The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Today, a sampling of listener-submitted stories of summer adventures from the wild, strange and wonderful world in which we live.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Forty-two school buses have been buried in Horning’s Mills, Ontario - covered in concrete, they’re house up to 500 people in case of nuclear fallout.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ark-two-shelter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This ancient temple complex in Northern Lebanon is one of the most well-preserved Roman ruins on earth, and one of the most overlooked.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/baalbek-trilithon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One of the world’s tallest waterfalls is nestled In Northwestern Peru, right where the Amazon rainforest crashes into the Andes Mountains. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gocta Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This ranch in Sanger, Texas trains people in jousting and sword-fighting with the goal of making them knights of the highest order - for the Medieval Times dinner theater chain.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/behind-the-scenes-at-medieval-times-where-knights-battle-and-pepsi-is-plentiful Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

Whiting Writer’s Award, Best Literary Criticism award winner, and author of several critically-praised books, Lucy Sante speaks with host Dylan Thuras about digging into place and how our relationship to places can shape our identities.  To check out Lucy Sante’s work, please visit:  https://lucysante.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team are on a mission to grow the Atlas community and include more wonderful and curious locations from Africa, Asia and South America.  Two recent entries that caught their eyes include a market in Medeber, Eritrea and a women’s center in Kigali, Rwanda.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medeber-market https://www...

On the outskirts of Oslo, Norway, there’s a mausoleum some say is the city’s “best kept secret.” It’s the underrated masterpiece of a mostly unknown artist -- an artist who was overshadowed his whole life by his more successful brother.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/emanuel-vigeland-museum Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

Like a lot of historic neighborhoods, the sidewalks of Fairhaven in Bellingham, WA, are studded with small plaques commemorating local history. But unlike other neighborhoods, the markers in Fairhaven are a little bit darker, and a little bit weirder. Thanks to Bellinghistory with the Good Time Girls. Learn more about their walking tours here: https://bellinghistory.com/   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:...

At one time thirty thousand Africans per year were forced through Elmina Castle in Ghana, before they were taken across the world as part of the trans-atlantic slave trade. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Built on a tiny island in Antarctica, the “loneliest post office in the world” got its start as a top-secret British military outpost during World War II—and became beloved by stamp collectors around the world. Learn more about the British Antarctic Survey: bas.ac.uk READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/loneliest-post-office-antarctica   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz co...

These Argentinian parrots have made an unlikely home in a Brooklyn, NY cemetery.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A disaster in a seaside town got locals wondering about government conspiracies, weather control, and if human beings could actually, truly for real, make it rain. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade isn’t linked to a holiday, religious affiliation or corporate celebration – it’s a celebration of having fun and getting a little weird.    READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/coney-island-mermaid-parade Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1954, two groups of boys thought they were going to summer camp. But they’d been recruited for a different kind of summer experience. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This garden in Lynchburg, Virginia is the key to unlocking the writing and mind of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Mitchell, South Dakota there stands a massive building covered in murals that are made completely from… corn!  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-corn-palace-mitchell-south-dakota Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the tiny Kinmen Island, a bow-tie-shape strip of land between China and Taiwan, sits a giant weaponized wall of sound that still stands--and still broadcasts--today. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/beishan-broadcast-station-art Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising...

This elaborate architecture throughout Iran served a very unique purpose - gathering pigeon guano.  Take a virtual tour of a Pigeon Tower:  https://ati3d.com/virtual_tour/pigeon READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pigeon-towers-iran Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Atlas Obscura's Gemma Tarlach shares what it's like to step inside a relic from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and to find traces of a famous lost party of explorers. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/discovery-hut Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This collection of ceramic eggs records the personal makeup designs of clowns around the world - and to some extent a clowning code of conduct.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/clown-egg-register Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today we hear from an Atlas Obscura user who, when he isn’t aboard an icebreaking warship for the Canadian Navy, spends weeks at a time road-tripping with his dog. Check out Steve’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puppercycle/?hl=en Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A graveyard in the “Granite Capital of the World” pays tribute to stone cutters and artisans who are buried amongst the sculptures they created. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hope-cemetery Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Atlas Obscura reporter Sarah Durn ventures deep into the Louisiana swamp in search of the legendary monster that prowls it. Learn more about Jessica’s Honey Island Swamp & Kayak Tours:  https://www.honeyislandkayaktours.com/ READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/honey-island-swamp Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...

Civil war in Sierra Leone brought this beautiful island to the brink of destruction - now it’s making its comeback. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tiwai-island Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.