ubignut's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Irvine, California

The Original Taco Bell Building

Someone really, really wanted to save this fast-food icon from demolition.
Irvine, California

Orange Balloon

One of the largest helium balloons in the U.S. is a 112-foot ginormous orange.
Huntington Beach, California

World's Largest Surfboard

This monster board rode a monster wave to break two world records.
Fountain Valley, California

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Statue

A statue of one of Mexico's founding fathers, located... not in Mexico
Garden Grove, California

Cao Dai California Temple

The design of this ornately decorated place of worship closely mirrors a church in Vietnam.
Anaheim, California

Brookhurst Community Park

A surreal, Gaudi-inspired play space near an Anaheim community center.
Crestline, California

Heart Rock Falls

Carved by a waterfall in a hard-to-reach rock formation, this heart-shaped rock has inspired romantics for decades.
San Bernardino, California

Wigwam Village #7

These structures were inspired by both Native American shelters as well as, strangely, an ice cream shop.
Goldfield, Nevada

International Car Forest of the Last Church

Graffiti, cars, and religion combine to create this jungle of scrap in the Nevada desert.
Moab, Utah

Gemini Bridges

It's safe—and permitted—to walk across these twin natural sandstone arches.
Berkeley, California

Aftel Archive of Curious Scents

Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft fragrances.
Sagamihara, Japan

Used Tire Mart Sagamihara Store

More than 100 antique vending machines housed in a used tire shop sell everything from candy to sake and ramen.
Hayakawa, Japan

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.
Portugal

Bacalhôa Buddha Eden

Explore a remarkable 35-hectare sculpture garden located an hour outside of Lisbon.
Alamogordo, New Mexico

Alamogordo Landfill

Buried beneath the New Mexico sands are believed to be millions of copies of Atari's E.T. video game.
El Paso, Texas

Sunland Park Dinosaur Tracks

Search for traces of the dinosaurs that roamed here more than 90 million years ago.
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

La Equis (The X)

A giant "X" symbolizes the blood spilled from the brutal Juárez drug wars.
El Paso, Texas

Casa de Azucar

The house's confection-like decorations are the result of one man's painstaking work over decades.
Las Cruces, New Mexico

World's Largest Chile Pepper Sculpture

This 47-foot chile pepper sculpture welcomes Scoville heat unit obsessed tourists to the Big Chile Inn.
Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix Bat Cave

Thousands of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats soar around an abandoned storm drain at sunset each summer.
Phoenix, Arizona

Tovrea Castle

A mysterious "wedding cake" castle in the middle of the urban desert.
Phoenix, Arizona

Governor Hunt's Pyramid Tomb

The unusual burial monument of Arizona's first governor.
Phoenix, Arizona

Mystery Castle

A self-built castle made by a mysterious man.
Willcox, Arizona

Heart of the Rocks Loop

Hike the unusual hoodoos and rock formations that form this little-known natural wonder.