Hans Christian Andersen for the postmodern world.

The world's largest version of this iconic puzzle cube is located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

A wonderful display of arts and crafts handmade by local artisans in the Southern Appalachians.

This North Carolina museum is keeping the pinball craze alive, with a little Space Invaders on the side.

Archduke Ferdinand II's collection of rare objects is considered one of the oldest museums in the world.

Devilish masks, handicrafts, and pieces of old buildings create a snapshot of life in a historic Alpine region.

New York's oldest and possibly grandest keeper of books.

Lady Liberty's first beacon of enlightenment is now displayed in a museum near the statue.

A hands-on traveling collection of the innovative devices of yesteryear.

The feral felines of Roosevelt Island have a small army of allies and an abandoned hospital all to themselves.

Try not to get slimed in Tribeca.

The oldest Italian café in Boston, this spot also serves as a veritable museum of vintage coffee ephemera.

A (slightly) grownup take on the classic retro arcade.

A little piece of the Shire is hidden behind a plant nursery in Port Orchard, Washington.

This unique library spans a mighty river.

The language and heritage of a nearly forgotten culture can still be explored in this Southern enclave.

This set of rickety spaceships are prepared to give alien travelers a place to relax and go to the bathroom.

The oldest bridge in South Carolina may have been designed by the same man who created the Washington Monument.

This centuries-old gothic monster has been converted into a sprawling, glossy bookstore.

The world’s oldest and biggest bookstore stocking only mystery, crime fiction, espionage, and thrillers.

The 19th-century pharmacy (now a used bookstore) was featured in James Joyce’s "Ulysses," and has changed very little to this day.

A quirky bookstore hidden beneath a sea of whitewashed Greek villas.

This 1920s Dutch barge is now a floating bookstore.

Tables of secondhand books fill the inner courtyard of this 17th-century stock exchange.