Kirsten Madsen's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Elk Horn, Iowa

The Danish Windmill

In rural Iowa, an imported 19th-century windmill overlooks an unlikely enclave of Danish culture.
Kyoto, Japan

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.
Kyoto, Japan

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

The 10,000 Torii shrine.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.
Osaka, Japan

Fudo Myo-o Statue

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.
New York, New York

The Players

A posh members-only club with a literally dramatic history.
Nye County, Nevada

Atomic Survival Town

A picture-perfect town, perfect for blowing up.
Nye County, Nevada

Sedan Crater

The largest man-made crater in the U.S. marks the spot where we once tested mining with nukes.
New Windsor, New York

Storm King Art Center

100 massive sculptures in the Hudson River Valley.
New York, New York

The High Line

Elevated freight railway turned wildly successful urban park.
Nashville, Tennessee

Hatch Show Print

At 135 years old and counting, this historic print shop is heaven for poster nerds and music buffs.
College Station, Texas

Bottle Cap Alley

Decades of discarded bottle caps line this alleyway, a fixture of Texas A&M.
College Station, Texas

Century Tree

Campus tradition says couples who walk beneath this enormous oak will stay together forever.
Canyon, Texas

Palo Duro Canyon

The Grand Canyon of Texas.
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn's Converted Pencil Factory

Constructed in the 1920s, this former pencil factory is now an office building.
New York, New York

The Evolution Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.
Springfield, Illinois

Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon

One of the largest carillons in the world, this giant instrument has 67 cast-iron bells played by a keyboard.
Baltimore, Maryland

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Eighteen miniature death-scene dioramas.
Brooklyn, New York

House of Wax

Tucked in a nondescript downtown Brooklyn mall is a bar containing a remarkable turn of the century anatomical wax collection last seen in 1920s Berlin.
Chicago, Illinois

Hidden Egyptian Temple in Field Museum Break Room

Years of archaeology, just chillin' by the water cooler.
Honolulu, Hawaii

Bishop Museum

This museum of Hawaiian and Polynesian culture is the legacy of the last descendant of the Kamehameha Dynasty.
Brooklyn, New York

City Reliquary

Behind a bodega is a small museum of relics and ephemera showcasing the history of New York.
Stonington, Connecticut

Mystic Seaport Museum

Holding multiple historical boats and an entire 19th century village, this New England attraction is the largest maritime museum in the world.
Salem, Massachusetts

The Witch House of Salem

The only structure left with direct ties to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692.