Places oldarchitecture Wants to Go

At first glance, little checkered structures on the hillside look like they house the living, not the dead.

The oldest amusement park in the world has been providing a nice spot to have some fun since the 1500s.

Celebrate the history of the rich and truly misunderstood relationship between man and pigeon.

Once the private home of China’s most legendary tycoon, getting inside this stunning mansion no longer requires an elite pedigree or acts of daring.

The world is full of swimming holes, but few compare to Samoa’s idyllic To Sua ocean trench.

This castle-fortress is a living example of the transition from medieval defenses to modern fortifications.

All of the 20 occupied houses in this mostly abandoned town feature some curious display of junk art.

This plaque tells the story of an event that took place in an imagined parallel universe.

To gaze upon the visage of Sri Lanka's biggest Buddha, one must first pass through the Tunnel of Hell.

This wonky bit of historical taxidermy is experiencing a second life online.

The remains of Alfred Nobel's first nitroglycerine factory can still be found on the shores of a Swedish bay.

Museum mostly in name, and only a restaurant depending on the day, this place could only exist in Marfa.

A private museum dedicated to preserving the heritage of Mardi Gras' most beloved underdog parades, open by appointment.

This historic cliffside mansion uses a natural cave for air conditioning.

This churchyard arbor is surrounded by hundreds of gravestones placed there by author Thomas Hardy.

An unphotographable nightly march of tens of thousands of "fairy penguins" from sea to shore.

Bananas are often left for the first monkey America ever recovered alive after being launched into space.

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.

From this isolated strip of land in Newfoundland, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

This shop is named for a runaway elephant who smashed through its doors, stole some peanuts, and spent five days on the lam.

This humble star-gazing center touts itself as the "Birthplace of American Astronomy."

This disused boat elevator was saved from the scrap heap so that visitors could tour its rusting skeleton.

Hide from the tourist hordes in these relatively unknown, and unguarded lava caves.

This logic-defying 16th-century Tudor manor still stands to the delight and astonishment of onlookers.