The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Nate DiMeo, host and creator of The Memory Palace podcast, walks us through some of the rooms in his own personal memory palace. We visit his grandfather’s old nightclub outside Providence, a beloved family home, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Visible Storage Unit, and a one-of-a-kind collection of glass flowers at Harvard University.   Preorder a copy of Nate’s new book, The Memory Palace: True...

During the early 20th century, malaria was ravaging the world. We hear the story of Dr. Charles Campbell, who had a plan to cure it. But as it turns out, his big idea was… rather batty. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 notes for each other. Then… other people found it. And then… it started a tradition. Visit the Atlas entry for the Sul Ross desk , and learn more  about the archives containing the Su...

San Juan Sounds is an iconic studio where musicians, engineers, and quite possibly a music-loving ghost carry on the island’s musical traditions, which date back hundreds of years.  This episode is produced in partnership with Discover Puerto Rico.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Travel to Denver Colorado and meet Steve Berke who helped found the first International Church of Cannabis in 2015.  Learn more about it here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The San Francisco Cannabis Buyers’ Club was one of the first marijuana dispensaries in the country. Its members were people with AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses, and inside the club had stages, TV lounges, puzzles, and other things that would bring people together. Today, we meet the unexpected mix of gay rights organizers and cannabis advocates behind the club, and we hear about their u...

An ancient cemetery in western China may hold the answer to a question asked by many a stoner: where on Earth did humans first smoke weed to get high?  Learn more about the cemetery in this 2019 paper  in Science Advances.  Keep up with Rob Spengler’s archaeobotany lab here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data...

In 1976, an airplane carrying 6,000 pounds of smuggled weed crashed into a remote lake in Yosemite. A group of climbers had a heyday. Read  John Long’s account  of the crash, and check out  Greg Nichols’ reporting  on the same subject.    Plus: Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever cast a vote? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and tell us about your local unusual polling location. Or, record a voi...

Cannabis is now legal in more than half of U.S. states, but it remains federally illegal – which makes doing research on the plant extremely difficult. Today, we meet a clever group of scientists who found their way around these laws… by literally driving around them.      Learn more  about the CannaVan, and check out some of Rasha and Emma’s  original reporting . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

A South Carolina ghost story is a harbinger of hurricanes and a window into history. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/south-carolina-hurricane-ghost Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1944, a strange spate of “gas attacks” in a small Midwestern town reveals what was really lurking in mid-century America. Read Colin Dickey’s article  about the mad gasser, and check out his Monster of the Month series. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listener stories about places that give off big creepy vibes – from an abandoned ice factory to a haunted university music building. If you want to hear more about Luz Fleming’s ghost story, there’s a whole episode about it called Bennington Ghost Stories on a podcast called Yard Tales .  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

To avoid traumatizing kids, many summer camps are banning scary stories. But can a little fun with fear be a good thing?  Check out Roxanne Hoorn’s article  about this fading tradition. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1976, a television crew filming an episode of the show “The Six Million Dollar Man” descended on a rundown funhouse in Long Beach, California. While filming, they accidentally broke the arm off a wax dummy. Except...it wasn't a wax dummy. It was a real body. The body of a notorious train robber from the early 1900s, named Elmer McCurdy. Check out the Atlas entry for Elmer McCurdy’s grave .   Fo...

The Smallest Mollusk Museum in New York City is part of a fleet of tiny museums that might just have a big impact on the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kelly and Zach Weinersmith walk Dylan through the practicalities of making a home on the red planet.  Check out their book A City on Mars  everywhere books are sold. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Outside the French Quarter lies Hidden South , an antique shop like any other. And hidden amongst the oddities is a bathroom full of secrets . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producer Alexa Lim visits a collection of natural aromas in Berkeley, California. She gets a whiff of some of the world’s lesser known smells, and stumbles down the rabbit hole of the hidden world of scents. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the 1930s and 1940s, a young Black woman named Bessie Stringfield decided she’d strike out on her own and hit the road – and ended up crisscrossing the United States eight times, and becoming the first Black woman to ride a motorcycle through each of the lower 48 states. If she ran out of money, she’d join a circus. If she couldn’t find a place to stay, she’d sleep out under the stars. Read mor...

For a brief period the small frontier city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota drew in socialites and celebrities who were desperate to end their marriages. For more stories from the Divorce Colony, check out April White's book: The Divorce Colony: How Women Revolutionized Marriage and Found Freedom on the American Frontier. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

Reporter Diana Hubbell brings us to an island off the coast of Georgia, and tells Dylan the story of ​​an eccentric heiress, a daring mission, and the fight for North America’s most unusual pig. Read Diana’s James Beard Award-winning article called “Saving the Hogs of Ossabaw Island.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pers...

Producer Talon Stradley takes us on a tour of three skinny houses – each with a big story inside. Do these skinny houses have you curious about spite houses?  Check out that episode here .  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Comedian, actor, and podcaster Jacob Wysocki takes Dylan on a tour of a very special expo: The Reptile Super Show!  Listen to Jacob’s full experience at the Reptile Super Show (and his journey to other expos) here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’re bringing you stories about places that you can no longer visit – this time we have stories about a hometown hangout spot, a beloved amusement park, a mural building in Queens, and a disappearing natural wonder.  Plus: We want to know about places that give you the creeps. Places that get under your skin and give you that eerie feeling. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telli...

We go inside a place that some paranormal investigators call the most active haunted location in the world. Before it was known as the inspiration for Stephen King...the Stanley Hotel had a reputation -- and ghosts --  of its own.  Find more information about the Stanley Hotel and its events online. This episode was produced with Visit Colorado. From culinary delights at world-class restaurants to...