The Atlas Obscura Podcast

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 THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forest-of-the-future-library Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 fallout. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ark-two-shelter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/congo-square Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 modern memes. Click here for more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

An archeological site in the country of Georgia, which features the oldest, human skull fossils found outside of Africa, challenges what we think we know about our deep past.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dmanisi-hominins-brain-shape Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cayo-santiago-monkey-island Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea has become an accidental bird sanctuary for one of the world’s most endangered crane species. Learn more about the International Crane Foundation at savingcranes.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

These Argentinian parrots have made an unlikely home in a Brooklyn, NY cemetery. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki has had an infestation of Chilean recluse spiders for more than 50 years. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/micropia Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 the sea over thousands of square miles. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 future.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/laguna-del-diamante Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s an everlasting lightning storm in Northwestern Venezuela that appears in the night sky nearly every night.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/relampago-del-catatumbo Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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/spacecraft-cemetery Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Unit, all the way to the inside of Elvis’s colon. If you want to check out her work, we recommend starting with Packing for Mars. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Visitors leave bananas on the grave of “America’s First Lady of Space,” an early astronaut whose incredible life was forgotten. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-miss-baker-huntsville-alabama Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 we have firsthand accounts from people who witnessed it.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tunguska-event-epicenter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chandler, Arizona creates a Christmas Tree made entirely of the diaspore of this Western plant. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tumbleweed-christmas-tree Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 holiday break -- but not leaving you without wonder. Over the course of 20 episodes, host Dylan Thuras is going to take you on a journey starting in the cosmic reaches of space, to the earliest days of life on earth, through a tour of our fellow earthly creatures, and finally arrive at us, the great apes who record podcasts. We'll be back in late January with brand new episodes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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-heads Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Specific smells have been linked to specific geographies, cultures, and mythologies for THOUSANDS of years. Today, we hear from Saskia Wilson-Brown about fragrance, power, and the power of scent. MORE: Saskia is the founder of the Institute of Art and Olfaction, a nonprofit to expand access and education around scent. She also teaches a 3-part online class with us here at Atlas Obscura, and it runs a couple of times a year. Head to the online courses page on our website, and you can use code AMBERGRIS to get 15% off your registration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 major letdown. And today - we are hearing YOUR stories.WE WANT YOUR STORIES: We’re working on a new slate of episodes that will feature listener stories, and we want to hear yours. Tell us about a place you’ve been 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 [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

An art gallery in Kansas celebrates the losers of presidential elections.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/they-also-ran-gallery-norton-kansas Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A Seattle restaurant pushes diners to eat beyond their borders through its embrace of global street foods. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/elephant-clock Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 who cared for it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 years ago, the case was solved – even though many don’t accept the explanation. Journalist and author Doug Preston guides us through the second half of the story. MORE: The mountain where the people disappeared has since been renamed Dyatlov Pass and is today a popular hiking destination. If you’re into this case and want to learn more – check out Doug’s new book The Lost Tomb, which will be released Dec 5. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 the Soviet Union... and the myriad conspiracy theories that sprouted up afterward. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producer Manolo Morales, a devoted Little Monster, gallivants around the Lower East Side via an immersive performance-art walking tour dedicated to an iconic pop star. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 the oldest Martian meteorite and a column in Greece that symbolizes the fear and ritual past generations embraced when faced with their own plague. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 control the artist who created it was able to exert, even after death. To reserve your spot to stay at the Lightning Field, sign up at the Dia Foundation's website.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lightning-field Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 rural Vermont and look for the phone-booth sized box filled with baked goods.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tiny-bread-box Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.