Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Arrow Canyon

Discover Arrow Canyon in Moapa, Nevada: A hidden slot canyon in the southern Nevada desert makes an unexpected oasis and scenic hike.

Office of Collecting and Design

Discover Office of Collecting and Design in Las Vegas, Nevada: Decades' worth of lost and forgotten objects make up the collection of this tantalizingly odd little museum.

Khao Chi Chan

Also known as "Buddha Mountain," this limestone outcrop is decorated with a large laser engraving of the Buddha.

Yorkshire Air Museum

Discover Yorkshire Air Museum in York, England: This aircraft museum is home to one of just three Halifax bombers in the world.

Dun na Cuaiche Watchtower

Discover Dun na Cuaiche Watchtower in Inveraray, Scotland: An 18th-century viewpoint across the surrounding highlands.

Devinska Kobyla Missile Base

Discover Devinska Kobyla Missile Base in Bratislava, Slovakia: A relic of the Cold War tucked away in the forested hills above Bratislava.

Shelby Farms Park

Discover Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee: This park offers a variety of sights and activities including trail rides and buffalo sightings.

Pomník Rudoarmějce

Discover Pomník Rudoarmějce in Kladno, Czechia: This statue of a Red Army Soldier has been moved and changed several times since its creation.

Carrara, Nevada

Though it was named after one of the most famous sources of marble in the world, this town built around a marble quarry would not find the same success.

Historic Huntley Plantation

Discover Historic Huntley Plantation in Alexandria, Virginia: The former home of Thomson Francis Mason, the mayor of Alexandria from 1827-1830.

Giant’s Causeway Pillar

Discover Giant's Causeway Pillar in Charleston, South Carolina: A stack of stones steeped in Irish folklore, much like the hero they're connected to, hide in plain sight.

Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion

Discover Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion in Chevy Chase, Maryland: The headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society is a small slice of heaven for nature lovers.

Captain Joshua L. Chandler’s Grave

Discover Captain Joshua L. Chandler's Grave in Chincoteague, Virginia: The solitary grave of a schooner captain killed by lightning while serving biscuits.

Chatham Passage

Discover Chatham Passage in Indianapolis, Indiana: This multisensory alley has the ability to remind bustling citygoers to stop and smell the roses.

The Awakening II

Discover The Awakening II in Chesterfield, Missouri: A sculpture of a giant man escaping from the depths of the Earth.

Thousand Creek Gorge

Discover Thousand Creek Gorge in Winnemucca, Nevada: A spectacular but little-known slot canyon in extreme northern Nevada, with sheer walls nearly 500 feet high and a perennial stream.

Orheiul Vechi Cave Monastery

Discover Orheiul Vechi Cave Monastery in Butuceny, Moldova: This 13th century Orthodox monastery is built right into the Moldovan cliffside.

Ala Kul Lake

Discover Ala Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan: A stunning blue-green lake located in the Terskey Alatau mountain range.

Oculus Pavilion

Discover Oculus Pavilion in Toronto, Ontario: A space-age 1950s pavilion on a secluded path is full of Toronto history surprises.

Daio Wasabi Farm

Discover Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino, Japan: The largest one of its kind in Japan, this century-old farm produces over 100 tons of wasabi each year.

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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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