The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Seeking the (Minnesota-shaped) Forest Through the Trees - Part 1

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We follow one man’s journey down an internet rabbit hole that becomes a search for a one-of-a-kind forest and its mysterious creator. Hosted by Simp...

Hello From The Otter Side

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At one time, sea otters had an enormous historical range—from Baja California, up the West Coast, through Alaska, Russia, and Japan. But these days,...

The Guerrero

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We follow a man’s quest to find the remains of a shipwrecked slave ship off the coast of the Florida Keys, and learn about its forgotten history, my...

Moon Trees (Classic)

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

These trees sprang from seeds that were brought to outer space.  Moon Tree Website: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.htmlREAD M...

A Giant Spectacle in Goffstown

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We go to New Hampshire – but not for politics. Instead, we visit Goffstown, the pumpkin boat capital of New England, and meet the man who came up wi...

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We go to Houston, where a gigantic underground vessel that used to be a water source is now an enchanting – and echo-filled – part of the downtown...

Slowjamastan

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We get out our passports and visit The Republic of Slowjamastan, a nation built on good vibes, good music and a dream of eliminating one very popular ...

Whimzeyland

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We go to Safety Harbor, Florida – where two artists have made their house into a magnet for creativity and culture, and where Troll Dolls, Jello mol...

Forest of the Future Library (Winter Wonder Classic)

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 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...

Ark Two Shelter (Winter Wonder Classic)

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Forty-two school buses have been buried in Horning’s Mills, Ontario - covered in concrete, they can house up to 500 people in case of nuclear fallou...

Congo Square (Winter Wonder Classic)

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Congo 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: htt...

The Complaint Tablet of Ea-Nasir (Winter Wonder Classic)

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Turns out, complaining about bad service really is as old as time. Hear the story of an ancient Babylonian clay tablet that has launched a slew of mod...

Dmanisi (Winter Wonder Classic)

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An archeological site in the country of Georgia, which features the oldest, human skull fossils found outside of Africa, challenges what we think we k...

Monkey Island (Winter Wonder Classic)

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An island off the coast of Puerto Rico is home to more than 1500 imported monkeys, which have been studied by researchers for decades.READ MORE IN TH...

Cranes of the DMZ (Winter Wonder Classic)

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea has become an accidental bird sanctuary for one of the world’s most endangered crane spec...

Mafra Palace Library Bats (Winter Wonder Classic)

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A grand library in Portugal has some unexpected nighttime caretakers -- tiny bats. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mafra-...

Parrots of Green-Wood Cemetery (Winter Wonder Classic)

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

These Argentinian parrots have made an unlikely home in a Brooklyn, NY cemetery. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

Luomus Spiders (Winter Wonder Classic)

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki has had an infestation of Chilean recluse spiders for more than 50 years. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi...

Micropia (Winter Wonder Classic)

05 Jan 2024

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 A...

Milky Seas (Winter Wonder Classic)

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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

Laguna Del Diamante (Winter Wonder Classic)

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A toxic lake high in the Andes mountains in Argentina is home to microbes that provide a window to our planet’s past — and a key to securing its f...

Relampago del Catatumbo (Winter Wonder Classic)

02 Jan 2024

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...

The Various Ends of the World (Winter Wonder Classic)

01 Jan 2024

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 pcm...

Spacecraft Cemetery (Winter Wonder Classic)

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where does space stuff go after it dies? To this spot deep, deep in the Pacific ocean.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/spac...

Fun and Funny Science with Mary Roach (Winter Wonder Classic)

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author Mary Roach takes us into the hidden corners of the scientific world. From training to poop in space to the surprisingly pleasant Common Cold Un...

The Grave of Miss Baker (Winter Wonder Classic)

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Visitors leave bananas on the grave of “America’s First Lady of Space,” an early astronaut whose incredible life was forgotten. READ MORE IN TH...

The Tunguska Event (Winter Wonder Classic)

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We head to a remote region of Russia, to the epicenter of what would become known as the Tunguska Event. An event that may seem unfathomable… except...

Amir Siraj and the Interstellar Object (Winter Wonder Classic)

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amir Siraj was a sophomore in college when he discovered what may be the first documented interstellar object to hit Earth. Hosted by Simplecast, an A...

Tumbleweed Christmas Tree (Winter Wonder Classic)

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chandler, Arizona creates a Christmas Tree made entirely of the diaspore of this Western plant. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/...

A Holiday Announcement

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over 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 ho...

President Heads (Classic)

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

42 giant busts of U.S. presidents are slowly crumbling in a field in Virginia. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/president-...

Sniffing out What’s Special with Saskia Wilson Brown

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Specific smells have been linked to specific geographies, cultures, and mythologies for THOUSANDS of years. Today, we hear from Saskia Wilson-Brown ab...

Nightwalking with Bianca Giaever

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We 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 pandem...

A Return to Recipe Graves

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gastro Obscura’s senior editor Sam O’Brien returns to the podcast to go deeper with us on her strange beat – recipes etched into gravestones. We...

Old City Hall Station

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A producer takes a detour for a glimpse of what some call New York’s worst kept secret – a train station that’s been shut down and sealed away f...

Pando the Trembling Giant (Classic)

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fishlake National Forest is home to the biggest organism by mass on the planet - but this giant is shrinking and an usual group has banded together to...

Gourdlandia

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This magical wonderland in Ithaca, New York is devoted entirely—almost spiritually—to this unusual and versatile fruit. It's also the brainchild ...

New Bedford Whaling Museum

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An oozing whale skeleton isn't the only attraction at this Massachusetts museum. Hear how a producer’s visit revealed some surprising facts about an...

Knoxville Weather Kiosk

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the day, people were so hungry for info about the weather that they would stand in line all day to get a glimpse of a series of kiosks placed ...

Ol Pejeta Rhino Cemetery

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A small cemetery in the grasslands of Kenya serves as a way to honor one of the most endangered animals in the world – the rhino – and elevate the...

The Super Museum

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A midwest city has embraced what it means to be the namesake hometown of one very famous superhero. And at its center is a museum that holds the caref...

Sunny Jim Cave (Classic)

07 Dec 2023

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...

The Great Stalacpipe Organ (Classic)

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Luray Caverns in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are home to an instrument that draws out the secret sounds of millenia-old stone. READ MORE...

The Naica Cave (Classic)

05 Dec 2023

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 m...

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We got so many responses to our question about listener experiences with animal encounters that we made a second episode. Experiences include a woman ...

Museum of Broken Relationships (Classic)

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode will break your heart. And that’s a good thing. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-of-broken-relations...

Aurora Alien Gravesite

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A small town in Texas has embraced the story of the visit and demise of an otherworldly being from the 1800s… and what many say is America’s only ...

Travel Ups and Downs

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks ago, our staff here at Atlas Obscura put out an episode about our traveling expectations – places that either blew us away… or were a...

They Also Ran Gallery

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An art gallery in Kansas celebrates the losers of presidential elections.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/they-also-ran-gal...

Nue

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A Seattle restaurant pushes diners to eat beyond their borders through its embrace of global street foods. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. S...

Elephant Clock (Classic)

24 Nov 2023

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 THE...

The Family Tree (Classic)

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Dyatlov Pass Part 2

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, rumors and conspiracy theories swirled after nine people disappeared in the Ural mountains of the Soviet Union in 1959. But just a few ye...

Dyatlov Pass Part 1

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Doug Preston guides us through the first half of a cliffhanger story about the mysterious disappearance of a group of hikers in ...

A Gaga Tour of the Town

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Manolo Morales, a devoted Little Monster, gallivants around the Lower East Side via an immersive performance-art walking tour dedicated to an...

Martian Meteorites and Greek Columns (Classic)

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Places editors Jonathan and Michelle are back again with a few new standout entries to the Atlas … including a spot in Antarctica that’s home to t...

The Lightning Field

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For art nerds, the Lightning Field installation in the New Mexico desert is a bucket-list destination. It’s also a testament to the extraordinary co...

Tiny Bread Box

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A couple created what is perhaps the cutest and most filling micro-store to pop up during the pandemic. But to find it, you’ll have to trek through ...

Montezuma Well

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A mysterious sinkhole in Arizona has befuddled an exclusive group of divers who’ve gotten a glimpse of a strange world underneath its sandy bottom.R...

Café 't Mandje

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re in Amsterdam, learning about a bad-ass woman who championed queer folx and provided a safe haven throughout World War II via her quirky bar in...

Brooklyn Latrine (Classic)

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A listener tells us about a treasure buried in his literal backyard, and the two strange men who showed up on his doorstep and asked to dig it up. Hos...

Dolly Parton’s Dreambox

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We will always love Dolly Parton, who’s installed a “dreambox” time capsule at her amusement park. In it, there’s a secret song that no one wi...

A Long Walk Home

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We meet back up with our pal Bernie Harberts, the beast whisperer, who trekked 19 million mule steps across the United States only to find himself, fo...

Gregynog Hall

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We go to the former estate of the Davies sisters, two unusually wealthy Welsh women who traveled the world, fell in love with art, served their countr...

The Immovable Ladder

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a place where multiple world religions intersect, this unassuming little ladder is a symbol of the very delicate balance that keeps a church in Jer...

The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft (Classic)

03 Nov 2023

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...

Yemrehanna Kristos Church (Classic)

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer and author Paul Koudonaris brings listeners to this Ethiopian Church and explores ossuaries, jeweled skeletons, and death practices throu...

Scary Stories from Real Places (Classic)

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Atlas contributors bring listeners stories from spooky locations they’ve visited, and which continue to haunt them. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

Spooky Sites with the Places Team (Classic)

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Po...

Bloody Island (Classic)

30 Oct 2023

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...

Abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort (Classic)

27 Oct 2023

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.co...

The Art of the Heist with Noah Charney

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We chat with one of the leading experts on art theft – professor and author Noah Charney, who unpacks the cultural fascination with this type of cri...

Great Plains Dinosaur Museum

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We visit a museum in Montana that’s a dream for dinosaur nerds, and home to bones that are the real deal, locally sourced and sustainably foraged.RE...

Venturing Into the Twilight Zone with Susan Casey

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Susan Casey takes us to the deep deep ocean, where she explores the relationship between humans and this mysterious underworld.READ MORE: F...

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A basketball fan goes to the hall of fame – and no, it’s not the big one in Massachusetts that you may be thinking about. Hear the story behind a ...

Science that Doesn’t Stop (Classic)

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Host Dylan Thuras riffs on a subject that has long fascinated him: The world’s longest-running science experiments. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

The Wishing Tree

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a special tree in Portland that’s full of a city’s hopes, dreams, and wishes.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places...

The Golem

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We peek into the life and work of the oft-understood artist Niki de Saint Phalle, who was behind a strange and wildly popular playground sculpture in ...

Robot Saints

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We meet the robot saints – sculptures made of wood and wire, of cams and pulleys during medieval times – that might just help us understand this n...

Nasothek Noses

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We get up close and nosey about a peculiar exhibit in Copenhagen that reveals a lot about what artists and society considered beautiful throughout the...

The Plotz Plot (Classic)

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

The Stanley Hotel

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We go inside a place that some paranormal investigators call the most active haunted location in the world. Before it was known as the inspiration for...

Our Travel Expectations

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Travel is sometimes like a box of chocolates – never know what you’re going to get. In this episode, we share stories of places that blew us away,...

The Tunguska Event

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We head to a remote region of Russia, to the epicenter of what would become known as the Tunguska Event. An event that may seem unfathomable… except...

Tolkien Takes Us Places

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This fall marks 50 years since JRR Tolkien’s death. In honor of the writer’s life and legacy, we want to take you back to the places where it all ...

La Piedra Movediza (Classic)

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A huge rock, teetering on the edge of a hill for thousands of years, brought tourism, fame, and what’s said to be a 100-year curse to the town of T...

Grave Bells

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We go to Bonaventure Cemetery in Georgia to the grave of one Charles F. Mills to learn about a distinct – but at one time widespread – phobia – ...

Baobab Fare

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Chef Hamissi Mamba, whose family sought asylum in the US and years later founded an East African restaurant that serves up a small slice ...

Enchanted Woods

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We go to Wilmington, Delaware, to a 4-acre garden with characters and exhibits created using castoff materials and greenery that invites kids to drop ...

Searching for Squids with Dr. Sarah McAnulty

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We go on a journey through the depths of the ocean, meeting a different squid deity at each stop along the way. Our guide is cephalopod expert, biolo...

Secret Places with Ashley Ray (Classic)

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Podcaster Ashley Ray has more than a soft spot for her Midwest hometown. Hear why she thinks it may just be the best kept secret. HEAR MORE FROM OUR ...

The 49th Parallel (Classic)

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A listener takes us to a town on the edge of the longest undefended border in the world. Note: US-Canada border regulations have been updated since t...

Lake Karachay (Classic)

27 Sep 2023

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...

The Dedan Kimathi Post Office Tree (Classic)

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Dedan Kimathi Post Office played a notable role in Kenya’s struggle for Independence.GREAT NEWS: We’re up for an award - and you can help us w...

Twin Oaks

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An intentional community in rural central Virginia has been testing an interesting  premise for decades — that maybe three, or four, or more paren...

Moses Gates and the Chrysler Building Eagles (Classic)

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Urban planner, Moses Gates, shares his unlikely experience with the residents of the 61st floor of one of New York City’s most iconic buildings.. Ho...

The Fear Lab

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At Denmark’s largest haunted house attraction, it’s not just about the screams. Researchers are studying the effects – good and bad – that fea...

The Ark of Citrus

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are thousands of varieties of citrus, many more than just the navel oranges. And they’re all being preserved in a collection at the University...

Getting lost in Golden Gate Park

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us rely on digital maps and GPS to get anywhere these days. Hear what happens when Producer Amanda McGowan finds herself lost in San Francisco...

Italy’s Bomb Squad

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We chat with writer Alessio Perrone about what he learned from the people who hunt for Italy’s unexploded bombs, leftover from times of war. READ M...