The Atlas Obscura Guide To The United States
11,736 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in the United States
Updated June 12, 2025
America is ancient and new, constantly remade and reimagined, and there are unsung, overlooked treasures everywhere, From natural wonders that boggle the mind, to visionary art projects in the middle of nowhere, to historical gems nestled in urban areas, Atlas Obscura can help you plan your next road trip or visit to a city. You might even find something surprising right around the corner.
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Unusual Attractions in United States
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries
The Explorer’s Guide to Road Tripping Around the Great Lakes
While it might not be the first place that comes to mind when asked about bucket-list destinations, northern Michigan is no stranger to visitors. In-the-know “resorters”—as seasonal residents were called at the turn of the last century—have been flocking to this bucolic, rural region to escape the summertime heat of Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, and other Midwestern cities for generations. Part of the allure of any trip “Up North,” as the northern swath of Michigan’s lower peninsula is known, is to retreat to a bygone era long before cell phones and laptops—a time when the lakeside communities that sit near the 45th parallel halfway between the equator and the North Pole where mining for copper or iron, a time when those wealthy resorters arrived by steamship, train, or Model T. Just as those early travelers were escaping the heat, modern visitors deserve to escape hustle, and there is no better place to do so than certain iconic, nostalgia-steeped stops that remain suspended in time. That includes a fifth-generation fishing shanty where you can grab smoked whitefish to take home, the still-operating printing press of a beloved midcentury nature artist, and a lakeside cabin that’s served a Polish immigrant’s family recipes for 100 years.

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Recent United States Activity
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has been to Heritage Farm Museum & Village
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has been to Glade Creek Grist Mill
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wants to go to Edward Bellamy House
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wants to go to Bradbury Building
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wants to go to Coral World Undersea Observatory Tower