La Sombra's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Burnsville, North Carolina

Mount Mitchell

The highest point in North Carolina and the United States east of the Mississippi River, Mount Mitchell is named after argumentative explorer Elisha Mitchell.
Culpeper, Virginia

National Audio-Visual Conservation Center

A bunker "with enough U.S. currency to replenish the cash supply east of the Mississippi" in the event of nuclear war now protects nitrate film.
Sanibel, Florida

Pistol Shrimp of Ding Darling

Just below the surface, shrimp are producing temperatures hotter than the sun.
New York, New York

One Times Square

This historic address is home to the beloved ball and is an almost totally empty building among the most expensive real estate in the world.
Cherokee, North Carolina

Unto These Hills Cherokee Theatre

Some North Carolina Cherokee have been keeping their history alive for decades with a single play.
Nashville, Tennessee

Hatch Show Print

At 135 years old and counting, this historic print shop is heaven for poster nerds and music buffs.
Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Sliding Rock

Who needs fancy modern water slides when this giant North Carolina rock works just as well?
Birmingham, Alabama

Sloss Furnaces

Once one of the largest producers of pig iron in the world.
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Cats of Jackson Square

By day this New Orleans square is for pedestrians, but by night it is a kingdom of kittens.
New Canaan, Connecticut

Glass House

Home of Philip Johnson, one of the 20th century's most influential architects.
San Francisco, California

The Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.
Banff, Alberta

Banff Springs Hotel

Few other hotels can rival the grandeur of the Castle in the Rockies.
Paris, France

Pont de la Concorde

This bridge was constructed from the rubble of the infamous Bastille.
Beijing, China

The Forbidden City

The most famous location in China was home to whole dynasties worth of imperial rulers.
Sun Valley, Idaho

Ernest Hemingway's Grave

Despite his legacy of work in Spain, Cuba, and Florida, the larger-than-life writer's grave is a simple affair tucked in an Idaho cemetery.
Denver, Colorado

Cheesman Park

A downtown park built on top of unclaimed graves.
Denver, Colorado

Buckhorn Exchange

Wall to wall taxidermy at Denver's oldest and most exotic steakhouse.
Golden, Colorado

The Sculptured House

This iconic science fiction house still looks like something from the future.
Mackay, Idaho

Borah Peak

This highest peak in Idaho can only be reached by traversing a formation known as "Chicken-Out Ridge."
West Glacier, Montana

Going-to-the-Sun Road

The only road through the heart of Glacier National Park.
Washington, D.C.

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.
Spanish Town, British Virgin Islands

The Baths

This huge pile of volcanic boulders hides a stunning network of secret grottoes.
Birmingham, Alabama

Statue of Vulcan

A 56-foot tall statue of the god of fire looks out over Birmingham, Alabama.
Thomasville, Georgia

The Big Oak

This historic oak tree has been around for over 300 years and might last for 300 more so long as it doesn't fall apart first.