Washington, D.C.
Peirce Mill Spy Station
Cold War intelligence agents monitored communist embassies from an attic in a former pigeon coop.
Places calicobearcat Wants to Go
183
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Washington, D.C.
Ruins of the McMillan Sand Filtration Site at Reservoir Park
An Industrial Revolution-era public work that purified water using nothing but sand.
Washington, D.C.
Rockefeller Mansion in Rock Creek Park
This leafy estate is worth $18 million and is so grand it has two mailing addresses.
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Nike Missile Site W-92
Three abandoned missile silos are hiding in plain sight behind a suburban development in Maryland.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
United Brick Corporation Ruins
Once the supplier for noteworthy projects like the National Cathedral, this old brickworks now lies abandoned.
Washington, D.C.
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.
Washington, D.C.
Mary's Garden
An overlooked oasis of quiet on the grounds of Washington's monumental basilica.
Washington, D.C.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Largest Roman Catholic church in North America.
Washington, D.C.
The Capitol Stones
Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.
Washington, D.C.
Fort DeRussy
A Civil War fort in the middle of Washington, D.C. has been swallowed by a forest.
Washington, D.C.
Catacombs of Washington, D.C.
Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.
Colmar Manor, Maryland
Bladensburg Dueling Grounds
Politicians, bureaucrats, and military officers gathered in this field near the Capitol to settle their disputes with blood.
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Into the Woods
The wooded estate of the Forest Service employee responsible for D.C.’s cherry blossom trees.
Kensington, Maryland
Washington, D.C. Temple
The tallest The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in the world soars above the Beltway.
Silver Spring, Maryland
National Museum of Health and Medicine
An astounding collection of medical specimens, including bits of President Lincoln.
Silver Spring, Maryland
National Park Seminary
A girls' boarding school inspired by the Chicago World's Fair, once abandoned, now restored to strange and scenic glory.
Permanently Closed
Rockville, Maryland
Museum of Outdated Technology
The shelves in the back of this thrift store are devoted to saving, not selling, retro tech.
Bowie, Maryland
National Capital Radio & Television Museum
The development and impact of electronic media showcased in a picturesque farmhouse in Maryland.
Silver Spring, Maryland
Wheaton Station Escalator
The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere takes over three minutes to ride down.
Glenn Dale, Maryland
Glenn Dale Hospital
An FDR-era tuberculosis sanatorium has stood abandoned in the suburbs of the U.S. capital for over 30 years.
Greenbelt, Maryland
Greenbelt Historic District
A relic of FDR's brief foray into utopian urban planning.
Beltsville, Maryland
Smokey Bear Archive
The Forest Service's surprisingly sophisticated collection of wildfire prevention art features America's most beloved bear.
Ashton-Sandy Spring, Maryland
Underground Railroad Experience Trail
Walk a trail through a historic Quaker town that outlawed slavery in 1777 and was a major waypoint on the Underground Railroad.
Permanently Closed
Crownsville, Maryland
Crownsville Hospital Center
This former asylum for Black Americans is haunted by its history of violence and racism.
