Stories - Atlas Obscura

Summer of Wonder

Our season-long event will celebrate road trips, dark skies, wildlife encounters, and more.

a seat at the table

Meet the Women Mapping New York City’s Halal Food

It's a constellation of birria, noodles, and fried chicken sandwiches

summer of wonder 2023

The Retro Lover's Guide to Road-Tripping

Inside one man's quest to visit the last vestiges of roadside Americana.

summer of wonder 2023

A Reading List to Start Your Summer of Wonder Right

Whether at the beach or in your backyard, these books will inspire and delight.

summer of wonder 2023

The Coast-to-Coast American Road Trip Is 120 Years Old

In 1903, a Vermont doctor bet $50 that he could cross America by car. It took him 63 days, $8,000, and 600 gallons of gas.

summer of wonder 2023

Are You a Shoobie or a Benny?

When summer visitors arrive, so do the colorful and sometimes perplexing local nicknames.

summer of wonder 2023

The Mystery of the Headless Millipedes

Every summer, hundreds of millipedes are murdered on one small Massachusetts island.

summer of wonder 2023

Welcome to Atlas Obscura's Summer of Wonder!

Our season-long event will celebrate road trips, dark skies, wildlife encounters, and more.

wonder is everywhere

Wonder Is Everywhere: Buying a Ghost Town, Finding the Earth Monster, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

Every Summer, Galician Winemakers Turn Their Homes Into Restaurants

What started as a way to sell excess wine has become a beloved custom.

summer of wonder 2023

Photographing Fireflies, a Love Story

An award-winning photographer shares what these bioluminescent insects have taught him—and how you can capture their beauty.

This Mysterious Ziggurat Was an Ancient European Pilgrimage Site

Sardinia's 'mountain of stones,' Monte d'Accoddi, is nearly 6,000 years old.

How Hot Dogs Became Norway's National Snack

Whether wrapped in flatbread, made with reindeer, or gone gourmet, Norwegians love them.

This New Species Is a Fish out of Water by Choice

The Juan Deriba killifish, found in a tiny area of Bolivia, jumps out of water to evade threats.

What a Roving Steller's Sea Eagle May Tell Us About Ourselves

Thousands of miles from its native range, the raptor illustrates how attitudes toward nature vary.

Puzzle Monday: When Tetris Meets the Four-Color Theorem

Why Does America Have So Many Towns With Classical Names?

There are nearly 100 named "Troy."

How a Threadbare 'Bag of Secrets' Led to Guy Fawkes's Gruesome Execution

The documents that convicted the infamous traitor were all kept in this unassuming leather pouch.