What are some of the most interesting abandoned things you have found driving around?. It could be houses, buildings or whatever! Industrial & abandoned stuff sits everywhere and they have been used by designers and artist all around the world.

It's not uncommon to find museums dedicated to showcasing local history; what's less common is to find a city museum constructed almost entirely of locally found abandoned objects. Sure enough, though, that's just the premise behind St. Louis's City Museum, a local attraction that offers up a heaping helping of  "made here" appeal.

Housed in a 600,000-square-foot building that used to be St. Louis's International Shoe Company, City Museum is an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects.
The museum actually opened its doors back in 1997 and is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur whose crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city. Old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile and even two abandoned airplanes are now part of the City Museum, which continues its ongoing salvage efforts within the bounds of the city. A collection of vintage shoelace machines from the St. Louis-based Alox Manufacturing Company are still put to work at the museum, while an Enchanted Caves exhibit makes the most of the spiral conveyor tunnel system used by the building's former tenant.

Some of the cool attractions include:

• World's Largest Pencil
  City Museum: Home of the World's Largest Pencil. This mother-of-all writing utensil stretches 76 feet long and weighs 21,500 lbs. It writes--and erases. It's a No. 2, so it's accepted for standardized testing. The Pencil now rests inside Skateless Park (3rd floor) and is available for everyone to enjoy.
• Toddler Town
  Growing almost as quickly as its visitors, Toddler Town's recent expansion gives City Museum's youngest friends more room to explore. The shorter set can climb through pint-sized tunnels, bounce in the only indoor ball pit, or slide, crawl, and stack to their little hearts' content.
• World Aquarium
  World Aquarium is CITY MUSEUM’s second-floor, 13,500 square ft. aquatic waterworld. Get up-close and personal with more than 10,000 creatures. Join sharks, stingrays, and seahorses in an underwater adventure only at CITY MUSEUM.
• Art City
  Create your own work of art or watch professional artists demonstrate their craft! Art City features an ever- changing array of artists, painters, potters and sculptors at work.