6 Amazing Places to See from Outer Space

Our world is an amazing place. And with today's mapping technology, you can search out and find unusual places and locations without even leaving the comfort of your living room's rocking chair. From a sunken ship in the Red Sea to the ruins of a once thriving theme park, allow me to take you to 6 amazing places using Bing and Google maps.



The Amphitheater at the old Heritage USA, Fort Mills, SC

Back in the 1980's, Jim and Tammy Baker built an astonishing 2,000 acre theme park in Fort Mills, South Carolina. Called Heritage USA, the place seemed to have everything: Water park, hotels, condos and even an amphitheater. When I first spotted it from space, it looked like something from ancient Greece. Very, very cool looking. Don't know how much longer it will stand, but I'd sure like to visit it someday.
Map: Amphitheater at the old Heritage USA



The Forbidden City from the Abandoned Splendid China Theme Park

I first wrote about this amazing abandoned Florida theme park in July of 2010 (See below for link). I can still remember spotting the Forbidden City with Bing's webpage and thinking, It's so recognizable! Why, if you didn't know the scale of what you were seeing it's easy to be fooled into thinking you're looking at the real thing over in China.
Map: The Forbidden City of Florida's Abandoned Splendid China
Story: The Abandoned $100 Million Florida Theme Park



Mysterious Plane Crash in Forest?

Here's one I have no idea how to explain. Located in Russia, I've found websites that describe this with a headline such as, "Plane crashes in forest", but it sure doesn't look like a crash to me. To me it looks like someone pushed the plane back in the trees along a road or old runway, and then more trees grew up around it giving it the appearance of a "crashed" plane. If someone would like to fly me over to Russia for some field investigation, please feel free to send me some airline tickets.

For your viewing pleasure I'm including two map links, one to Google, the other to Bing, as both show a different perspective on this mystery plane.
Map: (Bing) Plane in Forest
Map: (Google) Plane in Forest



Field of Dreams Movie Site

The 1989 movie, Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner has always been a favorite. It's one of the reasons that finding a field in Florida by the same name was such a joy. (For story, see link below) If you've watched the movie -- and who hasn't? -- you'll recognize one of its famous question and answers: "Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa." Well, guess what? The Field of Dreams farmhouse and actual baseball field from the movie were built in Iowa. Dyersville, Iowa, to be precise. And they're still there. (Yeah, really.)
Map: Field of Dreams Movie Site(in Dyesville, Iowa)
Story: A Field of Dreams in Leesburg, Florida



Shipwrecked Cargo Ferry

Even though the S.S. Jassim ran aground and sank on the Wingate Reef in 2003 (off the coast of Sudan), it is still clearly visible from Google Maps. Spotting this shipwreck from outer space was like peeling back a chapter from a Clive Cussler novel. Hey, Dirk Pitt, I'm ready to explore now!
Map: Shipwrecked Cargo Ferry



The Aircraft Graveyard - Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Located just ouside Tuscon, Arizona, the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base sports more than 4,000 military aircraft including B-52's, Helicopters, Stealth Bombers, and, well, a whole lot of airplane scrap. Zoom in on Bing's Map and you'll see a surprising amount of detail showing pieces and parts everywhere. Aircraft fans shouldn't miss this.
Map: Military Aircraft Graveyard