The Atlas Obscura Podcast

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 d...

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 (...

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 AdsW...

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 coll...

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 adver...

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 da...

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 a...

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 dat...

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 pla...

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-gravesite If 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.adswi...

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...

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...

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...

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 Sim...

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...

A mysterious sinkhole in Arizona has befuddled an exclusive group of divers who’ve gotten a glimpse of a strange world underneath its sandy bottom. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/montezuma-well-arizona Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.