More than five centuries ago, a huge deposit of pure graphite was discovered in Cumberland, England. Local shepherds used it to mark their sheep. Soon after, a cottage industry arose in pencil manufacturing.

Visitors can learn the history of pencils, take an art class and see the world’s largest coloring pencil (it’s yellow, almost 26 feet long and weighs 984 pounds) and other exhibits at the Cumberland Pencil Museum (Southey Works, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5NG, U.K.; phone +44 [0]...

Opened in April 2014, the ArcelorMittal Orbit, at 375 feet the tallest sculpture in the UK, is located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Stratford London; phone +44 0 333 800 8099), a 10-minute walk from London’s Stratford Tube station. 

The tower’s unique design includes a complex structure resembling a roller-coaster track wrapping around it, and from either of two observation decks within it (£15, near $21), visitors can take in views of the adjacent Olympic stadium and the skyline...

“Animals of the Serengeti,” by safari guides Adam Scott Kennedy and Vicki Kennedy, provides information on animal behavior and includes photos of more than 70 mammals and 18 reptile species likely to be seen in Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania.

“Birds of the Serengeti,” by Adam Scott Kennedy, has pictures of 270 species of birds in the park and Lake Victoria’s Speke Gulf and is written to make it easy to identify any species.

Each was...