idc's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Francisco, California

Palace of Fine Arts

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.
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

Fort Point

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.
Calistoga, California

Castello di Amorosa

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.
George Town, Cayman Islands

George Town

The capital of the Cayman Islands is a center of offshore banking, but gets battered by blistering hurricanes.
Sarasota, Florida

Circus Ring of Fame

The hall of fame for circus performers.
Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke Star

Forget Hollywood, one of the biggest stars in the world can be found in Roanoke, Virginia.
Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard White Squirrels

This Transylvania County city is home to a rare white squirrel population that is descended from an escaped carnival animal.
Gaffney, South Carolina

Gaffney Peachoid

The record holder for the world’s largest peach.
Washington, D.C.

Boy Scout Memorial

The innocent intentions of this monument are somewhat lost in the sculpture's muscled imagery.
Washington, D.C.

First FDR Memorial

One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history wanted only this plain, elegant monument as his lasting memorial.
Washington, D.C.

D.C. War Memorial

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

National Cathedral Bell Tower

There’s a special club house at the top for the bell ringers.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

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

District of Columbia Center Point

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

National Archives Vault

An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.
Washington, D.C.

Inside the Capitol Dome

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.
Sonoma, California

Location of the Microsoft Windows XP Default Wallpaper

The unedited photograph called "Bliss" has graced the screens of over a billion computers.
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Congressional Fallout Shelter at the Greenbrier Resort

America's post-nuclear-attack chambers of Congress.
Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore McDonald's

Classy up your Big Mac with bow-tied servers and chandeliers at the world's fanciest McDonald's.
Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore Estate's Secret Passages

The enormous 250-room Vanderbilt mansion conceals hidden doors and secret passageways.
Orleans, Massachusetts

Nauset Beach

Centuries-old hoofprints and wagon tracks reveal themselves after a good winter storm.
Atlanta, Georgia

Coca-Cola Secret Formula Vault

One of corporate America's best-kept secrets is also one of the most publicly displayed.
Marietta, Georgia

Big Chicken

This abstract roadside poultry was saved from demolition by outraged drivers and pilots.