The haunting "Hell House Altar" is one of the few remnants of an abandoned college that has been a magnet for local legends.

This statue honors the author's groundbreaking family story.

This building at the south end of the boardwalk was once home to the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the U.S. Coast Guard before being rescued itself.

One of the oldest active carousels in the country—but it might be missed by all but the keenest-eyed boardwalk strollers.

This advertisement for talcum powder was painted on the rock face and has since defied removal.

Baltimore's classic clock tower was once topped by a rotating, 20-ton medicine bottle.

The design of this historic domed church was influenced by Thomas Jefferson and intended as a statement of religious freedom.

This bug-eyed water wheel uses the power of the Sun to clean up Baltimore Harbor.

The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere takes over three minutes to ride down.

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

Giant works of art interspersed throughout meadows and woodlands offer a new discovery at every turn.

The famous greeting card maker owns a collection of paintings by the famed surrealist.

This titanic oil company sign is a reminder of the Americana boom of the 1970s and also its commoditization.

What was meant to be a temporary exhibit is now a permanent fixture at the St. Louis Zoo filled with beautiful birds.

The Old Courthouse takes visitors on a captivating trip through St. Louis' timeline.

Four, 18-foot-tall badminton shuttlecocks lie scattered about the lawn of a Kansas City museum.

A big museum full of little worlds.

The maximum security facility was once thought to have "the bloodiest 47 acres in America."

What was once a presidential estate is now an exotic menagerie and home to the Budweiser Clydesdales.

In the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks at 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest (and possibly oldest) peak in Missouri.

A historic house in St. Louis was plagued by a series of suicides committed by family members involved in a successful brewery.

400 million-year old limestone caverns nestled in the Ozarks served as shelter and a hideout for cultures throughout North American history.

European castle ruins in an American state park are actually the product of death and grief.

Less a museum than a bizarre fantasy world created by artists and engineers.