jim van dyke's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Puthukkudiyiruppu, Sri Lanka

Sea Tigers Submarine Yard

Remains of military submarines built in secret jungle factories by the Tamil guerrillas' naval wing.
Portland, Oregon

Transcendence

A sculpture of a salmon swimming through a brick building.
Fort Benton, Montana

Shep Memorial

A small Montana town commemorates the dog who waited at the train station every day for his owner to return.
Skagen, Denmark

The Sand-Covered Church

Tiring of digging out the door to this church for every service, it was eventually abandoned to the sands.
Copenhagen, Denmark

Nasothek Nose Collection

A collection of noses tucked inside an art museum reveals how times have changed.
Farmington, Connecticut

Shade Swamp Sanctuary

An abandoned Depression-era zoo hidden just off the highway.
Kansas City, Missouri

Bird's Botanicals

A cave 150 feet beneath Kansas City is the perfect climate for growing 10,000 delicate orchids.
Magdeburg, Germany

Grüne Zitadelle (Green Citadel)

The architect of this fanciful complex called it an "oasis for humanity and nature in a sea of rational houses."
Tecopa, California

Villa Anita in Death Valley

This sculpture garden in Death Valley makes you feel like you've slipped into some alternate reality.
Manhattan, Kansas

Konza Prairie

A diverse, expansive nature preserve in northeastern Kansas.
Orick, California

Fern Canyon

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.
Yosemite National Park, California

Horsetail Fall's Firefall

Under the right circumstances, this waterfall in Yosemite briefly turns a luminescent fiery orange.
Fort Bragg, California

Glass Beach

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.
San Francisco, California

Secret Tiled Staircase

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.
San Francisco, California

The Wave Organ

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.
Chester, England

Minerva's Shrine

Western Europe's only representation of a Roman goddess still in its original location sits in an unassuming park.
New Hope, Pennsylvania

Van Sant Crybaby Bridge

A historic covered bridge is but one example of an oddly prevalent American urban legend.
Tintern, Wales

Tintern Abbey

This well-preserved Cistercian Abbey in a romantic pastoral setting has inspired artists like the poet Wordsworth.
Lee-on-the-Solent, England

Hovercraft Museum

A museum in south England celebrates the amphibious vehicles that cruise on a cushion of air.
Eureka, Nevada

Eureka County Courthouse

The current Eureka County Courthouse replaced an all-wooden structure that had previously been an ice-skating rink.
Maribor, Slovenia

The Old Vine

The world's oldest grape-producing vine has survived four centuries of turmoil and even has its own anthem.
Kabul, Afghanistan

Marjan the Lion Memorial

This monument honors the life of a long-suffering lion whose story captivated the world.
Venice, Italy

Lazzaretto Nuovo

The plague quarantine island home to the alleged "Vampire of Venice."
Big Major Cay, Bahamas

Pig Beach

In paradise, feral pigs have claimed an island all to themselves.