Places smileycj1 Wants to Go

Tucked away behind an unassuming set of shops is a must-see series of stunning murals.

One of the finest examples of a black soil prairie that was barely saved by the Great Depression.

This old school, eccentric, and independent video rental store refuses to die.

A grassroots community effort in the 1970s led to the creation of this beautiful garden full of delightfully whimsical exhibits.

The ruins of a paper mill destroyed during the Civil War still tower over a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.

This secluded ruin was once a home for exotic plants.

Bigfoot prints, Feejee mermaids, and haunted dolls on display in a tiny North Carolina town.

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

Near-constant high winds deform the trees on Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia.

A former mental hospital founded in the 1930s by a eugenicist who advocated for the forced sterilization of patients.

Take an otherworldly journey in a school dedicated to out-of-body experiences.

This former maximum-security prison is creepy, sobering, and supposedly haunted.

The world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.

Beautiful waterfalls grace a canyon visibly torn by a violent tornado.

The secret city built by the Manhattan Project.

A roadside music shop featuring a confounding series of folk art installations.

A historic dam made famous for its turbines and feature in a Hollywood classic.

This winding road of 318 curves is a must-visit for (careful) motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts.

This lookout tower built in the 1930s is now an in-demand cabin with what might be the best view of the Seneca State Forest.

Bubbling up from deep underground is the warm crystal clear water that fills the Warm Springs Pools, America's oldest spa.

Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet at this point in the Cumberland Gap.

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

Hikers can still stroll beneath the long conveyer of this abandoned mining facility hidden in a West Virginia river gorge.

Smack in the midst of coal country, this collection provides a peoples' history of Appalachian miners' heritage.