Sedona, Arizona
In Search of Sanctuary
This collection of Places is all about finding sanctuary in unique settings. Here at Atlas Obscura, we love to delve into special off-the-beaten-path places. From enchanted redwood forests to quartz crystal sound baths, bathtub hot springs in the desert, and breathtaking gardens, we’re drawn to environments that provide refuge, pique curiosity, and inspire wonder.
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Moments for Meditation: Deep breaths, desert labyrinths, and more.
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Los Angeles, CaliforniaSelf-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens
This peaceful garden is hidden on the grounds of a spiritual organization founded by a pioneer yogi.
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Laughlin, NevadaLaughlin Labyrinths
A series of labyrinths in the Nevada desert inspire meditation and calmness.
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Los Angeles, CaliforniaPeace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens
A spiritual retreat in the heart of Los Angeles offers stunning gardens and a labyrinth to lose yourself in.
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Oakland, CaliforniaMazzariello Labyrinth
Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.
Hot Springs: Take a dip and soak away your woes.
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Glenwood Springs, ColoradoGlenwood Hot Springs Pool
Take a dip in the world's largest mineral hot springs pool.
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Aspen, ColoradoConundrum Hot Springs
It takes a nine-mile hike to reach these hot springs, but weary hikers are rewarded with stunning views and a warm soak.
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Salmon, IdahoGoldbug Hot Springs
This set of hot springs also comes with fantastic views.
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Meadow, UtahMeadow Hot Springs
This set of three large, volcanic hot springs is a favorite haunt for intrepid divers.
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Warm Springs, VirginiaWarm Springs Pools
Bubbling up from deep underground is the warm crystal clear water that fills the Warm Springs Pools, America's oldest spa.
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Bodfish, CaliforniaRemington Hot Springs
One of the last free public hot springs is decorated with hippie art.
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Monroe, UtahMystic Hot Springs
One man has installed bathtubs into the Utah desert floor to harness the powers of a natural hot spring.
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North Port, FloridaWarm Mineral Springs
This ancient sinkhole-turned-healing-pool is a treasure trove of archeological discoveries and may even be the Fountain of Youth.
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Florence, ColoradoDesert Reef Hot Springs
This naturally-sourced hot spring is now home to a clothing-optional resort.
Magical Gardens: Horticultural mastery on display.
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Tyler, TexasTyler Rose Garden
The largest public collection of roses in the United States.
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San Diego, CaliforniaBalboa Park Botanical Building and Lily Pond
Built for an exposition in 1915, these horticultural displays have stood the test of time.
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Seattle, WashingtonSeattle Chinese Garden
This beautiful landscape is the only Sichuan-style garden outside of China.
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Durango, ColoradoHesperus Peace Park
A quiet rock and botanical garden is the beautiful centerpiece of Fort Lewis College.
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Albany, GeorgiaRadium Springs Gardens
The ruins of a resort and casino sit on the banks of this blue hole spring that pumps 70,000 gallons of warm, clear water every minute.
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San Francisco, CaliforniaSunnyside Conservatory
Over a century old, this restored Victorian building is surrounded by a lush garden filled with rare palms.
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Wayne, PennsylvaniaChanticleer Garden
A beloved horticultural oasis on the grounds of a wealthy family's former estate.
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Saint Paul, MinnesotaSt. Paul-Changsha China Friendship Garden
A piece of solitude and tranquility in the heart of East Saint Paul.
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Seattle, WashingtonDunn Gardens
A lush Seattle garden designed by the same landscape architects responsible for New York's Central Park.
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Whitethorn, CaliforniaEnchanted Forest
A grove of "candelabra redwoods" deep in California's Lost Coast.
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Castleton, VermontTaconic Mountain Ramble Zen Gardens
This magnificent Japanese garden provides a moment of Zen in rural Vermont.
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Federal Way, WashingtonRhododendron Species Botanical Garden
This 22-acre botanical garden is home to the largest collection of rhododendrons in the world.
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Los Angeles, CaliforniaMildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden
This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.
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Millbrook, New YorkInnisfree Garden
This once-private estate is now a dreamy, meditative garden that's open to the public.
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San Antonio, TexasJapanese Tea Garden
A gorgeous garden oasis with winding paths, stone bridges, and a troubling history.
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Charlotte, North CarolinaMcGill Rose Garden
This scented city oasis was a labor of love.
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Washington, D.C.Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.
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Hot Springs, North CarolinaGratitude Garden at ArtiSun Gallery
An art instillation for the sake of "raising vibrations."
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Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth Water Gardens
A modernist landscape of water and sci-fi concrete.
Secret Forests: Stroll through a wonderland of towering trees.
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Grand Canyon Village, ArizonaKaibab Lookout Trees
The remnants of a creative early method of wildfire prevention.
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Flora, MississippiMississippi Petrified Forest
A preserved stretch of ancient fossilized trees with an impressive gem collection to boot.
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Bronx, New YorkThain Family Forest
This plot of old-growth forest is the largest surviving remnant of New York City's original woodland.
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Little River, CaliforniaPygmy Forest Trail
A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.
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Forks, WashingtonOne Square Inch of Silence
A tiny red pebble marks what may be the quietest outdoor spot in the United States.
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Hendersonville, North CarolinaBlue Ghost Fireflies
These eerie outliers of the lightning bug family glow a mysteriously blue color, for too long, and it's awesome.
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McKenzie Bridge, OregonProxy Falls
This frequently-photographed waterfall takes only a short hike to visit.
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Tillamook, OregonOctopus Tree of Oregon
No one knows how this Pacific Northwest spruce tree came to have so many trunks.
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New York, New YorkNew York's Hidden Tropical Forest
A miniature rainforest is growing inside of a Midtown Manhattan office building.
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Forks, WashingtonHall of Mosses
Stroll through a wonderland of stupendous moss-covered trees.
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Richfield, UtahPando, the Trembling Giant
One of the world's oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens.
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Adak, AlaskaAdak "National Forest"
America's smallest "national forest" has only 33 trees.
Dreamy Landscapes: Pink sand dunes, sedimentary spires, and giant arches.
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Kanab, UtahCoral Pink Sand Dunes
Colorful sand dunes create a unique attraction in this part of Utah's red-rock country.
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McKenzie Bridge, OregonSahalie Falls
Rushing water plunges over a 100-foot drop created by an ancient lava flow at this majestic waterfall.
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Moab, UtahLandscape Arch
The fifth-longest natural arch in the world, and the longest outside China.
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Thousand Palms, CaliforniaThousand Palms Oasis Preserve
Hike amid the palm trees that thrive among Southern California's Indio Hills.
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Henrieville, UtahKodachrome Basin Spires
This quiet park's strange sedimentary spires were named after Kodak's color film.
Hidden Caves: Palaces of endless stalagmites and pseudoscorpions wait within.
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Cabins, West VirginiaSmoke Hole Caverns
Spectacular mineral formations fill these caves, which have been used for everything from smoking meat to stashing illicit liquor.
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Tulelake, CaliforniaCrystal Ice Cave
Each winter this underground cave forms a dazzling ice palace.
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Logan, OhioThe Caves of Hocking Hills State Park
Rare recess caves fill this unbelievably beautiful Ohio park.
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Baker, NevadaLehman Caves
A gothic palace of endless stalagmites and pseudoscorpions waits within one of the world's most beautiful caves.
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La Pointe, WisconsinApostle Island Sea Caves
These Great Lakes sea caves accessible by boat in the summer turn into temples of ice reachable by foot in the winter.
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Flagstaff, ArizonaCoconino Lava River Cave
Eons ago, a rushing lava river formed this pristine passage through solid rock.
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Juneau, AlaskaMendenhall Ice Caves
Breathtakingly blue walls shimmer inside the "Glacier Behind the Town."
Wildlife Sanctuaries: Monarch butterfly groves, an island of bunnies, and a home for hawks.
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Kempton, PennsylvaniaHawk Mountain Sanctuary
Beautiful views of the surrounding hills and birds of prey can be found at this sanctuary.
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Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSpruce Hill Bird Sanctuary
Hidden behind West Philadelphia rowhomes is a haven for migratory and local bird species both ordinary and rare.
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Newport, MinnesotaPeacebunny Island
A teenager transformed this 22-acre island into a summer home for a lovable bunch of bunnies.
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Pismo Beach, CaliforniaMonarch Butterfly Grove
Thousands of migrating monarchs overwinter clustered amongst the eucalyptus trees.
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Ponce de Leon, FloridaVortex Spring
A humid oasis combines recreation with exploration in a unique underwater cavern.
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Key West, FloridaDry Tortugas
These remote Florida islands have a history of sea turtles and sunken treasures, and one of the world's largest coastal brick fortresses.
Coastal Hikes: Discover blue waters, crashing waves, and hidden beaches.
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Manatí, Puerto RicoCueva de las Golondrinas (Cave of the Swallows)
The short hike is worth the stunning views and crystal blue waters of a secluded beach.
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Big Sur, CaliforniaKeyhole Arch at Pfeiffer Beach
Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.
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Carmel-By-The-Sea, CaliforniaCalla Lily Valley
This little valley along Highway 1 is engulfed by thousands of lilies during the spring season.
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Cannon Beach, OregonCrescent Beach
This gorgeous beach hides behind two headlands in Oregon's Ecola State Park.
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Kapa'a, HawaiiKalalau Trail
This narrow coastline trail through the dense Kauai wilderness is among the most beautiful and dangerous in the world.
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Orick, CaliforniaFern Canyon
Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.
Hidden Gems: Flower-shaped temples, secret river canyons, and Turkish baths.
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New York, New YorkRussian and Turkish Baths Cafe
Have a steam and some blini at this cafe in a century-old bathhouse.
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New York, New YorkFarm.One
Underneath the bustling city streets, a hydroponic farm grows unique herbs in an urban oasis.
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New York, New YorkMatryoshka at Wall Street Bath & Spa 88
This Russian bar-restaurant lies within a three-story underground bathhouse.
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Memphis, TennesseeMemphis Gong Chamber
Ethereal alien hums and haunting whale songs emitting from...a giant sheet of vibrating metal?
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Buckingham, VirginiaThe Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS)
The flower-shaped temple in Virginia aims to transcend the boundaries of the world’s religions.
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Ashland, OregonLithia Water Fountain
A public fountain that spouts "health water" from a nearby spring.
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Supai, ArizonaHavasupai Falls
This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.
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Springdale, UtahThe Narrows
The hike through a narrow river flanked by the 2,000-foot-tall walls of Zion Canyon is one of the best in the world.
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Alamogordo, New MexicoWhite Sands National Park
Explore the largest pure gypsum deposit in the world, and go dune sledding while you're at it.
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Washington Island, WisconsinSchoolhouse Beach
This pebble beach is so beautiful that taking its rocks is against the law.
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West Baden Springs, IndianaHistoric West Baden Springs Hotel
A turn-of-the-century architectural marvel built on healing mineral springs and salt licks.
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Clackamas County, OregonBagby Hot Springs
Hollowed out cedar log tubs set in an ancient towering forest.
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Joshua Tree, CaliforniaInstitute of Mentalphysics
Located on 420 acres in the high desert, this spiritual center is dedicated to the "science of the future."
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Landers, CaliforniaThe Integratron
Experience a quartz crystal sound bath inside a storied, all-wood sound-chamber.
