The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.

This museum of Hawaiian and Polynesian culture is the legacy of the last descendant of the Kamehameha Dynasty.

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

After being lost for decades, this striking mural depicting the atomic bomb covers the wall of a busy Tokyo metro station.

An unexpected curiosity cabinet hidden within a department store in the Japan Post tower.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

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

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

This hilltop park offers magnificent views and a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.

The site of a classic series of Laurel and Hardy pratfalls.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

World-famous, Pink's still manages to keep its prized cult fetish status.

The final resting place of a space program monolith, soon to be unveiled again to the public.

America's most famous piece of self-built architecture.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.