melanieshires's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Chedglow, England

Colin's Barn

Colin Stokes "got a bit carried away" and built a castle that looks like something out of Tolkien.
Tokyo, Japan

Asakusa Underground Street

Stuck in a bygone era, the oldest subterranean shopping street in Japan hides beneath the popular Asakusa district of Tokyo.
Godalming, England

Witley Wonder Underwater Ballroom

The hidden "ballroom" under a mansion lake was built by a criminal who ate a cyanide pill during his trial.
Cincinnati, Ohio

The Cincinnati Mushroom House

What is it about mushrooms that makes people wish they lived inside of them?
Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Thorncrown Chapel

This futuristically sylvan church is a glass-enclosed marvel of modern architecture.
Shamrock, Texas

U-Drop Inn

Once in disrepair, this popular Texas stop along iconic Route 66 has been restored to its past glory.
Bedford, Pennsylvania

Dunkle's Gulf Service

This Art Deco service station has been providing tune-ups and turning heads for close to a century.
Dallas, Texas

Good Luck Gas Station

One of the last Art Deco gas station still standing in Dallas.
Zillah, Washington

Teapot Dome Service Station

Perhaps the world's only gas station inspired by a political scandal.
Los Angeles, California

Helios House

First LEED-certified gas station in the United States.
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.
Cloquet, Minnesota

Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station

The famed architect designed this Minnesota gas station of the future with a lookout tower.
Hanksville, Utah

Hollow Mountain

At this gas station in the middle of the desert, a convenience store has been carved directly into the rock.
Beverly Hills, California

Union 76 Gas Station

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.
Budapest, Hungary

Prince of Buda and Princess of Pest Statue

On Gellért Hill, this statue depicts the tragic tale of lovers divided by the Danube.
Taipei City, Taiwan

Tuned Mass Damper of Taipei 101

Enormous pendulum helps keep Taiwan's tallest building from swaying.
Manistique, Michigan

Kitch-iti-kipi

This freshwater spring fills with 10,000 gallons of water per minute.
Bari, Italy

Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari

A dead saint, a deadly poison, and a mysterious holy ooze.
Otsuchi, Japan

Wind Telephone

A disconnected rotary phone for "calling" lost loved ones offered a unique way of dealing with grief in disaster-stricken Japan.
Mexico City, Mexico

La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

An island filled with hundreds of hanging, decomposing, decapitated dolls.
Hayakawa, Japan

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Dolly Parton’s Dream Box and Final Song

This chestnut box will not be opened until the country music legend's 100th birthday in 2046.
Belize

Great Blue Hole

A massive underwater sinkhole made famous by Jacques Cousteau.
Bastrop, Texas

The Gas Station

The pit stop from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" now serves beef and pork barbecue, not people.