mkdavis2's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tokyo, Japan

Owaraji (Giant Straw Sandals)

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.
St. Augustine, Florida

Treasury Street

St. Augustine's record-setting narrow street was designed to protect against pirates.
St. Augustine, Florida

The Love Trees of St. Augustine

Intertwined, interspecies trees which locals believe can grant boons to lovers.
St. Augustine, Florida

Castillo de San Marcos

The walls of America's oldest masonry fort famously "swallowed" cannonballs.
St. Augustine, Florida

The Fountain of Youth

A tribute to Ponce de Leon's supposed quest for eternal youth.
St. Augustine, Florida

The Ponce de León Hotel

A luxurious 1880s hotel with its fair share of Tiffany stained glass, Edison electricity, and of course, ghosts.
New York, New York

Fearless Girl Statue

Wall Street has a new heroine, a bronze statue of a small but fierce girl.
Rotorua, New Zealand

Rotorua

Major tourist destination known for its bubbling mud-pools and hot thermal springs.
Waipu, New Zealand

Waipu Caves

A galaxy of glowworms—larvae of a gnat—hides deep in the belly of these caves.
Waitomo, New Zealand

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.
Matamata, New Zealand

Hobbiton

The real life Hobbiton, this sheep farm has been forever transformed since being built for The Hobbit film series.
Sukawati, Indonesia

Goa Gajah

The name of this ancient Indonesian temple translates as "Elephant Cave" but it could be more accurately called "The Hellmouth."
Ubud, Indonesia

Sacred Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana)

Hindu temple of the dead home to hundreds of long-tailed macaques.
Baturiti, Indonesia

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

This tiny lake temple dedicated to a water goddess seems to float on the surface.
Kuta Selatan, Indonesia

Luhur Uluwatu Temple

This Balinese sea temple is thought to be guarded by the hundreds of monkeys that live around it.
Tampaksiring, Indonesia

Pura Tirta Empul

One of the holiest places in the region, devotees come to Tirta Empul to bathe in the holy spring water.
Abang, Indonesia

Pura Lempuyang Luhur

Bali's remote "gateway to heaven" is one of the most sacred places on the island.
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Elephant Nature Park

Thailand's distressed elephants find peace at this Chiang Mai sanctuary.
Bangkok, Thailand

Erawan Shrine

A shrine built to combat the bad karma of a commercial venture.
Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relic)

The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.
Tokyo, Japan

Godzilla Head

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.
Greensboro, North Carolina

Site of the Woolworth Lunch Counter Sit-in

This North Carolina store preserves a historic moment in America's movement for racial equality.
Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum

The fine fabric handwoven at Biltmore Industries was once coveted around the world.
Spokane, Washington

Big Red Wagon

This playground sculpture of an icon from the past is dedicated to the children of the future.