History isn’t only about reading history books or strolling through museums, separated from the exhibitions by a sheet of glass. These activities will get you up close and personal with remnants of the past.

Inca Trail
A great way to immerse yourself in South American history is to walk the Inca Trail in Peru. This trek follows the path of one of the ancient Inca highways which existed before Spanish explorers reached the continent. Now people take two- or four-day hikes up to Machu Picchu, a World Heritage site once called ”the lost city of the Incas”, which remained undiscovered by the Spanish. Here you can see the city’s picturesque ruins and the beautiful views over the valley below.
www.andeantravelweb.com/peru

The Pyramids of Giza
At over 4500 years old they’re the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That’s a lot of history, and luckily, these great monuments live up to their star billing. Now on the western edge of ever-growing Cairo, the former pharaonic tombs dominate the landscape, still breathtakingly huge. The three major pyramids are those of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, but there are also smaller ones scattered around the vicinity. As an added bonus, the Sphinx sits nearby, looking mysterious and evocative. An attractive way to see the area is on horseback at sunset, with a steed hired from nearby stables.
egyptphoto.ncf.ca

Siege of Malbork Castle
There were few scarier fighters in the Middle Ages than the Teutonic Knights, legendary warrior monks who carved out an empire along the Baltic Sea. They left behind their magnificent headquarters, the vast red-brick castle of Marienburg, now known as Malbork Castle after the Polish town it overlooks. Not only can you tour through the intact remains of one of largest castles in the world, but in July you can experience the annual recreation of the 15th century siege of the fortress by a Polish army. It’s a noisy night-time spectacular full of costumed soldiers, horses, light effects, fireworks and medieval weaponry.
www.zamek.malbork.pl

The Forbidden City
The name says it all: in the days when the Emperor of China was all-powerful, only subjects who had his permission could enter this palace complex in the centre of Beijing. Behind its walls, the rectangular area of 720,000 square metres operated like a small city. The emperor was deposed in 1912, and evicted from the palace in 1924, when the Palace Museum was established to hold and exhibit the Forbidden City’s treasures. Within its walls are extensive displays of beautiful ceramics, paintings, clothing, furniture, and precious items made from gold, silver and jade. On a quirkier note, there’s an enormous collection of 18th and 19th century clocks and watches. www.dpm.org.cn

United States Space and Rocket Centre
One of the greatest events of 20th century history was the moon landing in 1969, the first time humans had ever set foot on another world. At the US Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Indiana, you can relive the excitement and wonder of the space race, checking out the various exhibits of space gear, including a gigantic model of the Saturn V rocket that lifted the astronauts into the sky. Better still, there are loads of hands-on attractions including a G-force accelerator, a space shot simulator and a Mars climbing wall that approximates the surface of the red planet.
www.spacecamp.com

Easter Island
You wouldn’t think that an island first settled by humans only 1500 years ago would make this list; but Easter Island is special. Everyone has seen images of its famous statues, featuring long, sombre faces with elongated earlobes and noses. But what makes the place really exciting is the air of mystery that hangs over it. The turbulent events of its short history have left this rocky Pacific outcrop with a lot of gaps in its back story, leading to endless speculation about fascinating questions: for example, how did the islanders actually move the huge statues about the place?
www.islandheritage.org

Petra
Imagine an ancient city entirely carved out of stone, hidden away from the world at the end of a long narrow canyon. It’s like something out of an Indiana Jones movie — and in fact, Petra appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Around the 6th century BC, a tribe of Arabs known as Nabateans settled the site, and carved amazing, elegant buildings out of its rocky hills. Nowadays visitors to the archaeological site in Jordan marvel at Petra’s prominent Treasury building, and if energetic, climb to the highest monuments such as the aptly-named High Place, an ancient site of worship.
www.nabataea.net/petra.html

Taj Mahal
Most people would hope they’d be remembered when they’ve departed this world, with maybe a smile or a teary eye. But Mumtaz Mahal, the late wife of the Indian emperor Shah Jehan, received something far more spectacular: the Taj Mahal, said by many to be the world’s most beautiful building. Built in her memory, the white mausoleum was completed in 1648. Not only is the main building impressive, but it’s surrounded by attractive gardens and other historic structures. The Taj is a monument to die for. www.asi.nic.in

The Parthenon
Before the Roman Empire conquered all the territories around the Mediterranean, ancient Greece was the centre of the civilised world. One of the most beautiful symbols of its cultural supremacy was the Parthenon, a temple built on a hilltop of Athens and completed in 438 BC. Although the building later became a church, then a mosque, and was heavily damaged during a battle in 1687, it’s survived to this day as a symbol of the city’s glory days. Every year, visitors from around the world soak up its ancient vibes. odysseus.culture.gr

York museums
Delving into history often involves visiting a museum. In the British city of York, however, the visitor can choose from a range of museums, according to taste and mood. To start, York Castle Museum showcases objects from everyday life, and includes an recreation of an entire Victorian-era street. The Yorkshire Museum specialises in local archaeology, while the National Railway Museum is the largest of its type in the world. The star museum in the city, however, must be the Jorvik Viking Centre, which tells the story of York’s past life as a Viking settlement.
www.visityork.org

[via: http://things.ninemsn.com.au]

If you’re a die hard Elvis Presley fan you have to visit his legendary home, Graceland. A tour of Graceland is a one of a kind experience that will lead you on Elvis’s fascinating journey to superstardom. You’ll experience the cultural changes that led to the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll and see, first-hand, how Elvis became the most celebrated entertainer in the world.

Located in Memphis, Tennessee, Graceland is a14 acre (5.6 hectare) estate which Elvis bought in 1957 for $100,000. He moved both his parents and grandmother in to Graceland to share his new found fame and fortune at the ripe old age of 22. Today around 750,000 visitors a year pass through the front door, and its easy to see why.

Graceland takes you on an incredible journey through the life of Elvis. The mansion tour consists of the living room, symbols for facebook” title=”music symbols for facebook”>music room, Elvis’s parents’ bedroom, the dining room, kitchen, TV room, poolroom, “jungle” den and annex in the main house. Behind the house, you can tour Elvis’s racquetball building and his original business office, a museum of Elvis’ automobiles, personal planes used by the King and a variety of other displays and multimedia experiences. Another highlight is Elvis’s trophy building, which houses his enormous collection of gold records and awards, along with an extensive display of career mementos, stage costumes, jewellery, photographs, and much more. A fitting finale to a Graceland ‘pilgrimage’ is viewing Elvis’ grave located in the Meditation Garden. The grave may or may not contain the body of Elvis, you will have to decide.

Elvis still holds the title of the world’s biggest recording star, having sold over a billion records. With a sound and style that uniquely combined his diverse symbols for facebook” title=”music symbols for facebook”>musical influences and blurred and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, he ushered in a whole new era of American symbols for facebook” title=”music symbols for facebook”>music and popular culture, which rightly earned him the title “King of Rock and Roll”.

Whether you’re a fan of Elvis or just curious as to how the King lived, you have to go to Graceland. Its an experience you wont forget.

The Great Wall of China is beyond doubt one of the most amazing human-made structures in the world and walking on the Great Wall is as powerful an experience as you would imagine.

Snaking 6,700km (4,163 miles) from east to west, the Great Wall of China can be wild and crumbly, with some parts erased with the ravages of time. And then there are the perfectly intact sections where the stone steps become a welcome mat for day trippers to walk back in time.

The Great Wall was built to fortify China against the attack of nomadic hordes, section by section, between the 5th century BC and 16th century AD, making it truly one of the world’s greatest man-made projects. The most popular section of the Great Wall is located at Badaling, approximately 60km from Beijing’s city centre. Built during the Ming Dynasty, the wall there is 8 metres (26 feet) high and 6 metres (20 feet) wide and, although readily accessible to visitors of all ages, parts can be quite steep. Watchtowers built on the Wall at 500 metre (1,640 feet) intervals provided accommodation, a storage facility for military equipment, and a protected area for the observation of enemy movements. There are also other sections accessible to tourists including Mutianyu and Simatai which have less tourists and especially in the case of the latter, offer a more authentic view of the Great Wall.

A trip to the Great Wall of China could be one of the biggest adventures of your life, and it’s definitely one of the world’s great wonders to behold.

With its rugged escarpments, lush wetlands, plunging gorges and cascading waterfalls, Kakadu National Park offers visitors a new world of sights, sounds and experiences. Renowned for its extraordinary natural wonders and rich cultural traditions, World Heritage listed Kakadu has a reputation for overloading the senses.

Located in Australia’s tropical Northern Territory, Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park, and one of the largest in the world, covering approximately 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles).

Kakadu is an incredibly ecologically and biologically diverse area with many different landforms and habitats, including sandstone plateaus and escarpments, areas of savanna woodlands and open forest, rivers, billabongs, floodplains, mangroves and mudflats. Kakadu also supports an extraordinary diversity of wildlife with over 280 species of birds, 60 kinds of native mammals, 55 kinds of freshwater fish, thousands of insect species and 75 different kinds of reptile (more than you’ll find in the whole of Europe) including goannas, frill-necked lizards, and of course the famous saltwater crocodile.

Kakadu National Park’s impressive sandstone escarpments feature some of the finest and most accessible rock art in the world. Archaeological evidence points to the Kakadu area being home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years. As a result, there is a rich heritage of Aboriginal art (including cave paintings and rock carvings) and archaeological sites throughout the region. Many Aboriginal artefacts have been found at old camping sites, particularly in the escarpment and floodplain country, recording the skills and way of life of the region’s original inhabitants.

Many say that to visit the park in the wet season (December to March) is the best – the only time. In the wet, the park drowns in water, heat, humidity, bright tropical colours, nature in the raw – all the fundamental elements that make up Australia’s unique natural world. Kakadu is a landscape of contrasts. Beneath waters dotted with delicate pink lotus flowers lurks the crocodile. Jagged peaks of towering escarpments hide pockets of lush rainforest. Roaring waterfalls thunder down rocky gorges to serene pools fringed with paperbarks, pandanus and cycads. If you get up early and head off the beaten track a little – you’ll be rewarded with vistas of remarkable colour and significant wildlife.

The immense natural beauty and cultural importance of Kakadu National Park make a trip into Kakadu an unforgettable experience.