Portland, Oregon
The smallest municipal park in the world, in a hole for a lightpost that was never installed. It was created in 1948 by Oregon Journal columnist Dick Fagan as “the biggest leprechaun colony west of Ireland.” Fans have left behind leprechaun-sized goodies including a mini swimming pool and a mini Ferris Wheel.
Sacramento, California
Remannts of a dormant volcano that show up as a small dot in the middle of a flat valley on a topographical map of California. Known as the “smallest mountain range in the world,” with a diameter of 10 miles and a surface area of about 75 square miles.
Santa Barbara, California
A man-made island designed for oil extraction, off the 101 freeway between Santa Barbara and Ventura. Oil production in the surrounding area approaches 1.5 billion barrels per year. The island and its private bridge were completed in 1958.
San Bernardino, California
A sag pond on the San Andreas Fault, located near the 15 freeway and Old Route 66 (Cajon Blvd). It sits where the north-south oriented boundary hits a jog to the east; as the Pacific plate shifts north relative to the North American plate every year, the jog in the fault spreads into a sinkhole, which fills with water.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mr. Little Guy is an elf who lives at the base of a tree near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. Every summer since 1995, people have written him letters and left them inside his door. He gets as many as 1,500 letters a summer, but he answers every one.
Mojave Preserve, California
From sometime in the 1960s to 2000 (according to Wikipedia), there was an operational public phone booth in the middle of the desert. Fans would come all the way out to answer calls.
Luzon, Philippines
The “smallest island in a lake, on an island in a lake, on an island” in the world. Vulcan Point is in Crater Lake, on the Taal Volcano, in Lake Taal, on Luzon.
Pyramid Lake, California
When you're in the middle of a giant reservoir and have to pee, be thankful that the parks department installed a floating toilet that almost certainly does not dump back into the lake.
Valentine, Texas
A tiny Prada store, out in the middle of nowhere on Highway 90 in Texas. Just kidding—it's an art installation by two German dudes, part of the nearby art community of Marfa. There are shoes and purses from the Fall 2005 collection on display, but the doors are sealed shut.
Hub Island, New York
One of the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence Seaway, between Canada and New York. Hub island has a cottage (nicknamed “Just Room Enough”) which takes up exactly the amount of dry land provided.
Darvaza, Turkmenistan
When geologists were drilling for resources in 1971 and encountered a pocket of natural gas, their rig collapsed and the poisonous fumes began to escape. To protect the nearby town, they decided to light the gas on fire and burn it off, and it has been burning ever since. At night, you can see how it got its name.
