6,065 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in the United States - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in United States

New York, New York

City Hall Station

A beautiful and abandoned New York subway station from 1904, complete with chandelier.

40.7134, -74.0046

Added by M Rebekah Otto

Los Angeles Tunnels

Los Angeles, California

Underground Tunnels of Los Angeles

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

34.0558, -118.2447

Added by Rachel

The Wave Organ, San Francisco Bay

San Francisco, California

The Wave Organ

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

37.8085, -122.4398

Added by mbison

Interior of the Dream House

New York, New York

Dream House

Lamonte Young and Mariane Zazeela's "Dream House" will immerse you in an ever changing world of sound and light.

40.7185, -74.0048

Added by seanmattison

New York, New York

Evolution Nature Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

40.7281, -73.9948

Added by mbison

The Winchester Mystery House.

San Jose, California

The Winchester Mystery House

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester gun fortune.

37.3189, -121.9506

Added by mbison

San Francisco, California

Secret Tiled Staircase

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

37.7563, -122.4735

Added by rebeccaclara

Echo Park Time Travel Mart.

Los Angeles, California

The Echo Park Time Travel Mart

Non-profit time travel mart sells goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension.

34.0768, -118.2593

See All 6,065 Things to Do in the United States See All 6,065 Places

Atlas Obscura Trips

New York City's Best-Kept Secrets

May 30—Jun 3, 2018

Enjoy unique access, one-of-a-kind collections, and behind-the-scenes experiences usually off-limits to visitors as we explore the best-kept secrets of this magnificent city.

Unique
Food & Drink
from United States

Chicken of the Woods

Gastro Obscura

Ingredients & Condiments

Chicken of the Woods

This mushroom tastes just like chicken.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Sam OBrien

Clarified Milk Punch

Gastro Obscura

Clarified Milk Punch

Just so we’re clear, there is actually milk in this old English punch.

Gastro Obscura

Added by rachelrummel

Berliner Weisse

Gastro Obscura

Berliner Weisse

A historic German ale gets a neon makeover.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Sam OBrien

Watergate Cake

Gastro Obscura

Watergate Cake

Beneath its "cover-up" of icing, this dessert hides a bunch of nuts.

Gastro Obscura

Added by rachelrummel

See All 23 Must-Eats in the United States See All 23 Must-Eats

Explore the United States

United States Leaderboard

Places Added

Places Edited

Places Visited

Recent United States Activity

stephaniehoy wants to go to Sioux Falls Michelangelos

glauxgirl wants to go to Hidden Elves at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

bibliobecca has been to Winterthur

Cswindle wants to go to The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge

christinwood has been to Eight Mile Wall

Stories
About the United States

Five Hormel Girls on an Austin, Minnesota factory tour.

The Rise and Fall of the Hormel Girls, Who Sold America on SPAM

The Spamettes sang and danced and glamorized canned meat.

H.L. Mencken drinks his first swig of legal beer at Baltimore's Rennert Hotel on April 7, 1933.

The Day Americans Drank Breweries Dry

Eight months before Prohibition officially ended, the country celebrated "New Beer's Eve."

by Daniel Crown

A central Pomo woman with army worms in Ukiah Valley, California, c. 1904.

Why Eating Insects Is an American Tradition

Both Native Americans and colonists enjoyed fried cicadas, grasshopper flour, and insect fruitcakes.

At a council, the chief sits at the place of honor surrounded by his advisors. Cassina is prepared by women in the foreground.

The Forgotten Drink That Caffeinated North America for Centuries

Yaupon tea, a botanical cousin to yerba maté, is now almost unknown.

by Ben Richmond

A woodcut used for William Harrison's campaign. In front of a log cabin, Harrison welcomes a soldier, inviting him to rest and drink hard cider.

The Election That Defined What 'Real Americans' Ate and Drank

Large, drunken rallies touted a populist who drank hard cider.

January 15, 2018

Two people chat by a chilled fruit machine, among other vending machines, in 1959.

Vending Machines in the U.S. Once Dispensed More Than Chips and Cookies

Where did the pie and hot dogs go?

December 13, 2017

A bottle of madeira discovered by the Liberty Hall Museum in Union, New Jersey, as part of a cache from the 18th and 19th centuries.

How a Thirst for Portuguese Wine Fueled the American Revolution

Madeira taxes stoked tensions, then paid for the war.

by Daniel Crown

December 13, 2017

A 19th-century coconut dipper: It's pure Americana.

Why 19th-Century Americans Drank From Coconut Shells

A different kind of coconut water craze.

by Kathleen E. Kennedy

December 04, 2017

Lists Featuring
the United States

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