With its gorgeous resort towns and exciting big cities, America offers tourists a seemingly endless array of travel destinations.
But to truly experience the vast and diverse nation, consider stopping to visit one of these most unusual towns.
Hell, Michigan
Located an hour’s drive west of Detroit and only 15 minutes outside Ann Arbor, Hell, Michigan’s slogan is, “More people tell you to go to our town than anywhere else on Earth.”
There are competing legends explaining how Hell got its name when it was established in 1841, but our favorite one suggests that town founder George Reeves paid farmers for their wheat in whiskey.
Because Reeves’ grist mill was on Hell Creek, farmers’ wives were known to say their husbands had “gone to Hell again” at harvest time.
Hell is an unincorporated area rather than a town. Still, visitors can become “mayor” of Hell for the day and shop for souvenirs at Screams.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia, Pennsylvania, was once a bustling coal mining town. Its population peaked at 2,761 in 1890, and it struggled to weather the ups and downs of coal mining and the economy over the 20th century.
In 1962, the borough, home to approximately 1,200 residents, faced a pivotal decision when the borough council chose to ignite a trash dump that had accumulated in an abandoned coal mine.
The fire spread out of control underground and is still burning there to this day.
After acquiring the town’s homes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania decided in 2013 to permit a few residents who wished to stay to remain in the Commonwealth-owned properties indefinitely.
Roswell, New Mexico
Unless you’ve lived on Mars for the past century, you’ve likely heard of Roswell, New Mexico.
It’s the home of Area 51, the U.S. Air Force base where people claim they saw a UFO crash in July 1947, after which military personnel allegedly retrieved the craft and its alien occupants.
The Air Force investigated the incident and released a report closing the case in 1994. The report stated the witnesses had seen an Air Force balloon crash in a remote part of the desert, and witnesses mistook anthropomorphic dummies that fell from the balloons for aliens.
Still, Roswell remains a favorite destination for UFO buffs, drawing 40,000 visitors annually to a UFO festival since 1996.
Whittier, Alaska
There’s no town on this list remotely like Whittier, Alaska. That’s because, in addition to its remote location, all of its roughly 220 residents live in the same 14-story apartment building.
The building has all the amenities of a city. It had housed U.S. Army personnel and their families before the Army left Whittier in 1960. The city was incorporated in 1969 and receives more than 700,000 visitors each summer.
You can only enter and exit Whittier through a 10-foot-wide, 2.5-mile-long tunnel shared by trains and vehicles, the longest highway tunnel in North America.
Jerome, Arizona
At its peak in the 1920s, Jerome, Arizona, was the state’s fourth-largest city, with a population of around 15,000. Unfortunately for Jerome, the city sat atop a copper mine, and its fortunes were entirely dependent on the demand for metal.
Copper demand soared during World War II, and Jerome produced up to 3 million pounds of copper monthly.
However, the mine closed in 1953 as copper use declined, and the roughly 100 remaining residents started promoting Jerome as a ghost town for tourists.
Cassadaga, Florida
The self-described “Psychic Capital of the World,” Cassadaga, Florida, is the place to be if you’re seeking a psychic reading.
In 1849, members of Spiritualism, a social movement and religion, founded the small unincorporated area southwest of Daytona, establishing the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association.
Today, about 50 households call Cassadaga home, many offering psychic readings from their houses or apartments.
Salem, Massachusetts
From 1692 to 1693, the Salem Witch Trials terrorized and killed 20 innocent women, all because of societal ignorance.
Today, for a $17.50 admission fee, visitors can learn all about the tragedy at the Salem Witch Museum.
Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida, is larger than most of the towns on this list, but it’s as odd and colorful as any.
The city, once home to famous novelist Ernest Hemingway, is part of the Florida Keys archipelago, accessible from the mainland by a nearly 7-mile bridge and just 90 miles from Cuba.
Key West is known for its pastel-colored conch homes, vibrant shops, and lively nightlife. Snorkeling lovers flock to its reefs, but Key West doesn’t have many beaches.
Solvang, California
If you find yourself in southern California’s Santa Ynez Valley and you’re looking for a big taste of Denmark, you’ll want to see Solvang.
Founded in 1911 on land bought by three Danish immigrants, Solvang calls itself the Danish Capital of America.
The city offers tourists a wide array of wineries and bakeries against a backdrop of Scandinavian windmills and Danish-inspired architecture.
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Wholesome Mayberry, the setting of the Andy Griffith Show, is fictional, but its inspiration came from the actor’s hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina.
The city is proud of its native son, boasting the Andy Griffith Museum and an annual Mayberry Days festival in September, inviting families to a place where “life was simple, and the sheriff didn’t carry a gun.”
The city’s logo reads, “Mount Airy: Mountains, Music, Mayberry, Merlot.”
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic, Connecticut, is the charming backdrop of the 1988 romantic comedy Mystic Pizza starring Julia Roberts. The Mystic Seaport Museum and the Mystic Aquarium draw more than a million visitors annually.
The restaurant depicted in the film still operates and draws thousands of tourists each year seeking a “slice of heaven” and New England charm.
Rugby, North Dakota
Rugby, North Dakota, was founded in 1886 at a junction of the Great Northern Railway.
The town’s founders, hoping to draw English settlers, initially named it “Rugby Junction” after a famous junction in Rugby, England.
Rugby’s founders just happened to place the town in the geographical center of North America. A fieldstone monument marks the spot.
Colma, California
Colma, California, is a small San Francisco Bay enclave known as “Cemetery City” because of its 17 cemeteries.
In 1887, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese cited the first cemetery there, and by 1910, 13 more cemeteries were added, along with many monument businesses and flower shops.
Dubbed the “City of Souls,” Colma has about 1,600 living residents and more than 1.5 million dead ones.
As the rapidly growing city of San Francisco’s cemeteries filled, the city in 1910 not only banned burials but ultimately relocated cemeteries to nearby Colma.
Today, Colma residents receive automated phone notifications when big traffic-clogging burials are scheduled.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.