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.
Nightwalking with Bianca Giaever
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 pandemic. Joining the conversation is Bianca Giaever, creator of one of our favorite podcasts of the year, Constellation Prize. MORE: To hear Constellation Prize for yourself, you can head to thebeliever.net or anywhere podcasts are available. And if you want to learn more about nightwalking, check out this article Bianca wrote.
A Return to Recipe Graves
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 probe how food can help heal and remember those we’ve lost. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS Sam has written a bunch about recipe gravestones, and has even been on the podcast before. Read and listen to more of her work at these links:The Family Recipes That Live On in CemeteriesPodcast: The Spritz Cookie GravestonePodcast: Grandma Ida’s Nut Rolls Gravestone
Old City Hall Station
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 for nearly a century. MORE: Visit the New York Transit Museum’s website to learn how to become a member and book a tour of the station
Pando the Trembling Giant (Classic)
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 help defend it. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pando-the-trembling-giant
Gourdlandia
This magical wonderland in Ithaca, New York is devoted entirely—almost spiritually—to this unusual and versatile fruit. It's also the brainchild of Graham Ottoson, who is teaching an Atlas Obscura course on gourds. Listeners get 15% off by using code GOURDLOVE during registration. End credit music in this episode is from Alexander Fals (ngoni + vocals), Hayley Dayis (vocals), and Manuel Solarte (percussion). If you like what you heard, you can listen to more of their songs here.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gourdlandia
New Bedford Whaling Museum
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 industry that helped enrich a city and was inclusive well before diversity became a buzzword. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-oozing-whale-skeleton-of-new-bedford-new-bedford-massachusetts
Knoxville Weather Kiosk
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 in towns across the country. We go to Tennessee to hear the story of one.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/knoxville-weather-kiosk#:~:text=Installed%20in%20May%20of%201912,the%20Weather%20Bureau's%20Instrument%20Division
Ol Pejeta Rhino Cemetery
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 plight of a species on the brink. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ol-pejeta-rhino-cemetery
The Super Museum
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 carefully cultivated collection of one superfan. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/super-museum-metropolis
Sunny Jim Cave (Classic)
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 the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. Learn more about The Cave Store: https://www.cavestore.com/READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sunny-jim-cave-store
The Great Stalacpipe Organ (Classic)
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 IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-great-stalacpipe-organ-luray-virginia
The Naica Cave (Classic)
Professional Adventurer George Kourounis knew he needed to visit the Cave of the Crystals, located nearly a 1000 feet beneath northern Mexico, the moment he saw a photograph from inside the cave.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/giant-crystals-naica
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My
We got so many responses to our question about listener experiences with animal encounters that we made a second episode. Experiences include a woman who touches a tiger’s tail, a man who plays peek-a-boo with a bear and a chance meeting of a herd of elk. WE WANT YOUR STORIES: We’re working on a new slate of episodes that will feature listener stories, and want to hear yours. Tell us about a place you’ve been to that made you instantly feel at home. What made it special? Have you returned there? What sticks out about this place that makes it unique to you? Why does it remind you of home? How does it connect to you? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Just so you know, our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes, so you may need to call multiple times if your story is long.You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com
Museum of Broken Relationships (Classic)
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-relationships
Aurora Alien Gravesite
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 alien gravesite. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/1800-s-alien-gravesiteIf you can’t make it out to Texas, check out this documentary about the incident which is online.