There is an inverse world of tourism—the antithesis to Sandal's resorts and Carnival Cruises.
Called dark tourism, ruin tourism, urban exploration, or simply travel, depending on the context, it revolves around people visiting places with a troubled history. These are often places that are famous for what has gone wrong. Instead of the Eiffel tower there is Chernobyl, for instance, or in place of Machu Piccu, there are the modern ruins of Detroit.
Centralia ranks high on this dubious list. Made famous in the 1980s for the coal mine fire burning under the town, Centralia became international famous, all the while slowly dissolving as an actual town. Yet even as curious travelers (ourselves included) make pilgrimages to the abandoned highway and reflect on what went wrong in Centralia, the coal mine fire that made the town so famous has moved on. Those expecting to see a fiery hell scape are met instead with new growth forest.
Even a stretch of Route 61 abandoned due to the fire, has become a playground for ATV's, motorcyclists, and barbecue cookouts. It mixes intrigued visitors with locals happy to tell them the true stories of Centralia. The entire stretch of road has an air of relaxed fun. Suddenly the "dark tourists" to Centralia are transformed into merely curious travelers getting to know the locals and spending a nice summer day in a small Pennsylvania town with an unusual history,