Thirteen pastel palaces in downtown Charleston add a gorgeous splash of color to the city.

From failed port town to Civil War fort, the ruins of this former defense saw their finest day in the television age.

A maritime museum holding the remains of Blackbeard's pirate ship.

A forgotten sea village stands silent after hurricanes deemed it obsolete.

The North Carolina grounds are leased in perpetuity to the British Commonwealth for as long as the WWII sailors are buried there.

This historic sunny-yellow building has an unfortunate connection to the sinking of the Titanic.

The only known Futuro house in North Carolina sits along a stretch of desolate highway on the Outer Banks.  .

Perhaps the oldest vine in North America, this sprawling plant helps make a sweet wine.

So many migrating birds roost on the bridge, it has a special summer speed limit.

The lesser-known lost colony of Roanoke was a safe haven for formerly enslaved people during the Civil War.

Down the road from where the Wright brothers lifted off is another flight tribute practically hidden from sight in the woods.

This shifting North Carolina sand dune is an odd little desert surrounded by oceanic forest life.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.

The U.S. Navy’s preposterously detailed mini battleship took 77,000 hours to complete.

One of the largest artillery pieces in the world sits in a Washington D.C. parking lot.

Part of a WWII submarine is lurking outside the Washington Navy Yard parking lot.

Outside the Department of Transportation, a collection of artifacts honors the history of how we get around.

Home to items never before seen by the public.

The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.