Shows
The Atlas Obscura PodcastBeach Week: Sunny Jim Cave (Classic)We follow a long set of wooden stairs deep underground to a sea cave with a mysterious and colorful past, and take in a spectacular, hidden view of the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. Learn more about The Cave Store: https://www.cavestore.com/All this week, the Atlas Obscura Podcast is hitting the sand, and taking a tour of the world’s most unusual beaches. Plus: Pre-order your copy of our new book, The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World, today!
2025-07-3115 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Atlas Obscura Podcast Presents: Charlie’s PlaceToday, we’re sharing an episode from our new podcast documentary series, Charlie’s Place. Beloved, notorious, defiant, folk hero – these are just a few ways to describe Charlie Fitzgerald, the entrepreneur who owned an integrated nightclub during Jim Crow in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. What happened in Myrtle Beach at Charlie’s would come to define a community and generations to come. This is the almost forgotten history of Charlie’s Place.Charlie's Place is a production of Atlas Obscura and Rococo Punch in partnership with Pushkin Industries and presented by Visit Myrtle Beach.
2025-07-2133 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastNational Parks Week: The Allagash FourOn a summer day in 1976, four friends had a strange experience in the Northwoods of Maine that would come back to haunt them decades later. Today, we’re exploring the hidden morbid side of the national parks system with our friends from National Park After Dark. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more unusual stories, lists, and offbeat itineraries, check out the Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to the National Parks.
2025-06-0526 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Presents: Traveling Back in Time for Coconut Cake with The SporkfulToday, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at the Sporkful. Dan Pashman goes on a tour of Los Angeles, with an Atlas Obscura guide in hand. In search of an elusive slice of coconut cake, Dan begins at the airport, takes a detour to an underground tunnel system, and pays a visit to a very unusual store: Time Travel Mart.
2025-05-2940 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Goes Off Assignment: 7 a.m. in Kelso and 10:30 a.m. in ChoteauTwo small stories about early morning, otherworldly encounters with animals. 7 a.m. in Kelso was written by Emma Jones, and 10:30 a.m. in Choteau, Montana was written by Annika Berry. Both essays were edited by Aube Rey Lescure and originally appeared in Off Assignment.Plus: Order the audiobook of Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders today!
2025-03-2514 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Andrea Cruz and Miguel ArtetaThis week, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. Rising singer-songwriter Andrea Cruz shares how she fell in love with folk music as a young girl in Aibonito. We hear about how the plants, birds and animals of Puerto Rico have shaped the fabric of her work, and the profound ways in which her art connects her to the island she calls home. Hollywood film director Miguel Arteta recalls his colorful childhood in Río Piedras, shares the Puerto Rican role model who inspired him to pursue a creative career, and teas...
2024-12-0621 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: José RiveraThis week, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. Oscar-nominated screenwriter and playwright José Rivera shares with us his rich memories, both old and new, of his time in Puerto Rico: of spiders, thunderstorms and a deep sense of community in his childhood town of Espino. We hear about the joy of watching one of his plays performed in Santurce alongside the family members who inspired it, and how the island has been a constant source of inspiration that has enriched so much of his work. Subscrib...
2024-12-0516 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Los Rivera Destino and Jaquira DíazThis week and next, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. The Río Piedras-based comedy band Los Rivera Destino talk about their musical childhoods, how making a music video in Bayamón changed their lives and careers forever, and the extremely unlikely place that has become their source of inspiration. Award-winning author Jaquira Díaz shares how salsa, bacalaítos and coquís defined her time growing up in the east coast towns of Humacoa and Fajardo. We also hear the wild story her grandmother told about aliens in El Yunqu...
2024-11-2926 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Rita Moreno and PachymanToday and tomorrow, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. Legendary actress, singer, dancer and EGOT winner Rita Moreno shares memories of sugar cane, coquís and parrandas during her idyllic childhood in Humacao and Juncos. We hear about her recent trips back with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and how she almost turned down West Side Story because of her loyalty to the island. Dub star innovator Pachy García (aka Pachyman) opens up about growing up in Guaynabo’s vibrant reggae scene, the integral role Puerto Rico plays in his music now that he l...
2024-11-2829 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastDiscovery Hut (Classic)Atlas Obscura's Gemma Tarlach shares what it's like to step inside a relic from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and to find traces of a famous lost party of explorers.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/discovery-hut
2024-07-1912 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastTo the Moon and Back with Rebecca BoyleScience writer and journalist Rebecca Boyle has a new book about all about the ways in which the moon has impacted nearly every aspect of human life – including our conception and invention of time.MORE IN THE ATLAS: Rebecca is a regular contributor to Atlas Obscura and you can find more about her work here and check out her book here.
2024-05-0922 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastAtlas Obscura Live: Two Places And A LieThis week wasn't special only because of the eclipse. We also recorded our first live show, during the Atlas Obscura Ecliptic Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In this episode, hear host Dylan Thuras try to stump guests -- astrobiologist Dr. Graham Lau and science writer Rebecca Boyle -- and get them to guess which strange, incredible place is real or fake. Then, the tables are turned and Dylan has to guess. Special thanks to everyone who made this possible!
2024-04-1222 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastLaw of the TongueAtlas Obscura writer Roxanne Hoorn brings us the story of an extraordinary relationship between people and killer whales. And, through conversation with Dylan, we learn how to better cohabitate as species on this planet. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/killer-whales-work-with-humans
2024-03-1419 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastIntroducing Sound Detectives from LeVar BurtonLeVar Burton presents SOUND DETECTIVES – a funny, engaging, and thought provoking podcast that invites elementary school-aged kids to explore the magic and mystery of sound.Equal parts fun and informative, SOUND DETECTIVES encourages listeners to engage with the sound mysteries that surround us, while unlocking the door to people and cultures around the globe. Join the team on this semi-improvised comedy caper, and help return the mystery sounds before the world falls silent!Listen to SOUND DETECTIVES on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
2024-03-1311 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastA Holiday AnnouncementOver the last two and a half years, the Atlas Obscura podcast has published well over 500 original episodes. For the next few weeks, we're taking a holiday break -- but not leaving you without wonder. Over the course of 20 episodes, host Dylan Thuras is going to take you on a journey starting in the cosmic reaches of space, to the earliest days of life on earth, through a tour of our fellow earthly creatures, and finally arrive at us, the great apes who record podcasts. We'll be back in late January with brand new episodes.
2023-12-2303 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastNightwalking with Bianca GiaeverWe learn about an age-old practice of nightwalking, with the help of two women who took it on as an experiment in the early chaotic days of the pandemic. Joining the conversation is Bianca Giaever, creator of one of our favorite podcasts of the year, Constellation Prize. MORE: To hear Constellation Prize for yourself, you can head to thebeliever.net or anywhere podcasts are available. And if you want to learn more about nightwalking, check out this article Bianca wrote.
2023-12-2016 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGourdlandiaThis magical wonderland in Ithaca, New York is devoted entirely—almost spiritually—to this unusual and versatile fruit. It's also the brainchild of Graham Ottoson, who is teaching an Atlas Obscura course on gourds. Listeners get 15% off by using code GOURDLOVE during registration. End credit music in this episode is from Alexander Fals (ngoni + vocals), Hayley Dayis (vocals), and Manuel Solarte (percussion). If you like what you heard, you can listen to more of their songs here.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gourdlandia
2023-12-1417 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastSpooky Sites with the Places Team (Classic)With Halloween just around the corner Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring you two spooky legends of The Mothman from Point Pleasant, West Virginia and a potentially ghoulish forest in the Transylvanian Region of Romania.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mothman-museum-2 and https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hoia-baciu-forest
2023-10-3115 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Plotz Plot (Classic)Josh Foer, the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, takes us to a remote patch of land in the Arizona desert, where he built (and later rebuilt) a museum in honor of the company’s former CEO, David Plotz.The Plotz Plot is accessible from Adamana Road, off of I-40 exit 300, at 35.025639, -109.8195. The lock code is 4444.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/plotz-plot
2023-10-1317 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastPā‘ula‘ula / Russian Fort ElizabethProducer Johanna Mayer and Atlas Obscura associate editor Sarah Durn tell us the story of a fort in Hawaii with two names – and how those names both preserve and erase its history.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/hawaiian-history-russian-fort-elizabeth
2023-08-0714 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastMan’s Best (Stiff) FriendsJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring us two charming stories of some very special canines who have been (literally) preserved for the ages. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: Learn about Sergeant Stubby here and Owney here
2023-07-1314 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastTelling Time through the Trees with the Places TeamJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring us stories about the trees that have witnessed history. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: Read the story of Emancipation Oak in Hampton, VA and the Travel Log from California.
2023-04-2416 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGreat Balls of Twine with the Places TeamJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring us stories about the biggest balls of twine. Plus, a special guest adds an additional tangle to the tale. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/world-s-largest-ball-of-twine
2023-03-2722 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastWHM Classic: Forest of the Future LibraryAs part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story about a forest in Oslo, Norway that will provide the trees for paper as part of a century long art project featuring famed contemporary authors. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forest-of-the-future-library
2023-03-0315 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastValentine's Day Classic: Chopin’s HeartFor Valentine's Day, the Atlas team would like to bring you this tale of the heart….literally. The Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, Poland is the final resting place of famed composer Frédéric Chopin’s heart - smuggled there by Chopin’s sister after his death. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chopin-s-heart
2023-02-1416 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastBlack History Month Classic: Louis Armstrong MuseumAs part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this journey to famed Jazz musician Louis Armstrong’s House in Corona, Queens in New York. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/louis-armstrong-house
2023-02-1017 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastBlack History Month: Black Star SquareAs part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story about a gigantic public square dedicated to Ghanaian independence - and producer Baudelaire Ceus’s introduction to soursop.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/black-star-square
2023-02-0316 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastSongs of Ice with the Places TeamJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring you stories of how sometimes giant monuments built for a specific site need to go on a journey. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yakhchalshttps://www.atlasobscura.com/places/snowflake-bentley
2023-01-1717 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastMoving Monuments with the Places TeamJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring you stories of how sometimes giant monuments built for a specific site need to go on a journey. To view the Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPa8b1WlbaI&t=3s READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/church-of-agios-sostis and https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rubjerg-knude-lighthouse
2022-11-1014 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastSpooky Sites with the Places TeamWith Halloween just around the corner Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring you two spooky legends of The Mothman from Point Pleasant, West Virginia and a potentially ghoulish forest in the Transylvanian Region of Romania.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mothman-museum-2 and https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hoia-baciu-forest
2022-10-2715 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastCassadaga with Jamie LoftusThe Atlas Obscura Podcast is launching a week of spooky-themed stories ahead of Halloween. We begin with Jamie Loftus’ newest podcast about Cassadaga, a small town in central Florida that is one of the last great bastions of a Victorian era religion called Spiritualism.Check out some of Jamie’s work:GHOST CHURCHhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ghost-church-by-jamie-loftus/id1619557591My Year in MENSA -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-year-in-mensa/id1492147103And check out AO’s podcast on Lily Dale, another contemporary spiritualist communityLILY DALEh...
2022-10-2416 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGrowing the AtlasJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team are on a mission to grow the Atlas community and include more wonderful and curious locations from Africa, Asia and South America. Two recent entries that caught their eyes include a market in Medeber, Eritrea and a women’s center in Kigali, Rwanda. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medeber-markethttps://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nyamirambo-womens-center
2022-09-1211 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastDiscovery HutAtlas Obscura's Gemma Tarlach shares what it's like to step inside a relic from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and to find traces of a famous lost party of explorers.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/discovery-hut
2022-08-2412 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Honey Island Swamp MonsterAtlas Obscura reporter Sarah Durn ventures deep into the Louisiana swamp in search of the legendary monster that prowls it.Learn more about Jessica’s Honey Island Swamp & Kayak Tours: https://www.honeyislandkayaktours.com/READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/honey-island-swamp
2022-08-1813 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastUnderwater PlacesJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring listeners two stories where sculpture meets the depths: The Sunken Crosses of Malpique and a harbor in Odense, Denmark. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sunken-crosses-of-malpiquehttps://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hans-christian-andersen-odense-harbour
2022-08-0215 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastCongo SquareCongo Square in New Orleans is the heart of where African drumming found its way into American music and the birth of Jazz.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/congo-square
2022-07-0713 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastPlaces Team Favorite Atlas EntriesJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring listeners stories of two of their favorite places that can be found in the Atlas - on in Washington, DC and one in Scotland.
2022-07-0613 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGrasshopper Glacier Re-ListenA rapidly disappearing glacier holds the key to a forgotten species, a century-old entomological mystery, and… an opera. This episode previously aired in 2021. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grasshopper-glacier
2022-07-0114 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Hodges MeteoriteThis meteorite is one of the very few on record to have hit a human being. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-hodges-meteorite-tuscaloosa-alabama
2022-06-2910 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastTiny Doors ATLA number of tiny, mysterious doors scattered throughout Atlanta, Georgia ask viewers to imagine what might be found on the other side.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tiny-doors-atl
2022-06-2712 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe House on the Rock Re-ListenJoin host Dylan Thuras and producer Harry Huggins as they visit the unruly architecture of The House on the Rock - one of the inspirations for Atlas Obscura. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/house-rock
2022-06-2418 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastCatalina Island Bison Herd Re-ListenThe strange story of Catalina Island’s herd of bison, and the harrowing story of producer Sarah Wyman’s encounter with these intimidating residents.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catalina-island-bison-herd
2022-06-2315 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastNational Corvette Museum Sinkhole Re-ListenEight rare vehicles at the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky vanish, thanks to a massive sinkhole.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/national-corvette-museum-sinkhole
2022-06-2210 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Cardiff Giant Re-ListenAll summer we’ve been asking you to send us your summer travel stories. In this installment we hear a listener’s tale of a theological dispute that became a real money-maker known to some as “Old Hoaxy.” READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cardiff-giant
2022-06-2112 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastBooming Dunes Re-ListenAn audio postcard from the desert of Badain Jaran in China, home of the Booming Dunes, and possibly the coolest sand sounds you’ve ever heard.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/booming-dunes-badain-desert
2022-06-1712 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGarbage GoatThis sculpture in Spokane, WA was created by a"welding nun" decades ago. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/garbage-eating-goat-statue
2022-06-1613 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Cincinnati SubwayThere are two miles of abandoned tunnels beneath the streets of Cincinnati, OH. A relic of an attempt to establish underground transportation in the city. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-cincinnati-subway-cincinnati-ohio
2022-06-1411 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Places You Return ToAtlas Obscura listeners share stories from places they love so much they keep going back.
2022-06-1311 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastLa Paz Re-listenIn the busy, traffic-packed capital city of Bolivia, we meet the zebras who keep the streets of La Paz safe for its citizens.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-paz-cebritas
2022-06-1012 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastWorld’s Oldest Edible HamAtlas Obscura’s resident food and death reporter Sam O’Brien takes us to Smithfield, Virginia, where we meet a 120-year-old ham, and the people who love it.Learn more about the Isle of Wight County Museum: www.historicisleofwight.com/Let Sam eat the ham: hamtruther.comREAD MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-oldest-edible-ham
2022-06-0916 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastNakagin Capsule TowerThis social and architectural experiment in Tokyo, Japan was once the leading building in a movement attempting to pair construction and biological growth. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nakagin-capsule-tower
2022-06-0812 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastPhone Booth on a RoofThe City Hall in Lincoln, Illinois has an unusual architectural appendage with a curious history. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/phone-booth-on-a-roof
2022-06-0710 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastEastern State PenitentiaryThe founders of this prison in Philadelphia, PA aimed to revolutionize incarceration for the better - and unintentionally created new horrors. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/eastern-state-penitentiary
2022-06-0614 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Heidelberg Project Re-ListenWe take you to East Detroit, where an artist transformed a largely abandoned street into an immersive, living museum -- which grew into something even bigger.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/heidelberg-project
2022-06-0318 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastTwo of Our Favorite MummiesJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring listeners the stories of two mummies - one preserved in a bog in Jutland, Denmark and another at a monastery in Palermo, Italy.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/haraldsk-r-womanhttps://www.atlasobscura.com/places/capuchin-monastery
2022-05-3112 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastA Sound GardenAn orchard of metal poles sits on a hill overlooking Lake Washington. And when the wind blows, this musical sculpture "sings the world into existence" with its unique sound.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/a-sound-garden
2022-05-3015 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Root Bridges of Cherrapunji Re-listenIn the depths of Northeastern India, centuries-old bridges are not built, they are grown.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/root-bridges-cherrapungee
2022-05-2713 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Livestock Living at the End of the WorldThe pigs once plopped on an uninhabited Auckland Island known for capturing castaways now play an important role in modern medical research. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-lives-on-auckland-islands
2022-05-2617 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastCarhengeThis experimental automotive replica of Stonehenge has become a symbol of the town of Alliance, Nebraska. But residents haven’t always been fans.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/carhenge
2022-05-2512 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastPère Lachaise CemeteryProducer Baudelaire Ceus searches for the resting place of famed author Richard Wright among the graves of other cultural icons like Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Sadegh Hedaya.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pere-lachaise-cemetery
2022-05-2415 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastLeaning Tower of NilesNiles, Illinois is home to an exact replica of Italy’s leaning tower of Pisa - only it’s half the size of the original structure.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/leaning-tower-niles
2022-05-2309 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastNot Lost in the Umbrella Covers MuseumBrendan Francis Newnam, the host of the new podcast Not Lost, and Dylan Thuras discuss how getting lost is the best way to find yourself. And Brendan shares a great scene from his podcast where he and his co-host travel to the Umbrella Cover Museum on Peaks Island in Maine.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/umbrella-cover-museum
2022-05-2015 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Places We Return ToAtlas Obscura contributors take listeners to some of the places they loved so much they keep going back.Got your own place that calls you to return again and again? Submit a voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com
2022-05-1915 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastMonongahela InclineThis funicular in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania used to offer coal and steel workers a respite from the smog of industry. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/monongahela-incline
2022-05-1812 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGoblin Valley State ParkToday the story of how a street lamp, a tangle with municipal government, and a love of the stars led a man to Goblin Valley, Utah a “dark sky certified” place for lovers of the night sky.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goblin-valley-state-park
2022-05-1712 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Last Big Mac in IcelandTake a trip to a hostel in Iceland to visit the country’s last Big Mac, where the burger’s existence unfolds a story about economics and national identity.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/iceland-mcdonalds
2022-05-1612 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Boiling River Re-ListenA river in the Amazon is so hot that anything that falls into it will die … but how did it get this way?Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-boiling-river-of-the-amazon-puerto-inca-peru
2022-05-1316 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastRuins of Le Jardin d'Agronomie TropicaleThis garden park in Paris, France contains the ruins of a colonial exhibition from 1907.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/le-jardin-d-agronomie-tropicale
2022-05-1216 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Maiden of Deception PassThousands of years ago, a young woman named Ko-kwal-alwoot crouched over a set of tide pools, looked into the water, and saw a face looking back at her that wasn’t her own. Today, her descendants are still telling the story of what happened next. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-maiden-of-deception-passLearn more about the Samish Indian Nation: https://www.samishtribe.nsn.us/
2022-05-1115 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastNational Ice Core LabScientists in Denver, Colorado store and conduct tests on miles of ice core samples dating back hundreds of thousands of years. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/national-ice-core-lab
2022-05-1011 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastForestiere Underground GardensThis underground oasis in Fresno, California is a winding maze of rooms and passageways filled with lush citrus trees. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forestiere-underground-gardens
2022-05-0913 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastMafra Palace Library Bats Re-listenA grand library in Portugal has some unexpected nighttime caretakers -- tiny bats. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mafra-palace-library-bats
2022-05-0614 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Noah Purifoy Desert Art MuseumNoah Purifoy was a pugilistic LA artist who eventually filled a 10 acre plot of land in Joshua Tree, CA with his of-kilter art. Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum: http://www.noahpurifoy.com/joshua-tree-outdoor-museumLearn more about Dale Davis: https://dalebdavis.com/Listen to our episode about Leimert Park: https://pod.link/1555769970/episode/1a593d4fba52c8d48fd9e62728a2a16fListen to our episode about the Watts Towers Art Center: https://pod.link/1555769970/episode/18849745a4259a207da75f53dfa6e657READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www...
2022-05-0517 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastUpton ChamberAn underground chamber in Upton, MA puzzled some New Englanders while others long knew its ancient origins. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/upton-chamber
2022-05-0413 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastSputnik IV Crash Site Re-listenTypically, space junk ends up deep in the Pacific Ocean. This is the story of when it plunged back to earth … onto a street in small-town Wisconsin.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sputnik-crash-site
2022-04-2913 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastForest of the Future LibraryThis forest in Oslo, Norway will provide the trees for paper as part of a century long art project featuring famed contemporary authors. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forest-of-the-future-library
2022-04-2814 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Last TenementThe Last Tenement in Boston’s old West End has come to represent everything that can go wrong with urban planning.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-last-tenement
2022-04-2715 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Timbuktu ManuscriptsThese documents highlight the intellectual legacy of an ancient civilization based in Timbuktu, Mali.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/timbuktu-manuscripts-mali
2022-04-2612 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastIslands of AmericaWriter and island-hopper Anna Marlis Burgard takes us on a tour of three of the 135 strange, incredible, and wondrous islands she’s explored in the United States.Learn more about Anna's Islands of America adventure: http://www.islandsofamerica.com/Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-united-islands-of-america CORRECTION: A previous version of this episode misidentified the name of the Skete on Nelson Island. It is the St. Nilus Skete, not the St. Nicholas Skete.
2022-04-2514 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastUbatuba Whale(s) Re-listenWe dig into the tales of TWO whales washing ashore along the southeastern coast of Brazil. And learn how one became a scientific marvel and the other, a local landmark.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ubatuba-whale
2022-04-2215 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Louis Armstrong House MuseumFamed Jazz musician Louis Armstrong’s house in Corona, Queens in New York is now a museum preserving his legacy. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/louis-armstrong-house
2022-04-2016 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGnomesvilleA community of kitschy lawn gnomes have taken over an Australian roundabout.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gnomesville
2022-04-1912 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastShoreham Power Plant Re-listenWe venture out to Long Island, not for the beautiful beaches, or an Islanders game, or to hang with Billy Joel. We're here to explore the fraught history of a gigantic, ominous sea foam-green nuclear power plant.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shoreham-nuclear-power-plant
2022-04-1512 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Rotary Jail MuseumThe only remaining operational Rotary Jail, found in Crawfordsville, Indiana, shows visitors how inmates were once locked within the building’s walls. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rotary-jail-museum
2022-04-1310 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastWatts TowersOne of the United State’s most famous pieces of self-built architecture consists of seventeen interconnected towers that rise like inverted ice cream cones from the ground - the tallest reaching over 100 feet. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/watts-towers
2022-04-1214 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastMuseum of InnocenceThis museum built of memories in Istanbul, Turkey was created in a book before it was created in real life. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-museum-of-innocence-2-istanbul-turkey
2022-04-1116 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastLake NatronLake Natron in Monduli, Tanzania can leave welts and burns on human skin but is a bit of a paradise for another animal.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lake-natron
2022-04-0712 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastSinchi Warmi Amazon LodgeLearn how a group of indegnous women in Puerto Misahuallî, Ecuador fought “machismo” to become entrepreneurs and build an eco-friendly getaway. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sinchi-warmi-amazon-lodge
2022-04-0611 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastChemin de la MâtureThis treacherous path cut through a stretch of the Pyrenees Mountains in France may have played a key part in one nation’s quest for international influence and possibly helped foment a revolution.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chemin-de-la-mature
2022-04-0512 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastCorpus Clock and ChronophageExplore a modern landmark in a medieval city. The Corpus Clock in Cambridge, England honors both the past and future of telling time.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/corpus-clock-corpus-christi-chronophage
2022-04-0409 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastGastropod’s “Buried Treasure: Weeds, Seeds, and Zombies.”Atlas Obscura presents Gastropod’s episode “Buried Treasure: Weeds, Seeds, and Zombies.” Gastropod Hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley examine a scientific quest – and one of the world’s longest running experiments - to see how long weeds can survive. They find zombie seeds, a treasure hunt, and more. Gastropod: https://gastropod.com/buried-treasure-weeds-seeds-and-zombies/READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dr-beals-seed-viability-experiment
2022-04-0145 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe World’s Oldest Living Things Re-listenAs part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this tour of the world's oldest living things - with artist Rachel Sussman who’s been documenting these ancient things for 10 years.https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/womens-history-monthREAD MORE IN THE ATLAS:https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/worlds-oldest-living-things
2022-03-3112 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Office of Collecting and Design Re-listen As part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this conversation with Jessica Oreck who has spent the last 30 years collecting odd and forgotten objects. Now, they’re all beautifully curated and on display in the Office of Collecting and Design in Las Vegas.https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/womens-history-monthFollow the Office of Collecting and Design on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/office.of.collecting/?hl=enREAD MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/office-of-collecting-and-design
2022-03-3016 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThe Kalamazoo Gals of the Old Gibson Guitar Factory Re-Listen As part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story of the women who stepped up to produce thousands of guitars during World War II, only to be written out of the history.https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/womens-history-monthRead more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-old-gibson-guitar-factory-kalamazoo-michigan
2022-03-2916 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastBwindi Impenetrable Forest Re-listenAs part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story of a national park in Southwest Uganda that is home to nearly half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas. They and the local community rely on each other to survive.https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/womens-history-monthLearn how to help the Bwindi Mountain Gorillas: https://ctph.org/Sound of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the mountain gorillas was recorded by Nick Penny. To see more of Nick’s work, visit: https://www.nickpennyphotography.com/REA...
2022-03-2815 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastKulning Re-ListenAs part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story of how herdswomen in Northern Sweden have lured cows home with haunting melodies.https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/womens-history-month READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-kulning
2022-03-2515 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastTorre Argentina Cat SanctuaryCriminal and This is Love host Phoebe Judge brings us to the ancient ruins of Torre Argentina in Rome - the site of Julius Caesar’s assasination, which also happens to double as an enormous sanctuary for cats. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/torre-argentina-roman-cat-sanctuary
2022-03-2413 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastLife Changing Locations with the Places TeamJonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring listeners two Atlas Obscura locations developed as the result of a life-changing decision - to embark on a massive art project and live.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hercules
2022-03-2311 minThe Atlas Obscura PodcastPyramid of DjoserTravel to the world’s oldest intact pyramid in Egypt - and learn about the genius who also influenced the fields of architecture, astronomy, and medicine.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pyramid-of-djoser
2022-03-2214 min