calicobearcat's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Ulugh Beg Observatory

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.
New York, New York

Grand Central Ceiling Dark Patch

A dark patch of the ceiling at Grand Central Terminal which was not restored is still stained brown by tobacco.
London, England

Traitors' Gate

The watery entrance for condemned prisoners heading to the Tower of London is still visible along the Thames.
London, England

The Tower Ravens

Six ravens are kept captive (but well-fed) at the Tower of London to prevent the fall of the Crown.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

John Brown's Fort

The last holdout of a pre-Civil War rebel who took the matter of slavery into his own hands.
Syria, Virginia

Rapidan Camp

Herbert Hoover's "Brown House" rural presidential retreat was a PR disaster amid the start of the Great Depression.
Culpeper, Virginia

National Audio-Visual Conservation Center

A bunker "with enough U.S. currency to replenish the cash supply east of the Mississippi" in the event of nuclear war now protects nitrate film.
Broad Run, Virginia

Ruins of the Chapman Beverley Mill

This pre-Revolutionary War grist mill ground corn and flour for soldiers in seven American wars.
Columbia, Maryland

The Enchanted Forest Pine Tree Maze at Clark's Elioak Farm

A local farm's collection of unusual structures from a now defunct storybook amusement park.
Arbutus, Maryland

The Arbutus Oak

The 320-year-old tree that greeted General Lafayette and rerouted an interstate highway.
Baltimore, Maryland

Vote Against Prohibition Sign

A faded sign from the 1920s remembers Baltimore's resistance toward banning alcohol.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.
Washington, D.C.

Carousel on the National Mall

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.
Washington, D.C.

International Spy Museum

Home to items never before seen by the public.
Bethesda, Maryland

Glen Echo Amusement Park

Once home to seven different roller coasters, Glen Echo has undergone many transformations since its founding in 1891.
Bethesda, Maryland

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

FDR's Art Deco hospital tower was hopelessly inefficient.
Fort Meade, Maryland

National Cryptologic Museum

A priceless collection of the Nation's cryptologic history.
Chicago, Illinois

Rock N Roll McDonald's and Museum

The palatial McDonald's that inspired Wesley Willis.
Woodstock, Illinois

George Stickney House

This softly rounded mansion was built without corners not to avoid evil spirits, but to make them more comfortable.
Riverton, West Virginia

Spruce Knob

Near-constant high winds deform the trees on Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia.
Baltimore, Maryland

The Horse You Came In On Saloon

A 200-year-old bar with a cheeky name claims to have served Edgar Allan Poe his final drink.
Baltimore, Maryland

Edgar Allan Poe's Grave

The trials and tribulations of marking Poe's grave.