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

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

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

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

A museum of unusual collections, mini-towns, and a half-dog, half-alligator.

One of the longest water bridges in the world was built over a supposedly haunted swamp in Louisiana.

A swamp and garden tour featuring local wildlife and exotic botanical specimens from around the world.

A 19th-century Gothic, castle-like statehouse by the Mississippi River.

The short-lived history of a new republic and British control in West Florida.

A Rodeo for Prisoners.

An old-timey wax exhibition campily depicting New Orleans legends and scandals.

This historic New Orleans cemetery is the final resting place of members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Introducing the Green Fairy to her fawning masses.

Site of a former hidden treehouse in New Orleans.

The tallest monument in a historic New Orleans cemetery was prompted by romance and dash of pettiness.

This distinctive Crescent City tradition dates back to the days of horse-drawn carriages.

Once the site of a Native American harvest festival, this humble clearing later played an invaluable role in the birth of jazz.

The South's nickname was supposedly born at a former bank in New Orleans' French Quarter.

The only home of the famous French impressionist painter open to the public is now a museum and bed and breakfast.

This strange example of the Egyptian Revival architecture trend now holds Mardi Gras floats.

The world-record holder for the longest bridge stretching continuously over water.

Shop for books in the New Orleans house where William Faulkner once lived.

The oldest operational cathedral in the U.S. has one shell of a way of projecting speakers' voices.