cwatson's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Winnetka, Illinois

The 'Home Alone' House

Recognized the world over as the home of the McCallisters in the 1990 movie "Home Alone."
Palatine, Illinois

Ahlgrim Acres

Take a break from all the boring business of death at this funeral home mini-golf course.
Volo, Illinois

Volo Auto Museum

Its eclectic exhibits range from the world’s first motorcycle to Luke Skywalker’s Land Speeder.
Washington, D.C.

Peirce Mill Spy Station

Cold War intelligence agents monitored communist embassies from an attic in a former pigeon coop.
Washington, D.C.

Jean Jules Jusserand Memorial

An obscure federal monument honors the French diplomat who served as Ambassador to the U.S. during WWI.
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Longwood Gardens

This palatial botanical garden is home to one of the largest pipe organs ever installed in a private residence, and a piece of Wood's cycad.
Vik, Iceland

Reynisdrangar

Three columns of volcanic rock shoot out of the ocean.
Iceland

Haukadalur Geothermal Field

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.
Iceland

Gullfoss (Golden Falls)

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.
Hamragarðar, Iceland

Gljúfrabúi

This fantastical waterfall is hidden in a cave located in a cracked cliff.
Reykjanes, Iceland

Gunnuhver

Iceland's largest geothermal mud pool is a little bit haunted and a little bit dangerous.
Iceland

Bridge Between Continents

Walk in the footsteps of the gods and straddle two tectonic plates.
Grindavík, Iceland

Blue Lagoon

Medicinal spa created with the discharge from a geothermal energy plant.
Thingvellir, Iceland

Þingvellir

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.
Keflavík, Iceland

‘Silver Sabler’

A relatively obscure antihero from the Marvel Comics universe adorns a wall inside Iceland's main airport.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Hallgrimskirkja

One of the tallest buildings in Iceland, and perhaps, the most visually impressive.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

One of the oldest family businesses in Reykjavík serves lamb-based hot dogs.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Piece of Berlin Wall In Iceland

A bit of the Berlin Wall was gifted to the Icelandic capital to commemorate the 25th anniversary of German reunification.
Ithaca, New York

Six Mile Creek

In upstate New York, gorgeous waterfalls and a watermill are slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Hillsboro, West Virginia

Pearl S. Buck Birthplace

The first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature came from the foothills of Appalachia.
Prince, West Virginia

Prince Station

In the mountains of West Virginia is this perfectly preserved Art Deco train station.
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.
Fayetteville, West Virginia

New River Gorge Bridge

One day a year it is legal to jump off of this astoundingly tall bridge that spans an Appalachian gorge.
Thurmond, West Virginia

Thurmond, West Virginia

Once connected to the outside world by a single train track, this ghost town is looked after by the National Park Service.