This charming, flower-filled, paved cul-de-sac is filled with artists' studio-houses built in the 1920s.

César Baldaccini's iconic sculpture of a 40-foot thumb stands tall in La Défense.

This volcanic crater lake is renowned for its perfectly round shape, stunning blue-green waters, and unique geological properties.

A Gothic cathedral created from volcanic rocks.

Designed to mark the geographical center of France.

Ivy-covered Medieval tunnels cut through this charming town in France's Loire Valley.

Floating man-made island and upscale restaurant.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

In the middle of an extremely unforgiving and desolate high desert is the most secret military facility in the world.

A cosmic pit stop just beyond the notorious Area 51.

Twelve plaster figures inspired by da Vinci's famed painting haunt the desert landscape above a real-life ghost town.

A sharp bend in a dramatic river canyon cut through red rocks.

Most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest.

Crafted in 1911, this steam locomotive spent its entire working life in Flagstaff.

A tribute to the statues of Easter Island along Route 66.

In one of the hottest parts of the Mojave Desert, shallow bedrock forces the typically dry Mojave River to the surface in this canyon, providing a vital oasis for humans and wildlife.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

A building so large that it has its own weather.

Florida might be at its most surreal in this museum devoted to the famed Spanish artist.

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

A hidden beach at the end of a tunnel of mangrove trees.

A monument celebrating the idea of reaching inaccessible places.