Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join

Order Atlas Obscura: Wild Life today!

Venture into nature's unseen realms with our new book Wild Life

Order Now
Places near me Random place

The Definitive Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders

Destinations from the Atlas

Photo of Rome

Rome

Italy

Places 142
Stories 24
Photo of Oxford

Oxford

England

Places 46
Stories 8
Photo of Glasgow

Glasgow

Scotland

Places 90
Stories 4
Photo of Athens

Athens

Greece

Places 80
Stories 4
Featured Trips

Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

Trip

Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia

Trip

What Makes an Animal a Pest? AO Wants to Know.

science

Animal-human conflict expert Bethany Brookshire explains why we put cats before rats.

By Andrew Coletti January 24, 2025

Featured Trips

Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

Trip

Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia

Trip

More Stories

Atlas Obscura’s Juiciest Pope Drama

conspiracy theories

By Andrew Coletti January 30, 2025

The Magic of Moldovan Black Cake

cake

By Natalia Jidovanu January 29, 2025

How Danish Cookies Became Hong Kong’s Favorite Lunar New Year Snack

lunar new year

By Vincent Leung January 28, 2025

Find Your Escape With Atlas Obscura’s Best Places to Travel in 2025

exploration

By Atlas Obscura November 12, 2024
Atlas Obscura podcast logo depicting a topographic neon green mountain range with a triangle and circle superimposed on top.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Get your daily burst of wonder with all-new episodes of The Atlas Obscura Podcast.

All Episodes
Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Amazon Music

Get wonder in your inbox

Wonder delivered to your inbox

Sign up for our Newsletter

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Explore the Atlas

Hidden Wonders

View all Places
Ponds at Barbican Estate.
Place of the Day

The Barbican Estate

London, England

This sprawling, Brutalist estate feels like a city within a city.

Added By
martinsamuelsson
Featured Most Recent
  • Skull Rock really catches the light during golden hour.

    Twentynine Palms, California

    Skull Rock

    An eerie natural formation that looks right back at you.

    Added By
    Mike Walker
  • “The Lineman – A Character Study.”

    Denver, Colorado

    Allen Tupper True Murals at the Mountain States Telephone Building

    These murals from the 1920s beautifully depict America’s industrial age.

    Added By
    Aaron
  • Ob Hill as seen from Hut Point Peninsula, with penguins.

    McMurdo Station, Antarctica

    Observation Hill

    The steep slope known as “Ob Hill” overlooks an Antarctic research station.

    Added By
    Michael Reinhardt
  • The historic lanes at Koz’s Mini Bowl.

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Koz’s Mini Bowl

    The last original miniature duckpin bowling lanes in America, located in a Milwaukee dive bar.

    Added By
    Ian Lefkowitz
  • New Taipei City, Taiwan

    ‘Mountain Home’

    A forgotten hiker’s lodge, now reclaimed by the forest, with its chimney standing as a lone sentinel of the past.

    Added By
    John ChungEn Liu
  • This beach owes its warm waters to an unusual source.

    Kapolei, Hawaii

    Electric Beach

    One of Oahu’s best snorkeling and diving spots was created by warm water discharged from the nearby power plant.

    Added By
    Dark Nebula Deluxe
  • This plan maps out the larger paths of the caerdroia in Gwydyr Forest.

    Wales

    Caerdroia of Gwydir Forest

    Wander along roughly a mile of paths in what may be the world's largest forest labyrinth.

    Added By
    Fred Cherrygarden
  • Muscle car in front of the pits.

    Gueux, France

    Reims-Gueux F1 Circuit

    A road that ends in the middle of a farmer’s field is one of the only remnants of this once-famous racetrack.

    Added By
    julianfkeller99
  • Glanum was destroyed in 260.

    Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

    Glanum

    This ancient Roman town was revered for the healing waters of its sacred spring.

    Added By
    Mike Walker
  • See the masked god at the prefectural museum.

    Kagoshima, Japan

    Masked God Boze of Akusekijima Island

    Once a year, these 'visitor deities' chase away evil spirits with a phallic-shaped staff.

    Added By
    Fred Cherrygarden
  • Here lie three poor souls.

    Alloa, Scotland

    Plague Grave

    The final resting place of three children, infected with the Black Death, who all died on the same day.

    Added By
    SEANETTA ALLSASS
  • Rifle Falls would look right at home in the Pacific Northwest.

    Rifle, Colorado

    Rifle Falls

    You might want to bring a rain jacket to this travertine triple waterfall.

    Added By
    Mike Walker
  • This enormous canon changed the rules of combat in India.

    Panaji, India

    Canon of Banastarim

    This 16th-century cannon is thought to be the oldest piece of forge-welded wrought iron in India.

    Added By
    Vivek Gadre
  • The façade of St. George’s Basilica at night shows the Alpha clock on the left and the Omega clock on the right.

    Ir-Rabat Għawdex, Malta

    Clocks of St. George’s Basilica

    These clocks tell time in a theological sense.

    Added By
    Dark Nebula Deluxe
  • Frank Gilbert Crichlow Plaque

    London, England

    Frank Gilbert Crichlow Plaque

    Celebrating the man behind the Mangrove, a restaurant that became a crucial hub for Black activism in London.

    Added By
    linkogecko
  • Sansuna’s Rock.

    Ix-Xagħra, Malta

    Sansuna’s Rock

    According to local legend, this large limestone chunk was made by a giantess, while archeologists say it may be the remains of a neolithic burial chamber.

    Added By
    Dark Nebula Deluxe
View all Places
Join the Community

The Atlas is always evolving thanks to our community. Here’s how to get involved:

Add & Edit Places

Tell us about all the amazing places we don’t know yet. Anyone can contribute, anywhere in the world.

Read our FAQ

Become a Member

Join our community to see far fewer ads, get a members-only newsletter, receive credit toward your next Atlas Obscura trip, and more.

Explore the Benefits

Download the App

Explore our guide to over 24,000 curious and unexpected places, right from your mobile device.

Download the App

Discover Our Stories

Articles, Videos, and Podcast

View all Stories
Most Popular Most Recent
Hard may not mean what you think it does.

science

What's the Hardest Wood in the World?

And what does hard mean, anyway?

Read more
Written By
Dan Nosowitz
February 23, 2022
  • At India’s oldest and largest chess manufacturing company, master craftsman Surinder Pal holds the exclusive title of knight carver. Known as the most tedious chess piece to work on, they must be done entirely by hand. Today, knight carvers are well respected and increasingly hard to come by.

    games

    Masters of the Knight: The Art of Chess Carving in India

    By Roxanne Hoorn

  • The Grolier Club is hosting the exhibition until February 15, and it is free to the public.

    libraries

    Inside a Collection of 'Imaginary' Books

    By Elizabeth Minkel

  • ancient

    Romans Once Filled the Colosseum With Water and Staged an Epic Mock Sea Battle

    By Tao Tao Holmes

  • There are plenty of alternatives to the standard Heinz if you’re willing to look for them.

    food

    The Surprising Origins and Alternatives to Tomato Ketchup

    By Anne Ewbank

  • A fish sits on the edge of a hole cut through the ice of Bass Lake in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest.

    lakes

    Ice Fishing in the Time of Climate Change

    By Kristoffer Tigue

  • Commercial jingles promise that “Danish blue tin cookies always impress.”

    lunar new year

    How Danish Cookies Became Hong Kong’s Favorite Lunar New Year Snack

    By Vincent Leung

  • Do humans have comb jellies to thank for our own through-gut and anus genes?

    genetics

    The World’s Oldest Anus Has an Unexplained Glow in Florida

    By Lina Zeldovich

Celebrating snakes living and dead, from festivals to shrines.

snakes

Snake Stories: Our Favorite Reads

Slither into the Lunar New Year with serpent-centered rescues, escapes, and celebrations.

Read more
Written By
Roxanne Hoorn
January 31, 2025
  • An 1870 painting by Jean-Paul Laurens depicts the infamous “Cadaver Synod,” when a papal corpse was put on trial.

    conspiracy theories

    Atlas Obscura’s Juiciest Pope Drama

    By Andrew Coletti

  • Babă neagră is gorgeously spongy.

    cake

    The Magic of Moldovan Black Cake

    By Natalia Jidovanu

  • Commercial jingles promise that “Danish blue tin cookies always impress.”

    lunar new year

    How Danish Cookies Became Hong Kong’s Favorite Lunar New Year Snack

    By Vincent Leung

  • Do humans have comb jellies to thank for our own through-gut and anus genes?

    genetics

    The World’s Oldest Anus Has an Unexplained Glow in Florida

    By Lina Zeldovich

  • A fish sits on the edge of a hole cut through the ice of Bass Lake in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest.

    lakes

    Ice Fishing in the Time of Climate Change

    By Kristoffer Tigue

  • There are plenty of alternatives to the standard Heinz if you’re willing to look for them.

    food

    The Surprising Origins and Alternatives to Tomato Ketchup

    By Anne Ewbank

  • So many shareable moments, from historical sandwiches to stories from the beyond.

    tiktok

    As Seen on TikTok: Our Favorite Reads

    By Roxanne Hoorn

View all Stories

Plan Your Adventure

Guides, lists, and itineraries

View all Destinations
Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9
Photo of London

London

England

Places 513
Stories 108
Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 237
Stories 45

Top Countries

  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Japan
  • Germany
  • France
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Mexico
  • Sweden
  • India

Top Cities

  • London
  • New York
  • Brooklyn
  • Los Angeles
  • San Francisco
  • Tokyo
  • Paris
  • Edinburgh
  • Mexico City
  • Chicago
  • Rome
  • Berlin
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Boston
  • Madrid
  • New Orleans
  • Glasgow
  • Prague
  • Athens
  • Queens
  • Philadelphia
  • Budapest
  • Amsterdam
View all Destinations

Explore the World

Trips and Videos

Japan - Sado Island Tub Boats

Asia

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Discover Our Trips

We travel to incredible, often overlooked places. Our global community of local experts grants you access to unique, small-group experiences.

View all Trips

Video

Why Your Michelin Star Meal Is Dog 💩

Discover Our Videos

View all Videos

Complete Your Bookshelf

Books and Box Sets

The Wild Life book lays on a bright blue surface next to a pair of binoculars and a foldable field guide for small critters.

Our Newest Book: Wild Life

An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Living Wonders


Two Atlas Obscura books with book sleeve lay on a light wooden table surrounded by spices and dinnerware.

The Explorer’s Library

Combination of Two Bestsellers

Follow Atlas Obscura for more Wonders everyday

More of
Atlas Obscura
Everyday
More of Atlas Obscura Everyday
Follow Atlas Obscura
Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Puzzles
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.