Ghost stories surrounded this “castle,” the only structure from a huge mansion that was never built.

This spectacular public market has got meat, fish, vegetables, baked goods, and enough kielbasa for a lifetime.

Funded by John D. Rockefeller, this is one of the earliest, and most beautiful, shopping arcades in America.

These sub-farmland caves are home to a majestic stalactite known as the "Crystal King."

The largest earthwork effigy in the world.

Rare recess caves fill this unbelievably beautiful Ohio park.

Take a drunken tour inside the world's largest known geode.

The author's beautiful and historic home is also a fully functioning goat farm.

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

Founded in 1925, this folk school attracts students from across the country and preserves traditional Appalachian art.

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

Classy up your Big Mac with bow-tied servers and chandeliers at the world's fanciest McDonald's.

Asheville, North Carolina, was the the second place in the world to enjoy Kentucky Fried Chicken's secret recipe.

Down the road from where the Wright brothers lifted off is another flight tribute practically hidden from sight in the woods.

A Nessie-like monster supposedly lurks in this lake.

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

So many migrating birds roost on the bridge, it has a special summer speed limit.

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

This Transylvania County city is home to a rare white squirrel population that is descended from an escaped carnival animal.

The fine fabric handwoven at Biltmore Industries was once coveted around the world.

The U.S. Supreme Court's secret Cold War relocation facility in the mountains of North Carolina.

A psychological self-portrait in the form of a giant, segmented head.

This North Carolina store preserves a historic moment in America's movement for racial equality.

A mountaintop space observatory that is certified dark.