The Atlas Obscura Podcast

We go to the Westman Islands off the southern coast of Iceland and meet the heroes who save young birds that have wandered from their nests every summer.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-puffin-colony 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 Fendika Cultural Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is the story of Melaku Belay and his journey from homelessness to international acclaim as a community leader. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fendika-azmari-bet Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This abandoned hospital outside Boston, Massachusetts was originally conceived as a place to help people with mental health issues. But it wound up doing a lot of harm. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medfield-state-hospital Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This collection, preserved by the United States Library of Congress, features locks of hair from cultural icons from Ludwig van Beethoven to General Ulysses Grant.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One of Australia’s greatest stories of escape and survival centers around this rock formation in Point Lonsdale.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/buckleys-cave Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How To! Host Amanda Ripley goes in search of the answer to the question “how to set up a roadside attraction that will bring visitors to your town” with expert Erika Nelson - the founder of the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Things. 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.

The Sterling Hill Mine in Ogdensburg, New Jersey is the site of a geological marvel that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/flourescent-rocks-of-sterling-hill-mine Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This radical puppet collective has shaped the small New England town of Glover, Vermont for decades. This “Small Town, Big Story” episode is produced in partnership with GoUSA TV. To watch the video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUrbyGqQDtc READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bread-and-puppet-museum-and-theater Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ad...

These trees sprang from seeds that were brought to outer space.   Moon Tree Website: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.html READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/categories/moon-trees Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Sporkful team dives deeper into the history of the unknown whiskey bottle and the lives of those it touched.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dan Pashman and the Sporkful team attempt to unravel the history of a bottle of whiskey found at an estate sale when the brand seems to not exist.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Under the forests of Nyack, New York lays a series of dark and decrepit tunnels with militaristic roots but now attract graffiti artists and plenty of teen lore. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/claus-land-mountain-tunnels Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This site, and the enormous telescope that sits on it, is loved and lost to both scientists and everyday Puerto Ricans. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/arecibo-observatory Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our team goes on a quest to find Prospect Park’s elusive -- and perhaps most magical -- resident rodent. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A carefully curated collection of miscalculations in Edinburgh, Scotland serves as a warning for our gullibility, especially when it comes to money. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/library-of-mistakes Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This beautiful beach made of sand and worn down coral is covered in the wreckage of tanks once used by the U.S. military for target practice. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-tanks-of-flamenco-beach-culebra-puerto-rico Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Larry Spring’s Museum of Common Sense Physics in Fort Bragg, California begs the question: what do you do with a science museum where the science preserved inside is a kind of folk art? READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/larry-spring-school-common-sense-physics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...

Thousands of sheep take over downtown Ketchum, Idaho during the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival. This “Small Town, Big Story” episode is produced in partnership with GoUSA TV. To watch the video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwlilGi6k7s Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The African Heritage House in Mlolongo, Kenya is one of the greatest collections of African art in the world - and it has an unusual backstory. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/african-heritage-house  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 how humans desperate for water created a lake the size of the city of Los Angeles. And then, how that thirst turned toxic. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salton-sea Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring you stories of how sometimes giant monuments built for a specific site need to go on a journey.     To view the Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse move:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPa8b1WlbaI&t=3s   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/church-of-agios-sostis  and https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rubjerg-knude-...

A voicemail from a listener takes us out on the Appalachian trail, where we ford rivers, climb mountains, and work our way across one of the most storied backpacking routes in North America. Listen to our episode about your summer adventures: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/podcast-summer-adventures-22 Send a voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com or call (315) 992-7902 to leave a message abou...

The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta is both a museum and former home of journalist Joel Chandler Harris and a hub for modern storytellers. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-wrens-nest Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A toxic lake high in the Andes mountains in Argentina is home to microbes that provide a window to our planet’s past — and a key to securing its future. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/laguna-del-diamante Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.