Results: The 15 Weirdest Places in the United States? Part three of three

The Alien Research Center in Alamo, Nevada-----Twenty miles away from Area 51 (the super-secret military facility known more officially as the Nevada Test and Training Range at Groom Lake) at the eastern end of Extraterrestrial Highway (Nevada's homages-to-all-things-alien-studded Route 375), the delightfully kooky Alien Research Center is a fitting spot for extraterrestrial enthusiasts to trade information-gathering techniques and stock up on souvenirs. It's also an excellent alternative to actually storming Area 51 (as the Nevada Division of Tourism puts it, "seriously, you'll be arrested before you can say 'ET'"). Have you ever visited this attraction?

The Republic of Molossia in Dayton, Nevada-----If the prospect of international travel both intrigues and exhausts you, consider a visit to the 11.3-acre Republic of Molossia, a sovereign micronation that exists entirely within Nevada in something like the way that the Vatican exists entirely within Rome, if the Vatican had currency tied to the value of cookie dough and prohibited onions and walruses. Visits during tourist season (that is, April 15 through October 15) must be planned and escorted, and foreign visitors can stay for a maximum of three hours. That said, there are no visa requirements and you can actually get your passport stamped, if you wish. Will that stamp complicate your passage through other nations' checkpoints? Travel, it's said, is the best teacher. Have you ever visited this micronation?

The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin-----The House on the Rock would be a singular destination for its exterior alone: The prow of its 3,264-window "Infinity Room" juts out 218 feet over a sandstone formation in southern Wisconsin's Wyoming Valley and is visible from miles around. Its kitschy interior is even more singular. Constructed by the eccentric collector Alex Jordan as a weekend retreat and filled with his weird flights of fancy, the house offers attractions like an indoor carousel (pictured, with hundreds of animals, chandeliers and angels, but no horses), a 200-foot-long sea creature, a trio of theater organ consoles and a recreation of a 19th-century street. Do its dolls come alive at night? The management suggests joining one of the "Dark Side" tours (in late September and October) to find out for yourself. Have you ever visited this attraction?

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Spring Hill, Florida-----The Mermaids of Weeki Wachee State Park (about 80 miles west of Orlando) and their predecessors have been performing for visitors for six decades, and their twice-daily show currently includes a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid". The mermaids perform musical numbers and eat and drink underwater for guests who watch from a submerged, 400-seat auditorium. Note that while admission to their performances is included with tickets to the park, seats aren't guaranteed — and mermaid performances can, of course, be canceled due to lightning or chilly temperatures. Have you ever visited this park?

The Underwater Museum of Art in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida-----If you've caught yourself gazing at a museum exhibit and thinking, "Nice, but where are the sea snails?", Florida's Underwater Museum of Art — America's first permanent underwater sculpture garden — is for you. Each year, works from around the world are selected to be installed 58 feet below the surface and about a mile from shore in the Gulf of Mexico. Over time, marine life has claimed them and they've become part of the local ecosystem. Visitors who want to experience the art at-depth should be certified divers; you can virtually peruse four years' worth of installations (and maybe work up to a flippered visit) here. Have you ever visited this exhibit?