TopherKersting's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Irvine, California

Orange Balloon

One of the largest helium balloons in the U.S. is a 112-foot ginormous orange.
San Juan Capistrano, California

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Oldest building in California still in use.
Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz Mystery Spot

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.
Honolulu, Hawaii

The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu

On Waikīkī Beach, a monument to four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirits who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawai'i.
Devils Tower, Wyoming

Devils Tower

The first declared National Monument in the United States.
Custer, South Dakota

Crazy Horse Memorial

The world's largest mountain carving could fit all of Mount Rushmore inside it many times over.
Wall, South Dakota

Wall Drug

The granddaddy of all tourist traps, built on ice water, jackalopes, and a giant dinosaur.
Guernsey, Wyoming

Register Cliff

Long before guestbooks and hotels, frontier travelers signed their names on this rock face.
San Simeon, California

Hearst Castle

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.
Tehachapi, California

Tehachapi Wind Farm

Thousands of turbines whir at at the origin of North American wind power.
Edwards Air Force Base, California

World's Largest Compass Rose

Etched into a dry lake bed, this massive directional indicator is accurate without magnets.
Agua Dulce, California

Vasquez Rocks

Named after a bandit and the star of several Hollywood prehistoric landscapes, these sandstone formations are a historical part of the Los Angeles natural landscape.
Los Angeles, California

Muscle Beach

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.
Baker, California

World's Largest Thermometer

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.
Teec Nos Pos, Utah

Four Corners Monument

The marker offers a rare chance to be in four U.S. states at once, though there's some controversy over its geographic accuracy.
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.
Alamosa, Colorado

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

When ecosystems collide in the arid Southwest.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Garden of the Gods

Strange red rock formations that have been attributed to a higher power for hundreds of years.
Florissant, Colorado

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

The largest source of fossilized insects anywhere.
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado

Cadet Chapel

Air Force Academy Chapel made of 100 identical tetrahedrons works to inspire those of all religions.
Kansas City, Missouri

Union Station Lamp Post Clock

This recently restored timepiece has stood all around Kansas City.
Kansas City, Missouri

Country Club Plaza

The first car-centric shopping plaza in the U.S. brought a little bit of Spain to downtown Kansas City.
Independence, Missouri

Independence Temple

This otherworldly church spire reaches up toward the heavens.
Gaffney, South Carolina

Gaffney Peachoid

The record holder for the world’s largest peach.