We live in the age where nearly everyone in the world has instant access to information. Regardless of the fact that everyone can know everything at all times, there are still a few things that remain a mystery. Take these strange tourist destinations, for example.
Prepare yourself to go on one of the weirdest and least-expensive vacations of all time. These places are so strange, yet so fascinating.
1. St. Ignace Mystery Spot – St. Ignace, Michigan
According to the legend, in the early 1950s surveyors noticed that their equipment wasn’t working properly while on the job. The strangest part was that their tools worked just fine outside of an area 300 feet in diameter. The theory is that the Earth’s magnetic field in this spot is either so strong (or weak), it points all instruments to the East.
2. Cosmos Mystery Area – Rapid City, South Dakota
In 1952, two college kids stumbled upon this inexplicably uneven place where everything seems crooked, even though it isn’t.The current pamphlets blame the “Cosmos force,” but you might want to see this for yourself.
3. Confusion Hill – Piercy, California
On this mysterious hill you can allegedly find a “chipalope,” a half-chipmunk/half-antelope creature that probably doesn’t exist. This mystery spot focuses on the “chipalope” legend, but also features strange gravitational anomalies (and lots of tourist trap fun).
4. Mystery Hole – Ansted, West Virginia
This wacky spot has it all…if all you want are slanted rooms and a Volkswagen Beetle that looks like it crashed into one of the walls. The owners claim that it will be an “experience that will intrigue you the rest of your life” and that “nature’s gravity seems to have gone haywire and your sense of balance is extremely upset.” Okay.
5. Oregon Vortex – Gold Hill, Oregon
The house of mystery is centered around the Oregon Vortex, which is “a spherical field of force, half above the ground and half below the ground.” The vortex distorts gravity and perception in this space (allegedly).
6. Magnetic Hill – Orroroo, Australia
If you can find this road in Australia, you can experience something truly unique. “With caution, position your car at a “bottom” of the hill and put your car in neutral. Take your foot off the brake and you will experience the thrill of your car not only climbing the hill by itself, but gaining speed as it goes. Look out for other traffic.” (via eureka4you)
7. Santa Cruz Mystery Spot – Santa Cruz, California
According to its website, this is a “gravitational anomaly located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California. It is a circular area of effect around 150 feet or 46 meters in diameter.” Supposedly, it was discovered into 1939…and is almost exactly like every other mystery spot.
8. Spook Hill – Lake Wales, Florida
If you’re driving around Florida and notice that your car is suddenly driving itself up a hill…you might just be at Spook Hill. At this mystery spot (a.k.a., an optical illusion), cars appear to roll uphill by themselves.
9. Mysterious Road – Jeju, South Korea
With the horizon often being blocked, downward slopes can appear to be upward slopes. This gravity hill mystery spot is particularly convincing.
10. The Uphill-Downhill Road Of Ariccia – Ariccia, Italy
Another misleading hill, but this is the only one on the list that has been investigated by the Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Their final verdict was that the slight decline is, in fact, a slight incline.
(via Mental Floss)
These mystery spots around the world may not actually be vortexes of paranormal activity, but they are a good place to stop if you’re on a particularly long and annoying road trip.
