katerkauf's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Birthplace of the Steamboat

A monument marks the location of the first successful steamboat demonstration.
Seattle, Washington

Scarecrow Video

Browse through roughly 130,000 titles in the world's largest independent video rental store.
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.
Torrey, Utah

Factory Butte

A striking, menacing sandstone peak towering above a landscape that's equal parts Mordor and the Moon.
Washington, D.C.

Temperance Fountain

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.
Washington, D.C.

USNO Master Clock

The most accurate timepiece in the world.
Washington, D.C.

Fort Reno Park

The only Civil War battle in Washington D.C. took place near this highest natural point in the city.
Washington, D.C.

Congressional Cemetery

The privately owned cemetery that holds room for Washington's finest when they step down from life.
Washington, D.C.

Peacock Room

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.
Washington, D.C.

Renwick Gallery

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.
Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton Oaks

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.
Washington, D.C.

National Building Museum

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

Space Window at the Washington National Cathedral

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.
Washington, D.C.

National Bonsai Museum

One of the dwarven trees dates back to 1625 and survived the Hiroshima bombing.
Washington, D.C.

International Spy Museum

Home to items never before seen by the public.
Green River, Utah

Goblin Valley State Park

Bizarre lunar-like landscape with thousands of large stone "hoodoos."
Baltimore, Maryland

Papermoon Diner

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.
Cabin John, Maryland

Union Arch Bridge

The bridge's highly-contested plaque (once again) honors Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Bethesda, Maryland

Congressional Country Club

Proto-CIA agents trained with grenades in the sand traps and fired machine guns from the fairways.
New York, New York

The Evolution Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.
Los Angeles, California

Ennis House

This weird abode has inspired everything from the "House On Haunted Hil" to a robot hunter's pad.
Los Angeles, California

Hollywood Sign

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.
Simi Valley, California

Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

The White House Situation Room was taken apart in 2006 and shipped to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Portland, Oregon

Transcendence

A sculpture of a salmon swimming through a brick building.