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Seattle Underground City

Did you know the remnants of Seattle's original streets are still accessible? Beneath the bustling streets of modern-day Seattle lies the Underground City , a network of subterranean passageways that formed the ground level in the 1800s.

By the end of the 19th century, after the Great Seattle Fire, it was decided to rebuild the city at a higher elevation to combat frequent flooding . So, these original streets, sidewalks, and storefronts were buried, and with it, much of their history.

Guided tours take people through tunnels and ladders and retell real and eerie stories about the history of the Underground City.

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Luray Caverns

Image: Robert Thiemann

Have you ever heard of the underground Stalacpipe Organ ? Not only is it a one-of-a-kind interaction between keyboards and cavern stalactites, but it is also the largest musical instrument in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

This instrument lives in the Luray Caverns, Virginia. It consists of an electric console that taps on these ancient stalactites of varying sizes to produce musical tones. A subterranean wonder, these caverns are also known for their extraordinary size , housing towering stalactites and stalagmites, mirrored pools, and delicate drapery-like calcite formations.

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The Underground Gardens of Baldassare Forestiere

Image: Adrian Botica

This stunning subterranean retreat was built entirely by hand. Tucked under the sun-scorched landscape of Fresno, California, lie the Underground Gardens of Baldassare Forestiere . They are the life’s work of Baldassare Forestiere, a Sicilian immigrant who started digging in the early 1900s to escape the Central Valley's oppressive heat.

Over 40 years, drawing inspiration from ancient Roman catacombs , Forestiere carved an elaborate network of underground rooms, passageways, grottoes, and courtyards that span 10 acres.

A unique masterpiece, the gardens are open with guided tours that lead guests through beautifully designed spaces featuring skylights, arches, and alcoves. This oasis also boasts an array of fruit trees, including citrus, figs, and olives.

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Ruby Falls

Image: Goodfreephotos_com

Colorful and breathtaking, the Ruby Falls is a geological wonder located inside Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Hidden over 1,000 feet below the mountain's surface, this waterfall cascades 145 feet into a pool , making it one of the tallest underground waterfalls open to the public.

Visitors enter the mountain and descend via elevator. Then, they walk through stunning cave formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone. At the waterfall chamber, multicolored lights –powered by renewable energy– illuminate the falls. Lantern-lit tours are also offered as a chance to visit the marvel with a different charm.

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The Catacombs of Green-Wood Cemetery

Image: Joy Ernst

Arched tunnels of tranquil, sacred vaults lie beneath the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Built in the mid-19th century, these catacombs were designed as a prestigious resting place for the city’s elite , prominent families.

While the catacombs are typically closed to the public, special events are sometimes organized to welcome visitors, such as art expositions, guided history tours, and candlelit tours seasoned with live music and storytelling.

Outside, where the sun does reach, await the serene landscapes and remarkable monuments of the cemetery, which is itself a National Historic Landmark .

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The Lost Sea

Image: Roberto Nickson

The largest underground lake in America is in Tennessee. Hidden within the Craighead Caverns in Sweetwater, this enormous body of water lies in a cave system filled with fascinating formations, such as stalactites, stalagmites, and rare anthodites, also known as "cave flowers."

A National Natural Landmark, this lake marvels scientists, who are yet unaware of the exact extension of its waters. Those who visit can embark on a boat ride called "The Lost Sea Adventure," first walking inside the cavern before reaching a boat to navigate these ethereal sights.

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Mammoth Cave National Park

Image: Sherin Jacob

The Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the longest cave system in the world . Located in central Kentucky, it extends over 420 miles of explored passages and many more likely undiscovered. Enormous chambers, underground rivers, a labyrinth of tunnels, and gypsum crystal formations can all be found at this site.

The park has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. It also includes over 52,000 acres of protected land on the surface, renowned for its lush forests and diverse wildlife.

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Image: Cason Asher

A large bat colony lives in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, but that’s not its only charm. The park boasts over 100 caves, with its centerpiece being the immense Carlsbad Cavern.

The cavern includes the Big Room, one of the largest underground chambers in North America, spanning 8.2 acres. Visitors can descend via an emblematic natural entrance or by elevator, dropping 750 feet underground. Stalactite formations like the Giant Dome, the Hall of the White Giant, and the Chandelier are some of the caves' breathtaking highlights.

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Indian Echo Caverns

Image: Magda Ehlers

The Indian Echo Caverns, which have been open to the public since the early 1920s, are carved into the limestone of the Appalachian Mountains. Located near Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, this site gets its name from the echoes heard within the cavern’s chambers , which were once believed to be mystical by Native American people in the area.

Unique, immersive sections of the caverns have names like the "Crystal Palace," the "Echo Room," and the "Wedding Room," where, yes, real weddings are sometimes held!

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Wind Cave National Park

Image: Francesco Ungaro

Wind Cave National Park, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is one of the world’s largest caves, but that’s not what it’s most famous for. One signature sight here is the boxwork formation , a rare lattice-like pattern formed by calcite deposits.

The cave system stretches for over 140 miles, though much of it remains unexplored. Popular tours take guests through captivating features like the "Ribbon Room" and the "Crystal Palace."

Why is Wind Cave called that? Mainly due to the "wind" phenomenon that occurs at its entrance. The cave's air pressure causes the entrance to draw in or expel air, depending on atmospheric conditions.

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BackRub

Image: Deepanker Verma

Before it became the verb we all use today, Google was known as BackRub. The name referred to the search engine’s ability to analyze backlinks (links from one webpage to another) as a way to rank search results.

But it sounded more like a massage parlor than a tech startup. In 1997, they wisely rebranded to Google, a twist on "googol," the term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.

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Brad’s Drink

Image: NIKHIL

It was going to carry around the nickname of its creator forever. Caleb Bradham was a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina. He invented a drink back in 1893 as a refreshing, energizing tonic for digestion, which included pepsin , a digestive enzyme.

A few years later, Brad decided on a more marketable name than his own : Pepsi-Cola.

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Taco-Tia

Image: Jeswin Thomas

Glen Bell owned Bell’s Drive-In, a stand selling hot dogs, when he noticed long lines outside a Mexican restaurant. He decided he needed to learn how to make tacos.

Over a few years, he refined his concept and opened a new chain selling Mexican food, which received several names over time, including Taco-Tia. Eventually, he landed on Taco Bell. It was conveniently Americanized , easy for mainstream customers to remember and pronounce, and suggested a memorable logo.

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Sound of Music

Image: Josip Ivankovic

At first, this mega-electronics retailer was all about stereos. Founded in the 60s, Sound of Music specialized in home audio equipment. But after a tornado wrecked their main store in the 80s, they ran a massive clearance sale and told people they would get their "best buy" there.

By the end of the day, they had pretty much sold out. The sale was such a hit that, in 1983, they decided to rebrand entirely as "Best Buy".

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Tote’m Stores

Image: Piccinng

Once upon a time, you didn’t pop into a 7-Eleven—you got your goods home from Tote’m Stores. The chain got its original name because customers "toted" their purchases.

In 1946, to highlight their revolutionary new hours (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.—wild for the time), they wisely rebranded as "7-Eleven."

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Blue Ribbon Sports

Image: NEXT Distro

If it had been called "Blue Ribbon Sports," there would probably not be a swoosh . This company began as a distributor for Japan’s Onitsuka Tiger running shoes.

But in the 70s, as they launched their own footwear line, they realized they needed a brand with more bite. They chose "Nike," after the Greek goddess of victory. The swoosh logo was designed that same year for just $35.

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AuctionWeb

Image: appshunter.io

The original name was straightforward, but also boring. eBay's original incarnation was AuctionWeb, launched in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar as a side project under his larger personal domain, eBay.com (which stood for his consulting firm Echo Bay Technology Group ). When he found that the domain echobay.com was already taken by a mining company, he settled on ebay.com. Later, as the online auction section became wildly successful, Omidyar dropped AuctionWeb entirely and adopted eBay as the company name.

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Pequod

Image: Gema Saputera

The founders of this coffee shop were inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. They wanted the quality of the coffee to be connected with seafaring and adventure . So, their first choice was "Pequod," the name of Captain Ahab’s doomed whaling ship.

That name didn’t have enough of a punch, however, so they decided to go for a wink at another character in the same book, with a much more marketable sound: Starbucks.

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Pete’s Super Submarines

Image: Mustafa Fatemi

It was the 60s when 17-year-old Fred DeLuca opened a sandwich shop in Connecticut with financial help from a family friend: Dr. Peter Buck. In his honor, DeLuca named it "Pete’s Super Submarines."

The business grew, however, and the name was a bit of a mouthful. They needed a name that was shorter, catchier, and easier to advertise on the radio. They rebranded as "Subway," winking both at their food (subs) and the fast, urban lifestyle they hoped to serve.

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Cadabra

Image: ANIRUDH

Too spooky, right? Amazon nearly had a name that conjured magic tricks. In 1994, Jeff Bezos registered the name "Cadabra," short for abracadabra . That lasted until someone pointed out how much like "cadaver" the name sounded.

Bezos then considered "Amazon," the name of the immense river. Not only did it suggest something vast, exotic, and full of potential, but it also placed the brand at the top of alphabetical listings —an old-school SEO move.

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Ancient roots

Image: Miguel Teirlinck

Believe it or not, what we call Halloween began more than 2,000 years ago. The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, held from October 31 to November 1 in what is now Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Britain, marked the shift from the harvest season to the dark days of winter. The Celts believed that, on that night, the boundary between the living and the dead grew dangerously thin. Spirits could slip through that barrier... both benevolent and darker ones.

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Why scary costumes?

Image: JOHN BEARBY IMAGES

If the spirits of the dead were roaming the earth, what would you do? The Celts had a clever solution: they disguised themselves with animal skins and masks to look frightening and protect themselves from any spirits that might not have the best intentions. The hope was that ghosts would either mistake them for one of their own or be scared off entirely. Over time, the tradition evolved, but its roots remained; just look at all the little witches, skeletons, and other spooky costumes we see on Halloween today.

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There's a reason for black and orange

Image: Gary Fultz

Orange and black take over homes and streets every Halloween, but why? The answer goes back to the Celtic festival of Samhain as well. Orange symbolized the end of autumn and fallen leaves, while black represented the darkness of the long winter nights ahead.

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Witches weren’t always seen as scary

Image: Halanna Halila

Witches have been part of Halloween lore for ages. Countless stories cast them as spooky figures with flying broomsticks, pointed hats, and bubbling potions. But it wasn’t always this way. Among the Celts, many practices now labeled as "witchcraft" were connected to healing, spirituality, and nature, and weren’t seen as evil at all; that association came much later with the spread of Christianity. In fact, the English word "witch" is often linked to the Old English wicca (masculine) and wicce (feminine), meaning "wise one."

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Trick-or-treating origins

Image: Robin Jonathan Deutsch

In addition to dressing up to protect themselves, the Celts also left treats on their doorsteps to appease wandering spirits. Over the centuries, that custom changed and spread. By medieval times in Europe, people—especially children—would go door to door during this season, offering prayers for departed souls or performing small songs and jokes in exchange for food or treats. This tradition, known as "souling" or "guising," eventually inspired the trick-or-treating we know today.

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Scary tricks

Image: Nick Fewings

In the recent past, the "tricks" in trick-or-treating were no joke—they could be genuinely frightening. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Halloween was known far more for mischief than for candy. Kids pulled off pranks like tying doors shut or slamming windows to make homeowners think their houses were haunted. Scary? Yes. Fun? Definitely.

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In the past, they weren't pumpkins

Image: Igor Omilaev

Pumpkins may be the stars of Halloween décor today, but they weren’t always the first pick. The tradition of carving Halloween lanterns also began in Ireland and Scotland, but not with pumpkins. In the old days, people carved turnips, beets, and other root vegetables. When Irish immigrants arrived in the United States in the 19th century, they found that pumpkins were bigger, softer, and far easier to carve, so pumpkins quickly replaced the turnips.

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Halloween, SC

Image: Joseph Corl

Today, Americans put a lot of effort into Halloween celebrations. But perhaps no one embraces it more than the residents of Conway, SC, who made headlines for a bold decision. In 2022, the city officially adopted the monikers "City of Halloween" and "Halloween, SC" for the month of October. Although "Conway" remains its legal name year-round, the town uses the spooky nickname during the holiday season to attract visitors eager to experience its larger-than-life celebrations and decorations.

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Parents also have their "tricks"

Image: Tolgahan Akbulut

Although trick-or-treating is mostly for kids, parents definitely get in on the fun. According to a 2019 survey, 74% of parents admitted to stealing a few pieces of their children’s candy. And honestly, who can blame them? A pumpkin bucket overflowing with sweets is hard to resist.

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Paranormal full moon

Image: Ganapathy Kumar

Celebrating Halloween under a full moon has a special charm, as that lunar phase has long been linked to heightened paranormal activity. But this coincidence is rare: a full moon on Halloween only happens about every 18–19 years. The last full moon during Halloween was in 2020, and according to forecasts, we won’t see another until 2039.