The Atlas Obscura Podcast

This small mineral museum in Dodgeville, Wisconsin is home to plenty of rocks - some of which may rival those in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1986 an unknown natural disaster at Lake Nyos in Menchum, Cameroon left more than 1700 people dead in one night - and puzzled scientists. Learn how they solved that mystery.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lake-nyos-the-deadliest-lake-in-the-world Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal d...

Visit a museum inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, which documents how public health officials have slowed the spread of disease through history. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cdc-museum Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hear from the caretakers of a ghost town in Bolivia that was once the world's highest ski resort.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/abandoned-chacaltaya-ski-resort 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 Tree of 40 fruits in San Jose California is an horticultural marvel of 40 types of stone fruit trees grafted together to form a living work of art.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tree-of-40-fruit Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Sporkful host Dan Pashman brings listeners on a quest to find a fruit indigenous to North America that has never been industrialized - but may be seeing a resurgence.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/pawpaw-fruit Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s easy to dismiss Bigfoot, the yeti, the Loch Ness monster, and other cryptids as far-fetched X-Files fodder. But the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine aims to show that when investigations into unknown creatures are done right, they involve real science, and have real scientific value.  Monster of the Month Series: https://www.atlasobscura.com/experiences/monster-of-the-mon...

In a collaboration with our friends at Science Diction , we explore the Indian temple complex that gave rise to the word "juggernaut," which means an unstoppable force. But the real story behind it is far more complicated. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jagannath-temple Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...

We follow a long set of wooden stairs deep underground to a sea cave with a mysterious and colorful past, and take in a spectacular, hidden view of the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla.  Learn more about The Cave Store: https://www.cavestore.com/ READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sunny-jim-cave-store CORRECTION: A previous version of this episode misstated L. Frank Baum's role i...

This stunning geological marvel just north of Dahab, Egypt has been called the deadliest dive spot in the world. But is that reputation deserved? READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/red-sea-blue-hole 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 aim to answer the question at the heart of Atlas Obscura - “What kind of place merits an Atlas Obscura entry?” READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://https://www.atlasobscura.com/faq Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jessica Oreck has spent the last 30 years collecting odd and forgotten objects. Now, they’re all beautifully curated and on display in the Office of Collecting and Design in Las Vegas. Follow the Office of Collecting and Design on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/office.of.collecting/?hl=en READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/office-of-collecting-and-design Hosted by Si...

This unique installation in Sydney, Australia combines art and ornithology, commemorating the calls of the city’s lost birds. Plus, bin chickens! READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forgotten-songs-sound-sculpture Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Visit the taverns of colonial America to take a frothy sip of the hot ale flip and how it helped pave the way for contemporary mixology. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/hot-ale-flip Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Travel to Denver Colorado and meet Steve Berke who helped found the first International Church of Cannabis in 2015. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/international-church-of-cannabis Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Josh Foer, the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, takes us to a remote patch of land in the Arizona desert, where he built (and later rebuilt) a museum in honor of the company’s former CEO, David Plotz. The Plotz Plot is accessible from Adamana Road, off of I-40 exit 300, at 35.025639, -109.8195. The lock code is 4444. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/plotz-plot Hosted by Simp...

Join host Dylan Thuras and producer Harry Huggins as they visit the unruly architecture of The House on the Rock - one of the inspirations for Atlas Obscura. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/house-rock Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This amusement park in Singapore holds the Ten Courts of Hell, a series of dioramas that depict the kind of horrible fates awaiting people who behaved badly on Earth. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/haw-par-villa Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Matthew Shifrin, host of the podcast Blind Guy Travels, stops by to tell us about a memorable trip he took to Italy, and a visit with an ancient wolf he’s never forgotten. Listen to Blind Guy Travels: https://radiotopiapresents.fm/blind-guy-travels Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This Ecuadorian cave has captured the attention of government officials, scientists, professional cavers and is home to a particularly rare creature. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cueva-de-los-tayos Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Photographer and author Paul Koudonaris brings listeners to this Ethiopian Church and explores ossuaries, jeweled skeletons, and death practices throughout the world. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yemrehana-krestos-church Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

An island filled with hundreds of hanging and decomposing dolls is a window into the sociology of why we pursue experiences that inspire fright, fear, and an attraction to the macabre. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-isla-de-las-munecas Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adve...

We send reporter Sarah Wyman to northern Sweden to climb a mountain, explore a grim legend, and listen to the devil’s violin. Listen to Lena Jonsson’s music: https://www.lenajonsson.com/ Listen to Bengt Jonsson play the kohorn: https://youtu.be/vNWnh-k80mM Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonopah, Nevada is home to the Clown Motel - an inn on the edge of the desert that’s packed with statues and figurines of Clowns. The eerie and fully-functioning inn is also a labor of love. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/clown-motel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertisi...