Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Terrace Cemetery

Discover Terrace Cemetery in Wendover, Utah: Almost all that remains of a town dedicated to supporting the First Transcontinental Railroad.

R.W. Norton Art Gallery

Discover R.W. Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport, Louisiana: Explore 4,000 years of European and American art history in the heart of northwest Louisiana.

European Walk of Fame

Discover European Walk of Fame in Rotterdam, Netherlands: The European equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame is slowly spreading over the entire city.

Hunter Creek Falls

Discover Hunter Creek Falls in Reno, Nevada: This wilderness hike to a waterfall has an unlikely beginning in suburban Reno.

John C. Campbell Folk School

Discover John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina: Founded in 1925, this folk school attracts students from across the country and preserves traditional Appalachian art.

Cavanal Hill

Discover Cavanal Hill in Poteau, Oklahoma: Known as the "World's Highest Hill.".

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

Discover St. Johnsbury Athenaeum in St. Johnsbury, Vermont: A 150-square-foot masterpiece of American landscape art is the crown jewel of this library and art gallery in Vermont.

Lake Morey Skate Trail

Discover Lake Morey Skate Trail in Fairlee, Vermont: Tracing a path of more than four miles around a frozen lake, this is the longest skate trail in the United States.

Depot 62

Discover Depot 62 in Manchester, Vermont: Pick up a kebab and a credenza at this unique combination furniture store and café.

‘Snowflake’ Bentley Exhibit

Discover 'Snowflake' Bentley Exhibit in Jericho, Vermont: Inside this old mill is a collection of images that will always remain frozen in time.

Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve

Discover Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve in Isle La Motte, Vermont: Journey through various trails to discover a land before time along the Chazy Fossil Reef.

The Cornell Apple Vending Machine

Discover The Cornell Apple Vending Machine in Ithaca, New York: For a buck, students can snag freshly picked apples grown in the university orchards.

Pierotti’s Clowns Monument

Discover Pierotti’s Clowns Monument in Los Alamos, New Mexico: A monument dedicated to a local softball team full of clowns.

Katsuo-ji Temple

Discover Katsuo-ji Temple in Minoo, Japan: Visitors to this temple are greeted by a massive collection of wooden dolls said to bring good fortune.

Li Po Cocktail Lounge

Discover Li Po Cocktail Lounge in San Francisco, California: One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

Menu

i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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