Places ValarieD Wants to Go

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

An extraordinary collection of vampire-themed antiques lurks on the second floor of a store.

This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

This building features dozens of faces along its facade, although one is a bit chilling.

The world's most active stratovolcano is almost always erupting.

Where Aleister Crowley taught magick in "La Chambre Des Cauchemars," his "Chamber of Nightmares."

Nobles would stage mock naval battles on this large lake at the Royal Palace of Caserta.

Dozens of tiny doors dot Newport's Mansion Hill neighborhood.

The taxidermied body of a bear that was a casualty of a drug trafficker’s bizarre death.

This former tuberculosis research hospital endeavored to cure the dreaded disease with fresh air and positive attitudes.

The final resting place of the tragic king and queen of the Jazz Age is tucked away in a small Maryland graveyard.

This free, take-a-book shop seems like a trick but isn't.

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

Fiji mermaids, mummified remains, and recreated cryptids are among the morbid oddities at this Maryland museum.

The fictional star of "Breaking Bad" is memorialized with a real-life gravestone in his hometown.

This fast-food outlet is the only space and UFO-themed McDonalds in the world.

An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym.

When beetles destroyed these trees, they found new life as fantasy sculptures.

The Kalamazoo factory has 100 years of instrument-making, and one big wartime secret.

The remains of a religious colony, its amusement park, zoo, and baseball empire.

The world’s largest Masonic temple was saved by the White Stripes.

This museum remembers an apocalyptic cult that became more famous for baseball than religious radicalism.

Hell on Earth is actually a small town in Michigan where anyone can be mayor for a day.