18 Unique And Bizarre Places In The US Everyone Should Visit Once In Their Lifetime

From the spot where ice cream flavors go to die to a shop that sells everything you need to travel in time.

The coronavirus pandemic is still impacting travel, and destinations around the world have different COVID-19 restrictions in place. Always check and adhere to local government policies. Many of these locations may be temporarily closed, but we hope you'll use this list to dream about a future trip.

1. Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard — Waterbury, Vermont

Dakota Deady / BuzzFeed

Of course, you’ll want to visit the Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury Factory too, but this site, where dead and long-forgotten ice cream flavors are put to rest, is too wonderfully strange to pass up. Once you’ve gotten your scoop from the factory’s Scoop Shop, head behind the building to pay your respects to flavors that have passed on.

2. Carhenge — Alliance, Nebraska

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

A visit to England’s Stonehenge may be a while off, but America’s version of the historical site is arguably just as interesting (and makes for an excellent photo op). At Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska, grey, vintage cars replace Stonehenge’s prehistoric standing stones for a wonderful tongue-in-cheek replica.

3. Leila's Hair Museum — Independence, Missouri

@mementos_entwined / Via instagram.com

You want bizarre? How’s a museum featuring jewelry and wreaths made of human hair? This truly one-of-a-kind spot is owned by Leila Cohoon — who is, of course, a hairstylist — and showcases human hair “art” that dates back to the Victorian era.

4. Time Travel Mart — Los Angeles, California

@timetravelmart / Via instagram.com

There are plenty of strange things to do and see in LA, but nowhere is as fascinating at the Time Travel Mart on Sunset Boulevard (at least in my opinion). In this shop you’ll find everything you need to travel in time — forward or backward. You can pick up all the essentials, like some dinosaur eggs, mammoth chunks (which are rich in essential proteins), or a new toupee for your robot. And, to sweeten the deal, proceeds go to 826LA, a non-profit creative writing organization supporting LA students.

5. The Paper House — Rockport, Massachusetts

@madfabriholic / Via instagram.com

From the outside, The Paper House looks pretty normal, but everything changes once you go inside. Aside from the wooden framework, floor, and roof, the house is pretty much made entirely out of newspaper — I'm talking the walls, doors, furniture, and even the clock. The still-intact creation was built in 1922 by Elis F. Stenman, the man who created the machines that produce paper clips, and makes use of thousands of varnished newspapers.

6. Mmuseumm — New York, New York

@mmuseumm / Via instagram.com

Curious artifacts, from the bizarre to the mundane, all sit within a freight elevator in an alleyway near New York City’s Chinatown. The Mmuseumm uses "object journalism" to tell the big, impactful stories of small, often overlooked items — think Trump's discarded napkin and the credit card used to fund the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. The items vary depending on the exhibit's current theme; past topics include "Personal Possessions Found in the Pacific" and "Homemade Weapons of Defense."

7. Valley View Hot Springs — Moffat, Colorado

@alisongoodhart / Via instagram.com

Natural hot water bubbling up from the earth is a novelty on its own, but the clothing-optional policy at Valley View Hot Springs takes it up a notch. You can soak in one of the handful of pools, hike on the 2,200 acres, and visit Colorado's largest bat colony…in the nude.

8. The House on the Rock — Spring Green, Wisconsin

Carol Highsmith / Getty Images, Buyenlarge / Getty Images

At The House on the Rock, oddities are the norm. Around every corner is a curious sight — or a stunning one, depending on where in the house you are. There’s a 200-foot long sea creature, the world’s largest carousel, and music machines that choose their own songs — but there’s also a beautiful garden and a narrow room that juts out over the valley for 218 feet (and, as you’d imagine, has spectacular views).

9. Vent Haven Museum — Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

@venthavencurator / Via instagram.com

If you’re up for a scare, head to the Vent Haven Museum, the world’s only museum dedicated to ventriloquism. Inside, the blank stares of over 900 dummies will bore into you as you peruse the memorabilia and dolls used by ventriloquists all over the world in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

10. Mermaids of Weeki Wachee — Spring Hill, Florida

Robert Sullivan / Getty Images

If you've ever dreamed of seeing (or being) a mermaid, there’s only one place you need to go: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, a magical place where real-life mermaids (aka people wearing fishtails) perform elaborate shows underwater. Just sit back in the park’s underground auditorium and enjoy the wildly impressive show.

11. Thor’s Well — Yachats, Oregon

Morgan Somers / Getty Images

The Oregon coast can be wild, and nowhere is it wilder than at Thor’s Well near Cape Perpetua. Here, a huge hole on the coast seems to swallow the ocean. Watching gallons and gallons of sea water get gulped up by the seemingly bottomless sinkhole is both entrancing and terrifying.

12. Neon Boneyard — Las Vegas, Nevada

@justine_livs / Via instagram.com

If you’ve ever wondered where neon signs end up after their glory days have passed, wonder no more. In the HQ of neon signs — Las Vegas — The Neon Museum gives discarded and long-forgotten signs their due. At their Neon Boneyard, over 200 unrestored signs (including the original Aladdin’s lamp from the old Aladdin Hotel & Casino) live out their final years in a truly picturesque fashion. You’ll want to visit at sunset, when ground lighting returns the signs to their former glory.

13. Museum of Death — New Orleans, Louisiana

@caroline.316 / Via instagram.com

If the name doesn’t scare you off, venture cautiously into this museum, which warns visitors that it is “Not for the faint of heart!” Inside NOLA’s Museum of Death, you’ll find a skull collection; photos of the Manson family; graphic crime, morgue, and car accident photos; and art and letters from infamous serial killers. And that’s just the beginning...

14. Synchronous Fireflies — Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Putt Sakdhnagool / Getty Images

Two weeks a year, usually in late May to mid-June, a stunning natural phenomenon takes place in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Thousands and thousands of synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) synchronize their flash patterns to attract mates. The result is a beautiful dance of greenish-yellow light — something that everyone should witness once in their life.

15. The Brewmaster’s Castle — Washington DC

@mickrain / Via instagram.com

Sitting just off Washington DC’s Dupont Circle is one building that doesn’t quite fit in. Heurich House Museum, better known as The Brewmaster’s Castle, is a true 1890s gothic castle built by European brewer Christian Heurich. If you ask me, it’s probably one of the coolest place in the US to enjoy a beer — you can kick back in the garden or enjoy your drink while taking a tour of the grand palace.

16. Mütter Museum — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Allentown Morning Call / Tribune News Service via Getty I

At the Mütter Museum in Philly you can see the tumor from President Grover Cleveland's jaw, the skeleton of a very tall man, and the fused bones of Harry Eastlack, a man who died of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a rare disorder where tissues (like tendons and ligaments) gradually turn to bone and make the body immobile. The real showstopper, though, is the brain of Albert Einstein, which is laid out in slivers.

17. The Wave Organ — San Francisco, California

Carol Highsmith / Getty Images

On a jetty in San Francisco, the ocean meets its own musical instrument — an acoustic sculpture that makes sounds as the tide comes in. The intricate organ is constructed from PVC and concrete pipes that extend down into the water, and it sits on a jetty made from the remnants of a demolished cemetery. The effect is haunting and peaceful (and beautiful, thanks to the site’s city views).

18. Mapparium — Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Globe / Getty Images

Geography lovers, look no further. At Boston’s Mapparium, you can literally step inside a globe and get up close and personal with a map of the world. This three-story globe made of stained glass resides inside The Mary Baker Eddy Library and has a hovering walkway so you can stroll straight through middle.

Don't forget to check out Bring Me! for all of BuzzFeed's best travel tips and hacks, vacation inspiration, and more!

Jay Fleckenstein / BuzzFeed