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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Volcano BBQ - El Diablo Restaurant

There's nothing like grilling a piece of meat over a volcano. What? You've never had the pleasure? Then you'd better get down to El Diablo restaurant on the island of Lanzarote in Spain, where chefs barbecue food over a dormant volcano with lava bubbling benignly under the surface of the earth at 750 degrees F. Now that'll give you a good sear.

What about safety, you ask? Well, the last eruption this volcano experienced was in 1824. So of course that means you're perfectly safe. Until you're not.

Zip-lining Over Beautiful ... Las Vegas? - Slotzilla

Zip-lining over a gorgeous Costa Rican rainforest that has rainbows at every turn? Yawn. So two decades ago. Today's generation of zip-liners is looking for a different experience -- and it can certainly be found at the Slotzilla Zip Line in Las Vegas.

Shaped like a giant slot machine and starting at 77 feet in the air, Slotzilla flies you across the Fremont Street Experience at 40 miles an hour, over hundreds of people, and deposits you at the Golden Gate Casino. Now you can satisfy your need for thrills and people-watching all at once. But just remember that what happens on a Vegas zip-line probably won't stay in Vegas, since dozens of people will probably be taking your photo from below.

One Way to Get Over Your Fear of Heights - Brave Men's Bridge

China! It's not enough that you decide to build a 900-foot suspension bridge over between two gorgeous cliffs in the Hunan Province's Shiniuzhai National Geopark, you gotta make it out of glass, too? It's like you're forcing me to go and check out this crazy piece of construction, aptly dubbed Brave Men's Bridge.

Featuring a 600-foot drop, the glass bridge was completed at the end of last year, is the first of its kind, and has already attracted visitors from all over the world, even those who can't bring themselves to walk across the entire thing and resort to crawling instead. Hey, you do what you gotta do.

Tight Landings - Maho Beach

If plane spotting is your thing, then you'll want to book a trip to St. Maarten in the Caribbean, where planes get so close to Maho Beach while landing that beachgoers can practically touch them. As it is, the force from the plane is so strong that sand often goes flying, and sometimes people are actually blown off their feet!

Why people would be trying to feel the underside of a descending jet instead of running screaming from it is beyond me ... oh, who am I kidding? If I were there, I'd be trying to cop a feel, too.

Treetop Dining - Soneva Kiri Resort

Never dined in a treepod before? Well, then you’ve never lived, my friend. At the Soneva Kiri Resort in Koh Kood, Thailand, visitors can opt to take their meal in a wooden pod that’s hoisted into a leafy rainforest canopy and served by a waiter via zipline. Even glasses of wine can be delivered to you by this wonderful, flying man.  

I am currently saving every penny to be able to blow it all on this experience. After all, it’s not every day that you get to eat like a very rich monkey!

Wheeee! - Ten-Story Slide at City Museum

What's the best part of the playground - the swings? Nah. The monkey bars? Boring. The see-saw? That's just an accident waiting to happen. Here's the correct answer: the slide! And here's where you can find the most awesome slide in the whole world: City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, which features a 10-story slide that deposits you in a room called "the Fungeon."

Actually, all of City Museum is pretty cool, created by an artist who wanted to build a museum-playground that would appeal to kids and adults alike. Among other attractions, there's a giant indoor tree house and a human-size hamster wheel, as well as a display of the world's largest pair of underwear. And everything's made from reclaimed materials. But seriously? They had me at "giant slide."

Need to Disappear? - Mirrorcube

Tree hotels, while cool, are totally passé. Been there, done that, amirite? Well, the Swedes have stepped up their tree hotel game with Mirrorcube, the world's first invisible room. Nestled in the trees of the town of Harads in northern Sweden, the cube-shaped room is made of mirrored walls so that it blends in with the environment and virtually disappears. Even the birds didn't know it was there and kept crashing into it, so the designers had to add on an infrared film that only they could see.

My only question: When is Ikea gonna start selling these invisible cube rooms? I need one for my backyard. Although, thinking about it, the self-assembly could get a little tricky.

Atlantis is in China - Shicheng Underwater City

I bring news. Atlantis is real, my friends! And it's located in a lake in China. Also, it's not actually Atlantis, but an ancient Chinese city called Shicheng that was purposely flooded with water in the late 1950s to make way for a dam.

The water-preserved city was largely forgotten about until 2001, which was when the Chinese government decided to dive down and explore this historical and architectural goldmine. What they found were beautiful stone buildings, forgotten city streets, an imposing wall that encircled the city, and Chinese mermaids. Well, just kidding on that last one. But wouldn't that be the coolest?

Feeling Frustrated? - Rage Room

You're having one of those days. Your boss yells at you. Your ice cream falls out of the cone mid-lick. Your nemesis, the roadrunner, speeds away again while you're squashed by an anvil. You feel angry. But you're an adult and you're supposed to just keep calm and do whatever the latest slogan says to do. Well, guess what? You don't have to stay so calm. You can grab a bat and start smashing things instead.

But to avoid ending up in a lot of trouble, first you should travel to Toronto, Canada, where you can book some time at Rage Room, a facility that offers angry people the opportunity to bash things with a bat. Twenty bucks will buy you a set of plates, a bat rental, some protective gear and 30 minutes in a room by yourself. Add on some wineglasses to hurl at the wall, or a mirror to pulverize. Feeling really upset? Go ahead. Buy yourself a chair ... then go at it! They say money can't buy you happiness, but what it can buy is an outlet for your frustrations. I'll take it.

What's Better Than an In-Ground Pool? - Embassy Gardens Sky Pool

I've always dreamed of having a pool in my backyard, but with the newly built "sky pool" at Embassy Gardens apartment complex in London, I'm beginning to realize that my dreams are pretty pedestrian. Because why have an in-ground pool when you can have one that stretches between the tops of two luxury buildings instead? Assuming you're a gazillionaire, of course.

Actually, maybe you don't have to be a gazillionaire. Note to self: Discuss with neighbor the idea of putting in a sky pool between our two houses next summer. It won't be 10 stories high ... and I'm actually not quite sure what the point of it would be exactly. All I know is that I want one.

My Side of the Mountain - Skylodge

Peru is well known for its crazy elevations and gorgeous views. But did you know that you can experience these two things from a transparent capsule dangling off the side of a cliff? Well, of course you can.

Nature Viva's Skylodge is a group of three pods suspended 1,200 feet up on a cliff face in Peru's Sacred Valley. You can choose one of three fun ways to access your room: by climbing an insanely tall ladder, embarking on a treacherous hike, or flying across a series of ziplines. The hotel's website mentions that "safety is ensured by having the exit portal located in the upper part of the craft." So there you have it - should the cables holding up your capsule snap, an escape hatch will somehow prevent you from dying a distinctly terrifying death. Or, you could just stay at the Days Inn in town.

Hiking to Hell - Erta Ale Volcano

Credit: Indrik Myneur

So you say you hiked a volcano on your vacation to Hawaii? Big deal. In the Afar region of Ethiopia there's a continuously spewing volcano called Erta Ale that's got lava lakes. Yes, we're talking LAKES filled with LAVA. And there are two of them. Mother Nature doesn't get more cray-cray than that.

At one time the volcano was only visible via helicopter, but after growing demand from those with a death wish (aka adventure tourists) for a closer look, it is now possible to hike Erta Ale and get within 4 miles of the lava lakes. Just don't expect an ice cream stand near this attraction.

Who's Up for Some Food? - Dinner in the Sky

There's always room to push yourself, even when it comes to fine dining. For example, you COULD eat at your regular Saturday-night bistro, with your feet planted on solid ground. But why not challenge yourself and have your moules frites 180 feet in the air instead?

Dinner in the Sky was originally a Belgium concept, but it's now taken the world by storm. Diners allow themselves to be harnessed to their seats and hoisted into the air, suspended for the duration of the meal along with the table and wait staff. Some Dinner in the Sky restaurants even dangle musicians in the air next to you for some classical accompaniment. Just take care not to drop your fork, and choose your immediate seatmates wisely - table-hopping is definitely frowned upon here.