Excelsior's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Building Tunnel System

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.
Washington, D.C.

Carousel on the National Mall

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.
Washington, D.C.

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.
Washington, D.C.

The K-9 of the Korean War Veterans Memorial

Those with a sharp eye can find the hidden image of a German Shepherd on the memorial's Mural Wall.
Washington, D.C.

Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.
Washington, D.C.

Watergate Steps

Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."
Washington, D.C.

Old Stone House

The oldest building in the District of Columbia was preserved because of a mistaken connection to George Washington.
Washington, D.C.

Uncle Beazley the Triceratops

A celebrity from the late Cretaceous period.
Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.
Washington, D.C.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

The national park was once a plantation estate.
Washington, D.C.

Zero Milestone

A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.
Washington, D.C.

National Building Museum

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

Space Window at the Washington National Cathedral

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.
Washington, D.C.

The Exorcist Stairs

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.
Yorktown, Virginia

Surrender Field

The location where the American Revolution ended.
Sterling, Virginia

Dulles Airport Mobile Lounges

These unusual rooms on wheels are holdovers from the 1960s.
Arlington, Virginia

George Washington Memorial Parkway

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

Ronald Reagan National Airport's Historic Terminal A

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

University of Virginia's Seven Society

The story behind the mysterious symbol painted in front of the historic university's famous Rotunda.
Norfolk, Virginia

Cannonball in Saint Paul's Episcopal Church

This cannonball stands as a reminder of the final act of a fleeting governor amidst a revolution.
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Mount Trashmore

Scenic mount trashmore, Virginia Beach's most curious waterfront still has a couple of secrets.
Williamsburg, Virginia

The Archaearium

This museum explores the grim reality of life in the earliest British colonies in America.
McLean, Virginia

Patowmack Canal

The semi-reclaimed ruins of this canal were once part of an ambitious plan to reroute the mighty potomac.