A vast array of tropical plants collected by a vacationing couple.

An exquisite grouping of structures made from 10 tons of invasive saplings.

To honor a beloved Austin radio DJ a neighborhood bridge has been covered in a loving mosaic.

A giant "X" symbolizes the blood spilled from the brutal Juárez drug wars.

When life gives you Prohibition, open a bar in Juárez.

The wreckage of a crash that killed nine people still litters the Franklin Mountains.

A spring-fed pool so deep it's used for scuba diving as well as swimming.

A little stop along the Texas highway where Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean stayed while shooting the 1955 film "Giant."

Mysterious glowing orbs float through the desert night.

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.

A store full of vintage and indie toys designed to bring out the kid in even the crustiest of adults.

This failed condo development was reborn as a street art hub.

This "second" cemetery represents New Orleans' attempt to keep cholera at bay.

Three hundred years of preserved Spanish colonial history in San Antonio.

A National Historic Landmark with a scenic clock tower and park filled with deer and peacocks, plus a military museum.

The pit stop from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" now serves beef and pork barbecue, not people.

An emerald-green grotto just a short trip from Austin.

One part antique store, one part curiosities hodge-podge.

Free public park and gardens filled with peacocks and peahens.

Turning night into day in Victorian-era Austin to thwart a serial killer.

Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style.

This simple frog painting created by musician Daniel Johnston embodies the spirit of Austin.

A high-octane shrine to the greatest Texans who ever lived.

Life's work of sculptor Elisabet Ney remains preserved in her last studio.