Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
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The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

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.
Drinks

Mother Vine Scuppernong Wine

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

Chop Suey Sandwich

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

Southern Jutland Coffee Table

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

Unearthing Lost Towns

Lothian, Maryland
$50 per person
Get your hands dirty in this excavation event rediscovering a centuries-old Native American village with the Lost Towns Project.
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Event

Rosehill Cemetery Walk

Chicago, Illinois
$20 per person
Hear tales of money, murder, and madness you won't hear on other tours as you tour the grounds of one of Chicago's oldest cemeteries.
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Event

Run Away With the Circus

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$55 per person
Fly high in this afternoon of circus history and interactive aerial skills with the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.
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Event

Oddities Flea Market: Exclusive VIP Presale Tickets

Chicago, Illinois
$30 per person
The legendary Oddities Market by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina Cohn is coming to Chicago, and Atlas Obscura has your ticket to skip the line and get in early!
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Event

Hiking Washington's Railroad History

Skykomish, Washington
$50 per person
Discover the remnants of a train line and depot devastated by a record-breaking avalanche on a guided, mountainside tour.
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Event

Lock Picking at Greenbar Distillery

Los Angeles, California
$60 per person
Pick the brain of a security expert in this mind-bending, hands-on workshop.
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Event

The Astonishing Architecture Boat Tour

Chicago, Illinois
$33 per person
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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Event

Architecture of Mysterious Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
$22 per person
Author Adam Selzer highlights the histories and unsolved mysteries of the city's landmarks.
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Event

Hyde Park Walking Tour

Chicago, Illinois
$25 per person
Travel through time on this 9-block walking tour, uncovering Bronze Age history all the way through the Atomic Age.
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More Stories
amusement parks

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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ancient

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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food

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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islands

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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food

The Key Ingredient in This Bread Is Reindeer Milk

Mongolia's last reindeer riders don’t rely on their herd just for transportation.
Breanna Wilson August 20, 2019
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These 10 Chilly Buildings Are Full of Seeds, Ice Samples, and Cheese

These aren't your average refrigerators.
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volcanoes

When a Volcano in El Salvador Cooled Down the Entire World

It may have even helped bring on the bubonic plague.
Matthew Taub August 19, 2019
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art

Did Stone Age Humans Paint for Fun?

This summer, chill like an ancient hominin and make some art.
Isaac Schultz August 19, 2019
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exploration

The Quest to Find a Lost Arctic Explorer’s Buried Soup

An "Arctic mystery" may lead to a future of food under the permafrost.
Tal McThenia August 19, 2019
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