Twelve plaster figures inspired by da Vinci's famed painting haunt the desert landscape above a real-life ghost town.

A Norwegian-born sculptor created these soaring guardian angels at the entrance to Hoover Dam.

This golf ball–shaped former desert real estate office now houses a UFO museum.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.

The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

Burke’s oldest cemetery also houses the victim of the county's grisliest murder.

The country's oldest continually-operated mini golf course lies hidden in plain sight, eclipsed by one of D.C.'s most popular tourist attractions.

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

The remains of a historic plantation nestled in between a parking lot and the rental car return at Reagan National Airport.

Right next to departures—how convenient!

The romance of early commercial flight still fills this Art Deco destination.

This isn't your average roadway—it's actually a National Park and a transportation pioneer.

This beautiful vintage movie palace has seen little change in form or function since the 1920s.

The system of air guns are fired off remotely to scare any trespassing avians.

This historic, one-acre island is the only legal place to camp in the city of Richmond.

Heron, whitewater rapids, and urban industrialism all add to the beauty of this concrete nature walk.

Located at the former Lorton Prison the Lucy Burns Museum tells the story of the 91 year history of the prison including the dark chapter of its involvement in the women's suffrage movement.

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

A former major munitions plant that has been converted into a sprawling art space.

This rare triple-jurisdiction drawbridge passes through Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

The 72-foot giant escaped confinement in a large patch of mulch only to be reburied in the sandy shores of the Potomac River.

The tomb was guarded by soldiers from both sides of the war, and some left their initials carved in the brick.

The graveyard holding the remains of George Washington's slaves was forgotten for nearly 200 years.