Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
What's near me?

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Happening This Week
Join these experiences from your computer or phone.
Online
Experience

Adventures In Digital Archives

Mon, Mar 8
$12 per device
Join Atlas Obscura as we take a deep dive into some of the digital world's most incredible, curious, and surprising online collections!
+ 1 more date
Online
Online Course

Cartooning Folklore & Family History With Zawadi Noël

Starts Mon, Mar 8
$240 per person
In this six-week workshop, you’ll learn the elements of cartooning while crafting a visual narrative born from family history and lore.
Online
Experience

A Bat's Life w/ Dr. Laura Kloepper: Cave Life

Wed, Mar 10
$15 per device
Join one of the nation's leading bat experts as she sheds some light on the hidden, surprising, often misunderstood world of flying mammals!
Online
Experience

The Secret Arts

Thu, Mar 11
$15 per device
Learn about the world's rarest arts from the most curious craftspeople. Enter the world of the Secret Arts!
+ 1 more date
Online
Experience

Tales From the Museum w/ Kylie & Zak: The International Museum of Surgical Science

Thu, Mar 11
$15 per device
The museums might be closed, but their wonders are still waiting to be discovered!
Online
Experience

Accidental Discoveries

Fri, Mar 12
$10 per device
Join Dr. Kelly Reidy as she digs into history's most surprising (and oddly productive) mishaps, accidents, and blunders.
+ 8 more dates
Online
Experience

Atlas Obscura Trivia Night

Fri, Mar 12
$7 per person
Gather your team and compete in a weekly contest of wits and educated-guessing.
+ 7 more dates
Online
Experience

Dino 101

Fri, Mar 12
$10 per device
Who says dinosaurs are just for kids?
+ 7 more dates
Online
Experience

Unboxing the Pie: The Strange and Wonderful World of Pizza

Sat, Mar 13
$15 per device
Join professional pizza enthusiast, Scott Wiener, on an exploration of arguably the most popular pie in the world, pizza!
Online
Experience

3.14 Peculiar Pies w/ Gastro Obscura

Sun, Mar 14
$12 per device
Join the Gastro Obscura team for a Pi(e) Day celebration of some of the most curious pies we've ever come across.
See All Experiences
Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
hidden cities

City of Secrets: Underground in Los Angeles

Los Angeles
Apr 30–May 2, 2021
From $830 USD
On this an insider’s journey into the City of Angeles, we'll discover the murals and art of the famous Arts district with a resident artist, clink glasses at an underground speakeasy, and hike through hidden ruins with a suspicious past, all in pursuit of the less angelic side of the City of Angels.
+ 1 more date
hidden cities

City of Blooms: Floriculture in Paris

Paris
Jun 18–20, 2021
From $1,230 USD
Join Atlas Obscura and Tastemade for a journey through the botanical side of Paris, from hidden flower farms to one of France's oldest fragrance houses.
+ 1 more date
wildlife & nature

Rewilding: Tracking Wolves in the Forests of Sweden

Sweden
Jul 5–11, 2021
From $3,100 USD
Explore Sweden’s boreal forests by day and hear the howling of wild wolves by night.
+ 2 more dates
wildlife & nature

Swim with the Singing Whales of Tonga

Tonga
Sep 2–9, 2021
From $6,330 USD
Accompanied by conservation experts, you’ll spend five full days swimming alongside humpback whales as their song fills the ocean.
See All Trips
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
More Stories
museums

An Artist Reunites Members of the 1898 Indian Congress

In her work, Wendy Red Star reframes representation of Native Americans.
Winnie Lee March 3, 2021
science

Scientists Accidentally Discovered Strange Creatures Under Half a Mile of Ice

Researchers drilled through an Antarctic ice shelf to sample sediment. But they found animals that weren't supposed to be there.
Matt Simon March 3, 2021
castles

The Man Who Built 40 Castles Around a Little German Town

Günther Beinert's regal miniatures appear all over Gerbstedt (population: 3,000).
Yamuna Matheswaran March 2, 2021
forests

Leave Only Footsteps and Take Your Poop When Visiting Japan's Lush Iriomote Island

"Tent toilets" are helping to remedy a stinky situation.
Alice Barnes-Brown March 2, 2021
art

Istanbul's Master of Puppets Is on a Mission to Save an Ancient Art

From his tiny studio, Cengiz Özek finds new ways to keep this Ottoman era tradition alive.
Demetrios Ioannou March 2, 2021
farms

How a Korean-American Farmer Is Sharing Her Heritage Through Rare Seeds

The heirlooms include an ancient 'apple melon.'
Jess Eng March 1, 2021
wildlife sanctuaries

How Washington's Protection Island Became a Haven for Wildlife — And One Man

The small island was supposed to be a vacation destination. Now it's a refuge for birds, seals, and Marty Bluewater.
Michelle Harris March 1, 2021
podcast

Introducing: The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
Dylan Thuras March 1, 2021
museums

These Bronze Age Bog Beetles Look Like They Just Died Yesterday

Thanks to waterlogged ground, sturdy bodies, and a little luck.
Jessica Leigh Hester February 26, 2021
volcanoes

For a Volcanologist Living on Mount Etna, the Latest Eruption Is a Delight

Boris Behncke is enjoying one of nature's greatest displays from the comfort of home.
Robin George Andrews February 26, 2021
food

At This Portuguese Bakery, the Recipes Were Written by Nuns Centuries Ago

The owner of Alcôa has devoted decades to recovering lost pastries.
Dania Rodrigues February 26, 2021
insects

Why an English Manor Is Deploying Parasitic Wasps and Moth Pheromones

Conservators are trying to protect historic treasures—but it's all more subdued than it sounds.
Gemma Tarlach February 25, 2021
Read All Stories