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

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Happening This Week
Join these experiences from your computer or phone.
Online
Experience

Backstage with a Magician

Wed, Sep 30
$25 per device
+ 15 more dates
Online
Experience

Oregon Trail LIVE!

Wed, Sep 30
$10 per device
Unearth forgotten stories, meet unexpected characters, and discover lost secrets along the Oregon Trail.
Online
Experience

The Secret of Seattle's Disappearing Hill

Wed, Sep 30
$8 per device
A virtual walk through a Seattle land alteration project.
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura Trivia: A Night with Waldorf Astoria New York

Thu, Oct 1
$10 per device
AO Trivia and the Waldorf Astoria are teaming up to bring you a night of trivia all about the iconic, historic hotel!
Online
Experience

Accidental Discoveries

Fri, Oct 2
$10 per device
Join Dr. Kelly Reidy as she digs into history's most surprising (and oddly productive) mishaps, accidents, and blunders.
+ 4 more dates
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura Trivia Night

Fri, Oct 2
$7 per person
Gather your team and compete in a weekly contest of wits and educated-guessing.
+ 4 more dates
Online
Experience

Dino 101

Fri, Oct 2
$10 per device
Who says dinosaurs are just for kids?
+ 2 more dates
Online
Online Course

Natural Dyes: Creating a Plant-Based Palette With Aaron Sanders Head

Starts Sun, Oct 4
$210 per person
In this four-part workshop with Aaron Sanders Head, you'll learn how to turn kitchen scraps and foraged plants into natural dyes.
Online
Online Course

Art World Muckraking: Investigating & Exposing Art Crime With Erin Thompson

Starts Mon, Oct 5
$205 per person
In this four-part seminar, learn the history of art crime, how it's discovered and exposed, and begin an investigative project of your own.
+ 1 more date
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura: Radical Spirits - How the Occult Shaped Progressive Politics

Tue, Oct 6
$10 per device
Join PEN Award-winning historian and occult scholar Mitch Horowitz as he explores the spiritual roots of radical politics.
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Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
wildlife & nature

Wings & Wonders: Birds of New Zealand

New Zealand
Feb 1–11, 2021
From $5,360 USD
Explore the spectacular birdlife, biodiversity, and natural wonder of Aotearoa alongside seasoned conservationists.
+ 1 more date
wildlife & nature

Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

Russia
Feb 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.
art & culture

Shifting Tides: Art in New Orleans

New Orleans
Feb 24–28, 2021
From $2,440 USD
Get to know the art, history, and dynamic culture of New Orleans—and the people who bring it to life.
+ 2 more dates
food

Oaxaca: Tastes of Past & Present

Mexico
Mar 10–16, 2021
From $2,765 USD
Join us as we explore the indigenous flavors, contemporary cuisine, and rich history of Oaxaca—meeting local chefs, artisans, and historians along the way.
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More Stories
gardens

Inside the Arctic Greenhouses Where the Summer Sun Never Sets

A greenhouse network provides locals with everything from jalapeños to flowers.
Marina Wang September 22, 2020
disasters

Exploring Chernobyl's Imprint on Neighboring Belarus

The Polesie State Radioecological Reserve is close to Ukraine's Exclusion Zone, but a world away.
Darmon Richter September 22, 2020
museums

The Newest Addition to Denmark’s Happiness Museum: Tomato Seeds

A seed stuck to an old shirt grew into a project that helps bereaved kids heal.
Reina Gattuso September 21, 2020
lakes

Botswana Says It's Solved the Mystery of a Mass Elephant Die-Off

Conservationists were baffled when hundreds of elephants died in the Okavango Delta this summer.
Phoebe Weston September 21, 2020
geology

What Candy Can Teach Us About the Origin of Mysterious Stone Forests

A stunning geological phenomenon, sweetly explained.
Luke Fater September 21, 2020
dinosaurs

Fresh Concrete Turns Paw Prints and Bird Tracks Into Urban Fossils

Even a fleeting visit can leave an impression when conditions are right.
Jessica Leigh Hester September 18, 2020
abandoned

Capturing Ellis Island's Lost Period

The famous gateway to the United States lay abandoned for years before it was restored.
Winnie Lee September 18, 2020
wwii

A ‘Forgotten Holocaust’ Is Missing From Indian Food Stories

One of Bengal’s greatest tragedies is overlooked in the West. It’s missing from cookbooks and food writing, too.
Sharanya Deepak September 17, 2020
rare books

A Rare Day-by-Day Document of Life Aboard a Slave Ship

The logbook is written from the white perspective, and its horrors are plain to see.
Matthew Taub September 17, 2020
museums

A Great Wave of Hokusai Drawings Resurfaced at the British Museum

“This is definitely one of the greatest discoveries of Hokusai works in a long time."
Claire Voon September 17, 2020
forests

How Does an Archaeologist Keep Heritage Sites Safe From Wildfires?

It involves Twitter, maps, dozer lines, and luck.
Jessica Leigh Hester September 16, 2020
nature

Minnesota's 'Root Beer Lady' Lived Alone in a Million-Acre Wilderness

The "loneliest woman in America" brewed root beer for thousands of visitors.
Terri Peterson Smith September 16, 2020
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