Places Edited by Samir S. Patel

The humble gravesite of the man who failed to cash in on his Pepsi-cola goldmine.

A surreal, Gaudi-inspired play space near an Anaheim community center.

Iron Age grave stones and Viking burials, a short drive from Gothenburg.

Stone shrouds of Prince Liu Sheng and Princess Dou Wan of the Han Dynasty, created to preserve their flesh for eternity.

Oh, just a motel on the edge of the desert decorated with thousands of clowns conveniently located next to an abandoned graveyard.

Bizarre lunar-like landscape with thousands of large stone "hoodoos."

This high point in the Great Smoky Mountains is said to be home to the chief of all bears.

The United States's largest hand-dug well is topped with a state-of-the-art museum.

No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.

The heroic sled dog of the 1925 serum run is preserved in taxidermy.

A particularly creepy abandoned hospital that sparks interest for lovers of the supernatural.

Metal water storage tank turned ethereal concert hall.

An old town theater converted into a celebration of the hobo legacy.

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.

A whimsical tower with a spiral staircase, inspired by the Space Age and the Möbius strip.

Stepping away from the glitz of mobsters and casinos to learn about the other history of Vegas.

One of the only known surviving coconut palm trees in the entire state.

A "simple-hearted artist" turned an isolated Icelandic valley into his own art museum.

A forgotten sea village stands silent after hurricanes deemed it obsolete.

A tiny microvalley etched into the side of Knocknarea Mountain hides another world.

A peace symbol in Northern Ireland is among the world's largest hedge mazes.

A six-ton wedding present for the King of the Scots.

The state's oldest continuously operating museum houses more than 5,000 Civil War artifacts.