samlafrance's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Florence, Oregon

Darlingtonia State Natural Site

The park preserves a single, rare species of carnivorous plant that spells doom for unsuspecting insects.
Portland, Oregon

Hippo Hardware

No two pieces are exactly the same at Portland's hippo-themed hardware store.
Madras, Oregon

Erickson Aircraft Collection

An old World War II hangar holds 20 vintage aircraft and the rare opportunity to take a ride in a 1940s warbird.
Elsie, Oregon

Camp 18 Restaurant

A logging-themed roadside restaurant surrounded by museum-quality machinery and artifacts from the industry's heyday.
Jacksonville, Oregon

The Bigfoot Trap

Sasqu(w)atch out!
Pendleton, Oregon

Tamástslikt Cultural Institute

The only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail, run by the peoples who have lived on the land for generations.
Eugene, Oregon

Cascades Raptor Center

This nature center has one of the largest collections of native raptors in the Pacific Northwest.
Arlington, Virginia

Reagan National Airport Bird Cannon

The system of air guns are fired off remotely to scare any trespassing avians.
The Dalles, Oregon

Fire Museum in City Hall

A small, fascinating fire museum hidden in plain sight in an administrative building.
Sacramento, California

Samson Luggage Sculpture

Pillars made of 700 pieces of luggage climb to the ceiling of Sacramento Airport's baggage claim.
New York, New York

The Ziegfeld Head

The front yard of an Upper East Side town house hides the last fragment of one of New York's most famous theatres.
Hřensko, Czechia

Pravčická brána (Pravčice Gate)

Europe's largest natural bridge has a 19th century royal chateau built into its side.
Sisters, Oregon

Lost Lake

This lake in the Cascades lives up to its name, disappearing down a hole every spring.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Mai-Kai Restaurant

When you can't get to the Pacific, just go to Florida.
Tampa, Florida

Parque Amigos de Jose Marti

A tiny, unassuming park in Tampa that belongs to the Republic of Cuba.
Bryson City, North Carolina

The Road to Nowhere

This road in the Great Smoky Mountains was supposed to assuage a displaced community, but ended up a $52 million dead end.
Chicago, Illinois

Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co.

This shop for all your super spy needs hides an educational secret.
Washoe County, Nevada

Bonsai Rock, Lake Tahoe

Eastern zen meets Western grit in these four little trees growing out of a rock on Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shore.
Virginia City, Nevada

Ponderosa Saloon

Beneath a Virginia City bar is the entrance to an abandoned gold mine.
Santa Fe, New Mexico

House of Eternal Return

An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym.
Rhododendron, Oregon

Silent Rock

According to legend, you must remain completely silent while passing this man-made mound or suffer the consequences.
Cleveland, Ohio

A Christmas Story House and Museum

The home made famous by the 1983 holiday classic is now a perfectly preserved shrine to the movie.
Goldfield, Nevada

Goldfield Hotel

This once bustling boomtown hotel is now the hottest spot in Nevada for ghost hunters.
Nashville, Tennessee

Hatch Show Print

At 135 years old and counting, this historic print shop is heaven for poster nerds and music buffs.