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

Members Only: Accidental Discoveries – In the Kitchen

Tue, Oct 20
Free
Join Dr. Kelly Reidy as she digs into history's most surprising (and oddly productive) mishaps, accidents, and blunders.
Online
Experience

Backstage with a Magician

Tue, Oct 20
$25 per device
+ 6 more dates
Online
Experience

Oregon Trail LIVE!

Tue, Oct 20
$10 per device
Unearth forgotten stories, meet unexpected characters, and discover lost secrets along the Oregon Trail.
Online
Experience

The Hidden History of the Radical Suffragette Bodyguards

Wed, Oct 21
$12 per device
A secret society of martial arts-trained female bodyguards who defended members of the English radical women's suffrage movement? It's real.
Online
Experience

Weird Homes Tour: Pop Culture House

Wed, Oct 21
$12 per device
Online
Experience

Underwater Happy Hour w/ The New York Aquarium

Thu, Oct 22
$10 per device
Join Atlas Obscura and the New York Aquarium as we dive into some of the underwater world's most fascinating creatures, live!
Online
Online Course

The Art of Death With Tessa Fontaine

Starts Thu, Oct 22
$265 per person
In this five-part seminar with author Tessa Fontaine, we'll explore notions of death around the world, drawing from biology, philosophy, and beyond.
Online
Experience

Accidental Discoveries

Fri, Oct 23
$10 per device
Join Dr. Kelly Reidy as she digs into history's most surprising (and oddly productive) mishaps, accidents, and blunders.
+ 1 more date
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura Trivia Night

Fri, Oct 23
$7 per person
Gather your team and compete in a weekly contest of wits and educated-guessing.
+ 7 more dates
Online
Experience

Dino 101

Fri, Oct 23
$10 per device
Who says dinosaurs are just for kids?
+ 7 more dates
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura Presents: Entrée to Black Paris

Sat, Oct 24
$12 per device
Join tour guide and storyteller Dr. Monique Y. Wells as she explores the African-American legacy in The City of Lights!
Online
Experience

Monster of the Month with Colin Dickey

Mon, Oct 26
$12 per device
Explore the world's greatest monsters, myths, and legends with paranormal author and cultural historian, Colin Dickey!
Online
Experience

Tyler Thrasher Wonder Hour: Cave Hunting

Tue, Oct 27
$10 per device
An exciting world of curiosity with scientist/artist/role-model Tyler Thrasher!
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Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
hidden cities

City of Secrets: Underground in Los Angeles

Los Angeles
Apr 30–May 2, 2021
From $830 USD
On this an insider’s journey into the City of Angeles, we'll discover the murals and art of the famous Arts district with a resident artist, clink glasses at an underground speakeasy, and hike through hidden ruins with a suspicious past, all in pursuit of the less angelic side of the City of Angels.
hidden cities

City of Blooms: Floriculture in Paris

Paris
Jun 18–20, 2021
From $1,230 USD
Join Atlas Obscura and Tastemade for a journey through the botanical side of Paris, from hidden flower farms to one of France's oldest fragrance houses.
+ 1 more date
wildlife & nature

Rewilding: Tracking Wolves in the Forests of Sweden

Sweden
Jul 5–11, 2021
From $3,100 USD
Explore Sweden’s boreal forests by day and hear the howling of wild wolves by night.
+ 1 more date
wildlife & nature

Swim with the Singing Whales of Tonga

Tonga
Sep 2–9, 2021
From $6,330 USD
Accompanied by conservation experts, you’ll spend five full days swimming alongside humpback whales as their song fills the ocean.
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More Stories
art

The Country That Still Considers Saddam Hussein a Hero

The dictator's face crops up on cars, playing cards, watches, and even Instagram.
Jason Ruffin October 14, 2020
food

A Historical Dig Sheds Light on the Food of the Underground Railroad

Archaeologists found muskrat, turtle, and other edible remains in Harriet Tubman Country.
Reina Gattuso October 14, 2020
architecture

Found: An Old Norse 'Godhouse' Fit for Thor and Odin

The site reflects how the rise of Christianity to the south affected the worship of the Norse pantheon.
Matthew Taub October 14, 2020
collections

The Spectacular Science of the Great Lakes' Glowing Rocks

Under UV light, some of them look downright magical.
Jessica Leigh Hester October 13, 2020
architecture

Behind the Walls of a Sports Bar, Remnants of Florida's Early Years

How do you lose an entire elevator?
Luna Shyr October 13, 2020
List

10 Places to Savor Indigenous Cuisine in North America

Celebrate the culinary prowess of Native cultures with squash burritos, sumac-seared bison, and more.
Sam O'Brien October 12, 2020
forests

Could a Tree Help Find a Decaying Corpse Nearby?

On a “body farm,” researchers are exploring whether the nutrients from human cadavers can change the look of plants, which authorities might use to locate missing persons.
Matt Simon October 12, 2020
lakes

Behold, the Great Salt Lake's Wonderfully Colorful Salt Pans, From Space

Everything looks cool from the International Space Station.
Jessica Leigh Hester October 9, 2020
art

This Artist Sculpts Animals and Flowers From Grains of Rice

Guorui Chen brought a hometown tradition back from extinction.
Zeyi Yang October 9, 2020
earthworks

How Drones Help Archaeologists Peer Into the Earth

A late-night drone flight spotted a large, circular earthwork beneath a field in Kansas.
Karen Chernick October 9, 2020
deserts

The Art of Digging a Buried Building Out of Maine's Desert Dunes

The Spring House had been hidden for decades.
Jessica Leigh Hester October 8, 2020
food

The Microscopic Majesty of Sugars, Salts, and Spices

A molecular biologist turned food writer put kitchen staples under the microscope.
Anne Ewbank October 8, 2020
Read All Stories