9,558 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in the United States - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in the United States

New York, New York

City Hall Station

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

San Francisco, California

The Wave Organ

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

New York, New York

The Evolution Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

San Francisco, California

Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

San Francisco, California

Secret Tiled Staircase

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

New York, New York

Dream House

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

Los Angeles, California

The Last Bookstore

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

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.

See All 9,558 Things to Do in the United States See All 9,558 Places

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Upcoming United States Experiences

The Spies of Georgetown

Washington, D.C.

+ 11 other dates

The Spies of Embassy Row

+ 10 other dates

Members Only

Online Experience

Into the Bonebed: Explore the Life Cycle of a Fossil at The Mammoth Site

Follow a fossil from excavation to an exhibition on a virtual visit to an active dig site and museum!

Members Only

Online Experience

Atlas Obscura Members Only Trivia Night

Gather your team and compete in Atlas Obscura’s contest of wits, smarts, and educated-guessing!

Hidden Union Station

Washington, D.C.

+ 5 other dates

Members Only

Online Experience

The Secret Arts: Listening to the Cosmos w/ Dr. Wanda Díaz-Merced

How to Make a Murder: Writing Your Own Murder Mystery Party With Abi Inman

Starts Wed, Sep 7

Members Only

Online Experience

Repairing Reptiles: Exploring Animal Prosthesis and Regeneration

Not all reptiles have the power of regeneration, some need a little help from a friend!

Exploring a Secret Fort

Washington, D.C.

+ 5 other dates

The Art of Death With Tessa Fontaine

Starts Mon, Sep 12

$240 per person

In this five-part seminar with author Tessa Fontaine, we'll explore notions of death around the world, drawing from biology, history, and beyond.

+ 1 other date

Members Only

Online Experience

Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: The Golem

Explore the world's greatest monsters, myths, and legends with paranormal author and cultural historian, Colin Dickey!

Members Only

Online Experience

The AO Challenge: A Game of Curious Missions

Members Only

Online Experience

Accidental Discoveries: A Celebration of Historical Mistakes

Join host Kelly Reidy as she explores some of history's most incredible unintended eureka moments!

Members Only

Online Experience

Letterlocking Workshop: How to Seal Your Secrets Like Historic Spies

Learn how spies and other historical figures secured their communications using a variety of folding and sealing techniques!

Members Only

Online Experience

Not-So-Creepy Crawlies: Making Friends with Bugs w/ Aaron Rodriques

Spider and beetles and worms, oh my! Come see why bugs aren't so scary!

Members Only

Online Experience

Accidental Discoveries: A Celebration of Historical Mistakes

Join host Kelly Reidy as she explores some of history's most incredible unintended eureka moments!

Members Only

Online Experience

Conjuring Ghosts: An Intro to Spirit Photography

Could 19th-century photographers' cameras see beyond the veil? Discover photography methods used to capture spirits, then and now!

Members Only

Online Experience

Learning the Language of Art w/ Art Muse L.A.: Contemporary Art

Demystifying the world of art and discovering a whole new world of cultural appreciation!

Partner Experience

Hidden World of Miami Design District

Miami Design District, Florida

+ 231 other dates

Partner Experience

Magical Monkey Experience at a Sanctuary

Gainesville, Florida

+ 139 other dates

Partner Experience

Little Havana Rituals

+ 4 other dates

Partner Experience

Kayaking in the Shell Key Preserve

Tierra Verde, Florida

+ 38 other dates

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in the United States

New York, New York

Lexington Candy Shop

The oldest family-run luncheonette in New York, last renovated in 1948, still serves food and drinks the old-fashioned way.

New York, New York

Trinity Place Bank Vault Bar

This lower Manhattan bar is set up in an old bank vault that rests beneath a skyscraper that hides even more historic splendor.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House

A 200-year-old bar in the historic French Quarter refuses to give up its place in history, nor its role in securing ours.

Los Angeles, California

Galco's Soda Pop Stop

Shop selling 500 flavors of soda has something for everyone.

See all 100 places to eat in the United States See all 100 places to eat in the United States

Atlas Obscura Trips

New Orleans: Roots of a Creole Kitchen

the United States Leaderboard

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Recent the United States Activity

mallorypricelcsw has been to Exploratorium

mallorypricelcsw has been to Musée Mécanique

kfordlibrarian wants to go to Sliding Rock

mallorypricelcsw has been to Alcatraz Island

wmcconville208 wants to go to Grasshopper Glacier

Stories About the United States

Workers carry Fearnow pails full of fish specimens to a United States Fish Commission Pennsylvania "Fish Car."

Remembering When Fish Rode the Rails

For decades, salmon, catfish, and trout traveled in America's fleet of "Fish Cars."

by Jonathan Feakins

Barry Enderwick in his kitchen.

Meet the Man Reviewing Historical Sandwiches on TikTok

Barry Enderwick is eating his way through the past, one pan bagnat at a time.

by Diana Hubbell

Many of the musicians on the circuit, such as Tina Turner, right, became superstars later in their careers.

Inside the ‘Chitlin Circuit,’ a Jim Crow-Era Safe Space for Black Performers

It's where legends like Tina Turner and Ray Charles launched their careers.

by Adrian Miller

Four intriguing pizza styles from across the United States.

America's Most Obscure Regional Pizza Styles

Do you want a slice of American cheese on that?

by Alex Mayyasi & Daniel Bromfield

Three women and one baby enjoy lunch at the Lord and Taylor tea room.

The Lost Glamour of the Department-Store Restaurant

Pot pies and fanciful desserts made shopping delicious.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt roasting hot dogs. They smell like diplomatic breakthroughs.

Why American Leaders Relish Hot-Dog Diplomacy

For 80 years, wieners have been an essential component of foreign policy.

A cave in Kansas formerly used to store government cheese.

Why Did the U.S. Government Amass More Than a Billion Pounds of Cheese?

The long, strange saga of government cheese.

by Diana Hubbell

An eroding late Holocene Native American oyster midden at low tide in Fishing Bay, Maryland.

Native Societies Harvested Billions of Oysters Sustainably

Conservationists should look to Indigenous history to fix the future.

by Diana Hubbell

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Lists Featuring the United States