What's Better Than a Water Slide? A Natural Water Slide! - Sliding Rock

Forget Splash Zone, or whatever water park is in your vicinity, this summer. Get your swimsuit-covered butt over to Sliding Rock in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest to experience a natural water slide. Nothing beats slip-sliding down a 60-foot sloping boulder, pushed along by 11,000 gallons of water! Just as at Splash Zone, however, long lines and strict rules still apply. That means no going down head first, troublemaker.

The Germiest Place on Earth - Seattle Gum Wall

Sometimes trippy = germy, and that's certainly the case with the Seattle Gum Wall, at Pike Place Market. What started as just another wall that people would stick their chewed gun onto has turned into a major tourist attraction. At one point, the marketplace decided to completely clean off the wall, removing more than 2,350 pounds of gum, but people immediately began to add to it again, eventually resurrecting the wall to its former glory. Viva la gomme!

Think Outside the Rink - Paterswoldse Meer Lake

I love ice skating but hate going in circles (in the rink, as well as metaphorically). Which is why I'm saving up to visit Paterswoldse Meer Lake in Groningen, Netherlands, where I'll be able to skate as far as my little legs can take me in a gorgeous, natural setting.

Now please excuse me while I work on perfecting my double axle for this trip.

Visit the Home of Dracula - Corvin Castle

If you visit one castle in your lifetime, make it the spectacular and spooky Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, Romania. It is one of the largest in Europe and also just happens to be the home of Dracula. Well, technically it was where Vlad the Impaler (Bram Stoker's inspiration for Dracula) was imprisoned for seven years ... but close enough. Don't forget to admire the bear pit, the place where unwanted prisoners were once quickly dispatched.

World's Largest Fort - The Minister's Tree House

Situated off a back country road in Crossville, Tennessee, is the world's largest tree house/hotel, dubbed The Minister's Tree House by the religious man who built it. With 10 stories supported by seven oak trees, the hotel of 80 rooms is made entirely of wood, complete with a church and bell tower on the top level.

If you think this place sounds like a fire hazard, well, the local fire marshal agrees. Even with its firm no smoking policy, the hotel was shut down a few years ago and today stands empty, although the owner is still trying to get it open.

Feeding Time at the Zoo - Crocosaurus Cove Cage of Death

If the idea of climbing into an acrylic tube and being lowered into a pool of 16-foot saltwater alligators is your idea of fun, then you should by all means head on over to Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin Australia, where you can do exactly that. Soothingly dubbed "the cage of death," the tube is large enough to fit two people -- which is fortunate, because I'd need to hold someone's hand.

It's Possible to Get a Good Night's Rest on a Plane - Jumbo Stay Hotel

Are you the kind of person who doesn't get a wink of sleep while on a plane? Maybe you should try the Jumbo Stay Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. The hostel is situated in a retired Boeing 457 whose interior was completely redesigned to include 27 guestrooms, a suite in the cockpit, and a café. Plus, the hotel is located right outside a real airport, so you can roll out of bed and catch your actual flight with no worries. It may the closest I'll ever come to flying first class.

Waterfall Fake Out - Hierve el Agua

"Oh, another waterfall?" you say. "What's the big deal?" The big deal, my friend, is that what we have here is a petrified waterfall - so not cascading waters at all, but a rock formation in Oaxaca, Mexico, called Hierve el Agua. It was created by fresh-water, calcium-loaded springs over thousands of years. At the top, however, is actual spring water that you can bathe in as you peer over the edge of the cliff. I know where I'm headed the next time I want to feel both relaxed and terrified all at once.

Do Some Laundry, Have Some Beer - Spin Laundry Lounge

In my day, doing a load at the laundromat was something to be dreaded and put off. Now it seems that laundrobars like Spin Laundry Lounge in Portland, Oregon, are the place to be on a Friday night. You come with your laundry, stay for a few craft beers and locally sourced menu items, and leave with a pile of clean clothes and maybe some new friends. Gotta love the efficiency.

Green Mountains Are Boring - Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park

Mountains may be beautiful, but don't you find them a little monochromatic sometimes? All that green can get a little boring, amirite? If you're in the market for a more colorful mountain, journey to the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in Gansu, China, where the mountain ranges are decidedly more technicolor, having been formed by various layers of sandstone and minerals over 24 million years. Go, just go.

Dangling Over the Edge - Swing at the End of the World

Hiking up a mountain in Baños, Ecuador, you might come upon a treehouse and a swing that's unlike anything you'll find in the 'burbs. The treehouse, Casa Del Arbol, is a seismic monitoring station and the swing is a crude contraption hanging on a tree branch -- that flies you over the edge of a canyon, more than 8,500 feet above sea level. At the risk of sounding like your mother, make sure you hold on tight!

Pooling Together - Spotted Lake

Um, so what's going on here? Is it a natural mineral deposit? A toxic wasteland? A painting palette for a giant? If you chose the first option then you're right, if a little boring. Spotted Lake, located in the town of Osoyoos in British Columbia, is created every summer when the lake evaporates from the heat and leaves behind these distinct pools of minerals. Each one has a different mineral composition, which explains all the different, beautiful colors.

That's pretty cool ... but not as cool as the idea of a giant who likes to paint.

World's Most Relaxed Monkeys - Jigokudani Monkey Park

What's better than bathing in a Japanese hot spring? How about watching monkeys bathe in a Japanese hot spring! At Jigokudani Monkey Park in Yamanouchi, wild Japanese macaques hang out in the naturally heated water all winter long, working out those knots as visitors observe them relaxing.

Take a Trip Around the World - Verdenskortet

Do you want to see the world but have no time? Verdenskortet in Hobro, Denmark, may be the answer. The attraction features a to-scale map of the world measuring approximately 150 x 300 feet and constructed entirely out of dirt and rocks.

You can walk through all of Asia in just a few steps. Take a rowboat across the Pacific Ocean. Break for lunch at the adjoining cafe ... because even small-scale world travelers need to eat.

Get Lost - Longleat Hedge Maze

You know what they say if you're ever lost in a hedge maze: Just place one hand on a wall, and start walking. You'll eventually get out that way. That's something to keep in mind if you ever find yourself stuck in the Longleat Hedge Maze, otherwise known as the longest hedge maze in the world. It consists of more than 16,000 English yews and 1.75 miles of twists and turns. 

I've always wanted to get lost in an English hedge maze. Until it was time for afternoon tea, at which point I'd want someone to helicopter me out. 

Catch Your Own Dinner - Zauo Fishing Restaurant

Everyone wants their seafood to be fresh. So Zauo Fishing Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, decided to give the customers what they want: a fishing pole with which to fish out their own dinner. Patrons can fish from their seats aboard a fishing vessel, or if you find that you're simply not an effective fisherman, you can go to a tank full of already "caught" fish and simply point at what you want.

Sounds delicious, if a bit unfair for the fish.

Montaña Mágica Lodge

So you say your last hotel wasn't decorated with enough whimsy for you. Well, next time you're in the Los Rios region of Chile, look into booking a room at the Montaña Mágica Lodge, where you must cross a rickety wooden rope bridge to get to your guestroom situated in a natural stone spire, covered with jungle foliage.

And while the exterior may seem a little rustic, the hotel provides many luxurious amenities, including a hot tub made from a carved out tree trunk and a mini-golf course that utilizes real obstacles such as the forest itself to get in the way of your colorful little ball. I know. Where's the Hobbit bellhop? This place needs to hire a Hobbit bellhop.

Welcome to Ireland - The Dark Hedges

If I came upon this road flanked by crazily entwined beech trees that look almost sentient, my instinct would be to turn around and run as fast as I could in the other direction. But the intention of the Stuart Family, who planted the trees in the 18th century along Bregagh Road in Northern Ireland, was to create a welcoming pathway leading up to their mansion. To each his own, I guess?

Actually, we can all agree that this scene is beautiful. Creepy, but beautiful. And the name of this place, The Dark Hedges, doesn't really help. Maybe if they called this place The Friendly Trees That Definitely Won't Come Alive, I'd go visit.

No Sunblock Required - Turda Salt Mine

Photo credit: John Seymour

It's time you planned your next vacation ... to Transylvania. Wait, you say, what's there to do there besides visit old castles that may or may not be populated by vampires? Well, how about kayaking in an underground salt mine? Or bowling in an underground salt mine? Or getting a facial in an underground salt mine?

Romania's Turda Salt Mine has been around since the year 16 A.D. It wasn't until a couple of decades ago, however, that the site was transformed into an amusement park and spa specializing in salt therapy. So go and get your fill of salt, fun and good old-fashioned time spent underground, away from that annoying sun. Hmm ... sounds like the perfect place for vacationing vampires.

M'm, m'm good ... for you! - Imperial Restaurant

Most people dine out to eat meals that are particularly tasty - and particularly bad for you. But a restaurant in Singapore called Imperial Restaurant has taken a decidedly different path. Everything on its menu is low-sugar, low-salt, low-seasoning -- low-taste, presumably. But hey, it's good for you!

In addition, an in-house physician that specializes in traditional Chinese medicine examines each patron and recommends herbal remedies to them. Some of these remedies include items like scorpion or animals organs, while others consist of herbs, plants and ... well, I'm not sure what, exactly, like the "ladies' tonic" pictured above. Doesn't that look "Mm, mm good"?