Once a safe haven for Black patrons and performers—including Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington—during the Jim Crow era, portions of this nightclub and motel have been restored to welcome a new kind of visitor.

The decor of this Hollywood movie palace just barely predated the opening of King Tut's tomb.

One of the world's longest murals depicts the history of diversity in Los Angeles.

This star-studded Old Hollywood restaurant is where fettuccine Alfredo made its United States debut.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

Established in the '60s, a family-owned tropical drink bar founded by Ray Buhen, bartender to the stars.

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

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

The famous abolitionist’s preserved estate is one of Washington's finest monuments to its great Black citizens.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

A rotating cast of guys and dolls in front of a Washington, D.C. building.

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

This lonely waterfront memorial to the men of the Titanic was erected by the "Women of America."

People escaping slavery may have hidden inside a corpse vault.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

A derelict bit of transportation infrastructure hidden in the woods.

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.