Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
One of the gargoyles that adorns Oxford’s Magdalen College.
8 Gargoyles and Grotesques Hiding in Plain Sight
Only-in-Anchorage Winter Traditions
Moose are frequently spotted around Flattop Mountain and the Glen Alps Trailhead.
Anchorage: A City Within the Wild
Where to See the World’s Creepiest Dolls and Toys

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Profile image for Michael J Bielawa

Michael J Bielawa

Joined Atlas Obscura in 2018

Michael Bielawa’s explorations take him to northeast America's most mysterious, and abandoned, sites. He’s shared his findings on TV, radio and in print: including reanimating the dead in New England with NPR, long-lost 19th century baseball fields with Major League Baseball, Men In Black and the Lake Champlain Creature with the Connecticut Post and attempts to pilfer P.T. Barnum's corpse with London’s Fortean Times. Bielawa lectures throughout Connecticut and his Wicked Walks, each October for The Barnum Museum (and in 2018 co-sponsored by Atlas Obscura), documents Bridgeport, Connecticut as one of America’s most paranormal downtowns. He is the author of Wicked Bridgeport and Wicked New Haven.
Michael J. Bielawa, Author

0 Followers · 0 Following

Follow travelers to discover remarkable places through their journeys.

My Travel Badges

  • Badge Earned!

    West Virginia Destination Challenge

    West Virginia Visitor

    As part of the West Virginia Destination Challenge, this badge celebrates the beginning of your journey through West Virginia's remarkable places. Every place you mark brings you closer to discovering more of what makes the Mountain State unique.

    West Virginia Destination Challenge
    Next Badge: West Virginia Adventurer You're just getting started. Mark 10 West Virginia places as Been There or Want to Go to unlock the Adventurer badge.
  • Badge Earned!

    Mark Your Map State Exploration Challenge

    Ford's Mark Your Map State Exploration Challenge

    You expanded your map during the Ford Mark Your Map State Exploration Challenge and reached the milestone required to unlock this limited edition badge.

  • Badge Earned!

    First Contribution

    First Contribution

    This badge celebrates your first contribution to the Atlas Obscura community and the role you play in helping others discover wonder.

    25 Contributions
    Next Badge: 25 Contributions Make 25 total contributions to earn your next badge.
  • Been
  • Want to Go
  • Recommendations
  • Stories
  • Countries
  • US States
  • Added
  • Edited
  • Lists
  • Tried
  • Want to Try
405

Places I've been

Places this traveler has marked as been there.

A postcard of the store printed circa 1930-1945

Marlborough, Massachusetts

Wayside Country Store

This general store near Boston was once owned by Henry Ford, who had it relocated to a different town using a team of oxen.

The John Brown Bell

Marlboro, Massachusetts

The John Brown Bell

America's "second most important bell" is a contentious spoil of the Civil War.

Grant's Cottage.

Wilton, New York

Ulysses S. Grant Cottage National Historic Landmark

This picturesque cottage was the site of Ulysses S. Grant’s final and perhaps most important campaign.

The museum with clocktower (left) and Technocratic Cathedral

Stratford, Connecticut

Boothe Memorial Park

This eclectic homestead is home to a miniature windmill and Connecticut's last tollbooth.

The view from the laboratory.

London, England

Monument to the Great Fire of London

The commemorative stone column conceals a secret laboratory.

Cusco Cathedral

Cusco, Peru

Cusco Cathedral

Situated on a sacred Inca site, this 16th-century cathedral took nearly 100 years to build.

The Twelve-Angled Stone

Cusco, Peru

The Twelve-Angled Stone

This geometric feat is a testament to the Incas' mesmerizing architectural abilities.

The Last Supper by Marcos Zapata

Cusco, Peru

Chinchilla Last Supper

A painting in the historic Cathedral Basilica depicts Jesus and his disciples dining on a traditional Peruvian menu.

Lima Cathedral

Lima, Peru

Pizarro's Tomb

Now containing the bones of the actual conquistador, instead of someone else.

Skylodge Adventure Suites

Urubamba, Peru

Skylodge

Sleep in a glass pod dangling off a cliff.

I mean come on

Aguas Calientes, Peru

Huayna Picchu

If you’ve ever seen a picture of Machu Picchu, then you’ve seen a picture of Huayna Picchu—you just didn’t realize it.

Ollantaytambo Ruins

Ollantaytambo, Peru

Ollantaytambo Ruins

Preserved Inca city and site of the last Inca stronghold against the Spanish conquistadors.

Gone .... Forever?

Lima, Peru

Convento de San Francisco Ossuary

The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru.

Machu Picchu.

Aguas Calientes, Peru

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.

Coricancha

Cusco, Peru

Coricancha

A Christian monastery stands on what was once a holy Incan temple.

Plaza de Armas

Cusco, Peru

Plaza de Armas

Built on the remains of one the Incas’ most important gathering spots, this square keeps the spirit of a fallen empire alive.

Erotic art.

Lima, Peru

Larco Museum's Erotic Art

The large collection of pre-Columbian pottery might make you blush.

A hawk perched atop the Pink House.
Permanently Closed

Newbury, Massachusetts

Plum Island Pink House

This picturesque abandoned home is rumored to be a spite house.

The sign that mentions the site's significance.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Site of Alice's Restaurant

You can get anything you want at the former site of the restaurant immortalized by Arlo Guthrie.

The sidewalk outside of Pearl's Restaurant

New Orleans, Louisiana

Oyster Sidewalk

After the oysters have been shucked, and the restaurant's been shuttered, the terrazzo sidewalk from the 1940s is all that remains.

St. Louis Cathedral, Doc Nicholas, August 2021

New Orleans, Louisiana

St. Louis Cathedral

This cathedral dedicated to Louis IX, sainted King of France, holds many secrets.

Ancient sand dunes from Glacial Lake Hitchcock.

Bloomfield, Connecticut

Matianuck Natural Area Preserve

Sand dunes from a glacial lake are preserved in this woodland park.

The stylized No. 21 plane on top of the fountain.
Permanently Closed

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Gustave Whitehead Fountain

This monument commemorates an aeronaut who allegedly flew a plane before the Wright brothers.

Another view of Explorer.

Milford, Connecticut

Simon Lake's Explorer

The last vessel built by a submarine pioneer stands as a monument to his legacy.

Previous Page 5 of 17 Next

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.