chelsb423's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

Inside the Capitol Dome

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.
Washington, D.C.

Mount Zion Cemetery's Underground Railroad Shelter

People escaping slavery may have hidden inside a corpse vault.
Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton Oaks

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Tudor Place

A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.
Washington, D.C.

National Building Museum

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.
Washington, D.C.

Summerhouse

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Washington, D.C.

Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins

A derelict bit of transportation infrastructure hidden in the woods.
Washington, D.C.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.
Washington, D.C.

The Capitol Stones

Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.
Washington, D.C.

The Dupont Underground

Long-abandoned trolley tunnels just a mile away from the White House are turning into an art space.
Washington, D.C.

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.
Washington, D.C.

International Spy Museum

Home to items never before seen by the public.
Washington, D.C.

The Exorcist Stairs

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.
Washington, D.C.

National Capitol Columns

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.
Cornell, California

Alice Coltrane's Sai Anantam Ashram

A spiritual center in the Santa Monica Mountains founded by Alice Coltrane after the death of her husband and fellow jazz musician John Coltrane.
San Francisco, California

Yerba Buena Tower

Condemned US Navy seaplane control tower turned officers’ club sits atop Yerba Buena Island.
South Pasadena, California

The Curio Emporium

Delve into a wealth of oddities, antiques, and taxidermy treasures.
San Francisco, California

Forbes Island

Floating man-made island and upscale restaurant.
San Francisco, California

Museum of Exotica

An invitation-only museum of items natural and bizarre, arcane and exotic.
San Francisco, California

Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship

A rococo retro-futurist future-rustic vernacular between yesterday’s tomorrow and the future that never was.
Litchfield, California

Secret - Abandoned Brothel

Secret Manor, a house full of legends, the least of which is the haunting of long-deceased ladies of pleasure.
Los Angeles, California

Rustic Canyon's Murphy Ranch

World War II-era Nazi compound nestled in the Santa Monica hills.
Los Angeles, California

Skeletons in the Closet

Gift shop offering toe tags and chalk body beach towels tucked into a coroner's office.
Fremont, California

The Secret Sidewalk

The old Niles Canyon Aqueduct in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bemusing and secret trail through nature for wayward travelers.