Places SamWPiano Wants to Go

Ride a mechanical corn dog at the alleged birthplace of America's favorite deep-fried wiener.

Hundreds of painted rocks dazzle this small beach where adding your own is encouraged.

At this airport "microcinema," you can catch a film before you catch a flight.

This museum and curiosity shop provides a glimpse into an often-overlooked past to show guests that there is beauty and wonder in the macabre.

A public fountain that spouts "health water" from a nearby spring.

Rushing water plunges over a 100-foot drop created by an ancient lava flow at this majestic waterfall.

This rare, carefully curated collection showcases the history of neon inside a grandiose Elks lodge.

A puppeteer’s paradise offering shows, workshops, and an archive of over 2,000 puppets.

A sprawling cave network created by a lone lava tube.

A Roman-style column in Oregon hides a spiral staircase inside.

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

A rugged lava field dotted with molds of the ancient pines that were growing when the volcano erupted.

Sasqu(w)atch out!

This public art piece proves that in Portland even reporting the weather is a thing of whimsy.

This perfectly preserved Chinese medicine shop was untouched for decades before being reopened as a museum.

This unassuming cheese empire in rural Oregon churns out more than 150,000 pounds of cheese each day.

Bridges, terraces, and replicas of historic structures all built of rock and petrified wood by one man.

Portlandia is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States.

A volcanic fissure over two miles long and up to 70 feet deep.

Statues of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy the dog in the park where their adventures "really happened."

Tiny horses tethered to antique rings are scattered around the city.

This natural marble cave is one of only five national monuments in Oregon.

One of the world's tallest, oldest, and most disgusting chocolate cascades.

On East Burnside, a 24-hour vending machine distributes world-class pastries.