Places meredithp Wants to Go

There's an old indoor swimming pool hidden directly underneath the White House Press Briefing Room.

Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.

This unacceptably tall building was the real reason for Washington, D.C.'s skyscraper ban.

Those with a sharp eye can find the hidden image of a German Shepherd on the memorial's Mural Wall.

A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.

The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.

In the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building is a hidden storage room full of ornate floor tiles leftover from the 1850s.

This poor little statue is the most vandalized memorial in Washington.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.

These recently uncovered walls are all that's left of Washington, D.C's first defense contractor.

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.

You could be standing at the site of one of D.C.'s most fatal tragedies and not even know it.

Four bald cypress trees in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, mark the southern edge of a 100,000 year old cypress swamp.

There's a crumbling old mansion inside the Smithsonian National Zoo.

An obscure public service from the U.S. government that redeems burnt, moldy, and soiled old greenbacks.

A rotating cast of guys and dolls in front of a Washington, D.C. building.

An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.

When it opened during the final years of the embargo, all the drinks and cigars were free.

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.

People escaping slavery may have hidden inside a corpse vault.

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.

A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.

A cavernous three-story, 43,800-square-foot basement that was forgotten about for 60 years.