JP Stafford's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Duiwelskloof, South Africa

Sunland Baobab

A South African bar inside a hollowed out 6,000-year-old Baobab.
Älvdalen S, Sweden

Old Tjikko

The world's oldest individual clonal tree looks like a wimp despite standing tall for 9,550 years.
Grant, Oregon

Honey Mushroom: The Humongous Fungus

This massive mushroom has spent centuries eating its way across a huge swath of Oregon.
Richfield, Utah

Pando, the Trembling Giant

One of the world's oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens.
Sigüés, Spain

Abandoned Village of Esco

A Franco-era dam flooded (almost) everyone out of this centuries-old Aragonese town.
Luster, Norway

Urnes Stave Church

An intricately carved Viking church overlooks a glistening fjord.
Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Takapō (Lake Tekapo)

A perfect turquoise lake colored with glacier dust.
Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.
Schwangau, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle

The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king."
Balmorhea, Texas

Balmorhea State Park Pool

A spring-fed pool so deep it's used for scuba diving as well as swimming.
Wimberley, Texas

Jacob's Well

A popular swimming hole that hides one of America's most deadly diving spots.
Aspen, Colorado

Hunter S. Thompson Shrine

“You better take care of me Lord, if you don't you're gonna have me on your hands.” ― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden Solar System

The world's largest model of our planetary system.
Stockholm, Sweden

Pionen Data Center

The internet as provided by a James Bond villain.
Stockholm, Sweden

Vasa Museum

It houses the remains of a 17th-century version of the Titanic.
Bíldudalur, Iceland

Skrímslasetrið

The Icelandic Sea Monster Museum explores the area's history of aquatic cryptid sightings.
Rome, Italy

The Mithraeum at Circus Maximus

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.
Chiusdino, Italy

The Sword in the Stone at Montesiepi Chapel

This sword isn't waiting for a king to pull it out. It was placed there by a saint.
Cabazon, California

Cabazon Dinosaurs

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.
Carcassonne, France

La Cité Médiévale de Carcassonne

Historic medieval fortified city in southwest France.
Fars Province, Iran

The Ruins of Persepolis

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.
Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco

Kasbah Aït Benhaddou

A fortified city, home to a remaining population of five families
Bagram, Afghanistan

Site of Alexandria on the Caucasus

The West's first incursion into the Afghan world lies buried beneath a military base.
Tisbury, England

Old Wardour Castle

Besieged by war, this castle ruin has crumbled into a peaceful picnic spot.