An enormous pink granite batholith, long attributed with spiritual powers by the Tonkawa Indians.

An emerald-green grotto just a short trip from Austin.

This unique structure in suburban Austin is made up entirely of other people's castaways, and constantly changing.

One part antique store, one part curiosities hodge-podge.

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.

Turning night into day in Victorian-era Austin to thwart a serial killer.

A store full of vintage and indie toys designed to bring out the kid in even the crustiest of adults.

Locals dubbed it the "Owl Building" because of its bird-like appearance.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

Huge otherworldly domed rocks on the shore of a deadly lake.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

This abandoned Navy base was transformed into an off-grid alternative living community for thousands of people.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

World's largest collection devoted to one fruit.

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

A Cajun-style Christmas on the river also involves sky-high pyres and explosives.

One of the longest water bridges in the world was built over a supposedly haunted swamp in Louisiana.

A museum of unusual collections, mini-towns, and a half-dog, half-alligator.

An old-timey wax exhibition campily depicting New Orleans legends and scandals.

A prime example of New Orleans' unique architecture these early 20th century homes were built to look like steamboats.

Site of a former hidden treehouse in New Orleans.

This New Orleans statue of a portly figure in a goofy hat pays homage to a classic of satirical literature.

Tiny historical streetcars wind through a small scale version of Crescent City in this whimsical train garden.

Formerly known as National D-Day Museum, this collection commemorates the battles of Normandy and WWII.