The Amazing Axolotl: Superpower Salamanders
From Nation, For Nation - Pulse of the Nation
Dog Age Calculator: How Old Is Your Dog in Human Years?
All Aboard the Red Train: Your Front-Row Seat to St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights
It's that time of year again, when St. Augustine feels straight out of a storybook! That's right, Nights of Lights is back! More than two million white lights blanket the Nation’s Oldest City, turning every street, sidewalk, and rooftop into a glowing holiday wonderland.
And the best way to see it all? Aboard Ripley’s iconic Red Train!
Whether you're a longtime local or just someone who loves a good glittering spectacle, this is the tour to put at the top of your festive bucket list.
Reserve Your Row
Reservations are made by row, not by person.
That means:
-->Your row = your space.
-->Up to four guests can ride together.
-->Each row measures 68 inches long.
-->You can book multiple rows for bigger groups.
-->It’s cozy, convenient, and perfect for families, date nights, and festive friend outings.
What to Expect on the Nights of Lights Tour
From the moment the Red Train pulls out of Ripley's Believe It or Not! St. Augustine at 19 San Marco Ave, the holiday magic starts in full force!
Here’s the vibe:
-->A 30-minute ride packed with twinkling lights.
-->Complimentary magic glasses that transform every bulb into dancing holiday shapes.
-->Your favorite Christmas tunes filling the air.
-->A ride across 20 glowing blocks of historic St. Augustine.
-->Lights recognized by National Geographic as one of the Top 10 Holiday Displays in the World.
Every corner is a photo op, and every stretch of the city feels like a real-life snow globe, minus the snow. The tour runs nightly at 6 p.m. from November 16 through January 10, with a break on Christmas Day.
Rockin’ Red New Year's: Keep the Sparkle Going
Can’t make it before Christmas? No problem!
From December 31 to January 10, Ripley’s Red Train transforms into the Rockin’ Red New Year's ride, same glow, same magic, just with that “new year, new train” energy. →
From Globe, For Globe - Pulse of the Planet
Each year, the Hawaiian post office receives thousands of pounds of mail with people begging Pele to forgive them.
The Curse of Goddess Pele
“My life literally fell apart,” he said. One minute, he was an employed, law-abiding citizen and the next, he was sitting in a federal penitentiary. He couldn’t figure out what had happened.
The FBI agents who questioned him said they never arrest people for what he did. They told him, “You really must have upset someone.”
He had. Timothy Murray of Florida had gone to Hawaii to accept a new job. When the job fell through, he took a trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Like thousands before him, Mr. Murray was captivated by the black sand beaches and did what many other tourists often do…take some of that beautiful sand home as a souvenir.
Over the next three years, Mr. Murray’s life began to unravel. His beloved pet died. He and his fiancé broke up. He began to drink too much and finally, FBI agents, who said they had been tracking him from Hawaii, arrested him in a computer copyright infringement case.
Mr. Murray blames Pele-the Goddess of Volcanoes and Fire-who is renowned for her violent temper. Legend has it that her home, Mount Kilauea, is one of the Earth’s most active volcanoes. Pele considers volcanic rocks, black sand, and pumice to be her children and casts the weight of her wrath on those who remove any from the islands.
All Kinds of Stuff
Each year, postmasters at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park station and other local post offices receive thousands of pounds of mail often addressed to Queen Pele. It comes from people all over the world who write that they’ve had bad luck or calamities since returning home with their Hawaiian treasures and now want to return the offending items. They often ask for forgiveness and pray that once they send the items back to Pele, she will lift her curse so they can have their lives back.
One postmaster who opens Pele’s mail says much of what is sent back is not even from Hawaii! Once they received what looked like a slag from someone’s furnace. They’ve gotten ceramic tiki heads, as well as bottles and containers filled with assorted wares and whatnots.
“Please take this sand and put it back somewhere on your island,” Mr. Murray wrote when he returned his sand. “I’ve had very bad luck since it came into my life and I am very sorry I took it. Please forgive me and I pray that once I send it back where it comes from, my bad luck will go away.” Letters like this arrive every month.
A Wrath or a Myth?
According to a park ranger at the Kilauea Visitor Center, the “curse” has no basis in Hawaiian culture. The claim is traced back to early tour guides and park rangers who wanted to discourage visitors from removing rocks. Some say it is the power of suggestion. That people get sick or experience a misfortune and then remember at some point, years earlier, they took a rock from the volcano.
But then again…is it simply just a myth? A mere claim by workers tired of visitors depleting Hawaii’s beautiful strands of rock and sand? Or is the curse for real?
Either way, would you be willing to take the chance of upsetting Pele, the notorious Goddess of Fire? I believe not.
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Referred by ripleys.com - where the world’s most extraordinary stories are discovered and celebrated.