Places explorationanddecay Wants to Go

A giant owl named Rocco oversees mythical woodland creatures along these charming mountain trails.

One of the finest examples of a black soil prairie that was barely saved by the Great Depression.

A hole-in-the-wall antiquities museum in one of Tokyo's most popular megamalls.

The world's only teal arches exist in a city that cares more about its aesthetic than an Instagram influencer.

This giant pocket watch is the third iteration of a local landmark that has been standing just off the Santa Fe Plaza for over 100 years.

This monument gives insight into how lost children were found in Edo-period Tokyo.

This collection of vintage signs reflects the long and colorful history of this Arizona town.

Although damaged beyond recognition, this stone god is still said to bring good luck to those who tap on him with a pebble.

A poignant museum dedicated to the history of the Dutch resistance against Nazi occupation

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

This stave church nestled in the Catskills was built in the 1960s by a community of Ukrainian immigrants and refugees.

A poignant mural honors the heroic teenage non-conformists who took on the Nazis and paid the ultimate price.

A giant snail sculpture looking longingly at the German traffic museum.

The birthplace of the first author to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction and poetry.

Located inside a former bread factory, this museum explores a century of transportation history through innovations that were extraordinary or failures—sometimes both.

Located inside a former record pressing plant, this recording studio pays homage to the techniques and gear of a bygone age.

The overgrown remains of one of the premier auto-racing speedways in the Midwest—and also one of the most deadly.

You’ll feel like you’ve gone through the looking glass at this contemporary art museum filled with glass sculptures of every size, shape, and color.

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.

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.

The man who is mainly remembered for a chicken dish he had nothing to do with is buried under a large concrete dome.

A museum and memorial built amid the rubble of a town obliterated by nature.

Thanks to a bit of wordplay, seven auspicious stone cats guard this ancient canalside street.

The world's tallest circular building is loaded with symbolism, but many just see a big donut.