North Carolina

Kudzu Infestation in the United States

Introduced to the southeastern United States in the 19th century as an ornamental plant and to help fight against soil erosion, the perennial vine known as kudzu has infested tens of thousands of square kilometres in the US, wiping out forests and native vegetation while covering and engulfing entire buildings.

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Friday, 6th June 2014

Airship Hangars Around The World

From the late 19th century to the period between the World Wars, hundreds of airship hangars were built in Western Europe and the USA to house the massive lighter-than-air craft. Today, only a handful of these huge structures remain, including…

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Thursday, 10th April 2014

Standing But Not Operating: Abandoned Theme Parks

'Standing but not operating' (SBNO) is the term applied to amusement parks and amusement rides that have been abandoned by their owners but remain structurally intact. Not only are abandoned amusements favourites among urban the urban exploration crowd, SBNOs also make for great Google Sightseeing!

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Wednesday, 14th August 2013

Fill ‘er Up!

In the early days of mass automotive travel, fuel stations often resorted to some wacky gimmicks to differentiate themselves from the pack and lure in customers, such as novelty architecture that made the station building even more of a roadside attraction than the fuel they were selling. Today, many of these wacky 1930s-era stations are icons to thousands of visitors every year.

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Wednesday, 23rd January 2013

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

To celebrate the holiday season this year we'll take a look at Christmas Trees, whose "leaves are so unchanging. Not only green when summer's here, but also when 'tis cold and drear"1. In the United States, an estimated 31 million…

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Wednesday, 19th December 2012

Graveyards in Parking Lots

To mark Halloween this year, we're visiting some unusual burial places. While it is common for cemeteries to have parking lots, you might think it unlikely that the reverse would happen. However, there are a surprising number of graveyards in…

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Wednesday, 31st October 2012

Welcome to Google Sightseeing!

Google Sightseeing takes you on a tour of the world as seen from satellite or street views using Google Maps. Our team of authors present weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

Like this site? We published a photo book of the best entries, you should buy a copy.