The abandoned zoo enclosures offer a perfect place to experience the other side of the bars.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

The perfectly preserved underground rooms where Churchill plotted the war against Germany.

A monthly street "service" of handmade puppets and live original puppets, whose devotees profess has the power to change lives.

Gleaming self-built castle towers made from beer cans and inspired by "Vitamin Mary Jane."

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.

The largest hot spring in the United States is, as the name suggests, a stunning show of natural color.

A fake town founded by Western movie stars is now becoming a hip desert community.

This former stomping grounds of the most eminent astronomers of the early 20th century.

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

Mysterious meeting place for UFO hunters near Area 51.

Current docking place of the SS United States, the fastest transatlantic ocean liner.

A remote crossroads honoring a fallen talent.

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.