The Atlas Obscura Podcast

One of the last remaining World War II Victory Gardens in the U.S is quietly growing across from Boston’s Fenway Park .  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mary Roach is an author of several books including  Stiff and Fuzz. And her newest book, Replaceable You,  explores the incredible advances and tough questions prompted by the human body’s failings. Mary takes us on a tour of our own anatomy – and what it takes to replace it.   Mary’s new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy , will be out September 16 – preorder the book today!  Host...

Here at Atlas Obscura, we’re big on collections. From rare jerseys to popular ‘90s plush toys, our staff shares the things we collect – and what they mean to us.  Plus: We want to hear about YOUR collections. What do you collect, and what does the collection mean to you? Or, maybe you have a story about someone who you know who has an outrageous collection. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave...

A backpacker on the Inca Trail encounters a fellow hiker who is inexplicably carrying two bags. This essay was written by Maggie Downs and edited by Aube Rey Lescure, and originally appeared in Off Assignment .  Plus: Off Assignment is offering a travel writing course, called Rethinking Travel Writing. It begins September 6, and you can use code ATLAS20 for 20% off: https://www.offassignment.com/r...

The story of a woman who, in her 70s, inspired some of the biggest labor uprisings in American history. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dylan just returned from a month-long trip with his wife and two kids, ages 8 and 10. And now, he wants to hear your stories about traveling with your own kids – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. Give us a call at (315) 992-7902 and leave us a message with your name and story. Or, you can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi...

The story of a stork, a spear and a scientific mystery that led to breakthroughs in the way we understand bird migration. All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlaso...

Atlas Obscura’s resident food and death reporter Sam O’Brien takes us to Smithfield, Virginia, where we meet a 120-year-old ham, and the people who love it.   All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, record a voice me...

We visit the world’s oldest rose, which is so tough that it survived being bombed in World War II.   All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com . We may a...

We explore the unexpected combination of recipes and graves through the story of Naomi Odessa Miller Dawson’s spritz cookies. All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@at...

Dylan goes on a journey to examine the preserved middle finger of astronomer, physicist, and engineer Galileo Galilei. All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, record a voice memo and email it to us at  hello@atlasobs...

Created by a volcanic eruption in 2015, this island in the South Pacific no longer exists… but we chat with a person who got to see it before it disappeared. LEARN MORE about Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in this Reuters article and see it in the Atlas here Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We talk with anthropologist Manvir Singh, whose research on shamanism took him from the small island of Siberut to study current practitioners, to exploring prehistoric cave art in France. It’s the subject of his new book, “Shamanism: The Timeless Religion” – and in it he also argues that we can find elements of shamanism in our own lives.    Find out more about Manvir Singh’s work: https://www.ma...

Dylan has just returned from a month-long trip with his family, and he and the gang answer listener questions about traveling with kids and more.  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.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.co...

Listeners share stories about how they commute to work and back home as they also reflect on how special their neighborhood is too.  Plus: We wanna hear stories about your first time traveling with your kids.  Tell us about that experience - where did you and your family travel to? And why there? How did your kids adjust to traveling? Did they love it? Or did they give you a hard time traveling? W...

Earlier this year a geologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science got a very unusual phone call. A construction crew ripping up the museum’s parking lot had found… dinosaur bones. We dig deeper and get a taste of what it would have been like to visit the Denver area during the Cretaceous Period.  See the parking lot dino fossil: https://www.dmns.org/science/research/parking-lot-dinosaur/ Ch...

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.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/no-experience-required Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adv...

Henry S. Rosenthal is the owner of what is likely the world’s largest collection of two-headed taxidermied calves. The collection is in San Francisco, and you can reach out to Henry at deepgort@gmail.com to make arrangements to see it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ota Tofu in Portland, Oregon is the oldest tofu shop in the United States. Two brothers opened the shop in 1911 and even today their tofu is still made the old-fashioned way, using a labor-intensive process that is difficult to find (even in Japan!).    Learn more about Ota Tofu: https://www.otapdx.com/ And check out the work of guest Lauren Yoshiko:  http://laurenyoshiko.com/   This episode was p...

From opera singers to strange noises emitting from air conditioners, listeners share stories about their unusual neighbors.  Plus:  We want to hear stories about your commute. Are there people that you see on the train platform everyday, but still remain a stranger to you? Did you ever have a funny or strange encounter in a crowded subway car?  Do you see something on your way to work that always...

In ancient Athens, citizens would gather at the Agora, or marketplace, for a specific purpose: to vote people off the island – er, out of the city.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There are thousands of varieties of citrus, many more than just the navel oranges. And they’re all being preserved in a collection at the University of California Riverside. Learn more here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rolando Pujol  is an executive producer at ABC, but his true passion is for roadside attractions. And he’s got a new book all about it titled The Great American Retro Road Trip: A Celebration of Roadside Americana . He and Dylan nerd out about Muffler Men, mimetic architecture, and Pizza Hut Classics.  Plus: If you have a favorite roadside attraction, give us a call at (315) 992-7902 and leave us...

Counterculture icon… artist… nun? A new art center has opened up in downtown LA dedicated to the work of Corita Kent, also known as Sister Mary Corita, a nun and art teacher whose bright, colorful, and political Pop Art prints made her famous in the 1960s…and also got her in big trouble with the church.   Pay a visit to the Corita Art Center  next time you’re in LA! Or: driving through Boston? Kee...

We remember Bill Dilworth, who took care of 280,000 pounds of dirt in an NYC loft for 35 years.   Plus: Preorder your copy of The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World  today! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.