Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
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The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

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Happening This Week
Join these experiences from your computer or phone.
Online
Experience

Weird Homes Tour - Ghosts in the Machines

Tue, Sep 22
$10 per device
Step inside Brandon Hodge's home and Mysterious Planchette archive.
Online
Experience

Every Penguin in the World

Tue, Sep 22
$10 per device
Curious about all 18 penguin species? Take a virtual journey across the Southern Hemisphere with author-photographer Charles Bergman.
Online
Experience

The Art of Pickling with Liz Alpern and Jeff Yozkowitz

Wed, Sep 23
$25 per device
Dive into pickling traditions with the co-owners of NYC's Gefilteria!
Online
Experience

Backstage with a Magician

Wed, Sep 23
$25 per device
+ 17 more dates
Online
Experience

A Peek Inside Legendary Hollywood Estates

Wed, Sep 23
$10 per device
Online
Experience

The Show Begins on the Sidewalk — Movie Palace History

Thu, Sep 24
$10 per device
Online
Experience

Camera Tricks: An Exclusive Magic Show with Ben Seidman

Thu, Sep 24
$25 per device
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura Trivia Night

Fri, Sep 25
$7 per person
Gather your team and compete in a weekly contest of wits and educated-guessing.
+ 5 more dates
Online
Experience

Dino 101

Fri, Sep 25
$10 per device
Who says dinosaurs are just for kids?
+ 3 more dates
Online
Online Course

Queering Cartography: Creating Decolonial Travel Guides With Bani Amor

Starts Sun, Sep 27
$275 per person
In this four-part seminar led by Bani Amor, you’ll research, map, and write your own decolonial travel guide.
+ 1 more date
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Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
wildlife & nature

Science After Dark: Spotting Squid in the Tides of Oahu

Hawaii
Jan 18–Jan 23, 2021
From $3,535 USD
Just beneath the waves off the Hawaiian coast, there are schools of tropical fish, flotillas of sea turtles, and squads of squid. We’re diving in to explore some of their secrets. 
+ 1 more date
wildlife & nature

Wings & Wonders: Birds of New Zealand

New Zealand
Jan 31–Feb 10, 2021
From $5,360 USD
Explore the spectacular birdlife, biodiversity, and natural wonder of Aotearoa alongside seasoned conservationists.
wildlife & nature

Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

Russia
Feb 21–Feb 28, 2021
From $3,830 USD
Bear witness to the ethereal glow of the Northern Lights, explore Arctic Russia, and see life in the Polar Circle up close.
art & culture

Shifting Tides: Art in New Orleans

New Orleans
Feb 24–Feb 28, 2021
From $2,440 USD
Get to know the art, history, and dynamic culture of New Orleans—and the people who bring it to life.
+ 2 more dates
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More Stories
art

Indigenous Artists Are Reclaiming Masks as a Source of Storytelling and Strength

Bringing together traditional materials and modern messages.
Carolyn B. Heller September 15, 2020
forests

What Wildfire Archaeology Tells Us About the Burning American West

Archaeologists in New Mexico are studying past wildfires through tree rings and pottery sherds.
Stephen E. Nash September 15, 2020
forests

Acorn Woodpeckers Have Multi-Day Wars, and Birds Come From All Around to Watch

A window into complex avian sociopolitical lives.
Luna Shyr September 15, 2020
food

The Detective on the Case of the Perfect Hot Tamale

In the Mississippi Delta, a tragedy inspired Charles Sledge, police detective, down a tamale-making path.
Justin Fornal September 14, 2020
design

These Powerful Pins Honored Suffragists Who Were 'Jailed for Freedom'

A century ago, women picketing the White House were beaten and imprisoned for demanding their right to vote.
Reina Gattuso September 14, 2020
disasters

The End of Centralia's Abandoned, Colorful, Anarchic 'Graffiti Highway'

First the fractured stretch of road became a canvas, then a gathering place. Now it will become forest.
Julie Knutson September 14, 2020
farms

Make the Midwest's Award-Winning State-Fair Foods at Home

Events may be canceled, but you can still enjoy historic blue-ribbon recipes.
Sam O'Brien September 11, 2020
lakes

The Ghost Towns of Lake Urmia, Once West Asia's Largest Lake

Ships, farms, and hotels were left high and dry when 90 percent of the water disappeared.
Solmaz Daryani September 11, 2020
insects

When Prehistoric Lacewings Disguised Themselves as Middle-Jurassic Lichens

Researchers recently found evidence of some very, very old camouflage.
Jessica Leigh Hester September 10, 2020
food

Japan Is Combating Rural Decline With a National Network of Ice Cream

Flavors include apple, blue honeysuckle, and black squid ink.
Michael Colbert September 10, 2020
islands

Found: The Rare Singing Dogs of New Guinea, In the Wild

The distant cousin of the dingo had been hiding out in the island’s highlands.
Isaac Schultz September 10, 2020
science

Can America’s Premier Lightning Lab Revive Its Renegade Spirit?

“We want to continue triggering lightning. We’re in no way done with that.”
Elizabeth Miller September 9, 2020
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