Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.

This lone tree and dramatic sandstone outcropping are so beloved by Michiganders they can be found on one of the state’s coins.

This shallow cave got its name from copious amount of human bones found inside.

Turnip-shaped island just off the Michigan shore in Lake Huron.

While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.

Taxidermy, Cigar Store Indians, A Model of a New York Tenement and Delicious Draft Root Beer.

Low-frequency noise compared to an idling train can only be heard by some of this industrial town's residents.

A place of great reverence for Trekkies everywhere, a hero's future birthplace.

This small monument to the great inventor contains a time capsule and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Each summer, the migratory bats living beneath the bypass form "batnadoes" at dusk.

Gouged in the mountain to make stage coach access easier through the Fremont Pass.

Where the alchemists dream of transmuting base metal into gold was actually achieved.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

Two mammoth statues inspired by equally tall tales lure tourists to this roadside attraction.

A tree grown from astronaut seeds which were exposed to cosmic rays.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

A mysterious painting of the self-declared Emperor of the United States watches over a local hof-brau.

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.