Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
The home of 1.5 million wood letters for printing is still a functioning workshop.
Places janey5220 Wants to Go
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Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Renaissance Book Shop
A wonderfully curated used bookstore in an airport.
Madison, Wisconsin
Elvis Karate Fight Plaque
A stone marker memorializes the spot where the King broke up a street fight with a classic karate stance.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Holler House
The oldest certified bowling alley in the United States is in the basement of this century-old bar.
Middleton, Wisconsin
National Mustard Museum
More than 5,000 contemporary and "historic" mustards from around the world.
Chicago, Illinois
Narwhals at the Field Museum
To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.
Chicago, Illinois
World Artifacts on the Tribune Tower Walls
Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.
Chicago, Illinois
Busy Beaver Button Co.
The world's only known button museum.
Chicago, Illinois
Thorne Miniature Rooms
Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.
Washington, D.C.
George Washington University's River Horse
The hippo that stands on this university campus was once a drunken flea market purchase.
Washington, D.C.
Senate Corncob Capitals
Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.
Washington, D.C.
First Teddy Bear
The story behind this beloved toy—named for Theodore Roosevelt and owned by his grandson—is more complicated than you might guess.
Washington, D.C.
General Sheridan's Horse Rienzi Winchester
This taxidermy horse was a Civil War hero.
Washington, D.C.
Mummified Bison
The 28,000-year-old specimen is remarkably intact.
Washington, D.C.
Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum
Before founding the American Red Cross, Clara Barton had a tremendous humanitarian impact by locating thousands of missing soldiers.
Washington, D.C.
Hall of Fake Presidents
Where you can hail your favorite fictional commanders-in-chief.
Washington, D.C.
Cher Ami
A heroic pigeon that, through a barrage of gunfire, delivered a message that saved over 100 lives in World War I.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument Lightning Rod
The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.
Washington, D.C.
Daguerre Monument
Go take a picture with the inventor of the daguerreotype photographic process.
Washington, D.C.
Jokes Phone
Press 1 for knock-knock jokes.
Washington, D.C.
District of Columbia Center Point
A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.
Washington, D.C.
NIST Newton Apple Tree
A clone of a cloned tree that was so important it allegedly had its own guards.
Washington, D.C.
Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon
The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.
Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Sushi Collection
Seemingly unremarkable items like empty sushi trays, chef hats, and freshness stickers are being preserved so future generations can look back on this beloved cultural import.
