Places engelhardus Wants to Go

Eons ago, a rushing lava river formed this pristine passage through solid rock.

Each year these high desert hills are absolutely covered with poppy flowers in a surreal show of nature.

A clear blue swimming hole with hidden caves, still unexplored.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

This maze-like slot canyon is a unique gem within an already fascinating geological area.

A masterpiece of LGBT art has been restored in what may now be the most valuable restroom in America.

A castle that was built stone by stone by an eccentric journalist.

Hundreds of glow-in-the-dark objects light up a museum in a historic zinc mine.

The largest hot spring in the United States is, as the name suggests, a stunning show of natural color.

Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.

A historic neighborhood church is reborn as a psychedelic arts collective.

No one knows how this Pacific Northwest spruce tree came to have so many trunks.

Wild lights and sound effects turn a walk through some caves into an eye-popping 1960s tourist attraction.

These eerie outliers of the lightning bug family glow a mysterious blue color.

In a 345-million-year-old cave that's 200 feet underground, dinner awaits.

The longest continuous lava tube in the continental U.S. offers 2.5 miles of dark explorations for the adventurous.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

This 4,000-foot-diameter hole is touted as "the most well known, best preserved meteorite crater on Earth."

This geothermal hot spring hides beneath a slowly growing mineral dome.

The second-largest cave chamber in the world was discovered in 1898 by a 16-year-old and a friend known as "Pothead."

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

This incredible collection of vintage pinball machines can be played at 25 cents a pop.

Sniff the Titan Arum's rotting flesh.

A beautiful geyser under environmental threat.