The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

Hidden on the 7th floor of a historic building, this Cajun spot features wall-to-wall bottles of hot sauce.

Explore the wide world of desert plants at this unique Palm Springs botanical garden.

A fake town founded by Western movie stars is now becoming a hip desert community.

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

Two hundred tons of pioneer artifacts were painstakingly recovered from a shipwreck at the bottom of the Missouri River.

In the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks at 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest (and possibly oldest) peak in Missouri.

400 million-year old limestone caverns nestled in the Ozarks served as shelter and a hideout for cultures throughout North American history.

This former small town was destroyed not by the motor oil it sprayed the ground with but by the toxic waste that was added.

What was once a presidential estate is now an exotic menagerie and home to the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants.

This titanic oil company sign is a reminder of the Americana boom of the 1970s and also its commoditization.

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.

Quirky water tower advertises the long-gone Brooks Tomato Products Co.

The Old Courthouse takes visitors on a captivating trip through St. Louis' timeline.

You were once able to challenge a chicken to tic-tac-toe at this park, which is now converted into the Aikman Wildlife Adventure.

When you visit his grave, be sure to rub the Great Emancipator's nose for good luck.

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 tiny historic jail along Route 66 is the perfect fit for exactly one criminal and their partner-in-crime.

This urban drawbridge gained eternal pop culture fame when the Blues Brothers jumped it while it was raised.

Despite its name, this fast food museum is actually a replica of the ninth McDonald's store.

Wisconsin's most celebrated export gets the royal treatment on I-94.

A large circus museum with summer performances.