A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

The famous author's birthplace is preserved in a town that he once described as narrow-minded.

A plaque marks a former safe house on the secret route, now hidden next to a McDonald's.

A replica viking ship from the Chicago World's Fair is still in dry dock in an Illinois park.

Arguably the best example of an authentic Dutch windmill in the United States, rivaling its counterparts in the Netherlands.

The winter home of thousands of beautiful snow geese and sandhill cranes.

Its history includes dinosaur fossils, cattle rustlers, Georgia O'Keeffe, and a mythical giant rattlesnake named Vivaron.

Twenty-seven massive radio antennas on the high plains of New Mexico search for life on other planets.

Life-sized sculpture of a blue whale made of hand-recycled plastic trash.

The official atomic museum of the United States explores the explosive and productive history of a much maligned energy source.

This is one really big nut.

A futuristic temple of light uses prisms and rainbows to create an atmosphere of peace.

These aggressively sustainable art homes look like something out of 1970's science fiction.

The second-largest cave chamber in the world was discovered in 1898 by a 16-year-old and a friend known as "Pothead."

Explore the largest pure gypsum deposit in the world, and go dune sledding while you're at it.

Once a lonely sentinel on the edge of the Great Plains, this rebuilt trading fort offers a glimpse of life on the Santa Fe Trail.

A roadside attraction filled with an astounding array of gloriously wacky vehicles.

Toss a Frisbee through the ruins of this Colorado gold mining town.

A stark reminder of the huge nuclear weapons plant that once stood on the site and its effect on the surrounding area.

A research lab and hands-on museum where visitors can experiment with retro technology.

Explore some of the most unique vehicles in history along with a cast of unsettling mannequins.

The largest dinosaur trackway in North America is tucked away among this canyon's ghosts and archaeological gems.

The final resting place of American icon Buffalo Bill, and a museum that aids in telling his tale.

This museum offers an actual time machine back through Colorado's past.