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

A swing to dangle you off the very edge.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

A toxic ghost town sitting atop a massive coal fire.

A theme park that suffered massive flooding during Katrina was abandoned, and now proves irresistible to trespassing explorers.

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

A lovers' beach, tucked below the surface of the island, provides a safe haven for romance.

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

World's first "penitentiary," meant to be humane, drove men insane.

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.

The ghost town left by the worst nuclear disaster of all time is being taken over by nature and urban explorers.

This beautiful building in the heart of Manhattan's Financial District was empty for decades.

This small section of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is rotten with famous authors' graves.

The sign at the garden gate reads: "These Plants Can Kill."

This tiny little island has, as the name says, just enough room for its single house.

The final resting place of the great escape artist, where some still gather to wait for his escape from death.

The loneliest island in New York.

Home to the infamous "Typhoid Mary" and the worst loss of life in New York's history prior to September 11, 2001.

Small monoliths of several varieties of stone sit alongside a wooded path in the Bronx.

The oldest surviving bridge in New York City, which reopened to pedestrians in 2015.

Phil Mortillaro uses keys to bring art back to the Village.

A hip bar decorated with walls of golden skulls.

Great place to have a drink and a bite to eat in an atmosphere laden with New York's Bohemian past.