Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#501 104 37 3


I live and work in Los Angeles, California, though I am originally from the Midwest. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a Master's degree in Teaching (Social Studies) from the University of Southern California (USC). As an undergraduate I completed coursework in China, Scotland, and Korea. As a member of AmeriCorps in my 20's, I provided educational services to communities throughout Los Angeles, which led to a career in Education. Today, I am a founding teacher at a middle school, where I teach United States History.

I have contributed an overabundance of information to the country page and forum for South Korea. I consider Korea to be one the great rewards for world heritage travelers. Firstly, a high number of accessible WHS reachable by efficient public transport. Secondly, excellent interpretation and management of each site, including translation. Lastly, the public awareness and domestic interest in world heritage in Korea is exceptional, including world heritage themed festivals and campaigns for aspiring nominations. 

I often travel plan and create lists/goals regarding future trips. While I'm not a completist World Heritage traveller, I certainly focus on World Heritage sites when planning. Listed below are the sites I hope to visit during the next few years.

My Flickr

Complete California

World Heritage Planning 2025-2030

Argentina/Uruguay/Brazil (9 WHS)

  • The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Argentina)
  • ESMA Museum and Site of Memory (Argentina)
  • Cordoba (Argentina)
  • Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
  • Iguazu National Park (Argentina) *Top 100
  • Iguacu (Brazil) *Top 100
  • Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
  • Valongo Wharf (Brazil)
  • Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (Brazil)

Australia (7 WHS)

  • K’gari Fraser Island (Queensland)
  • Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (Queensland)
  • Sydney Opera House (New South Wales)
  • Greater Blue Mountains Area (New South Wales)
  • Australian Convict Sites (New South Wales)
  • Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Victoria)
  • Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Victoria)

Azores - Bermuda (2 WHS)

  • Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores
  • The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Baja California Mexico (1 WHS)

  • Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino

Botswana/Namibia (3 WHS)

  • Okavango Delta *Top 100
  • Namib Sand Sea *Top 100
  • Twyfelfontein

Canada - East (9 WHS)

  • Grand Pré
  • Gros Morne National Park *Top 100
  • Joggins Fossil Cliffs
  • L'Anse aux Meadows
  • Mistaken Point
  • Old Québec
  • Old Town Lunenburg
  • Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
  • Rideau Canal

Canadian Prairie Provinces (4 WHS)

  • Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi
  • Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
  • Dinosaur Provincial Park
  • The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks *Top 100

Caribbean (4 WHS)

  • Historic Bridgetown (Barbados)
  • Morne Trois Pitons (Dominica)
  • Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique (France)
  • La Fortaleza (Puerto Rico)

China via Shanghai (3 WHS)

  • Classical Gardens of Suzhou
  • The Grand Canal
  • Migratory Bird Sanctuaries

China via Shenyang (1 WHS)

  • Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

France (9 WHS)

  • The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier
  • Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
  • Chartres Cathedral
  • The Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
  • Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange
  • Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
  • Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
  • Maison Carrée de Nîmes
  • Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

Ghana/South Africa via Cape Town (2 WHS)

  • Forts and Castles, Central Region (Ghana) *Cape Coast/Elmina
  • Cape Floral Region
  • Robben Island

Gulf States (7 WHS)

  • Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain)
  • Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy (Bahrain)
  • Dilmun Burial Mounds (Bahrain)
  • Aflaj Irrigation System (Oman)
  • Bahla Fort (Oman)
  • Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn (Oman)
  • Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (Qatar)

India - Western Coast, Sri Lanka & Seychelles (12 WHS)

  • Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (India)
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (India)
  • Elephanta Caves (India)
  • Churches and Convents of Goa (India)
  • Valley de Mai Nature Reserve (Seychelles)
  • Sacred City of Kandy (Sri Lanka)
  • Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (Sri Lanka)
  • Central Highlands (Sri Lanka)
  • Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple (Sri Lanka)
  • Ancient City of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
  • Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)
  • Sacred City of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)

Japan (9 WHS)

ICN Flight to Tokyo

  • National Museum of Western Art (Le Corbusier)
  • Shrines and Temples of Nikko
  • Mount Fuji
  • Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama 
  • Hiraizumi Temples and Gardens

Busan to Fukuoka Ferry

  • Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
  • Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution
  • Yakushima

ICN Flight to Hokkaido

  • Shiretoko

Jordan (4 WHS)

  • Petra *Top 100
  • Umm al-Jimal
  • Um er-Rasas (Kastron Mefa'a)
  • Wadi Rum Protected Area

Mongolia (2 WHS)

  • Deer Stone Monuments
  • Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (8 WHS)

  • Visby (Sweden)
  • Karlskrona (Sweden)
  • Birka and Hovgarden (Sweden)
  • Fortress of Suomenlinna (Finland)
  • Tallinn (Estonia) *ferry from Helsinki
  • Struve Geodetic Arc - Tartu Observatory (Estonia)

Sweden via driving (2 WHS) *Malmö to Oslo

  • Grimeton Radio Station (Sweden)
  • Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)

Northern Mexico via driving (1 WHS)

  • Nuevo Casas Grandes: Archaeological Zone of Paquimé

Rwanda/Zambia (3 WHS)

  • Memorial sites of the Genocide (Rwanda)
  • Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda)
  • Victoria Falls *Top 100 

Sicily - Malta - Tunisia (11 WHS)

  • Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (Italy)
  • Mount Etna (Italy)
  • Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (Italy)
  • Villa Romana del Casale (Italy)
  • City of Valletta (Malta)
  • Megalithic Temples (Malta)
  • Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (Malta)
  • Isole Eolie (Italy)
  • Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)
  • Medina of Tunis (Tunisia)
  • Archaeological Site of Carthage (Tunisia)

Slovenia/Italy (3 WHS)

  • The Works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana (Slovenia)
  • Škocjan Caves (Slovenia)
  • Venice (Italy) *Top 100

Southern Spain (4 WHS)

  • Historic Centre of Cordoba *Top 100
  • Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
  • Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias in Seville *Top 100
  • Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin, Granada *Top 100

Thailand/Cambodia (5 WHS)

  • Historic City of Ayutthaya (Thailand)
  • The Ancient Town of Si Thep (Thailand)
  • Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex (Thailand)
  • Angkor (Cambodia) *Top 100
  • Koh Ker (Cambodia)

United Kingdom (12 WHS)

  • Flow Country
  • The Heart of Neolithic Orkney
  • Frontiers of the Roman Empire
  • Durham Castle and Cathedral
  • City of Bath
  • Great Spa Towns of Europe
  • Stonehenge
  • Kew Gardens
  • Westminster
  • Tower of London
  • Maritime Greenwich
  • Blenheim Palace

United States/Canada (2 WHS)

  • Alaska: Glacier Parks / Wrangell-St. *Top 100
  • Canada: Tr’ondëk-Klondike

Yucatán Peninsula Mexico via train (6 WHS)

  • Sian Ka'an
  • Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza *Top 100
  • Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
  • Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
  • Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque *Top 100
  • Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche *Top 100

Travel Plans [Country List]

My most impressive site: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu

My proposal for a new site: Native/Indigenous Sites in the United States: (1) Ancestral Lands of the Diné: Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley (2) Coso Rock Art Historic District (3) Heritage of the Hawaiian Kingdom (4) Rock Art of the Chumash People (5) Sinagua Cultural Landscape 6) Southwestern Utah: Canyonlands and Bears Ears Cultural Landscape 7) Grand Canyon National Park (cultural criteria)

Check out my website: http://completecalifornia.weebly.com/

Recent Visits
  • 0
    1
    July 30, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at Hwasun Unjusa Temple
  • 1
    0
    July 21, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Gyeongju
  • 0
    1
    July 9, 2025
    Korea Summer 2025: Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Extension)
Top 10 Missing
  1. Angkor 4.72
  2. Petra 4.61
  3. Galapagos Islands 4.60
  4. Rome 4.58
  5. Venice and its Lagoon 4.52
  6. Pyramids (Memphis) 4.51
  7. Ancient Thebes 4.51
  8. Rapa Nui 4.49
  9. Victoria Falls 4.48
  10. Tikal National Park 4.47
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#501
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
37
Website Participation
Reviews
156
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
101 39
Locations
92
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Belem by Kyle Magnuson

Belem (Inscribed)

Belem

Both the monastery and the Tower of Belem were very busy, I assume because many visitors flow into Lisbon off the massive cruise liners. With the Monastery line wrapping along …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 22/08/18
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation by Kyle Magnuson

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (On tentative list)

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

The Head Office and Garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation are easily visitable from the nearby metro station: São Sebastião. Arriving mid-evening, numerous locals were enjoying this green space with …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 21/08/18
Mafra by Kyle Magnuson

Mafra (Inscribed)

Mafra

Mafra Palace is pleasant enough, but like other visitors I wonder where is the OUV? Sure, it seems like most of us did not opt to visit Cerco Garden and …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 18/08/18
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct

Segovia (Inscribed)

Segovia's Kaleidoscope of History

Along with Toledo, Segovia is routinely ranked as one of Spain's best world heritage cities. There is so much to explore here, it would be a mistake to not allocate …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 14/08/18
Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid

El Escurial (Inscribed)

Largest Renaissance Building in the World

Arriving as it opened, we largely had this massive complex to ourselves. Not that there weren't other visitors, but the structure swallows you in its vastness and you quickly find …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 10/08/18
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape

Aranjuez (Inscribed)

Aranjuez, the Garden City

Previous reviews left me not expecting much from Aranjuez. However, when the sky is perfectly blue, the gardens are a lush green, and my only alternative was to join my …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 09/08/18
Pombaline Lisbon by Kyle Magnuson

Pombaline Lisbon (On tentative list)

Pombaline Lisbon

Two reviews of Lisbon! Pombaline refers to a Portuguese architectural style developed in the 18th century following a devastating earthquake. That said, what is experienced by any visitor to central …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 04/08/18
Historical Lisbon, Global City by Kyle Magnuson

Historical Lisbon, Global City (Removed from tentat…)

Historical Lisbon, Global City

This patchwork or tapestry (take your pick) of historical Lisbon spans sites (not limited to) a Roman theatre, São Jorge Castle (Moorish 10th century), Sé Cathedral (13th century), and 18th …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 04/08/18
University of Coimbra by Kyle Magnuson

University of Coimbra (Inscribed)

University of Coimbra

Coimbra is a city in two parts. Indeed, the upper section was a city unto itself. One of the aristocracy and clergy, while the lower section was inhabited by merchants, …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 01/08/18
Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina by Kyle Magnuson

Southwest Alentejo and Costa … (Removed from tentat…)

Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina

Utilizing a car rental (Fiat 500) my wife and I drove from Coimbra to Lagos. However, once we passed Lisbon and approached the Northern portion of the Southwest Alentejo and …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 30/07/18
Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro

Paseo del Prado and Buen Reti… (Inscribed)

A Landscape of Arts and Sciences Indeed

There are 3 world class museums on the Paseo del Prado which form an integral part of this property. Referred to as the "Golden Triangle of Art" these museums are …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 28/07/18
Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge (On tentative list)

Go to Brooklyn!

Completed and opened without the use of electricity, the Brooklyn Bridge was used primarily for horse-drawn carriage, pedestrians/bicycle, and railcar. It is an American icon and one of the most …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 06/07/18
Early Chicago Skyscrapers

Early Chicago Skyscrapers (On tentative list)

Chicago School of Architecture

All nine sites of this serial nomination can be covered in a 30 minute walk, in fact several of these iconic early skyscrapers are adjacent to each other. I visited …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/03/18
Royal Domain of Drottingholm

Drottningholm (Inscribed)

The Chinese Pavilion - Circa 1760's

Drottingholm is a very easy and (weather permitting) enjoyable half-day trip from Stockholm. After visiting several palaces and castles during my time in Denmark and Sweden, the main interior (however …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 12/07/17
Kronborg Castle

Kronborg Castle (Inscribed)

Renaissance Castle Associated with Hamlet

I tried my best to really enjoy this castle, I achieved middling success. After already visiting Frederiksborg and Rosenborg, my efforts to visit even more castles were not filled with …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 11/07/17
Roskilde Cathedral

Roskilde Cathedral (Inscribed)

Mausoleum of the Danish Royal Family

Roskilde, as a former capital is well-worth the excursion from Copenhagen. The dizzying cathedral is a towering structure that should be admired by a full 360 degree exploration of the …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 10/07/17
The Rise of Systematic Biology by Kyle Magnuson

The Rise of Systematic Biology (On tentative list)

The Rise of Systematic Biology

Reports seem to point to a 2022-23 (?) nomination from Sweden (likely premature). Perhaps, but this nomination will have to overcome some major challenges to be inscribed. Number one is …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 07/07/17
Skogskyrkogarden

Skogskyrkogarden (Inscribed)

The Woodland Cemetery

Taking the metro train to the easily accessed Skogskyrkogarden, I was immediately confronted by the awkward dynamic of being a tourist amongst grieving families. There were 2 different funeral parties …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 07/07/17
Amalienborg and its district (KJM)

Amalienborg and its district (On tentative list)

Danish Royalty

Since I was visiting Copenhagen for 3 days, I decided a ten minute walk to Amalienborg would be worth the effort! Actually, since sunrise and sunset was at approximately 4am …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 05/07/17
The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland

Southern Öland (Inscribed)

Searching Southern Öland's Evolving Landscape

I had one full week in Öland, so I knew I would have ample time to fully explore and comprehend this somewhat elusive WHS. My ancestors are from two small …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 05/07/17
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