Museums

Winchester Mystery House

San Jose, California In the heart of San Jose stands one of America’s most peculiar architectural wonders: the Winchester Mystery House. Sprawling, ornate, and endlessly confounding, this Victorian mansion has fascinated visitors for over a century. Built under the direction of Sarah Winchester, widow of the firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester, the house’s labyrinthine design…
St. Augustine Lighthouse

St. Augustine, Florida Standing sentinel over the nation’s oldest city, the St. Augustine Lighthouse has guided sailors safely to shore for nearly 150 years. But beyond its beam of light lies a darker legacy—one filled with tragedy, mystery, and the whispers of lingering spirits. The lighthouse and its surrounding keeper’s quarters have become one of…
The Lizzie Borden House

Fall River, Massachusetts Few places in America are as synonymous with true crime and the paranormal as the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts. The quiet Victorian home at 92 Second Street became infamous in 1892 when Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered with a hatchet. Over a century later, the…
Old Cowtown Museum

Wichita, Kansas On the banks of the Arkansas River in Wichita, Kansas, the Old Cowtown Museum brings the Old West vividly to life. This 23-acre open-air museum recreates Wichita as it was in the 1860s through 1880s, a time when cattle drives, saloons, and frontier expansion defined the city’s character. With more than 50 historic and recreated…
Ohio State Reformatory

Mansfield, Ohio The Ohio State Reformatory, better known as the Mansfield Reformatory, was built as an “intermediate penitentiary”—a halfway point between juvenile detention and hard-time prison. The goal was to reform first-time, mostly young offenders through discipline, education, and labor. Cleveland architect Levi T. Scofield designed the complex with a mix of Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian…
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! of St. Augustine

St. Augustine, Florida Nestled in the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida, Castle Warden stands as a striking example of Moorish Revival architecture and a monument to mystery. Built in 1887 as a winter retreat for William Gray Warden and his family, the castle has since lived many lives—private residence, hotel, and, since 1950, Ripley’s…
Sioux City Railroad Museum

Sioux City, Iowa The Sioux City Railroad Museum, located in Sioux City, Iowa, occupies the historic Milwaukee Railroad Shops complex, a pivotal site in the region’s railroading history. Established in 1918 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (commonly known as the Milwaukee Road), the facility served as a major repair and maintenance…
The Nathaniel Hamlin Museum & Park

Audubon, Iowa The Nathaniel Hamlin Museum & Park in Audubon, Iowa, preserves more than artifacts; it preserves the story of a community. The site traces its roots to a 19th-century county institution and now serves as a museum and public park that interprets local settlement, agriculture, and social welfare history. Audubon County purchased the property…
The Old St. Augustine Jail

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine is often called the bloodiest city in North America, a reputation built on centuries of conflict, struggle, and survival. As the nation’s oldest city, it carries with it a long and turbulent past. Today, it thrives as a major tourist destination, but one of its most popular attractions once inspired…
Villisca Axe Murder House

Villisca, Iowa On the morning of June 10, 1912, Villisca, Iowa, awoke to a nightmare that would shock the entire nation. Mrs. Mary Peckham, a neighbor of the Moore family, noticed that the household had not stirred for their usual early chores. When she received no answer at the door, she called Josiah Moore’s brother, Ross,…