The highest point in North Carolina and the United States east of the Mississippi River, Mount Mitchell is named after argumentative explorer Elisha Mitchell.

Gnarled canopies of pink and purple wildflowers arch over the trail to the summit.

The highest point in Tennessee, Clingmans Dome bears witness to the ravages of one type of insect.

Once decrepit and slated for demolition, now one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world.

Knoxville’s architectural icon was the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair, even catching the googly eye of Bart Simpson.

This replica of the Greek structure is in the heart of Nashville.

Visit this playground of waterfalls, caves and sinkholes.

These century-old townhouses contain some of the first car garages built in the United States.

Creating this diorama spurred naturalist Carl Akeley to begin advocating to protect the apes.

Staten Island's original central park is the former home of the city water supply as well as thousands of immigrant graves.

Amid the clacking of snooker balls, diners tuck into fiery Bhutanese fare.

A basement pool hall is the front for some of the best Dominican food in New York City.

This abandoned artificial island off the coast of New York City is now home to dozens of harbor seals.

The longest continuous underwater road in North America was built at the insistence of Franklin Roosevelt.

Snack on a partially gestated duck egg.

A Ukrainian church canteen doles out hearty fare in an East Village basement.

A garment factory hides a small Dominican eatery in the hallway to its freight elevator.

Legendary private island in the Bronx...devoid of rats.

Chefs from Tibet's Kham region offer steaming meat pies and noodle soups in this nook behind a jewelry store.

Once a dumping spot, now a park with a kayak launch.

Shop while you wait for a table in this tiny Indonesian eatery within a mini-mart.

A one-ton statue of Steve Rogers beautifies the entry to a Brooklyn Bed, Bath & Beyond.

An everyday Jackson Heights bodega conceals a Mexican seafood paradise.

Seriously good slices of Sicilian pizza lurk at the back of the Bronx's oldest enclosed market.