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The two eagle sculptures—including one with the wizard Gandalf riding on its back—have soared over visitors at Wellington International Airport in New Zealand for more than a decade.

Say Goodbye to This Massive ‘Hobbit’-Themed Sculpture of Gandalf Riding an Eagle

For more than a decade, the eye-catching artwork had hung from the ceiling of Wellington International Airport in New Zealand, where “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” were filmed

Castle Howard's restored tapestry drawing room 

See the Newly Renovated Castle Howard, Made Famous by ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Brideshead Revisited’

After the house suffered extensive fire damage in 1940, generations of the Howard family have faithfully restored parts of the mansion to its 18th-century glory

Before she went missing on Kangaroo Island, Valerie slept in bed with her human parents and enjoyed spending time indoors.

Good News

Valerie the Miniature Dachshund Has Been Rescued After Surviving for 529 Days on a Rugged Australian Island

The eight-pound pup is now decompressing after her epic adventure in the wilderness, a feat rescuers say was “just incredible”

Chattanooga was once one of the most polluted cities in the country. Now, it's North America's first National Park City.

Chattanooga Just Became North America’s First National Park City. Here’s What That Means

The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: “greener, healthier and wilder”

The museum is filled with interactive exhibits and activities, including a bean-themed ball pit play area.

Now Open in Kansas City, The World’s First Barbecue Museum Is a Feast for the Senses

Jump in the bean-themed ball pit, solve a pork puzzle and pose with a championship mustard belt at the new Museum of BBQ

One winner will get to sleep in a bed placed between the newly refurbished Sainsbury Wing and the rest of the museum.

You Can Enter to Win a Night Inside London’s National Gallery

The museum is celebrating the reopening of its Sainsbury Wing, as well as a major refresh of its collection, with an overnight experience for one lucky visitor

A partial solar eclipse on June 10, 2021, rises at Lewes Beach in Delaware.

How to Watch a Live Stream of the Rare Sunrise Eclipse on Saturday and Catch a Glimpse of Solar ‘Devil Horns’

Early risers can observe a partial solar eclipse in areas of eastern North America on March 29, given clear skies and proper eye protection

RiverRock was completed in 2025, 66 years after Frank Lloyd Wright's death.

You Can Spend a Night in the Last House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Before His Death in 1959

The plans for the RiverRock house in northeastern Ohio were left on Wright’s drawing board when he died. But whether the project counts as a true “Wright” is up for debate

Zion National Park in Utah was the second most visited national park in the country with 4,946,592 recreation visits in 2024.

These Were the Most—and Least—Visited National Parks in 2024

America’s national park sites saw a record number of visitors last year. Great Smoky Mountains, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks are perennial favorites among travelers

Fumika Fujibuchi, an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records, certified the park in late February.

See the World’s Smallest Park, a Teeny-Tiny Enclave in Japan That’s About the Size of Four Sheets of Paper

The record-breaking park features some grass, a seat and a decorative stepping stone. It’s even smaller than Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, which had held the title since 1971

An artist's illustration of the London Tunnels, a planned tourist attraction in a World War II-era labyrinth beneath central London

Plans Are Taking Shape for an Extravagant New Tourist Attraction Inside London’s World War II-Era Tunnels

The 86,000-square-foot labyrinth was built in the 1940s during the London Blitz. Now, workers are transforming it into a museum, memorial, art gallery and bar

Barrington Scott, shown here diving in Malta, traveled to all seven continents to scube dive between November 13 and December 3, 2024.

This Man Just Set a New World Record for Scuba Diving in All Seven Continents

Barrington Scott began his 27,000-mile quest in Australia and completed it in Antarctica. The journey took him 19 days, 19 hours and 40 minutes

When it opened in May 2005, Kingda Ka was the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster. It's now the second-fastest, but it's still the tallest.

Thrill Seekers Say Goodbye to the World’s Tallest Roller Coaster

After towering over Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey for two decades, Kingda Ka is slated for demolition—and fans are sharing their favorite memories of the iconic ride

A man attacked the stone with a metal object.

Man Vandalizes Famed 12-Angled Stone, an Inca Engineering Marvel in Peru

The stone, which sustained damage in six spots, had been carved to fit perfectly in a palace wall hundreds of years ago

The tire tracks, which cover more than two miles, were discovered in late December.

Driver Vandalizes Threatened Plants in Death Valley National Park

National Park Service officials haven’t identified the person or people who illegally drove more than two miles across Eureka Dunes, home to the federally protected Eureka dunegrass

Nepal is raising the fee for the first time in about a decade.

The Price to Climb Mount Everest Will Rise to $15,000 This Year

Foreign climbers who want to try reaching the top of the 29,032-foot-tall peak will face higher permit fees in Nepal starting in September

Reef sharks are abundant in the new marine proteted area.

A New Marine Protected Area in the Marshall Islands Is Brimming With Life, Like a ‘Time Machine’ to Oceans Long Ago

The waters around two remote atolls in the central Pacific Ocean—spanning 18,500 square miles—are now protected from fishing

 French President Emmanuel Macron announced the move this week.

The ‘Mona Lisa’ Is Moving to a Room of Her Own at the Louvre

As part of a massive renovation, the Leonardo da Vinci portrait will get its own gallery space accessible from a separate entrance

An Amorphophallus gigas plant bloomed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York on January 24, with hundreds of flowers producing a putrid stench.

Rare and Stinky ‘Corpse Flower’ Blooms Draw Thousands of Visitors to Gardens in New York and Sydney

People lined up to see—and smell—the blossoms of two pungent plant species, which only bloom for a short time every few years

When a Japanese aquarium closed for a six-month renovation project, a sunfish named Mambo stopped eating and began rubbing up against the side of its tank. Aquarists wondered if the creature was lonely. (Mambo is not pictured.)

A Sunfish Got ‘Lonely’ When Its Aquarium Closed for Renovations. Then, Staff Found a Creative Way to Cheer It Up

The solitary fish named Mambo stopped eating and seemed to be missing its human visitors—so aquarists attached photos of human faces and uniforms to the side of its enclosure

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