Located in the world's highest-altitude Dark Sky Community, this observatory welcomes amateur and professional astronomers alike.

Gleaming self-built castle towers made from beer cans and inspired by "Vitamin Mary Jane."

When ecosystems collide in the arid Southwest.

An unconventional monument to one of America's largest landowners.

Spectacular 300-foot cliffs in a lush mountain canyon.

The highest peak in the Jemez Mountains and the traditional center of the Pueblo world.

Catch two 18-foot-tall ranchers mid-brawl as you drive by on Highway 285.

Once a year, the ruins of an ancient village come alive with hundreds of glowing farolitos.

A beautiful red-faced slot canyon in northern New Mexico.

The ruins of this abandoned fort now stand as a picturesque reminder of America's march West.

The 7,000-year-old calcium carbonate formation creates a magnificent natural bridge.

This towering volcanic plug stands out among the dramatic formations that dot this otherworldly desert valley.

This volcano rises like a giant anthill from the plains below, with a road spiraling up to the rim.

The shattered remnants of a meteor that struck Santa Fe more than a billion years ago.

This innocuous New Mexico storefront was once the secret jump-off spot for Manhattan Project scientists.

The symbol was surreptitiously built into the river bank by German prisoners of war.

A 115-year-old restored German dining hall awaits those who venture beneath the Minnesota State Capitol.

The oldest family-run restaurant in the United States is a living museum of New Orleans dining history.

Parts of the civil rights movement unfolded in this historic eatery, helmed by the "Queen of Creole Cuisine."

Train cars and railroad artifacts abound at this restaurant devoted to railway history.

Opened in 1976, this monster-sized version of the fast-food franchise is sometimes called the Epic McD.

This Tibetan and Naxi village's Honey Rose wine bears the mark of 19th-century French missionaries.

This is no ordinary coffee chain outlet—it's an architectural masterpiece.

This third-generation shop has been doling out bowls of tilapia soup since 1977.