An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

A hundred-year-old museum filled with giant physics toys and experiments designed by grad students.

A bypass decorated with large wooden troll carvings.

Software company Epic Systems has created one of the strangest and largest workplaces of all time.

A stone marker memorializes the spot where the King broke up a street fight with a classic karate stance.

This cave holds a surprisingly colorful variety of geological oddities.

A bizarre house filled with an astounding array of collections.

A Dutch passageway's artistic, aquatic-themed makeover pays tribute to the capital city's famed waterways.

A ghost town originally established and governed solely by Black Americans seeking a place of their own, free from discrimination.

One of the bloodiest and most important battles in Japanese history is recreated with kitschy concrete statues.

A tribute to the twin ideals of religion and patriotism, built by a Catholic priest from rocks, glass, and innumerable found items.

A hidden grotto on the grounds of the Kane County Government Center.

The clothes-washing king doubles as a community center with some unusual features, including an aviary filled with finches.

This striking art museum holds an amazing series of curiosity cabinets.

This city square is home to Amsterdam's oldest church and a statue honoring Dutch sex workers.

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.

These spartan apartments are provided to clergymen visiting Vatican City.

The marble facade hides a little-known medical museum with early surgical instruments and rare copies of canonical texts.

Massive galleon from a box-office bomb docked in Genoa.

This Italian stadium makes liberal use of fascist statuary to evoke classical sporting arenas.

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.