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.

Similar Podcasts

Armchair Explorer

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

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!

The French Instinct

The French Instinct
”Parle, pense, vis en français et découvre d‘autres horizons”. Hello, I‘m Katy Beauvais, native French as a Foreign Language Instructor. I feel passionate about languages myself and I speak 5 languages. This podcast will be entirely in French as it‘s dedicated to Intermediate and Advanced French students. You‘ll immerse yourself in authentic French and I‘ll help you improve your Language skills in context, through comprehensible input, in an enjoyable, relaxing, creative and inspiring way. We‘ll talk about everyday life in France, French Language and Culture but also about language learning and travelling. Follow my everyday life in France on Instagram http://instagram.com/thefrenchinstinct/ Check my website for more info about my free resources or to get in touch with me http://thefrenchinstinct.com/ I hold a Master‘s Degree in second language acquisition, with emphasis on French teaching, and another one in Spanish.

The Art Spy with Michelle Young

July 17, 2025 00:28:41 27.53 MB Downloads: 0

A French curator infiltrates a Nazi army to save masterpieces from the Jeu De Paume museum. Read more in Michelle Young’s new book, The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland.

The Portland Treasure Map (Classic)

July 16, 2025 00:14:42 14.11 MB Downloads: 0

A map in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in Portland, Oregon may be the key to finding buried treasure that has yet to be found. This episode was produced in partnership with Travel Portland.

The World’s Largest Time Capsule

July 15, 2025 00:17:23 16.69 MB Downloads: 0

In 1975, a man in Seward, Nebraska dug a gigantic hole in his yard and made the world’s largest time capsule. On July 4, 2025, the capsule was opened. 

Dylan’s Mailbag: Solo Travel

July 14, 2025 00:17:00 16.32 MB Downloads: 0

Dylan and producers Johanna and Amanda answer listener questions about solo travel. 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.    

Nue (Classic)

July 11, 2025 00:15:04 14.46 MB Downloads: 0

A Seattle restaurant pushes diners to eat beyond their borders through its embrace of global street foods.

Exploring the Pan-American Highway with Pati Jinich

July 10, 2025 00:24:15 23.28 MB Downloads: 0

The Pan-American Highway is considered the longest road in the world – it stretches nearly 20,000 miles, from Alaska to Argentina. In her new docuseries Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana, Pati talks with people along the famous route about the different ways we form our identities. And she was particularly interested in exploring this territory because of her own unique cultural background.  

How Polar Explorers Entertained Themselves

July 09, 2025 00:11:45 11.28 MB Downloads: 0

Early polar explorers faced long nights and dangerous expeditions. To entertain themselves, they wrote and published niche newspapers and periodicals. Atlas Obscura’s community editor Allegra Rosenberg reads an essay exploring this unique polar tradition. Read her full essay here.  

The Last Limburger Plant in America

July 08, 2025 00:14:29 13.9 MB Downloads: 0

Chalet Cheese Cooperative in Monroe, Wisconsin is the last cheese plant left in America that makes the ultra-stinky Limburger cheese: a cheese that inspires equal parts loving and loathing, has been banned for its assaulting smell, and that once sparked a feud between two cities.

Where You Would Spend Your Last Day Before the Apocalypse

July 07, 2025 00:10:50 10.4 MB Downloads: 0

A few weeks ago, the Atlas Obscura staff told us where they would spend their last days before the apocalypse. Now we’re sharing your stories – from a childhood home in a small town in Illinois, to a trip in Eastern Europe, to a pizzeria in Brooklyn and a cave in Utah. Plus: We want to hear your stories about your neighbors! Tell us about your neighbors’ front yards, back yards, house decor – and what you like about them. Is there a neighbor in your block who goes all the way every holiday to have the best decorations? Or maybe there's someone who has a wacky display year round? Maybe someone has an incredible garden, or some homemade art sculptures. Did they inspire you? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com

Civic Musical Road (Classic)

July 04, 2025 00:11:04 10.62 MB Downloads: 0

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/places/civic-musical-road

The Cigar “Readers” of Cuba

July 03, 2025 00:24:45 23.76 MB Downloads: 0

If you were to visit a cigar factory in Cuba, you’d hear something unexpected: the sound of the daily news report, or maybe a poem or a novel, being read aloud. The cigar “reader” is a tradition held by just a handful of people, and it came from a fundamentally revolutionary idea. Eliot Stein, author of Custodians of Wonder, joins Dylan to explain.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

July 02, 2025 00:14:49 14.22 MB Downloads: 0

One of the many objects that went down with the ship during the sinking of the Titanic was a beautiful, jewel-encrusted edition of a poetry book called the “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.” The Rubaiyat was probably the most famous work of poetry in the English-speaking world at that time…which was somewhat unusual, as the book was written by a Persian mathematician 800 years before.For more information about Omar Khayyam and the Rubaiyat, check out the books “Persian Presence in Victorian Poetry” by Taher-Kermani Reza, “The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam” by Mehdi Aminrazavi, and the BBC documentary “The Genius of Omar Khayyam.” 

Ivan the Terra Bus

July 01, 2025 00:17:26 16.73 MB Downloads: 0

In Antarctica, researchers bid farewell to an iconic fixture: a big red bus named Ivan. Want to learn more about Ivan? Read Allegra Rosenberg’s article all about him.

Happy Pride: Mapping the Gay Guides (Classic)

June 30, 2025 00:14:20 13.76 MB Downloads: 0

To round out Pride Month, we’re sharing one of our favorite classic episodes. For decades, a one of a kind travel guide opened up the world for gay travelers. Today, historians are using them to create an interactive map of LGBTQ spaces in midcentury America.

It’s Getting Hot in Here (Classic)

June 27, 2025 00:09:25 9.04 MB Downloads: 0

Let’s all go to hell. Seriously. Hell, Michigan, that is :)READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hell-michigan