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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The Places We Return To
Atlas 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
Monongahela Incline
This 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
Goblin Valley State Park
Today 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
The Last Big Mac in Iceland
Take 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
The Boiling River Re-Listen
A 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
Ruins of Le Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale
This 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
The Maiden of Deception Pass
Thousands of years ago, a young woman named Ko-kwal-alwoot crouched 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/
National Ice Core Lab
Scientists 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
Forestiere Underground Gardens
This 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
Mafra Palace Library Bats Re-listen
A 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
The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum
Noah 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.atlasobscura.com/places/noah-purifoy-s-outdoor-desert-art-museum
Upton Chamber
An 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
Benin Bronzes
Thousands of masks from the former Kingdom of Benin are spread throughout museums across the world. Is that where they belong?
Hashima Island
Hashima Island in Japan was once the most densely populated place on Earth. Until – almost overnight – everyone left.
Sputnik IV Crash Site Re-listen
Typically, 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