During World War II, blimps were a key part of the United States' defense against German U-boats—this building could house a dozen of the armed airships.

Formerly the most gerrymandered district in the U.S., it twisted and turned along racial borders.

Rural churches in the middle of nowhere with religious frescoes by famous artist.

Every week, a festive public jam session breaks out in downtown Asheville.

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

This shifting North Carolina sand dune is an odd little desert surrounded by oceanic forest life.

The wooden house where the jazz great learned to play the piano.

This abandoned lighthouse looks like a rusting oil rig, but has managed to survive a number of storms.

Perhaps the oldest vine in North America, this sprawling plant helps make a sweet wine.

Collecting 700 years of mechanical death-dealing, the NRA's sprawling gun museum is a revealing testament to the American obsession with armament.

This grave marks the passing of a historic Jane Doe whose identity remains a mystery to this day.

This old-fashioned carhop restaurant gave the world the waffle cone.

A home built with marble tombstones from the graves of 2,200 Union soldiers buried in a Virginia cemetery.

A small Richmond island dotted with the remnants of hundreds of years of history.