Legends surround this jagged rock formation in the New Mexico desert.

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

A collection of anti-communist sculptures stands watch in the Mojave Desert.

The world’s largest concentrated solar plant generates as many problems as megawatts.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

Explore more than 130,000 new and used books in the "world's largest outdoor bookstore."

This former boomtown "island" is now submerged below Folsom Lake.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

A modest reminder of treacherous waters at the Golden Gate.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

This erect, phallic geological spire wasn't always named so domestically.

Enjoy coffee and cake while viewing antique medical equipment at this unique cafe.

Edoras, capital city of Rohan in Lord of the Rings, once sat atop this isolated New Zealand mountain.

This preserved village shows the modest lifestyles of the area's 19th-century Chinese gold miners.

The "punniest place on Earth” has nearly as many bull-themed puns as it does people.

The largest model carrot in the world.

Taihape's claim to fame is a fictional Kiwi farmer wearing gumboots.

A life-sized statue of a Tyrannosaurus rex made out of driftwood.

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.

The platform atop this verdant volcano was built with the help of a royal elephant.

Established in 1925, Kiddie Park claims to be the oldest amusement park in the U.S. - a cozy little time warp nestled in a shady corner of the modern world.