"Not too many people can say they've had a nuclear bomb dropped on them, not too many would want to." — Walter Gregg.

An idyllic mineral hot springs facility with a more-than checkered past.

A 315-foot spire jutting out from the Blue Ridge Mountains makes for breathtaking views.

The humble gravesite of the man who failed to cash in on his Pepsi-cola goldmine.

A Nessie-like monster supposedly lurks in this lake.

Practice your Dirty Dancing lifts in the manmade lake where Johnny Castle himself did.

A 17th-century bezoar, dirt from an infamous site, and other curios decorate this unusual bar.

The highway's southernmost spot is a beloved local attraction.

These ruins are all that's left of the former Alabama State Capitol.

Designed by Maya Lin, the memorial honors 41 individuals who died fighting for equal rights between 1954 and 1968.

A collection of huge Pre-Colombian structures in Alabama.

A bizarre roadside attraction and the first instance of miniature golf in the world.

This funicular railway rumbles along for a mile up the nearly vertical face of Chattanooga’s Lookout Mountain.

This North Carolina museum is keeping the pinball craze alive, with a little Space Invaders on the side.

The final home of the most famous horse of the American Civil War.

A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.

While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.

A cavernous three-story, 43,800-square-foot basement that was forgotten about for 60 years.

The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

This monument is dedicated to those lost on June 6, 1944, in the town with that day’s highest per-capita casualty rate.