The highest point in Wisconsin is capped by two towers that are not as mythic as Tolkien's but provide much better views.

The oldest certified bowling alley in the United States is in the basement of this century-old bar.

A giant, Gilded Age mansion that once belonged to the beer baron of Milwaukee.

Eternal resting place of the grave robber and murderer who served as inspiration for many of cinema’s famous madmen.

Five acres of divinely inspired folk art.

These Great Lakes sea caves accessible by boat in the summer turn into temples of ice reachable by foot in the winter.

A wondrous old library overlooking the nation's capital.

Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.

Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.

Chicago's museum dedicated to the history of bondage and fetishism is more textbook than titillation.

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.

An enormous park-like oasis, full of famous Chicagoans' graves.

A monument to the art of slicing people open.

This striking art museum holds an amazing series of curiosity cabinets.

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

Tucked away inside a historic Savannah hotel is a hundred-year history presented in ladies' lids.

This quirky curiosity shop takes its cues from the world's bazaars.

This massive collection of British military artifacts includes the heartbreaking personal letters of the men in the trenches of WWI.

An institution that preserves the history of institutionalization.

Civil War soldiers, captains of industry, and paupers all interred on historic grounds.

Fantastic collection celebrating the final send-off.

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

River pirates, murderous bandits, and serial killers used this Illinois cave as their debauched hideout.