This recessed garden protects thousands of mountain plants by creating its own microclimates.

The medieval institution is home to the precious treasure stolen in World War II in one of the greatest art thefts of the 20th century.

A strange rock formation with numerous legends trying to explain it.

This medieval castle is filled with an eccentric collection that ranges from ancient Egyptian artifacts to taxidermy to a mummified hand that was cut off during a duel.

An antique curios dealer and hybrid taxidermist.

A unique sculpture garden nestled among farm fields.

Two adjoining collections of 19th-20th century physics apparatuses and instruments.

One of the world's largest collections of rare medical texts and ephemera.

A gardener's enduring labor of love is spread throughout a small Vermont town.

Above an abandoned Underground station, this charming bookstore is home to strange antiquities and literary works.

An interactive exhibition space dedicated to the kinetic sculptures of Swiss artist Jean Tinguely.

The smallest museum in Basel, Switzerland, is a two-foot-by-two-foot window in the door of a 600-year-old house.

This quaint museum taps into the sweet history of the maple syrup industry.

Greenery cloaks this serene sculpture inspired by the famous Lost Gardens of Heligan.

This beautiful and unmissable little museum is full of fascinating artifacts from Mesoamerica's great civilizations.

This former prison now houses a lovely library devoted to Quebec's oft-maligned English-speaking history.

This Quebec estate is home to the elaborate gardens of a self-taught horticulturist.

This whimsical castle of grottoes was the labor of love of a French postman, and one of the greatest achievements of outsider architecture.

A 19th century artistocrat's mansion, turned into a library, hidden in a modern library.

Massive puppet-automaton machines created by French artist collective Machines de l’Ile.

A self-built mosaic house and sculpture park.

An annual extravaganza of Broadway theater memorabilia.

Though its celestial ceiling is impressive, the true star is the vast collection of French books.

The post-apocalyptic remnants of a bucolic town ruined by a plane crash.