Places engelhardus Wants to Go

A little-visited waterfall in an otherworldly landscape.

Every summer local children form "pysja patrols" to save young birds that have wandered from their nests.

The Icelandic Sea Monster Museum explores the area's history of aquatic cryptid sightings.

Learn about Iceland's hidden folk at this school dedicated to the study of elves.

A winding, blood-red tunnel of hardened lava navigable by foot.

Iceland's "Smoky Valley" is a beautiful river that is shrouded in a constant cover of steam clouds.

An encyclopedic collection of mammal penises.

Climb right into the heart of this colorful Iceland volcano.

Staves, storm-calling, and of course, necropants.

This modern monument to pagan belief looks like it was transported straight from ancient times.

Once the site of a 12-century monastery, this tiny island is now home to only five permanent residents.

This collection of unique liquids allows visitors to wander the waters of Iceland's glaciers.

This unassuming passageway played a key role in one of the most important events in U.S. history.

The first memorial dedicated solely to the Black troops who fought for the Union.

Twenty-year effort to raise a castle using tools and techniques from the 13th century is now abandoned in the Arkansas woods.

This otherworldly church spire reaches up toward the heavens.

An abandoned concrete jungle surrounded by a lush park.

The oldest bar in Missouri is hidden within a limestone brewery cellar more than 50 feet underground.

This historic cliffside mansion uses a natural cave for air conditioning.

A remarkably opulent mansion with a tragic history.

In the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks at 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest (and possibly oldest) peak in Missouri.

A mysterious light of unknown origin on the backroads of Missouri.

Giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants.

The show pony of cave systems, Fantastic Caverns manages to live up to its name.