Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

Introducing Atlas Obscura’s Wonder From Home—a link from your living room to the world

Atlas Obscura’s mission has always been to inspire wonder about the incredible world we all share. Now, more than ever, we must stay connected, not only to our sense of wonder, but to each other.

Follow #wonderfromhome for inspiring stories, incredible online experiences, and live streams with the Atlas Obscura community.

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Kevin Dzurny, chief cartographer at Replogle Globes, has to keep things up to date—and keep certain countries happy.

How a Globemaker Navigates a Digital World

“It’s kind of a joke, but in some sense, I almost feel like I could start a war.”

by Lauren Vespoli

Place of the Day

Crocodile House

Living inside an artist's fearsome reptile in the Ivory Coast.

The 1700s Plague Cure That Inspired an Uncannily Contemporary Cocktail

An art historian, a culinary researcher, and a Twin Cities distillery teamed up to recreate the herbaceous drink.

This Week in Wonder From Home

Why Telephone Companies Once Discouraged People From Chatting

The spirit of discovery and community

Wonder From Home

Escape Into These Fantastical, Imaginary Maps

Around the World in 6 Quarantine Pantries

Top Countries

Top Cities

Edinburgh, Scotland

Zoological Roundels

These sculptors of various animals adorn the building that houses one of the capital's least known museums.

SEANETTA

Added by SEANETTA

Overdale, England

The Frog Clock

This whimsical, unique clock has been entertaining shoppers for well over 20 years.

Dr Alan P Newman

Added by Dr Alan P Newman

Toronto, Ontario

Graffiti Alley

A fantastic place to see murals, and an important location in the history of Toronto's legal street art scene.

ckirwan

Added by ckirwan

Andělská Hora, Czechia

Andělská Hora Castle

This ruined castle perched atop a rocky peak is a great place for a hike.

lycanthropejeff

Added by lycanthropejeff

Pidhirtsi, Ukraine

Pidhirtsi Castle

One of the most valuable palace-garden complexes in the eastern borderlands—and one of the most haunted.

alessandro cini

Added by alessandro cini

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Top Place Tags

history & culture

Scotland: Highland Clans and the Trail of Tartan

From $6,780 USD

culinary adventures

Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia

From $2,865 USD

Alongside local experts, we'll munch our way through Slovenia's stunning alpine pastures, forests, and lakes—gathering wild mushrooms, making mountain tea, and crafting a charismatic cheese.

art & performance

Santa Fe Weekend: New Art, Ancient Traditions

From $1,280 USD

Spend a weekend immersed in the rich history, deeply rooted tradition, and constantly evolving art-scape of northern New Mexico.

science & nature

Wildlife of the Ecuadorian Amazon

From $4,635 USD

Delve into this equatorial paradise for a week-long journey full of adventure and learning in some of the wildest corners of the Amazon basin.

Sexual Fluidity Beneath the Sea

Santa Monica, California

Explore Alexandria's Brewing History

Alexandria, Virginia

Japanese Mochi Rice Cake Making

Seattle, Washington

Exploring a Secret Fort

Washington, D.C.

Walking the Hidden Wonders of Midtown

New York, New York

Explore Historic Murals of West Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Hyde Park, Antiquity to the Atomic Age

Chicago, Illinois

The Raptors of the Nation's Capital

Laurel, Maryland

Explore the UT Archeology Lab

New York City Clock Walk

New York, New York

Atlas Obscura's Wonders of FiDi

New York, New York

Explore Stone Age Texas

Florence, Texas

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Even More Ways to Help Librarians and Archivists From Home

As long as we're all cooped-up, here are six digital projects that could use your curiosity.

Jessica Leigh Hester April 7, 2020

The Ambitious Plan to Digitize 100,000 Historic Texts in Belgium

Two major Antwerp institutions are putting some of their voluminous holdings in the cloud.

Matthew Taub April 7, 2020

When the Government Banned PBR, Pabst Made Cheese Instead

Selling dairy products helped the brewery survive Prohibition.

Mark Hay April 7, 2020

Appreciating America's Overlooked, Forgotten, and Discarded Post Office Murals

Painted during the Great Depression, they're lingering expressions of civic pride.

Winnie Lee April 7, 2020

A Trailblazing Japanese-American Sculptor Is Getting Her Own Postage Stamps

Ruth Asawa also championed arts education—and had a great recipe for salt dough for sculpting at home.

Isaac Schultz April 6, 2020

The Woods Hole Lab Where Mysteries of the Deep Are Solved

Nervous sharks, flight-risk octopuses, and fish that walk are just a few of Dave Remsen's cases.

Lucy Sherriff April 6, 2020

Holed Up in a Portuguese Cave, Neanderthals Supped on Seafood

For skeptics, no amount of crab legs and speared shark are enough to upend the caveman stereotype.

Isaac Schultz April 6, 2020

Why Europe's Cave Bears Were—and Weren't—Made for Hunkering Down

Their big sinuses were both an evolutionary boon and bust.

Isaac Schultz April 3, 2020

A Loopy Library of Sounds Features Sprinklers, Sirens, and Freud's Toilet

The Museum of Portable Sound normally resides on an iPhone 4S. Now, you can hear it via video chat.

Claire Voon April 3, 2020

The Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Field Science

As scientists wait, worry, and hunker down, they’re also looking ahead to how their projects will need to adapt.

Claudia Geib April 3, 2020

European Plague Doctor Garb Was Black, Beaked, and Very Bleak

These haunting uniforms make today's masks look tame.

Isaac Schultz April 2, 2020

This Is a Great Time to Busy Yourself With Bees

You can invite them over by planting some native plants on your deck or fire escape.

Jessica Leigh Hester April 2, 2020

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