jljogan's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Holbrook, Arizona

Arizona Sake

One man handcrafts "the best sake made outside of Japan" in a tiny desert town on Route 66.
Kilkenny, Ireland

Dunmore Cave

This Irish show cave is said to have been the site of a Viking massacre that claimed 1,000 lives.
Kungsbacka, Sweden

Li Grave Stones

Iron Age grave stones and Viking burials, a short drive from Gothenburg.
Ystad, Sweden

Ales Stenar

According to legend, this boat-shaped henge is built over the grave of a mythic king.
Norresundby, Denmark

Lindholm Høje

This Danish rock field is actually a sprawling ancient cemetery holding the bodies of 700 Vikings.
Luster, Norway

Urnes Stave Church

An intricately carved Viking church overlooks a glistening fjord.
Jelling, Denmark

Jelling Viking Monuments

Mounds, rune stones, and a 1,000-year-old church, left behind by Denmark's first two kings.
Wolin, Poland

Jomsborg Marker

A stone in Wolin, Poland, marks the possible location of a legendary Viking fortress.
Orkney, Scotland

Brough of Birsay

This tiny island featuring 9th-century Viking ruins is only accessible at low tide.
Istanbul, Turkey

Viking Runes at Hagia Sophia

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.
Russia

Oleg's Mound

This burial mound is said to be the final resting place of Russia's first Viking ruler, Oleg of Novogrod.
Uppsala, Sweden

Runestone in Gamla Uppsala Church

This mysterious runestone embedded in a church wall is linked to the medieval cult of Saint Erik.
Borgholm N, Sweden

Neptuni Åkrar

An otherworldly, fossil-rich cobble beach holds Viking graves, cairns, and other remains.
Ekerö V, Sweden

Björn Järnsidas Hög (Björn Ironsides Mound)

The suspected burial mound of legendary Viking Björn Ironside.
Slagelse Municipality, Denmark

Trelleborg Viking Ring Fortress

A perfectly circular stronghold constructed in the 10th century is now a nucleus of Viking culture housing a museum, village, and reenactment of an epic Viking battle.
Chicago, Illinois

Woolly Mammoth Antiques and Oddities

This morbid, delightful curiosity shop offers everything from animal bones to human teeth.
Evanston, Illinois

Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop

Shop of curiosities with a dinosaur museum tucked in its basement.
Peoria, Illinois

Peoria Scale Model of the Solar System

The world's third-largest scale model of the planets.
St. Louis, Missouri

Compton Hill Water Tower

One of few surviving standpipe water towers in the U.S.
Ironton, Missouri

Taum Sauk Mountain

In the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks at 1,772 feet above sea level, Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest (and possibly oldest) peak in Missouri.
Sullivan, Missouri

Meramec Caverns

400 million-year old limestone caverns nestled in the Ozarks served as shelter and a hideout for cultures throughout North American history.
Sturgeon, Missouri

The Pinnacles

A geological oddity formed by two rivers carving out a mass of limestone on both sides.
Sedalia, Missouri

Bothwell Lodge

This historic cliffside mansion uses a natural cave for air conditioning.
Weston, Missouri

O'Malley's Pub

The oldest bar in Missouri is hidden within a limestone brewery cellar more than 50 feet underground.