The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Stitcher Podcasts

An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.

An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.

Location:

United States

Genres:

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Networks:

Stitcher Podcasts

Description:

Language:

English

Episodes

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji Re-listen

5/27/2022

In the depths of Northeastern India, centuries-old bridges are not built, they are grown. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/root-bridges-cherrapungee

Duration:00:13:34

The Livestock Living at the End of the World

5/26/2022

The pigs once plopped on an uninhabited Auckland Island known for capturing castaways now play an important role in modern medical research. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-lives-on-auckland-islands

Duration:00:19:37

Carhenge

5/25/2022

This experimental automotive replica of Stonehenge has become a symbol of the town of Alliance, Nebraska. But residents haven’t always been fans. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/carhenge

Duration:00:15:21

Père Lachaise Cemetery

5/24/2022

Producer Baudelaire Ceus searches for the resting place of famed author Richard Wright among the graves of other cultural icons like Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Sadegh Hedaya. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pere-lachaise-cemetery

Duration:00:17:54

Leaning Tower of Niles

5/23/2022

Niles, Illinois is home to an exact replica of Italy’s leaning tower of Pisa - only it’s half the size of the original structure. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/leaning-tower-niles

Duration:00:13:10

Not Lost in the Umbrella Covers Museum

5/20/2022

Brendan Francis Newnam, the host of the new podcast Not Lost, and Dylan Thuras discuss how getting lost is the best way to find yourself. And Brendan shares a great scene from his podcast where he and his co-host travel to the Umbrella Cover Museum on Peaks Island in Maine. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/umbrella-cover-museum

Duration:00:16:49

The Places We Return To

5/19/2022

Atlas Obscura contributors take listeners to some of the places they loved so much they keep going back. Got your own place that calls you to return again and again? Submit a voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com

Duration:00:19:36

Monongahela Incline

5/18/2022

This funicular in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania used to offer coal and steel workers a respite from the smog of industry. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/monongahela-incline

Duration:00:13:20

Goblin Valley State Park

5/17/2022

Today the story of how a street lamp, a tangle with municipal government, and a love of the stars led a man to Goblin Valley, Utah a “dark sky certified” place for lovers of the night sky. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goblin-valley-state-park

Duration:00:13:30

The Last Big Mac in Iceland

5/16/2022

Take a trip to a hostel in Iceland to visit the country’s last Big Mac, where the burger’s existence unfolds a story about economics and national identity. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/iceland-mcdonalds

Duration:00:13:14

The Boiling River Re-Listen

5/13/2022

A river in the Amazon is so hot that anything that falls into it will die … but how did it get this way? Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-boiling-river-of-the-amazon-puerto-inca-peru

Duration:00:14:50

Ruins of Le Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale

5/12/2022

This garden park in Paris, France contains the ruins of a colonial exhibition from 1907. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/le-jardin-d-agronomie-tropicale

Duration:00:18:33

The Maiden of Deception Pass

5/11/2022

Thousands of years ago, a young woman named Ko-kwal-alwoot crouched over a set of tide pools, looked into the water, and saw a face looking back at her that wasn’t her own. Today, her descendants are still telling the story of what happened next. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-maiden-of-deception-pass Learn more about the Samish Indian Nation: https://www.samishtribe.nsn.us/

Duration:00:19:05

National Ice Core Lab

5/10/2022

Scientists in Denver, Colorado store and conduct tests on miles of ice core samples dating back hundreds of thousands of years. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/national-ice-core-lab

Duration:00:12:39

Forestiere Underground Gardens

5/9/2022

This underground oasis in Fresno, California is a winding maze of rooms and passageways filled with lush citrus trees. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/forestiere-underground-gardens

Duration:00:14:17

Mafra Palace Library Bats Re-listen

5/6/2022

A grand library in Portugal has some unexpected nighttime caretakers -- tiny bats. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mafra-palace-library-bats

Duration:00:17:36

The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum

5/5/2022

Noah Purifoy was a pugilistic LA artist who eventually filled a 10 acre plot of land in Joshua Tree, CA with his of-kilter art. Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum: http://www.noahpurifoy.com/joshua-tree-outdoor-museum Learn more about Dale Davis: https://dalebdavis.com/ Listen to our episode about Leimert Park: https://pod.link/1555769970/episode/1a593d4fba52c8d48fd9e62728a2a16f Listen to our episode about the Watts Towers Art Center:...

Duration:00:20:09

Upton Chamber

5/4/2022

An underground chamber in Upton, MA puzzled some New Englanders while others long knew its ancient origins. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/upton-chamber

Duration:00:13:04

Benin Bronzes

5/3/2022

Thousands of masks from the former Kingdom of Benin are spread throughout museums across the world. Is that where they belong?

Duration:00:17:23

Hashima Island

5/2/2022

Hashima Island in Japan was once the most densely populated place on Earth. Until – almost overnight – everyone left.

Duration:00:13:27