Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

Alice Miceli, <em>Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, PTT-8 Sign, Highly Contaminated Ground, Belarus</em>, 2008

The Photographer Who X-Rayed Chernobyl

How to make the invisible visible.

Place of the Day

Quetzalcoatl’s Nest

In Mexico, you can sleep in the belly of this Aztec snake god.

Found: The Oldest-Known Photograph of Enslaved African Americans With Cotton

The daguerreotype records their faces, but not their names.

December 4, 2019

How Frothy Waves of Sea Foam Coated the Coast of Chennai

On an English Estate, Reintroduced Beavers Might Make a Damn Difference

Atlas Obscura Goods

Holiday Gifts

For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

How Whopping Whale Skeletons Come to Life at 'Bonehenge'

Top Countries

Top Cities

Antwerp, Belgium

Cafe Beveren

This small corner bar is home to a rare 1930s dance organ that still plays tunes for one Euro.

Sam OBrien

Added by Sam OBrien

Sharon, Massachusetts

Deborah Sampson's Gravestone

She dressed as a man to secretly become one of the first women to serve in the United States military.

Added by dsouth

Podgorica, Montenegro

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

Its frescoes depict the likeness of Marshal Tito, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels burning in hell.

Added by Pierpaolo Ferlaino

Loogootee, Indiana

Birdhouse Paradise of Bill Larkin

One man's goal to be surrounded by color resulted in this enchanting assortment of avian abodes.

Added by amcook122

Lysa Hora (Bald Mountain)

This hill is known for its connection to the occult in Slavic tradition.

SamR

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art & performance

Cambodia: Contemporary Art, Spiritual Traditions, and Hidden Wonders

From $3,215 USD

Explore the vibrant art, religion, and food culture of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and spend time with the country's leading artists and performers.

science & nature

Science After Dark: Spotting Squid in the Tides of Oahu

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.

art & performance

Desert Canvas: Art of Joshua Tree and the Mojave

From $2,360 USD

Join us as we venture deep into the High Desert, glimpsing massive sculptures, revitalizing domes, and fluorescent painted mountains along the way.

history & culture

Tunisia Through the Sands of Time

From $3,660 USD

Explore the Ruins of Seneca Quarry

Poolesville, Maryland

Oddities Flea Market "Holiday of Wonders" Exclusive VIP Presale Tickets

Brooklyn, New York

LA River Walk

Los Angeles, California

Exploring a Secret Fort

Washington, D.C.

Myth, Film, and Studio Tour

Los Angeles, California

Discover Greenbelt Town of Tomorrow

Greenbelt, Maryland

On the Trail of DC's First Brewmaster

Alexandria, Virginia

Inside the Holographer's Laboratory

New York, New York

The Chicago Underground Scavenger Hunt

Chicago, Illinois

Sci Fi Sewage Sanctuary

Los Angeles, California

The Spies of Georgetown

Washington, D.C.

Japanese Incense and Tea Experience

Seattle, Washington

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A Kiln That Fired Millions of Clay Pipes Was Unearthed Under a Montreal Bridge

Archaeologists recently dug it up—but now they're putting an end to its brief affair with open air.

Jessica Leigh Hester December 2, 2019

Found: A Manuscript Sloppily Edited by Queen Elizabeth I

Her Latin was impressive, but her cursive wasn't.

Isaac Schultz December 2, 2019

Inside the Abandoned Babylon That Saddam Hussein Built

“If I could, I would go without shoes here, because it’s a holy place,” says a guide to the ancient site.

Pesha Magid December 2, 2019

A Newly Digitized Menu Collection Shows Off America’s Lost Railroad Cuisine

Once, Americans rode the rails for charbroiled steak, golden French toast, and prunes.

Claire Voon December 2, 2019

Israel’s Stalagmites Have Climate Stories to Tell

Formed by dripping water over thousands of years, the rocky formations point to ancient monsoons.

Jessica Leigh Hester November 29, 2019

14 Unusual, Spectacular Shopping Experiences Around the World

Celebrate Black Friday with a unique cultural experience.

How Radar Detected Prehistoric Footprints Beneath White Sands National Monument

Researchers have found Pleistocene-era proof of a human, mammoth, and ground sloth trundling along.

Jessica Leigh Hester November 27, 2019

China’s Dead Sea Is a Visual Feast

Yuncheng Lake is one of the country's oldest salt-production sites.

Reina Gattuso November 27, 2019

Retracing Ghana's Old Slave Trail

The story of slavery does not begin with the Middle Passage.

Chiké Frankie Edozien November 27, 2019

The Grave of Nancy Adams, Who Thrice Escaped Slavery, Is Now a Symbol of Freedom

It has been designated as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Sabrina Imbler November 26, 2019

Photographers Take on the World's Walls, Borders, and Barriers

An exhibit documents the obstacles we erect, and how we overcome them.

Winnie Lee November 26, 2019

Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon

A tradition as American as apple pie, and older than the Constitution.

Luke Fater November 26, 2019

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