thevaleriethomas's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Houston, Texas

National Museum of Funeral History

Fantastic collection celebrating the final send-off.
Houston, Texas

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

A 90-year-old underground water reservoir offers a more industrial kind of tranquility.
San Francisco, California

The First Sea-Punk Mural

Art from the latest counter-culture; kids who dye their hair blue and believe the future will be a post-apocalyptic water world.
San Francisco, California

Letterform Archive

A library and museum dedicated to typography.
San Francisco, California

Encryption Lava Lamps

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.
San Francisco, California

Camera Obscura & Holograph Collection

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.
San Francisco, California

Yoda Fountain

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.
San Francisco, California

Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.
Washington, D.C.

Palace of Wonders

Bar full of oddities, specimens, artifacts and homages to the great dime museums of the past.
Washington, D.C.

National Academy of Sciences

For 60 years, the academy had no permanent location until members voted Washington D.C. as its forever home.
Washington, D.C.

Vigilant Firehouse

‘Bush the old fire dog died of poison July 5th, 1869. RIP.’
Washington, D.C.

Georgetown's Haunted Halcyon House

This stately mansion, built in 1787 by America's first Secretary of the Navy, is rumored to be one of the most haunted buildings in Washington, DC.
Washington, D.C.

The Blessing of the Fleets Ceremony

The fountains of the U.S. Navy Memorial are annually salted with water from the Seven Seas as part of a nautical ritual.
Washington, D.C.

The National Gallery's Art Materials Collection

The institution is sitting on a goldmine of 21,000 paints, varnishes, pigments, and primers preserved for posterity.
Washington, D.C.

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly

Light bulbs, scrap wood, and tinfoil comprise this homemade throne of the gods.
Washington, D.C.

The Mutilated Currency Division

An obscure public service from the U.S. government that redeems burnt, moldy, and soiled old greenbacks.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Mini Monument

There's a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole nearby.
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.

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

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

The Mansion on O Street

With over 100 jam-packed rooms to explore plus elaborate tea services and events, the Mansion on O Street is a hidden treasure.
Boston, Massachusetts

World's Largest Air-Insulated Van de Graaff Generator

The massive machine creates cracking displays of indoor lightning.
Boston, Massachusetts

Empire Garden Restaurant

Dim sum, served in a grand old theater.