Places Emily J Dudek Wants to Go

Beautiful Gothic-inspired lighthouse stands out among the run-of-the-mill striped fare on Bodies Island.

This stunning home looks like it belongs in medieval Europe, not North Carolina.

A wonderful display of arts and crafts handmade by local artisans in the Southern Appalachians.

This rare basilica nestled right in downtown Asheville is an architectural marvel, inside and out.

This scented city oasis was a labor of love.

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

This North Carolina museum is keeping the pinball craze alive, with a little Space Invaders on the side.

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

The enormous 250-room Vanderbilt mansion conceals hidden doors and secret passageways.

This park celebrates a sister city relationship that survived the Cold War.

A vinyl-lover's Shangri-La.

A lush Seattle garden designed by the same landscape architects responsible for New York's Central Park.

A piece of Seattle’s historic Chinatown preserved inside a modern museum.

The small town of Poulsbo in Washington state is the next best thing to the Kingdom of Norway.

This private home is famous for appearing in the cult-classic "Twin Peaks" series.

Every summer West Seattle experiences a housing bloom.

One small town in the Pacific Northwest transformed itself into a Bavarian-themed tourist destination.

This painted blacktop brings the classic arcade game to life.

A little piece of the Shire is hidden behind a plant nursery in Port Orchard, Washington.

This semi-secret garden in south Seattle emulates a traditional Japanese garden using the plants of the Pacific Northwest.

Couple's personal collection of pinball machines turned public pinball museum.

Rustic natural hot springs in the deciduous rain forest.

World's largest porcine hairball sits in a collection maintained by Benedictine monks.

The flower-shaped temple in Virginia aims to transcend the boundaries of the world’s religions.