The Atlas Obscura Podcast

A giant salamander has been lurking in the rivers and streams of Appalachia for more than a hundred million years.  And in just the last few years – after surviving one of the worst hurricanes in decades – they've become a local symbol of pride. This episode was produced in partnership with Visit North Carolina.  We always want to hear from you! If you have a question or story for us, give us a ca...

We go to Tallahassee and learn the incredible civil rights history of Florida's capital city.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We asked you to send us stories about the places where you’ve stayed the night – some of you had some interesting experiences that live in your head forever.  Plus, we want to hear your stories about your unforgettable spring break travel stories. Where did you go? What made this trip so memorable? Did everything go as planned? Or did things go wrong? We want to hear it all.  Give us a call at (31...

This museum in Kentucky is either your dream place or your nightmare, depending on how you feel about dummies. Because there are more than 500 of them there, resting in peace. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-worlds-only-ventriloquism-museum-in-northern-kentucky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...

As we approach Valentine’s Day, Atlas Obscura co-host Kelly McEvers shares two stories about a state that has a special place in her heart: New Mexico.  The Chile Pepper Institute was produced by Baudelaire Ceus, and The Lightning Field was produced by Chris Naka and Manolo Morales.  Learn more about how to book a visit to the Lightning Field: ​​ https://www.diaart.org/visit/visit-our-locations-si...

Centralia, Pennsylvania has attained a sort of cult favorite status, often discussed as a place you cannot and should not visit. But in this episode, writer and friend of the show Colin Dickey has a different take on this ghost town. He says Centralia is thriving and has a new lush chapter – despite "burning" for the past 45 years. Read Colin's latest piece about Centralia on Atlas Obscura HERE . ...

Jane August has set a goal to visit every single one of NYC’s roughly 200 museums. She’s chronicling her journey on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram at @JaneAugust.  We want to hear from you! What is your favorite, underrated museum in your area? Tell us about it, and why you love it. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or send an email to hello@atlasobscura.com. Plus, check out Atla...

In honor of Black History Month, we are bringing you two stories about people who used nature to change their environment and communities.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Behind the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont sits a very peculiar graveyard... one dedicated to dearly departed ice cream flavors. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ben-jerry-s-flavor-graveyard  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We visit a remarkable institution where people with Hansen's disease, or leprosy, learned to play music, had Mardi Gras parties, and published their own newspaper.     Check out Wendy Chin-Tanner’s novel, King of the Armadillos , based on her father’s experience at Carville. We always want to hear from you! If you have a question or story for us, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message,...

In 1930, the King of Thailand gifted a tree to the University of Hawaii in Manoa for developing a treatment for leprosy. For decades, the tree has stood as a symbol of the groundbreaking scientific achievement. However, the woman who created the solution was missing from the story. Read Alice Ball’s Master’s Thesis on the Kava Plant, and Dr. Hollman’s JAMA article crediting Alice Ball. And check o...

In 1912, Piltdown, England wasn’t known for much. It was a quiet rural area with farms, winding tree-lined roads, and a pub. But then, a lawyer announced he’d made an incredible discovery in a local gravel pit: a skull that was part ape, part man. England was enthralled. Was this the missing link between humans and our ancestors? Could England be the birthplace of humanity? Hosted by Simplecast, a...

This story is about a heist that took place back in 2013 – not at a museum, or a gallery, or a royal palace, but at a garden. What these thieves were after… were Venus Fly Traps. We visit the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden in Wilmington, North Carolina to learn about plants that eat meat, a venus fly trap lover with a vanity license plate, and the shocking $20,000 heist that’s still an un...

We're working on an episode about interesting places to lay your head -- and we'd love to hear YOUR story about the places you have stayed during your travels. Tell us why and how you picked that place, and what made the experience of staying there good, bad, funny, interesting, or impactful?  Maybe you had a terrible experience at a five star hotel after booking it months ahead of time, or maybe...

A one-room museum located in the basement of a church-turned-community arts center is crammed with mementos from a pretty spectacular period in history. We hang with some retired dancers who recall the time when Chinatown in San Francisco was filled with late night cabarets famed for their showgirls. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/showgirl-magic-museum-san-francisco-ca...

Decades before New York City’s subway system opened to the public, an eccentric inventor set about building his own underground system – IN SECRET – beneath Broadway. It wasn’t powered by steam engine…or electrical engine…or even horses. It was powered by pneumatic tube (yes, like those tubes you occasionally see at the bank, or at cannabis dispensaries.) We chat with Matthew Algeo, author of “New...

Toward the end of his life, the great inventor Thomas Edison became obsessed with one final project: finding a source of rubber that could grow in the United States. It would transform his Florida home into a bonafide botanical laboratory. This episode was produced in partnership with Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods.  Find more information about the Edison and Ford estates here . I...

A stranger on an overnight bus ride causes a woman to contemplate her future. This essay originally appeared in Off Assignment .     Plus, Off Assignment is offering a writing course this spring, called Writing the Mundane. Early bird pricing is on until February 9! Sign up here: https://offassignment.com/writing-the-mundane Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...

Co-host Kelly McEvers and producers Johanna and Amanda answer questions about places that exceeded expectations, finding yourself in dicey situations while on the road, and what to do when you have a lot of visitors but not a lot of money. If you have a question for our next mailbag episode, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at...

Welcome to the Judith A Basset Canid Education & Conservation Center, where a California couple has dedicated their lives to showing folks man has even more best friends than previously thought. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-jab-canid-education-and-conservation-center-jabcecc Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...

Today, we go on a special journey told in two parts, beginning with the world’s largest conveyor belt in the Western Sahara and ending on your dinner plate. We always want to hear from you! If you have a question or story for us, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or send an email to hello@atlasobscura.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informat...

Have you heard of the Painted Lady butterfly?  Scientists say this small speckled beauty – no more than 6 cm across – endures the longest migration path of its species.  Photographer Lucas Foglia dared to follow the path of this butterfly in his photo book, Constant Bloom, and he says the journey reveals a rich story of strength and vulnerability in our interconnected world.   Check out: Lucas Fog...

Listeners share their travel resolutions for 2026.  Plus, we want to hear stories about interesting or unusual places where you’ve stayed the night. How did you find it? Who did you go with? What made the experience of staying there good… or bad? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox will cut you off after three minutes so please call again...

We’re taking the day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But in the meantime, we want to hear from you. Tell us about the wonders in your backyard. Is there a strange, unusual or surprising place in your city or town? What makes this place special to you? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox will cut you off after three minutes so please ca...

Spring is a popular time to visit Colonial Williamsburg, not least because it’s “lambing season,” the time of year when baby lambs are born and take their first steps (which is obviously very, very cute). But small as they are, these lambs have a big baaa-ckstory (sorry) – they are part of a breed that was once guarded like a trade secret, was smuggled into the American colonies, went extinct in t...