Places brandybatz Wants to Go

What is the Thing?

In the middle of a desert subdivision, there is supposedly an impact crater site from Kcymaerxthaereal times.

Natural catch-basin rocks covered in thousands of drawings spanning many millennia.

The house's confection-like decorations are the result of one man's painstaking work over decades.

A Texas cave network is home to some of the world's most spectacular-looking and bizarrely named mineral formations.

A curious cone-shaped structure made of wire and covered with antlers.

This unique structure in suburban Austin is made up entirely of other people's castaways, and constantly changing.

A century-old local legend surrounds the grave of Barbara Snyder due to its eerie epitaph.

The pit stop from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" now serves beef and pork barbecue, not people.

Well-dressed pickle turned patriotic joint statue in old town Tomball.

A medieval castle in the middle of rural Texas.

Some of Arizona's best spit-roasted tacos al pastor can be found here.

Despite a recent paint job, the factory still sits empty.

In 1703, French settlers in what is now Mobile celebrated the first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.

A humid oasis combines recreation with exploration in a unique underwater cavern.

This Florida arena, once host to "the fastest game in the world," has sat empty for 25 years.

This 47-foot chile pepper sculpture welcomes Scoville heat unit obsessed tourists to the Big Chile Inn.

View rare birds and interact with lemurs at this nonprofit run entirely by volunteers.

Florida's first suspension bridge.

This natural spring is the winter home to the largest gathering of manatees in the world.

What started as a tailor shop to help swimmers live their mermaid dreams has grown into a full-scale aquarium, complete with live mermaid shows.

This Victorian mansion is part heritage museum, part architectural oddity, and part ghost story.

Dozens of giant mermaids are hidden across Florida’s coast in parks, yards, and beaches.

A live oak beside a Florida bike trail has become a shimmering, musical memorial.