Ando's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

Inside the Capitol Dome

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.
Washington, D.C.

Senate Bathtubs

Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.
Washington, D.C.

Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum

Before founding the American Red Cross, Clara Barton had a tremendous humanitarian impact by locating thousands of missing soldiers.
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.

National Museum of Crime and Punishment

America's Most Wanted's set resides in this tribute to the history of crime and punishment.
Washington, D.C.

Sharpshooter's Tree

A diminutive plaque recalls the treetop sniper who almost killed Abe Lincoln.
Washington, D.C.

George Washington's Townhouse Lots

After his presidency, George Washington planned to live only a few blocks from the Capitol building.
Washington, D.C.

National Building Museum

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.
Washington, D.C.

The Mary Surratt Boarding House

The house where John Wilkes Booth conspired with his co-conspirators.
Washington, D.C.

Fort Stevens

This American Civil War-era fort still stands near the border between Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
Washington, D.C.

Owney the Postal Dog

A traveling postal dog covered 48 states and more than 140,000 miles, and he lives on as taxidermy, patched up with a rabbit's foot and a pig's ear.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Union Station Train Crash

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
Washington, D.C.

Watermelon House

This rowhouse doubles as one of the most photographed spots in the nation's capital.
Washington, D.C.

Murals at Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library

In an alcove of this historic library, you can find murals painted in the 1930s by an artist who went on to create some of Disney's most iconic animated films.
Washington, D.C.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.
Washington, D.C.

African-American Civil War Memorial

The first memorial dedicated solely to the Black troops who fought for the Union.
Washington, D.C.

Howard Theatre

Through the decades, Black music stars have performed at this historic hub for music and the arts.
Hyattsville, Maryland

Vanadu Art House

An intricately designed junk art house with four extravagant junk art cars hidden in the suburbs.
Washington, D.C.

National Capitol Columns

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.
Colmar Manor, Maryland

Bladensburg Dueling Grounds

Politicians, bureaucrats, and military officers gathered in this field near the Capitol to settle their disputes with blood.
Washington, D.C.

United Brick Corporation Ruins

Once the supplier for noteworthy projects like the National Cathedral, this old brickworks now lies abandoned.
Washington, D.C.

Ruins of the McMillan Sand Filtration Site

An Industrial Revolution-era public work that purified water using nothing but sand.
Washington, D.C.

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.
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.