Stories - Atlas Obscura

Can We Swim With Whale Sharks Responsibly?

How to—and, more importantly, how not to—have an unforgettable wildlife encounter with the biggest fish in the sea.

September 12, 2023

Our Final Summer Snaps Photo Contest Winners: Wildlife

For the last days of summer, we're going au naturel!

September 12, 2023

Podcast: The "Changeling" Murder of Bridget Cleary

In March 1895, a husband murdered his wife after accusing her of being replaced by an evil fairy.

September 12, 2023

Cooking a Microwave Feast, 1980s-Style

Is it possible to nuke a decent boeuf bourguignon?

September 11, 2023

In Wisconsin, the Menominee Tribe's Sustainable Forestry Is Visible From Space

The Menominee Tribe's tradition of doing "what's best for the forest" has become a global model for sustainability.

September 11, 2023

Podcast: Fenway Victory Gardens

This "victory garden" grew produce to help bolster dwindling food supplies during World War II.

September 11, 2023

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Climate, Changed

September 11, 2023

The Center of the Earth Has an Imaginary Island and One Floating Soul

Fact and fiction blend together at zero latitude and zero longitude.

September 8, 2023

This Cookbook Explores Why ‘Rice Is Culture’

Chef JJ Johnson takes readers on a global culinary tour.

September 8, 2023

13 Surprising Things You Didn’t Learn in Your Regular Old School

(And one weird skill that you probably did, for some reason.)

September 8, 2023

vending machines

Podcast: Rites of Passage

Time to go back to school to appreciate some unusual campus traditions with the Altas Obscura Places Team.

September 8, 2023

artificial intelligence

Would You Trust AI to Help You Forage?

Before you buy a plant field guide, make sure it wasn’t written by a computer. No, seriously.

September 7, 2023

The Living, Breathing Brooches of the Yucatán

The live, jewel-encrusted beetles called maquechs are tied to an ancient legend, but some worry for their future.

September 7, 2023

How to Ensure the Last Gas-Lamp Theater in the World Doesn’t Blow Up

Though safe today, antique lights once posed risks of poisoning, suffocation, asbestos, radioactivity, and explosions.

September 7, 2023

Podcast: Mini Golfing in Myrtle Beach

From erupting volcanoes to mystical minotaurs, it's a putting experience like no other.

Introducing Atlas Obscura Adventures x Intrepid Travel!

From staring into the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan to delighting your tastebuds in Vietnam, our 2024 journey lineup is full of adventure.

September 6, 2023

maritime history

Chasing Black Caesar, Southern Florida's Notorious Pirate

Was the terror of Biscayne Bay a man who escaped slavery, an African chieftain, or a marketing ploy that went viral?

September 6, 2023

Uncovering Edinburgh’s Hidden Victorian History—One Doorway at a Time

A new project delves into the stories of forgotten Edinburgh residents and the places they called home.

September 6, 2023