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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
Argyll and Bute Hospital
Argyll and Bute Hospital
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Chef Boyardee Statue
Cevapčići at Sarajevo ‘84
Sarajevo ‘84
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.
Raya
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 Wisconsin Madison

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Madison

18 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Madison, Wisconsin

Updated October 24, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Dapper Cadaver

"Looks so real, it's scary!"

Madison, Wisconsin

Lost City Forest

The arboretum whose marshy soil sucked up the dreams of housing developers.
Lamp House

Madison, Wisconsin

Lamp House

Hidden away in the city of Madison, Wisconsin is a nearly forgotten home that Frank Lloyd Wright built for a childhood friend.
The plaque

Madison, Wisconsin

Elvis Karate Fight Plaque

A stone marker memorializes the spot where the King broke up a street fight with a classic karate stance.

Madison, Wisconsin

L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum

A hundred-year-old museum filled with giant physics toys and experiments designed by grad students.

Madison, Wisconsin

Vitense Miniature Golf

Three playfully immersive mini golf courses let you travel alongside your ball to the cup at this facility, which has been around since the 1950s.
Muir's clock, circa 1860.  Exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison.

Madison, Wisconsin

John Muir's Alarm Clock Desk

Before he was America’s most famous preservationist, John Muir was an ingenious mechanical inventor.
Picnic Point Beach House.

Madison, Wisconsin

Picnic Point Beach House

This forgotten beach house built to look like a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece overlooks a hidden beach.
See All 18 Things To Do in Madison
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

18 Mini Golf Courses You Should Go Out of Your Way to Play

Adventures filled with oversized characters, obstacles, and castles await—all you need to join is a putter and a ball. Yes, we're talking about miniature golf, the Lilliputian game with a big imagination. Since 2012, we—Tom Loftus and Robin Schwartzman—have been documenting the world of mini golf on our website A Couple of Putts. After putting our way through more than 300 courses, we’ve stumbled into becoming experts who design, build, and consult on all things miniature golf. With our keen eye for elements that make courses distinctive and magical destinations, we’ve created this world tour to showcase some of our personal favorites, as well as a few courses on our “must play” list. In keeping with the theme, here are 18 unique courses that span the globe. This wild assortment of putting places offer unique ways to interact with the past and present. Putt when ready!

View Itinerary
The courses may be miniature, but the spectacle is gigantic.

Explore Madison, Wisconsin

Architecture 2

Madison Leaderboard

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Add an unusual place to Madison.

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Improve the Atlas with edits and photos.

Places Visited

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Recent Madison Activity

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    llisner

    wants to go to Old Abe

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    llisner

    wants to go to L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum

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    has been to Forest Products Laboratory

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    has been to 'Crowning Woman'

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    has been to Dead Pals of Sam Sanfillippo

Stories About Madison

With chattering squirrels, chirping birds, and often lush vegetation, cemeteries are full of life—including multiple lichen species.

A Cemetery's Immortal Residents and the Scientist Who Studies Them

Lichens growing on gravestones appear immune to aging. What does their life cycle teach us about death?
by Kate Golembiewski
October 24, 2024

Lists Featuring Madison

Blue Sky Mausoleum.
Darwin Martin House Complex.
Skylights on the exterior porch made of red cypress.
A restored Wright house on the Burnham Block.

A 12-Stop Road Trip of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Most Surprising Designs

A UFO-inspired church, a futurist gas station, and more deep cuts.

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Including Blue Sky Mausoleum, The Darwin D. Martin House, and Kentuck Knob

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