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Rudolph and his wife Elizabeth pose next to the mother tree.
La Habra Heights, California

The Hass Avocado Mother Tree

About 80% of all U.S. avocados are descendants of Rudolph Hass's glorious tree.
Woodlawn Manor stone barn.
Ashton-Sandy Spring, Maryland

Underground Railroad Experience Trail

Walk a trail through a historic Quaker town that outlawed slavery in 1777 and was a major waypoint on the Underground Railroad.
Marker showing the start of the Sullivan Line.
military history

One Sloppy Land Surveyor Almost Caused a War Between Missouri and Iowa

In 1839, the outcome of the "Honey War" hinged on the exact location of the Missouri-Iowa border.
Sarah Laskow March 24, 2017
Simi Valley, California

Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

The White House Situation Room was taken apart in 2006 and shipped to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
A tuberculosis hut converted into a visitor center at Rock Ledge Ranch
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Tuberculosis Huts

Small teepee-like houses built for TB patients have become sheds, studios, and bus stops around Colorado Springs.
Touro Cemetery gates.
Newport, Rhode Island

Touro Cemetery

The second oldest Jewish graveyard in the U.S. is tiny, with connections to George Washington and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Willard facade
Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
A panel depicting the formation of the universe, the constellation Orion and Copernicus’ solar system model showing the sun as the center of the universe.
Orem, Utah

Roots of Knowledge Stained Glass

An absolutely beautiful 200-foot stained glass installation traces the evolution of knowledge.
The tunnels all look slightly differiently
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Building Tunnel System

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.
Not quite the Great Divide
Bisbee, Arizona

Mule Pass: Not Quite the Continental Divide

A mistaken marker makes an erroneous claim along the historic Old Divide Road.
Detail of the Steiner-Lobman and Teague Hardware Buildings in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama

Casket on the Steiner-Lobman Building

The whimsical construction on the roof has given rise to many a Montgomery myth about its contents.
The hotel as it looks today.
L'Aquila, Italy

Hotel Campo Imperatore

This Italian ski resort rose to fame when Benito Mussolini was held prisoner there and then rescued by the SS.
Tomb of Richard I of England (front) and Isabella of Angoulême (back)
Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, France

Fontevraud Abbey

Guests can stay at a hotel in the former French abbey where lie the tombs of King Henry II and King Richard the Lionheart.
St. Louis in the 1800s.
holidays

The Day St. Louis Went From Spanish to French to American in Just 24 Hours

This year is the 213th anniversary of "Three Flags Day."
Cara Giaimo March 10, 2017
Handcrafted marbled endpapers of a book manually bound in France around 1880.
art

The Unsung Delight of a Well-Designed Endpaper

They're an art form all their own.
Sarah Laskow March 10, 2017
Aircraft on display.
College Park, Maryland

College Park Airport and Aviation Museum

The world's oldest continuously operating airport was founded by the Wright Brothers.
The Apple garage.
Los Altos, California

The Apple Garage

The garage at the childhood home of Steve Jobs was a hangout for the founders of Apple, even if they never built computers there.
Paphos, Cyprus

The Mosaics of Paphos

The ancient mosaics here are considered among the finest in the world, and serve as a stunning record of Greco-Roman daily life.