This humble star-gazing center touts itself as the "Birthplace of American Astronomy."

A historic and oft-filmed prison stands in a Chicago suburb.

One of the few remaining relics of the meatpacking hub that made Chicago the "hog butcher to the world."

The final resting place of the world's first nuclear reactor.

First planned industrial community in the United States.

This isn't your average roadway—it's actually a National Park and a transportation pioneer.

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.

The humble gravesite of the man who failed to cash in on his Pepsi-cola goldmine.

From failed port town to Civil War fort, the ruins of this former defense saw their finest day in the television age.

This shifting North Carolina sand dune is an odd little desert surrounded by oceanic forest life.

The final resting place of the Seminole Indian chief who fought against government occupation in Florida.

"Not too many people can say they've had a nuclear bomb dropped on them, not too many would want to." — Walter Gregg.

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

A haunting, yet lovingly hand-hewn potters' field full of graves that flood with each heavy rain.

This float factory takes the mask off of Mardi Gras and lets visitors see where the magic happens.

Once defending the city of New Orleans from invasion by sea, this fort faces an uncertain future.

The crumbling remains of a 19th century fortess.

New Orleans' famous cemetery, located on the site of a former race track.

The second oldest continuously operating bar in Louisiana.

A theme park that suffered massive flooding during Katrina was abandoned, and now proves irresistible to trespassing explorers.

This iron and wood Civil War city-ship was the first vessel to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo.

An eerie and beautiful group of columns mark the site of a grand mansion lost to time and fire.

An abandoned 1920s school with a mysterious history.

Once connected to the outside world by a single train track, this ghost town is looked after by the National Park Service.