doc will's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska Highway's Milepost 1523

This mile marker stands at the unofficial end of a highway built to defend the United States from a Japanese invasion during World War II.
Hamilton, Ontario

Tim Hortons No. 1

The first outlet of Canada's biggest fast-food franchise has been slinging doughnuts since 1964.
Union, Illinois

Illinois Railway Museum

At the largest railway museum in the United States, you can see everything from an early steam engine to a functioning Thomas the Tank Engine.
Ardmore, South Dakota

Ardmore Ghost Town

Abandoned businesses, homes, and rusted cars are all that remains of this stopover town.
Toronto, Ontario

North Toronto Station

A former Canadian Pacific Railway station turned liquor store, the first and only station in Canada visited by British royalty.
Sandwick, Scotland

Skara Brae

Amazing and mysterious Neolithic settlement on Scotland's Orkney Islands.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Tolbooth Tavern

Now home to a drinking establishment, this building has a macabre history.
London, England

The Real Greenwich Prime Meridian

Thanks to modern navigational tools we now know that the true prime meridian runs through a park next door.
Barcelona, Spain

Casa Batlló

One of Antoni Gaudí's most classic buildings is well-known for its "dragon-back" design.
Malmö, Sweden

'The Knotted Gun'

This poignant sculpture of a gnarled weapon is a symbol of non-violence.
Malmö, Sweden

Øresund Bridge

This chimerical bridge/tunnel appears to dead end right into the sea.
Jasper, Alberta

Athabasca Glacier

This natural wonder is disappearing at an alarming rate.
Hyder, Alaska

Hyder

The easternmost town in Alaska can only be accessed from Canada.
Pompeii, Italy

Plaster Citizens of Pompeii

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.
Wicklow, Ireland

The Round Tower of Glendalough

This ancient Irish tower could easily have stood in for Rapunzel's prison.
Dickeyville, Wisconsin

The Dickeyville Grotto

A tribute to the twin ideals of religion and patriotism, built by a Catholic priest from rocks, glass, and innumerable found items.
Vernazza, Italy

Cinque Terre

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.
St. Augustine, Florida

The Ponce de León Hotel

A luxurious 1880s hotel with its fair share of Tiffany stained glass, Edison electricity, and of course, ghosts.
Dubuque, Iowa

Fenelon Place Elevator

For just a few bucks, this Iowa funicular will let you feel like an 1800s fat cat.
Matera, Italy

Sassi di Matera

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.
San Simeon, California

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

La Rotonda del Mar

A Lovecraftian altar of nightmarish bronze chairs sits ominously on a boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta.
Aristes, Pennsylvania

Centralia

A toxic ghost town sitting atop a massive coal fire.
Centralia, Pennsylvania

Centralia Ghost Town Church

A mine fire has been burning under the deserted town since 1962, but this church is still going strong.