Places editrixjen Wants to Go

Take a steam-powered ride straight out of the past on this Appalachian rail line.

A table rock formation that has been intriguing West Virginians for years.

This red-eyed chrome beast pays homage to the popular modern myth of West Virginia's insectoid monster.

America's post-nuclear-attack chambers of Congress.

Beyond the usual stories that attend old prisons, this one has deep bloody undercurrents.

The "mysteries" of this quintessential roadside oddity were almost destroyed by neglect but were saved by fans of kitschy wonder.

The museum calls itself the "National Museum of the Paranormal" and is full of eerie oddities.

A small storefront museum explores the history and myth of West Virginia's famous urban legend.

A particularly creepy abandoned hospital that sparks interest for lovers of the supernatural.

This abandoned amusement park was built on a site with a dark history.

The giant squid's 27-foot-long corpse lies preserved within a Sarasota aquarium.

The story of a Floridian city as told through an obscure sport for retirees.

A luxuriant botanical garden below sea level.

The 15-foot-wide, 2-ton pan fries hundreds of chickens once a year.

A curious blend of taxidermy, antique tools, creationism, and a purported antediluvian rock.

This vast kitty-themed collection illustrates the history of human-cat interaction.

Art museum based around the collections accumulated over 58 years by one eccentric thrift store owner.

The remains of the iconic train crash from the movie 'The Fugitive' can still be found rusting along the Great Smoky Railroad.

A cabin completely covered in coffee mugs, where visitors are welcome to leave one of their own—if they can find an empty nail.

Garden dedicated to native carnivorous plants and site of huge flytrap heist.

North Carolina's finest examples of Native American pictographs have survived for 5,000 years.

Jule Körner's house full of bizarre architectural details.

A psychological self-portrait in the form of a giant, segmented head.

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