Places sjphen Wants to Go

A life-sized recreation of the megafauna that once roamed this region is a feature at the birthplace of American paleontology.

A theme park featuring a replica of Noah's Ark built to the measurements specified in the Bible.

The largest earthwork effigy in the world.

This Art Deco airport was once deemed “the air hub of the Americas.”

A parade of interactive nostalgia nestled within a giant brick building in downtown Hattiesburg.

A cheeky alleyway window hosts tiny rotating exhibits with outsized charm.

A museum of unusual collections, mini-towns, and a half-dog, half-alligator.

This strange, small castle on the bayou has withstood the test of time and weather.

The crumbling remains of a 19th century fortess.

Once defending the city of New Orleans from invasion by sea, this fort faces an uncertain future.

This roadside attraction in the woods of Mississippi is a scalable replica of the Holy Lands during biblical times.

Built following the War of 1812, this fort has withstood hurricanes for centuries.

An acoustic anomaly with a mysterious cause sits in the heart of Tulsa.

A gem in the small Missouri town where Winston Churchill coined the term "Iron Curtain" and effectively began the Cold War.

Built in 1869, this now-retired structure looks more like a medieval fortress than a county lock-up.

This lagomorph-obsessed Route 66 emporium is home to a giant jackrabbit that sits in a bunny graveyard.

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.

The only remaining Cold War–era Minuteman II missile control center in Missouri.

Once known as the Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane.

In the Shawnee National Forest, amazing rock formations peer through the treeline.

A once-booming Mississippi River town with a history of racial violence is now eerie and mostly abandoned.

While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.

This small-town park in southern Illinois has a 1,000,000-gallon swimming pool and a 100,000-barrel oil well.

This pristinely abandoned filling station on the edge of a graveyard is populated solely by unsettling mannequins.