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

Legislative Bell System

An ear-piercing buzzer calls lawmakers to a vote with a series of long and short rings to form coded messages.
Washington, D.C.

Missing Capitol Building Cornerstone

A promising candidate for the lost rock laid by George Washington was unearthed, but the hunt is still on.
Arlington, Virginia

The Graves of Robert E. Lee's Garden

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.
Washington, D.C.

National Public Radio's Honey Bee Hives

Atop this media building, two hives containing more than 30,000 bees keep the surrounding area vibrant.
Washington, D.C.

'Encore'

Washington D.C.'s most famous pianist, composer, and bandleader still tickles the ivories outside Howard Theater.
Baltimore, Maryland

The Book Thing

This free, take-a-book shop seems like a trick but isn't.
Washington, D.C.

Mary's Garden

An overlooked oasis of quiet on the grounds of Washington's monumental basilica.
Baltimore, Maryland

Mr. Trash Wheel

This bug-eyed water wheel uses the power of the Sun to clean up Baltimore Harbor.
Baltimore, Maryland

The Horse You Came In On Saloon

A 200-year-old bar with a cheeky name claims to have served Edgar Allan Poe his final drink.
Takoma Park, Maryland

Roscoe the Rooster

The rooster who crossed the road lives on forever in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Silver Spring, Maryland

Wheaton Station Escalator

The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere takes over three minutes to ride down.
Baltimore, Maryland

Babe Ruth Field at Gibbons Commons

The "Sultan of Swat" once attended a school at the site of this baseball field.
Laurel, Maryland

Forest Haven Asylum

This abandoned asylum was once a state of the art facility before devolving into one of the most deadly mental institutions in American history.
Baltimore, Maryland

Ouija 7-Eleven

This simple convenience store sits on the location where the Ouija board was named—and has a plaque to prove it.
Baltimore, Maryland

National Museum of Dentistry

George Washington's dentures and Queen Victoria's dental instruments are in the nation’s official museum of the dental profession.
Rockville, Maryland

The Fitzgeralds' Gravesite

The final resting place of the tragic king and queen of the Jazz Age is tucked away in a small Maryland graveyard.
Frederick, Maryland

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

A Civil War Museum with some notable medical antiques.
Oldtown, Maryland

Paw Paw Tunnel

Despite violent work crews and massive delays this abandoned canal tunnel was built to last into the modern day.
Thurmont, Maryland

Lawyer's Farm

This Maryland farm is known for its amazing corn mazes and its 30-foot junkbots.
Silver Spring, Maryland

National Park Seminary

A girls' boarding school inspired by the Chicago World's Fair, once abandoned, now restored to strange and scenic glory.
Baltimore, Maryland

Geppi's Entertainment Museum

Walk through the history of American pop culture.
Fort Meade, Maryland

National Cryptologic Museum

A priceless collection of the Nation's cryptologic history.
Baltimore, Maryland

Site of Edgar Allan Poe's Death

The site where Poe "in great distress, and ... in need of immediate assistance" likely died.
Columbia, Maryland

The Enchanted Forest Pine Tree Maze at Clark's Elioak Farm

A local farm's collection of unusual structures from a now defunct storybook amusement park.