Washington, D.C.
U.S. Naval Observatory Library
A hoard of sky catalogs, astrophysical journals, even the works of Galileo and Copernicus.
Places Laura Andersen Wants to Go
1707
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Washington, D.C.
Mount Zion Cemetery's Underground Railroad Shelter
People escaping slavery may have hidden inside a corpse vault.
Washington, D.C.
FDR's Swimming Pool
There's an old indoor swimming pool hidden directly underneath the White House Press Briefing Room.
Washington, D.C.
Maine Avenue Fish Market
The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Tile Room
In the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building is a hidden storage room full of ornate floor tiles leftover from the 1850s.
Washington, D.C.
Secret Entrance to the White House
The winding route passes through an enclosed alleyway, two tunnels, and leads to the White House basement.
Washington, D.C.
Water Gate at the Watergate Complex
Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Building Tunnel System
Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.
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.
Congressional Cemetery
The privately owned cemetery that holds room for Washington's finest when they step down from life.
Washington, D.C.
Albert Einstein Bronze Statue
The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.
Washington, D.C.
D.C.'s Underground Bald Cypress Fossils
Four bald cypress trees in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, mark the southern edge of a 100,000 year old cypress swamp.
Washington, D.C.
Inside the Capitol Dome
The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.
Washington, D.C.
Titanic Memorial
This lonely waterfront memorial to the men of the Titanic was erected by the "Women of America."
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.
Lincoln Memorial Undercroft
A cavernous three-story, 43,800-square-foot basement that was forgotten about for 60 years.
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.
Washington, D.C.
Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins
A derelict bit of transportation infrastructure hidden in the woods.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Mini Monument
There's a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole nearby.
Cass, West Virginia
Cass Scenic Railroad
Take a steam-powered ride straight out of the past on this Appalachian rail line.
Warm Springs, Virginia
Warm Springs Pools
Bubbling up from deep underground is the warm crystal clear water that fills the Warm Springs Pools, America's oldest spa.
Permanently Closed
Alderson, West Virginia
Alderson Academy
This abandoned school has had many lives since the early 1900s, and all of them doomed.
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Congressional Fallout Shelter at the Greenbrier Resort
America's post-nuclear-attack chambers of Congress.
Rockville, Maryland
The Fitzgeralds' Gravesite
The final resting place of the tragic king and queen of the Jazz Age is tucked away in a small Maryland graveyard.
