Places gone2croatan Wants to Go

These ominous lava formations were said to be an entrance to the netherworld so of course they inspired a famous metal band.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

A little-visited waterfall in an otherworldly landscape.

This elegant arc of a waterfall marks a religious turning point.

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

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

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

The most powerful waterfall in all of Europe.

Strange rock formations tower above the river that snakes through this enchanting Icelandic canyon.

Dedicated to the largest armed uprising in American history since the Civil War.

In 1952, a strange encounter in the woods of West Virginia led to the legend of a 10-foot-tall monster with glowing eyes and a distinctive style.

The world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.

Take a steam-powered ride straight out of the past on this Appalachian rail line.

America's post-nuclear-attack chambers of Congress.

This abandoned dream castle and its cemetery look out over the city that once inspired their creation.

A celebration of one man’s obsession to collect the strangest items imaginable.

A vast collection of rare, historical, and vintage supercomputers.

This collection of ferns from across the globe is the largest assortment in the United States.

This family-run joint has been going whole hog for nearly 100 years.

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

North Carolina's finest examples of Native American pictographs have survived for 5,000 years.

A piece of outsider public art accompanied by a strange urban legend.

Garden dedicated to native carnivorous plants and site of huge flytrap heist.

Bigfoot prints, Feejee mermaids, and haunted dolls on display in a tiny North Carolina town.