httpserena's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Williamsburg, Virginia

President Heads

Giant busts of 42 U.S. presidents are sitting in a field in Virginia.
Lyndhurst, Virginia

Swannanoa Palace

This historic mansion was built as a symbol of love between a husband and wife.
Staunton, Virginia

Abandoned DeJarnette Sanitarium

A former mental hospital founded in the 1930s by a eugenicist who advocated for the forced sterilization of patients.
Arlington, Virginia

Rosslyn Metro Escalator

At 207 feet, one of the world's longest continuous escalators.
Washington, D.C.

Watergate Steps

Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Bollards

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.

Peacock Room

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.
Alexandria, Virginia

Torpedo Factory Art Center

A former major munitions plant that has been converted into a sprawling art space.
Alexandria, Virginia

Hollensbury Spite House

The narrowest house in America is seven feet of pure spite.
Richmond, Virginia

Connecticut the Indian

The iconic statue was moved to a new spot overlooking the James river after several years as a mascot for the local baseball team.
Cape Charles, Virginia

Kiptopeke's Concrete Fleet

Nine of the very few concrete ships ever made in the U.S. are beautifully decaying off a Virginia pier.
Luray, Virginia

The Great Stalacpipe Organ

An organ located deep within a cave, whose "pipes" are the geological features of the cave itself.
Washington, D.C.

The Lockkeeper's House

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
Natural Bridge, Virginia

The Natural Bridge

A sacred site for Native Americans surveyed by George Washington and owned by both King George III and Thomas Jefferson.
Richmond, Virginia

Ruins of Belle Isle

A small Richmond island dotted with the remnants of hundreds of years of history.
Nags Head, North Carolina

Jockey's Ridge

This shifting North Carolina sand dune is an odd little desert surrounded by oceanic forest life.
Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia

The Rosewell Plantation Ruins

This once-palatial plantation may have been the site where a draft of the Declaration of Independence was written.
Norfolk, Virginia

Doumar's Barbecue

This old-fashioned carhop restaurant gave the world the waffle cone.
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Mount Trashmore

Scenic mount trashmore, Virginia Beach's most curious waterfront still has a couple of secrets.