Places jakechouston Wants to Go

An elaborate, hidden model train in the Needham Town Forest.

This tall Massachusetts folly got its name thanks to all of the purple prose its vistas inspired.

It was an experiment to prove that glacial boulders and rocks can be used in constructions and dwelling.

A mysterious collection of stones stand outside a small New England town.

This miniature feudal castle was built on a whim to honor a US Navy pioneer.

On top of Gibbet Hill lie the ruins of a lavish turn-of-the-century estate that never quite came to be.

The bears may be gone, but their old cages can still be found.

The ruins of a Massachusetts prison farm can still be found crumbling the woods of a state park.

Ralph Waldo Emerson spent two years living here decades before it became a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park.

This giant Boston statue of Mary is standing on a globe to show her power over the universe.

"the sweltering inhabitants of Charleston and New Orleans, of Madras and Bombay and Calcutta, drink at my well . . . The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges."

Dim sum, served in a grand old theater.

The only structure left with direct ties to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692.

The rusted remains of an ill-fated freighter lie just off the coast of South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan.

There are two legends behind the origin of this unusually tall sanitary structure.

Concrete igloos standing across from what remains of the Michigan Central train depot.

Standing guard on top of an old, vacant ice cream shop.

The concrete shell of an industry giant remains as a playground for graffiti artists, auto scrappers, and paintball warriors.

One of the largest crucifixes in the world stands 55 feet tall in a secluded, wooded area of northern Michigan.

Once the tallest building in Detroit, this Gothic church houses some of the oldest stained-glass windows in the country.

Two dozen rescued bears roam (mostly) free at the largest bear ranch in the U.S.

Opulent downtown movie theater now houses cars as an indoor parking garage.

The writing studio of an American adventure author, built in the style of a medieval castle.

To truly appreciate Detroit's landmark skyscraper, you have to step inside.