The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Today, with the help of Ben Naddaff-Hafrey from Revisionist History, we’re going to Fresh Kills in Staten Island: a pile of trash that grew so tall and so vast, that it inspired a secession movement and changed the people who grew up beside it. Emily Forman produced this episode. Be sure to check out Ben’s series The Staten Island Problem on the Revisionist History podcast.   Hosted by Simple...

All week, host Kelly McEvers surfaces some of her favorite episodes from the archive. Here's today's story:  This episode will break your heart. And that’s a good thing. PLUS: Do you have a favorite episode we should bring back to the top of the feed? Tell us what it was and why you picked it.  Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox...

All week, host Kelly McEvers surfaces some of her favorite episodes from the archive. Here's today's story:  In August 1953, airstrip operator George van Tassel claimed he was woken up in the middle of the night by an intelligent lifeform from outer space named Solganda. George says Solganda told him to build an energy rejuvenation machine – so that’s exactly what he spent the rest of his lif...

All week, host Kelly McEvers surfaces some of her favorite episodes from the archive. Here's today's story:  What drives a person to live in isolation? Meet Sue Aikens, who thrives in the icy expanse of the Arctic. She shares stories of survival, self-discovery, and the wild encounters that continue to shape her life. Her memoir, "North of Ordinary," was just published. PLUS: Do you have a fa...

All week, host Kelly McEvers surfaces some of her favorite episodes from the archive. Here's today's story:  James Baldwin’s former home in the South of France is a site that many visit hoping to feel the essence of the great African-American writer. But should it be? PLUS: Do you have a favorite episode we should bring back to the top of the feed? Tell us what it was and why you picked it.&n...

All week, host Kelly McEvers surfaces some of her favorite episodes from the archive. Here's today's story:  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…wh...

Alton, Illinois has been called the most haunted small town in America. It’s a place where practically every building has its own ghost story, from an old penitentiary, an eroding island, and even an old 1920s resort. And bubbling underneath all this lore is the fascinating history of a town shaped by the wild and unpredictable waters of the Mississippi River. We’ll explore some places with their...

From opera singers to strange noises emitting from air conditioners, listeners share stories about their unusual neighbors.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We share stories about our neighbors – from an unusual pet in Maryland, to an out-of-place front yard in Brooklyn, to a beekeeper with a secret.  Plus: We want to hear YOUR neighbor stories! Tell us about your neighbors’ yards, their house decor, their habits – and what you like about them. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and favorite story about your n...

Dive into the invisible world of seeds, Sefra Alexandra, the self-titled “Seed Huntress.” She tells us about her global mission to preserve our planet's diverse seeds and protect our future food security by uncovering the stories of culinary and cultural significance rooted in these tiny powerhouses. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

Today we venture (with flashlights on) into the TNT area, a vast abandoned munitions factory in Point Pleasant, West Virginia – where, in the 1960s, people started reporting sightings of a strange, winged creature with red glowing eyes. The creature became known as “the Mothman,” and these sightings generated a legend that has since inspired books, movies, an annual culture, and a thriving Mothman...

Olney, Illinois is your quintessential Midwestern small town. It’s in the middle of farm country - a place you might drive right past. But people do stop, and they come for one thing: squirrels. But for how long? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thompson’s Ice House in Bristol, Maine is one of the only places in the United States where people gather every winter to take part in the age-old process of harvesting ice from a frozen pond.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ross Jennings, aka the First Piper, has been on a world-spanning quest to play the bagpipes in every country of the world.  LEARN MORE: https://www.thefirstpiper.com/ 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 is not a fan of cats. But he may just change his mind after taking a walking tour in Brooklyn Heights dedicated to cat history called Cats About Town.     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producer Jerome Campbell shares two stories about how far animals will go for their meal.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deep in the Australian Outback, on the bank of the Finke river, stands a modest two-room house. Albert Namatjira built it for his family as his fame grew, but their time there was cut short. Today, the rise, fall, and enduring legacy of one of Australia’s most important artists.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...

School is back in session for many. So all week, we're bringing you stories from our archive about schools with a little something extra -- unusual traditions, ceremonies and customs. Students at Reed College study things like philosophy, history and English. But for the past 50 years they’ve also had access to a scientific instrument many people have never seen. We visit the World's only nuclear...

School is back in session for many. So all week, we're bringing you stories from our archive about schools with a little something extra -- unusual traditions, ceremonies and customs. In the 1980s, a group of friends on the track team at Sul Ross State University hauled a discarded dorm room desk to the top of a mountain. They left a notebook there to keep track of their run times and leave little...

School is back in session for many. So all week, we're bringing you stories from our archive about schools with a little something extra -- unusual traditions, ceremonies and customs. The Flagg Grove School in Brownsville, Tennessee has become a museum dedicated to its most famous student. If you have stories about schools with strange, unusual or wondrous traditions or ceremonies tell us about it...

School is back in session for many. So all week, we're bringing you stories from our archive about schools with a little something extra -- unusual traditions, ceremonies and customs. For years, students at Bennington College snuck into a locked room for a glimpse of strange and magical instruments created by professor Gunnar Schonbeck. Today, we join his orchestra.  If you have stories about...

School is back in session for many. So all week, we're bringing you stories from our archive about schools with a little something extra -- unusual traditions, ceremonies and customs. In this episode, producers Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy have stories from the campuses of Gallaudet University and Cornell University . If you have stories about schools with strange, unusual or wondrous tradi...

Thor Pedersen is the first person to visit every country in the world without flying. That is 203 countries by land and sea. He sits down with Kelly to unpack his epic quest, which he chronicled in his book, The Impossible Journey.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We meet Becky Sigwright, who captains a wind-powered boat that’s been sailing around Maine since before the invention of the telephone. This episode was produced in partnership with the Maine Office of Tourism. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We asked you to send us your stories inspired by Brad Ryan’s quest to travel to all 63 U.S National Parks with his grandmother. And some of you had some really interesting things to say.  Plus, we wanna hear your stories about the unusual, distinct or memorable tours you’ve taken anywhere in the world. Tell us what the tour was about. What did you learn? How did it go? Who was the tour guide?...