Places Edited by Sam LaFrance

The park preserves a single, rare species of carnivorous plant that spells doom for unsuspecting insects.

No two pieces are exactly the same at Portland's hippo-themed hardware store.

An old World War II hangar holds 20 vintage aircraft and the rare opportunity to take a ride in a 1940s warbird.

A logging-themed roadside restaurant surrounded by museum-quality machinery and artifacts from the industry's heyday.

Sasqu(w)atch out!

The only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail, run by the peoples who have lived on the land for generations.

This nature center has one of the largest collections of native raptors in the Pacific Northwest.

The system of air guns are fired off remotely to scare any trespassing avians.

A small, fascinating fire museum hidden in plain sight in an administrative building.

Pillars made of 700 pieces of luggage climb to the ceiling of Sacramento Airport's baggage claim.

The front yard of an Upper East Side town house hides the last fragment of one of New York's most famous theatres.

Europe's largest natural bridge has a 19th century royal chateau built into its side.

This lake in the Cascades lives up to its name, disappearing down a hole every spring.

When you can't get to the Pacific, just go to Florida.

A tiny, unassuming park in Tampa that belongs to the Republic of Cuba.

This road in the Great Smoky Mountains was supposed to assuage a displaced community, but ended up a $52 million dead end.

This shop for all your super spy needs hides an educational secret.

Eastern zen meets Western grit in these four little trees growing out of a rock on Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shore.

Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.

An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym.

According to legend, you must remain completely silent while passing this man-made mound or suffer the consequences.

The home made famous by the 1983 holiday classic is now a perfectly preserved shrine to the movie.

This once bustling boomtown hotel is now the hottest spot in Nevada for ghost hunters.

At 135 years old and counting, this historic print shop is heaven for poster nerds and music buffs.