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

Atlas Obscura supports those standing against the institutionalized racism faced by Black communities.
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Happening This Week
Join these experiences from your computer or phone.
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Wonder From Home

You Pick the Park: A Deep Time Adventure through the National Parks

Live from NY
$8 per device
Take an interactive trip through the National Parks without leaving your home!
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Wonder From Home

Members Only: Accidental Discoveries

Live from New York
Free
Science is full of accidental discoveries. Dive into a rabbithole of missed targets; will it end in a Nobel Prize or a melted chocolate bar?
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Wonder From Home

The Show Begins on the Sidewalk: Movie Palace History

Live from Illinois
$8 per device
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Wonder From Home

The Secret Arts: Fantasy Maps

Live from NY
$10 per device
Learn about the world's rarest arts from the most curious craftspeople. Enter the world of the Secret Arts!
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Wonder From Home

WPA Posters for the People Tour

Live from Pennsylvania
$8 per device
Explore iconic WPA posters from the 1930s with Social Impact Studios.
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Wonder From Home

Humans and Nature in the Collection of the Henry Art Gallery

Live from Washington
$1 per device
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Wonder From Home

Accidental Discoveries: Medicine

Live from New York
$7 per device
Science is full of accidental discoveries. Dive into a rabbithole of missed targets; will it end in a Nobel Prize or a melted chocolate bar?
Online
Wonder From Home

Unboxing an Antique Ghost Show

Live from Illinois
$8 per device
Online
Wonder From Home

Dino 101

Live from New York
$7 per device
Who says dinosaurs are just for kids?
Online
Wonder From Home

Step-by-Step: Writing A Personal History

Live from California
$60 per device
A 3-part workshop by historical journalist and author Hadley Meares.
Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
food

Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia

Slovenia
From $2,865 USD
Alongside local experts, we'll munch our way through Slovenia's stunning alpine pastures, forests, and lakes—gathering wild foods, making mountain tea, and crafting a charismatic cheese.
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wildlife & nature

Science After Dark: Spotting Squid in the Tides of Oahu

Hawaii
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. 
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wildlife & nature

Wings & Wonders: Birds of New Zealand

New Zealand
From $5,360 USD
Explore the spectacular birdlife, biodiversity, and natural wonder of Aotearoa alongside seasoned conservationists.
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history

Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

Russia
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.
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More Stories
food

How to Make Smoked Foods From Around the World on Your Stovetop

With advice and recipes from a renowned expert.
Luke Fater July 1, 2020
libraries

How Students Built a 16th-Century Engineer's Book-Reading Machine

The bookwheel helps readers browse eight texts at once. The only problem? It weighs 600 pounds.
Claire Voon July 1, 2020
science

For Sale: Proof That Legendary Scientists Were Real People, Too

Letters and trinkets show off the personal sides of Einstein, Hawking, and Schrödinger.
Matthew Taub July 1, 2020
dinosaurs

Behind a New Jersey Hardware Store, a Paleontological Bonanza

The third episode of TED’s Pindrop podcast was 66 million years in the making.
Anna Phelan June 30, 2020
insects

L.A.'s Insects Are Hairy, Iridescent, and Crazy Photogenic

The creatures are ready for their close-ups—in the name of getting a better handle on biodiversity in the bustling city.
Jessica Leigh Hester June 30, 2020
shipwrecks

How a Long-Lost Perfume Got a Second Life After 150 Years Underwater

A team of divers and archaeologists discovered the 19th-century fragrance in a shipwreck off the coast of Bermuda.
Lina Zeldovich June 30, 2020
megalithic

Near Stonehenge, an Even Bigger Neolithic Site Is Hidden Underground

A giant circle of pits is the largest Neolithic site found in Britain to date.
Isaac Schultz June 29, 2020
mountains

An Italian Ski Resort Fights Glacial Melting With Giant Tarps

Climate change is shrinking Alpine glaciers. The tourism industry has a stake in keeping them around.
Joseph Winters June 29, 2020
science

The West Is Being Won by Tiny Bits of Plastic

Natural landscapes are seeing huge amounts of microplastics tumbling from the sky.
Jessica Leigh Hester June 26, 2020
restaurants

This Restaurant Pivoted From Molecular Gastronomy to a 5-Course Drive-Through

A server squeegees the window, too.
Darcy Rhyno June 26, 2020
animals

Why Did This Ancient Marsupial Have Saber Teeth?

Turns out they're useful if you want to slurp up your food.
Isaac Schultz June 26, 2020
science

The South Carolina Forest That Looks Like Melted Ice Cream

When conditions are right, the waters of Congaree National Park can look like bright scoops pooling on a sidewalk.
Jessica Leigh Hester June 25, 2020
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