The hidden "ballroom" under a mansion lake was built by a criminal who ate a cyanide pill during his trial.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

A beautiful and abandoned New York subway station from 1904, complete with chandelier.

This astonishingly geometric cave has inspired everyone from Jules Verne to Pink Floyd.

America's most famous museum of medical oddities is home to the remains of Albert Einstein's brain.

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

These former Cold War launch sites have been preserved for tourists to see where the button might have been pushed.