Places grubbyfeet Wants to Go

A popular place to pick up prehistoric coral fossils from the time when Michigan was an ocean.

One man's attempt to create an artistic wonder on a run-down block in Detroit.

A subterranean world of tunnels links several buildings of this rare 19th-century asylum.

Strange physical sensations and optical contradictions keep visitors coming back for more.

A wacky two-story folk-art assemblage of carved and found objects, with lights, motion, and sound now in need of financial support.

Astounding collection of coin-operated games and automata.

The city is full of whimsical portals to another world.

A lavender labyrinth so large it’s visible on Google Earth.

The Beaux-Arts aquarium boasts a vast collection of saltwater and freshwater fish on an island in the Detroit River.

Once a bastion of its community, this gothic cathedral now stands as a haunting ruin.

This freshwater spring fills with 10,000 gallons of water per minute.

Abandoned concert venue legendary for its rock counterculture.

This French Canadian classic is a specialty of the oldest continually used church in Minneapolis.

Sculpture garden and miniature golf course blend together in the oversized backyard of a Minnesota sculptor.

The oldest continually used church in Minneapolis also sells great meat pies.

At this Denver landmark, the meals are compulsory, the sopapillas are complimentary, and the insanity is everywhere.

The beautiful bas-relief lines a sliver of a 19th-century walking path between two charming French villages.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

A curious sculpture garden and museum in Cochrane, Wisconsin.

A lovely hidden waterfall right off the highway is well worth a stop.

Homemade outdoor church and sculpture garden decorated with glass shards.

The arboretum whose marshy soil sucked up the dreams of housing developers.

This pebble beach is so beautiful that taking its rocks is against the law.

This cave holds a surprisingly colorful variety of geological oddities.