The floor of this spectacular Baroque sanctuary is covered in memento mori.

Home to the Amorphophallus titanum "Corpse Flower," which is among the largest flowers in the world and also smells powerfully of rotting flesh when in bloom.

A glimpse of the Pacific Northwest‘s indigenous culture in Washington, D.C.

A gift from Japan, 17th-century lantern stands among the cherry trees at D.C.'s Tidal Basin.

One of the three perfect vellum copies of this historic book known to exist is on display in a specially-designed case.

The story behind this beloved toy—named for Theodore Roosevelt and owned by his grandson—is more complicated than you might guess.

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.

The only National Monument ever to go missing for nearly 50 years then resurface in a dump.

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.

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

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.

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

Those with a sharp eye can find the hidden image of a German Shepherd on the memorial's Mural Wall.

D.C.'s first central library was born out of a chance encounter with the philanthropist whose name it bears.

Largest Roman Catholic church in North America.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

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

Home to items never before seen by the public.

Most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest.

An ancient Roman temple first dedicated to an emperor's wife is now a church.