Places Edited by Sandi Hemmerlein

What do a giraffe, an elephant, and reasonably priced steaks have in common? This roadside restaurant filled with exotic taxidermy.

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

"Looks so real, it's scary!"

A small, peaceful sculpture garden with a grim memorial to a disaster that took place a few blocks away.

Preserving the remains of Native American cultures which otherwise would have been submerged behind Hoover Dam.

Wayne Newton's sprawling estate is now open for visitors to catch a glimpse of his "heart and soul."

Finally the worlds of UFO enthusiasts and beef jerky lovers have come together in this roadside shop.

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

One of the most scenic falls in Massachusetts has a history of death and grim legend.

Stroll the grounds built by murder, suicide, and dirty oil money at one of Hollywood's most filmed mansions.

This naturally heated mountainous creek has created a group of neon blue pools of potentially deadly boiling water.

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high-power conical Tesla Coil.

This immigrant bridge once spanned the Thames but is now a fixture of an Arizona city.

This stoic, if derpy, giant stands as a monument to Oregon's statehood and the novelty culture of yesteryear.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

In a city filled with Frank Gehry buildings, one stands out as one of the architect's weirder works.

This serene oasis in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood holds some of Gandhi's ashes and got Elvis into Eastern Philosophy.

This mysterious petroglyph evokes the ancient swastika symbol but was later vandalized with the more troublesome Nazi one.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

Come crisp December nights, this fairly plain neighborhood becomes a holiday dream world.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

A famous songsmith's custom piano, dubbed "High Society," is hidden just out of sight in one of New York's finest hotels.