maryfran's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Batavia, Illinois
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Nara, Japan

Buddha's Nostril

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.
Kyoto, Japan

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

The 10,000 Torii shrine.
Nara, Japan

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.
Mitaka, Japan

Ghibli Museum

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.
Tokyo, Japan

Sanrio Puroland

If Hello Kitty were Mickey Mouse, this would be Disneyland.
Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Tijuana, Mexico

El Foro Antiguo Palacio Jai Alai

Tijuana's legendary jai alai or "basque ball" palace is now a massive music venue.
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's final works was this UFO church.
Rockford, Illinois

Anderson Japanese Gardens

This lush 12-acre site was once named the finest Japanese garden in North America.
Wadsworth, Illinois

Onan's Gold Pyramid House

A six-story-tall golden pyramid, surrounded by a moat.
Oak Brook, Illinois

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art

Museum dedicated to the art of cutting and polishing stones.
Chicago, Illinois

Balbo Monument

How did a 2,000-year-old Roman column find its way to a Chicago park?
Chicago, Illinois

Beginning (and End) of Historic Route 66

A journey begins with a single step, and for many, the road-trip of a lifetime started at this Chicago intersection.
Washington, D.C.

National Capitol Columns

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.
Washington, D.C.

National Bonsai Museum

One of the dwarven trees dates back to 1625 and survived the Hiroshima bombing.
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

The Baker House

This lakefront cottage was crafted in the 1800s and was once a sanitorium.
Columbus, Ohio

The Topiary Park

Georges Seurat’s pointillist masterpiece has been recreated in Ohio in topiary form.
Honolulu, Hawaii

The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu

On Waikīkī Beach, a monument to four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirits who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawai'i.
Honolulu, Hawaii

Koko Crater Trail

Climbing this abandoned railway leads to breathtaking vistas of O‘ahu.
Derby, New York

Graycliff House

This Frank Lloyd Wright summer house was designed along Lake Erie as a retreat for a client's wife.
Buffalo, New York

The Darwin D. Martin House

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest—and favorite—architectural masterpieces was almost lost.
Buffalo, New York

Blocher Memorial

An elaborate memorial to a man local legend says died of a broken heart.
Buffalo, New York

Blue Sky Mausoleum

This unique crypt designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his longtime friend was not completed in either man's lifetime.
Toronto, Ontario

The Guild Inn Estate

The remains of a once-famous hotel that also acted as an artist colony.