Shutterstock The Ark Encounter, Kentucky Creationist Ken Ham dreamed big in 2010: build the world’s biggest timber-frame structure, make it look exactly like Noah’s Ark, and stick it in Kentucky farm country. Fast forward through $100 million of investor cash, tax incentive drama, and one massive construction project later, and boom – the Ark Encounter … Read more

Shutterstock Great Basin National Park Skip the Vegas lights and head to Nevada’s other star show. Great Basin National Park is home to some of America’s clearest night skies, the oldest living things on Earth (bristlecone pines), and Wheeler Peak’s rocky summit. The crowds haven’t caught on yet, which is exactly why you should go … Read more

Shutterstock Grand Canyon Caverns Inn, Arizona Most Route 66 motels just offer a bed and a shower. Grand Canyon Caverns Inn threw in a limestone cave system, the deepest hotel room on the planet, and a Cold War fallout shelter that could feed 2,000 people for a month. Just your typical roadside stop on Route … Read more

Shutterstock Voodoo Doughnut, Portland Old Town Portland’s most famous pink box didn’t come from a focus group. Voodoo Doughnut started as a late-night experiment in what happens when you put breakfast cereal on fried dough and add a side of punk rock attitude. Two decades and several health code adjustments later, it’s still serving up … Read more

Shutterstock Cahawba, Alabama In 1819, Alabama needed a capital for its brand new state, and the spot where the Cahaba River met the Alabama River looked perfect on paper. The state bought the land from local farmers, drew up an impressive grid of streets, and started selling lots. By 1820, Cahawba was Alabama’s first permanent … Read more

Shutterstock Petersburg, Alaska They call Petersburg ‘Little Norway,’ but that only tells half the story. This Southeast Alaska fishing town blends Norwegian heritage with Tlingit culture, all while bringing in millions of pounds of salmon and halibut each year. The glaciers of the Coast Range tower over one side of town, while pods of whales … Read more

Shutterstock Ocean Drive, Miami Ocean Drive wrote the blueprint for South Beach: take some pristine Art Deco buildings, add endless outdoor cafes, mix in beach views and a 24/7 party scene. Locals might dodge it, but this iconic strip between 5th and 13th streets is still one of those Miami experiences your bucket list needs. … Read more

Shutterstock The National Atomic Testing Museum, Nevada Before Vegas hit the jackpot with casinos, it banked on bombs. The National Atomic Testing Museum preserves the strange era when atomic testing was just another Sin City tourist draw. Here, you’ll find everything from real ground zero equipment to atomic bomb merch. Flickr/rocbolt The Nuclear Test Simulation … Read more

Shutterstock Seligman, Arizona Seligman, Arizona should have dried up when I-40 replaced Route 66. Instead, this small town saved the entire historic highway. Local barber Angel Delgadillo – now known as the Guardian Angel of Route 66 – turned his fight to save his hometown into a movement that preserved America’s most famous road. Here’s … Read more

Shutterstock Union Station, Washington Before airports took over travel, Union Station was DC’s grand entrance. Presidents rolled in on private trains. WWII troops shipped out through its arches. And even today, beneath the restored gold ceiling and shops, it moves 100,000 people daily between Capitol Hill and everywhere else. Today’s Union Station is also packed … Read more