Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Synchronous Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains
For two weeks every June, fireflies in the Smoky Mountains perform an astonishing light show.
Places meltingknight Wants to Go
10984
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Townsend, Tennessee
Tuckaleechee Caverns
Mile-long cave system near Great Smoky Mountains.
Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
Sliding Rock
Who needs fancy modern water slides when this giant North Carolina rock works just as well?
Hendersonville, North Carolina
Blue Ghost Fireflies
These eerie outliers of the lightning bug family glow a mysterious blue color.
Sylva, North Carolina
The Fugitive Train Wreck
The remains of the iconic train crash from the movie 'The Fugitive' can still be found rusting along the Great Smoky Railroad.
Bryson City, North Carolina
Kuwohi
This high point in the Great Smoky Mountains is said to be home to the chief of all bears.
Asheville, North Carolina
The Grove Park Inn
The U.S. Supreme Court's secret Cold War relocation facility in the mountains of North Carolina.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Joel Lane House Museum
Eighteenth century house of the mysterious "Father of Raleigh."
Raleigh, North Carolina
Pumping Station House
A water pumping station disguised as a residential home to assuage concerned neighbors now tricks most passersby.
Washington, D.C.
Fireworks Safety Zone on the National Mall
On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.
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.
Federal Reserve Tennis Court
The only tennis court that falls under the jurisdiction of the central bank.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument Marble Stripe
Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Stock Exchange Building
D.C. once had its own tiny rival to the New York Stock Exchange.
Washington, D.C.
Missing Capitol Building Cornerstone
A promising candidate for the lost rock laid by George Washington was unearthed, but the hunt is still on.
Washington, D.C.
Hinckley Hilton President's Walk
A hidden passageway now marks the site of an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan that some say broke a 140-year-old curse.
Washington, D.C.
The Lockkeeper's House
A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
Washington, D.C.
Inaugural Parade Center Line
A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.
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.
The Blessing of the Fleets Ceremony
The fountains of the U.S. Navy Memorial are annually salted with water from the Seven Seas as part of a nautical ritual.
Washington, D.C.
The Sun Building
This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Watergate Gas Station
This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower
Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.
Washington, D.C.
Embassy Gulf Service Center
Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.
