RVA101's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Luray, Virginia

The Great Stalacpipe Organ

An organ located deep within a cave, whose "pipes" are the geological features of the cave itself.
Fairfax, Virginia

Thompson Family Cemetery

A graveyard that dates back over 200 years stands near a busy shopping center.
Arlington, Virginia

Arlington Temple United Methodist Church

This church built atop a gas station promises to "equip you for the next stage in your life’s journey."
Washington, D.C.

Misspelling at the Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial has inspired many, even though a word on the inscription appears to be spelled incorrectly.
Washington, D.C.

Potomac Park Flood Levee

This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.
Bethesda, Maryland

Glen Echo Amusement Park

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

Alexander's Island Border Dispute

The Pentagon sits on a former island that was in Virginia at low tide and D.C. at high tide.
Washington, D.C.

The Lockkeeper's House

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
Washington, D.C.

'Ginevra de’ Benci' Portrait

The only Leonardo Da Vinci painting in the Western Hemisphere.
Washington, D.C.

Carousel on the National Mall

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

NASA Full Scale Wind Tunnel Propeller

While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.
Washington, D.C.

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.
Washington, D.C.

Starship Enterprise NCC-1701

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Bollards

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.

Reading Room at the Folger Shakespeare Library

Home to a vast and influential collection of Shakespeareana.
Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.
Washington, D.C.

Summerhouse

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Washington, D.C.

Lincoln Book Tower

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.
Washington, D.C.

George Washington University's River Horse

The hippo that stands on this university campus was once a drunken flea market purchase.
Washington, D.C.

Peirce Mill Spy Station

Cold War intelligence agents monitored communist embassies from an attic in a former pigeon coop.
Alexandria, Virginia

South Boundary Stone of Washington, DC

America's first federal monument.
Alexandria, Virginia

World War I-Era Rudder

This rudder is one of the few remnants of a shipyard that once operated on the banks of the Potomac River.
Bethesda, Maryland

Congressional Country Club

Proto-CIA agents trained with grenades in the sand traps and fired machine guns from the fairways.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Coliseum

A historic arena where the Beatles played their first concert in the U.S.