jim van dyke's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Wellesley Island, New York

Just Room Enough Island

This tiny little island has, as the name says, just enough room for its single house.
Ovid, New York

Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane

An abandoned asylum where patients have been forgotten but their possessions remain.
Leuven, Belgium

Fons Sapientiae

This whimsical statue dumps water on its head to symbolize knowledge flowing into his brain. Or maybe booze.
Dokan, Iraq

Qyzqapan Tomb

Ancient rock-cut tomb? Definitely. That of a great Median king? Unlikely.
Mirny, Russia

Mir Diamond Mine

The world's second-largest excavated hole.
Ecuador

Isla de la Plata

This small uninhabited island offers Galapagos-like biodiversity.
Caraș-Severin, Romania

Bigar Waterfall

Moss and stone turn this waterfall into an otherworldly liquid veil.
Port Townsend, Washington

Port Townsend Bay Kinetic Sculpture Race

Quirky movable sculptures have been racing through the town since 1983.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Randyland

Found art has transformed this Pittsburgh neighborhood into a psychedelic dream.
Devens, Massachusetts

Sweetheart Memorial

A tribute to the couples who brave long periods of separation during wartime.
Prague, Czechia

Statue of Franz Kafka

A surreal statue honoring Prague's favorite literary son.
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tumbleweed Snowman

Albuquerque found the perfect use for tumbleweeds at Christmastime.
Brooklyn, New York

Deno's Wonder Wheel

One of the most enjoyable bits of history at Coney Island and “the most romantic ride in the world.”
Borre, Denmark

Møns Klint

A natural wonder in south Denmark.
Prague, Czechia

Squat Milada

A former squatter's paradise outside Prague.
Portland, Oregon

Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden

Statues of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy the dog in the park where their adventures "really happened."
Newry, Maine

Artist's Bridge

A century after his death, this covered bridge still calls to mind the plein air painter who loved it.
Iporanga, Brazil

Gruta Casa de Pedra

At 705 feet high, Brazil's "House of Stone" is the largest cave mouth in the world.
Prague, Czechia

Tančící dům - Dancing House of Prague

This tipsy office building in downtown Prague was originally called “Fred and Ginger.”
Naples, Italy

Gabinetto Segreto

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
La Paz, Bolivia

Bolivia's Witch Market

Popular tourist destination where witches in dark hats sell dried llama fetuses for good luck.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Murals of Maxo Vanka

Long hidden under grime, the politically radical murals of a little known Yugoslavian master are finally getting their due.
Cameron, West Virginia

Archive of the Afterlife

The museum calls itself the "National Museum of the Paranormal" and is full of eerie oddities.
Blankenburg (Harz), Germany

Teufelsmauer (The Devil's Wall)

A strange rock formation with numerous legends trying to explain it.