Places Edited by Samir S. Patel

No one knows who created the statues or if they are arranged properly—let alone the artwork's real name.

This grave in a ghost town cemetery marks the death of a witch on a day that never happened.

One of the now-less-hidden floral gems of the "Emerald Necklace."

Jacksonville's highways rendered this century-old grammar school unusable.

This tiny river island switches sovereignty every six months as part of a rare, centuries-old agreement.

Sacked by Vikings, blessed by William the Conqueror, dealt a fatal blow during the French Revolution—these ruins have seen it all.

Every year model trains zip through a miniature New York City that's now 150 landmarks strong.

These towering spires and glowing walls are carefully crafted from hundreds of thousands of icicles.

Albuquerque found the perfect use for tumbleweeds at Christmastime.

The rustic think-space of famed naturalist John Burroughs stands exactly as he left it.

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

The people's champion of the French Revolution was so overcome by grief at his wife's death that he exhumed her in the dead of night to make one final replica of her face.

Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.

The North Carolina grounds are leased in perpetuity to the British Commonwealth for as long as the WWII sailors are buried there.

An abandoned beach resort in Normandy reclaimed by artists.

An open-air museum in a mountain valley features works designed to blend in with—and disintegrate back into—their natural surroundings.

A rare kind of blue bear can be found chiefly in the national park that shares their name.

The traditional Polish croissant, folded 81 times into the shape of a horseshoe, is a legally protected cultural treat.

The largest collection of handbags in the world, the oldest of which were used to carry Bibles, primarily by men.

Double spiral staircases are not unheard of, but they are very rare.

Trinkets and toys lovingly handmade by maximum security prisoners.

A living snapshot of a different time in America is preserved and maintained by a community of volunteers.

Stone carvings record the Norse myth of Sigurd, providing a glimpse into Scandinavia's transition from paganism to Christianity.

The largest dinosaur trackway in North America is tucked away among this canyon's ghosts and archaeological gems.