Atlanta White House

When it comes to popular tourist destinations on any patriotic American's bucket list, more than a few spring to mind. There's the giant faces of American leaders immortalized in stone at Mount Rushmore, the blood-stained battlefields of Gettysburg, and, of course, the Statue of Liberty, but one symbol of the United States stands head and shoulders above the rest, mainly because of how many important decisions continue to occur there on a daily basis: The White House.  Of course, not all of us can make it to Washington, DC to visit, and even then, White House tours are a bit of a hassle to arrange, needing your Congress Member's approval and all (no joke), so if your desire to see iconic building is hampered by travel expenses or a bad wrap from your government representatives, you can always head to the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia and cross your bucket list item off the charts. Sitting just off of Interstate 85 is a massive replica of the White House that looks a little more than out of place among the other homes in the neighborhood. At 16,500 square feet, the massive mansion clocks in at only 3/4 the size of the actual White House, but that didn't stop former owner Fred Milani from creating it as true to the original as he could... with a few minor exceptions. Ok, maybe they aren't exactly minor. While the extorior of the house is nearly a perect representation of the one sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the inside is a little different. The Oval Office, complete with a replica of the presidental desk, could pass for a set on The West Wing, and other rooms, like the Lincoln Bedroom and the President's private theater are fairly accurate, but major reinvisionings like walls full of religious iconography and a massive pool are hints that the residents of this White House were a bit quirker than the Commander-In-Chief. Atlanta's White House is the brain child of Fred Milani, an Iranian refugee who arrived in the United States in 1979 and proceeded to build himself a booming real-estate business in the Atlanta Area. As his pockets got fuller of that sweet housing bubble cash, he decided that it was time to build he and his family a reasonable home to reflect their reasonable taste. So naturally, he decided to build his very own White House.  Often asked by reporters and disgruntled neighbors why he would invest so much time in money into building something so grandiose, he would always respond that it was his way of paying tribute to democracy and the country that enabled him to build his fortune. Of course, nothing lasts forever. When the housing bubble collapsed, Milani found that with money rapidly drying up, he needed to put his mansion on the market. Despite potential buyers with ecclectic tastes (including one from Dubai), the Atlanta White House couldn't sell, and in 2011, it was foreclosed on. Today, the White House still sits on Briarcliff Road, lonely Iranian fags hanging obove the Presidential Seal on the Oval Office floor, while a massive hand-painted ceiling mural of Jesus looks on, but unlike its big brother up North, this one spends most of its time empty. Curious visitors are encouraged to drive by the private home and snap some photos that might make their enraged Facebook friends wonder why the White House has installed a giant religious cross in the front yard, but those who want a closer look at the bizarro-version of the President's home can schedule a private tour or attend one of the occasional open houses. Who knows, you might even feel compelled to make an offer.