Places ATX Mike Wants to Go

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky.

One of the world's tallest Ferris wheels takes visitors high above Las Vegas in a spinning party room.

This institution collects the history of burlesque dancing with a titillating collection of ephemera and pasties.

Flashy signs from Las Vegas’s past find their final resting place at this unusual graveyard.

This former lieutenant governor's home is brimming with curiosities.

This massive geographical sculpture is so subtle, it's possible to pass by it without noticing.

A sculpture made of 10 Cadillacs as a monument to the “Golden Age” of the American automobile.

An abandoned quicksilver mining town surrounded by the Big Bend parks.

The highest point in Texas is capped by a big silver pyramid.

Minimalist modern art on a repurposed military base in rural Texas.

The seamy, underground secrets of Portland's criminal past.

These machines have been collecting dust for decades.

Hunting trophies decorate Oregon's most unique bar-restaurant.

Despite a legend that says this highest peak in Oregon was climbed in high heels, scores of people have died on its slopes.

The second largest waterfall by volume in the U.S., Willamette Falls is outdone only by Niagara in the amount of water that is pushed northward.

Home to the only outdoor municipal elevator in the United States.

Beyond being incredibly fun, not much can be said about the Hole with certitude.

This alley-cum-fan gallery in the ex-Nirvana drummer's hometown holds the world's largest drumsticks.

A collection of 100 brains preserved in jars on the UT campus.

A subterranean playground in an abandoned slate mine.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

A derelict New Zealand-themed amusement park in Japan.

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.