Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

Atlas Obscura supports those standing against the institutionalized racism faced by Black communities.

Trying to core the ground to take samples last year was like trying to "drill through concrete," Gaffney says. So the team got a bigger drill.

Not Far From Stonehenge, an Even Bigger Neolithic Site Is Hidden Underground

A giant circle of pits is the largest Neolithic site found in Britain to date.

by Isaac Schultz

Place of the Day

Cologne Central Mosque

The largest mosque in Germany.

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.

What Atlas Obscura Membership Means

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

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Wonder From Home

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

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

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Glasgow, Scotland

Clydeside Expressway Mural Wall

Paintings that stretch across 600 feet of derelict railway.

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Mkhomazi Wilderness area, South Africa

Sani Pass

Brace yourself for the slowest, scariest, most spectacular drive, down the Drakensberg Escarpment.

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Madama Lucrezia

This statue is the only female representation of Rome's "talking statues."

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Brooklyn, New York

Gravesend

Nearly four centuries after its founding, remnants of one of the oldest planned communities in North America are still visible in southern Brooklyn.

Anna Minster

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Belen, New Mexico

Through the Flower Art Space

A home base for Judy Chicago, one of America's leading radical feminist artists.

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Live from California

Forest to Table in Alpine 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.

wildlife & 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.

wildlife & nature

Wings & Wonders: Birds of New Zealand

From $5,360 USD

Explore the spectacular birdlife, biodiversity, and natural wonder of Aotearoa alongside seasoned conservationists.

Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

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.

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

A server squeegees the window, too.

Darcy Rhyno June 26, 2020

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

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

In Mexico City, the Coronavirus Is Bringing Back Aztec-Era ‘Floating Gardens’

Business is booming for farmers who plant on man-made islands.

Amanda Gokee June 25, 2020

Meet the Caretakers of Sealand, the World's Most Stubborn Micronation

Maintaining an aging offshore platform is no easy task.

Dylan Taylor-Lehman June 25, 2020

How a Tiny Island's Trash Heap Is Revealing Its History

An old dump beneath the airport on Michigan's Mackinac Island was brimming with stories from summers past.

Jessica Leigh Hester June 24, 2020

A New Archive Digitizes More Than a Century of Black American Funeral Programs

A chronicle of lives lived from before the Civil War to today.

Matthew Taub June 24, 2020

Europe's Last Sail-Powered Fishing Fleet Faces a Stormy Future

Can this age-old industry weather both COVID-19 and climate change?

Katherine Waters June 24, 2020

Did an Alaskan Volcano Help Change the Face of the Mediterranean World?

At the time, unrest roiled Egypt and an empire rose in Rome.

Isaac Schultz June 23, 2020

The Astonishing Variety of Street Trees in Hackney, London

Hackney has a more diverse population of trees than any borough in London.

Jo Caird June 23, 2020

In Canada, Gold Rush-Era Garbage Reveals a History of Chinese Immigrant Cuisine

Archaeologists unearthed evidence of pig roasts and boozy gatherings at an 1870s British Columbia eatery.

Reina Gattuso June 23, 2020

What It’s Like to Be The Namesake of a Deep-Sea Worm

We asked Ivvet Modinou about the underwater creature that shares her name: P. modinouae.

Isaac Schultz June 22, 2020

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