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A statue of famed numismatist Chet Krause in his hometown of Iola, Wisconsin.
Chester L. Krause Legacy Park
One of the halls adorned with contemporary Buddhist art.
Wat Sutthi Wararam
Grave of Hambone Jr.
Roman Relief on Rue du Saint-Esprit
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Introducing one of the only train station lobsters that won't leave you filled with regret
Grand Brasserie
A simple box of soba noodles with aburaage (fried tofu), the foxes’ favorite food.
Inari Soba Mansei
Chef Boyardee Statue
Cevapčići at Sarajevo ‘84
Sarajevo ‘84
In this salad, rice gets topped with pinches of toasted coconut, dried fish, finely-sliced herbs and vegetables, bean sprouts, a tiny knot of noodles, crushed black pepper and dried chili. 
Thai-Islam Phochana
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Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders.
11 Niche Gifts for Your Unconventional Loved Ones
Art detective Arthur Brand has recovered scores of stolen works of art, including Picasso's "Buste de femme (Dora Maar)," which is worth about $30 million.
Art Detective Arthur Brand Is Like Indiana Jones but With a More Elegant Wardrobe
Sweet salads are an American holiday tradition.
The Glorious World of Sweet Holiday Salads
Divers measure and document details of the world's largest coral, which could cover two basketball courts.
The World's Largest Coral, a Single Organism, Can Be Seen From Space

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Featured Trips and Courses

Treasures of Egypt: Hidden Tombs, Ancient Pyramids & Old Cairo

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The World's Largest Coral, a Single Organism, Can Be Seen From Space

world's largest

Recently discovered in the Solomon Islands, the mega coral is likely centuries old.

By Benji Jones November 18, 2024

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Where to Wander: Atlas Obscura’s Best Places to Travel This Year

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By Atlas Obscura November 12, 2024

The Glorious World of Sweet Holiday Salads

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By Anne Ewbank November 18, 2024

Fat Bears and 5 Other Stories of Preparing for Winter

animals

By Roxanne Hoorn November 15, 2024

Racism and Sexism Claims Shake a Modern Fantasy Village

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By Ellery Weil November 13, 2024
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Hidden Wonders

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An elegant toilet on display.
Place of the Day

Klo & So Museum of Historic Sanitary Objects

Gmunden, Austria

These are probably the most beautifully-crafted toilets you've ever seen.

K
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  • Witch Board Museum Baltimore

    Baltimore, Maryland

    Witch Board Museum Baltimore

    This small museum celebrates the history of the Ouija board and its connection to the city of Baltimore.

    S
    Added By
    sandy7814
  • Joan of Arc medallion

    Cedar Crest, New Mexico

    Sandia Medallion Trees

    Mysterious markers have been giving the public a lesson in dendrochronology for over a century.

    Avatar image for mikewalker
    Added By
    Mike Walker
  • Original Nintendo Building

    Kyoto, Japan

    Original Nintendo Building

    The first location of the eventual video game giant.

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    Added By
    CoolCrab
  • The Dome reborn

    Carbondale, Illinois

    Buckminster Fuller Dome Home

    The only dome home to be owned or occupied by dome inventor Buckminster Fuller.

    C
    Added By
    Cary O'Dell
  • The original Heinz pickle charm could hang from a lady’s brooch or a man’s pocket watch.

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    The First Heinz Pickle Charm

    The souvenir got the company’s founder out of a pretty pickle at the World’s Fair.

    Avatar image for Rohini Chaki
    Added By
    Rohini Chaki
  • Mouth of Truth reflecting off the water in the former quarry.

    Lipnice nad Sázavou, Czechia

    Národní památník odposlechu (National Interception Memorial)

    This trio of reliefs—an ear, a mouth, and a pair of eyes—carved into the walls of flooded quarries is a monument to spying.

    B
    Added By
    barbeque
  • Stele of Napoleon III overwritten on Assyrian stele

    Nahr El Kalb, Lebanon

    Stelae of Nahr el-Kalb

    In a narrow river valley just north of Beirut, Lebanon, is a chronicle of human history unlike anything else in the world.

    Avatar image for michaelsballard
    Added By
    Michael Ballard
  • A view of All Veterans Memorial Park.

    Emporia, Kansas

    All Veterans Memorial Park

    A park to honor all U.S. Armed Forces veterans, and Emporia's status as the founding city of Veterans Day.

    I
    Added By
    Ian Lefkowitz
  • A statue of famed numismatist Chet Krause in his hometown of Iola, Wisconsin.

    Iola, Wisconsin

    Chester L. Krause Legacy Park

    This rural park in central Wisconsin honors one of the world’s most prominent numismatists.

    I
    Added By
    Ian Lefkowitz
  • One of the halls adorned with contemporary Buddhist art.

    Bangkok, Thailand

    Wat Sutthi Wararam

    Displaying religious art made almost exclusively in modern styles helps set this Buddhist temple apart from the myriad others in Bangkok.

    Avatar image for linkogecko
    Added By
    linkogecko
  • Alresford, England

    Grave of Hambone Jr.

    This grave remembers the beloved canine companion of soldiers far from home.

    Avatar image for AdOYo
    Added By
    AdOYo
  • Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Roman Relief on Rue du Saint-Esprit

    An ancient Roman relief beautifully preserved on the façade of a house.

    Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Added By
    Fred Cherrygarden
  • The Fountain of the Twelve Months

    Turin, Italy

    Fontana dei Dodici Mesi

    See every month of the year personified at this opulent Turinese fountain.

    Avatar image for mikewalker
    Added By
    Mike Walker
  • The sector operations room.

    Valletta, Malta

    Lascaris War Rooms

    Both the World War II Allied Forces and NATO have used this modern bunker underneath Malta’s capital.

    Avatar image for Dark Nebula Deluxe
    Added By
    Dark Nebula Deluxe
  • Reliefs on Botong Francisco’s house

    Angono, Philippines

    Doña Aurora Street Art

    A series of murals cast in concrete decorate the walls where the famous artist Botong once lived.

    Avatar image for Jon Opol
    Added By
    Jon Opol
  • Entrance to the Peak District Mining Museum

    Matlock Bath, England

    Peak District Lead Mining Museum

    Explore the history of mining in this museum, or in a real mine from the 1920s.

    Avatar image for Dr Alan P Newman
    Added By
    Alan Newman
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Teach Yourself to Echolocate

A beginner's guide to navigating with sound.

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Written By
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October 11, 2018
  • ancient

    Romans Once Filled the Colosseum with Water and Staged an Epic Mock Sea Battle

    By Tao Tao Holmes

  • A rural family cemetery on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation in Oklahoma.

    cemeteries

    In Search of the Origins of Native American Grave Houses in Oklahoma

    By Autumn Fourkiller

  • Glowworm Tunnel, Australia

    caves

    10 Places That Glow

    By Atlas Obscura

  • Most of the habitat of Ukraine's endangered sandy blind mole-rat (Spalax arenarius) is on the front lines of the war, and the animal has become a symbol of environmental justice for the war-ravaged country.

    forests

    Amid War in Ukraine, Nature Survives in Unexpected Ways

    By Fred Pearce

  • In Pompeii, four individuals who perished together were long thought to be a mother, father, and their two children. New research says otherwise.

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    In Pompeii, the Dead Have New Stories to Tell

    By Roxanne Hoorn

  • Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge, Germany

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    By Atlas Obscura

  • Rafflesia, Thailand

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    10 Places That Smell Like Nowhere Else

    By Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders.

holiday

11 Niche Gifts for Your Unconventional Loved Ones

Presents they didn’t know to put on their wishlists.

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Written By
Rachel Rummel
November 19, 2024
  • Art detective Arthur Brand has recovered scores of stolen works of art, including Picasso's "Buste de femme (Dora Maar)," which is worth about $30 million.

    art

    Art Detective Arthur Brand Is Like Indiana Jones but With a More Elegant Wardrobe

    By Nina Strochlic

  • Sweet salads are an American holiday tradition.

    food

    The Glorious World of Sweet Holiday Salads

    By Anne Ewbank

  • Bear 409, “Beadnose,” a sow that won Fat Bear Week in 2018. GIS specialist Joel Cusick is pioneering a new technique for calculating the bears’ weight that doesn’t disrupt their normal activity.

    animals

    Fat Bears and 5 Other Stories of Preparing for Winter

    By Roxanne Hoorn

  • Accusations around sex and race have caused controversy and change at a major LARP community.

    plague

    Racism and Sexism Claims Shake a Modern Fantasy Village

    By Ellery Weil

  • T'anta wawa, or 'baby bread,' is baked in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, and Ecuador in honor of those who have passed away.

    bread

    Bake 'Baby Bread' as a Celebration of Life and Death

    By Diana Hubbell

  • Ivrea’s Battle of the Oranges, Italy

    sports

    10 Extraordinary Sports Around the World

    By Atlas Obscura

  • Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge, Germany

    architectural oddities

    10 Optical Illusion Destinations

    By Atlas Obscura

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Vietnam - Hue Royal Tea

Asia

Flavors of Vietnam: Fish Sauce, Pho & Royal Tea

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Bird Taxidermy with Allis Markham

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