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Conwy Suspension Bridge
Conwy Suspension Bridge
The blue spruce on the right symbolizes the spirit of John Denver.
John Denver Sanctuary
Patan Dhoka
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Argyll and Bute Hospital
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Cevapčići at Sarajevo ‘84
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In this salad, rice gets topped with pinches of toasted coconut, dried fish, finely-sliced herbs and vegetables, bean sprouts, a tiny knot of noodles, crushed black pepper and dried chili. 
Thai-Islam Phochana
With fat chunks of crab meat swimming in a lush coconut milk curry, it's no wonder this dish is so popular.
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Meet boba tea's ancestral cousin.
Kanomwaan Pakee
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Inside Sacré-Coeur Hospital lies an unassuming lab that peers into the mysteries of our sleeping minds.
Inside Montréal’s ‘Dream and Nightmare Laboratory’
Team Kwe's 2024 sculpture “Wenabozho and Dadibaajimad Journey on the River of Souls,” illustrating a traditional Ojibwe story of two figures—Wenabozho and his brother Dadibaajimad—on an otherworldly journey.
5 Stories for Native American Heritage Month
The sophisticated club sandwich combines ham, pineapple, bacon, peanut butter, and avocado.
This Book Contains a Century of Historical Sandwiches
Each fall, amorous male tarantulas prowl the Colorado plains in search of mates, who may or may not kill them.
Why Did the Spider Cross the Road?

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All United States Arizona

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Arizona

268 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Arizona

Updated October 28, 2024

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Cities

Top Cities
Tucson
“You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies” at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Phoenix
Smooth, massive walls make for an intriguing surprise compared to typical cave architecture
Flagstaff
Winslow
Petrified Wood
Holbrook
The world's largest rose tree
Tombstone
All Cities
  1. Ajo
  2. Benson
  3. Bisbee
  4. Camp Verde
  5. Casa Grande
  6. Chandler
  7. Clarkdale
  8. Douglas
  9. Flagstaff
  10. Florence
  11. Globe
  12. Golden Valley
  13. Grand Canyon Village
  14. Green Valley
  15. Holbrook
  16. Jerome
  17. Kayenta
  18. Kingman
  19. Lake Havasu City
  20. Leupp
  21. Littlefield
  22. Marble Canyon
  23. Mesa
  24. Oracle
  25. Page
  26. Parker
  27. Payson
  28. Peach Springs
  29. Phoenix
  30. Picacho
  31. Quartzsite
  32. Rimrock
  33. Scottsdale
  34. Sedona
  35. Tempe
  36. Tombstone
  37. Tonalea
  38. Tucson
  39. Wickenburg
  40. Willcox
  41. Williams
  42. Winslow
  43. Yavapai County
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
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Unusual Attractions in Arizona

Self-Portrait over the Wave (On the high point)

Marble Canyon, Arizona

The Wave

Rippling sand dunes frozen in the Arizona rock.

Page, Arizona

Antelope Canyon

Most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest.

Supai, Arizona

Havasupai Falls

This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.
“You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies” at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Phoenix, Arizona

Yayoi Kusama Firefly Infinity Mirror Room

The installation’s official name, “You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies,” says it all.

Page, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend

Dramatic river bend surrounds a natural red-rocked pedestal.
Montezuma Castle National Monument

Yavapai County, Arizona

Montezuma Castle

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

Phoenix, Arizona

Mystery Castle

A self-built castle made by a mysterious man.

Peach Springs, Arizona

Caverns Grotto

In a 345-million-year-old cave that's 200 feet underground, dinner awaits.
See All 268 Things To Do in Arizona

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Arizona

Peach Springs, Arizona

Caverns Grotto

In a 345-million-year-old cave that's 200 feet underground, dinner awaits.

Phoenix, Arizona

MacAlpine's Soda Fountain

Open since 1938, this diner has kept its fountain, malt machine, and all the gum that greasers left beneath its counter.

Phoenix, Arizona

Fry Bread House

Founded by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, this one-room joint's James Beard–winning fry bread is light as a cloud.
Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In

Seligman, Arizona

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In

A classic Route 66 landmark that was built with scrap lumber and is held together with kitsch and puns.
See all 23 Places to Eat in Arizona
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

These 8 Arizona Ghost Towns Will Transport You to the Wild West

Sponsored by Visit Arizona

In the desert of Arizona, a string of ghost towns have been preserved and refurbished to give visitors a glimpse into the history of miners and the businesses who served them during the boom times of the turn of the century. Whether you want to pan for gold, discover junk art, or stay a night in a mining engineer’s cabin, these ghost towns will transport you into Arizona’s Wild West past.

View Itinerary
All the ghosts are friendly in these towns.

Explore Arizona

Native Americans 30
History 29
Architecture 24
Geology 23
History & Culture 23
Deserts 22
Museums 21
Ecosystems 20
Ruins 19
Memorials 15
Architectural Oddities 15
Nature 15
Places To Stay 6
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

Arizona Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for WhiskeyBristles
    WhiskeyBristles
    36
  2. I
    ianlefk
    8
  3. Avatar image for Edward Denny
    Edward Denny
    7
  4. Avatar image for rickbbiking
    rickbbiking
    6
  5. Avatar image for CuriousMichele
    CuriousMichele
    5

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for WhiskeyBristles
    WhiskeyBristles
    63
  2. Avatar image for brendonstinson
    brendonstinson
    44
  3. Avatar image for Darrell Powers
    Darrell Powers
    20
  4. Avatar image for CoolCrab
    CoolCrab
    18
  5. Avatar image for Rachel
    Rachel
    17

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for WhiskeyBristles
    WhiskeyBristles
    162
  2. Avatar image for Edward Denny
    Edward Denny
    150
  3. G
    gardnermcelroy
    149
  4. S
    SomeGuy
    103
  5. Avatar image for cyccommute
    cyccommute
    102

Recent Arizona Activity

  • C

    caitlynbaylor

    wants to go to Barrio Bread

  • P

    pharma5x3

    wants to go to White Pocket

  • C

    Connor M

    has been to The Thing

  • O

    oliviamcelreath

    wants to go to Titan Missile Museum

  • O

    oliviamcelreath

    wants to go to Biosphere 2

Stories About Arizona

How to Be a Food Bank Influencer

Kristina Wong uses comedy to address inequality in the food system.
by Andrew Coletti
April 11, 2024

Podcast: Montezuma Well

A mysterious sinkhole in Arizona has a strange world at its sandy bottom.
by The Podcast Team
November 14, 2023
Just 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, a field of California poppies paints Walker Canyon a vibrant orange. The poppies appear in several Indigenous legends. In one Chumash story, a talking lizard describes the flowers by saying, “it is as if the sun itself is on the ground.”

Stunning Wildflower Superbloom Photos That Will Have You Racing to the Hills

Orange, yellow, and purple petals blanket the southwestern United States.
by Sarah Durn
April 14, 2023
A 171-foot-tall white stain, left by the retreating waters of Lake Powell, looms over a lone human as he strides across a sandstone fin in the heart of Glen Canyon.

The Return of Glen Canyon

As Lake Powell's water levels continue to drop, a stunning landscape resurfaces—along with questions about the future of the Colorado River and those who depend on it.
by Craig Childs
March 6, 2023
Beware hungry cows.

The Arizona Cattle Ranch Hiding 10,000 Year-Old Petroglyphs

Brantley Baird’s Rock Art Ranch offers tours of canyon-wall petroglyphs and a stunning collection of ancient pottery.
Sponsored by Visit Arizona
Saguaro National Park in full bloom.

The Unique (and Surprisingly Wet) Biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert

In Arizona, the country’s most diverse desert teems with kaleidoscopic spring flowers, charming desert tortoises, and the famous saguaro cactus.
Sponsored by Visit Arizona

Podcast: Tumbleweed Christmas Tree

This is how you do the holidays in the desert.
by The Podcast Team
December 19, 2022

Podcast: Navajo Code Talkers Burger King

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
October 12, 2022

Lists Featuring Arizona

Fierce little cat.
Elephants playing in the mud at Elephant Nature Park.
Oh, hello!
Little Spotted Kiwi

10 Ethical Animal Places to Visit in 2019

Unique experiences from Nairobi to Chiang Mai.

12

Including Cat Island, Elephant Nature Park , and India's Giant Technicolor Squirrels

Winter Solstice 2019
The Spiral Jetty
City: under construction - http://raisethestakeseditions.com/basin-and-range/
Double Negative's north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

8

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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