This is the real-life “Phantom of the Opera” box from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel.

This former “ante-chamber to the guillotine” has been refurbished to illustrate the brutal history of French justice.

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

This beloved American snack was conceived by a hungry coal miner.

This museum dedicated to an oft-overlooked support industry features a surprisingly moving brass diorama of a man being saved from a sinking car.

The world's largest version of this iconic puzzle cube is located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Knoxville’s architectural icon was the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair, even catching the googly eye of Bart Simpson.

A man's home is his castle.

Originally conceived as part of a proposed Arizona State Capitol building in the 1950s, this structure built in 2004 stands as a monument to the architect's legacy.

A historic hydroelectric power plant serves as the unusual backdrop for a public park.

Open since 1938, this diner has kept its fountain, malt machine, and all the gum that greasers left beneath its counter.

The capital of the Cayman Islands is a center of offshore banking, but gets battered by blistering hurricanes.

A hidden courtyard houses early 20th-century plaster masterpieces.

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

Built for an exposition in 1915, these horticultural displays have stood the test of time.

The world's largest outdoor organ is played weekly by one of just two civic organists in the U.S.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

A sculpture of the famous photograph stands on San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk."

A magnificent, reportedly haunted mansion built for a composer by Spiritualists.

A monument to the one-armed geologist who led the first documented expeditions through the Grand Canyon.

This two-room shotgun shack in Tupelo is the birthplace of a King.

This unique park is dedicated to a favorite locally born snack line.

Catch beautiful views at the graffitied observation deck on this mountain top.