The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Every October, amateurs and professionals alike gather in this small town in the Appalachian Mountains to hone their storytelling chops and share them with crowds of thousands. In this episode, host Dylan Thuras takes his turn at the mic during the National Storytelling Festival. This episode was produced in partnership with GoUSATV based on a video series we do with them called Small Town Big Sto...

Steve and Amy Hartbauer have turned their home in residential Denver, CO into a massive mosaic and decade’s long expression of inner inspiration.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/enchanted-hart-haus Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dylan talks with journalist and author Ed Conway about three materials that our entire civilization depends on: salt, copper, and sand. They visit the biggest man-made hole on Earth, a salt mine large enough to fit the Eiffel Tower inside it, and a single mine in North Carolina that is essential to nearly all the world’s computer chips.  If you want to learn more, check out Ed’s book: Material Wor...

We asked you to send us stories about places you can no longer visit – and nearly everyone wrote in about a beloved closed restaurant. So today, we hear your stories of places you can no longer EAT.              We still want to hear your stories about other places you can no longer visit (beyond restaurants). Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Or, r...

In Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, there was once a revolutionary community for African Americans willing to do whatever it took to maintain their own freedom – and help others achieve theirs. Learn more about planning a trip to Smith Court via the Black Heritage Trail. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data fo...

Zahra Hankir is the author of the book Eyeliner: A Cultural History . She brings Dylan to three places across the globe where eyeliner plays a key cultural role: Egypt, Chad, and Los Angeles. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The hunt to memorialize Rhode Island’s founder created one of the state’s strangest and most enduring myths. Learn more about Roger Williams relationship to local indigenous tribes here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cookbook author and Sporkful  host Dan Pashman sets out on a research trip across Italy in search of highly regional pasta dishes that he can’t find anywhere else. Along the way, he learns a shocking truth about Italy and pasta, and ponders innovation and authenticity in one of the world’s most popular cuisines.  Check out Dan’s new cookbook, Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Sau...

In May 2024, tractors across the American Midwest stalled. But that was only the first piece of a much larger story. Journalist Jason Koebler takes us to Nebraska and Illinois to find out what is going on with American tractors – and what Ukrainian hackers have to do with it. Read more  of Jason’s reporting on John Deere and the Right to Repair movement. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. S...

Over the course of its 200 year history, the lighthouse on Wood Island in Maine has been home to a celebrity dog, a grisly murder, some mischievous ghosts, and a monster storm that may or may not have been brought on by a pickpocket’s curse. Learn more about Wood Island Lighthouse on their website  (here’s Richard’s book .) Want to hear more stories of mega storms, heroic sea rescues, and maybe ev...

Producer Luz Fleming takes his son to revisit a special childhood spot that just happens to be a San Fransisco gem hiding in plain sight ... in the middle of the bay! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, Ph. D. is a wildlife ecologist specializing in large carnivores. And in this episode she unfolds a mystery for listeners. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producer Abbey Perrault takes a trip into the Kenyan savanna, where she meets researchers who are studying how people share space with unlikely neighbors: lions. Along the way, she learns why a researcher would possibly pull the tail of a lion, and gets *extremely* up close and personal with two massive lionesses.  For more information, check out Lucrecia Aguilar's website , Sam Kiuna’s Twitter an...

We all love to zone out to a soothing nature documentary. But what you’ll learn about them in this episode will make you watch – and listen! – a lot more carefully. Reporter Abigail Keel tells Dylan about her conversation with sound designer and mixer Graham Wild about the not-as-real-as-you-may-think sounds that bring nature documentaries to life. Preorder your copy of our new book, Wild Life, to...

Decades after eradicating its wolves, Yellowstone National Park decided to reintroduce them. In the 1990s, the wolves were thriving—until one wolf decided to make life hell for everyone around her. Our guest in this episode, Rick McIntyre, has written several books  about the wolves of Yellowstone. His latest is Thinking Like a Wolf , which will be out in late October 2024. Preorder  your copy of...

The natural world is weird. Dylan talks with Cara Giaimo, co-author of our forthcoming book Wild Life , about the world’s tiniest chameleon, an acrobatic fog catching beetle, and how shellfish hold the keys to Poland’s water supply. Preorder  your copy of Wild Life today, and get a free luggage tag! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

These miniature mansions and luxurious homes were built for the feathered residents of Istanbul.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ottoman-bird-palaces Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is dedicated to telling the stories of the league’s greatest players, its impact on communities, and the game-changing innovations it brought to baseball. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pegged as the “world’s greatest indoor miniature village,” Roadside America was a beloved roadside attraction in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. The creator Laurence Gieringer and his family ran the business for 85 years until its closure in 2021. Today, the pieces of this miniature village have been auctioned off to past visitors all over the country. And there may yet be more auctions this year. Ho...

Saying farewell to summer with a lazy day in Mallorca, and a blustery night in Massachusetts. “3 p.m. in Sa Cabaneta” and “7:10 p.m. in Provincetown” were edited by Aube Rey Lescure. Both essays originally appeared in Off Assignment . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producer Emma Morgenstern spends nearly 6 hours waiting in a famous line. Will she get into the most exclusive tennis tournament in the world – or face bigtime disappointment? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world’s largest random, assorted key collection located outside Denver, CO, was inspired by a literary infatuation and includes keys to danger and memory. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/baldpate-inn-key-collection Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2023, 60% of Americans chose to be cremated instead of having a traditional burial. If that trend continues, do cemeteries need to be worried about the future? Loren Rhoads, author of 222 Cemeteries To See Before You Die  (which is coming out on August 27), explains how old cemeteries are working to bring in the living…and tells us about new and experimental ways to be buried and memorialized....

District Six is a neighborhood in Cape Town South Africa that was destroyed under the apartheid regime. Today, a museum stands as a  monument to the people who once called the neighborhood home. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Writer Meghan Gunn meets a stranger in the jungle, and writes him a letter. This essay was edited by Aube Rey Lescure and originally appeared in Off Assignment . It was also included in The Best American Travel Writing 2021 . If you have had a memorable encounter with a stranger, we want to hear about it. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or record a voice memo and email it to us...