Theme parks worldwide: unusual attractions, offbeat destinations

Suoi Tien is an amusement park that merges Buddhist symbolism and narratives with entertainment attractions. The complex presents numerous statues of Buddhist deities, traditional pavilions and themed gardens that illustrate religious stories and teachings. Visitors will find rides, water features and cultural performances that draw from Vietnamese traditions and spiritual themes.

Haw Par Villa is a themed sculpture park featuring more than one thousand statues and over one hundred tableaux depicting Chinese mythology, folklore and Confucian teachings. Built in 1937 by brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the park presents moral stories and scenes from classical Chinese narratives. The park is particularly known for its Ten Courts of Hell, a representation of the Buddhist underworld with detailed scenes of punishment and retribution.

The Kingdom of Dwarfs is a theme park located in Yunnan Province, China, where performers of short stature work as entertainers. Visitors watch performances that interpret Chinese fairy tales and fantasy narratives. The park presents stage productions featuring costumes and sets that combine traditional and contemporary elements of Chinese culture. The performers reside in specially designed buildings within the park grounds and conduct multiple daily shows for guests.

BonBon-Land is a Danish amusement park located in the Zealand region, operating since 1992. The park draws inspiration from the confectionery manufacturer Haribo and showcases numerous rides and attractions with candy themes. The humorous characters and designs originate from the Danish candy brand's universe. BonBon-Land offers various roller coasters, water attractions, and family rides. The park primarily targets families with children and combines entertainment with the world of sweets.

This park displays a collection of 86 statues and over 1000 historical objects from the Soviet Union era. Grutas Park differs from standard entertainment venues through its focus on Soviet history in Lithuania. The exhibited statues include representations of political leaders and symbols of the Soviet regime that were removed from public spaces after Lithuanian independence. This collection provides visitors with insight into the country's cultural and political past during Soviet occupation. The park serves as an educational site documenting the period from 1940 to 1990 when Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union.

Pedroland Park is a roadside rest area located along Interstate 95, combining Mexican retail shops, dining establishments, and a display of painted sculptures. The facility provides travelers with a stopping point that includes food services and shopping opportunities. The outdoor areas feature various hand-painted figures and decorative elements that give the site its distinctive character.

Ferrari World is a theme park on Yas Island dedicated to the Italian automotive brand. The facility includes 37 rides and attractions, among them Formula Rossa, the world's fastest roller coaster. Visitors will find simulators, interactive exhibitions about Ferrari's history and technology, and a collection of historic and current vehicle models. The distinctive red roof spans 200,000 square meters, making the park recognizable from the air.

Hacienda Napoles spans 20 square kilometers along the Magdalena River and was built on the former estate of Pablo Escobar. The park features multiple water areas with slides and pools, a zoo housing African animals, and a museum documenting the site's history. Visitors can explore the preserved buildings and remnants of the original compound.

Loveland is a theme park on Jeju Island dedicated to representing human sexuality and eroticism through art. The park features more than 140 sculptures and statues with erotic motifs distributed along walking paths throughout a garden setting. The works were created by graduates of Hongik University and depict various aspects of human intimacy in artistic form. The park is restricted to visitors aged 18 and over.

Dismaland was a temporary art exhibition by British artist Banksy that operated in 2015 within an abandoned lido in Weston-super-Mare. The project presented a darkened interpretation of an amusement park, featuring installations and works by over 50 international artists. Visitors explored deconstructed fairground rides, deteriorating attractions, and socially critical artworks addressing themes such as consumer culture, migration, and social inequality. The five-week event attracted over 150,000 visitors before its materials were donated for constructing shelters for refugees in Calais.

Shijingshan Amusement Park is located in the western district of the Chinese capital and features reproductions of well-known western cartoon characters alongside architectural structures that combine Chinese and European design elements. The park offers rides, themed areas and entertainment options for families and visitors of different ages.

The Holy Land Experience is a theme park in Florida that presents replicas of Jerusalem and biblical sites. The park offers daily performances depicting religious stories and allows visitors to explore the architecture and landscapes of the ancient Middle East. Attractions include detailed reconstructions of historical places from the Bible as well as theatrical presentations portraying biblical events.

Išgyvenimo Drama is a former Soviet bunker that has been converted into an underground museum. The facility presents Cold War history through period settings and objects from the Soviet era. Visitors can explore military installations, communication rooms and living quarters that document daily life and operations during the Soviet occupation. The museum provides direct insight into the historical events that shaped Lithuania throughout the 20th century.

Wunderland Kalkar is an amusement park housed within a never-commissioned nuclear power station. The facility was constructed but never activated, and was converted into a recreation park in 1995. Visitors will find rides and attractions inside the former reactor building and cooling tower, which now features a climbing wall on its interior surface. The park includes a swing carousel mounted on the exterior of the cooling tower and various family-oriented rides throughout the industrial structures.

The Republic of the Children is an educational theme park in La Plata that opened in 1951, making it four years older than Disneyland. This park presents a miniature city with functional reproductions of government buildings, including a parliament, city hall, and courthouse. The facility was designed to teach children about the workings of democratic institutions. The architecture of the buildings combines various European styles in reduced scale. The park also includes a small railway station, a chapel, and various recreational facilities, all proportioned for children.

The Island in Pigeon Forge is an entertainment complex spanning 23 acres in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The facility features a 200-foot observation wheel called the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, offering views of the surrounding area. Musical fountains provide scheduled shows throughout the day. The complex includes retail shops, dining establishments, and various entertainment options for visitors of all ages.

The Dog Bark Park Inn is a four-story building shaped like two Beagle dogs, functioning as a bed and breakfast accommodation. This structure offers ten rooms for overnight guests and was created by artists who specialize in wood carvings. The building also serves as a gallery for handcrafted wooden sculptures.

Monowi Village is a municipality with a single resident who simultaneously serves as mayor and librarian. She operates the only tavern in this incorporated town. The settlement is located in rural Boyd County in northeastern Nebraska and represents an example of Great Plains depopulation. The resident manages all municipal duties and maintains the public library.

Prada Marfa is a permanent art installation constructed from adobe bricks, located in the West Texas desert. Created by artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset in 2005, this sculptural work serves as a commentary on consumer culture and luxury branding. The installation features authentic Prada handbags and shoes from the Fall 2005 collection, displayed inside a freestanding structure resembling a boutique storefront. Prada Marfa sits approximately 37 miles northwest of the town of Marfa along U.S. Highway 90 and has become a popular photography destination for travelers passing through the remote desert landscape.

The Unclaimed Baggage Center occupies 40,000 square feet of retail space dedicated to selling items from unclaimed airline luggage. This facility purchases baggage that passengers have not retrieved within the legally required waiting period from airlines across the United States. Visitors can browse through clothing, electronics, sporting equipment, jewelry, books, and various personal items at reduced prices. The center processes thousands of items daily, offering an extensive selection of products from lost luggage that ranges from everyday essentials to occasional luxury goods.

Metropolis is a small town in Illinois that has embraced its connection to Superman. The city displays a 15-foot bronze statue of the superhero at the courthouse square and houses the Super Museum, which presents collections of comic books, film props, and memorabilia related to the Superman franchise. Each June, the town hosts the Superman Celebration festival, drawing fans of the character from different countries.

Carhenge is a sculpture composed of 39 gray-painted automobiles arranged in the same circular configuration as the stones at Stonehenge. The installation was created in 1987 by Jim Reinders and his family near Alliance. The vehicles stand partially upright and partially horizontal, forming arches and structures that replicate the prehistoric monument. The artwork covers an area approximately 29 meters in diameter and serves as both a tribute to the English original and a commentary on American automobile culture.

The Beer Can House is a residential property in Houston where the entire exterior has been covered with more than 50,000 flattened aluminum beer cans. Owner John Milkovisch started this project in 1968, transforming his home into an aluminum artwork. The cans serve as siding for the walls, while hundreds of wind chimes were crafted from can lids and pull tabs, creating metallic sounds when the wind blows. The house displays various beer brands and types from several decades of American brewing history.

The Shelburne Museum spans 45 acres and houses 39 historic buildings relocated from across New England to this site. The collections include American folk art, quilts from the 18th and 19th centuries, paintings, furniture, and historic transportation modes such as carriages, steam locomotives, and the sidewheel steamboat Ticonderoga. The buildings represent different periods and showcase architectural styles ranging from colonial structures to barns and a working lighthouse.

The House on the Rock was built in 1945 atop a rock formation and houses extensive collections of self-playing musical instruments, miniature circus displays, sailing ship models and historical objects. The complex extends through multiple interconnected buildings and rooms. Visitors can explore galleries containing mechanical orchestrions, dollhouses and maritime exhibits. The original house sits on a 60-meter chimney rock overlooking the Wyoming Valley. The attraction grew over decades to include themed rooms filled with curiosities and collectibles.

The Winchester Mystery House is an architectural curiosity featuring 160 rooms that Sarah Winchester constructed continuously for 38 years. The mansion contains staircases that lead to ceilings, doors that open into walls, windows set into floors, and numerous other peculiar construction features. Winchester built the estate after the deaths of her husband and daughter, reportedly following advice from a medium to appease spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. The property now encompasses a Victorian mansion with labyrinthine hallways, hidden passages, and period craftsmanship from the turn of the century.

The World of Coca-Cola is a museum in Atlanta that documents the history of the globally recognized beverage. Visitors can view historical advertising materials, original documents, and collectibles from various decades. The tasting area features more than one hundred drink products from different countries available for sampling. This museum presents the development of the brand and its worldwide distribution through interactive exhibits.

The Living Computer Museum houses working computers spanning several decades of computing history. The collection includes mainframe systems from the 1960s, minicomputers from the 1970s and 1980s, and personal computers from the 1990s. Visitors can interact with the machines and experience the evolution of computing technology firsthand.

Meow Wolf is a permanent art center in Santa Fe featuring over 70 rooms filled with interactive multimedia installations. Visitors navigate through surreal environments and follow experimental narrative structures that combine art, technology, and storytelling. The rooms offer an immersive experience where each element contributes to the overall narrative journey.