Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
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Happening This Week
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Online
Experience

Learning the Language of Art w/ Art Muse L.A.: Ghosts and the Occult in Art

Thu, Oct 28
$15 per device
Online
Experience

Art & Evolution w/ Megan McGrath: Drawing the Haunted Forest

Thu, Oct 28
$15 per device
Online
Online Course

3D Paper Art: Pop-Ups and Paper Engineering With Yoojin Kim

Starts Thu, Oct 28
4 Sessions
$245 per person
Online
Online Course

Stories in the Stones: How to Read a Gravestone With Dr. Elise M. Ciregna

Starts Sat, Oct 30
4 Sessions
$265 per person
In this four-part course, learn how to decode the stories in gravestones and deepen your understanding of America’s cemeteries.
+ 1 other date
Online
Online Course

The Table as Canvas: Designing a Bizarro Dinner Party With Jen Monroe

Starts Tue, Nov 2
4 Sessions
$75 per person
Online
Online Course

Making Scents: Experimental Perfumery With Saskia Wilson-Brown

Starts Tue, Nov 2
3 Sessions
$215 per person
+ 2 other dates
Online
Experience

Radical Spirits: How the Occult Shaped Progressive Politics

Tue, Nov 2
$12 per device
Online
Experience

Global Moves: Learn the Flamenco of Spain w/ Xianix Barrera

Wed, Nov 3
$20 per device
Learn about the cultural traditions and fiery moves of the Spanish Flamenco!
Online
Online Course

China's Regional Cuisines: Culture Through Food With Xiaokun Song

Starts Wed, Nov 3
5 Sessions
$235 per person
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Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
wildlife & nature

Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

Russia
Nov 22–28, 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.
+ 1 other date
history

Turkmenistan and the Gates of Hell

Turkmenistan
Mar 18–27, 2022
From $3,475 USD
On this sweeping, eclectic adventure through Turkmenistan, marvel at the towering white-marble structures of Ashgabat, roam through barren deserts and a world-class canyon, and spend the night camped out beside the flaming Gates of Hell.
+ 2 other dates
history

Pyramids and Petroglyphs of Sudan

Sudan
Mar 22–Apr 1, 2022
From $5,680 USD
Journey along the Nile, across the Sudanese desert, and discover the pyramids and archaeological treasures of ancient civilizations.
+ 1 other date
food & drink

The Culinary Crossroads of Marseille

France
Jun 6–12, 2022
From $5,130 USD
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More Stories
climate change

Climate Change and the Dream of Growing Coffee in Sicily

As temperatures rise, one family hopes to establish the world’s northernmost coffee plantation.
Lorenzo Tondo October 25, 2021
wunderkammers

Was René Descartes a Victim of Skull Blasting?

Centuries after the philosopher’s death, lingering controversy over his remains highlights a macabre practice of profiting from the dead.
Gemma Tarlach October 25, 2021
castles

Podcast: The Real Alchemist of Castle Frankenstein

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team October 25, 2021
haunted

The Story Behind the World's Most Terrifying Haunted Doll

Robert the Doll is Key West's most cursed object.
Andy Wright October 25, 2021
skulls

Europeans Once Drank Distilled Human Skulls as Medicine

"Corpse medicine" created a booming market for craniums, especially mossy ones.
Diana Hubbell October 22, 2021
List

10 Places Where It Seems Like Vampires Are More Than Myth

Sometimes superstition leaves a mark on the world.
Jonathan Carey October 22, 2021
murder

How Gruesome Penny Dreadfuls Got Victorian Children Reading

Despite causing a moral panic, these salacious tales helped boost literacy in Victorian England.
Sarah Durn October 22, 2021
graffiti

Why Is Mischief Night Different From All Other Nights?

How a local tradition has hung on for centuries.
Dan Nosowitz October 21, 2021
objects of intrigue

Remembering ‘Witch Cakes,’ the Evil-Fighting Baked Goods of the 1600s

Are these cakes weapons against dark forces or just “spiky bagels”?
Sam O'Brien October 21, 2021
haunted

This British University Has an Archive of Ye Olde Haunted Houses

The times have changed, but the thrill remains the same.
April White October 21, 2021
forests

Podcast: The Pennsylvania Firefly Festival

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team October 21, 2021
haunted

The History and Mystery of Yemen’s ‘Well of Hell’

The first-ever expedition to the bottom of a startling desert sinkhole found wonders—but only natural ones.
Sarah Durn October 20, 2021
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