Places Megan Johnson Wants to Go

This unauthorized stone mermaid was secretly carved out of public stone before being permanently preserved.

The subtle science of a master molecular gastronomist.

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

A Bibliophile's Dream.

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

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

An extensive collection of fine art devoted to man's best friend.

A geological oddity formed by two rivers carving out a mass of limestone on both sides.

The "World's Largest Underground Business Complex," a 55,000,000-square-foot city underneath Missouri.

Climb around the high waterfalls on series of iron ladders and bridges within the wildest gorge in the Slovak Paradise.

The 700-year-old fortress was the site of Count Orlok's castle in "Nosferatu."

This art deco masterpiece was once a miracle spring mecca but is now simply a government office building.

A floating museum that was sunk by a flood and left to rot in the tides.

Community bookshelf of 25-foot-tall book spines.

Curious cave that stays a cool 56 degrees all year long.

Like Stonehenge, but with boats and oodles more charm.

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.

Once an ambitious nature spa, these forest ruins now provide a serene monument to failure.

A half-mile long and three stories high, this bridge over the Des Moines River Valley mimics a descent into a mine shaft.

The watery grave of an impractical idea.

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

The water here is so clear you can see the mysteriously sunken ship from the surface.

This former Cyprus flight hub is now a crumbling, abandoned ghost complex.

This picturesque cliffside beacon no longer calls to sailors but shines once a year in honor of a famous shipwreck.