The Sky View Observatory has been the tallest building in Seattle and Washington state since 1985. At 932 feet tall, it is twice the height of the Seattle space needle tower, which you can even spot it from a distance. You can be certain this skyscraper is going to offer you sweeping city and mountain views, plus a cafe with bistro food, beer and wine.

Did you know that the most Swedish of all Swedish motifs, and perhaps the most widely distributed, is found in Karlskrona — on tiny Brändaholm? 43 red cottages with white corners, waving flags, and a bright blue sea. And the motif continues to be spread across the globe as a representation of genuine Swedishness. Come and take a look at the real thing!

Giant sequoia trees and mixed conifer forests draw countless nature enthusiasts each year. Calaveras has been a State Park since 1931, when it became apparent that the beautiful North Grove needed preserving. The Grove features the wondrous 'Discovery Tree,' also known as the 'Big Stump,' which was the first Sierra redwood noted by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852. Guided tours are offered on Saturdays.

Ain Zubaidah stands as a testament to ancient engineering, a water system commissioned over 1,200 years ago by Zubaidah, wife of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Moved by the plight of pilgrims, she ordered the creation of a complex network to channel water from the Al-Kar mountains to the holy sites of Makkah. This 35-kilometre feat of engineering combined underground channels, surface aqueducts, and deep reservoirs, some reaching 40 metres underground, to traverse the arid landscape. Though time has left much of the original structure in fragments, sections have been restored, including a major renovation in the 1920s. The system's scale remains awe-inspiring, with its gentle gradients, 132 inspection chambers, and strategic storage tanks. Today, visitors can explore remnants of the conduits in the foothills around Makkah, a tangible link to a visionary project that sustained generations of pilgrims.