lf dean's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Natural Bridge, Virginia

Dinosaur Kingdom II

An alternate history park where the Union Army loses the war... to dinosaurs.
Summerville, Georgia

Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens

This "Plant Farm Museum" is home to the divinely inspired and visionary outsider artwork of Reverend Howard Finster.
Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Rock City

A bizarre roadside attraction and the first instance of miniature golf in the world.
Atlanta, Georgia

Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama

The Battle of Atlanta in 360 degrees, featuring a corpse that bears a striking resemblance to Clark Gable.
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Ruby Falls

The mysterious wonder of an underground waterfall is illuminated by multicolored lights.
Atlanta, Georgia

Oakland Cemetery

Civil War soldiers, captains of industry, and paupers all interred on historic grounds.
Cartersville, Georgia

Etowah Indian Mounds

These ancient ritual mounds are our best window into the culture of the ancient Mississippians.
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel

This historic train station has been converted to a locomotive themed hotel.
Marietta, Georgia

Big Chicken

This abstract roadside poultry was saved from demolition by outraged drivers and pilots.
Fallstown, North Carolina

Lake Norman

A Nessie-like monster supposedly lurks in this lake.
Athens, Georgia

The Tree That Owns Itself

A white oak with property rights.
Athens, Georgia

The Athens Double Barreled Cannon

After just one epic test blast, this literal loose cannon proved too explosive for combat.
Bristol, Virginia

State Street

One street divides a single town that stands in two U.S. states.
Beech Mountain, North Carolina

Land of Oz Theme Park

A former Oz-themed attraction that has fallen into disrepair, but still holds some of the original magic.
Cleveland, Georgia

Babyland General Hospital: Cabbage Patch Kids

A museum and doll store featuring a surreal and super sanitized version of where babies come from.
Helen, Georgia

Nacoochee Mound

This lovely burial mound is actually a replica that was installed after archeologists excavated the original.
Blairsville, Georgia

Brasstown Bald

Georgia's highest point was given its strange name thanks to a simple translation error.
Knoxville, Tennessee

The Sunsphere

Knoxville’s architectural icon was the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair, even catching the googly eye of Bart Simpson.
Travelers Rest, South Carolina

Poinsett Bridge

The oldest bridge in South Carolina may have been designed by the same man who created the Washington Monument.
Lake Lure, North Carolina

Lake Lure

Practice your Dirty Dancing lifts in the manmade lake where Johnny Castle himself did.
Burnsville, North Carolina

Mount Mitchell

The highest point in North Carolina and the United States east of the Mississippi River, Mount Mitchell is named after argumentative explorer Elisha Mitchell.
Swannanoa, North Carolina

The Old Farmers' Ball

Traditional Appalachian dances such as the Georgia Rang Tang and the Shoo-Fly Swing are kept alive at this weekly event.
Sevierville, Tennessee

Forbidden Caverns

Wild lights and sound effects turn a walk through some caves into an eye-popping 1960s tourist attraction.
Bryson City, North Carolina

The Road to Nowhere

This road in the Great Smoky Mountains was supposed to assuage a displaced community, but ended up a $52 million dead end.