Alaska

Santa Claus House  
 
Every day is Christmas at the Santa Claus House, just south of Fairbanks in the town of North Pole. Stop in for a look at Dasher and Blitzen--the two on-site reindeer--or a visit with Santa  himself (Wed.-Sun.). For $7.50, you can purchase a square inch of land in North Pole or send a pre-written letter from Santa--with a North Pole postmark--to anywhere in the world. 101 St. Nicholas Dr., 800/588-4078, santaclaushouse.com.

California

Exotic World

Once the home of dirty dancer Jennie Lee--known in her heyday as the Bazoom Girl--this burlesque museum houses a collection of pasties, lip prints, and bejeweled G-strings. Curator Dixie Evans leads tours through the Striptease Hall of Fame, where she is also proudly enshrined. The Striptease Reunion and Miss Exotic World Pageant--the best in burlesque, past and present--is held annually on the first Saturday of June here in Helendale, 15 miles southwest of Barstow. 29053 Wild Rd., 760/243-5261, exoticworldusa.org, suggested donation $5. Sticker: $3.

The World's Tallest Thermometer

Standing 134 feet tall--a tribute to the hottest temperature ever recorded in North America, on the floor of nearby Death Valley--the World's Tallest Thermometer displays bright digital readings to motorists going in both directions on I-15. Willis Herron, former owner of the Bun Boy Restaurant, also in Baker, had the Popsicle-stick-shaped tower built in the hope that folks would pull over for a slice of Bun Boy's famous strawberry pie ($4). 72155 Baker Blvd., 760/733-4660.

Calico Ghost Town

Ten miles north of Barstow is a throwback to the Old West, complete with Lil's swinging-door saloon and a sheriff who regularly rounds up "lawbreakers." If you're lucky, you may see a real western-style wedding held at the one-room schoolhouse; there are also nighttime ghost tours through spots where spooks have been sighted. Be alert: Gunfights can break out at any time--or, actually, every hour on the half hour from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Exit Ghost Town Rd. on I-15, Yermo, 800/862-2542, calicotown.com, $6, kids $3.

Colorado

UFO Watchtower

No abductions have been reported--yet--at the UFO Watchtower, a man-made lookout for anything and everything extraterrestrial. After hearing countless references to the San Luis Valley in The X-Files and on the SciFi Channel--the area is well known for having very little light pollution--founder Judy Messoline created the watchtower, about 200 miles south of Denver. Bring a tent and stay the night or head straight to the gift shop, where you can buy Judy's favorite bumper sticker ($2): "Buckle up! it makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car." 2502 County Rd. 61, Hooper, 719/378-2271, ufowatchtower.com, free.