Places mcdermany Wants to Go

Once one of the largest rooms full of books in the world, this bookstore basement is still a treat for bibliophiles.

The spot where three Protestant clergymen were burned at the stake during the reign of "Bloody Mary."

Oxford University's stateliest library seems designed to make students truly feel the weight of knowledge.

J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other "Inklings" met at the Oxford pub to discuss the now legendary fantasy stories they were writing.

Dolphins, ancient clams and hundreds of waterfalls make this one of the world's top tourist destinations.

Community bookshelf of 25-foot-tall book spines.

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

This sheep farm has been forever transformed since being built for “The Hobbit” film series.

Created hundreds of years ago, the magical follies and landscapes at this park were almost lost to time before being restored.

With lush plants and flowers, huge trees, ponds, and hidden monuments, this place feels a bit like discovering Narnia.

An Oxford museum where visitors can have tea with the Mad Hatter and climb through the wardrobe to a fantasy land.

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.

This iconic 1,000-year-old medieval castle is a favorite of the film industry, most notably as the location for Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

Harry Potter once visited this massive limestone cliff, which was carved by an ancient glacial river.

Now famous as the "Harry Potter bridge," this impressive concrete viaduct has long been an icon in its own right.

Small and slightly hidden, the American Writers Museum is preserving the legacy of America's finest authors.

This surprising gem is a world-class archeological museum hidden at the University of Chicago.

An actual 1957 Cadillac De Ville, encased in 15 cubic yards of concrete.

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.

To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.

This historic-shipwreck-cum-diving-spot can still be seen poking its boiler out of the Lake Michigan waters that claimed it.

The 30,000-volume library is one of the world's most impressive poetry collections.

The beloved home to all publications indie, erotic, and punky.

In Chicago, a pizza-enthusiast has opened a museum dedicated to the history of pizza.