The highest point in South Dakota contains the ashes of Valentine McGillycuudy, the "Holy White Man."

In the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks at 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest (and possibly oldest) peak in Missouri.

These sub-farmland caves are home to a majestic stalactite known as the "Crystal King."

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

The highest point in Wisconsin is capped by two towers that are not as mythic as Tolkien's but provide much better views.

Erroneously called the world's tallest flagpole, this landmark is devoted to "good neighborliness."

A giant bronze coil of feces is both a tribute to doggie defecation and a reminder to pick it up.

Former meatpacking facility turned vertical farm and sustainable business complex.

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.

The elaborate clockwork contraptions in this Scottish gallery create small worlds of whimsy and horror.

This moving cemetery sphere is a slowly rolling stone.

An abandoned meat mecca now serves as an excellent locale for urban exploration.

143 feet of leaping muskie whose mouth can be used as a wedding venue.

A former major munitions plant that has been converted into a sprawling art space.

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

Museum design and public transportation meet in this unique Russian train car.

This posh mansion began as a family's estate and ended as the site of a murder ripped from the pages of a pulp novel.

This rare vessel mixed luxury with labor before being converted to a museum and sometimes haunted maze.

A toweringly silly piece of modern art has been delighting locals since the 1980s.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

Ecuador's largest Incan ruins show evidence of sophisticated irrigation and diplomacy among the ancient builders.

The world's brightest bioluminescent bay.

A masterpiece in Golden Gate Park by virtue of the artist’s debt.

Cemetery featuring rare glass-fronted columbarium.