Virginia City, Nevada
Ponderosa Saloon
Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Virginia City, Nevada
Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.
Nye County, Nevada
The largest man-made crater in the U.S. marks the spot where we once tested mining with nukes.
San Diego, California
North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.
Randsburg, California
This impressive tunnel was dug entirely by hand over the course of 36 years.
Los Angeles, California
This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.
Los Angeles, California
Historic marionette theater features thousands of handmade puppets and free cups of ice cream.
Los Angeles, California
The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
This southwest-styled home in Santa Fe claims to be the oldest house in America thanks to an ancient bit of foundation.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
This innocuous New Mexico storefront was once the secret jump-off spot for Manhattan Project scientists.
Embudo, New Mexico
One man’s passion for gas stations is on display along the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico.
Los Alamos, New Mexico
This museum started as a collection of Manhattan Projects and continues to add exhibits as they are declassified.
Chimayo, New Mexico
This popular pilgrimage site offers a hole filled with holy healing dirt.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
This quirky hot springs town known to locals as "T or C" was named after a radio show.
Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
Giant origami sculptures tucked into desert scenery beckon passers-by to explore further.
Taos, New Mexico
A multi-storied adobe complex has been inhabited for more than a thousand years.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
If drivers cross the rumble strip on this stretch of Route 66 at just the right speed it plays "America the Beautiful."
Santa Fe, New Mexico
An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym.
California City, California
The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.
Tehachapi, California
Thousands of turbines whir at the origin of North American wind power.
Reno, Nevada
This mother-daughter run curiosities shop is a beautifully odd mix of taxidermy and exotic plants.
San Jose, California
It is locally loved and ridiculed for literally looking like poop.
San Jose, California
A statue commemorate Tommie Smith and John Carlos's brave protest at the 1968 Olympics, a watershed moment for civil rights.
San Jose, California
The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.
San Jose, California
An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.