Most graves are rather sedate affairs. Memorial stones typically contain the names, dates of birth and death, and brief and respectable epitaphs that tell you nothing about the person buried beneath them.

The meaning behind some memorials may never be known, particularly when those who knew the deceased are dead and gone themselves. For some people, however, their final resting place is a chance to have the last word in an argument or to celebrate their achievements in life.

Whatever the reason for their creation, some gravestones make for very interesting reading.

10 Sir Jeffrey Hudson

Born in 1619, Sir Jeffrey Hudson had a unique claim to fame when he was alive and his memorial ensures that he will remembered for it in death. Hudson was a dwarf in the court of Queen Henrietta Maria. He was a court jester, an explorer, a soldier, and a slave. He was even captured by pirates.

But his finest hour came when he was hidden inside a pie which was then presented to King Charles I. At some point, Hudson burst out of the pie, presumably to cries of “Surprise!” He was dressed in a miniature set of armor made especially for him. Along with a monkey and a giant, he became a kind of pet of the royal family. The giant and the dwarf developed an act for the entertainment of the royal court.

Hudson was often used to deliver messages for the royal family while they were in the midst of civil war. He was promoted to the position of Captain of Horse, supposedly for being a crack shot and a good rider.

In 1644, Hudson challenged a man to a duel and shot his opponent dead, which was unfortunate as his enemy had armed himself only with a water pistol. Hudson was sentenced to death. But after the queen’s intervention, he was exiled instead.

Soon after, he was captured by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in Africa. Hudson spent 25 years as a slave, during which time he grew 56 centimeters (22 in). He claimed that his growth spurt was caused by the constant “buggery” he was subjected to. Eventually, he was rescued, only to be brought home and thrown into prison for being Catholic. He spent the next 14 years there.^[1]

Though Hudson’s life was full of adventure, his memorial contains only the line, “A Dwarf presented in a pie to King Charles 1st.” However, if you wanted something that summed up the strange nature of Jeffrey Hudson’s life, that line is probably as good as any.

9 Jules Verne

The author Jules Verne is considered to be one of the founders of modern science fiction writing. The author of Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea wanted to create a new genre that combined fiction with scientific fact—or as he called it, “scientifiction.”^[2]

So it was natural that Verne would want a memorial at his death that was both remarkable and challenged the imagination. The grave seems perfectly conventional at first. It has a headstone giving details of his birth and death.

At the base of the gravestone, however, a statue of a naked man emerges from the ground. Presumably, it represents Jules Verne or possibly Christ pushing back the tombstone and climbing out of the grave with his hand stretched toward the heavens. The piece was designed by Albert-Dominique Roze and is entitled Towards Immortality and Eternal Youth.

The statue is certainly memorable and challenges the imagination, though the purpose is not clear. It is also likely to scare the living daylights out of families visiting the cemetery at dusk.

8 Charles Pigeon

Charles Pigeon seems to have been proud of two things—his family and his invention. Pigeon had invented a gas lamp which did not explode. That would have been handy in 1884.

The lamp won a silver medal at the 1855 Paris Exposition. He sold the lamps in a variety of styles in his own store in Paris and patented the design. He must have made a good living from the lamps because he was able to have a remarkable memorial built on a plot large enough to hold 18 members of his family.

The gravestone takes the shape of a double bed and contains effigies of his wife in evening dress and Pigeon in a business suit. He is reading from a book while his wife listens to him. As if that weren’t grand enough, an angel hovers over them while holding a Pigeon lamp.^[3]

7 Jerry Bibb Balisok

The memorial to Jerry Bibb Balisok is as strange as it is misleading. The plaque declares that Balisok was murdered in Guyana in 1978 and includes the epitaph “Damn The State Dept.”

Balisok’s mother had erected the memorial after seeing what she believed to be the body of her son on TV after the Jonestown Massacre in Guyana, in which more than 900 religious followers of Jim Jones were killed in a mass suicide/murder in their compound-cum-temple. It is unclear why she thought Balisok was there.

Balisok, a one-time professional wrestler known as Mr. X, fled the US with his girlfriend after being charged with check fraud. The bodies recovered after the Jonestown Massacre were so badly burned that they were unidentifiable. But Mrs. Balisok was convinced that her son was dead and erected the memorial stone over an empty grave.

Balisok’s mother died in 1983, maintaining to the end of her life that her son had been killed in the massacre. Perhaps it was just as well that she died when she did. In 1989, Balisok resurfaced after being charged with the attempted murder of his business partner. It turned out that Balisok had assumed a stolen identity when he first absconded and had left a trail of criminal carnage behind him ever since.^[4]

6 Jonathan And Mary Reed

They say true love is hard to find. So when you do find someone you are happy with, why let a little thing like death come between you? When Jonathan Reed’s wife, Mary, died in 1893, he laid her to rest in a mausoleum in Brooklyn and placed an empty coffin next to it for himself.

Reed decorated the tomb “like a living room in a fine house,” with a stove, paintings on the wall, a clock, and pictures of Mary. He even included his wife’s half-finished knitting and their pet parrot. When the parrot died, he had it stuffed and returned it to its perch.

Jonathan Reed visited his wife in the mausoleum every day until his death over 10 years later. He would arrive just as the cemetery opened and only left when they were locking the gates each night.

Soon he was joined by friends and then visitors from around the world, including seven Buddhist monks who traveled from Burma specifically to visit the mausoleum. Several ladies made it their mission to try to cure Jonathan Reed of his grief, although they were not successful.

In 1905, Jonathan Reed was found dead on the floor of the mausoleum. It is said that his arm was outstretched toward his wife. He was finally laid to rest beside her.^[5]

5 Giles Corey

Giles Corey was a farmer in Salem when he was accused of witchcraft in 1692. An unpopular man, he had a reputation for violence, having once been charged with beating his farmhand to death. Corey’s wife was initially charged with witchcraft, and Giles Corey even testified against her.

Then a number of villagers accused Corey of using witchcraft against them. When his accusers appeared to suffer fits in the courtroom, Corey’s hands were bound to prevent him from casting spells on them. After his arrest, he refused to testify further against his wife.

Giles Corey refused to enter a plea at the trial, and he was tortured in an attempt to make him speak. He was stripped naked and laid on the ground. Then a board was placed on top of him. Heavy stones were positioned on the board to crush him. More stones were added over several days of torture to try to compel him to speak.

Despite the torture, Corey supposedly refused to speak, except to urge his tormentors to add “more weight.” His body was ordered to be buried in an unmarked grave on Gallows Hill.

Two days after Giles Corey’s death, his wife was hanged in the same place. A simple gravestone was added at a later date with his name, the date of his death, and the legend “Pressed to Death.”^[6]

4 Robert Clay Allison

Robert Clay Allison was a gunslinger of the Old West. Having fought for the Confederacy, he became a cattle herder. In 1870, he killed Charles Kennedy by breaking into the jail where Kennedy was held, putting a rope around his neck, and dragging him behind his horse up and down the main street until he was decapitated. It wasn’t Allison’s first killing. Or, sadly, his last.

Allison was not killed in a gunfight. Instead, a freak accident took his life when a sack of grain fell from a moving wagon. As Allison reached for it, he fell and the wagon wheel ran over his head.

He is buried in Reeves County, Texas. Allison was said to have disliked his reputation as a shootist and did everything he could to live it down. Perhaps, then, he would not have been too happy with his headstone. It reads: “He never killed a man that did not need killing.”^[7]

3 Lilly E. Gray

The grave of Lilly E. Gray is perhaps the most interesting thing about her. Born in 1880, she seems to have led a fairly humdrum life until she married Elmer Gray, who had served multiple prison sentences for burglary. Elmer Gray seems to have been something of a conspiracy theorist. During one of his parole hearings, he alleged that he had been “kidnapped by five democrat officials.”

Elmer and Lilly married when she was 72 and he was just a year younger. She died of natural causes six years later.

Her life would have been entirely unremarkable, except to her family, had it not been for the headstone which Elmer Gray erected over his wife’s grave. It read: “Lilly Edith Gray, Victim of the Beast 666.”^[8]

There is no clue on the grave as to the meaning, but its ominous words have spawned dozens of theories. Most of them, shall we say, are incapable of proof. It is known that Elmer Gray in his last years had some mental health issues, so the most likely explanation is that he ordered his wife’s stone while delusional.

Still. It makes for a good story.

2 Rosalia Lombardo

Rosalia Lombardo was born in 1918 in Sicily and died just two years later. Devastated by grief, her father approached the famous embalmer Dr. Alfredo Salafia and asked him to preserve her body. Hers was one of the very last corpses to be placed in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo.

Dr. Salafia did such a good job that Rosalia looked as though she were sleeping. Her body was placed in a glass tomb in a small chapel at the end of the catacombs. She is so lifelike that many locals believed that she was a doll. Although the body has begun to decay in recent years, Dr. Salafia’s skill was highly regarded and his embalming technique is a closely guarded secret.^[9]

Quite why Rosalia’s father wanted to preserve his daughter forever is not known. But thanks to the skills of Dr. Salafia and the Capuchin monks who guarded the tomb, Sleeping Beauty, as she came to be called, sleeps on.

1 Timothy Clark Smith

Timothy Clark Smith must have been a careful man. The sort of person who looks twice before crossing the road. During the 17th century, it is true that a large number of cases of apparently dead people narrowly escaped being buried alive. There is no way to tell how many more failed to wake up in time.

Smith was a teacher, merchant, clerk, and finally a doctor. He took a position as a staff surgeon in the Russian army and probably saw a number of disturbing near misses as part of his job. He was said to be mortally afraid of contracting sleeping sickness and waking in his grave.

So when he died in 1893, it was perhaps inevitable that he would take steps to make sure that he could attract attention if he needed to. He installed a viewing window in his coffin and ensured that the window was positioned at the bottom of a cement tube that led to the surface. It is also believed that he was buried with a hammer and chisel and held a bell in his hand to attract the attention of rescuers.^[10]

Smith’s grave can still be seen in the cemetery in Vermont, and the viewing window is still there. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on your point of view—Smith did not take into account the effect of condensation on the glass. It is now almost impossible to see anything in the grave below.

Ward Hazell is a writer who travels and an occasional travel writer.

Herodotus is known as the Father of History. His book about the wars between the Persians and the Greek city states was a collection of his historia—his inquiries—which is where we get the very word “history” from.

Yet he is also known to some as the Father of Lies. His work contains may diversions. If he found a tale that he thought would interest his audience, no matter how far-fetched, he would include it in his work. Here are ten of the weirdest tales from Herodotus, the historicity of which I leave to you.

10 Gyges Usurps The Throne

Before Herodotus can tell us about King Croesus, he decides we have to learn the strange events of how Croesus’s family came to hold the throne of Lydia. It seems that the former king of Lydia, a man by the name of Candaules, was rather proud of his wife. Nothing wrong in that, you might think. But Candaules had a fetish for showing his queen off to his bodyguards. One member of the guard, Gyges, used to have to listen to the king’s speeches on the topic of his wife’s exquisite beauty.^[1]

Perhaps Gyges’s eyes began to glaze over one day as the king subjected him to another eulogy to the queen. Candaules told him, “It appears you don’t believe me when I tell you how lovely my wife is. Well, a man always believes his eyes better than his ears; so do as I tell you—contrive to see her naked.” Gyges tried to get out of spying on the queen, but the king insisted that he hide himself in the queen’s chamber.

Gyges did as he was commanded and saw the queen in all her naked glory. The queen also spotted him. Enraged at her husband’s actions, she gave Gyges a choice: Kill the king or die himself. Gyges did not need much persuading. Candaules was murdered, and Gyges married the queen and took the throne himself.

9 Croesus And The Oracle

From Gyges sprang a dynasty of kings which ended with Croesus on the throne of Lydia. Croesus was so wealthy that the saying “as rich as Croesus” is still used. He was supposedly the first person to mint gold coins. Croesus is important to Herodotus’s history because before the Persians could attack the Greek mainland, they first had to conquer Lydia. Croesus had word that the Persians were coming, but he didn’t know what to do. He did what many in the ancient world did and turned to oracles to get the advice of the gods. But which oracle should he use?

Croesus sent messengers to the most famous oracles in the world and asked them all the same thing: “What is King Croesus doing right now?” All the messengers were to ask the question at the same time, and if any of the oracles got the answer right, then that was the one Croesus would trust. Croesus decided to make the answer difficult to guess—he would be cooking a tortoise and a lamb in a bronze pot.^[2] The oracle of of Delphi got it right, so Croesus asked whether he should go to war with Persia. He got the response, “If Croesus goes to war he will destroy a great empire.” Croesus took this to mean the war would go well for him, and he marched his armies out.

Croesus’s forces were destroyed, and he was cast down from his throne. A great empire had been destroyed.

8 Mummification

To the ancient Greeks, the Egyptian civilization seemed impossibly old. Herodotus knew that any facts he could reveal about the Egyptians would be eagerly leaped on by his audience. How could he resist that most Egyptian of arts, mummification?

Herodotus gives us the details of the three forms of mummification the Egyptians use.^[3] For the richest people, a complex set of tools and techniques is used to preserve the body. An iron hook is used to pull the brain out through the nose, while a sharp stone is used to cut open the abdomen, and all the internal organs are removed. Sweet-smelling herbs, spices, and perfumes are packed into the cavities before the body is dried in salt to stop it from rotting. Those unable to afford this must make do with having embalming fluids injected into the body. For the poorest people, the intestines were cleared out, and the body was left to lie in salt for 70 days.

One curious fact that Herodotus shares with us about mummification is that the bodies of wealthy ladies were not sent directly to the embalmers. The corpses were allowed to rot for several days to discourage the embalmers from taking “liberties” with them—an early reference to necrophilia.

7 Gold-Digging Ants

When Herodotus describes the Persian Empire, his inquiries go into all aspects of the Persian world, and that includes the fabulous beasts that are supposed to live there. One of the most amazing oddities that the Persians are supposed to possess were gold-digging ants.^[4] The ants live in the sands of the deserts near India and are apparently the size of dogs. As the ants dig their burrows, they throw up mounds of sand which are packed with gold. Gold hunters chase the ants on camelback. When they find a mound, they load their camels with bags of the gold-rich sand and ride away as quickly as possible. The ants are swifter than any other animal and would always catch those who seek to plunder their nests if not for the fact that they take their time to form up their troops.

Interestingly, there have been those who do not find this story as absurd as it seems. In the Himalayas, there are marmots, which might have mutated in legend into furry, large ants that dig in areas with high gold concentrations. For generations, locals have gathered up the gold dust that the marmots produce.

6 Polycrates And The Ring

Polycrates was the tyrant of the island of Samos for whom everything seemed to go right. His wars were always successful, his policies were always wise, and even the weather was with him. For us, he might sound like the ideal ally. In the ancient world, however, luck was something that it was possible to have too much of.

The Egyptian pharaoh Amasis wrote to his fellow ruler to warn him about his good luck.^[5] Amasis said that the gods would not allow a mortal to have an unending streak of good fortune. One day, there would be a reckoning that would destroy Polycrates and his allies. He suggested that the tyrant should take the thing he valued most in the world and throw it into the sea, so as to break his luck in an orderly way. Polycrates decided to follow this advice. He took a gold and emerald ring from his finger and flung it into the ocean.

Several days later, a fisherman caught an enormous fish. He offered his haul up to Polycrates as a gift fit for a king. While the cooks were cutting up the fish, out fell Polycrates’s ring. This was too much good luck for Amasis, who immediately broke off contact with Polycrates. Polycrates did indeed eventually suffer a terrible comeuppance. He was captured by the Persians, and he may have been impaled and hung up on a cross.

5 Would You Eat Your Parents?

The Greeks loved a good think. Their philosophers tried to discover what things were natural laws (physis) and what were merely social conventions (nomos). Is it a universal law that killing is wrong? People still debate that today. Herodotus gives us an example of a Persian trying a philosophical experiment.

Darius, the Persian king, called all Greeks present at his court together and asked them a startling question: “What would it take for you to eat your fathers’ dead bodies?”^[6] The Greeks were taken aback. No amount of money could make them do that; it was evil. The Persian king nodded. Then he talked to some Indians and asked them what it would take to not eat their fathers’ bodies but rather burn them. The Indians were horrified. They thought it was evil not to eat the dead bodies of their fathers.

4 Darius Demands Tribute

Darius the Persian king was not content to sit around asking philosophical problems. The Greek city states had been meddling in the affairs of his domains. He demanded they stop and submit to his authority. To show that they were under his control, all Darius asked of cities was that they give his messengers a token gift of earth and water.^[7] Many cities, aware that they were no match for the great empire, did exactly as they were asked. Athens and Sparta, however, did not.

When the king’s messengers reached Athens, they were met with scorn. They were thrown into a pit where criminals were usually tossed. Themistocles, a leading Athenian, wanted to have them put to death for defiling the Greek language with their “barbarian demands.”

The Spartans were even more forthright with the messengers. When they demanded earth and water, the Spartans threw them in a well, saying they would find water there.

3 Cross-Dressing Assassins

Not all the Greeks were so inhospitable. Amyntas, king of the Macedonians, readily gave Darius the earth and water he asked for. He also put on a great feast for his guests. The Persians had fun, but they had one more request. In Persia, they said, it was the custom for married women and concubines to come in and entertain the guests.^[8] Amyntas said that was not their custom, but they would do it the Persian way.

The women came in but sat apart from the men, as was their custom. The Persians complained that this was terrible, to see the women and be tempted. Amyntas again complied and let the women sit with the Persians. The Persians began to fondle the women. Alexander (not the Great), son of King Amyntas, was enraged. He begged his father to go to bed so that he could deal with the Persians. Amyntas left. Alexander told the Persians they could sleep with any woman they chose, but it might be better if they waited to sober up first. The Persians agreed to rest.

Alexander gathered all the beardless men he could find and dressed them up as women and gave them daggers. When the Persians began to fondle the “women” that night, the daggers were produced, and all the Persians murdered in their seats.

2 Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae is one of the most famous in European history. The Persian army which invaded Greece was the largest that had ever been seen. It seemed impossible to stop them. At a point where the mountains came down to the sea, a force of 300 Spartan warriors and their allies (numbering in the thousands) blocked the Persians’ path. In the narrows, the Persians could not outflank the tiny number ranged against them.

The Spartans knew they were likely to die, but what they did in preparation surprised the Persians. Instead of being melancholy, the Spartans spent their time tending to their hair.^[9] They did also repair a ruined wall to add to their defenses, but one wall and glossy hair did not seem likely to turn the battle.

Xerxes, the Persian king, waited, thinking the Spartans would grow frightened and flee. They did not. Xerxes sent in his overwhelming forces but had to watch as they were repelled again and again. He was at a loss for what to do until a local told the Persians of a path over the mountains that would allow them to take the Spartans in the rear.

The Spartans learned of this move in time to run away. Instead, they stayed and fought to allow their allies to make their escape.

1 Whipping The Sea

Despite commanding the largest empire in the world, Darius’s attempt to conquer Greece failed. He pulled his forces back to Persia. The Persians could not understand their loss. When Darius’s son, Xerxes, ascended to the Persian throne, he decided to finish his father’s conquest.

Xerxes called another huge army for the invasion. Instead of conveying the force by boat, Xerxes had a bridge of boats built across the Hellespont—the narrow gap of water which separates Europe from Asia.^[10] The boats were lashed together with ropes of papyrus to allow for the motion of the water. Just as the army approached, a storm came up and scattered the boats. King Xerxes was displeased.

Xerxes commanded that the Hellespont receive 300 strokes of a whip for defying him. He also ordered that fetters be thrown into the water to show that the sea was shackled to his command. To really rub it in to the water, he had iron brands heated red-hot and plunged into the sea. In many ways, the Hellespont got off lightly. The men who built the bridge were beheaded.

Life is too short to sit around on the net all day reading about other people’s experiences in life, so we have put together a nice little list of ten absolutely fabulous, fun, naughty, and neat things to do before you get too old. Some of these items might put you in danger of jail time, but that just adds to the thrill!

Who doesn’t love cocktails? There are thousands of spirits and liqueurs out there for the tasting – so go to a liquor store, stock up, and try as many variations as you can. You are bound to stumble upon a great tasting cocktail to show off to your friends next time you have a party. Remember to keep a bucket handy – after a night of tasting cocktails you will need it.

Flash mobs have become a worldwide phenomena in which a large group of unrelated people all converge in one place, perform an unusual action for a short time, and disburse again. Flash Mobs were invented in 2003 in Manhattan, but they can now be found in almost every city in the world. To illustrate the scale and awesomeness of flash mobs, in 2006 the London Underground was overtaken by 4,000 people who all silently danced to their ipods (video clip above).

This one is an easy task for most people living in California, but not so easy for people in other states and countries. But it is worth the airfare to get to a premiere if you can afford it. I was fortunate enough to see the premiere of one of the Lord of the Rings movies and I had a fantastic night – you definitely must do this at least once. Who knows, maybe a superstar will see you and fall in love with you (that didn’t happen to me, alas).

It is possible that many of you will have already performed this task, but for those who haven’t (myself included), why not give it a shot? All you are going to cost someone is the time cleaning up after you. Pick a nice clean spot and go to town with spray paint. Be careful not to put anything that will lead the cops to your door. For added points, try to graffiti in a nearly impossible to reach spot – you are more likely to leave a permanent mark that way.

Disclaimer: If you do this, and JFrater will not be held responsible. Now this is something that I can say I have never done, though I have left a store with free things that the staff didn’t ring up (accidentally), but I do have friends who have done this. The trick is to go to a very fancy restaurant (don’t forget to dress up), order something from every course – preferably things you have never eaten before – or can’t afford to eat, then do a runner from the restaurant without paying. Just remember: this is theft, so don’t pick a small family run restaurant that can’t afford to foot your bill.

You may have noticed the absence of items such as bungee jumping and sky diving – the reason is that I think they are insane things to do and I would never recommend them. So, in lieu of other “flight” related things to do, I propose that you learn to fly a plane. You might need to save money for a while as lessons can be very expensive. If you do decide to give it a go, I would recommend that you shave off any long facial hair you may have.

This one may be a little risky, but it is worth it for the kudos you will get from your friends and family. First off you need to paint yourself a piece of art; it doesn’t matter whether you can draw or not – most modern art is unrecognizable anyway. Once your painting is dry, sneak it in to the fanciest art gallery you can find and tape it up on the wall. If you want to go for a special extra touch, you can make your own wall plaque to hang beneath it – and include a price tag. Who knows, you may be discovered!

This is something you have to do at least once in your life. Save up some money and book a night at the poshest hotel in your city – and book the most expensive suite. While you are there make sure you saved enough cash to tip well and to enjoy all of the benefits of the hotel – like fabulous food, massages, pool, and spa. There is nothing grander than waking up in a magnificent penthouse suite with a hangover. Just remember, if you steal the bathrobes you may find an unexpected bill turning up on your credit card the following month.

If you volunteer at your local cop shop you can often be invited to participate in a lineup. Doing so can be fun – and you sometimes get a free lunch as well as cash (though not always). If you do get to appear in a lineup, be sure you didn’t commit the crime! Wear something fun like a tee-shirt that says “I did it” and be sure to look shifty. If you accidentally get picked as the perp, you might want to check out the Top 10 Prison Survival Tips.

We live in a fast paced society where gadgets exist for virtually every task – but occasionally you find that nothing exists to do exactly what you want to do. Instead of ranting and raving, why not try your hand at inventing it? It can take months – even years – to invent something, but if you have a good idea, it is worth the effort. Just remember, as soon as you have completed your invention, patent it and give it a truly awesome name. Who knows, you may even get rich off the idea.

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the ‘Titanic’ who waved off the dessert cart.”? Erma Bombeck

Travelling goes hand in hand with trying out unfamiliar exotic cuisine. And while you’re at it, why not try it in a unique restaurant? On this list are some of the most unusual restaurants in the world, ready and waiting to serve locals and tourists and provide a memorable experience.

See Also: 10 Iconic Movie And TV Restaurants That Are Actually Real

10 The Catacombs: Pennsylvania

If you don’t suffer from claustrophobia, then dining at The Catacombs inside Bube’s Brewery in Pennsylvania might just be for you. After joining the host and going on a tour of Bube’s Brewery, you must descend 43 feet underground to get to the cellar that makes up the eatery. The menu has fantastic offerings that include gourmet options and Grade A steak.

What’s more, it is said that Bube’s Brewery, which contains the cellar, is haunted. Ghosthunters have investigated the brewery and allegedly found evidence of ghostly activity. Because of this, the brewery has decided to hire a paranormal investigation team to entertain diners with spooky tales of supernatural activity.

9 Soneva (Treepod Dining): Thailand

If you’ve ever wanted a bird’s eye view while enjoying a gourmet meal, then look no further than the Soneva restaurant in Thailand. You will be hoisted up amongst the trees in the Koh Kood rainforest while seated in a ‘bird’s nest’ or bamboo pod. The bamboo pod can hold 4 people and was woven by a local craftsman.

Once you are settled, your personal waiter will use a zip-line to get you your food and drinks while you enjoy the spectacular view of the ocean and boulders in the distance. Additionally, the cozy atmosphere of the pod itself is said to ease the minds of those who are afraid of heights.

8 El Diablo: Spain

Withstanding the heat or getting out of the kitchen, is taken quite literally at the El Diablo restaurant in Spain. This eatery sits on nine layers of basalt rock on the island of Lanzarote and incorporates a giant grill laid across a hole in the ground, which just happens to lead down into a dormant volcano.

6 feet below the grill, lava bubbles at 400 degrees Celsius which generates the desired temperature to cook delicious meals. While you wait for your food, you can enjoy the view of Lanzarote’s Timanfaya National Park and the Fire Mountains which consist of around 100 volcanos.

7 The Great Viking Feast: Canada

The Great Viking Feast Dinner Theatre is located at Fishing Point, St. Anthony, Canada and is only open between June and September. Here you can immerse yourself in Viking culture and enjoy a buffet of food believed to have been eaten by the Vikings. The restaurant itself is a 100-seat Viking sod hut.

You can also join in the fun of ‘presenting’ a court case to the Lawspeaker (as a customer) and deciding on the fate of the Vikings or other customers. At the end of the evening you will have become an honorary Viking and receive a special certificate.

6 Mermaid Lounge: Las Vegas

There are a lot of things to do and a lot of fine dining experiences in Las Vegas. One of the most unique restaurants off the Las Vegas Strip is Mermaid Lounge. The restaurant & lounge offers excellent food, while customers can enjoy the 117,000-gallon aquarium that houses 4000 tropical fish as well as mermaids.

The mermaids can be seen on Thursdays through Sunday and are usually in the tank for about 2 hours at a time. They are trained water dancers and love interacting with kids and posing for pictures with them. What’s more, on Saturdays, there is a Mermaid School for children between the ages of 7 and 12 that teaches them how to swim with mermaid tails.

5 The Lockup: Japan

The Lockup is referred to as an izakaya and is focused on drinks and food is a side item. In this restaurant you can order individual items off the menu and pay full price or select an eat/drink package that you can enjoy in a ‘dungeon’ room.

Before you sit down however, you must walk through a corridor where things basically ‘jump out’ at you to scare you. When you arrive in the actual restaurant, a waiter dressed as a police officer will come over to ‘arrest’ you after you ‘confess’ to your crime of choice. If you are in a group, only one will be handcuffed and the whole group led to a table.

At some point during the meal, sirens start wailing and lights start flashing before ‘escaped prisoners’ start running through the restaurant. You then get to watch the police officers run after and catch them and lock them up again while you finish your food.

4 New Lucky Restaurant: India

If you want a spooky atmosphere while eating, the New Lucky Restaurant in Ahmedabad, India specializes in exactly that. Considering that the restaurant is built within a cemetery, they didn’t have to do much to bring the creepy factor.

Owner, Krishnan Kutti, decided to build his restaurant ‘around’ the graves instead of over them. It is believed that the graves belonged to Muslim followers of a 16th century Sufi saint and steel bars have been erected around them for protection. The green coffins (12 in total) are cleaned daily and flowers placed near them as a sign of respect.

The restaurant is very popular especially since Kutti claims that eating among the dead brings good luck.

3Redwoods Treehouse: New Zealand

The Redwoods Treehouse restaurant in New Zealand started out as a marketing stunt by the Yellow Pages. All the parts and services used in the design and construction of the restaurant were found in the yellow pages. It was originally named the Yellow Treehouse and was open for casual dining between 2008 and 2009 before changing ownership and name.

The entire restaurant is in the shape of a chrysalis and hugs a redwood tree 10 metres up. There is a tree top walkway that leads to the restaurant which can hold 30 guests at a time. These days the restaurant is only open for private functions such as parties and corporate dining.

2 Dans le Noir: London

Following in the same trend as sign language restaurants, Dans le Noir in London offers a sight deprivation experience. Food is served in a room dark enough that guests can’t see their hands in front of their faces and the wait staff are visually impaired.

The first restaurant was opened in Paris in 2004 with the aim of allowing those who have sight to experience what it would be like to be blind. Another goal was to create more employment opportunities for the blind.

When guests arrive at the eatery, they are instructed to leave their phones and cigarette lighters in a locker and then get in line with their hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them. The line is then manoeuvred into the dark eating area, with the assistance of the waitrons.

The best part, according to several patrons, is the opportunity to let go of conventional table manners and eat food with your hands or drink your beverage straight from the bottle.

1 Cabbages and Condoms: Bangkok

Walking past Captain Condom and seeing a Santa Claus sporting a condom beard, is just the beginning of the educational experience patrons have while dining at Cabbages and Condoms in Bangkok. There is even a Christmas tree bedazzled with condoms as decorations.

The restaurant was opened by PDA (The Population and Community Development Association), who believe that birth control should be as easily accessible as cabbages in a market. The proceeds go towards community HIV/AIDS outreach programs and safe-sex awareness. The entire restaurant buys in to the concept with the wait staff wearing inflated condoms as hats. If you look closely, you will also see condom-shaped light fixtures in between the regular ones. At the end of your meal, guests receive a condom as a gift instead of the usual mint. Also, should any of the male patrons feel the need to have a vasectomy after their meal, they can undergo the procedure for free in the family-planning clinic next to the restaurant.