5. Ohio State Reformatory

Location: Mansfield, Ohio

Located about halfway between Cleveland and Columbus stands the Ohio State Reformatory. Equal parts fortress and prison, this gargantuan facility began construction in 1886 and took more than thirty years to build. Though it was ordered closed in 1990, the prison still holds a world record: it contains the largest free-standing cell block in the world with its six-story East Cell Block. Over the course of its sordid history, the Ohio State Reformatory was home to 200 deaths, leading to its recognition as one of the most haunted places in the country.

With that being said, the Mansfield Reformatory's biggest claim to fame be its history in Hollywood. The spectacular, sprawling grounds and downright incredible interior have made it the set for dozens and dozens of movies, television shows, and music videos. Its most-well known role was in 1994's The Shawshank Redemption. 

Now cared for by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, the supposedly-haunted facility offers fundraising tours four days a week. Whether you're into its cinematic connections, the real life and times of the inmates who called it home, or want to stir up some of the spirits within, there's a tour for you. The Society even offers ghost walks and ghost-hunting classes for kids, and private ghost hunting for more experienced phantom-seekers... 

6. City Museum

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

The City Museum isn't like any museum you've seen before. There are no maps. There are no velvet ropes to stand behind. An unimaginable fusion of art installation, science center, playground, and social experiment, this experience all takes place within and around a former ten story home furnishings factory and warehouse. It opened in 1997 under the eye of founder and artistic director Bob Cassilly. Consisting largely of "repurposed architectural and industrial objects," this no-holds-barred experience is literally an oddball theme park.

Guests can climb up a massive "Slinky" spiral (actually an old refrigerating coil donated by Anheuser-Busch), climb through carved caves (above), play in a warehouse skatepark, slide down 10-story twisted slide, run in human hamster wheels, and more. In fact, visitors are encouraged to bring kneepads and a flashlight. A limitless, imaginative place, the City Museum has miles of tunnels, slides, climbers, bridges, and castles.  There are secret passages and grand galleries. Playgrounds and ball pits. A circus and a train.

Probably the coolest and most well-known part of the City Museum, though, is its seasonal Rooftop, where guests can sit inside of and climb the interior of a discarded open air Planetarium dome from a nearby science center, ride a rooftop Ferris wheel ten stories over St. Louis, hop through a fountain, and even walk the length of a school bus cantalevered out from the edge of the building.

7. Alcatraz East Crime Museum

Location: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

If you've been to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, Tennessee, you know that this region at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains may in fact be the tourist attraction capital of the United States. In fact, tourism is quite literally the backbone of the region, all building off of the nearby Dollywood theme park. We're talking Las Vegas levels of glitz and glam, dinner shows, museums, rides, theaters, Ferris wheels, restaurants, and more. And sure, there are plenty of "stinkers" in Pigeon Forge (when you consider their elevated prices). But there are also some gems!

Among the gems is the Alcatraz East Crime Museum – a legitimately impressive themed entertainment offering. Originally operated in Washington, D.C. as the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, the move to Pigeon Forge brought with it the need to fit in with the area's other roadside attractions (hence the name and the imposing exterior). But inside, the attraction walks through thematic eras of American history and the respective crimes and brutal punishments of each. It's engaging (are dare we say, fun?) for the whole family. 

The museum also has some very real memorobilia for the true-crime obsessed, and My Favorite Murder murderinos will probably be speechless seeing O. J. Simpson's real white Ford Bronco and Ted Bundy's Volkswagon Beetle and typewriter. Theme park fans will probably appreciate the scenic design, organization, and the optional add-on scavenger hunt that forces you to slow down and experiment with the interactives – which you'll be glad you did.

8. Musée Mécanique

Location: San Francisco, California

The Musée Mécanique (the "Mechanical Museum") is a spectacular, open-air, sunlight-filled, free-admission museum located on Pier 45 in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. (For Disney California Adventure fans, it's within walking distance of the real Boudin Bakery emulated in the park's Pacific Wharf!). The museum offers hundreds and hundreds of coin-operated games and experiences from historic hand-cranks to music boxes and modern arcade cabinets (even including the legendary "Laffing Sal", below.)

Filled with the kinds of 20th century penny arcade games you'd expect to find on a real life Main Street, U.S.A., the museum has many rare finds. A large diorama of a traveling carnival with a Ferris wheel and other rides sits in the center of the museum. The museum owns what is believed to be the only steam-powered motorcycle in the world, dating to 1912. If you commit to spending a few dollars inside to bring some of the old-fashioned dioramas and games to life, you'll find yourself laughing, shocked, surprised, and speechless. The museum even has the Royal Court diorama (featuring puppeted ballroom dancing couples) that was featured in the Panama-Pacific Exposition.