Roam Unknown

Libraries are filled with hushed exchanges, providing sanctuary for books and, often, secrets. The Providence Athenaeum, one of America’s oldest libraries, harbors its share of hidden stories, among them a romance involving Edgar Allan Poe. Best known for his tales of terror, the famed author found love among the Athenaeum’s stacks Before public libraries were tax-supported, many relied on donations and membership dues.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts might sound like a setting in a spooky story, but it holds a prominent place in American literary and architectural history. The landscape is a work of art and its hills are where storied lives found their final plot. Visitors can expect a winding walk through the cemetery, with paths that curve gently, following to the natural contours of the land.

If the new Fallout series on Amazon Prime has you hunting for your next dose of retro-futurism, Canada has some spots to make your Pip-Boy light up. As a key player in the Manhattan Project and a major source of uranium during the atomic era, the country has its fair share of destinations ripe for exploring historical what-ifs. Much like the Fallout show and video games, these sites immerse you in a version of the past that feels both familiar and entirely imaginary.

New England has a reputation for historical homes, but the region also moonlights as a Hollywood set piece. Among the heritage sites to hit on your next New England road trip are houses so Halloween-worthy, they’ve made it to the silver screen. Films like Hocus Pocus, House of Dark Shadows, and Shutter Island feature places you can actually visit, each steeped in the region’s mystique. One locale even inspired a Scooby Doo mystery mansion.

Salem is a city wrapped in layers of history, myth, and magic. While many are lured by its commercial glitter, its lesser-known gems are often overshadowed by the seasonal crowd of goblins and ghouls. Beyond the tackier shops and overpriced tourist traps, you’ll find a temple that challenges conventions, a statue reminiscent of TV’s golden age, and a somber memorial marking a time when justice was clouded by fear, among other unusual attractions.

Vermont lodgings are anything but ordinary. When visiting the Green Mountain state, you’ll find unique stays, from chalets that rival those in the Swiss Alps to cottages straight out of a fantasy novel. You could wake up in a Hobbit’s homestead, or drift off among the treetops, living out your childhood treehouse dream. Beyond the fantastical, Vermont also offers a touch of the classic.

Ever taken a scenic drive through Vermont and thought you spotted a tipsy window on an otherwise straight-laced home? Don’t blame it on the cider. That quirky tilt — part bewitching architecture, part broomstick barrier — is a deliberate feature of witch windows. Also referred to as coffin windows, the intriguing design sees a pane installed diagonally, typically along the roof line at the gable end of a house. From a distance, they can seem out of place, almost like an architectural afterthought.

Fabulous Furniture is hard to miss on Highway 28. The Boiceville art studio and sculpture garden docks a fleet of futuristic vessels welded from vintage car parts. Over a dozen spaceships and alien craft — some made from spliced automobile frames, others from chrome rims and retro tail lights — catch the eye and imagination. By day, the vehicles flash baby pink and electric blue paint jobs, striped with hot rod flames. After dark, they light up turning the roadside into an illuminated gallery.

There’s no robot rebellion in Margaretville, New York, just a friendly invasion. Vintage Robots: Humanoid Visions of the Future, an exhibit by the Space Age Museum, brings together decades of droids at the Galli-Curci Theater through July 9. Paired with retro photos of kids in atomic age attire and home-built bots, the collection is a playful reminder of how the future was once imagined — and how it stacks up against the tech of today.