Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

If this looks relaxing to you, you're not alone.

Respect the Hammock, One of Humanity’s Greatest Creations

In praise of an excellent idea with a long, complicated history.

by Dan Nosowitz

Place of the Day

Treepod Restaurant

In Thailand, you can eat like a bird in a bamboo nest.

Swaddling Glaciers in Blankets Isn’t the Oddest Idea for Extending Their Lives

As ice sheets keep dwindling, scientists are proposing everything they can think of.

August 23, 2019

Canada's Ice Roads Are Melting Too Soon

Between Plagues, Medieval Peasants Enjoyed Bawdiness and Brawling

Chill Week

When Everyone Wanted to Be the Iceman

14 Dramatic Fountains That Have Very Little Chill

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Top Cities

Gateway, Colorado

Unaweep Canyon

Two creeks flow out of either end of this canyon in opposite directions.

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Casar de Cáceres, Spain

Museo del Queso

A cheese discovery made by shepherds became the pride of a region.

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Portobello, Scotland

Portobello Bottle Kilns

The last remaining bottle-shaped kilns in Scotland stand alone in an Edinburgh suburb.

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Ashtabula, Ohio

Ashtabula Bridge Disaster Monument

A monument to the “unrecognized dead” of the tragic 1876 train crash.

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Unlock Hundarman Museum of Memories

A grassroots collection showcasing personal objects of family members separated by the post-1971 border between India and Pakistan.

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Gastro Obscura

Covering the world's most
wondrous food and drink.

Fruits & Vegetables

Charentais Melon

The melon has its own sculpture, festival, and order of knights.

Mother Vine Scuppernong Wine

This sweet Southern elixir comes from what may be the oldest grape vine in North America.

Chop Suey Sandwich

In the 19th century, Chinese immigrants developed an early New England fusion sandwich that is divisive as it is salty.

Southern Jutland Coffee Table

These cake-laden tables fueled community meetings that helped bring Southern Jutland back into Denmark.

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Hiking Washington's Railroad History

Skykomish, Washington

Discover the remnants of a train line and depot devastated by a record-breaking avalanche on a guided, mountainside tour.

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Lock Picking at Greenbar Distillery

Los Angeles, California

Pick the brain of a security expert in this mind-bending, hands-on workshop.

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The Astonishing Architecture Boat Tour

Chicago, Illinois

Atlas Obscura presents a very special twist on Chicago's beloved architecture boat tours, revealing the unknown tales hidden inside the city's most famous landmarks and locations.

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Architecture of Mysterious Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Author Adam Selzer highlights the histories and unsolved mysteries of the city's landmarks.

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Hyde Park Walking Tour

Chicago, Illinois

Travel through time on this 9-block walking tour, uncovering Bronze Age history all the way through the Atomic Age.

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The Second Largest Public Telescope in the World

Los Angeles, California

Step into the dome for an evening of planets, globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and colorful double stars at the Mount Wilson Observatory.

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A Night of Mystery at the Philosophical Research Society

Los Angeles, California

Get to the heart of magic in a mystical Los Angeles enclave.

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The Raptors of the Nation's Capital

Laurel, Maryland

A one-of-a-kind adventure to meet and greet the raptors that stalk our city.

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Mother Earth's Plantasia at The Getty Center

Los Angeles, California

Free per person

Celebrate California plant culture with a special program inspired by 1970s Los Angeles and Plantasia, the iconic album made for plants and the people who love them.

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The Family Dynasty That Pursues Perfection in Shaved Ice

For three generations, the Hansens have made summer sno-ball season in New Orleans.

R. Blakeslee Gilpin August 21, 2019

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Ancient Mesoamericans Calmed Down and Hooked Up in Sweaty Steam Baths

Temazcales helped indigenous people let off steam, until colonialism came along.

Sabrina Imbler August 21, 2019

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The Bones at India's Mysterious 'Skeleton Lake' Came From All Over

New research reveals that the hundreds of anonymous dead spanned both continents and centuries.

Matthew Taub August 21, 2019

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26 of the World's Most Astounding Abandoned Resorts

From the forests of Canada to the beaches of Croatia, the Earth is dotted with forgotten relics of relaxation.

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The Dinner Party That Served Up 50,000-Year-Old Bison Stew

When life gives you frozen bison, make dinner.

Paula Mejia August 21, 2019

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Way Before Roller Coasters, Russians Zipped Down Enormous Ice Slides

These artificial mountains were fast, thrilling, and probably very dangerous.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 21, 2019

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The Swole Women of Sparta Wrestled, Danced, and Drank

This summer, chill like an ancient lady and sweat, recite poetry, and swig wine.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 20, 2019

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The Refugee Women Turning Tastes of Home Into a Food-Delivery Business

Fleeing conflict in Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, they've created a rare melting pot in India.

Reina Gattuso August 20, 2019

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The Not-So-Chill History of Hawai‘i’s Breeziest Shirt

The aloha shirt has many possible inventors and a long, fraught cultural history.

Sabrina Imbler August 20, 2019

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