Places chachi Wants to Go

Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet at this point in the Cumberland Gap.

An annual celebration of the region's successful elk reintroduction program.

An ode to "The Queen of Appalachia."

Waterfalls, rapids, and top-notch swimming spots await in this densely forested corner of the Smokies.

Supplies are schlepped up by llamas at this century-old inn, accessible only by hiking trails in the Great Smokies.

This high point in the Great Smoky Mountains is said to be home to the chief of all bears.

This road in the Great Smoky Mountains was supposed to assuage a displaced community, but ended up a $52 million dead end.

This 19th-century building inadvertently preserved the handprints of its builders within its walls.

This former Indiana quarry has been transformed into a park and SCUBA site where divers can explore the drowned mining equipment.

A gregarious Ohio resident has been building his whimsical temple to peace for decades.

This midcentury chapel is a bold architectural statement and a symbol of Indiana's Lutheran heritage.

A chilling disappearance (and rescue) of a child uncovers a geological mystery.

These five houses were built for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

This park contains one of the largest concentrations of cedar glades, a unique and rare ecosystem.

Veritable museum of 20th century country music history.

Amazing taxidermy dioramas from the 1960s in a cement building meant to look like an ice cave.

At the turn of the century, a chair like rock sat at the top of the falls and hosted the winner of a local beauty contest.

This former mill tunnel was blasted under the ridge to divert a portion of the Muscatatuck River.

These sub-farmland caves are home to a majestic stalactite known as the "Crystal King."

A former nuclear facility during the Cold War turned nature preserve.

A concrete block embedded with thousands of pulled teeth was created by a local dentist to memorialize his dog.

A 315-foot spire jutting out from the Blue Ridge Mountains makes for breathtaking views.

A 17th-century bezoar, dirt from an infamous site, and other curios decorate this unusual bar.

A wedding chapel, vintage clothing shop, and bar all under one roof.