There was a powerful storm that blew over Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. US military officials said it was a weather balloon. Many people claimed that it was a flying saucer.

From The Day the Earth Stood Still to The X-Files, there are many conspiracy theories and pop culture hits about what really happened that weekend. Thousands of people come to Roswell each year for events such as the UFO Festival and the International UFO Museum and Research Center.

All that attention has led to various responses from the US government, ranging from denials of extraterrestrial activity to recent declassification of videos released to the public.

The debate will rage on regardless of the results of the latest investigations. A lot of people think the truth is out there. If you want to believe, you can see where extraterrestrials may have come from.

A sign that says 'UFO Crash Site' stands to the side of a dusty track
A sign for the UFO Crash Site near Roswell © David Zaitz / Photonica / Getty Images Plus

1. Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell is considered the "UFO capital of the world" due to the 1947 crash of an alien spaceship. There is a costume contest for both pets and humans and a light parade at the festival. Skeptics and enthusiasts are welcome to come and explore. From first-hand alien experiences to discussions of ancient aliens on the moon, the schedule of speakers has something for everyone.

The Alien Chase is a 5 km or 10 km race through the parks of Roswell.

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2. Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada

There have been many reports of strange lights in the night sky. The road goes through the desert close to Area 51 and the air base. If you follow the tourist board's alien-themed road trip, you'll be able to see something supernatural. The Little A'Le'Inn hotel is located near the middle of the highway, which makes it a good place to meet aliens.

If there is anything unexplained flying up there, chances are you will be able to see it.

Nevada has a number of ghost towns and saloons.

Lots of tall, thin trees are packed together as mist gathers in the forest of Hoia Baciu. UFO sightings in this area date back to the 1960s.
The mysterious Hoia Baciu forest in Romania © ungureanuvadim / Shutterstock

3. Hoia Baciu Forest, Romania

Hoia Baciu claims to be the world's most haunted forest, but is that really true? Some unexplained lights over the forest were taken by a Biologist in the late 1960s. There were reports of flying objects over Hoia Baciu through the 1970s. The forest has a reputation for being a very spooky place.

There are a lot of things to do in the country.

Nazca Lines, Peru
Nazca Lines, Peru © Marcos E Ramos Ponciano / Shutterstock

4. Nazca Lines, Peru

The Nazca lines are shrouded in mystery. They are thought to have been made by a pre-Inca civilization around 450 to 600CE, who removed earth and rocks from the Nazca plain to create etchings of a spider, a hummingbird and a monkey. The lines are difficult to see at ground level. Were they designed to get people to come here? They might be a giant message to life outside of earth. Will you be able to see a flying object if you stay here?

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Wycliffe Well is Australia's UFO Capital © Shutterstock / Damian Pankowiec

5. Wycliffe Well, Australia

Wycliff Well has a quirky claim to fame as the self-proclaimed UFO capital of Australia. The flat, dark-sky horizon, the presence of the Pine Gap US satellite, and the free-flowing roadhouse suds can't explain the claims of extraterrestrials. Lew Farkas gave his hotel and restaurant the Rosewell treatment, which included murals of aliens and other references to the area's supernatural aura, in order to double down on the destination's reputation. Maybe this is a rest stop for flying saucers on their way to the stars.

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6. Khao Kala, Thailand

Since the 1300s, there have been reports of mysterious objects flying through the sky over Thailand, but most recently it's a hill known as Area 51 of Asia. According to the Wall Street Journal, a statue of Buddha on Khao Kala became the gathering point for many people who believed they had found a portal to another world. The people who came to Khao Kala told CNN and other news outlets that they had been contacted by beings from the dwarf planet Pluto.

Some think the increase in alien encounters may be the result of more Thai families logging onto the internet and watching TV shows about extraterrestrials.

Thailand has beautiful gulf islands.

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South America is full of sites with a high number of UFO sightings, from Brazil to Chile to Argentina © Shutterstock / Gabriel Ribeiro Vallim

7. Varginha, Brazil

The Serra do Espinhao biosphere reserve is located in the state of Minas Gerais. There are wolves and spider monkeys. Local residents claimed to have found a dead extraterrestrial in a field outside their town in 1996, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for the unexplained.

There's an army base near Varginha, and it's rumored that the Brazilian military covered up the crash which killed the aliens who were first seen by three women. The Nave Espacial de Varginha, a huge flying saucer-shaped water tower, was built in 2001.

Three years later, Varginha was the meeting place for a national UFO research conference, ostensibly to look into not only what happened nearly a decade before, but a whole host of other incidents reported from throughout the region. Are you going to see some discos? The extraterrestres have the final say.

Brazil has some of the best national parks in the world.

In May of 1978, a local man in his 70s was riding a cart outside of Lublin when he encountered a pair of extraterrestrial beings. Everyone from fellow ufologists to documentary filmmakers to psychologists and even comic book artists were fascinated by the story of the "alien abduction" of Wolski.

Some residents claimed to have seen strange craft flying through the sky. It was either a Cold War-era fantasy to liven up life behind the Iron Curtain or a lie. There is a monument to Wolski's experience that was erected in 2005 and reads "The truth will still astound us."

There is a diving pool in Poland.

Stonehenge, Great Britain
Stonehenge: a temple to the sun, or a sign that we're not alone? © Mr Nai / Shutterstock

9. Stonehenge, Great Britain

One of Britain's greatest archaeological mysteries is the site of Stonehenge. Archaeologists have dated the site to around 2500 BCE, when ancient engineers moved huge sarsen stones and smaller blue stones into a circular formation aligned with the stars.

The smaller bluestones are thought to be from southwest Wales, over 150 miles away, while the sarsen stones are thought to be from West Woods in Wiltshire. It's generally accepted that Stonehenge is a temple designed to follow the movements of the sun, but there is a persistent conspiracy theory that the sophisticated building techniques are signs of alien involvement.

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10. Bermuda Triangle, Atlantic Ocean

There is a place called the Bermuda Triangle. There is a large expanse of water from the tip of Florida all the way down to Puerto Rican. It's the location of several unexplained ship and airplane disappearances over the decades, a phenomenon that has caused many imaginations to run wild.

The vanishings are thought to be the result of human error or the fault of storms. There is nothing unusual about the number of reports for a high traffic area. Whether it's time portals in the sky or something else, there's still a lot of faith in the supernatural.

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The article was first published in July of 2019.