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Smicksburg, Pennsylvania, USA
In the town of Smicksburg, Pennsylvania, there is an Amish community of about 800 members. Their way of life has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. Shops sell only Amish food and handicrafts, electricity is used sparingly, horses and wheelbarrows are the primary means of transportation, and farmers work in nearby fields using horse-drawn plows.
Xinye Ancient Village, China
The ancient village of Tan Diep is located in Dai Tu Nham town, southwest of Jiande city, Zhejiang province, China. The village possesses a simple, tranquil beauty, seemingly forgotten amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Tan Diep Ancient Village was built during the 12th year of the Gia Dinh era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1219). Currently, Tan Diep Ancient Village still preserves 16 ancient communal houses, ancient assembly halls, ancient towers, ancient temples, and more than 200 ancient buildings. Due to its long history and rich architectural styles, it is praised by experts in ancient architecture both domestically and internationally as "China's open-air architectural museum of the Ming and Qing dynasties."
Den Gamle By, Århus, Denmark
Founded in 1909, the Den Gamle By in Århus is the first open-air museum focusing on the history and culture of past urban societies. With 75 replicas of historic houses from across Denmark, you can wander through a 19th-century town, explore a house from the 1700s, and even step into a gynecological clinic from the 1970s.
Tombstone, Arizona, USA
If you want to experience nostalgic travel in the rugged, wild West with notorious cowboys, head to Tombstone in Arizona. Tombstone was once a Western frontier town, the site of the legendary Gunfight at OK Corral in 1881. This historic area is one of the best-preserved frontier towns. You'll easily spot cowboys roaming the streets while you're there.
Etar architectural and ethnographic complex, Bulgaria
Stepping into this complex is like entering the Renaissance – a period of economic and political prosperity in Bulgaria under Ottoman rule from the 18th to the mid-19th centuries. This open-air museum in Gabrovo will take you on a tour of workshops, craftsmen's homes, a watermill dating back to 1780, traditional pastry shops, and several restaurants serving local Bulgarian cuisine.
Kizhi, Russia
The entire island of Kizhi in Russia, located in the vast Lake Onega region, is a nostalgic tourist destination with stunning historical sites. You can admire ancient wooden churches with unique and intricate designs, including the oldest religious building in Russia.
Meanwhile, some of the other old wooden houses and buildings belong to both locals and those who moved in from elsewhere since 1950. All the wooden houses here are stunningly beautiful and exceptionally well-preserved.
Shikoku Mura, Japan
You can step into the Japanese countryside of the past at Sikoku Mura, an open-air museum featuring 33 traditional houses from the Edo to the Taishō periods. There are also barns, a 250-year-old kabuki (classical Japanese dance-drama) stage, a mulberry bark papermaking workshop, and a suspension bridge made of vines.
Zuiderzeemuseum, Enkhuizen, Netherlands
In 1932, Zuiderzee in the Netherlands was cut off from the North Sea. Since then, it has lost its role as an important fishing and trading port. Concerned that the area's maritime cultural heritage would be lost, local authorities created an entire village reflecting past lifestyles and a museum of 17th-century ships housed in the former Dutch East India Company warehouses.
Sighisoara, Transylvania, Romania
Known as the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for the famous character Dracula, Sighisoara is one of the oldest and best-preserved fortresses in Europe. Perched high on a hill overlooking the Tarnave Mare valley in Transylvania, Sighisoara boasts mysterious old houses, a 14th-century clock tower, and the remains of ancient battlefields. Visitors will be overwhelmed by the mystical beauty of Sighisoara.
Herm Island, Channel Islands, United Kingdom
The tiny island of Herm is one of the smallest in the Channel Islands open to tourists. Herm is only 2 square kilometers in size.2The land is unspoiled. Cars and bicycles are not allowed on the island, so visitors can only explore Herm on foot. However, 4x4 vehicles and tractors are used to transport staff and luggage for guests staying on the island.
Hahoe Folk Village, South Korea
Folk villages in Korea are a popular way to maintain a strong connection to the nation's pastoral traditions. Hanoe Folk Village is more than just a show town; it's a fully functioning, 16th-century (Joseon-era) style community with preserved original buildings—tiled-roof houses for the nobility, thatched-roof and mud-plastered houses for the servant class—all gracefully arranged in the shape of a lotus flower.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
The Peasants' War of 1525 and the Thirty Years' War a century later plunged the once-thriving Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber into poverty. Development stalled, and buildings were abandoned. Detailed reconstruction of Rothenburg ob der Tauber was undertaken after Allied bombing raids during World War II, meaning this charming town still looks almost exactly as it did 400 years ago.
Tatariv, Ukraine
Visitors will easily spot horse-drawn carriages in the small towns and villages of rural Ukraine, or encounter farmers using hand-pulled plows and scythes in the fields. Tatariv, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, is one of the living relics of old Ukraine, where the carriages used for transport in the summer are replaced by sleds in the harsh winter.
Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)
The Intha people of Inle Lake in central Myanmar live in villages made of stilt houses constructed from bamboo and wood. The communities speak an ancient Burmese dialect and continue to use the lake for transportation and trade as they have for generations, growing vegetables on floating gardens and fishing from special boats paddled by foot.
Williamsburg Colony, Virginia, USA
Williamsburg, Virginia, is the largest open-air living history museum in the United States, featuring hundreds of restored and rebuilt buildings dating from 1699 to 1780. All are related to the history of the American Revolutionary War. You'll have interpreters dressed in period costumes explaining the features of life in the past. Plus, you can take a free stroll through Colonial Williamsburg at any time of day.
A living museum in the Black Country, England.
Delving into the railway lines, steel mills, coal mines, shops, and houses, visitors can explore what was once one of Britain's most heavily industrialized areas – the Black Country, West Midlands. This open-air museum recreates life in industrialized Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries with remarkable accuracy – and you can even take the journey on an old-fashioned bus.
Blists Hill, Telford, England
Don't miss the chance to visit Blists Hill, a Victorian town in England's West Midlands that still functions in its old-world style. Here, visitors can enjoy...fish n virusesFollow traditional paths, sample some classic pastries, and even "smell" the past with every step.
Funen village, Odense, Denmark
The wooden houses, mills, schools, and quaint little streets of Funen village have been restored to their original state, creating a Danish countryside scene reminiscent of the era of Hans Christian-Andersen, the writer born and raised in Odense in the early 19th century. Visitors can get acquainted with farm animals and sample local fruits, just like in Andersen's fairy tales.
