10. Washington, D.C., Washington National Cathedral The Darth Vader Gargoyle
Did you know that there's a stone gargoyle of Vader's head on the Washington National Cathedral? Neither did I. That is, until my friend sent me a one line email three years ago that only said, "Just saw the Vader gargoyle!" My curiosity was piqued and I was typing into the Google search bar before Chewie could jump to hyperspace. Turns out my friend did not have too many Death Sticks and it does exist. Washington D.C. is one of those places where everyone ends up at some point in their life, especially if they live in the United States. So while you are taking in the history of the Founding Fathers and scoping out the President's crib, grab some binoculars and head over to the Washington National Cathedral. Now, why does a gorgeous cathedral from 1912 have a Darth Vader gargoyle? If anyone needs a quick history refresher, Star Wars did not exist in 1912. It turns out that the West towers were undergoing construction in the 1980's and the Cathedral decided to have a competition for children to design the gargoyles. The third place winner, Christopher Rader (last name is eerily similar to Vader), won the spot of the Northwest tower and Vader symbolized the futuristic representation of evil.
Cost to see Darth Vader as a gargoyle: Free if you already have binoculars. Just stand outside and look up.