The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Visit the ruins of an ancient economic powerhouse’s capital city, Great Zimbabwe in the nation of Zimbabwe and learn how a colonial empire was determined to rewrite its story. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/great-zimbabwe Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reporter Sam O’Brien takes us to Lily Dale, the world’s largest surviving community of spiritualists, where she learns (even if you don’t believe in ghosts) there’s more than one way to connect with the dead. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lily-dale-spiritualist-community Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

There’s an everlasting lightning storm in Northwestern Venezuela that appears in the night sky nearly every night. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/relampago-del-catatumbo Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A massive 19th-century reservoir under the city of Copenhagen has been repurposed as a contemporary art cave. We venture inside to learn more about its history, and bask in the incredible acoustics of the space. Visit Cisternerne and Frederiksberg Museerne: https://frederiksbergmuseerne.dk/da/ READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cisternerne Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

Reporter Eric Grundhauser recounts a memorable visit to an unusual museum in Iceland, where he explored the ancient lore of the occult, learned how to steal milk from his neighbors, and laid his eyes upon a pair of pants… made of human flesh. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-museum-of-icelandic-sorcery-witchcraft-holmavik-iceland Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz comp...

The largest theater pipe organ in the world lives in a restaurant in Mesa, Arizona. Phenomenal musicians play requests while diners feast on pizza. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/organ-stop-pizza Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Alnwick Poison Garden in England is a place where stopping and smelling the flowers could actually kill you. The garden is dedicated entirely to plants that are narcotic or deadly.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/alnwick-poison-garden Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adv...

The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama bills itself as “the nation’s only retailer of lost luggage.” If you’ve  ever lost a bag during air travel, it probably wound up there - along with many other treasures and oddities. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/unclaimed-baggage-center Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

John Milkovisch spent 18 years covering his Houston home in beer cans. The house has been preserved for visitors since John’s death in 1988.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/beer-can-house Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Resident food and death correspondent, Sam O’Brien, returns to tell us about a grave with a nut roll recipe engraved on it and the layered and touching story behind the treat. Know of a recipe grave in your local cemetery? Email us at hello@atlasobscura.com , and include “Recipe Graves” in the subject line. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our col...

A national park in Southwest Uganda is home to nearly half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas. They and the local community rely on each other to survive. Learn how to help the Bwindi Mountain Gorillas: https://ctph.org/ Sound of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the mountain gorillas was recorded by Nick Penny. To see more of Nick’s work, visit: https://www.nickpennyphotograp...

 In this two-part series, we venture towards frozen graves tied to an infamous Arctic expedition. We follow two groups of adventurers, separated by more than 170 years, and play witness to the disasters that befell them all. Read More in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/graves-of-beechey-island Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...

In this two-part series, we venture towards frozen graves tied to an infamous Arctic expedition. We follow two groups of adventurers, separated by more than 170 years, and play witness to the disasters that befell them all. Read More in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/graves-of-beechey-island Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our col...

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.  Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hachiko-hachi-shibuya-station Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The crumbled ruins of the world’s largest flour mill became one of Minneapolis’ most prominent graffiti-writing locations, and later a museum. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mill-city-museum-site-great-mill-disaster Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Kongthong, India, every person’s name is a unique song, composed by their mother within a week of their birth, part of a centuries-old tradition. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/where-indian-villagers-have-musical-names 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 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.

The oldest (maybe) swimming pool in Iceland is a stunning oasis built into the side of a lush hill.   Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/seljavallalaug Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This old cement mine in Rosendale, New York, has been used as everything from a mushroom farm to a recording studio. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/widow-jane-mine Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Atlas production team would like to share some of their favorite holiday places as 2021 comes to a close.  This episode will be followed by a series of re-listen episodes from the past year, published over the next two weeks.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2006 a massive haul of Doritos was shipwrecked on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks, leaving its mark on the town forever. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shipwrecked-doritos 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 data...

Post Office Bay on the Galapagos Islands is a post office that runs on luck and the goodwill of visitors. It has a knack for bringing strangers together.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/post-office-bay Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A music box given to Scott Harrison while he served in Vietnam inspired him to hand-carve all the animals for the Carousel of Happiness in Nederland, Colorado.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/carousel-of-happiness 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 catch listeners up on the new and surprising additions to Atlas Obscura that capture their attention. This includes a heiress’s pet cemetery and ruins visible beneath a grocery store floor.    READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/doris-dukes-pet-cemetery https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/aungier-street-lidl-arch...