Lake Chelan invites superlatives. It is extraordinarily narrow: it extends over 50 miles into the heart of the Cascade Range, but averages only a bit more than a mile wide. It is the deepest lake in Washington (and the third-deepest in the United States) at 1,486 feet, behind onl … | Continue reading
Seven hundred feet above the banks of the Colorado River, hikers can find what looks like a collection of square windows cut into the sandstone. The carvings were made around the year 1100 by the Ancestral Puebloan people. The cutouts served as grain storage facilities that were … | Continue reading
This article is adapted from the October 26, 2024, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. Throughout my 20s, I hosted an annual birthday costume party with a different theme each year. The theme for my 21st was, of course, alcohol: I glued c … | Continue reading
Founded in 1216, St. Olave’s Priory was dedicated to St. Olav, the patron saint of Norway, which is unusual for religious sites in England. The priory was established by a local nobleman named Roger Fitz-Osbert to create a community for Augustinian Canons, who focused on both wor … | Continue reading
Situated between the cities of Liège and Brussels sits Omal, a small Hesbaye village which is intersected by the Roman road Boulogne-Bavay-Cologne. Driving along the street, it is nearly impossible to miss the burial mounds, called tumuli, on either side. The collection is referr … | Continue reading
In 1987-1988, an archaeological dig was undertaken at the Tomizawa site in Sendai as a preliminary inspection for the construction of an elementary school. It had been long known as the site of a prehistoric settlement, but no one expected to find what was buried underneath: a fo … | Continue reading
Among London’s oldest statues, the origins of some are very well known, such as the statue of Queen Elizabeth I outside St. Duncan-in-the-West on Fleet Street, while the origins of others are unclear, such as the lower half of the statue of Alfred the Great in Southwark. The stat … | Continue reading
One of the most iconic moments in Brian De Palma’s 1976 movie Carrie comes right before the credits roll. By now the titular Carrie is dead, having massacred her high school bullies, stabbed her abusive mother, and destroyed her family home with herself inside. After the dust set … | Continue reading
This story was originally published on The Conversation. It appears here under a Creative Commons license. There’s one question I get every time I give a talk. I’m a curator of political history at the Smithsonian Institution, and when I discuss the deep history of political divi … | Continue reading
In countless tales of terror and other stories we tell to scare ourselves, ghosts usually haunt abandoned buildings or float through cemeteries—but why wouldn't they linger in everyday places too? From a post office to a margarita bar, spirits don't discriminate what they populat … | Continue reading
When fall arrives in South Korea, it brings with it not just fiery reds and russets on tree leaves, but also carpets of an unusual pink grass known as muhly. The delicate flowers of this hardy plant bloom in fluffy clumps when the weather begins cool, giving the grass its famed p … | Continue reading
The remote gorge of Kokkala dates as far back as the Jurassic era. Located in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan, this landscape is the result of shifting tectonic plates, which hoisted layers of colorful limestone and clay sediments out into the open. The result was a prehistori … | Continue reading
The ghost town of Pentidattilo sits on the southern end of Calabria, at the edge of the Aspromonte Mountains. It was first settled back in the seventh century BC, and built underneath a big hand-shaped rock—the name derives from the Greek words penta and daktylos, or "five finger … | Continue reading
Standing at 6.85 meters high, this menhir, or "standing stone," is the largest of its kind in Central Europe. The sandstone monolith is thought to date back at least 4,000 years, placing it around the end of the Neolithic period. Although the exact origins are murky, it is believ … | Continue reading
Occupying a swathe of desert that was an ancient ocean floor over 400 million years ago, the Aktau Mountains in Kazakhstan's Altyn Emel National Park were ravaged by millennia of tectonic shifts and battering from the elements. What remains are silver flat-topped mountains shaded … | Continue reading
This ancient limestone canyon in Kazakhstan's Mangystau region has features that evoke imaginative comparisons, from porous white chocolate to a bleached coral reef. The canyon walls are etched with lattice rock in a honeycomb symmetry, the texture like a bare skeleton in places … | Continue reading
Raised from the ashes where the classic comic book store Gibiteria once stood, Loja Monstra opened in 2018 and offers a wide range of comics, from weird independent comics to the most classical and famous ones. This place is not only a shop but also a meeting point where every on … | Continue reading
Completed in 1971, Iglesia El Rosario is considered one of the finest examples of modern architecture in El Salvador. Sculptor Rubén Martínez created the plans for this radically avant-garde cathedral in just six days. The structure, which abandons many of the traditional hallmar … | Continue reading
Carved into a hillside from a single white chalk slab, the underground mosque of Shakpak Ata is a century-spanning collaboration across religions. It sits inside of a cave that would look at home on the moon. The porous cream-white cave bears the marks of its inhabitants, each gr … | Continue reading
Amongst the chambers, halls, and squares of Lincoln’s Inn, amidst the beauty and bustle of London's legal district, stands the diminutive Ostler's Hut. This unassuming cabin, built in 1860, is the remnant of an essential employment of a bygone era. Lincoln's Inn is one of London’ … | Continue reading
Originally constructed in the 11th century, the chapel is dedicated to St Helen, who is traditionally believed to be the mother of Constantine the Great and credited with finding the True Cross. This ancient building has served various purposes over the centuries, including a cha … | Continue reading
“Cemeteries are full of life,” says biologist Anne Pringle as she walks through the Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s a bright, early October day and sunlight filters through the still-green leaves, catching strands of spider silk spun over tombstone crosses. Speck … | Continue reading
Known for its unusual keyhole-shaped entry, the Keyhole House—Nyckelhålshuset in Swedish—is an Art Nouveau residential building in Gothenburg. However, what truly makes it stand out is not just the entrance, but the intriguing sign beside it, which reads: "This house is haunted b … | Continue reading
Beautiful gardens in a spectacularly scenic setting decorated with multiple sculptures ranging from tiny to huge by the renowned South African sculptor Dylan Lewis. The gardens are designed to show off the masterful sculptures against a backdrop of the surrounding valley and loom … | Continue reading
The Abecadło antique shop is located in the place of the former Guardian Angel pharmacy, at 18 Kościuszki Street in Krakow. Its unique interior is made up of antique pharmacy furniture dating back to 1899, which the owners managed to save and restore. After the pharmacy closed in … | Continue reading
In Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, three streets with the same names intersect, resulting in a unique and perhaps confusing street sign. All streets have the same primary name of "Bellevue." Bellevue Avenue E. is the primary street, but short segments diverge from the main s … | Continue reading
Want to step back in time to the early 1900s? The Purcell-Cutts House in Minneapolis is a great example of Prairie School architecture. That means it was designed to blend in with nature–think of long, low lines and tons of windows letting in natural light. The house was designed … | Continue reading
Located in Portland, Maine, the Museum of Beadwork is the only institution that focuses on the cultural and artistic significance of beadwork in art and adornment through breathtaking exhibits, hands-on classes and workshops, and other community-building programs. Since opening i … | Continue reading
In the heart of downtown Springfield, a large maple tree sprouts from an unexpected place—a payphone booth. This surreal and striking visual, part of Mike Salisbury’s Call NOW! installation, playfully merges nature with technology, creating a thought-provoking public artwork. Ado … | Continue reading
The main building at the Clark County Museum in Henderson, Nevada, contains a nice but typical set of displays of the flora and fauna of the area as well as items related to the county's history, including vintage slot machines and other gambling machines. However, the displays i … | Continue reading
On October 5, 1931, Clyde Pangborn and his co-pilot Hugh Herndon made aviation history when they skidded their plane to a stop on a hill overlooking the town of Wenatchee, Washington. They had taken off 41 hours and 34 minutes earlier and flown 5,558 miles from Japan, completing … | Continue reading
While you may not have visited the Gullah Geechee of South Carolina, you’ve surely experienced them. If you’ve ever eaten gumbo, sang “kumbaya,” or sat on a front porch painted blue, you are living Gullah legacy and carrying on African traditions that survived the unlikeliest of … | Continue reading
Perched in the foothills of the Sierra Madre, a day's drive northeast of Mexico City, the village of Chicontepec keeps the lore of a Mesoamerican monster alive. Details of this ancient creature are shared only in hushed whispers, in stories told behind closed doors—doors that are … | Continue reading
Olavinlinna, or St. Olaf’s Castle, is a 15th-century fortress in southeastern Finland. It stands on an island in a strait that connects two major lakes. Built by Swedes in 1475 close to the contemporary border with Russia, the castle played a strategic role. Initially a small for … | Continue reading
Unveiled in 2017, this sculpture by Irishman Ronan Gillespie also pays tribute to the 2,000 children who were sent to Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) between 1803 and 1853. Some 76,000 convicts were sent to Tasmania overall, and the practice was only formally abolished in 1868. … | Continue reading
Nestled on a grassy area between Eindhoven's main train station and the Eindhoven University of Technology, a bowling ball appears to knock a strike on bowling pins. This 8.5-meter-tall sculpture is made of fiberglass and plastic and is the result of a proposal from the city to w … | Continue reading
The Sandia Mountains of the Sangre de Cristo range are home to many trees, well adapted to the high desert environment. Rocky mountain bristlecones, ponderosas, and piñon pines can survive for centuries on these slopes. To demonstrate the scale of their longevity, a person or per … | Continue reading
I came to Salem on a witch hunt. Obviously not the kind of witch hunt that made Salem infamous. That 1692 episode of mass hysteria sentenced 20 innocent Puritans to death, almost entirely women, in an American chapter so wrong it literally birthed the phrase “witch hunt.” My visi … | Continue reading
Pick your player and experience Los Angeles like never before. Follow locals who know the scene best—ride the waves with surfer J.D. Stroud, explore LA’s film heritage with critic Katie Walsh, and taste the city’s culinary magic with food writer Khushbu Shah. Whether you’re catch … | Continue reading
With its cheery yellow exterior and distinct slopping roofs, the Swedish Pavilion is architect Ferdinand Boberg's only international exposition building still standing. It is also the only example of this distinct architectural style in the United States. The building boasts the … | Continue reading
Hidden in Guelph's Royal City Park, Garbasaurus is a six-foot-tall sculpture made entirely from garbage, commemorating the Ontario Public Interest Research Group’s (OPIRG) Speed River Cleanup. Created in 1999 by artist Greg Elliott, the statue weighs 647 pounds—the same amount of … | Continue reading
In the heart of Winchester, a city steeped in history, an unexpected treasure trove awaits visitors within the public toilets on Market Lane. Here, a unique mini museum has been curated by Winchester Museums, making visitors privy to the city's sanitation and hygiene history. The … | Continue reading
Once upon a time, over a thousand years ago, a Buddhist monk named Yūkei was traveling across the Adachi-ga-hara plain when he sought a lodging for the night and found a cavern occupied by an old woman. She agreed to accommodate him on condition that he does not look inside the c … | Continue reading
In 2023, the unique art project Multiplera Skåne brought 28 life-sized, 3D-printed clay figures to a forest clearing in Sweden's Hörby municipality. Digitally modeled from the body shapes of young people aged eight to 13, the sculptures now stand permanently in the landscape, sur … | Continue reading
Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, Yotsuya Kaidan is a bone-chilling tale of betrayal, murder, and ghostly revenge, set in the Yotsuya district in present-day Shinjuku City, Tokyo. It has been adapted into countless theater plays, novels, films, and televi … | Continue reading
Quite a few of London’s buildings seem relatively ordinary from the outside but are actually quite extraordinary on the inside—London Scottish House is one such building. The exterior makes the London Scottish House look like an average office building, but the interior features … | Continue reading
The city of Lyon dedicated a monument to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to celebrate his legacy as both a pioneering aviator and a beloved writer. Born in Lyon in 1900, Saint-Exupéry became internationally famous for his works, particularly The Little Prince. The monument also commemor … | Continue reading
An elusive beast is said to lurk in Pennsylvania’s hemlock forests. It supposedly slinks between the shadows on moonlit nights, wary of water where it might see its own reflection. With ill-fitting skin covered in moles and warts, it’s among the most hideous of creatures ever to … | Continue reading