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

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

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

Atlas Obscura Trivia Night

Fri, Jul 30
$7 per person
Gather your team and compete in a weekly contest of wits and educated-guessing.
+ 7 other dates
Online
Online Course

Big Shots, Small Creatures: Macro Photography With Joseph Saunders

Starts Tue, Aug 3
4 Sessions
$215 per person
Online
Online Course

Think Like A Museum: Curate Your Personal Collection with Alexis Hyde

Starts Tue, Aug 3
4 Sessions
$215 per person
+ 1 other date
Online
Experience

Foraging, Food, and Myth: Harvest Season

Wed, Aug 4
$25 per device
Online
Online Course

Playing With Sound: Experimental Music With Jamie Stewart

Starts Wed, Aug 4
4 Sessions
$95 per person
See All Experiences
Featured Trips
Our newest and most incredible trips.
wildlife & nature

Rewilding: Tracking Wolves in the Forests of Sweden

Sweden
Sep 6–11, 2021
From $3,100 USD
Explore Sweden’s boreal forests by day and hear the howling of wild wolves by night.
+ 3 other dates
wildlife & nature

Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

Russia
Nov 22–28, 2021
From $3,830 USD
Bear witness to the ethereal glow of the Northern Lights, explore Arctic Russia, and see life in the Polar Circle up close.
+ 1 other date
history

Turkmenistan and the Gates of Hell

Turkmenistan
Mar 18–27, 2022
From $3,475 USD
On this sweeping, eclectic adventure through Turkmenistan, marvel at the towering white-marble structures of Ashgabat, roam through barren deserts and a world-class canyon, and spend the night camped out beside the flaming Gates of Hell.
+ 2 other dates
history

Pyramids and Petroglyphs of Sudan

Sudan
Mar 22–Apr 1, 2022
From $5,680 USD
Journey along the Nile, across the Sudanese desert, and discover the pyramids and archaeological treasures of ancient civilizations.
+ 1 other date
See All Trips
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
More Stories
List

Bog Butter, Ancient Beef, and Other Remarkably Old Foods on Display in Museums

Some of these foods are centuries past their expiration dates.
Sam O'Brien July 26, 2021
forests

Women in Northern Kenya Rally to Save a Forest

Just a few years ago, Samburu women were using Kirisia Forest for firewood and charcoal. Now they're protecting it, and managing it sustainably.
Peyton Fleming July 26, 2021
trees

Podcast: The Family Tree

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team July 26, 2021
sewers

Students Are Getting Paid to Poop at a South Korean University

The project transforms human waste into biogas, and allows participants to buy everything from bananas to socks.
Jessica Leigh Hester July 23, 2021
forests

For Italy's Musical Woods, Threats From Without and Within

Val di Fiemme, source of famed "resonance wood" for instruments, faces wind storms, climate change, and beetle infestation.
Federico Formica July 23, 2021
List

14 Plaques That Will Make You Smile

Sometimes a history lesson can come with a few laughs.
Jonathan Carey July 23, 2021
games

Can Welsh Handball Bounce Back From the Brink of Extinction?

The ancient sport of Pêl-Law hangs on, barely, at the last court of its kind. A campaign to revive a related game may help bring it back.
Ewan Morgan July 22, 2021
food

Sold: Sylvia Plath's Rolling Pin and Recipes

Browned and splattered, a set of recipe cards owned by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet raised a lot of dough.
Rebecca Rego Barry July 22, 2021
architecture

Found: An 18th-Century Garden Folly Adorned With Teeth and Bones

A bit disturbing, but oddly lovely.
Matthew Taub July 22, 2021
food

To Sweep Aside Drinking Regulations, Germans Hang Up Broomsticks

A unique tradition allows winemakers to host and serve customers in their homes.
Kat Barber July 22, 2021
mystery

Podcast: Beale Treasure

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team July 22, 2021
civil rights

The Legacy of a Civil Rights Icon's Vegetarian Cookbook

Dick Gregory was an activist, comedian, and trendsetter for Black vegans.
Shea Peters July 21, 2021
Read All Stories