An enormous roadside pan tells the story of a battle for pie glory.

For more than 50 years, an iconic sign has greeted visiting “fudgies” to the Traverse City area.

Easily overlooked in favor of the wineries that dot the region, this blast from the past is equally worth the visit.

It leads to a former hospital’s old root cellar.

Former self-sufficient mental institution now a planned community.

This enchanting forest trail leads to ethereal abodes and a giant bird's nest.

Though its branches are painted bright colors by generations of locals, the tree is said to be a haunted portal to hell.

A subterranean world of tunnels links several buildings of this rare 19th-century asylum.

The art studio of an early 20th-century painter, hidden amid the Great Smoky Mountains.

An abandoned town is hidden in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

For two weeks every June, fireflies in the Smoky Mountains perform an astonishing light show.

Carrying on the legacy of a short-lived experimental school tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina.

Classy up your Big Mac with bow-tied servers and chandeliers at the world's fanciest McDonald's.

Every week, a festive public jam session breaks out in downtown Asheville.

A nourishing complex of found object art, paintings, and sculptures that celebrate key figures in Black history.

A 17th-century bezoar, dirt from an infamous site, and other curios decorate this unusual bar.

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

A wedding chapel, vintage clothing shop, and bar all under one roof.

The U.S. Supreme Court's secret Cold War relocation facility in the mountains of North Carolina.

This rare basilica nestled right in downtown Asheville is an architectural marvel, inside and out.

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

The enormous 250-room Vanderbilt mansion conceals hidden doors and secret passageways.

This small memorial is almost as well concealed as Smalls himself was on the night he sailed to freedom.

A stack of stones steeped in Irish folklore, much like the hero they're connected to, hide in plain sight.