A dismembered holy head stares out from her beautiful reliquary at the St. Dominic Basilica.

The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king."

A towering bronze statue memorializes the founding father of postwar American conservatism.

A mysterious "wedding cake" castle in the middle of the urban desert.

An astounding collection of medical specimens, including bits of President Lincoln.

A Civil War fort in the middle of Washington, D.C. has been swallowed by a forest.

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

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.

At 207 feet, one of the world's longest continuous escalators.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

The first home of the doomed aviatrix Amelia Earhart.

This massive marble memorial was built bit by bit either out of devotion or spite, but at the expense of the surrounding town.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

This quirky hot springs town known to locals as "T or C" was named after a radio show.

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.

Legends surround this jagged rock formation in the New Mexico desert.

Eons ago, a rushing lava river formed this pristine passage through solid rock.

A Saint Nicholas-themed ghost town in the Mojave desert.

This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.

This immigrant bridge once spanned the Thames but is now a fixture of an Arizona city.

This memorial pyramid marker honors one of the United States Government's first official camel riders.