More than 12,000 Union soldiers are interred at the beautiful National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee, located near Orchard Knob. The park-like setting includes 121 acres of land, making it the largest cemetery in the state. With more than 37,000 interments presently, the cemetery is near capacity and will be closed to new interments in 2015. Only veterans, their wives and families may be buried here. Chattanooga is considered to be one of the few national cemeteries, if not the only one, where three civil war battle sites can be viewed.

credit: Robert Lz

Dracula’s Castle is situated between Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains, right where you enter Rucar-Bran Pass. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. The castle was constructed in 1377 to guard the mountain pass and to levy a tax on all merchants passing through. The castle was for a long time the property of the city of Brasov, but in 1921 it was offered as a summer residence to Romania’s Queen Marie. The castle is famous for story of Count Dracula that is loosely based on Vlad Tepes who ruthlessly defended this part of Transylvania against the advancement and occupation of the Ottoman Empire, the legend of his rather gruesome killings inspired the story of Dracula.

credit: Kyle Taylor

credit: Luke Addison

credit: Kyle Taylor

credit: Luke Addison

credit: Luke Addison

credit: Kyle Taylor

credit: Kyle Taylor

credit: Eugen Anghel

credit: Eugen Anghel

credit: Eugen Anghel

credit: Eugen Anghel

credit: Cristian Bortes