Places Emily J Dudek Wants to Go

A ruined priory that was once a favorite pilgrimage site for English kings.

This shrine commemorates the site of the first known Catholic mass in the United States.

This Buddhist temple is home to a number of towering statues spread over a peaceful wooded park.

A real (but thankfully not live) missile stands tall as a monument to the United States military in the small town of Cordele.

The house that Southern rock built now stands as a monument to one of the genre's favorite families.

Mai Tais and Navy Grog served up in one of the original tiki bars.

Known as the "Cross At The Crossroads," this massive metal cross is just short enough to avoid the FAA.

The house is an iconic pilgrimage site for fans of the Illinois-based emo band.

An actor's tribute to a former mentor.

The home of a 19th-century author who brought African-American folktales to the mainstream is now Atlanta’s oldest house museum.

The small first-floor apartment where the author wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning book 'Gone with the Wind.'

The largest puppetry museum in the United States houses the world's most complete collection of Jim Henson artifacts.

Tour the sci-fi-esque reality of governmental disease management.

Step back in time at this immersive historical village.

Every Sunday for the last 30 years, this Buddhist temple has hosted a market with food and Thai goods.

From printing money to live music, this Beaux-Arts style building has had many identities over the last century.

Step into the past and experience what life was once like in the Sunshine State.

If you ever wanted to own an actual piece of Disney World, this is the place to shop.

This Florida museum dedicated to western artwork is entered through an artificial canyon with imported sandstone.

Location of a reliquary containing bone fragments of 18 saints.

Step back into the glory days of Florida's nascent tourism industry at this Gilded Age palace.

One-time winter retreats of prolific inventor Thomas Edison and his friend Henry Ford.

This former factory has been transformed into a technicolor wonderland, where dozens of local artists have collaborated to create a real choose-your-own-adventure experience.

When you can't get to the Pacific, just go to Florida.