The third tallest lighthouse in America once guided author Stephen Crane to safety.

The walls of America's oldest masonry fort famously "swallowed" cannonballs.

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

An early-19th-century hotel with a past that is steeped in the Civil War.

A massive tribute to this small county's top agricultural product.

This massive store is home to an eccentric collection of vintage, retro, and peculiar goods.

One of corporate America's best-kept secrets is also one of the most publicly displayed.

This abstract roadside poultry was saved from demolition by outraged drivers and pilots.

A man's home is his castle.

This colonial tavern played host to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other famous early Americans.

A massive, majestic mammal watches over pedestrians from his perch atop a former B.P.O.E. lodge.

This brick-lined pedestrian walkway was once a railway tunnel used during the Civil War.

America's first federal monument.

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

FDR's Art Deco hospital tower was hopelessly inefficient.

Surrounded by traditional homes, this Tolkien-esque dwelling stands out on a quiet street in suburban Maryland.

Washington's top-secret Cold War-era doomsday communications tower is located in a small neighborhood park.

She stares out across six lanes of traffic, clutching a musket and infant with determination.

On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.

Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.

Also known as the Founding Church of Scientology.

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

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

Light bulbs, scrap wood, and tinfoil comprise this homemade throne of the gods.