See the Eighth Wonder of the World

 The famous 7 Wonders of the World historically consisted of seven great ancient wonders including the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes statue and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. 

Over the years other sites and places in the world have gained notoriety as being called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Of course there are any number of places and sites that could be called the 8th Wonder of the World, but the sites listed here are the ones many people or at least one famous person labeled as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

See the Eighth Wonder of the World

Grand Canyon

Over 5 million tourists a year visit the Grand Canyon which is located in the state of Arizona in the United States and very few of those visitors would say that the Grand Canyon is not a great wonder in the world. There are other spectacular canyons and gorges in the world but none of them quite stacks up with the Grand Canyon.

There are lodges and visitor accommodations at both the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon. The South Rim gets far more crowded especially in the summer so visitors looking for accommodations are advised to try the North Rim if they cannot get overnight accommodations at the South Rim and the North Rim is at least as spectacular as the South Rim and even more special in the eyes of many tourists.

Milford Sound in New Zealand

Milford Sound is a beautiful fjord that writer Rudyard Kipling called the Eighth Wonder of the World. Milford Sound is located along the southwest coast of the South Island of New Zealand in Fiordland National Park. It is the most famous tourist destination in New Zealand and some 1 million tourists a year visit Milford Sound even though it is in a relatively remote location.

Boat tours and bus tours take tourists to the sound daily with bus tours leaving from the hotels in Queenstown. Tourists can also fly over Milford Sound in small planes and helicopters as many tour companies in New Zealand offer scenic flights over the area.

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway is a famous and popular tourist attraction located along the north coast of Ireland a few miles north of the town of Bushmills. Giant's Causeway consists of tens of thousands of exposed basalt columns at the edge of and leading into the ocean.

Some of the columns stand as high as 36 feet above the ocean while others lead right into the sea creating a beautiful magical scene that draws tourists from around the world.

Pink and White Terraces in New Zealand

The Pink and White Terraces were colorful beautiful travertine silica terraces with geothermal heated water cascading down them as they led to the edge of Lake Rotomahana on the North Island of New Zealand.

Located about one mile apart, the Pink and White Terraces were New Zealand's most popular tourist attraction in the late 1800's and many Europeans would travel to the terraces even though it meant a long trip by boat.

The Pink and White Terraces were labeled by many travelers as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The White Terraces were larger and had an active geyser at the top, while the Pink Terraces descended from a large hot water pool at the top.

Unfortunately the terraces were destroyed on June 10, 1886 when the nearby Mount Tarawera volcano erupted and covered them with hot mud and black ash.

Burney Falls in California

Burney Falls is a spectacular 129 foot high waterfall located along Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park in central Northern California about 75 miles northeast of Redding. Fueled by the many underground springs in the area Burney Falls flows at a constant rate of some 100 million gallons of water per day even in the summer with much of the water seemingly flowing right out of the cliff face the falls goes over.

Burney Falls is a such a beautiful sight that President Teddy Roosevelt dubbed it the Eighth Wonder of the World when he visited the falls. Roosevelt must have really been impressed with Burney Falls since his home state was New York which is home to Niagara Falls.

Natural Bridge in Virginia

Natural Bridge is a limestone geological rock formation located in western Virginia that was dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World by William Jennings Bryan.

Natural Bridge was formed as water carved out the lower section of a gorge leaving the top of the gorge intact creating a natural bridge.

George Washington surveyed the Natural Bridge in 1750 and left his initials carved into it and Thomas Jefferson purchased the Natural Bridge and surrounding land from King George III in 1774. Today the Natural Bridge is a beautiful natural wonder in Virginia that is a popular tourist attraction.