The Atlas Obscura Podcast
SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 8, 2023 • 10min
Burj Al Babas
An incomplete luxury housing development in Turkey is a mashup of fairy tale and ghost town, and almost everyone has an opinion of (or wants to see) this place.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/turkey-castle-ghost-town
Aug 7, 2023 • 15min
Pā‘ula‘ula / Russian Fort Elizabeth
Producer Johanna Mayer and Atlas Obscura associate editor Sarah Durn tell us the story of a fort in Hawaii with two names – and how those names both preserve and erase its history.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/hawaiian-history-russian-fort-elizabeth
Aug 4, 2023 • 14min
Sunny Jim Cave (Classic)
We follow a long set of wooden stairs deep underground to a sea cave with a mysterious and colorful past, and take in a spectacular, hidden view of the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. Learn more about The Cave Store: https://www.cavestore.com/READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sunny-jim-cave-store
Aug 3, 2023 • 17min
Jacko Steps
We go to the Caribbean island of Dominica and hear the story of Jacko, a formerly enslaved man who became a national hero for his ingenious escape and emancipation efforts READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jacko-steps
Aug 2, 2023 • 14min
Dmanisi
An archeological site in the country of Georgia, which features the oldest human skull fossils found outside of Africa, challenges what we think we know about our deep past.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dmanisi-hominins-brain-shape
Aug 1, 2023 • 18min
Heating things up in Hatch
Today we're headed just a couple hours south of Albuquerque to Hatch, New Mexico, a town where the heat doesn’t just come from the sun. It also comes from the signature crop: Hatch, New Mexico chiles. This Small Town, Big Story episode is produced in partnership with Go USA TV. Learn more about New Mexico here.Learn more about this story here.
Jul 31, 2023 • 14min
Bone Vinyl
In the Soviet Union, x-rays didn’t just give you a look inside the human body. They also gave you a glimpse of the outside world, thanks to music that was imprinted onto this unassuming medical tool.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/soviet-scenesters-used-xrays-to-record-their-rock-and-roll
Jul 28, 2023 • 15min
Beale Treasure (Classic)
Grab your pickaxes, your shovels, and your code breaking supercomputers because today we’re going on a treasure hunt.
Jul 27, 2023 • 19min
Knight’s Spider Web Farm
The family behind this farm relies on itsy bitsy helpers to produce one-of-a-kind art. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/knight-s-spider-web-farm
Jul 26, 2023 • 14min
Amazon Night Hikes
Hear how a trip to the jungle, and a series of nighttime hikes, cured producer Chris Naka’s bug-phobia, once and for all.
