http://www.interestingamerica.com Interesting America celebrates the unusual, the unexplained, the deliciously edible, and fun things to do and places to visit. en-us Introduction to the article on magnificent Nashville Parthenon and a history of the Tennessee Centennial of 1897. (Jumps to full article.) http://www.interestingamerica.com/ http://www.interestingamerica.com/ Article about the magnificent Nashville Parthenon and a history of the Tennessee Centennial of 1897. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2013-01-19_Nashville-Parthenon_by_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2013-01-19_Nashville-Parthenon_by_Grigonis.html If you're a diehard powerlifter or bodybuilder, you'll get a kick out a visit to the York Barbell Museum and USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2012-03-31_USA-Weightlifting-Hall-of-Fame_by_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2012-03-31_USA-Weightlifting-Hall-of-Fame_by_Grigonis.html There's no better example of the grim, macabre side of the early U.S. than River Pirate Cave, a small rock formation on the banks of the Ohio River between Kentucky and southern Illinois. The cave is in a small, aptly-named town called Cave-In-Rock, which seems to be out in the middle of nowhere on the south side of Shawnee National Forest. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-07-18_Cave-in-Rock_by_Phil_Dotree_47.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-07-18_Cave-in-Rock_by_Phil_Dotree_47.html For anyone in the field, seeing artifacts of psychiatry's progression can be a fascinating experience, and there's no better place to do that than the Glore Psychiatric Museum. However, other visitors are undoubtedly drawn to the museum by a morbid curiosity. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-07-10_Glore_Psychiatric_Museum_by_Phil_Dotree_46.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-07-10_Glore_Psychiatric_Museum_by_Phil_Dotree_46.html The Missouri Botanical Garden is a massive park with thousands of types of plants, a place for cutting-edge research, and a dazzling, breathtaking attraction for St. Louis residents and tourists. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-06-15_Missouri_Botanical_Garden_by_Phil_Dotree_45.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-06-15_Missouri_Botanical_Garden_by_Phil_Dotree_45.html A tourist review of Meramec Caverns near Stanton, Missouri; the largest cave system in Missouri, with a length of 4.6 miles (7.4 km). Now a so-called show cave, it may have served as a hideout for the outlaw Jesse James back in the 1870s. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-05-11_Meramec_Caverns_by_Phil_Dotree_44.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-05-11_Meramec_Caverns_by_Phil_Dotree_44.html A thousand years ago, far north of the land of the Aztec, Maya and Inca, Native Americans built a mysterious city of mounds bigger than London. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-04-16_Cahokia_Mounds_Review_by_P_Dotree_43.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-04-16_Cahokia_Mounds_Review_by_P_Dotree_43.html Architectural history and little-known trivia concerning Frank Lloyd Wright's final masterpiece, New York's Guggenheim Museum. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-04-14_Guggenheim_Museum_NY_by_Grigonis_42.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-04-14_Guggenheim_Museum_NY_by_Grigonis_42.html A detailed, lavishly illustrated history of the Gateway Arch and its Museum, its architecture and the quirky social phenomena that has surrounded it in St. Louis. It is a companion article to Phil Dotree's tourist review on the same website. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-04-09_Gateway_Arch_Architecture_by_R_Grigonis_41.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-04-09_Gateway_Arch_Architecture_by_R_Grigonis_41.html A St. Louis native's advice on visiting America's tallest memorial, the Gateway Arch on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in St. Louis, Missouri. Hint: There's a lot more to this place than the Arch, but just visiting the Arch itself is an incredible experience. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-25_Gateway_Arch_St_Louis_Missouri_by_P_Dotree_40.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-25_Gateway_Arch_St_Louis_Missouri_by_P_Dotree_40.html City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, is a huge former shoe factory, transformed into a zany, fun-filled playground for both children and adults, made almost entirely of recycled components, where every piece of art and architecture is interactive. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-14_City_Museum_St_Louis_by_P_Dotree_39.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-14_City_Museum_St_Louis_by_P_Dotree_39.html A look at an unsung heroine of World War I, Tessie McNamara, a switchboard operator whose courageous actions saved over a thousand munitions workers in New Jersey. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-06_Tessie_McNamara_Memorial_by_R_Grigonis_38.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-06_Tessie_McNamara_Memorial_by_R_Grigonis_38.html This gift from Russia to the United States has been called the biggest 9/11 memorial you’ve never heard of. You can find it in Bayonne, New Jersey, if you know where to look. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-04_Russian_Tear_Monument_by_R_Grigonis_37.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-04_Russian_Tear_Monument_by_R_Grigonis_37.html Our action/adventure and extreme sports reporter, Caitlin Doherty, tries some tandem hang gliding at Randall Airport near Middletown, New York. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-01_Hang_Gliding_Hangar_Three_by_C_Doherty_36.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-03-01_Hang_Gliding_Hangar_Three_by_C_Doherty_36.html The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is perhaps the only place in the world where you can see all 23 living species of crocodilians from the Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia. There is also a wading bird rookery and a neat collection of mammals and reptiles such as a Komodo dragon and a 21-foot python. Live shows are held on the hour. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-25_St_Augustine_Alligator_Farm_by_R_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-25_St_Augustine_Alligator_Farm_by_R_Grigonis.html The BODY WORLDS traveling exhibits have astounded millions of onlookers worldwide with their extraordinary lifelike cadavers in realistic poses, preserved with the Plastination process of Dr. Gunther von Hagens and giving the public its most sophisticated anatomy lesson, ever. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-17_Body_Worlds_by_R_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-17_Body_Worlds_by_R_Grigonis.html A look at the more than 2,000 gnomes and gnome-related items at the private museum and grounds of Gnome Habitat USA near Auburn, California. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-16_Gnome_Habitat_USA_by_R_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-16_Gnome_Habitat_USA_by_R_Grigonis.html Interesting America's action-adventure, extreme sports enthusiast, Caitlin Doherty, goes parasailing off the coast of New Jersey's Long Beach Island, courtesy of LBI Parasail. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-14_Parasailing_Long_Beach_Island_by_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-14_Parasailing_Long_Beach_Island_by_C_Doherty.html Interesting America's action-adventure and extreme sports reporter - not to mention pizza-ologist and restaurant critic - reminisces about her first whitewater rafting trip in 2008. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-11_Whitewater_Rafting_Lehigh_River_by_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-11_Whitewater_Rafting_Lehigh_River_by_C_Doherty.html Every action-adventure or extreme sports aficionado at some point in their lives is drawn to sky diving. And if you’re not into adventure, at least it’s a sure-fire way to cure yourself of a fear of heights! http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-10_Skydiving_Pennridge_Airport_by_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-10_Skydiving_Pennridge_Airport_by_C_Doherty.html An architectural history of revolving restaurants and a look at The View, New York's only revolving restaurant, atop the New York Marriott Marquis on Times Square. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-09_The_View_Revolving_Restaurant_History_by_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-09_The_View_Revolving_Restaurant_History_by_Grigonis.html Our food critic journeyed to Manhattan to investigate what was rumored to be a fantastic Sunday Brunch at the The View restaurant, Manhattan's only revolving restaurant, on the 47th floor of the Marriott Hotel on Times Square. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-07_The_View_Revolving_Restaurant_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-07_The_View_Revolving_Restaurant_C_Doherty.html A fun way to tour New York's Central Park without spending a lot of money on a horse-drawn carriage is to hire a pedicab, also known as a cycle rickshaw. They're basically big tricycles that are propelled by the driver, who pulls or pushes one or two passengers. Here's a photo tour of one such excursion. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-07_The_View_Revolving_Restaurant_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-07_The_View_Revolving_Restaurant_C_Doherty.html As the world's most renowned skyscraper becomes an octogenarian, Interesting America celebrates the occasion with the most definitive article ever written about the Empire State Building, including little-known facts and anecdotes about the time a B-25 bomber crashed into the building in 1945, details about the mysterious 103rd floor and the story behind attempts to use the great edifice as a mooring mast for transatlantic airships like the Hindenburg. Article has 27,675 words, 81 images. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-04_Empire_State_Building_at_80_by_R_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-02-04_Empire_State_Building_at_80_by_R_Grigonis.html The oldest pizza restaurant in Philadelphia (founded in 1927) still produces pizza that entices out-of-state pizza-ologists. Indeed, Marra’s has attracted many celebrities over the years, including Frank Sinatra, John Travolta, and Conan O’Brien, as well as those denizens of New Jersey who regularly cross the bridge over the Delaware River just to satisfy their pizza cravings at this South Philly landmark. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-23_Marra's_Pizza_Philadelphia_by_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-23_Marra's_Pizza_Philadelphia_by_C_Doherty.html Interesting America's Editor-in-Chief visits Rice to Riches, New York’s first and perhaps the world’s only dessert emporium devoted solely to rice pudding. Nothing else. Just rice pudding. 20+ flavors of it. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-21_Rice_to_Riches_by_R_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-21_Rice_to_Riches_by_R_Grigonis.html Interesting America looks at Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, a town that has infused art and magical whimsy to ignite smiles and interest as tourists and locals encounter trolls along its Main Street Trollway. The town celebrates its 150th Anniversary in 2011. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-21_Mt_Horeb_Wisconsin_by_Slutsky.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-21_Mt_Horeb_Wisconsin_by_Slutsky.html Interesting America's pizza-ologist visits Lombardi’s pizza restaurant in New York, the first such establishment in the United States, founded in 1905. Also, a surprising history of pizza. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-12_Lombardi_Pizza_NYC_by_C_Doherty.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-12_Lombardi_Pizza_NYC_by_C_Doherty.html The U.S. Troll store, currently located in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been delighting customers with trolls for over 30 years. The Kuuskoski family, which owns the store, previously made trolls in Finland. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-07_Fauni_Trolls_Wilmington_NC_by_Slutsky.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-07_Fauni_Trolls_Wilmington_NC_by_Slutsky.html The Cadillac Ranch seems to be nothing more than a line of Cadillacs buried halfway in the ground, and that's really exactly what it is — ten Cadillacs in a whole lot of dirt. Nevertheless, the Cadillac Ranch has become a popular attraction Amarillo, Texas (it's in a wheat field situated just west of town), and astute visitors will undoubtedly note that there’s more to the Cadillac Ranch than meets the eye. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-06_Cadillac_Ranch_Texas_by_Dotree.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-06_Cadillac_Ranch_Texas_by_Dotree.html Long before the Empire State Building was completed in 1931, New York’s visually striking Flatiron Building was the visual icon representing New York. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-03_Flatiron_Building_New_York_by_R_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2011-01-03_Flatiron_Building_New_York_by_R_Grigonis.html Anyone fascinated by trolls will not be able to resist a visit to A Troll in the Park if they are near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a store in the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community owned by the Arensbak-Shaffer families. A visit there can be an eye-opening experience that may convert you into one of their many troll collectors. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-30_A_Troll_in_the_Park_Gatlinburg_Tennessee_by_Slutsky.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-30_A_Troll_in_the_Park_Gatlinburg_Tennessee_by_Slutsky.html The majority of American Bison (buffalo) have been crossbred with cattle. Only about 10,000 to 15,000 bison that dwell on public lands are considered to be genetically pure North American Bison. Another 50,000 are privately owned. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-21_Genetically_Pure_North_American_Bison_by_April_Kenyon.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-21_Genetically_Pure_North_American_Bison_by_April_Kenyon.html In recent years there’s been a lot of stories (including ours) circulating about concerning elephant artists that paint like the abstract expressionists, or sometimes do simple still lifes or self-portraits. Within the USA, you can find them at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Toledo Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-20_Rhino_Rembrandts_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-20_Rhino_Rembrandts_Grigonis.html One of San Francisco’s most famous and fun museums is the Exploratorium, which has been open to the public since 1969. Every year, the museum receives about 600,000 visitors from all over the world. It’s easy to see why: the Exploratorium is full of active exhibits that encourage direct participation and encourages scientific learning through experience. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-18_Exploratorium_San_Fran_Dotree.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-18_Exploratorium_San_Fran_Dotree.html Art therapy and creativity are not just for humans. In 1995, Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid, while in the United States, began teaching an elephant named Renee how to paint. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-19_Painting_Elephants_Slutsky.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-19_Painting_Elephants_Slutsky.html Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in theory was renamed Busch Gardens Africa, but everyone still calls it Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It is a 335-acre African-themed park that strikes the right balance of animals (more than 2,000 of them), thrill rides, water rides, eateries, shops, live entertainment and educational experiences. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-06_Busch_Gardens_Tampa_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-06_Busch_Gardens_Tampa_Grigonis.html Several of America’s extraordinary, little-known architectural wonders can be found in what is known as the Bryn Athyn Historic District, a National Historic Landmark situated just a mile north of the Philadelphia border. Bryn Athyn (“Hill of Cohesion”), Pennsylvania was founded as a religious community in the late 19th century by members of a Christian denomination known as The New Church, followers of the writings of scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-16_Bryn_Athyn_PA_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-16_Bryn_Athyn_PA_Grigonis.html Depending on your point of view, revolving restaurants are either an unnecessary luxury or a brilliant example of fine architecture. One thing is indisputable: a revolving restaurant can offer a great panoramic experience for diners, and more often than not, the restaurants tend to be major stops for vacation-goers and sightseers. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-14_Revolving_Restaurants_in_the_Americas_by_Dotree.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-14_Revolving_Restaurants_in_the_Americas_by_Dotree.html Some semi-humorous experiences in dieting, culminating a 70 pound loss thanks to NutriSystem and exercise. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-10-30_Dieting_Nutrisystem_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-10-30_Dieting_Nutrisystem_Grigonis.html The classic circus sideshow is nearly extinct in the United States, but there are some talented professionals who are keeping it alive and adapting it to modern times. FreakShow Deluxe is one such show, a breathtaking and innovative group of performers that take a unique approach to keep their audiences thoroughly entertained. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-21_Freak_Show_Deluxe_Dotree.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-21_Freak_Show_Deluxe_Dotree.html This otherwise nondescript 1840s Country Gothic Revival-style house on Staten Island was not only the home in exile for the great Italian liberator Giuseppe Garibaldi, but also the place where the home http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-02_Garibaldi_Meucci_Museum_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-02_Garibaldi_Meucci_Museum_Grigonis.html Our weakness for frequenting old-time Florida attractions leads us to the Jungle Queen Riverboat cruise up the New River, starting from Fort Lauderdale. If you’re yearning to see some of Florida’s most expensive real estate and multi-million dollar mega-yachts, this three-hour tour is for you. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-02_Jungle_Queen_Florida_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-02_Jungle_Queen_Florida_Grigonis.html Did you know that there is a Military Intelligence Hall of fame? Military intelligence types work tirelessly and thanklessly behind the scenes without ever receiving any notoriety, and the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is one of the few places where these denizens of the shadows get some recognition. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-01_M_Intelligence_Hall_of_Fame_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-01_M_Intelligence_Hall_of_Fame_Grigonis.html There exist many unwanted, neglected, abandoned or abused lions, tigers, cheetahs, cougars, elephants and other exotic “cast-offs” from inept private owners, failing zoos, movie companies, low-life circuses, and nefarious individuals who charge fees for the sport of shooting captive animals at point blank range. Since 1972, many of these animals have ended up living out their lives in safety, comfort and dignity at a sort of “animal orphanage” called the Shambala Preserve, founded by actress, conservationist and animal rights activist Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-24_Shambala_Preserve_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-24_Shambala_Preserve_Grigonis.html Manhattan’s 48-acre Grand Central Terminal is currently the world’s largest railroad station in the world in terms of the number of platforms: 44 (and 67 tracks). Some of its secrets hide in plain sight: above the marble and brass pagoda-like information booth on the Main Concourse is a unique four-faced clock worth nearly $20 million. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-08_Grand_Central_Terminal_by_Grigonis.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-08_Grand_Central_Terminal_by_Grigonis.html Located in beautiful Crawford County in southern Indiana, Wyandotte Cave is considered to be one of the largest limestone caverns in North America. Often referred to in the plural form, Wyandotte Caves are actually made up of two separate caverns. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-13_Wyandotte_Cave_Indiana_by_Kenyon.html http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-13_Wyandotte_Cave_Indiana_by_Kenyon.html A visit to the 110-acre Gatorland theme park and wildlife preserve, called The Alligator Capital of the World. It is among the last of the great, authentic, central Florida tourist experiences. http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-10-26_Gatorland_Grigonis.html#FatZippyOnGator http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-10-26_Gatorland_Grigonis.html#FatZippyOnGator