Places Jay Braun Wants to Go

A cemetery full of touching tombstones from a community of railroad workers, uranium miners, and Cold War missile launchers.

Wander among the ghostly ruins of an island where civilization flourished for thousands of years.

Within the former ghost town of Cisco is a carefully restored tiny town with one resident and its own art residency.

This historic textile city was abandoned after being ravaged by fire.

This former mining hub holds a surprising abundance of undisturbed relics from the Old West.

Abandoned businesses, homes, and rusted cars are all that remains of this stopover town.

This 19th-century ghost town offers a stunning view of Lake Michigan and a journey through the region's industrial past.

In the early 1900s, hundreds of Black Americans found opportunity in this now-abandoned rural community.

This picturesque Victorian ghost town was once a thriving mill community.

Some of the Old West's most notorious outlaws frequented this mining town.

These otherworldly caverns form Earth's oldest known cave system.

Raging waters have created a strange geological site that looks like something off of a progressive rock album cover.

A famed drink seasoned with an amputated toe, now on its tenth digit.

Sculptures, jams, and the wild west collide at this folksy retreat.

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

This spa theme park lets its guests take a dip in pools of coffee, wine, or ramen broth.

The wild west is still alive and well at this authentic mining town watering hole.

This huge stew pot is the focal point of the "Community Soup" event, which honors tradition and soup.

Thanks to a quirk of elevation this gift shop produces magic doughnuts that are found nowhere else on Earth.

This remote eatery and museum is preserved as a time capsule of a small Icelandic fishing town.

Even with only two residents and one building, this tiny Illinois town is famous for its burgers.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

An underwater restaurant, surrounded by a coral reef.

An Italian vineyard invites religious pilgrims to stop by 24/7 to get their drink on, for free.