thisisrachelsmith's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Leaderboard Highlights
thisisrachelsmith's activity rankings
1st
Places visited in Vanuatu
Loading map...
Stonehaven, Scotland

Stonehaven Fireball Ceremony

This brilliant display of whirling fireballs celebrates Hogmanay.
Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Burn O'Vat

A glacial pothole was once a hideout for a notorious Scottish outlaw.
Stonehaven, Scotland

Dunnottar Castle

The ruins of this gorgeous clifftop castle look like something from a fantasy novel.
Aberdeenshire, Scotland

New Slains Castle Ruins

The remains of a grand castle that may have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.
London, England

William Blake's Home

The townhouse where the English poet created some of his most influential work has been preserved in tribute.
Zurich, Switzerland

Cabaret Voltaire: the Dada House

One hundred years ago this small house in downtown Zürich became the birthplace of the Dada movement.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Library of Mistakes

A library where thousands of books explain how to avoid another Great Recession.
Leipzig, Germany

Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations)

This incredible stone temple is a monument to death, victory, and fantasy architecture.
Leipzig, Germany

Museum in der "Runden Ecke"

This small exhibition displays equipment and artifacts once belonging to the feared Stasi secret police.
Berlin, Germany

David Hasselhoff Museum

What started as a tongue-in-cheek shrine is now a full-blown museum celebrating "The Hoff" and his longtime love affair with Berlin.
Berlin, Germany

The DDR Museum

A fascinating insight into daily life in the Eastern Bloc.
Berlin, Germany

Pergamon Museum

The most visited, and possibly most controversial, museum in Germany.
London, England

Meeksville Sound Plaque

The home studio one of Britain's first independent record producers is also the site of a murder-suicide.
Prospect Hill, North Carolina

Shangri-La Stone Village

A retired tobacco farmer's pet project turned into a sturdy miniature city.
Los Angeles, California

Velveteria

The art and history of the velvet painting are on full display in this Los Angeles museum.
Oakland, California

Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.
Oakland, California

Chapel of the Chimes

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.
Oakland, California

Lake Merritt's Bonsai Garden

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.
Oakland, California

Children's Fairyland

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.
Oakland, California

Ratto's Market & Deli

International delicatessen has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 110 years.
Oakland, California

Phap Duyen Tu: The Buddha Shrine of Oakland

A hardware store Buddha statue installed to deter vandalism wound up attracting Vietnamese immigrants who came to pray.
San Francisco, California

Rincon Center Murals

These WWII-era murals were initially booed as a libelous portrayal of the American dream but have survived multiple attempts to have them destroyed.
San Francisco, California

Peephole Cinema

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Storyville

Storyville was New Orleans' historic red light district and hotbed of jazz music, sometimes referred to simply as "The District."