Places Gillian Wants to Go

A trio of red, white, and blue stones embedded in the streets of Leiden are markers of medieval territory and law.

Tour the luxe "glass cage" that inspired and unnerved the architecture world upon its debut.

A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.

For just a few bucks, this Iowa funicular will let you feel like an 1800s fat cat.

The house where John Wilkes Booth conspired with his co-conspirators.

The lush coastal city of Astoria is riddled with forgotten secret sidewalks.

The home of a famed utopian science fiction author has been preserved long after his predicted future in the year 2000.

Despite being burnt down multiple times, the ruins of this South Carolina church are still standing.

Celebrate the history of the rich and truly misunderstood relationship between man and pigeon.

A Borgesian work of art that may blur the line between fiction and reality a little too convincingly.

The sweetest graveyard in the world is filled with headstones for dearly de-pinted ice cream flavors.

The author of Uncle Tom's Cabin was neighbors with Mark Twain while living in this Connecticut home.

The hotel room where Janis Joplin tragically died has now become a makeshift shrine to the singer.

In this century-old literary safehouse, print is alive and well.

This secret gem of a toy store houses a rideable carousel populated with fantasy animals.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

This Wild West attraction is probably more fiction than history, but that doesn't mean it's not awesome.

This knobby, drooping New Orleans oak is a favorite place both for climbing and for meeting giraffes.

These crudely shaped folk giants may be the the second most photographed statues in the U.S.

This Transylvania County city is home to a rare white squirrel population that is descended from an escaped carnival animal.

When you visit his grave, be sure to rub the Great Emancipator's nose for good luck.

Community bookshelf of 25-foot-tall book spines.

The notorious headquarters of a corrupt political machine.

The rough and tumble president's childhood home displays the shirt he was once shot in and the speech that saved him.