Places Sputnicktatorship Wants to Go

For just a few bucks, this Iowa funicular will let you feel like an 1800s fat cat.

Outlaws, hot springs, and tragedy have all left their mark on this ancient road in the Icelandic highlands.

The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.

Eerie ruins of an abandoned medieval fishing village crumble atop an unforgiving stretch of earth.

A long, winding trek rewards you with a gorge so captivating it inspired a painting in the Tate.

Since ancient times these picturesque springs have been providing bathers with healing waters.

Unparalleled stargazing, one of Colombia's best observatories, and a swimming pool can all be found in the middle of this ancient tropical forest.

Legend says these rocks used to be hunting dogs, a story that may have inspired Sherlock Holmes' most famous case.

Living fossils in this remote Australian bay provide a glimpse of what Earth may have looked like 3.5 billion years ago.

This observatory within Europe's first dark sky park offers stunning views of the night sky.

Colorful lights and mirror-like brine pools create trippy illusions within the historic mine.

Resting in the middle of an Austrian river, this sci-fi "island" lets people cross in neon style.

An enigmatic natural rock formation with a manmade passage cut through the center.

The "stairway to heaven" lookout tower was built to resist weather, arson, and the laws of physics.

Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

Australia's only active volcanoes and highest peak are located on these remote islands thousands of miles away from the mainland.

This quiet island in the middle of a bustling city is actually a volcano dotted with Māori ruins.

This unusual lava tube spouts seawater during high surf.

A thick blanket of beautiful pampas grass cloaks this unique Japanese landscape.

A huge maze complex and whimsical miniature village in Tasmania.

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.

Wondrous sandstone hoodoos where Native Americans collected clay for pottery, 9,000 years ago.