The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Matt Farley has written dozens of songs about cities and towns across the United States. Why? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trailblazing computer scientist Grace Hopper shaped the way people use and talk  about computers. Her actual computer bug is preserved at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grace-hoppers-bug Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...

Gigantic pieces of the United States Capitol rest in Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC - waiting for anyone willing to step off the beaten path.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-capitol-stones-washington-dc Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every Sunday, there’s a binational church service at Friendship Park, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. We sent two reporters to attend the church service — one on the U.S. side and one in Mexico — to learn more about how changes to the U.S. border have affected the park and the community. Learn more about The Border Church: https://www.friendshippark.org/borderchurch READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:...

The world’s largest random, assorted key collection located outside Denver, CO, was inspired by a literary infatuation and includes keys to danger and memory.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/baldpate-inn-key-collection Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MacArthur Genius Grant winner, artist, and experimental geographer Trevor Paglen and host Dylan Thuras discuss documenting government surveillance, AI, and place.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Las Vegas, Nevada was once the preferred tourist destination for watching  weapons of mass destruction  explode.    READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:   https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/national-atomic-testing-museum Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world's oldest rose is so tough it survived being bombed in World War II.  Read more in the Atlas:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-thousand-year-rose-hildesheim-germany Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Catoosa, Oklahoma is the site of a massive landlocked whale - and possibly the greatest anniversary gift ever READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catoosa-whale Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

These miniature mansions and luxurious homes were built for the feathered residents of Istanbul.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ottoman-bird-palaces 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 listeners two stories where sculpture meets the depths: The Sunken Crosses of Malpique and a harbor in Odense, Denmark.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sunken-crosses-of-malpique https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hans-christian-andersen-odense-harbour Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm....

Producer Abbey Perreault gives listeners an introduction to the long-unknown creator behind the widely known concrete fauna of Mexico’s urban playscapes.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/concrete-animal-cemetery Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A listener in Lawrence, Kansas takes us on his journey of discovering the secrets of his hometown. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This archaeological landscape in Phonsavan, Laos is one of the most mysterious, important, and dangerous prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia.  Learn more about the Plain of Jars Archaeological Research Project: https://plain-of-jars.org/ READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/plain-of-jars Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

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.

This mechanical boy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was a mystery - until it began to write.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/maillardets-automaton Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Space Cowboy Buck Atom stands watch over an old gas station in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a link to the glory of Route 66’s Muffler Men.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/buck-atom Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We're sharing with you a new Witness Docs show: Welcome to Provincetown, a documentary podcast in the vein of reality television about a small town on the Cape with a strong LGBTQIA+ history.  Warning: The episode does contain explicit language. Find out more about Welcome to Provincetown and other Witness shows at:  https://www.witnesspodcasts.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pc...

The voice announcement at Embankment Station in London is unlike any other announcement on the Tube.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The hunt to memorialize Rhode Island’s founder created one of the state’s strangest and most enduring myths. To Learn more about Roger Williams relationship to local indigenous tribes: http://library.providence.edu/encompass/narragansett-history/secondary-sources/the-landing-of-roger-williams/ READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/roger-williams-root Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Legends and troubled history lay beneath Lake Lanier in Forsyth County. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea has become an accidental bird sanctuary for one of the world’s most endangered crane species.   Learn more about the International Crane Foundation: savingcranes.org Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Occasionally the podcast team requests messages about the strange and wondrous places you experience. These are some of first responses we received last year regarding our request to hear of wonders from listeners' backyards. Stories feature the world’s largest tin soldier, the home of the first public beach and a phone connecting us to people we’ve lost.   Tell us about a wonder in your backyard....

Producer Baudelaire Ceus brings listeners to Accra, Ghana and a gigantic public square dedicated to Ghanaian independence. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/black-star-square Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This small town in Ecuador was thought to hold the fountain of youth and drew the curiosity of scientists and wellness practitioners alike.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vilcabamba Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.