Permanently Closed
Staunton, Virginia
Abandoned DeJarnette Sanitarium
A former mental hospital founded in the 1930s by a eugenicist who advocated for the forced sterilization of patients.
Places iandeppmann Wants to Go
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Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Basilica
The design of this historic domed church was influenced by Thomas Jefferson and intended as a statement of religious freedom.
Bethesda, Maryland
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
FDR's Art Deco hospital tower was hopelessly inefficient.
Silver Spring, Maryland
National Museum of Health and Medicine
An astounding collection of medical specimens, including bits of President Lincoln.
Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryland
Cedar Hill Cemetery
A historic cemetery filled with quirky faux wood art and unique tombstones.
Bethesda, Maryland
Madonna of the Trail
She stares out across six lanes of traffic, clutching a musket and infant with determination.
Hyattsville, Maryland
Vanadu Art House
An intricately designed junk art house with four extravagant junk art cars hidden in the suburbs.
Colmar Manor, Maryland
Bladensburg Dueling Grounds
Politicians, bureaucrats, and military officers gathered in this field near the Capitol to settle their disputes with blood.
Takoma Park, Maryland
Herlong the Carved Dragon
A benevolent, 16-foot-tall river dragon lives on a suburban lawn.
Takoma Park, Maryland
Roscoe the Rooster
The rooster who crossed the road lives on forever in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower
Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.
Washington, D.C.
The Big Chair
A super-sized promotional trick that is now a D.C. landmark.
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.
Washington, D.C.
East Potomac Park Mini Golf
The country's oldest continually-operated mini golf course lies hidden in plain sight, eclipsed by one of D.C.'s most popular tourist attractions.
Arlington, Virginia
Pentagon Cable Crossing Sign
Please don’t anchor your boat onto the Department of Defense’s underwater data cables.
Washington, D.C.
Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel
A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.
Washington, D.C.
Bootlegging Room in the Cannon House Office Building
During Prohibition, the U.S. Congress had an "official" bootlegger, with his own Capitol Hill office.
Washington, D.C.
The Highest Court In the Land
There just so happens to be a court even higher than the U.S Supreme Court: a basketball court in the building itself.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Bollards
The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument
Housing the National Women's Party since 1929, this historic house is now a monument to the fight for gender equality.
Washington, D.C.
Rayburn House Office Building
One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."
Washington, D.C.
Legislative Bell System
An ear-piercing buzzer calls lawmakers to a vote with a series of long and short rings to form coded messages.
Washington, D.C.
Inside the Capitol Dome
The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.
