The world's oldest soul food restaurant is also one of its best.

An Industrial Revolution-era public work that purified water using nothing but sand.

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.

One of the dwarven trees dates back to 1625 and survived the Hiroshima bombing.

Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.

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

A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.

The headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society is a small slice of heaven for nature lovers.

Live data is transmitted from the Atlantic coast to instantly recreate the ocean waves in this fountain at the NOAA headquarters.

An intricately designed junk art house with four extravagant junk art cars hidden in the suburbs.

A total of 14 men held the title of "president" before George Washington—their historical legacies are enshrined in the lobby of a hotel.

Walk a trail through a historic Quaker town that outlawed slavery in 1777 and was a major waypoint on the Underground Railroad.

The Forest Service's surprisingly sophisticated collection of wildfire prevention art features America's most beloved bear.

A haunting exhibit in a wildlife refuge center highlights threatened species and the conservation efforts needed to save them.

This dig site outside D.C. is known for its exceptionally high density of baby dinosaur fossils and dinosaur eggs.

This lovely tree was a thank you gift from the man known as "Public Enemy No.1."

An eerie, abandoned military base engulfed by nature and graffiti is now home to a local park.

Crammed into a Baltimore row house is an oddities shop that sells everything from skulls to dead insects.

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

Once part of a dam servicing an early 19th century grist mill, the tucked-way falls are a tricky-to-find urban oasis.

A museum dedicated to exhibiting remarkable outsider art.

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

An ever-growing collection of rare and strange objects owned by local Arkansas illusionist Maxwell Blade.

Kentucky's anomalous peninsula projecting into the Mississippi River, site of legendary earthquakes and local feuds.