Places eecarter Wants to Go

An institution that preserves the history of institutionalization.

Their motto is, "We've been bonkers for hats even longer than you have!"

The longest continuous lava tube in Oregon.

This lake in the Cascades lives up to its name, disappearing down a hole every spring.

This frequently-photographed waterfall takes only a short hike to visit.

The magic's in the hole!

A roaring, awe-inspiring double cascade of icy water flows through woodland Oregon like something out of a Tolkien novel.

On the Oregon coast is a natural hole that seems to be draining the sea.

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

This research center for rare prosimians is studying how they sleep to help prolong human life.

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

Who needs fancy modern water slides when this giant North Carolina rock works just as well?

This bright yellow relic is the final survivor of a short burst of seashell-shaped petrol pumps.

A sculptor's dream castle turned fantastical ruin.

This woodland architectural installation acts as a camera obscura for the heavens.

A waterfall 600 ft. inside a mountain, once the bane of gold miners, is now a spectacle of nature.

Minnesota's highest point is a scenic vista marked by a plaque and armies of mosquitoes.

Elaborate drama imparts an appreciation for 19th century hardships.

These curious caverns have been home to mushrooms, gangsters, and disco.

Half of a waterfall goes into the river while the other half seems to disappear.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

A traveling postal dog covered 48 states and more than 140,000 miles, and he lives on as taxidermy, patched up with a rabbit's foot and a pig's ear.

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

The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.