A colorful architectural gem in Seattle's uniquely modern Central Library.

Couple's personal collection of pinball machines turned public pinball museum.

This semi-secret garden in south Seattle emulates a traditional Japanese garden using the plants of the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle's own bad art museum located inside Cafe Racer.

A huge musical sculpture and other art installations on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grounds.

A museum dedicated to the history and exploration of both popular music and science fiction.

A modernist landscape of water and sci-fi concrete.

A "Texanic" (gigantic Texas) collection of Art Deco architecture at Dallas' historic Fair Park.

A mythical chimera first sculpted in 1936 as a mix of the main animals of Texas livestock.

A serene temple with stunning stained glass hides in downtown Dallas.

A school-themed restaurant where gastronomy is the core curriculum.

For two weeks every June, fireflies in the Smoky Mountains perform an astonishing light show.

This road in the Great Smoky Mountains was supposed to assuage a displaced community, but ended up a $52 million dead end.

A curiosity-seeker's paradise set inside a three-story historic school house.

An art deco ice cream shop covered in vintage train station tiles.

Where beautiful signs live on forever.

This little-known collection holds everything from "Dracula" notes, to the manuscript of "Ulysses," to the forged works of Shakespeare.

The last of Philadelphia's wood-paved streets is now a landmark of terrible engineering.

A tiny, unmarked beer and whiskey bar above an Ethiopian restaurant in West Philly fails to conceal live bluegrass.

South Philadelphia is home to Keith Haring's only surviving in situ collaborative public mural.

A daily replay of the experiment that proved the rotation of the Earth.

This Philly landmark has a giant butterfly pavilion, three floors of insect displays, and withstood a $40,000 heist.

Enjoy a slice while browsing the world's largest collection of pizza memorabilia.

A museum dedicated to the strange and extravagant costumes and memorabilia of the mummers, a tradition older than Philadelphia itself.