The Atlas Obscura Podcast

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.

Gastro Obscura Writer Sam Lin-Sommer tells us the story of the fascist war on pasta and its surprisingly delicious legacy. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/italian-futurist-pasta Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You’ve probably heard about the Gold Rush. But what about the bone rush  of the 1870s? Hear the story of a bitter rivalry between two paleontologists – and how this epic feud unearthed an epic amount of fossils we still admire today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You can learn a lot about a person from their hands. In this episode, we hear the story of a doctor who made it possible for us to hold onto the stories of presidents, astronauts, musicians, artists and more… through bronze molds of their hands.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/adrian-e-flatt-m-d-hand-collection Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz....

Podcaster, TV critic and comedian Ashley Ray has more than a soft spot for her Midwest hometown. Hear why she thinks it may just be the best kept secret.  HEAR MORE FROM OUR GUEST: Ashley has her own podcast all about TV and culture. Check it out here: https://www.stitcher.com/show/tv-i-say-w-ashley-ray Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect...

Behind the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont sits a very peculiar graveyard... one dedicated to dearly departed ice cream flavors. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ben-jerry-s-flavor-graveyard  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Writer and travel educator Tracey Friley tells the story of the glamorous life of entertainer, French Resistance agent, and civil rights activist, Josephine Baker and the pilgrimages women still make to her chateau. Learn more: www.traceyfrileytravel.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A repository in Cambridge, Massachusetts holds over 2,700 pigments that’ve been quietly coloring the world around us since the beginning of human history.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forbes-pigment-collection Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Step inside the cutest, most cuddly museum for handmade crafts. This museum, set near Joshua Tree National Park, has been called “a vortex of love and joy and peace.” LEARN MORE about the museum and schedule your own visit by clicking here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 reactor operated by liberal arts undergraduates.  LEARN MORE about the reactor here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

You’d never guess that beneath a historic, genteel southern resort sits a massive bunker that the US government built in case of catastrophic events. Hear the story of the Greenbrier Resort that was kept secret for decades. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/congressional-fallout-shelter-at-the-greenbrier-resort Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com...

We asked, you answered. Hear listener stories of near death travel experiences. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Travel to Penobscot, Maine, where one farmer maintains the tradition of burning his crop each year to rejuvenate it the next.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-do-people-burn-blueberry-fields Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Colorado is known for being a music and performance hub. And that history goes way back – all the way to a theater that staged high dramas, tragedies, tales of star-crossed lovers, and even  inspired an opera of its own.  This episode was co produced with Visit Colorado. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tabor-opera-house-2  | Learn more about the shows happening at the op...

Atop a mountain in a picturesque Colorado town is the frozen corpse of a Norwegian grandpa. We get the tale of how this came to be, from the person who for years has trekked up and down the mountain for this unique preservation mission.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/frozen-dead-guy-days Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou...

We visit southern Benin to hear the story of the Temple of Pythons and clear up some misconceptions about one of the world's most misunderstood spiritual systems. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-temple-of-pythons-ouidah-benin Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A famous movie actress from the 1920s left the world a lasting piece of art — a remarkable miniature home that could be considered Chicago’s cutest piece of real estate.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/videos/see-chicago-s-million-dollar-fairy-castle Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for...

It roamed the seas, served an evil dictator, survived a war, and ended up in a New Jersey auto-repair shop bathroom. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We step into the shoes of the miners who once labored in the Nevada mountains, via a trip to the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. This episode was produced in partnership with Travel Nevada. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tonopah-mining-park LEARN MORE about the Tonopah Historic Mining Park  and Travel Nevada  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com...

A race is on to save this world heritage site that straddles the border of Togo and Benin. It’s home to remarkable earth tower homes called Takienta, and the Batammariba people, whose existence is threatened by climate change and migration. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/koutammakou-batammariba Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informati...

We go to Sweden, where some people are intent on making a woman a permanent symbol of resistance, whether or not she would have wanted it. Check out some of Samuel Merrill’s research work on the photo here. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/woman-with-the-handbag-statue Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...

We go to Statesboro, Georgia to the US National Tick Collection to learn what ticks, often thought of as little monstrosities, can teach us. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/us-national-tick-collection Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Flagg Grove School in Brownsville, Tennessee has become a museum dedicated to its most famous student.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tina-turner-museum Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Take a trip to Micropia, the world’s only museum dedicated to microscopic organisms, and learn about our invisible life companions. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/micropia Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The story of the unimaginable destruction of the American Chestnut tree and the group of scientists, academics and tree lovers who are desperately trying to bring them back from the edge of extinction. LEARN MORE: Visit https://acf.org/  to find out more about this massive conservation effort Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...