jonathancarey's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Ruby Falls

The mysterious wonder of an underground waterfall is illuminated by multicolored lights.
Rome, Italy

Secret Compartment in Leonardo da Vinci Statue

A secret hatch containing two parchments was discovered in this statue over 40 years after its installation.
Leiden, Netherlands

Zweetkamertje (Sweat Room)

Graffiti covers the walls of a room where university students through the centuries have waited nervously to defend their theses.
Healdsburg, California

Hand Fan Museum

This collection of hand fans doubles as a history of femininity.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Urban Axes

The first American axe throwing club.
Los Cerrillos, New Mexico

Origami in the Garden

Giant origami sculptures tucked into desert scenery beckon passers-by to explore further.
Las Vegas, Nevada

The Big Edge

A giant open-air sculpture made of over 200 full-sized boats.
Peenemünde, Germany

Peenemünde Army Research Center

The NASA scientists behind Apollo 11 started out developing Nazi weapons at this abandoned German rocket factory.
Hyattsville, Maryland

Vanadu Art House

An intricately designed junk art house with four extravagant junk art cars hidden in the suburbs.
Thorndike, Maine

Bryant Stove and Music

A couple's 60-year love of collecting is on display at this unique stove repair shop in Maine.
New Washoe City, Nevada

Bowers Mansion

Historic home to one of the most famous women pioneers of the 19th century.
Key West, Florida

Time for Fun

This statue inspired by Renoir's famous painting embodies the jovial spirit of Key West.
Gothenburg, Sweden

World of Volvo

The place to be if you love vintage Swedish cars.
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Koneswaram Temple

An ancient temple to the Hindu god Shiva surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery.
Vidin, Bulgaria

Vidin Synagogue

The second-largest Jewish temple in Bulgaria was deserted after World War II, seized by the communist government and then abandoned again.
Rutland, Vermont

Wilson Castle

A beautiful, creepy 19th-century castle stands incongruously in rural Vermont.
Canyon, Texas

Palo Duro Canyon

The Grand Canyon of Texas.
Oak Hill, West Virginia

Glen Jean School

An abandoned 1920s school with a mysterious history.
Manchester, England

Portico Library and Gallery

A 19th-century time capsule of travel, fiction, and historic texts still available to the public.
Nelson, Nevada

Techatticup Mine

This famous Nevada gold mine, once a hotbed of Wild West shenanigans, is now open for tours.
Rapa, Poland

Rapa Pyramid

A peculiar family mausoleum built by a German nobleman captivated by the occult.
Innsbruck, Austria

The Empty Tomb of Maximilian I

This splendid tomb may look fantastic, but there's nothing in it...
Washington, D.C.

Yenching Palace

The iconic D.C. restaurant where the Cuban Missile Crisis was negotiated, now a Walgreens.
London, England

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

An small and easily overlooked archaeology museum chock full of Egyptian artifacts.