When you arrive at the Instituto Inhotim, you will be handed a map so you can pick your route through this gigantic open-air contemporary art center. A dizzying array of artwork is surrounded by 500,000 acres of botanical gardens in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

The Hudson River Valley is not the least likely place to be watched by Mother Earth, but the appearance of her 19-foot-tall plaster head overlooking the Taconic State Parkway still takes many by surprise. Gaea, the Greek Mother Earth is just one of many sculptures in Roy Kanwit’s Taconic Sculpture Park and Gallery.

In a field behind the workshop of giant-building firm Fiberglass Animals, Shapes, and Trademarks (FAST) is an eerie collection of molds left over from nearly every job the company has ever done. There are hundreds of old, mostly unpainted forms scattered across the lot, from massive skulls and colossal dogs to oversized Santa Clauses and giant mice.

Sprinkled throughout the small town of Borrego Springs are over 130 meticulously crafted metal sculptures created by the artist Ricardo Breceda. Elephants, raptors, mammoths, sloths, and saber-toothed tigers prowl the desert, each rust-colored sculpture filled with intricate detail.

Over the past 30 years, entrepreneur and art collector Alan Gibbs has hired renowned sculptors from around the world to construct towering abstract sculptures atop the rolling hills of this 1,000-acre estate on New Zealand’s North Island.

Some of the National Gallery of Australia's biggest attractions are scattered around patches of grass, concrete, and bushland on the southern banks of Lake Burley Griffin.

Not far from Samcheok City, this park is filled with dozens of sculpted phalluses that stand erect in defiance of an old folk curse. The collection ranges from hanging arrangements to three-meter-tall trunks of wood, all sculpted by Korean artists. The park's small museum showcases phallic art throughout the ages, as well as the history of the local fishing community.

Towering stone figures fill this forested area in the Chinese province of Guizhou. Though the rocky creations look like they could be ruins of an ancient civilization, they’re actually relatively new. Yelang Valley is the work of Song Peilun, an artist, cartoonist, and former professor who has spent more than 20 years designing the sprawling stone village.

Built in secret over a period of 36 years, this palatial sculpture park is the work of self-taught artist Nek Chand. The garden spans more than 30 acres, connected by walled passages and trails. Along with the jubilant sculptures, a series of waterfalls provides a lush atmosphere that makes the garden feel like a living, breathing jungle community.

In the 1970s, German artist Nani Croze settled in the desert near Nairobi National Park. There were few trees, so she began making sculptures to create shade. Today, the Kitengela settlement is a community, a glassworks, a hotel, and a sculpture garden that's something like a cross between the splendorous architecture of Antoni Gaudí and a Hobbit village. 

A labyrinthine sculpture crafted from thousands of old television sets is one of many wonders scattered around this park in southeastern Lithuania. Founded in 1991 by sculptor Gintaras Karosas, the park stretches for 55 hectares, covered in pieces of modern art of all shapes and sizes.

This garden contains 21 large-scale sculptures made by artist Prano Sederevičiaus in the yard of his home between 1951 and 1979. Many of the works feature horses, deer, and mystical animals, but there are some depictions of people, including a bust of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

This Oslo park is a result of one man’s artistic obsession and a lifetime of work dedicated to the human form. The park contains more than 200 sculptures created by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, including the bizarre and delightful Man Attacked by Babies.

Though these sculptures are right next to a main road, they’re easy to miss unless you know to look for them. The artwork is obscured from view, tucked out of sight in a defunct tuff quarry.

This open-air museum in a mountain valley features works designed to blend in with—and disintegrate back into—their natural surroundings. What started as a one-off exhibition in 1986 has since become a permanent fixture of the landscape.

Located inside the gardens, a group of statues known as the "Naked Ladies," depict sea nymphs in unusual poses. One stands astride two horses, while her companions stretch their arms upwards. Another offers up a pearl. Because of the circumstances by which the ladies came to reside here, their creator's identity has been lost.

It took 25 years to create the statues that fill this garden, which is meant as a space for contemplation and meditation. Dozens of statues fill the 20-acre space, including representations of Ganesha, Shiva, and other Hindu deities alongside more unusual works, such as an enormous disembodied finger.