1. Acadia, Maine
   Rocky Mountain, Colorado
2. Olympic, Washington
   Dry Tortugas, Florida

Dry Tortugas has a popular diving spot at Loggerhead Reef, where there's a sunken ship that was built in 1875. Dry Tortugas Park includes multiple reefs and seven islands.

1. The Colosseum
   Theater of Dionysus
2. Delphi
   Knossos

The Colosseum in Rome was completed in 80 AD after it was commissioned eight years earlier by Emperor Vespasian. Its construction was a gift to the Roman people. The Colosseum was used for the next 400 years. Gladiator fights, Christian persecution, as well as battles between wild beasts all took place here. And then it was left to fall into ruin with many stones used in its construction taken away and used elsewhere. Although only about 1/3 of the original​ structure remains, the Colosseum once measured 620 by 513 feet.

1. The Tower of London
   Eiffel Tower
2. Champs Elysees
   Notre-Dame de Paris

The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the World Fair, held in Paris in 1889. In fact, it was the main exhibition at the event. It was also built to showcase France to the world and celebrate 100 years since the French Revolution. Although Gustav Eiffel is credited with designing the tower, it was actually Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier who made the original drawings. The tower itself is constructed from wrought iron.

1. Empire State Building
   Chrysler Building
2. Flatiron Building
   One World Trade Centre

The Empire State Building was officially opened in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover with the flick of a switch which turned on the lights while he sat in Washington. It had taken 3,400 men a mere 410 days to complete. Including the cost of the land on which it stands, the overall cost of construction totaled $40,948,900. There are over 6,514 windows, 1,872 steps and 73 elevators in the building. And believe it or not, it has its own zip code.

1. The Mogao Caves
   Pyramids of Giza
2. The Terracotta Army
   Gaochange

Perhaps the most famous ruins in the world, the Pyramids at Giza in Egypt were built between 2550 and 2490 BC. Three different Pharaohs were involved in their construction - Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. These impressive structures served as burial chambers for the Pharaohs as they journeyed to the afterlife. Of the wonders of the ancient world, only the Pyramids remain.

1. Grand Canyon, Arizona
   Zion, Utah
2. Great Smokey Mountains, Tennessee and North Carolina
   Bryce Canyon, Utah

This park is located in southern Utah and was established in 1928. Popular activities are: hiking, winter skiing, winter sleigh rides, horse back riding and biking.

1. Lady of the Lake (California, USA)
   Statue of Liberty (New York, USA)
2. The Mother Russia Statue (Volgograd, Russia)
   Motherland Monument (Kiev, Ukraine)

Edouard de Laboulaye was a political Frenchman who admired the democracy of the U.S. His motivation for suggesting a monument as a gift to the U.S. to celebrate the perseverance in freedom, was the hope that the French would pull away from the monarchy system and be inspired to create their own democracy.

1. Sydney Tower
   St Mary's Cathedral
2. Sydney Opera House
   World Tower

Easily the most recognized structure in Australia, the Sydney Opera House sits on Bennelong Point in Sydney harbor. It was completed in 1973 and took 16 years to finish at a cost of $AU 102,000,000. It was the brainchild of Danish architect Jørn Utzon and was built by Australian construction firm, M R Hornibrook. More than two million people watch cultural activities in the building each year.

1. Gaochang
   Montezuma Castle
2. Acropolis
   Hadrian's Villa

Found in Athens, the Acropolis is situated on a hill overlooking the city. It was commissioned by Pericles, a general and Greek statesman. Building began in 447 BC. It's centerpiece is the Parthenon, designed and built by some of the greatest tradesmen of the time, including sculpture Phidias who carved Zeus's statue at Olympus, one of the wonders of the ancient world.

1. Wind Cave, South Dakota
   Death Valley, California and Nevada
2. North Cascades, Washington
   Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota

Death Valley was introduced as a national park in California in 1994. Death Valley is known for its sweltering hot temperatures; the hottest recorded temperature was 134 degreed Fahrenheit in 1913.

1. Hawa Mahal
   Tawang Monastery
2. Makkah Masjid
   Taj Mahal

One of the most recognizable buildings in India, the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan, a Mughal emperor. He did so as he wanted somewhere to keep the remains of his beloved wife who had died while giving birth to their 14th child. The building took 20 years to complete and was constructed out of white marble. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

1. Kind of Kings (Ohio, USA)
   Farnese Hercules (Naples)
2. Christo Redemptor (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) '
   Ushiku Daibutsu (Japan)

Translated to "Christ the Redeemer," the original design has Christ holding a cross in one hand and the world in the other. With collaboration between the two designers, Paul Lindowski and Silva Costa, the final product shows Christ with his arms outstretched and palms open.

1. Jarash
   Stonehenge
2. Pula
   Sintra

Located in Wiltshire in the United Kingdom, the ruins at Stonehenge are thought to date back to around 3100 BC. Although it is not known exactly for what it was used, speculation includes reasons ranging from sacrifice to astronomy. It wasn't all built at once. There are three distinct phases of construction which in all would have taken over thirty million hours of labor. The stones themselves are of a large variety and include bluestone, sarensen and Welsh sandstone.

1. Bran Castle (Romania)
   Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)
2. Leeds Castle (England)
   Pena Palace (Sintra, Portugal)

Sitting on the border of Transylvania, Bran Castle was the inspiration for the setting in Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula." The castle took 11 years to build, with the initial construction document drafted in 1377 by the Hungarian King Louis the Great.

1. Congaree, South Carolina
   Crater Lake, Oregon
2. Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
   Great Basin, Nevada

This park is located in south central Kentucky and is home to a gigantic system of underground caves. Slaves were among the first guides of the caves in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

1. Milad Tower (Tehran, Iran)
   Skylon Tower (Canada)
2. Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)
   Tower of Pisa (Italy)

One of the twin spiral staircases in the building has two extra steps to compensate for the lean. It contains seven bells, all halted for fear they will contribute to more leaning. The largest bell is over 8,000 pounds.

1. Fallingwater
   Pennsylvania State Capitol
2. The Comcast Center
   Grey Towers

Another design by Frank Lloyd Wright, the greatest-ever American architect, Fallingwater was constructed between 1936 and 1939. Incredibly, parts of it were built over a waterfall that stands 30 feet tall. In 1966, it was proclaimed as a National Historic Landmark. It is also known as the Kaufmann Residence.

1. Mont St. Michel (France)
   Potala Palace (Lhasa, China)
2. Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
   Loch Ness (Scotland)

The Abbey served as a prison during the days of the French Revolution. It was built over crypts in the 11th century.

1. David (Italy)
   Manneke Pis (Brussels)
2. Tian Tan Buddha (Hong Kong)
   Merlion (Singapore)

Manneke Pis translates to "little man pee" and in its early years was used to distribute water to the people of the city. The little boy is dressed up to mark special events and occaasions.

1. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
   Everglades, Florida
2. Mesa Verde, Colorado
   Congaree, South Carolina

Congaree is a floodplain that is home to river otters, deer, woodpeckers, owls and bobcats. There are floods ten times a year in this area!

1. Saint Michael's Castle
   Chateau Gaillard
2. Palace of Versailles
   Castle of Rivoli

This wondrous palace is full of marble. Marble floors, marble walls, marble sculptures. With the gold-leaf gate and the famous hall of mirrors, this palace is a must see for castle enthusiasts. This was once the residence of French royals.

1. Circus Maximus
   Sistine Chapel
2. St. Peter's Basilica
   Arch of Constantine

The construction of St Peter's Basilica started in 1506 under Pope Julius II and was only completed in 1615 under Pope Paul V. Not only is the building an impressive structure, it is filled with priceless Renaissance art, including Michelangelo’s Pietà and the statue of St. Longinus.

1. Castle of Sao Jorge
   Moscow Kremlin
2. Palace of Versaille
   Chateau de Calus

Ivan the Great was a big factor in growing the Kremlin, for he made it the center of unified Russia. Onion domes allow snow to slide off, rather than accumulate. The domes' colors are symbolic -- gold represents celestial glory.

1. Theatre of Dionysus
   Delphi
2. Great Wall of China
   Knossos

The Great Wall of China is an extremely impressive feat of engineering. It is over 13,000 miles in length and was built as a defensive wall. It took over 2,300 years to build and spanned five Dynasties. The wall was even added to in the 1950s. It remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world with certain sections receiving 70,000 visitors per day.

1. Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
   Berlin Cathedral (Berlin, Germany)
2. Kremlin (Moscow, Russia)
   Mount Rushmore (South Dakota, USA)

With construction starting in 1929, $250,000 was the budget to begin sculpting. Approximately 400 workers blasted away over 450,000 tons of rock using the most advanced methods.

1. Glacier Bay, Alaska
   Acadia, Maine
2. Lake Clark, Alaska
   Hot Springs, Arkansas

This park is on the coast of Maine and was first called Lafayette National Park in 1919. In 1929, it was named Acadia; it is said that this name comes from an Italian explorer who admired the area, because he was reminded of Arcadia in Greece.

1. Dover Castle
   Floors Castle
2. Château de Montségur
   Castle Howard

Château de Montségur is one of the most well-known of the Cathar castles, but not for something pleasant. In Medieval times, more than 200 people were burned alive after refusing to renounce their Cathar faith.

1. Hagia Sophia
   Arc de Triomphe
2. Trevi Fountain
   Acropolis

Hagia Sophia is a beautiful cathedral found in Instanbul in Turkey. In its time it has acted as a church, mosque and now a museum. The building was built between 532 to 537 AD under the instruction of Justinian I, a Byzantium Emporer. The structure itself is noted for its massive dome which is 105 feet wide. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

1. Auschwitz (Poland)
   Versailles (France)
2. Alcatraz (Californnia, USA)
   Nyhavn (Denmark)

Aushwitz was the biggest Nazi concentration camp with an estimated more than one million people dying while imprisoned there. In 1944, a group of Jewish boys were killed for staging a revolt on the guards while carrying out their work removing corpses from the crematorium.

1. Arches, Utah
   Congaree, South Carolina
2. Kobuk Valley, Alaska
   Big Bend, Texas

Archeologists found proof of multiple different cultural groups living here ten thousand years ago. It is considered one of the most vital excavation and archeological spots in the Arctic. Woolly mammoths were once here.

1. Moai (Easter Island)
   Manneken Pis (Brussels)
2. Sphinx (Giza, Egypt)
   The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Tokyo)

This particular depiction of Buddha is one of the most popular, standing at 13.35 meters high and weighing 93 tons. It was cast in 1252.

1. Neuschwanstein
   Tower of London
2. Palace of Versailles
   Chateau de Chambord

Such a versatile place! The Tower of London served as home to the queen (or king), once served as a prison, houses the crown jewels, once held the mint for creating coin, and was the starter for the London Zoo.

1. Zubarah
   Hadrian’s Wall
2. Ollantaytambo
   Il Vittoriano

Hadrian's Wall formed the most northwestern boundary of the Roman Empire. It was constructed on the orders of Roman Emperor Hadrian after he visited Britain in 122 AD. The wall itself is an impressive structure, made of stone and is over 73 miles long. The aim of the wall was to separate dangerous British locals from the Romans. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

1. Alnwick Castle
   Floors Castle
2. Château de Foix
   Conway Castle

The Château de Foix is a Cathar Castle. These are a collection of French castles that were built during or after the Cathar Crusades.

1. Biscayne, Florida
   Hawaii Volcanoes
2. Mount Rainier, Washington
   Lassen Volcanic, California

Mount Rainier National Park was established in 1899 and is located southeast of Seattle. It last erupted in 1894, and is 14,411 feet in elevation.

1. Neptune and the Palace of Versailles (France)
   Buckingham Palace (London, UK)
2. Louvre (Paris, France)
   Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain)

The Neptune Fountain was built sometime between 1679 and 1681. The palace originally served as a residency for Louis XII during his hunting season.

1. Bran Castle
   Trevi Fountain
2. Parthenon
   Manneken Pis

Built in the 5th century BC, the Parthenon sits on top of a hill overlooking the city of Athens. It was built as a worship place for the Greek god, Athena. It was designed by two architects Ictinus and Callicrates who were helped by sculptor Phidias. Although the temple was partly destroyed in the 1600s, a fair amount remains and it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world.

1. Colosseum
   Machu Picchu
2. Hardrian's Wall
   Parthenon

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is found in Peru and was once a major Inca city. Although Spain conquered much of the surrounding lands, they never even knew the city existed, thanks to the fact that it is situated high in the Andes mountains. In fact, the city stands at around 2,400 meters above sea-level. It was abandoned during the Spanish invasion and only discovered again in 1911.

1. Caerphilly Castle
   Neuschwanstein
2. Alnwick Castle
   Eilean Donan Castle

This castle is a popular tourist destination, partly because it's been featured as Hogwarts in some "Harry Potter" films. It's the largest inhabited castle in the U.K., after Windsor. You can pretend to be a medieval royal in one of the world's largest treehouses, located in the castle gardens.

1. Canyonlands, Utah
   Joshua Tree, California
2. Kings Canyon, California
   Kobuk Valley, Alaska

This park was established in 1964 and is over 300,000 acres. The Green and Colorado Rivers come together here. The rivers make three divisions in the park; Island in the Sky, the Needles, and the Maze are the names of the three divisions.

1. Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey)
   Petra (Jordan)
2. Trevi Fountain (Rome, Italy)
   Manneken Pis (Brussels)

The fountain was commissioned in 1412 and completed in 1570. The orientation was later changed so that one may see the fountain from the Papal Palace.

1. Krak des Chevaliers
   Chateau de Foix
2. Castello di Moncalieri
   Blarney House

The original owners, the McCarthy clan, were presented with a stone after fighting off the English. This later became known as the kissing stone and is said to bring a person the gift of gab. The Blarney House is attached to Blarney Castle.

1. Sabratha
   Caeseara
2. Moai
   Teracotta Army

The Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin is one of China's foremost tourist attractions. It was discovered in 1974 by accident when a well was dug in Lintong. The soldiers are all standing in rank and each has a unique facial expression. The discovery also yielded clay horses, wooden chariots, and various weapons. It is thought that Qin wanted the soldiers to accompany him into the afterlife.

1. Saint Basil's Cathedral
   The Kremlin
2. Lenin's Mausoleum
   Novodevichy Convent

The multi-colored St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is one of the most famous attractions in the city. It was built on the instructions of Ivan the Terrible and completed in 1560. Legend says that once completed, Ivan blinded builders Barma and Postnik Yakovlev so they could never make anything to compare again. This is simply folklore. The building's full name is "The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat."

1. Nyhavn (Copenhagen, Denmark)
   Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
2. Petra (Jordan)
   Pond Du Garre (France)

Petra served at a setting for the Indiana Jones film. Even though the movie shows a great maze of treasures, Petra is simply a facade for a hall that probably served as a tomb. The city is now an Archeological Park.

1. Sintra
   Roman Agora
2. Roman Baths at Nice
   Jendouba

Remnants of Roman bath houses are scattered across Europe. None more so than in Nice, the site of the ancient Roman city of Cemenelum. Although much of this city remain buried, the baths, a social hub of the Roman Empire, are currently being excavated.

1. Big Ben
   London Eye
2. Nelson's Column
   The Tower of London

One of the most famous landmarks in London, people often think Big Ben is the name of the tower holding the famous clock. It actually isn't. That tower is called The Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is the nickname of the bell inside which goes by the official name of the Great Bell.

1. Volubilis
   Angkor Wat
2. Ta Prohm
   Chichén Itzá

Found on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, this was a Mayan city and it is estimated that it was inhabited between 750 and 1200 AD. One of the main attractions here is the pyramid, El Castillo, built in the stepped tradition of the Mayans. It has 365 steps which signify the days of the year. Also of interest is a sinkhole that provided water to the city. It had a dark side as well, as young Mayan girls were thrown inside as a sacrifice to the rain god. Chichén Itzá is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

1. Petrified Forest, Arizona
   Yellowstone, Montana
2. Everglades, Florida
   Denali, Alaska

People living in the ice age trekked here, making this park a popular historical site in addition to a popular winter sports site. The first group to summit the North Peak was in 1910; Denali is over 20,000 feet in elevation.