One Fish, Two Fish,
Places That Look Dr. Seuss-ish

One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss-ish

Anyone who grew up on The Cat In The Hat and Green Eggs and Ham remembers the illustrations of one Mr. Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Trees with elongated trucks or with improbable collections of limbs. Stark and scraggly landscapes with oddly balanced rocks and unlikely geometric shapes. Architecture with unusual protrusions and awkward angles where no two windows exactly the same. These were some of the hallmarks of the world Dr. Seuss illustrated in his 60 children’s books.

Here’s a look at some places on Planet Earth—places you can visit on your next vacation—that resemble scenes from a Dr. Seuss illustration. So, in the words of the doctor himself . . .


…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!


white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Trees

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Socotra Island, Yemen

If Yemen conjures any images in your imagination they probably aren’t scenes of amazing beaches or abundant biodiversity. Yet that’s exactly what you’ll find on the Yemeni island of Socotra, one of four members of an archipelago of the same name 400 km (250 miles) off the Arabian Peninsula.

Socotra has been a world unto itself for more than 300 million years. Even back then, when the continents were joined together in a single landmass, Socotra was still an island. As a result Socotra today has more than 800 plant and 700 animal species found nowhere else on earth—only Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands have more.

The most striking of the species native to Socotra is the dragon’s blood tree and it’s distinct umbrella shaped top. Also very Seussian in appearant is the Socotra vulture, which looks a little like the Lorax (see the photo above).

Travel to Socotra became a lot easier in 1999 with the completion of a year-round airport. Since then the island has received a steady trickle of tourists. If you visit bring plenty of sunscreen but don’t bother with a phrasebook—Soqotri, the language spoken by the Socotra’s 50,000 inhabitants, is unwritten.

GUIDEBOOKS |

Related posts:
5 Amazing Towns on Perilous Cliff Sides
Walk Along The Giant’s Causeway

dr suess travel m One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

socotra 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

socotra 6 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

socotra 2 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish


white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Angel Oak Park, Charleston, South Carolina USA

Question: What’s the oldest living or man-made object in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains?

Answer: The namesake tree in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina.

The 1,500+ year old tree is 65 feet (20 meters) tall and over 25 feet (7.5 meters) around. The amazing collections of limbs protruding from the tree look like something directly out of a Dr. Seuss book. Taken together these limbs provide shade over a 17,000 square foot (1,500 sq m) area, or an area larger than three tennis courts!

The Angel Oak Park is open from 9am to 5pm daily. Check out the park’s website for more photos and info.

Where To Stay: Planters Inn for grand southern charm or the cool Not So Hostel for a cheap sleep.

LEARN MORE | READ | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK |

Related posts:
Ko Kood: The Best Thailand Island For Tropical Forests
The World’s Only Pub That’s Inside A Tree

angel oak One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish


white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Landscapes

landscapes One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The Salar de Uyuni, in southwestern Bolivia, is easily world’s largest salt flat—the perfect places for a North-Going Zax to meet his South-Going counterpart (watch video here). The region around Uyuni also provides one of the most surreal landscapes on the planet. When the flats are wet the Salar de Uyuni acts as the world’s largest mirror. On the edges of the flats are Seussian-shaped cacti and rock formations.

In prehistoric times the Salar de Uyuni was a massive brackish lake. When the lake dried up 40,000 years ago it left an estimated 10 billion tons (!) of salt behind. Thousands of tons of these salts are extracted for sale every year. In one step of the harvesting process the salt is piled into conical piles (see photo, below) that themselves look like something from a Dr. Seuss book.

salt hotel One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish The uses for the Salar de Uyuni region is today as surreal as its landscape. In addition to tourism and salt mining the area is a prime breeding ground for South American flamingos and is used by orbiting satellites to calibrate their remote sensing instruments.

Where to stay: Hotel de Sal Playa. The Salt Hotel! The walls, floor and even the furniture of this 15-bedroom establishment are constructed entirely of salt. (Photo to the right). The hotel also has a comfortable lounge, bar and restaurant. Need a litting seasoning on your dinner? Just chip a bit off of your table. Guests are, however, asked to refrain from licking the hotel’s walls.

FIND BOLIVIA TRAVEL SPECIALISTS (free) | READ |

Related post:s
Dive Into Jellyfish In Palau
Weird Items (Really!) Sold on Amazon.com

uyuni 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

uyuni 2 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

uyuni 3 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

uyuni 4 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Arches National Park, Utah USA

We don’t know for certain if Dr. Seuss ever visited Arches National Park. But looking at his illustrations we have to imagine that he at least saw photos of this section of Utah where the rock contorts into arches, dramatic cliff edges and long narrow pathways above the ground. The park has over 2,000 sandstone arches along with a variety of oddly balanced rocks and a few cliff top caves of the sort where the Grinch might live. Visit in the fall or spring when the weather is most pleasant for hiking.

Where to stay: Moab, UT has a mostly unimpressive collection of cheap chain hotels. The Sorrel River Ranch Resort is by far the most scenic option. Stay there or in one of the town’s three B&Bs.

LEARN MORE | FIND UTAH TRAVEL SPECIALISTS (free) | READ |

Related posts:
7 Amazing Circular Geological Oddities
Lose Weight While Traveling: Three Fun & Cool Trips

arches np 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

arches np 2 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

arches np 3 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish


white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Architecture

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Hang Nga Guesthouse, Dalat, Vietnam

Who would have thought that the world’s most Dr. Seuss-like hotel would be in Vietnam? Or that there would be two short degrees of separation between this hotel and the Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh?

Yet the Hang Nga Guesthouse in the south-central Vietnamese city of Dalat, looks exactly like the sort of place you would expect to find the Cat In The Hat. This hotel, built by the daughter of a former President of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh confidant, is so quirky that locals have come to refer to it as “the crazy house.” On the Hang Nga grounds visitors can lounge in cave sitting rooms next to giant spider webs made of wire. And that giant concrete giraffe? That’s the hotel’s tea room.

Finding your hotel room is an adventure at Hang Nga. The accommodations are scattered among various buildings, some connected by rickety bridges. In each building are a maze of rounded hallways and stairways with no steps of the same size. Once—or, rather, if—you locate your room may find your bed in a mini-cave or a private reading desk up a ladder in a nook; there might or might not be mirrors on the ceiling, a staircase made of tree stumps or large paper mache ants crawling the walls.

Room rates range from about $30 to $70—it is worth paying for the more expensive rooms. You can also tour around Hang Nga during the day for a mere $0.50. The hotel grounds are a popular tourist attraction with foreigners and Vietnamese alike.

Note: There are many hotels around Dalat (and Vietnam in general) named Hang Nga. In Dalat make sure you ask for “the crazy house.”

BOOK A VIETNAM TOUR | READ | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK |

Related posts:
The Cave Hotels of Cappadocia, Turkey
5 Cool, Luxurious (and Inexpensive) Hostels

crazy house 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

crazy house 5 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

crazy house 6 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Treehouses at the Green Magic Resort, Kerala, India

Spot Cool Stuff loves a good treehouse hotel. And if that treehouse hotel looks like it could be designed by Dr. Seuss then, well, what could be better?

Scattered around the jungles of Kerala, a state in the south of India, are several such Seussian treehouses. One of our favorites is the Green Magic Resort. There the treehouse abodes are truly high up in the canopy. One of the treehouses is 27 meters (90 feet) above the ground and accessible only by a rope bridge. Another is 30 meters high—to get there guests must be hoisted up in a wooden pod (see photo, below)! Those with vertigo may want to stick to one of the treehouses accessible by a narrow wooden staircase that wraps around the trunk of the tree.

Green Magic is a true eco-resort. Each treehouse was constructed by Paniya tribesmen entirely with local materials, using indigenous building techniques. All of the resort’s electricity is produced on-site through alternative means.

At a nightly rate ranging from $120 to $240, the Green Magic is among the world’s most expensive resorts not to offer hot showers. But then staying clean is a secondary consideration when staying at a treehouse hotel this wonderful.

LEARN MORE & BOOK | FIND INDIA TRAVEL SPECIALISTS (free) | READ |

Related post:
The World’s Only Pub That’s Inside A Tree
Unusual Architecture: The World’s Tallest Wooden Skyscraper

green magic 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

green magic 2 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

green magic 3 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

green magic 4 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
lightgrey One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

The Ksars of Tunisia

Scattered around the rural areas of Tunisia—which is to say, around most of Tunisia—travelers will find ksars, local Berber villages. The berbers are an ethnic group, 40 million strong, spread across the north of the African continent from Egypt to Morocco. Their ancient building methods are still very much in use today. Berber construction methods involve the molding of sand and rock; nails and planks are almost never used. The resulting architecture looks like a cross between the casaba in Star Wars and a Dr. Seuss house.

For an example of a construction at the casaba end of the Berber architectural spectrum check out our review of the Adrere Amellal in Egypt. But for the Dr. Seuss side of Berber building there’s no place better than Tunisia. Many of the berber houses here have the same rounded-top windows and arches on the exterior of a building (see photo below) used in many of Seuss’s illustrations.

Zeraoua is one of our favorite ksars. To explore around, however, it helps greatly to connect with a local travel expert.

LEARN MORE | CONNECT WITH TUNISIA TRAVEL SPECIALISTS (free) | READ |

Related post: Adrere Amellal: The Planet’s Single Coolest Eco-Resort

berber One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain

Sam I Am would not like his green eggs and ham eating slow, or with his toe, or ordered to-go. But he might like them at Casa Batlló.

This building is one of several around Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí. Like Dr. Seuss, Gaudí almost never used straight lines in his constructions. The Casa Batlló is, arguably, his most Seussian work. (Although, to be fair, it should be pointed out that the Casa Batlló was completed in 1877, exactly 50 years before Seuss published his first book). There’s something about this building that feels organic; to walk around inside it is to feel like one’s walking around the innards of some living creature. Indeed, locals refer to this building as the casa dels ossos (the house of bones).

Today the Casa Batlló is a popular museum. If you visit save yourself some time standing in line and order your tickets online through the museum’s website.

Where To Stay: The Grand Hotel Central is a superb central hotel (with a cool rooftop pool). Among the less expensive options we like the Barcelona Dream—or click here for other options.

LEARN MORE | SPAIN GUIDEBOOKS |

Related posts:
Cool Architecture
8 Odd Items You Can Buy on Amazon

ballto 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

batllo 2 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

ballto 3 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

ballto 4 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Finally, A Few Seuss-Themed Sites . . .

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, Springfield, Mass

Located in Seuss’s hometown, the Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden has bronze versions of several popular Seuss characters including a 14-foot (4-meter) tall Horton the Elephant. The sculpture garden is small but Seuss fans traveling in Western Massachusetts will likely find it a nice little stop.

LEARN MORE | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK | READ |

seuss sculpture garden One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

Seuss Landing, Orlando, Florida

seuss landing orlando s One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish At Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, Dr. Seuss has inspired a theme park within a theme park. Seuss Landing is clearly, and understandably, geared towards younger kids (3~7 year olds). But even stodgy adults can enjoy the Seussian water slide. And conniseurs of the surreal can appreciate the Caro-Seuss-el.

Note: The “wacky” music played on an endlessly repeating loop through Seuss Landing will eventually cause even the most gentle-tempered adults to punch The Cat In The Hat square in the mouth—please time the length of your stay accordingly.

Where to stay: Why the Dr. Seuss Suite at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel of course! The suite (photo below) has both a kids bedroom and an adult one, each with their own flatscreen TVs and yellow and orange Seuss-themed furniture.

All guests at the Portofino Bay Hotel—as well as the Hard Rock Orlando and the Loews Royal Pacific Resort—get access to Islands of Adventure an hour before the general public plus complimentary access to the express lines. That alone makes it well worth choosing one of those three properties.

LEARN MORE | READ | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK |

seuss landing orlando 1 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

seuss suite One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish follow me on pinterest button One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
updated: 15 Sept 2010

white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish





white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

BUY DR. SEUSS BOOKS | BOOK A VACATION One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish

 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish


In your travels throughout Earth’s many nations
have you seen things that resemble Dr. Seuss creations?
If you have, don’t be shy, and don’t cause a fuss,
scroll down a bit, and leave a comment for us.

 One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish
white One Fish, Two Fish, <br>Places That Look Dr. Seuss ish


Responses

  1. Karen Warren says:


    Twitter:
    Some very clever comparisons with Dr Seuss! Loved the pictures of Socotra.

    [Reply to this comment]

  2. Peyton says:

    Joshua Tree National Park in California looks very Doctor Suess like, especially because of the trees themselves

    [Reply to this comment]

  3. Maggie says:


    Twitter:
    If the link doesn’t work, google “Lanzorate, Cesar Manrique” to see the funkiest, most Suess-like Canary Island. Magical place! http://woww.it/8d

    [Reply to this comment]

    Spot Cool Travel Stuff Reply:

    Thanks, Maggie.

    We’ve reviewed a place on Lanzarote before:

    http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/canary-islands/lanzarote/cesar-manrique-house

    [Reply to this comment]

  4. Ada says:

    What an inspiring post! I’ve loved Dr. Seuss since I was a young girl and this combines my admiration for his worldly vision and new darts on the travel itinerary map. Thank you!

    [Reply to this comment]

  5. 1582 says:

    There’s a resort in cimaja, pelabuhan ratu, west java, indonesia named vila karang aji. You guys should really add that place to this great seussian list… 🙂

    Check this: http://www.vilakarangaji.com

    [Reply to this comment]

  6. Paolo says:

    Funny that you mention Star Wars in the description of Tunisia – a big part of that movie was actually shot in the Tunisian desert 🙂

    [Reply to this comment]

  7. Andy Hayes says:


    Twitter:
    Oh my god, these are so cool! How fun!

    Andy Hayes’s last blog post..Location Independent in Phuket

    [Reply to this comment]

  8. Jaun Millalonco says:

    Just wanted to say great job with the blog, today is my first visit here and I’ve enjoyed reading your posts so far 🙂
    Juan

    [Reply to this comment]

    Spot Cool Travel Stuff Reply:

    Thanks, Juan. Much appreciated. We hope you return often.

    [Reply to this comment]

  9. Luc J says:

    Absolutely great pictures! Now I’d like to take a plane and visit those places. The only one I’ve seen so far is Casa Batllo in Barcelona. Did you notice the similarity with the Vietnamese cave house?

    [Reply to this comment]

  10. jessiev says:


    Twitter:
    THIS is such a cool article! i love it! great work putting together these photos and descriptions – i want to go to many of them!

    jessiev’s last blog post..Art of Henry Sinn: Intrigue, Enchantment, and Sinn

    [Reply to this comment]

  11. Kirk says:

    What a great article. I live relatively close to the Angel Oak’s in Charleston, will have to go visit.

    Kirk’s last blog post..So Long

    [Reply to this comment]

Leave a Response

CommentLuv badge

SPOTCOOLSTUFF Travel reviews unusual hotels and restaurants, great attractions, cool travel gear, places with amazing views and all manner of travel destinations with a WOW! factor. Because we live on an incredible planet! Get our latest travel posts by email . . .

    Awesome Curacao vacations — up to $530 off!
    Check out the freebies offered too, including airfare credits, breakfast and room upgrades!

Save $530 Time left:
Book Now!
Offer Closed!



PARTNER WITH US     |     BE OUR GUEST TRAVEL WRITER    |      SUGGEST COOL STUFF FOR US TO REVIEW     |     INFO FOR TOURIST BOARDS

Other SCS SectionsHot Travel CategoriesFave Travel Posts
Cool Tech & GadgetsBest hotel room viewsCaribbeanBest Sandals in Jamaica
Cool Architecture & DesignFamily travelEuropeBest Wheeled Carry-On Luggage
Cool WebsitesHoneymoon resortsFloridaWorld's Coolest Airlines
Cool EntertainmentUnusual museumsSoutheast AsiaThe Honeymoon Resorts of Bora Bora