Places SamS Wants to Go

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

This natural wonder drops 16 stories straight down through rare flora and streaming waterfalls.

These fantastically named natural pools look like something out of a Scottish myth.

This dramatic landscape hidden on the Isle of Skye looks as though you've stepped into the magical realm.

This astonishingly geometric cave has inspired everyone from Jules Verne to Pink Floyd.

A remarkably well preserved tower dating all the way back to the Iron Age.

The largest lake in the Faroe Islands seems to be held hundreds of feet above sea level thanks to an optical illusion.

This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.

A more chill but no less fascinating version of the famous ancient archeological site.

An ancient capital city that dates back 3,000 years and harbors many surprises.

This ancient structure is widely thought to be the oldest intact pyramid in the world.

An ancient city exhumed from the depths of the ocean.

The largest known Ancient Egyptian obelisk.

Ozymandias’ time-keeping temple.

This gnarled old tree supposedly sprouted from seeds kept in the pocket of a 16th-century Spanish sailor.

An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in Antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of industry.

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.

A Spanish-style estate that has traded black ties for rock concerts.

A focal point of the Cuban government, this city square features one of the most iconic images in the country.

A colorful narrow alley in Cuba is full of street art and sculptures made of found objects.

Once a favorite playground for the world's most illustrious guests, Hotel Nacional's secret weapons and bunkers reveal a more menacing side to its golden history.

On this Puerto Rican island, many abandoned naval ammunition bunkers sit open while a few have been padlocked by locals as personal storage.

The world's brightest bioluminescent bay.

19th-century scientists would make the pilgrimage here to verify the precision of their measuring sticks.