It's not hard to see why the historic Peabody Conservatory of Music's library has been described as a "cathedral of books."

On this wooded path, a stained-glass window creates a spellbinding forest cathedral.

This titanic Catholic church in Chicago is also a refuge of the fictional cult-favorite wizard detective Harry Dresden.

When waves crash onto this section of beach, the rocks sing a song.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

The only pachinko parlor in the United States.

A semi-scholarly approach to sex.

Beasts and branches swirl in sandstone carvings, interrupted by one strange creature.

12,000 sq. ft. museum tracing erotic art from antiquity to modern times.

The trunks of 3,000 year-old trees lurk beneath the surface of this crystal clear lake in Oregon.

This natural marble cave is one of only five national monuments in Oregon.

Despite a legend that says this highest peak in Oregon was climbed in high heels scores of people have died on its slopes.

This great stone guardian of the forest is a relic from the land's volatile volcanic past.

Mountain known by the Tillamook Tribe as "the place of the supreme deity."

The first North American landing spot for James Cook on his third voyage of discovery in the Pacific.

This extinct shield volcano is the lightning rod of the Cascades.

Formerly secret, precariously perched boulders.

The longest continuous lava tube in Oregon.

The second largest waterfall by volume in the U.S., Willamette Falls is outdone only by Niagara in the amount of water that is pushed northward.

This Oregon farm is dedicated to teaching people the professional art of tree climbing.

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.

This centuries-old wooden wonder was built in less than a year and is one of Europe's largest timber-framed churches.

In this historic region, homes and churches are carved into ancient volcanic rock formations.

This 8th-century Bavarian monastery is home to an exquisite Baroque-era library.