Places LeahRumsey Wants to Go

Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.

A surprising and unconventional mosque hidden in the subsoil of Istanbul.

The massive cave church of Cairo's Zabbaleen community is one of the largest Christian churches in the Middle East.

The palace built by a former slave that hosted Napoleon's Egyptologists.

This well-preserved Ottoman-era Cairene mansion hosts a facinating archive of Egyptian architecure, from the pharaohs and sultans to the modern day.

The hidden chapel that keeps getting forgotten over the centuries

Aruba’s first chapel.

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

A galaxy of glowworms—larvae of a gnat—hides deep in the belly of these caves.

This funerary monument to the guillotined king and queen of France became a political lightning rod and a site of pilgrimage for French monarchists.

Two creeks flow out of either end of this canyon in opposite directions.

This gorgeous waterfall is the perfect reward after a beautiful day hike.

This former abandoned train station converted into a restaurant and small museum is a delight for both casual diners and rail enthusiasts alike.

A disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright built an experimental, partially underground home in the desert.

An operating 19th-century lighthouse just on the southern tip of Sweden.

Tucked away near Gainesville, Lubee Bat Conservancy invites visitors to discover the surprising personalities of giant fruit bats while learning how protecting these misunderstood animals helps preserve forests around the world.

Charming bookshop for true-crime fans and horror aficionados, plus other books and odds and ends.

Overlooking beautiful Rhossili Bay are the remnants of a former World War II radar station.

Deep within the mountains, a towering natural wall of tightly packed basalt columns mimics a colossal ancient fortress built by no human hands.

Topped by a distinctive beehive dome, it’s been called by architectural historians and locals, “Brooklyn's Sacré-Cœur.”

This Brooklyn curiosity shop has its own magic theater and a singing mechanical bird that sparked an online feud with Kelly Clarkson.

Art installations, derelict railcars, and endangered grasshoppers all call this south Berlin park home.

This wildflower meadow was once the site of America's oldest operating paper mill and a symbol of Newark's manufacturing past.

From a neon Rapunzel to a bike traffic meter to a street fair color scheme, the most opened drawbridge in the US is a veritable art gallery.