The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Ubatuba Whale(s) Re-listen

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We 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,...

Bloody Island

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This island between Missouri and Illinois was a preferred meeting place for duels to the death in the early 1900’s. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

The Louis Armstrong House Museum

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Famed 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://...

Gnomesville

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A community of kitschy lawn gnomes have taken over an Australian roundabout.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gnomesville Ho...

The Ends of the World

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Science writer Peter Brannen takes listeners on a tour of the world’s five major mass extinctions.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See p...

Shoreham Power Plant Re-listen

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We 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 hist...

Listener Encounters with the Unknown

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last month we asked listeners about your encounters with the unknown, and boy did you all deliver! This presents two stories we received from listene...

The Rotary Jail Museum

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The only remaining operational Rotary Jail, found in Crawfordsville, Indiana, shows visitors how inmates were once locked within the building’s wall...

Watts Towers

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the United State’s most famous pieces of self-built architecture consists of seventeen interconnected towers that rise like inverted ice crea...

Museum of Innocence

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This 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.atla...

Traveling While Aging (Classic)

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Host Dylan Thuras confronts the good and the bad ways travel changes as you move through different life stages.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz com...

Lake Natron

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lake 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:...

Sinchi Warmi Amazon Lodge

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Learn how a group of indegnous women in Puerto Misahuallî, Ecuador fought “machismo” to become entrepreneurs and build an eco-friendly getaway. ...

Chemin de la Mâture

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This 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 i...

Corpus Clock and Chronophage

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Explore 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 ...

Gastropod’s “Buried Treasure: Weeds, Seeds, and Zombies.”

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Atlas Obscura presents Gastropod’s episode “Buried Treasure: Weeds, Seeds, and Zombies.” Gastropod Hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley exami...

The World’s Oldest Living Things Re-listen

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As 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 thing...

The Office of Collecting and Design Re-listen

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

 As part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this conversation with Jessica Oreck who h...

The Kalamazoo Gals of the Old Gibson Guitar Factory Re-Listen

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

 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 ...

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Re-listen

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As 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 U...

Kulning Re-Listen

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story of how herdswomen in Northern Swe...

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Criminal 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,  ...

Life Changing Locations with the Places Team

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring listeners two Atlas Obscura locations developed as the result of a life-changing de...

Pyramid of Djoser

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Travel to the world’s oldest intact pyramid in Egypt - and learn about the genius who also influenced the fields of architecture, astronomy, and med...

Edna Lawrence Nature Lab with Brian Chesky

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

AirBnB founder and CEO Brian Chesky discusses how design experiences, like those found at the Edna Laurence Nature Lab, shape his work. Hosted by Simp...

Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum Re-Listen

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this museum’s buzzing collection which hon...

Ford’s Folly

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A giant abandoned dam in Sudbury, Massachusetts, marks the inglorious failure of America’s champion of industry to triumph over nature. READ MORE I...

Rhubarb Triangle

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Farmers in Yorkshire, England take years to coax their rhubarb plants into a world-renowned delicacy using a century-old technique.READ MORE IN THE AT...

Haitian Monument

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Haitian Monument in Savannah, Georgia was built to commemorate the Haitian soldiers who came to the rescue of Patriots fighting in the Revolutiona...

Kuruvungna Sacred Springs

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eight thousand years ago, this land’s first inhabitants built a village around a sacred spring. And today, in what is now Los Angeles, CA, their des...

Women of the Black Panther Mural Re-Listen

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of Women’s History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive starting with the story of how a 30-foot-tall mural on...

Possum Monument

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wausau, Florida’s monument and annual festival celebrate this furry critter’s contributions to the community. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www...

Elephant Clock

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Elephant Clock, a replica of an ancient invention, sits in Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, surrounded by stores like The Gap, and H&M. READ MORE IN TH...

Hotel Theresa

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Hotel Theresa in Harlem, New York played a pivotal role in the influential neighborhood’s cultural identity.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz ...

The Capitol Stones

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gigantic pieces of the United States Capitol rest in Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC - waiting for anyone willing to step off the beaten path. REA...

Brushes with the Unknown

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Members of the Atlas Obscura team share their experiences with unknown phenomena.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com fo...

Civic Musical Road

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The grooves cut in this road outside Lancaster, CA play the finale of the William Tell Overture. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com...

St. Brigid’s Well

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

St. Brigid’s well in Clare, Ireland is site integral to the story of how a pagan goddess became a Christian saint. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://...

The Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This office, established by the founder of the American Red Cross, changed the lives of thousands of Civil War soldiers and their families.READ MORE I...

Vermontasaurus

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This folk art dinosaur was almost pushed to extinction due to lack of a building permit. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/...

Lake Karachay

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lake Karachay in Ozersk, Russia is the site of a former secret Soviet Union nuclear facility - that’s inspired art despite the little that’s publi...

Sites of Vision with the Places Team

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring listeners two Atlas Obscura locations created by people compelled by visions - the ...

Ponyhenge

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lincoln, Massachusetts is home to one of the strangest pony herds you’re likely to see - and it’s been growing for more than a decade. READ MORE ...

The Last Sears in New York City

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Johanna Mayer takes a trip to the last Sears in New York City, a Brooklyn landmark, with two people whose lives were shaped by the department...

Extreme Travel with Dave Seminara

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Host Dylan Thuras speaks with Dave Seminara, author of the book Mad Travelers, about extreme travel and the people who love it.   Hosted by Simpleca...

Panorama of the City of New York

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Panorama of the City of New York a star of the 1964 World’s Fair where it competed for attention with new technology like touch-tone phones and ...

International Cocoa Quarantine Center

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nicola Twilley takes us to suburban London, where a 1000 square meter greenhouse is all that stands between us and the chocapocalypse. Listen to the ...

Milky Seas

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join host Dylan Thuras, a satellite scientist, and a ship captain in search of gigantic swaths of bioluminescence that can radiate up from the surface...

The Theater of Electricity

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Step inside the Theater of Electricity in Boston and learn about the World’s Largest Air-Insulated Van Der Graaf Generator.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:ht...

Leimert Park

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Baudelaire Ceus travels to Leimert Park, a unique neighborhood in Los Angeles characterized by its historical relationship to Black liberatio...

Quarantine at Malta Lazaretto

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writers Geoff Manaugh and Nicky Twilley take us inside a crumbling, centuries-old quarantine facility, and we explore the history and future of quaran...

Boulders Beach Penguin Sanctuary

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town in South Africa, is a destination where sunbathers, tourists, and penguins share both the beach and parts of the town...

Monkey Island

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Monkey Island, Cayo, Santigo is an island off the coast of Puerto Rico where more than 1500 imported monkeys have lived and been studied by researcher...

The Citadelle Laferriere

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Citadelle Laferriere in Haiti was built to ensure the island remained free after Haitians defeated French colonizers.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https...

Bell Ringing of Old North Church

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Boston’s Old North Church was cemented in American History by Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride. But now the ringers who play these bells in a ce...

City Museum

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1993 Bob Cassilly began to turn an old shoe factory into a massive interactive museum that now includes a plane fuselage, caves, and a ten-story sl...

Gorgeous Grotesques with the Places Team

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team find beauty and fascination at the sites of warped and bizarre statues in Nuremberg, Germ...

Musk Ox Farm

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, Alaska aims to domesticate a species that used to roam the earth at the same time as the sabretooth and wooly mammoth.READ...

Chopin’s Heart

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Razzouk Tattoo

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Razzouk Tattoo in Jerusalem has given Christian pilgrims permanent souvenirs from their travel for centuries.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlas...

Great Zimbabwe

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Visit the ruins of an ancient economic powerhouse’s capital city, Great Zimbabwe in the nation of Zimbabwe and learn how a colonial empire was deter...

Lily Dale Spiritualist Community

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Reporter Sam O’Brien takes us to Lily Dale, the world’s largest surviving community of spiritualists, where she learns (even if you don’t believ...

Relampago Del Catatumo

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s an everlasting lightning storm in Northwestern Venezuela that appears in the night sky nearly every night.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://ww...

Cisternerne

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A massive 19th-century reservoir under the city of Copenhagen has been repurposed as a contemporary art cave. We venture inside to learn more about it...

The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Reporter Eric Grundhauser recounts a memorable visit to an unusual museum in Iceland, where he explored the ancient lore of the occult, learned how to...

Organ Stop Pizza

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The largest theater pipe organ in the world lives in a restaurant in Mesa, Arizona. Phenomenal musicians play requests while diners feast on pizza.REA...

Alnwick Poison Garden

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Alnwick Poison Garden in England is a place where stopping and smelling the flowers could actually kill you. The garden is dedicated entirely to p...

The Unclaimed Baggage Center

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama bills itself as “the nation’s only retailer of lost luggage.” If you’ve ever lost a bag d...

Beer Can House

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Milkovisch spent 18 years covering his Houston home in beer cans. The house has been preserved for visitors since John’s death in 1988. READ M...

Grandma Ida’s Nut Rolls Gravestone

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Resident food and death correspondent, Sam O’Brien, returns to tell us about a grave with a nut roll recipe engraved on it and the layered and touch...

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A national park in Southwest Uganda is home to nearly half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas. They and the local community rely...

Beechey Island Graves Part 2 Re-Listen

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 In this two-part series, we venture towards frozen graves tied to an infamous Arctic expedition. We follow two groups of adventurers, separated by m...

Beechey Island Graves Part 1 Re-Listen

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this two-part series, we venture towards frozen graves tied to an infamous Arctic expedition. We follow two groups of adventurers, separated by mor...

Hachiko Re-Listen

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlas...

Gold Medal Flour Re-Listen

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The crumbled ruins of the world’s largest flour mill became one of Minneapolis’ most prominent graffiti-writing locations, and later a museum.Read...

The Village Where Every Person’s Name Is a Song Re-Listen

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Kongthong, India, every person’s name is a unique song, composed by their mother within a week of their birth, part of a centuries-old tradition....

The Family Tree Re-Listen

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A listener’s voicemail sent us searching for the story of a very special -- and giant -- oak tree Peoria, Illinois, and the family of arborists who ...

Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool Re-Listen

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The oldest (maybe) swimming pool in Iceland is a stunning oasis built into the side of a lush hill.  Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscur...

Widow Jane Mine Re-Listen

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This old cement mine in Rosendale, New York, has been used as everything from a mushroom farm to a recording studio.Read more in the Atlas: https://ww...

Happy Holidays from the Atlas Obscura Team

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Atlas production team would like to share some of their favorite holiday places as 2021 comes to a close.  This episode will be followed by a ser...

Shipwrecked Doritos

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2006 a massive haul of Doritos was shipwrecked on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks, leaving its mark on the town forever.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: ...

The Naica Cave

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professional Adventurer George Kourounis knew he needed to visit the Cave of the Crystals, located nearly a 1000 feet beneath northern Mexico, the mom...

Post Office Bay

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Post Office Bay on the Galapagos Islands is a post office that runs on luck and the goodwill of visitors. It has a knack for bringing strangers togeth...

Carousel of Happiness

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A music box given to Scott Harrison while he served in Vietnam inspired him to hand-carve all the animals for the Carousel of Happiness in Nederland, ...

The Past Beneath Our Feet with the Places Team

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team catch listeners up on the new and surprising additions to Atlas Obscura that capture thei...

Museum of Minerals and Crystals

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This small mineral museum in Dodgeville, Wisconsin is home to plenty of rocks - some of which may rival those in the Smithsonian National Museum of Na...

Lake Nyos - The Deadliest Lake

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1986 an unknown natural disaster at Lake Nyos in Menchum, Cameroon left more than 1700 people dead in one night - and puzzled scientists. Learn how...

Centers for Disease Control Museum

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Visit a museum inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, which documents how public health officials have slowed the ...

Abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from the caretakers of a ghost town in Bolivia that was once the world's highest ski resort.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura....

Micropia

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Take a trip to Micropia, the world’s only museum dedicated to microscopic organisms and  learn about our invisible life companions.READ MORE IN THE...

Tree of 40 Fruits

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Tree of 40 fruits in San Jose California is an horticultural marvel of 40 types of stone fruit trees grafted together to form a living work of art...

Looking for Pawpaws

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Sporkful host Dan Pashman brings listeners on a quest to find a fruit indigenous to North America that has never been industrialized - but may be ...

International Cryptozoology Museum

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s easy to dismiss Bigfoot, the yeti, the Loch Ness monster, and other cryptids as far-fetched X-Files fodder. But the International Cryptozoology...

The Jagannath Temple

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a collaboration with our friends at Science Diction, we explore the Indian temple complex that gave rise to the word "juggernaut," which means an u...

Sunny Jim Cave

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Red Sea Blue Hole

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This stunning geological marvel just north of Dahab, Egypt has been called the deadliest dive spot in the world. But is that reputation deserved?READ ...

What Makes an Atlas Obscura Place?

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team aim to answer the question at the heart of Atlas Obscura - “What kind of place merits a...

The Office of Collecting and Design

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica Oreck has spent the last 30 years collecting odd and forgotten objects. Now, they’re all beautifully curated and on display in the Office of...

The Forgotten Songs Sound Sculpture

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This unique installation in Sydney, Australia combines art and ornithology, commemorating the calls of the city’s lost birds. Plus, bin chickens!REA...

The Hot Ale Flip

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Visit the taverns of colonial America to take a frothy sip of the hot ale flip and how it helped pave the way for contemporary mixology. READ MORE IN ...