Photography courtesy of Big Well Museum

Are you craving a unique adventure? Then head to Greensburg, Kansas, the site of the Big Well Museum.

Here you’ll find the United States’ largest hand-dug well and an amazing testament to human fortitude.

The city, located approximately 110 miles west of Wichita, was hit by a 1.7-mile-wide tornado eighteen years ago. The twister’s nearly 200 mph winds flattened most of the town, but, miraculously, the midwestern city’s well, which measures 32 feet wide and 109 feet deep, survived. Today, standing over the nineteenth-century well is a museum chronicling both its and Greensburg’s incredible comeback.

Journey down the well’s sunlit spiral staircase to the cool depths below. After making your way back up top, take in exhibits that showcase the city’s history and rebirth, including a clock stopped at the exact time the disaster struck. Then enjoy bird’s-eye views of the rebuilt city from the crow’s nest above.

Yet another wonder here is the half-ton Space Wanderer, the world’s second-largest pallasite meteorite. Composed of sparkly olivine crystals and metal, it was discovered in a nearby field by a farmer more than seventy-five years ago. You can also learn about Greensburg’s many green initiatives—the community is now sustainability focused, boasting LED streetlights, electricity generated solely by wind power, and several LEED-certified public buildings, including its city hall, K-12 school, and county hospital. No matter what draws you to this little midwestern town and its big well, though, you’re sure to enjoy an experience like no other.

For more info, visit bigwell.org