jim van dyke's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Corvallis, Oregon

Corvallis Sidewalk Stamps

Contractors in this Oregon town have been stamping their names in sidewalks since 1908.
Cedar Key, Florida

Site of the Rosewood Massacre

A thriving Black community was destroyed by an angry white mob at this site in 1923.
Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands

Taga Beach

A crystal clear beach surrounded by beautiful coral reefs.
Seattle, Washington

Piece of the Berlin Wall at Cafe Turko

A nondescript Seattle restaurant inherited a piece of European history.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Ratstrinkstube Clock Tower

Every hour the doors open to reenact the legend of the heroic mayor who saved his town by drinking a gallon of wine.
Gmina, Poland

Zabytkowa Dzwonnica (Cloud Demon Repelling Tower)

This tower in a small Polish village uses the power of a sacred bell to ward off mischievous weather spirits.
Waterford, Ireland

Tankardstown Engine House

Impressive mining ruins overlook a spectacular view of Ireland's Copper Coast.
Malmö, Sweden

Tiny Mouse Shops of Malmö

Swedish mice can dine at the Nuts of Life restaurant or take a date to the amousement park.
Rockville, Maryland

Museum of Outdated Technology

The shelves in the back of this thrift store are devoted to saving, not selling, retro tech.
Bologna, Italy

Finestrella di Via Piella

A small window on Via Piella offers a lovely and rare peek at Bologna's lost canals.
Buena Vista, Georgia

Pasaquan

This folk art compound was built by a fortune teller on the advice of three people from the future.
Cornwall, England

Mên-an-Tol (Circle Stone)

A circle stone within a stone circle.
Ridgefield, Connecticut

Watermelons on a Greek Statue

What appears to be an act of fruit vandalism is actually a cultural statement.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Foucault Pendulum at the Franklin Institute

A daily replay of the experiment that proved the rotation of the Earth.
Dilijan, Armenia

Khanjian Villa

The luxurious circular mansion built for a Communist leader now lies abandoned.
Gloucester Township, New Jersey

Cookie Jar House

A completely round house designed for the Atomic Age.
Colombo, Sri Lanka

Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid (Red Mosque)

This mesmerizing architectural wonder will take your breath away with its unusual color patterns.
Montalegre, Portugal

Ponte da Misarela (Misalera Bridge)

Local lore says the devil built this beautiful medieval bridge to help a fleeing bandit.
Cresco, Pennsylvania

Devil's Hole Ruins

These beautiful ruins deep in the Pennsylvania woods are thought to have been a ski lodge or a speakeasy, but no one really knows.
North Bend, Washington

Lester Ghost Town

A short hike into the mountainside forest reveals a decaying 1890s town.
Island Park, Idaho

Yellowstone's Zone of Death

A legal loophole makes it possible to get away with murder within this 50-square-mile section of Yellowstone.
Ali Sadr, Iran

Ali Sadr Cave

This vast, water-filled underground labyrinth can only be toured by boat.
Chester, England

Chester Shot Tower

A 168-foot tower, part of the abandoned Chester Leadworks facility.
Neyagawa-shi, Japan

Kayashima Station

A Japanese train station built around a 700-year-old camphor tree.