sommermathis's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum

The fine fabric handwoven at Biltmore Industries was once coveted around the world.
Jerusalem, Israel

President's Room

On holy holidays, Israel's second president used this room atop Mount Zion as a refuge to read the Torah.
Unzen-shi, Japan

Obama Onsen

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.
Paju, South Korea

Korean Axe Murder Incident Memorial

A monument to the two U.S. officers killed by North Korean troops while trying to trim a poplar tree.
Paju, South Korea

Bridge of No Return

The site of many tense prisoner exchanges across the Military Demarcation Line between North and South Korea.
Georgia

Ananuri

This architecturally eclectic fortress witnessed centuries of bloody turmoil, including the massacre of its ruling clan.
Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

An early work of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, these swimming pools blend into the beach.
Flåm, Norway

Ægir Brewery

A Viking-style brewpub named for a Norse sea giant, in the heart of fjord country.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sculpture Clock

This 1960s kinetic artwork has been restored and is once again whirling away in downtown Minneapolis.
Sudbury, Massachusetts

Ford's Folly

This dam in the woods, built by Henry Ford with only manpower and oxen, holds no water and serves no purpose.
Chicago, Illinois

Man With Fish

This awkward aquarium sculpture is one of the strangest statues in Chicago.
Lisbon, Portugal

Livraria Simão

One of the smallest bookstores on the planet.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oudemanhuispoort

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Begijnhof Chapel

A hidden church in a hidden courtyard tells the story of the Miracle of Amsterdam.
Savannah, Georgia

The Pirates' House

This kitschy tavern is also home to rare early editions of "Treasure Island."
Lisbon, Portugal

Conserveira de Lisboa

The best place in the world to buy tinned fish.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

De Waag

Amsterdam's former hotspot for public executions and dissections.
Savannah, Georgia

The Waving Girl

A statue honoring 44 continuous years of greeting passing ships.
Savannah, Georgia

Lucas Theatre

The first public building in Savannah to offer air conditioning was a luxurious cinema that still operates today.
Chicago, Illinois

N. W. Harris Learning Collection

Where dioramas can follow you home.
Chicago, Illinois

Narwhals at the Field Museum

To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.
Juneau, Alaska

Aunt Claudia's Dolls, a Museum

One toy collector's legacy of hundreds of unique items includes the most diverse display of northern indigenous dolls.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Shop #47 at Mwenge Woodcarvers Market

An exquisite and eclectic selection of African masks stands out within a massive woodcarving marketplace.
Chicago, Illinois

Couch Tomb

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.