Places claireromama Wants to Go

Celebrating the end of winter, students gather every year at Lake Superior State University to torch a 12-foot-tall snowman.

This tribute to a local man towers within a quaint lakeside park.

On the right bank of the Grand River a plaque remembers an imaginary painter who once awaited his youth.

This scenic overlook commemorates the tragic death of a soon-to-be-married lumberjack.

The origin of the Nixon tapes is rooted in technological incompetence as much as secrecy.

This resort community was known as the "Black Eden of Michigan."

This 19th-century ghost town offers a stunning view of Lake Michigan and a journey through the region's industrial past.

The 80-foot tire that looms over Michigan's I-94 was once a Ferris wheel in the New York World Fair.

An ornate Detroit church, left empty and ravaged by time.

The largest roller-skating rink in the world.

This larger-than-life portrait in Nevada's silver boomtown is decorated with over 3,000 silver dollars.

Ernest Hemingway used to frequent this general store, which appears in several of his short stories.

Home to secret lakes and hidden temples.

A garden in the middle of the most inhospitable continent.

This tribute to the fictional detective stands at the famous literary character's address.

A Texas-sized secondhand bookstore features 54,000 square feet of books, music, and media.

The oldest hotel in West Virginia is reportedly frequented by ghosts.

In West Virginia, you can walk across the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

You can still shop in one of West Virginia’s oldest stores.

Here lies Zona, whose ghostly testimony led to her husband’s murder conviction.

Jack White's record store is the only place in the world that records live shows direct-to-acetate.

A historic area for shopping and dining in Ketchikan's former red-light district.

This picturesque beacon was built to keep boats safe shortly after the Civil War.

This castle has decor from many periods of history, as well as a fairytale park.