Michelle Cassidy's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Logan, Ohio

Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum

It took more than 20 years and a sharp eye for one man to assemble this quirky collection.
Singapore

Little Guilin

A disused quarry turned lake in the middle of a residential district.
Washington, D.C.

The National Gallery's Art Materials Collection

The institution is sitting on a goldmine of 21,000 paints, varnishes, pigments, and primers preserved for posterity.
Osaka, Japan

Gakutensoku

Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.
Koganei, Japan

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.
Wendover, Utah

Bonneville Salt Flats / Bonneville Speedway

Come for the speed, leave in love with the desert.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Carmelite Monastery

For almost 100 years, this site of peace and spirituality has existed on the California coast.
Turkey

Yanartaş

Flames have been burning within this mountain for more than 2,500 years.
Clinton, Tennessee

Asa Jackson’s Perpetual Motion Machine

This improbable contraption was passed down through five generations of industrious Tennesseans.
Inuyama, Japan

Momotaro Shrine

A kitsch shrine dedicated to the ogre-slaying folktale hero born from a peach.
Nikko, Japan

'Nemuri-Neko' ('The Sleeping Cat')

Is this cat asleep or just pretending?
Livorno, Italy

Meloria Tower

A strange-looking 18th-century tower sits on a tiny islet just off Livorno.
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Kennedy Biscuit Lofts

Whimsical cookie-themed plaques mark the birthplace of the Fig Newton.
Balladonia, Australia

BallaGNOMEia

Gnomes have taken over a rest stop on Australia's longest straight road.
Iwakuni, Japan

Iwakuni Shirohebi Shrine

A shrine dedicated to the sacred white snakes of Iwakuni, whose albinism has been passed down for generations.
Hormuz, Iran

Hormuz Island

The colorful soil of Iran’s "Rainbow Island" attracts artists and nature lovers.
Larnaca, Cyprus

Salt & Pepper Museum

More than 20,000 salt and pepper shakers from across the globe call this museum home.
Leiden, Netherlands

'Zhdun' (Homunculus Loxodontus)

This Dutch art piece became a Russian icon.
Hendersonville, North Carolina

Apple Valley Model Railroad Club

Inside this old train depot resides a multi-line model train covering western North Carolina.
Tokyo, Japan

Harukor

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.
Ercolano, Italy

Herculaneum

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.
Puerto Río Tranquilo, Chile

Marble Caves of Chile Chico

Mother Nature outdoes herself with this stunningly beautiful set of caves carved into marble.
Tokyo, Japan

Pigment

Every color in the rainbow awaits.
Skibbereen, Ireland

Irish Sky Garden

This floating garden in the sky is straight out of a fairy tale, but the real thing is nothing short of magical.