‘Bush the old fire dog died of poison July 5th, 1869. RIP.’

The national park was once a plantation estate.

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.

It was once the base for a series of domestic terror attacks.

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”

Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.

Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.

Where the U.S. government kept its actual treasure, before Fort Knox.

The most accurate timepiece in the world.

Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

A 1920s speakeasy that had rum runners racing up and down the shores of California.

A store that sells all manner of bones, insects, and animal curiosities.