Polaris's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Nottingham, England

Wollaton Hall

A striking 500-year-old mansion provides an unexpectedly sublime home for live deer and a menagerie of exotic stuffed animals.
Dorset, England

Lyme Regis Museum

A local museum honors the overlooked discoveries of Mary Anning, one of the first professional fossil hunters.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Zoological Roundels

These sculptures of various animals adorn the building that houses one of the capital's least known museums.
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn Taxidermy

At this hidden studio, the dying art of taxidermy is alive and well.
Providence, Rhode Island

John Hay Library

Books bound in human skin and H. P. Lovecraft's letters are among a few of the treasures this library has to offer.
Sant Just Desvern, Spain

La Fábrica (The Factory)

An architect transformed this abandoned cement factory into his castle-like workshop.
Brattleboro, Vermont

Delectable Mountain Cloth

A treasure trove of rare and fine fabrics from around the world.
East Warburton, Australia

Redwood Forest Tree Art

Woven tree art gives this towering Australian woodland a touch of mystical whimsy.
Auerstedt, Germany

Auerworld Palace

Living trees form the structure of an open-air palace.
Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Gearrannan Blackhouse Village

Spend the night in this formerly abandoned traditional Scottish village.
Kalamata, Greece

Kalograion Monastery Silk Weaving

The nuns here cultivate silk to weave some of the finest scarves in the world.
Liberty, Missouri

Odd Fellows Home

The ruins of a 19th century shelter run by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Whitehead, Northern Ireland

Diamond Jubilee Wood

Whimsical woolen creatures have taken over this historic Northern Ireland park.
Lethbridge, Alberta

International Yarn Bombing Day

Knitting isn't just for grandmothers and counterculture isn't just for punks.
Paris, France

L'Oisivethé

This Parisian café is dedicated to great tea and the art of knitting.
Joensuu, Finland

Heavy Metal Knitting World Championships

One of the world's most unusual events combines headbanging and needlework.
Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, France

Fêtes de l’Ours (Festival of the Bears)

Take black faced bears with giant clubs, white faced barbers wielding axes, hunters armed with shotguns, and mix in a lot of drinking.
Oristano, Italy

Sa Sartiglia

This mysterious Sardinian festival sees a horde of blank-faced equestrians compete for tin stars.
Krakow, Poland

The Bones of the Wawel Dragon

Real bones which are said to have belonged to a Polish dragon.
Palmer, Alaska

Musk Ox Farm

An Alaska livestock farm devotes itself to harvesting wool from creatures that once ran with mammoths and sabertooth tigers.
Lyon, France

Maison des Canuts (Silk Workers' Center)

Explore the 500-year history of silk-making in Lyon at this museum, workshop, and boutique.
Ramallah, West Bank

Nöl Collective

The feminist fashion collective centering Palestinian craftsmanship and radical transparency.
Conche, Newfoundland and Labrador

French Shore Interpretation Centre

A small museum in Newfoundland is home to a 227-foot tapestry that preserves the remote region's colorful history.
Coleraine, Northern Ireland

Mussenden Temple

This Italian-style temple replica has been threatening to fall off the Irish coast for hundreds of years.