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

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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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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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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The Second Largest Public Telescope in the World

Los Angeles, California
$78 per person
Step into the dome for an evening of planets, globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and colorful double stars at the Mount Wilson Observatory.
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A Night of Mystery at the Philosophical Research Society

Los Angeles, California
$55 per person
Get to the heart of magic in a mystical Los Angeles enclave.
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The Raptors of the Nation's Capital

Laurel, Maryland
$33 per person
A one-of-a-kind adventure to meet and greet the raptors that stalk our city.
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Mother Earth's Plantasia at The Getty Center

Los Angeles, California
Free per person
Celebrate California plant culture with a special program inspired by 1970s Los Angeles and Plantasia, the iconic album made for plants and the people who love them.
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Event

How to Be a Pinball Wizard

College Park, Maryland
$8 per person
Come learn the fraught history of a once illegal game, get tips from the pros, and enjoy a game or three at MOM's Organic Market in College Park.
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Trip

Expedition Amazon

Tambopata, Peru
$3,990 per person
Come experience rare wildlife and conservation biology on this adventure deep into the jungle.
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More Stories
food

The Family Dynasty That Pursues Perfection in Shaved Ice

For three generations, the Hansens have made summer sno-ball season in New Orleans.
R. Blakeslee Gilpin August 21, 2019
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volcanoes

Ancient Mesoamericans Calmed Down and Hooked Up in Sweaty Steam Baths

Temazcales helped indigenous people let off steam, until colonialism came along.
Sabrina Imbler August 21, 2019
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science

The Bones at India's Mysterious 'Skeleton Lake' Came From All Over

New research reveals that the hundreds of anonymous dead spanned both continents and centuries.
Matthew Taub August 21, 2019
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26 of the World's Most Astounding Abandoned Resorts

From the forests of Canada to the beaches of Croatia, the Earth is dotted with forgotten relics of relaxation.
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ancient

The Dinner Party That Served Up 50,000-Year-Old Bison Stew

When life gives you frozen bison, make dinner.
Paula Mejia August 21, 2019
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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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