Samir S Patel's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Jacksonville, Florida

Abandoned Annie Lytle Elementary School

Jacksonville's highways rendered this century-old grammar school unusable.
Added by vfuru
France / Spain

Pheasant Island

This tiny river island switches sovereignty every six months as part of a rare, centuries-old agreement.
lewblank Added by lewblank
Jumièges, France

Ruins of the Jumiège Abbey

Sacked by Vikings, blessed by William the Conqueror, dealt a fatal blow during the French Revolution—these ruins have seen it all.
Added by Diviciac
Bronx, New York

Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical Garden

Every year model trains zip through a miniature New York City that's now 150 landmarks strong.
Added by lastpearl
Woodstock, New Hampshire

Ice Castles

These towering spires and glowing walls are carefully crafted from hundreds of thousands of icicles.
dcowan Added by dcowan
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tumbleweed Snowman

Albuquerque found the perfect use for tumbleweeds at Christmastime.
Eirik Gumeny Added by Eirik Gumeny
Highland, New York

Slabsides

The rustic think-space of famed naturalist John Burroughs stands exactly as he left it.
Added by lkarnath
Riga, Latvia

First-Ever Public Christmas Tree Marker

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.
ahvenas Added by ahvenas
Vizille, France

The Death Mask of Gabrielle Danton

The people's champion of the French Revolution was so overcome by grief at his wife's death that he exhumed her in the dead of night to make one final replica of her face.
Added by lrt228
Chicago, Illinois

Thorne Miniature Rooms

Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.
rachellyon Added by rachellyon
Ocracoke, North Carolina

British Cemetery of Ocracoke

The North Carolina grounds are leased in perpetuity to the British Commonwealth for as long as the WWII sailors are buried there.
WhiskeyBristles Added by WhiskeyBristles
Pirou, France

Pirou-Plage Ghost Village

An abandoned beach resort in Normandy reclaimed by artists.
Meg Added by Meg
Borgo Valsugana, Italy

Arte Sella

An open-air museum in a mountain valley features works designed to blend in with—and disintegrate back into—their natural surroundings.
Max Cortesi Added by Max Cortesi
Gustavus, Alaska

Glacier Bears of Glacier Bay National Park

A rare kind of blue bear can be found chiefly in the national park that shares their name.
AaronNetsky Added by AaronNetsky
Poznań, Poland

St. Martin’s Croissant Museum

The traditional Polish croissant, folded 81 times into the shape of a horseshoe, is a legally protected cultural treat.
AdamTKincaid Added by AdamTKincaid
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tassen Museum of Bags and Purses

The largest collection of handbags in the world, the oldest of which were used to carry Bibles, primarily by men.
Added by k8bliz
Graz, Austria

The Stairs of Reconciliation

Double spiral staircases are not unheard of, but they are very rare.
AdamTKincaid Added by AdamTKincaid
Thomaston, Maine

Maine State Prison Showroom

Trinkets and toys lovingly handmade by maximum security prisoners.
Molly McBride Jacobson Added by Molly McBride Jacobson
Bisbee, Arizona

Erie Street, Historic Lowell

A living snapshot of a different time in America is preserved and maintained by a community of volunteers.
Added by cassidyac
Eskilstuna, Sweden

Sigurdsristningen (Sigurd Carving)

Stone carvings record the Norse myth of Sigurd, providing a glimpse into Scandinavia's transition from paganism to Christianity.
Added by Ehnfors
La Junta, Colorado

Picketwire Canyon Trackway

The largest dinosaur trackway in North America is tucked away among this canyon's ghosts and archaeological gems.
cyccommute Added by cyccommute
La Paz, Bolivia

Bolivia's Witch Market

Popular tourist destination where witches in dark hats sell dried llama fetuses for good luck.
nbj914 Added by nbj914
Washington, D.C.

The Exorcist Stairs

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.
Leslie McIntyre Added by Leslie McIntyre
Makarau, New Zealand

Gibbs Farm

A gigantic sculpture garden is packed with innovative oddities.
lewblank Added by lewblank