Matthew Bean's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Matthew Bean's activity rankings
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Places visited in Lexington, Virginia
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Places visited in York, Maine
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Places visited in Petersburg, Kentucky
3rd
Places visited in Lititz, Pennsylvania
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Places visited in Portland, Maine
5th
Places visited in Norfolk, Virginia
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Portland, Maine

Umbrella Cover Museum

The world's only and thus largest collection of its kind celebrates everyday wonder through simple umbrella sheaths.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Last Shell Oil Clamshell Station

This bright yellow relic is the final survivor of a short burst of seashell-shaped petrol pumps.
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Monument to a Century of Flight

Down the road from where the Wright brothers lifted off is another flight tribute practically hidden from sight in the woods.
Manteo, North Carolina

The Mother Vine

Perhaps the oldest vine in North America, this sprawling plant helps make a sweet wine.
Manteo, North Carolina

Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island

The lesser-known lost colony of Roanoke was a safe haven for formerly enslaved people during the Civil War.
Homosassa, Florida

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Meet manatees face-to-face at this zoo for native species.
Homosassa, Florida

Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

Ruins of an old sugar mill sitting quietly next to a park in rural Florida.
Homosassa, Florida

Monkey Island of Homosassa

In Florida, these naughty monkeys live on their own mini-monkey Alcatraz.
Cayce, South Carolina

Guignard Brick Works

A handful of beehive kilns are all that’s left of a historic brick-making empire.
Columbia, South Carolina

Ra Obelisk

An old train trestle re-imagined as an Egyptian obelisk.
Columbia, South Carolina

Tunnelvision

This psychedelic tromp l'oeil seems to be beckoning drivers to crash into a wall.
Columbia, South Carolina

Neverbust Chain

This titanic steel chain linking two buildings was installed without permission but instantly beloved.
Columbia, South Carolina

Busted Plug Plaza

The world's largest fire hydrant is supposedly tornado-proof.
Brunswick, Georgia

Brunswick Stew Monument

This monument claims to display the first pot used to cook a famed Southern stew.
Corolla, North Carolina

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Beautiful Gothic-inspired lighthouse stands out among the run-of-the-mill striped fare on Bodies Island.
Poplar Branch, North Carolina

Grave Digger's Dungeon

The Cadillac Ranch for monster truck aficionados.
Manteo, North Carolina

William B. Umstead Bridge

So many migrating birds roost on the bridge, it has a special summer speed limit.
Bedford, Virginia

National D-Day Memorial

This monument is dedicated to those lost on June 6, 1944, in the town with that day’s highest per-capita casualty rate.
Hatteras, North Carolina

Shipwrecked Doritos

The time thousands of bags of chips washed ashore in the Outer Banks is memorialized in a local museum.
Raleigh, North Carolina

Free Expression Tunnel

In a pedestrian tunnel on North Carolina State’s campus resides an expressive and artistic free-for-all.
Raleigh, North Carolina

Pumping Station House

A water pumping station disguised as a residential home to assuage concerned neighbors now tricks most passersby.
Raleigh, North Carolina

Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky

This woodland architectural installation acts as a camera obscura for the heavens.
Raleigh, North Carolina

Bain Waterworks Plant

Art Deco urban decay at this historical building.
Raleigh, North Carolina

Pine State Creamery Butter Churn

A giant cement churn carries the legacy of American resilience, unity, and greed.