Maricopa, Arizona: Dwarf Car Museum

Amazing, made from scratch, actual fully functional 5/8th size replicas of classic American cars, such as a '49 Mercury. Meet Eddie Adams himself. You'll be awestruck.

Local mechanical genius Ernie Adams builds 5/8 replicas of classic automobiles. He builds them entirely by hand, they are fully street legal, and take anywhere from one to five years each to complete. You'll see finished and in-progress versions of these one-of-a-kind creations. The mini machines started as race cars meant as affordable alternatives to stock cars, and the "Dwarf Racer" circuit Adams created still exists today, but nowadays he only builds the sexy "cruisers."

He never sells anything he builds, so don't even try to buy one. "I don't build things to make money," he said. "It's what I do to have something no one else has got. "Every day at 4:30pm is 'break time,'" when nearby friends and neighbors stop whatever they're doing to gather at the space and shoot the breeze; this is the best time to visit. (If you plan on visiting on a weekend, call ahead of time.)

Be sure to get the tour of the property, and ask about his pet cemetery.