An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.
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Easy Russian: Learn Russian with native speakers | Учим русский с носителями языка
Maybe you’re already learning Russian with us on YouTube? On this podcast, we talk about the Russian language and the culture of the Russian-speaking countries from the perspective of our two hosts who left Russia in 2022. We also explain words and expressions and answer your questions. Members also get interactive transcripts, early access and bonus content for each episode. Learn more at www.easyrussian.fm.
Armchair Explorer
The world's greatest adventurers tell their best story from the road. Each episode is cut documentary style and set to music and cinematic effects to create an immersive storytelling experience. 'Best travel podcasts 2020'- The Guardian, 'Thrilling Stuff'-Sunday Times, 'Ear Candy for Listeners' - Washington Post
Easy Italian: Learn Italian with real conversations | Imparare l'italiano con conversazioni reali
Take your Italian from learner to local with Matteo and Raffaele. Immerse yourself in authentic Italian as we share the ups and downs of daily life, interesting stories, and things that will surprise you about Italy. Plus, as a member, you’ll get interactive transcripts with a translation of your choice; bonus content; early access; and our magical vocabulary helper that shows you minute-by-minute translations while you listen. Com'è facile!
Chicago Bridge Houses (Classic)
Drawbridge operators in Chicago used to live at these specific homes nestled at the base of their bridges.
The Man Who Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge
At the height of the Incan empire, a series of 200 woven suspension bridges crisscrossed the valleys of the Andes. Today, only one remains. It’s called the Q'eswachaka, and it’s rewoven every year by a continuous line of bridge builders. Journalist Eliot Stein traveled to Peru to meet the current bridge builder, and to witness this incredible tradition. His book, Custodians of Wonder, chronicles traditions like these across the globe, and the people preserving them. Plus: Listen to our episode all about the the world’s rarest pasta, or “threads of god.”
Finding The Great Gatsby in Louisville
You might think of The Great Gatsby as a classic New York City novel – but the events that set off the action of the story actually take place somewhere else. In Louisville, Kentucky. It’s where Daisy and Gatsby first meet, and where Daisy marries Gatsby’s rival, Tom Buchanan (boo, hiss!) In today’s episode, we track down the footsteps of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who spent two tumultuous months of his life near Louisville while stationed at an Army camp during WWI. And we’ll try to find the places that might have inspired his most famous work… Plus: Track down Fitzgerald’s footsteps in Louisville and find events related to the 100th birthday of the Great Gatsby.This episode was produced in partnership with Louisville Tourism.
Saving the World’s Rarest Pasta
For 300 years, only a handful of women in Sardinia knew how to make the “threads of God,” an exceptionally intricate pasta. But then, one woman decided to share the recipe with the outside world. Read Diana Hubbell’s article about the quest to save the world’s rarest pasta.
Dylan’s Mailbag: Waiting in Lines, Traveling with Mixed Budgets, and Unexpected Layovers
Dylan and producers Johanna and Amanda take your questions. If you have a question for Dylan, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com, or simply email your question.Plus: Listen to Dylan’s episode about how he learned to love Las Vegas.
Medical Clowning Program (Classic)
The history of medical clowning extends back to Ancient Greece and the time of Hippocrates and is taught in workshops throughout the world. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medical-clowning-program-at-haifa-university
That Time Locusts Ate The Entire Midwest
In the 1870s the Midwest experienced a devastating natural disaster in the form of… an enormous cloud of extremely hungry locusts. Dylan and producer Amanda discuss what happens when a cloud of locusts twice the size of Colorado descends on your town.If you can’t get enough of Rocky Mountain Locusts check out our episode on Grasshopper Glacier!
Club Ebony
We get a crash course in the Chitlin' Circuit, a network of entertainment venues for Black musicians during segregation. And we take a closer look at a special stop along the way: Club Ebony. It’s a place that still thumps with the blues of the past, even as it welcomes a new generation of musicians.
The Big Well
In 1887, Greensburg, Kansas was a small town in a relatively new state. The town needed to come up with a way to attract visitors – and they chose to think big. Very, very big.
The Places We Gained After the Pandemic
It’s been five years since the pandemic shutdown. So often, conversations about that time revolve around places we’ve lost. But for this episode, Atlas Obscura staffers share the places they gained during the pandemic. Plus: We want to hear from you. Tell us about the places that you gained or discovered during the pandemic. How did you discover this place? Why is it important to you? What’s it like visiting that place now vs. then? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Or record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.
Bad Rap Week: Ashley Ray’s Secret Place (Classic)
Dylan sits down with podcaster Ashley Ray, who has more than a soft spot for her Midwest hometown. Hear why she thinks it may just be the best kept secret, despite its bad reputation. Check out Ashley’s podcast all about TV and culture. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.
Bad Rap Week: Prowling for Coyotes in Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery
As a child, Lulu Miller had a beloved dog. But one day, the dog disappeared – and in all likelihood, it was probably eaten by coyotes. Since then, Lulu has been strangely fascinated by these crepuscular creatures. Now, she heads to Graceland Cemetery in Chicago at the crack of dawn – to marvel at the urban coyotes that make the cemetery their home, and to grapple with their longstanding bad reputations. Plus: You can check out the coyote photos of Robert Loerzel (Lulu’s coyote guide) on his Instagram. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.
Bad Rap Week: Searching for Wonder in the Most Boring Mall in Canada
Toronto is home to a massive underground mall called the PATH, a labyrinth of hallways with shops, banks, and no fewer than nine Tim Hortons. At 30 kilometers long, it’s the largest underground shopping complex in the world. It's also famously dull. What wonder can be found in a dreary, underground mall? Reporter Elah Feder takes this as a challenge and descends into the PATH to see if she can wring an ounce of wonder from this godforsaken place. Along the way, she ponders the nature of boredom – and confronts some existential questions. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.
Bad Rap Week: Dylan and Alan Fall Down the Rat Hole
Dylan has complicated feelings about rats. On one hand, they’re amazingly resourceful creatures. On the other, they caused the bubonic plague (and other harmful situations). So when Terrestrials producer and composer Alan Goffinski went on a rat reporting spree Dylan knew just who he had to talk to in order to come to terms with his feelings about the rodents. From a subterranean rat city underneath NYC to a “rat hotline,” Alan and Dylan journey down the rabbit hole – er, rat hole. Will Dylan come down pro-rat or anti-rat? Let the scorekeeping begin!Want more rats? Listen to Alan’s episode all about these fascinating creatures. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.
Bad Rap Week: Listeners Defend Places with Bad Reputations
From laundromats to Sacramento, listeners go to bat for places with bad reputations. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.