Atlas Obscura’s Guide To Secret Washington, D.C.

Atlas Obscura is an online guide to the world’s hidden wonders, and a New York Times bestselling travel book. I previously served as AO’s “Chief Washington Explorer” and contributed the place entries below.

Washington Mini Monument

Washington Mini Monument

Architect of the Capitol Archival Warehouse

Architect of the Capitol Archival Warehouse

Lincoln Memorial Undercroft

Lincoln Memorial Undercroft

Treasury Department Cash Vault

Treasury Department Cash Vault

Nike Missile Site W-92

Nike Missile Site W-92

Capitol Flag Elevator

Capitol Flag Elevator

Naval Observatory Master Clock

Naval Observatory Master Clock

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

USS Balao Conning Tower

USS Balao Conning Tower

Benjamin Grenup Monument

Benjamin Grenup Monument

Raven Rock Mountain Complex

Raven Rock Mountain Complex

Hollensbury Spite House

Hollensbury Spite House

Alferd Packer Cannibal Plaque

Alferd Packer Cannibal Plaque

Old Stone House

Old Stone House

Missing Capitol Building Cornerstone

Missing Capitol Building Cornerstone

NIST Newton Apple Tree

NIST Newton Apple Tree

Navy Yard Railroad Gun

Navy Yard Railroad Gun

Clean Rivers Tunnel

Clean Rivers Tunnel

Smokey Bear Archive

Smokey Bear Archive

Kidwell Farm

The Blessing of the Fleets Ceremony

The Blessing of the Fleets Ceremony

Greenbelt Historic District

Greenbelt Historic District

Army Museum Support Center

Army Museum Support Center

District of Columbia Center Point

District of Columbia Center Point

USS Missouri Model Ship

USS Missouri Model Ship

International Temple of the Order of the Eastern Star

International Temple of the Order of the Eastern Star

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Congressional Country Club

Congressional Country Club

C&O Boat Elevator Ruins

C&O Boat Elevator Ruins

Senate Corncob Capitals

Senate Corncob Capitals

Russian Ambassador's Residence

Russian Ambassador's Residence

Embassy Gulf Service Center

Embassy Gulf Service Center

Bare-Chested George Washington

Bare-Chested George Washington

Pentagon Underwater Cable Crossing

Pentagon Underwater Cable Crossing

Sharpshooter's Tree

Sharpshooter's Tree

St. Elizabeths Hospital

St. Elizabeths Hospital

National Gallery Knife Edge

National Gallery Knife Edge

Ruins of the Columbian Cannon Foundry

Ruins of the Columbian Cannon Foundry

Fort Foote Rodman Guns

Fort Foote Rodman Guns

Peirce Mill Spy Station

Peirce Mill Spy Station

Legislative Bell System

Legislative Bell System

Naval Surface Warfare Center

Naval Surface Warfare Center

The Tabulating Machine Co.

The Tabulating Machine Co.

USDA Rammed Earth House

USDA Rammed Earth House

Freezing Newsmen Plaque

Freezing Newsmen Plaque

The National Gallery's Art Materials Collection

The National Gallery's Art Materials Collection

Pierre L’Enfant’s (Second) Gravesite

Pierre L’Enfant’s (Second) Gravesite

Arlington Cemetery's Headstone-Eating Trees

Arlington Cemetery's Headstone-Eating Trees

Washington Aqueduct Castle Gatehouse

Washington Aqueduct Castle Gatehouse

Man Controlling Trade

Man Controlling Trade

National Prototype Kilogram

National Prototype Kilogram

Secret Entrance to the White House

Secret Entrance to the White House

Fake D.C. Metro Station

Fake D.C. Metro Station

Soviet Embassy's 'Summer Camp' House

Soviet Embassy's 'Summer Camp' House

The Cairo

Capitalsaurus Court

Capitalsaurus Court

Holt House

The Winfield Scott Memorial

The Winfield Scott Memorial

Vigilant Firehouse

Vigilant Firehouse

Gun Barrel Fence

Gun Barrel Fence

The Lockkeeper's House

The Lockkeeper's House

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Theodore Roosevelt Island

World's Largest Deadweight Machine

World's Largest Deadweight Machine

The Strip

Kilroy Was Here

Kilroy Was Here

The Cuban Embassy's Hemingway Bar

The Cuban Embassy's Hemingway Bar

Mount Zion Cemetery's Underground Railroad Shelter

Mount Zion Cemetery's Underground Railroad Shelter

The Great Wall of Bollards

The Great Wall of Bollards

U.S. Naval Observatory Library

U.S. Naval Observatory Library

Reagan National Airport Bird Cannon

Reagan National Airport Bird Cannon

Arizona Avenue Trestle

Arizona Avenue Trestle

Blind Whino

Firework Exclusion Zone

Firework Exclusion Zone

Into the Woods

Capitol Bootlegger's Room

Capitol Bootlegger's Room

Washington Aqueduct Emergency Pumping Station

Washington Aqueduct Emergency Pumping Station

Congressional Garbage Tunnel

Congressional Garbage Tunnel

Pentagon Taxi Tunnels

Pentagon Taxi Tunnels

The Sun Building

The Sun Building

McMillan Sand Filtration Site

McMillan Sand Filtration Site

Washington City Canal Outfall

Washington City Canal Outfall

Churchill and Mandela Call and Response

Churchill and Mandela Call and Response

Federal Reserve Tennis Court

Federal Reserve Tennis Court

VIP Congressional Parking Lot at Reagan National Airport

VIP Congressional Parking Lot at Reagan National Airport

Alexander's Island Border Dispute

Alexander's Island Border Dispute

Memorial Drawbridge Control Room

Memorial Drawbridge Control Room

Gravelly Point Park

Gravelly Point Park

Pentagon Hot Dog Stand

Pentagon Hot Dog Stand

Historic Elevator at Potbelly

Historic Elevator at Potbelly

Washington Monument Access Hatch

Washington Monument Access Hatch

Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins

Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins

Tudor Place Fallout Shelter

Tudor Place Fallout Shelter

Jefferson Pier Marker

Jefferson Pier Marker

Abingdon Plantation Ruins

Abingdon Plantation Ruins

Capitol Tile Room

Capitol Tile Room

National Building Museum

National Building Museum

Water Gate at the Watergate Complex

Water Gate at the Watergate Complex

White House Helipad

White House Helipad

Madonna of the Trail

Madonna of the Trail

Pioneers Park Pillars

Pioneers Park Pillars

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

American University Experiment Station

American University Experiment Station

FDR's Bomb Shelter

FDR's Bomb Shelter

National Cathedral Bell Tower

National Cathedral Bell Tower

Treasury Department Money Laundry

Treasury Department Money Laundry

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Inaugural Parade Center Line

Inaugural Parade Center Line

Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

Serenity Statue

Serenity Statue

Willard Hotel

FDR's Swimming Pool

FDR's Swimming Pool

State Department Protocol Gift Office

State Department Protocol Gift Office

Inside the Capitol Dome

Inside the Capitol Dome

Organization of American States Building

Organization of American States Building

Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower

Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower

Carnegie Library of Washington, D.C.

Carnegie Library of Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

Library of Congress Card Catalog

National Bonsai Museum

National Bonsai Museum

Riggs Library

U.S.S. Agerholm Model

U.S.S. Agerholm Model

Library of Congress Geography and Maps Division

Library of Congress Geography and Maps Division

Washington Monument Lightning Rod

Washington Monument Lightning Rod

Smithsonian Sushi Collection

Smithsonian Sushi Collection

Watergate Gas Station

Watergate Gas Station

National Archives Vault

National Archives Vault

Potomac Park Flood Levee

Potomac Park Flood Levee

Capitol Air Conditioning Towers

Capitol Air Conditioning Towers

Fort Washington

Fort Washington

'Cartwheel' Tower

'Cartwheel' Tower

The Old Patent Model Museum

The Old Patent Model Museum

Rockefeller Mansion in Rock Creek Park

Rockefeller Mansion in Rock Creek Park

Capital Transit Co. Streetcar Barn

Capital Transit Co. Streetcar Barn