for future generations. Here are seven fabulous rivers you should check out.

By Katie Carman

Some folks love stargazing so much, they're willing to build their lives around it. Welcome to Deerlick Astronomy Village, where you can live the astronomical life full-time — or just visit for a dark sky party.

By Nathan Chandler

The taiga biome stretches from Alaska to Mongolia, and it's super-cold. You can totally live here, though not too many people do.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Lake Baikal is a massive, ancient lake in the mountainous Russian region of Siberia. It's home to nearly 4,000 different species, earning it the nickname the 'Galapagos of Russia.'

By Stephanie Vermillion

A reclusive millionaire hid a treasure somewhere in the Rocky Mountains between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Canadian border in 2010. Some lucky hunter finally found it.

By Cherise Threewitt