Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

Alice Miceli, <em>Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, PTT-8 Sign, Highly Contaminated Ground, Belarus</em>, 2008

The Photographer Who X-Rayed Chernobyl

How to make the invisible visible.

Place of the Day

Quetzalcoatl’s Nest

In Mexico, you can sleep in the belly of this Aztec snake god.

Found: The Oldest-Known Photograph of Enslaved African Americans With Cotton

The daguerreotype records their faces, but not their names.

December 4, 2019

An Engraved Tomahawk Offers a New, Native History of a Battle

After a Century Abroad, a Collection of Cuneiform Is Heading Home to Iraq

Atlas Obscura Goods

Holiday Gifts

Copenhagen Wants You to Forage on Its City Streets

The History and Mystery of Russia’s 'Valley of Death'

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Museu do Homem do Norte (Northern Man Museum)

This anthropological museum offers a glimpse into the lives of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon River Basin.

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Franconia, New Hampshire

Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza

A serene plaza that commemorates one of the Granite State's most iconic figures.

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Munich, Germany

Westfriedhof Station

A subterranean display of public art and architecture.

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Barcelona, Spain

Priapus of Hostafrancs

This generously endowed statue once stood guard outside a Roman home.

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Cape Town, South Africa

Just Nuisance Statue

A memorial to the only dog ever officially enlisted in the Royal Navy.

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art & performance

Cambodia: Contemporary Art, Spiritual Traditions, and Hidden Wonders

From $3,215 USD

Explore the vibrant art, religion, and food culture of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and spend time with the country's leading artists and performers.

science & nature

Science After Dark: Spotting Squid in the Tides of Oahu

From $3,535 USD

Just beneath the waves off the Hawaiian coast, there are schools of tropical fish, flotillas of sea turtles, and squads of squid. We’re diving in to explore some of their secrets.

art & performance

Desert Canvas: Art of Joshua Tree and the Mojave

From $2,360 USD

Join us as we venture deep into the High Desert, glimpsing massive sculptures, revitalizing domes, and fluorescent painted mountains along the way.

history & culture

Tunisia Through the Sands of Time

From $3,660 USD

Explore the Ruins of Seneca Quarry

Poolesville, Maryland

Oddities Flea Market "Holiday of Wonders" Exclusive VIP Presale Tickets

Brooklyn, New York

LA River Walk

Los Angeles, California

Exploring a Secret Fort

Washington, D.C.

Myth, Film, and Studio Tour

Los Angeles, California

Discover Greenbelt Town of Tomorrow

Greenbelt, Maryland

On the Trail of DC's First Brewmaster

Alexandria, Virginia

Inside the Holographer's Laboratory

New York, New York

The Chicago Underground Scavenger Hunt

Chicago, Illinois

Sci Fi Sewage Sanctuary

Los Angeles, California

The Spies of Georgetown

Washington, D.C.

Japanese Incense and Tea Experience

Seattle, Washington

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14 Unusual, Spectacular Shopping Experiences Around the World

Celebrate Black Friday with a unique cultural experience.

How Radar Detected Prehistoric Footprints Beneath White Sands National Monument

Researchers have found Pleistocene-era proof of a human, mammoth, and ground sloth trundling along.

Jessica Leigh Hester November 27, 2019

China’s Dead Sea Is a Visual Feast

Yuncheng Lake is one of the country's oldest salt-production sites.

Reina Gattuso November 27, 2019

Retracing Ghana's Old Slave Trail

The story of slavery does not begin with the Middle Passage.

Chiké Frankie Edozien November 27, 2019

The Grave of Nancy Adams, Who Thrice Escaped Slavery, Is Now a Symbol of Freedom

It has been designated as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Sabrina Imbler November 26, 2019

Photographers Take on the World's Walls, Borders, and Barriers

An exhibit documents the obstacles we erect, and how we overcome them.

Winnie Lee November 26, 2019

Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon

A tradition as American as apple pie, and older than the Constitution.

Luke Fater November 26, 2019

Found: Central France's First Megalith

It's an elaborate tomb, with stones gathered from hither and yon.

Isaac Schultz November 26, 2019

A Wave of Colorful ‘Coral’ Fungi Is Washing Over Wales

The magenta-colored blooms are rare but easy to spot.

Sabrina Imbler November 26, 2019

Found: A Sluggish Ancestor of the Great White Shark, in Kansas

A relic of North America’s shallow sea.

Isaac Schultz November 25, 2019

6 Places to the Relive the Watergate Scandal

The conspiracy that nearly got Richard Nixon impeached lives on in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

The Conservationist Saving India's Heirloom Rice Varieties

A tiny plot of land in eastern India safeguards 1,420 kinds of rare indigenous rice.

Rohini Chaki November 25, 2019

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